Southern California

Our next stop was Placeville KOA in Shingle Springs, California.  It's located in the foothills between the Sacramento Valley and the gorgeous Sierra Nevada Mountains of Lake Tahoe.   It wasn't a long drive from the I-5 to the campsite so that was a welcome relief from our previous mountainous drives in to the various campsites.

We have loved every KOA campsite we have visited.  Each one has its special little nuances and this one was no different.  We met a family at the pool who talked about the "fun train".  Intrigued, we enquired at the front desk, and indeed there is a little fun train that circles the campsite in the evenings.  While Tony and I never went, Liz and Aidan did and they said it was a blast.  While they were doing that, I was capturing another California sunset.

Didn't mind having those shade giving trees.

On our way to the campsite our air conditioning in the truck seemed to stop functioning.  It was sweltering hot in the truck and we knew we had to get it looked at.  We called around and found a place specializing in diesel about 5 minutes away from camp.  Liz took the truck in while I took Aidan to the playground and then pool.  It took all day for the truck repair but they checked all the coolant levels, and the tires, and the A/C fan.  A call to our extended warranty company took care of the big part of the bill.  We now had the comfort of knowing that it had been taken care of.....because HOT COUNTRY is coming!

We stayed here two nights and it was a very pleasant stay.  All the KOAs have 'general stores' in their registration offices.  This one had free DVD rentals, adult beverages, and the pool was great.  I'm not really a swimmer but I have to say that the one thing I have appreciated the most in this hot journey have been the pools.

Aidan loves the pool and with his life jacket on he has learned to get very comfortable in the water.  We are now transitioning from life jacket to goggles and learning to get comfortable in the pool without the floaty.  Grandma is just thankful for a place to cool off!

Stay tuned for our next adventure into the desert.

Mavis

You've got to be kidding me!

After leaving South Jetty Thousand Trails (Florence, Oregon) we plugged in the coordinates of our next campground (Trinity Lake KOA).  I was excited about this stay because my dear friend Karen lives about 30 minutes away in Weaverville and I haven't seen her for probably 20+ years.  It was time!  So if we could make it happen we were going to.  Karen and I met in 1984 in Israel at Project Kibbutz, a year long discipleship training program.  We have stayed friends with our fellow team members and have had reunions through the years but it's been way too long since I've seen Karen.

We were using an app called RV Life which chooses safe routes for RVs.  What you want to avoid when you are towing a travel trailer is low bridges which could spell catastrophe.  In the true spirit of backseat driving (ahem) I also plugged in the destination in my iMaps app.  My map had us taking the I-5 down to Redding and turning west towards Weaverville and then to Trinity Lake.  Well, the "safe app" took us on a different route over Scott Mountain which had more hairpins that the local beauty shop, and no guardrails.  At one point we were over 5,000 feet. Karen  had warned me that the roads were a bit winding but trucks make it so Liz would be fine. So when we encountered them we thought 'no big deal' and proceeded.  There was nowhere to turn around so we were committed. But oh my gosh!  I should have squawked more but didn't want to second guess the driver or the App.

It was the most treacherous road yet.  Not many pictures were taken as my white knuckles were clutching something other than my camera.

Beautiful vistas but whoa....

When I told my friend Karen the way we drove to Trinity Lake, she gasped in unbelief.  She said they close it down in the winter and she hesitates driving it with her truck anytime.  Well that was the end of using THAT app!  Liz actually wrote to them and told them how dangerous the route was.  We haven't heard back.  We lived to tell the story and Harriet is in one piece.  Our nerves were shattered (especially Liz's).  We stayed at Trinity Lake for four nights.  What a wonderful place.   The amenities were great and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay there.  We extended to four nights which afforded me TWO visits with Karen.

We've been friends for nearly 40 years!

I love you long time Karen!

We had a great campsite with lots of room.  We even got to sew outside. And enjoyed a lovely Shabbat breakfast outside.

Bingo in the Pavilion where we met new friends.  He also celebrated his 5th birthday here!

Thanks for following!  See you at the next campsite.

Mavis

A New Spot on the Oregon Coast

We wanted to at least drive part way on the Oregon Coast highway before heading towards the I-5.  Knowing that we were heading to another Thousand Trails, we decided to pack up early and get on the road so we would arrive at our next destination before noon (check out time).  We figured if we got there as other campers were pulling out we'd stand a better chance of getting a good site with full hookup.

Pardon the window shot and the fog but this was the ocean on our drive south.

We journeyed down to Florence, Oregon where we stayed at South Jetty Thousand Trails.  It was also hilly and a repeat of the shark tank circling dance but we managed to find someone with a big rig like Harriet and asked them where they pulled out from and whether it had full hookup.  So armed with this info I walked to the site and waited for Harriet and the family arrived.  It was a beautiful albeit small site but it had full hookup.  It was a difficult maneuver to back Harriet in but Liz nailed it (again!) and we loved this pretty spot.  

After a difficult hookup, we find that we want to stay for more than one night so we asked if we could extend but sadly the campsite was full.  So we enjoyed our brief stay and this gorgeous west coast spot for one night.

Gorgeous tree cover but it meant the Starlink satellite dish stayed stowed.

Cozy little campsite.  Time for some snuggles.

Good night!

Mavis

Hidden in Plain Sight

It would have been too easy to miss this gorgeous place!  Our friend told us about it so we sought it out.  This is Cape Kiwanda.

We spent about an hour here before we headed off to Tilamook Creamery for a tour of the cheese factory.  If you have never experienced Tilamook cheese I hope you get a chance.  I was introduced to it by my friend Terry when we did a road trip to Sisters, Oregon.  As soon as we found our first Walmart in Washington state, we stocked up on cheese.  I was unaware just how good it was so I followed her lead.  Oh my goodness!  So good!

Our outdoor fridge is stocked up with cheese...and yogurt.  The ice cream was gone quickly.  But you get the picture!

Later that day we dropped Tony off for a rest and ventured into Lincoln City where we found the Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant.  I do believe this is the best Mexican food I've every had.  We had been seated less than a minute when they brought up some hot chips and salsa with some cold water.   And they do takeout so while the presentation wasn't as good, the taste was (for Tony).

Lots of gorgeous scenery and good food today.  Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Mavis

Campsite reviews

After leaving Pendleton, OR, we headed for the Oregon coast.

We arrived at Pacific City Thousand Trails after a long driving day.  After our easy pull through site at Pendleton, we were faced with a challenge at our first Thousand Trails campground.

At Thousand Trails you basically reserve a spot but when you arrive you have to drive your rig (big or small...it doesn't matter) around to claim your campsite then let them know after the fact which site you are in.  And by the time you have arrived you are very likely tired and have to use the washroom. So in short, you are guaranteed "a spot" but not necessarily one big enough for your rig, and not necessarily with full hookup.  It's like a shark tank watching everyone circle around looking for a site.  We ended up asking one of the staff to help us and they offered to drive around in their golf cart with Liz to secure a site. 

In contrast, when you book at KOA you are guaranteed to get what you book.  So we love KOA but will give Thousand Trails another chance in California.  Some Oregon travellers from California said that Oregon sites are more difficult.  The sites at Thousand Trails are beautiful, just not easy to get to or into. The terrain is rather hilly, which is part of the beauty of it.  And the amenities at Thousand Trails are definitely a cut above.  The lodge at our first stay reminded me of places on the island that you would book for a weekend getaway...and they are included in your membership.

The Lodge

We hiked up to the Lodge through the path on the map.  I learned a lot about map reading, like pay attention to terrain/topography!  It was a very steep hike but we all made it in one piece.  It was fun exploring and the Lodge is beautiful.  I wanted to pull out my sewing machine but it was too much effort to get it to the Lodge for just a few hours.  I haven't sewn a stitch since we set out on this adventure actually!  Shocker...I know.

The beach was visible from those windows but it was super foggy so we didn't see any of the ocean from the campsite.  We stayed here for 3 nights which gave us some time for the pool, laundry and of course the token travelling quilt shots:

The pool was great and the laundry was in the next building so while Liz and Aidan were at the pool, I loaded the machines and sat and read until the laundry was done.

Thanks for following!

Mavis

On the Road Again....

After a wonderful Shabbat with Heidi and Denny, we left beautiful New Meadows, Idaho for Northern Oregon to a hot little place called Pendleton.  

Leaving Idaho

Small and tight site but sufficient  It had full hookup and was just an overnight stop anyway.

View from Pendleton KOA in Pendleton, Oregon

We stayed just one night.  It was HOT (44 degrees C was the highest temperature)!!!  Next we are heading to the Oregon coast where it will be cooler.

Thanks for following!  Off to the coast we go!

Mavis

The Gift of Hospitality

Today we travelled from Laclede, Idaho to our friends' cabin for a two night overnight visit.  Heidi and I met through APQS.  She is an excellent tech support person for Quiltpath, the software for APQS longarm machines.  We have spoken lots on the phone as I was getting up to speed with the program and we have become friends and chatted over Messenger long before we showed up in their neck of the woods.

It really was entirely generous of them to offer their RV pad, especially considering that they had to move their trailer to accommodate Harriet.

It was a beautiful drive through Idaho.  I was getting play by play descriptions from Heidi who told us about the golden crops we were seeing.  Canola for miles!  And beautiful rolling hills. 

They met us a few miles away from their property to lead us in.  Heidi and Denny are truly wonderful people who love people and are incredibly hospitable.

Heidi, Liz and Aidan on the porch

View of Max and Harriet from Heidi's quilting loft

Of course I pulled out the travelling quilt for a photo op!

Denny and Tony chatting in the shade

Aidan on Heidi's family antique tractor

We were totally refreshed by our stay with Heidi and Denny.  Thank you friends!  Until we meet again!

Mavis