Saying goodbye to the Oregon Coast, on to the Golden State

Thursday, 20 September. We departed Florence, Oregon, this morning at 9:00 sharp.  After a quick tour of the park -- brought about by a wrong turn by the Winnebago’s driver (me) inside the park -- we were on our way south on Hiway 101 (again), headed for Yreka, CA, about 240 miles and a little over five driving hours away.  Once again, the drive via 101 offered some magnificent scenery and views of the Pacific Ocean.  I won’t dwell on breathtaking beauty of this part of our country, but sometimes words are just not enough.  Bottom line: We were treated to more of the wonderful scenery of the Oregon Coast this morning. At Reedsport we picked up Oregon Hiway 38 and began following the Umpqua River. As one of the principal rivers of the Oregon Coast (about 110 miles long), the Umpqua is famous for its bass and shad fishing.  The river is named for the Umpqua Indian tribe, one of several Native American tribes in the Umpqua’s watershed. The 35-mile drive along the river offered spectacular views (see photo below) around virtually every bend in the road. 

 

 We left Hiway 38 at Elkton and picked up Oregon State Road 138 so we could continue following the Umpqua and its tributaries….and to also shave off some time getting out to I-5.  138 turned out to be a pretty good road, winding in and out, up and down, stand after stand of beautiful Oregon evergreens.  BTW, if one were to continue east on 138 this byway comes out on Oregon Hiway 97, just a few miles from another or Oregon’s gems, Crater Lake.  Crater Lake is a caldera lake famous for its deep blue color and water clarity. The lake partly fills a nearly 2,150-ft deep caldera that was formed around 7,700 years ago by the collapse of a now extinct volcano. There are no rivers flowing into or out of the lake; the evaporation is compensated for by rain and snowfall at a rate such that the total amount of water is replaced every 250 years.  If ever in this part of Oregon, don't miss out on visiting this true wonder of nature.

 

Anyway, I digress. Once we turned south on I-5, we continued to be treated by Oregon's beautiful scenery along the twisty interstate.  We must have crested a half dozen summits / passes as we proceeded south through the Siskiyou and Klamath National Forests.  Passing through a couple of towns, namely Grants Pass and Ashland, brought back some special memories for us.  Years ago, while on a trip back to Monterey, CA (I was in language school at the time, 1971), we stopped for gas in Grants Pass.  While I was pumping gas, Lynette went to the ladies room, leaving our young son, Kip (about two at the time) alone in the car.  Kip, the imp that he was at two, decided to push all the door locks down in our ’63 Plymouth Fury.  Well, let me tell you, no amount of my hollering or yelling, or Lynette’s coaxing and encouragement, was enough to persuade Kip to pull those darn door locks up.  I can’t remember how all this all turned out (eventually we made it back to Monterey), but we laughed about it today.  The Ashland story is a bit scary.  We were headed north on I-25 in December, 1968, on our way from Texas to Washington State so we could celebrate the holidays with family.  We left Baker, CA, early one morning, with snow in the forecast.  We actually had to stop and buy tire chains in Red Bluff (thanks to Lynette’s Dad we had a credit card that we used…thanks, Glenn), and we had to put the chains on before we headed into Shasta Pass. By the time we hit the pass, we found ourselves in a full blown blizzard.  Our little Ford coupe was having trouble just staying in line with all the other cars ahead of us.  At times all I could see in front of me were the red tail lights of the car ahead of us.  Well, long story short, we made it over the pass, pulled into Ashland, Oregon, and nabbed the last room in a little motel right off the interstate.  The room was their honeymoon suite, but we were glad to have it anyway.  I was more than a little scared about the next morning’s drive north, but as luck (or was it our Guardian Angel?) would have it, a Chinook wind came through overnight and virtually melted all the snow.  What luck!  The final drive home to Yakima, WA, was uneventful and we were happy to be home for the holidays.  Always brings back fond memories of our earlier years.

Anyone traveling from Oregon to California via I-5 will be treated to some spectacular views of Mt Shasta, as we were today.  Not much snow on the mountain today, and we’re not sure if it’s just because we’re in late summer or maybe global warming.  Still, all in all, a magnificent mountain.

We finally arrive in Yreka around 2:30, found our campground right off I-5, and were set up for the evening in no time.  We had a late lunch/early dinner around 4:30 at the Black Bear Diner in Yreka.  BBD is a regional chain with diners throughout the Western states.  Good food, reasonable prices, and unbelievable helpings!  Very large plates, full of delicious chow.  If you get the chance to eat at one of the BBD’s, go for it; you won’t be disappointed.

We’re here in Yreka for just one night, and then it’s on the road again, headed for Sacramento and a few days visit with my brother, Laren, and his family.  We’ll be staying at another TT campground, the Ponderosa at Lotus, about an hour east of Sacramento, north of Hiway 50.  Will update the LynDenHaus blog as needed during our stay in this area.  Cheers for now!