I-5 – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

A Wild Ride to California

Current Location: Back on Old Fort Road in Klamath Falls and it is snowing

Last fall, when lifetime friend Maryruth asked Mo and I if we would come to Maryruth’s mother’s birthday party, I felt a bit of hesitation. The party was scheduled for the 19th of December, way too close to Christmas. But it was Elsie’s 90th birthday, and the celebration was drawing friends and relatives from far and wide. I really couldn’t miss it.

Traveling south on I-5 toward Ashland

Of course, at this time of year, in this part of Oregon, there is no telling what kind of weather we might encounter, so we took our chances and decided to skip making reservations at the Feather Falls Casino KOA. We like the campground, just minutes from Maryruth’s home, with all the amenities we could want. Somehow I wasn’t too worried about the park being filled up on the weekend before Christmas.

We now are living in Klamath Falls, 45 minutes east of our former home in Rocky Point, adding that time and mileage to the trip over the mountain to Grants Pass to the west. The MoHo was waiting all cozy in her big shed, the baby Tracker is already over there, so we just needed to fit everything required for a couple of days in Rocky Point as we travel west, a couple of days in Grants Pass, to load up, do a few small chores, and get ready to go, and a couple of days in California.

I can’t begin to explain how crazy making it is for me to try to think of food for each stop on the way, for clothes appropriate for the various weather conditions we will be encountering, and deciding just what I want to wear to the big Saturday night party. The truck was filled to the brim with sweats, jeans, some slinky dress up’s, way too many shoes, working clothes, snow boots and coats, lots of hats and gloves, and of course all the gear for the dog.

Mattie is a bit like having a kid. We have her crate and bedding, her round bed for non sleeping comfort, another blankie since she gets cold so easily, and a bag of “doggie stuff”, which includes her shampoo, her favorite toys, treats, leash, a sweater, and a raincoat. As I read this, I am beginning to think we are really eccentric parents. That is a lot of stuff for a very small dog!

When we arrived in Rocky Point, all was well. When I found out that the power was off for many hours, I was really glad that Mo and I had returned home to the apartments for a couple of days in between trips. This time the power was on and all was well.

The next morning we headed for Grants Pass, driving over High Lakes Pass in some snowy conditions, but nothing unmanageable. The weather predictions were not encouraging, however. Winter weather warnings were going off every hour for extreme weather impacting most of Southern Oregon and especially the passes, including the route south on I-5 over the Siskiyous.

Leaving Grants Pass south on I-5

We waited till Friday morning to make the actual decision, waking up to heavy pouring rain, and reports of temperatures above freezing at Siskiyou Summit. We hoped we could get over the mountain before the snow levels dropped. Neither of us have any desire to chain up the MoHo.

Siskiyou Summit south on I-5

Sure enough, the snow at the first summit was just flurries and the temps were above freezing, so no black ice. Whew. A nice long stretch to Weed and then once again the snow started blowing. As we passed the turnoff to Mt Shasta City and McCloud, we breathed a sigh of relief.

Slush and snow coming at us near Mt Shasta City

That sigh was a bit premature I guess. It snowed all the way to the Pit River Bridge just north of Redding and much below the 3,000 foot elevation snow prediction. It was wet slushy snow, but not so much that it made driving impossible, and no chains were required. Thank goodness.

Once past Redding, the snow turned to hard pourning rain, not much easier than snow for driving, and there wasn’t a bit of letup till we got to Oroville.

Feather Falls Casino KOA Site 38

Finally settled into our campsite at the only KOA we have ever really liked, we relaxed, knowing that we didn’t really have to think about the drive home for a couple of days. We could just relax and enjoy the party.

Decorating the winery for the party

Maryruth and her sisters held the party at a lovely small local winery in Oroville, Purple LIne Winery. The owners are good friends of another of Elsie’s daughters and were happy to share their lovely venue with the 100 or so guests who arrived on Saturday afternoon to celebrate.

Elsie and Maryruth

I have known Maryruth for 53 years, and of course have known her mother for that long as well. Elsie was a part of my extended family and I am so glad that Mo and I were able to be there to honor her. She was genuninely happy with all the attention, something that Maryruth had been a bit worried about. Today when I talked to Maryruth, she said the party was wonderful for her mom, that it elevated her mood and lifted the bit of depression she had been dealing with because of ongoing tiresome health issues. Elsie is a trooper, has always been a strong and incredible woman, and some of the issues of aging are extremely frustrating for her, as they would be for anyone.

Gerald built the big block numbers for all the photos

Mo and I managed to get a bit of time to enjoy the casino, which is really quite nice. I even won enough money to pay for breakfast the next morning and our wine at the party. We don’t play the slots all the often, but it seems lately that I have been pretty lucky when we do. Lucky as in tens of dollars, not thousands of dollars. LOL I never play big enough to win that big.

After the casino Sunday Brunch with Maryruth and Gerald, we once again tackled the long drive home over the passes. By the time we left, the rains had started up once again and after getting gas in Chico for 2.15 per gallon at Costco, we drove 99 to the interstate and watched the road cams, the weather warning signs, and listened to 1610 AM radio for chain updates.

Radar image for our route to Grants Pass and then home to Klamath Falls.

The predictions were rather scary, and chains were required earlier in the day over the Siskiyous. We pressed on, hoping that the warm temperatures and rising elevation of the snows would stay with us till we reached Grants Pass.

Again, the snow was wet and slushy, the chain requirement for the Siskiyou Summit was lifted just before we reached that point and by the time we landed in Grants Pass it was just raining.

Neither one of us was really concerned about the drive from Grants Pass back home to Klamath Falls via Rocky Point. We have driven High Lakes Pass for dozens of years, and the Dakota has 4 wheel drive. We packed all our stuff back into the pickup once again, put the MoHo to bed, and headed back up the mountain.

UhOh! That drive took us both by surprise! There was a LOT of snow on the side of the road from the previous storms, and yet yesterday the temperatures were rising. We had deep slush and ice on packed snow at the top of the pass, and neither of us could remember a transit as hairy as this one for a long time.

Easy Street doesn’t look so easy with Mo’s plow in Klamath Falls

In Rocky Point, the road that Mo usually plows, was unplowed. The neighbors who live farther up the road than we do don’t have a plow and evidently couldn’t get anyone out there. We drove up as far as we could and then walked through the deep snow to get to the house. Don’t laugh. I have three houses and two vacuum cleaners. I refuse to buy a third vacuum, and I had taken the main vacuum from Old Fort Road to Rocky Point. I needed that vacuum. I refuse to live through Christmas at home without a vacuum! Ha!

Back on the road to Klamath Falls, the snows were deeper than we have seen in years. And that snow just keeps coming. Sometimes it gets a bit warmer and rains on the snow, and then it dumps some more of the white stuff. Mo has a lot less to plow here at the apartments, but this thick wet stuff is keeping her busy.

Snug and cozy in the apartment on Old Fort Road.

I am glad to be home, glad to have a few days at least to make cookies and fudge, get ready for Christmas dinner with the family members that are close, and play in my craft apartment making cards. Christmas will come so quickly, and it seems that we didn’t have a lot of time to do some of the small town Christmas things that I like to do, but with the really yukky weather, I really have no desire to brave the storms to try to go look at Christmas lights. I think I’ll just enjoy my own.

The Solstice has come, the days are getting longer, Christmas is here!!

January 2 to January 7 Traveling South

Current Location: Desert Hot Springs, CA at 55 degrees F at 5 in the morning

We left the day after New Years. I think we were both ready to leave earlier, but we did have a plan, and I wanted to watch the Rose Parade and Mo wanted to see the Rose Bowl Game so we decided to wait. The weather at home was icy, with just a skiff of snow left over from Christmas. There was nothing to plow or shovel, and the only real chores to be done were keeping the fire going.

Neither of us are likely to get bored, there is always something to do, but I did notice a bit of restive boredom building, as we made our plans to head south. Call it hitch-itch or whatever…it has been a month since we had the MoHo on the road and we were both ready to go.

Christmas with family and friends at home

As we watched the parade, we again talked of taking an RV trip, one of those group things, where you get grandstand seats, a nice place to park, and visits to the float barns before the parade. Might be the only way I’ll ever see the Rose Parade again, since neither of us really wants to mess with that whole traffic parking finding a place to stand thing. When I was a kid, we would camp overnight on Orange Grove Boulevard sometimes to get good viewing spots. Maybe next year.

This year we watched from the cozy comfort of our home living room, where I spent most of the day taking down more of the Christmas decorations and packing travel food. Now that the MoHo is stored in Grants Pass, we have to fit everything we take on our trips into the baby car for the trip over the mountain. We laughed this time, wondering where Abby and Jeremy would have fit in the heavily laden car.

A night with Deborah at the cottage and when morning dawned foggy and icy as usual for Grants Pass this time of year we were off, heading south on the 5 for what has become an annual migration to Desert Hot Springs. Sometimes we simply pass through on a trek more distant, sometimes like this time, we will stay in the southern deserts, but no matter how we do it, a stay at Catalina Spa and RV Resort always seems to be part of the plan.

We have no fancy memberships, other than Passport America. With our love of state parks, national parks, national forest and BLM camping and boondocking, it just isn’t worth the extra money. However the PPA card gets us some nice half price benefits for our days on the road. Unlike last year, when Catalina was changing its management policies and we were only allowed two discounted nights, this year the policy has returned to allowing a week at half price, for us $32.50 a night is what we expect to pay at full price and we don’t pay that often! Still, the thought of those hot spring pools always draws me back.

Siskiyou Summit, highest point on I-5 between Mexico and Canada.

If we were going to stay a month, I would imagine we would try out Sam’s Spa nearby, a place Nina and Paul enjoy. Of course, The Sands is big and lovely with a golf course and comes highly recommended by Rick and Paulette who spend extended time there every winter. For us, Catalina is perfect, with the lower camping area a bit older, sites not perfectly level made lumpy with sand, and older trees around, eucalyptus, tamarisk, and some kind of desert pine. It isn’t especially fancy, but it also isn’t crowded, with the trees and oleander hedges making the sites in the lower area feel much more private than those in the newer upper part of the park. Without the need for 50 amp hookups, we have the option to stay here.

Mt Shasta above the inversion caused murky air of the Scott Valley

We have traveled south many times, but often from our home in Rocky Point, going over highway 97 toward Weed, or from Brookings a few times where we stored the MoHo until we got the Grants Pass cottage. We haven’t traveled south on the 5 from Grants Pass directly very often, and it is always a surprise to remember just how long a pull it is to cross the pass over the Siskiyou’s south of Ashland at the Oregon/California border. On this crossing, it was icy at 31 degrees F, but Mo did just fine, and I never felt any slipping around at all.

As we dropped down into the valley near Yreka, the air quality began to deteriorate, due to the strong cold air inversions plaguing most of the Oregon and California valleys. The skies were dingy all the way south throughout the great state of California.

For people who like to travel around as much as we do, and who enjoy new experiences, it is surprising to me how comfortable we are with doing the same route and staying in the same places on this southward journey. We took a bit of time to stop in Red Bluff to visit my ex mom in law, a dear woman celebrating her 91st birthday this month.

The entire route is less than 900 miles, but we give ourselves time, spending two nights along the way. My trucker kids would do that trip in one day! The Flag City RV Park along the freeway in Lodi is our preferred first night stop. Half price here with the PPA card is $27 per night, and with cement level pull through sites, full hookups, free wifi and cable TV we like the stop. Easy and fast and we never bother with making a reservation. The nearby Flying J station has the lowest gas price around according to our GasBuddy app, so it is easy to fill up for the next day. This time we also filled up propane, and while it was a buck more per gallon than it would have been in Grants Pass, it was a quick and easy fill right in the driveway of the park.

Morning dawned sweetly with temps in the 50’s, but the air was still murky with the inversion. Interstate 5 south has been worked on repeatedly, and while last year I remember the road being fairly smooth, this year it seemed to have deteriorated more. Of course, Stockton is always bad, with construction going on constantly for all the years I have traveled through that area. With the MoHo jumping and bumping, I looked up the worst cities to live in the US and yes, Stockton is high on the list. Sad.

The traffic on I-5 all the way to the Highway 58 turnoff toward Bakersfield was steady and thick. I guess a lot of people were traveling back to Los Angeles after the holidays. Truck traffic wasn’t as heavy as usual, but the line of cars ahead of us and behind us was solid, and if Mo got behind a truck it often took a bit of effort to get back into the fast moving traffic to pass. I’m glad it was her day to drive! I took photos of the passing landscape, so beautiful in its own way, but missed having Jeremy on the dash. So many photos of him sleeping away in the sunshine as we traveled south on this highway.

We gassed up at the Bakersfield Costco at 2.25 per gallon, amazing for California, and continued east toward Orange Grove RV Park. I learned last year when we ended up in overflow, that reservations were a smart idea. Today proved to be so, and as we checked in with our reservation, rig after rig pulled into the big long driveways they have for that purpose. Taking advantage of the free RV wash area, we got most of the road grime off both vehicles before settling into our full hookup site.

As many southward bound RV’rs know, this campground in an old orange grove comes with free picking privileges. I know you can buy bags of oranges along the road for 5 bucks or so, but they never seem quite as sweet. Probably brought up green from Mexico or something. Nothing quite as sweet as ripe oranges directly from the tree. Hopefully my orange stash will last long enough. I always feel sad at the moment I slice and squeeze the last orange from Orange Grove RV.

Our favorite route into the Springs is not the one recommended by Google maps, but we ignore their suggestions and travel west into Barstow and take 247 south through the Lucerne Valley, Johnson Valley, and into Yucca Valley, where we then travel down 62 into the Coachella Valley. I am always amazed at the rugged landscape, the range after range of faulted and folded mountains formed in marine sediments that have smashed into the continent from far lands. I do have a love hate relationship with my birth state of California and I am always reminded of that when we come south.

The smell of the southern deserts, the sharp line of the mountains unimpeded by vegetation against the sunset, the twinkling lights of desert cities, all remind me of childhood years long gone. I am glad they are gone, but also glad that I have the chance to come back and enjoy the best parts of what I remember about living in Southern California.

Driving south on Corkhill Road toward the resort is almost like coming home. The familiarity feels nice. Back again to that dichotomy between something new and something familiar, I guess there are good parts to each. Within minutes we found a nice spot on 11th street, backed up by nothing but the dog park area, and with no one beside us on the south for two spaces, it feels fairly private.

I am just a small street and a few steps east of my favorite pool in the world, at least the warmest. My favorite might still be the infinity pool at the Dusit Resort in Chiang Rai Thailand. But it is a lot easier and cheaper to get to this one!

Within minutes of arriving, I checked Facebook and found a note from Betty, another RV blogger, all concerned that no one by the name of Sue Malone had checked in. Nope, it was Mo who checked in, and not with her nickname! I asked for an hour or so for us to get out the chairs, and sure enough Betty bopped right into our site right on cue. Bopped is a good description for Betty. She is a sweet, delightful, happy woman who chatters along so comfortably that it is easy to enjoy her company. We visited a bit, took some photos, heard some great stories, and then Betty bopped back to her place to prepare for their early morning departure for Arizona. Nice to meetcha, Betty!

We have a week here at the resort, before our travels will take us south toward Yuma. In the mean time, we hope to catch some of the hiking trails that we haven’t done in the past. Many trails around this area are not dog friendly. We miss Abby so much, but are not ready to get another dog, so this is the year to hike all the dog unfriendly trails that we can find. The weather is with us, the skies are clear and the temperatures are perfect, without the famous Desert Hot Springs winds anywhere in the predictions. It will be a good week.

California transit

12/30/2013 Orange Grove RV Park Bakersfield CA 65 degrees F as the sun sets

Transiting California reminds me of all the reasons why I really don’t want to ever live here again. Yes, I am a California girl, was born here, as were each of my children. But I left for good reasons, all of which come to mind as we travel south on I-5.

California has so many areas that I love, that I wouldn’t want to have missed in my lifetime. If you are from the east and haven’t seen Big Sur, or Yosemite, or the Mother Lode in springtime, or Lake Tahoe, or the Lost Coast, or Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, the Central Coast ……I could go on and on. San Diego is rich with culture and has perfect weather. The Bay Area is vibrant and fabulous, with so much to see and do. Parts of California have wonderful places to live for lots of people who love it. Mo lived happily on the coast north of Half Moon Bay for 35 years.

Trouble is, we have been to all those places many times, and now are just trying to get THROUGH California so we can get on to the southwest deserts. This time of year 395 isn’t smart, and the coast highway 101 is waaay out of our way. We are moving fast so that we have as much time as possible when we get to the Gulf Coast and Florida. That leaves us with the one choice in California that is the least lovely.

Down I-5 we go, passing what I consider one of the creepiest cities ever, Stockton. The freeway through Stockton is like something in a third world country. Once beyond the Highway 120 ramp toward Sonora, the traffic thinned a bit and the road got a bit smoother. The foggy smog cleared enough that we could see a bit of the landscape around us. Just a bit, although at this time of year it was brown and barren and not so pretty Thought I would put in a pretty photo from our 2011 trip south to remind me of how beautifully seductive the state of California can be at times.

We did get through it. Mo and I taking turns driving, and by the time we got to our exit toward Bakersfield, I was tired of all those cars, just so many cars, all going fast and trying to pass each other and the trucks. I plunked along at 60mph, and decided to avoid the fray, but the lines of cars passing me in the fast lane were often bumper to bumper, moving fast, but rarely a car length between them.

Turning off toward Bakersfield, we negotiated our way around some back side streets trying to find Costco. Google Maps and the GPS don’t seem to understand fences and we ended up right by the gasoline bays, with a fence between us and them where the road ended. Hmmm….did manage to wind around to another highway and found the entrance, but it sure did seem silly. No such thing as a simple off-ramp by the Costco. According to my trusty Gas Buddy, it was the cheapest gas around at 3.37 per gallon, considerably less than on previous trips through this part of California

It really was a short easy day, driving only 275 miles or so to our afternoon destination at Orange Grove RV Park. We ambled in to a nearly empty park, planning to relax after washing the rig, only to find that the park was booked solid and we were led into overflow. Water and electric only, no sewer no cable. I didn’t have reservations, but tonight the park is completely booked. The owner said that this is their busiest week of the year. oops. good thing they have an overflow! In fact, after the overflow fills up they have a big space for dry camping as well. Nice that we didn’t have to do that.

Instead, tonight we are packed in like little sardines, lined up row by row with a lot of very friendly campers. Most of them are from California with another big contingent from British Columbia. A smattering of Washingtonians and Oregonians rounds out the mix. Everyone wants to talk, everyone is just so nice. We are out of practice. We live out in the woods and like to boondock. I love nice friendly people, but in small doses! It is just a different way of camping, of enjoying the RV lifestyle, and I know lots of people really love it. Others are famous for NOT loving it, and wouldn’t dream of staying in a crowded RV park

We could have just continued on to Joshua Tree, but it would have been a long day and I wanted oranges. We also will be boondocking a bit and we wanted to fill up with water and be sure the tanks were clean before we wander out into the desert. I have no clue if the campgrounds (dry camps) in Joshua Tree will be full. In years past we have traveled there this time of year and everything was empty, but with this park packed in and overflowing, I am a bit skeptical. Whatever happens, we will be ready for it. There are lots of boondocking sites nearby if things are filled up in the park.

In a few days we will be back with full hookups enjoying the pools at Catalina Spa in Desert Hot Springs.

Driving the Five to visit Laurie and Odel

Shingle Springs, CA low tonight 52, high tomorrow 90, 74 degrees at 9pm

On Saturday, Grants Pass Oregon was clear and sunny and warm. Even though we had only been away for a week, the oaks were all leafed out, and the dogwoods were in their full rosy glory. Lilacs are blooming everywhere and even the iris are starting to bud. We arrived in early afternoon, in time to bring the MoHo out and pack up, and then do a few minor easy chores around the cottage property. I carefully watered the fruit trees and the long line of shrubs, and with 2.5 gallons per minute, I had to be especially careful. Testing a hose and a five gallon bucket showed that at full blast I could run 10 GPM and with no reservoir cistern, could run the well dry in no time.

It was a very warm evening, and we opened up all the windows to the cottage. I sat in the twilight reading and catching up on computer stuff while Mo patiently mudded all the tape she put up on the kitchen drywall. She was shocked when she finally sat down in the living room to relax with a glass of wine to discover that it was 9pm. We were even more shocked when we both discovered we were wide awake at 4am. With an expected leaving hour of 8, we didn’t know quite what to do. What the heck, let’s just leave. Can you tell we were ready to be on the road?!

Thinking breakfast might be a nice way to kill some time, we decided to try Elmers’ but they didn’t open until 6 so we ended up at Shari’s while waiting for Freddy’s to open the gas islands. Breakfast was OK, but not as great as our favorite Elmer’s place, and we had food in our tummy’s and gas in the rigs by 7am and were heading south on the 5 by ten after.

Somehow the road seemed new today, and as many times as both of us have driven the five, together and apart, it was as fresh and interesting as if we had never done it. Most anyone who has traveled out west has been on this road, it is the easiest and fastest way to get from anywhere north to anywhere south in Washington, Oregon, and California. Everyone complains about how boring it can be, but the stretch between Grants Pass and Redding is as gorgeous as any interstate in the country. Especially when the sun shines over Mt Shasta.

There as a bit of smoke and haze in the spring air near the mountain today, but it only served to make it even more mystical. “The Mountain” dominates the skyline for a hundred miles in almost all directions, but the view comes and goes between the volcanic landscape surrounding Medford and Yreka. Rounding a curve you get a glimpse here and there before she explodes in her full glory as the road passes through the Scott Valley. Well, explodes maybe isn’t a good word, although she has been quiet for a few centuries now.

We took our time, stopping at the vista points, then again at a beautiful rest area near Red Bluff that neither of us remembered seeing before. I think it was there, but has been reworked significantly. The roses were in full bloom and the area was lovely and green with beautiful shade trees and a nice pet area. By mid day the temperatures were in the mid 80’s and I felt myself open up and expand with the warmth just like those roses.

We drove as far as Costco in Woodland before stopping for fuel and then Mo drove through downtown Sacramento and around the complex ramps to get on the 50 going east to South Lake Tahoe. I lived in Sacramento back in the 70’s, visited Maryruth there many times since when she lived there, and still that turn onto 50 east is disquieting. Today it was a piece of cake, though, a great reason to travel on a Sunday through the cities.

Our destination this afternoon was Shingle Springs and the Elks Campground just about 5 miles away from where Laurie and Odel have settled in to homestead. They met us at the campground with some instructions about where to dump if we needed (we did!) and maps of how to get to their house. Mo keeps asking if Laurie was a teacher. She gave me three maps, a distance google map, a close-up google map with bulleted pop-outs, and a page of written instructions. It was all detailed, specific, and perfect. We still managed to turn the wrong way for a moment before correcting. This part of the California foothills is lovely, and full of narrow, winding roads that just wander off willy-nilly in almost any direction. Beautiful.

We found their home, marveled at their incredibly good luck in finding such a perfect place to live, and then went for a walk around the pretty little lake that is the focal point of their extended home park. As Laurie has said, it is a bit like living in a really nice RV Resort, only with more room in the kitchen. The lake was charming, and filled with adorable goose families and one half of a pair of beautiful black swans. The walk felt good after a day in the rig and by 6 we were all ready for dinner.

A short drive to a Taqueria nearby led us to a nice cool patio and some good Mexican food. Laurie’s ceviche was fresh and delightful, Mo had a chimichanga that was spicy and flavorful, and my flautas were like cardboard filled with chicken leather. ah well, most of it was really good!

It is so great to have some time with friends we enjoy so much. Laurie and Odel are both fun to be around, easy to talk with, and always entertaining. One of the lucky finds of the RV life for us. Tomorrow there is more socializing on the agenda with a great drive north on the famous Highway 49 to Nevada City.

Right now the night is dark and quiet and the air is still warm and soft. For a few minutes this afternoon things were less than lovely, with a bit of black tank dumping fiascos, but now it is all good. Isn’t it amazing how that can happen? While walking around with L and O we found ourselves talking about dog poop, cat boxes, black water tanks, and being sick on a ship. Geez….Maybe we can find something better to talk about tomorrow!