My Journey

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Sitting at a Starbucks this morning having a cup of coffee and trying to figure out where to go next. After yesterday's 90 degrees I think it's back to the mountains for sure.

We spent yesterday late afternoon walking around the downtown district in Bend and then in the evening drove a little further south to the Mill District. It was a pretty neat shopping area and it had an REI store. I stopped in and told them that I was disappointed with the hiking shoes that I bought in Portland so they replaced them with a nicer shoe and I only paid the difference. You've got to love REI's policy of 100% satisfaction. Then we had a late night dinner at a sushi place. One of the best meals I've had for a while. Arrived at the Wal Mart late and spent the night there. It was great because the overhead lights were out so it was dark ! Woke up this morning and the first thing I saw was a sign saying that overnight RV camping is prohibited. Yikes.

Cycling beer wagons in Bend ??



My Dinner (LOL)

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Quick update.....sitting on the beach watching the sun set at gold beach, Oregon. Will update the blog when the opportunity presents itself. All well here.....

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So here I am sitting in a Starbucks in Crescent City, California (wishing I had spent more time in Oregon but oh well....) and here's my update:

On Saturday we left Bend, Oregon and headed back into the Cascade Mountains to hike up to the summit of Mount Bachelor (9,065'). On the way there we noticed something going on at one of the snow parks so we stopped thinking that it might be an outdoor concert. Turns it was the USA Cycling National Championships for mountain bikes. So we hung around there for a bit and we moved on once the top 10 had finished racing. The next stop was Mount Bachelor. It was a pretty hike to the summit and we had some great views of the Sisters Mountains to the north. That night we found the most peaceful spot to camp along an ice cold stream. The birds were incredibly happy that evening and sang well into the darkness. Great day !!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

On Sunday we traveled south to Crater Lake National Park. Wow !! This place is unreal and I can hardly believe that I've never traveled to this place before. It's almost hard to believe that it's real. We drove around the lake and after taking in the all the different views of the lake and after finishing the circular drive, we stopped at Mount Scott (8,938') and hiked to the summit of one more mountain. More awesome views of the lake. I read that the only place that the entire lake can be seen is from the summit of Mount Scott. Once back to the truck we drove to the campground to check on the possibility of using their showers which turned out to be a great idea. Seventy five cents for (4) minutes. My shower never turned off so it was hard getting me out of there (haha). That night was spent at another snow park to the west of Crater Lake in Umpqua National Forest. One more very nice day in Oregon.







Trail to Mount Scott

 

[AA1PR]

Incredible journey you have, its making me miss the PNW something fierce.

happy belated bday !

you have to do the rim trail while there at crater lake I did it in 82 I think (was as a teenager), not sure if they still have the ferry there & the cable car ride, thats fun to some degree for photo ops

my only suggestions since it looks like you are hitting all the good spots is to see the bridge of Gods, kalamath falls, & maybe if you go back north mt st helens alot of nice old roads up there
cant remember where in OR it was but if you're into fly fishing check out eagle rock & the river that runs by there, its all catch & release salmon fishing

I am green with envy

 

[memetotes]

Hi Jerry!

Just caught up on the past couple weeks' entries and was glad to learn the trip is still going well and you're seeing such fabulous places. It sounds like you are experiencing some truly relaxing and peaceful moments through your travels, though I'm sure all the hiking has been a tremendous amount of exercise for you and the pups. I remember visiting Crater Lake with the Fritz family years ago. Gorgeous, take your breath away type experience! Traveling anywhere out west (particularly through the Rockies - US and Canada- always made me wish we had grown up out there instead of in the east).

All's well here with the gang in Atlanta....temps have dropped a little (low 80's) but looks like we're going to have a beautiful Indian summer. Love this time of year!

Take good care and a pat to Montana and Yukon....

Glory

PS Jeez, couldn't you have found something better than McDonald's for your birthday dinner?!!! We'll have to make up for that next time you're in Atlanta :chef:

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

AA1Pr........thanks for the suggestions. It's looking like I'm done for Oregon for now. Two weeks was not enough. Heck, I was two months in Washington. I'm working my way toward Latin America. Glad you enjoy the postings.

Hey Glo........

So, on to Monday...........we got a really late start and didn't leave our camp site until after lunch. I think I was hesitant to leave the mountains but the drive down (so to speak) was very nice. Much of the route followed the Rogue River which is just beautiful. I made a stop at a state park and we all went swimming in the river. Of course it always feels great to rinse off, even though we just had showers the evening prior. We drove into the Wal Mart in Grants Pass, Oregon to do some shopping before heading into California. Sometimes I'm so cheap but Oregon has no sales tax and California has 7.5%. I bought $125 of supplies so it was worth the stop. I also filled the fuel tank and the propane tanks. The temperature hit 98 degrees so sleeping here was not a choice.

We went north for a bit on the interstate but quickly departed for the Coastal Route to the Oregon coast. The road (which turned out to be the wrong one) paralleled the Rogue River but at this point it was through an awesome canyon.....oh so wonderfully beautiful. The road began to climb up the mountain and I found a spot to camp that overlooked the canyon with just unbelievable views. That evening & night I sat in my lawn chair and watched the night sky develop. One star, two starts, seven stars, and then a billion stars. What a show it was !!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So Tuesday morning was another beautiful morning weather wise. I'm beginning to wonder when the days will ever be filled with rain again. It seems as though every day is beautiful and it rarely rains anymore. We headed west and within a mile the pavement ended and the road came to a "Y" with no signs telling me where to go. I then thought about how I had only seen (2) cars between 7 a.m. and now, 1 p.m. I took the high road and knew I was in trouble (was lost again). With luck on my side a car came down the mountain within minutes and they let me know that I'd missed the Coastal Route by about (12) miles. Unhooked the Jeep, made a hairy turn around on a one lane dirt road, got rehooked up, and headed back east to our missed turn off. I decided that I was lucky to have got lost or I would never have found that awesome spot last night. The Coastal Route is a seldom traveled road, very steep and very narrow. Lots of nice views and much better than taking the normal route to the coast. We arrived in Gold Coast that evening and found us a spot right on the Pacific Ocean to camp. Took a long walk that evening along the ocean and also watched a bi plane dive bombing my camper for fun. Quite beautiful here to say the least.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The plan for Wednesday was to enjoy the drive down the Oregon Coast and then visit the northern half of Redwood National Forest. We took our time and stopped over and over. It's such an amazing drive. It seems as though every stop allowed for an adventure as you can access the beach so often. Thanks to Oregon for that. At one point the dogs for a swim in the ocean but it was just too cool for me.....air temperatures at 54 degrees. The road changes completely when you enter California. It turns inward and away from the beach. That sucked a bit but I knew we'd be in the redwoods soon, something that I'd never seen before. We arrived in Crescent City, California late afternoon and headed to the ranger station for information on Redwood National Forest. I will post the remainder of my day in the next post......

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

.....so this is Part 2 of my "yesterday's thread". I walked into the ranger station looking for a trail map and a few tips on some nice hikes in the northern end of Redwood National Park. He pulled out (2) maps and began telling me about some cool places that I could spend the evening. On one of the maps he drew (2) circles and said that there were (2) loop trails that I could take, short, easy hikes, and that I couldn't get lost. Hmmmmm...........I wondered what this guy knew about me. For anybody that has read this thread they know that I'm always lost on this trip. And I mean always. Anyhow we drove into the forest and it is incredible. The trees are huge !! We did one hike through the forest and it was great. Next we were off to the two loop hikes that he told us to take. It seemed fairly simple and the hiking was wonderful. We exited the forest onto the dirt road and then I realized that I had made a wrong turn. No Jeep. Well I walked down the road for a good ways and still no Jeep. By now it was almost dark so I decided that I had turned down the road the wrong way so I back tracked and walked down the road the other way. And things just got worse for me as a huge (I'd say 300 pounds or so) black bear stepped out onto the road right in front of me. What to do ?? Well, I held my ground and told him not to be a bad bear (I actually shouted at him). He just stared at me and after several minutes he turned and walked back into the forest. Thank goodness for that but now I too had to retrace my steps and head back into the forest to figure out where the hell I was. Well, obviously he didn't eat me and I finally found my Jeep just as dark had arrived.

The Crescent City Wal Mart doesn't allow campers so I drove to a casino that I saw earlier. They allow gamblers to camp in their lot so I joined some gambling club (??) and acted like I was a gambler so I could stay there. I got a $5 discount at the buffet so I'm hoping it was a good decision. I ate so much it was unreal........nervous energy maybe ? After the meal I returned to the camper and I never did gamble. At one point they came looking for me but I acted like I was asleep and they finally left. What a day !!!

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

The next day we traveled south and decided not to hike in the redwoods anymore. Not sure why.....just feeling lazy I guess. So we casually drove south along Route 101. Our first stop was at a pier that the rangers had mentioned where we watched seals and walruses hanging out. It was here that I found out that I can imitate the sounds of a walrus really good. As we continued south we stopped at an ocean overlook to view whales. You couldn't see too much other than the flopping of a tail or the blow hole. It was pretty cool. Further down 101 we spotted elk in several locations. Late afternoon found us in Arcata, California. Not sure what to say about this place other than cool town with lots of young, homeless, hippie type guys everywhere. We decided to stay that night at the local KOA to get a warm shower. I never wanted to come out. It was well worth the $25.

The following morning was back in the shower forever. Afterwards we drove to Eureka, California to shop and get diesel. Another cool California town. From there we got onto Route 299 again drove east through the Coastal Mountains. We slept along a river in the national forest last night and continued east this morning to Redding, California which is where I am at at this moment.

The plan now is to go a little north and east and look into climbing Mount Shasta tomorrow. Not sure that I want to do it..........but maybe.

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

So we didn't stay long in Redding since the temperatures were above 90 degrees. We drove north up Interstate 5 heading for Mount Shasta and the high country. We arrived there Saturday afternoon and I came up with this great plan to get a hotel room for Sunday and Monday nights. The plan was to watch football all day Sunday and Sunday night, climb Mount Shasta (14,162') on Monday, and then watch Monday night football. I'm really missing the NFL right now (and daily showers). I worked out a great deal with a hotel clerk on Saturday and that night we slept at the trail head for Mount Shasta. When I returned on Sunday morning the hotel clerk changed his mind and doubled the price (in line with the competition). Of course I was disappointed so I left town.....no football and no Mount Shasta. We drove southeast and spent the day in Lassen Volcanic National Park but made one quick stop to check out the Subway Cave. Much like the caves in Washington but much larger. Interesting. Lassen Volcanic National Park is a great park with great showers ! I had planned to climb Lassen Peak (10,457') since I missed Mount Shasta but the trail was closed due to trail construction. Ugh. That night we continued south and spent the night in Lassen National Forest at another snow park. Up this morning and we currently are hanging out in Susanville, California headed for Lake Tahoe............

Mount Shasta



Mount Shasta



Subway Cave



Lassen Peak

 

[marshal32]

Wow, I like the most is Mount Shasta. It seems like a fantastic place and good for recreation and entertainment. I prefer to go on such type of places on vacations and would like to spend time in such superb places. These type of places make you feel fresh and energetic.

 

[memetotes]

(This is Lauren on Mom's account again )Love catching up on your posts and seeing all of the great pics (and a very, very belated Happy Birthday)! At least you didn't miss any good NFL action this past weekend, just a bunch of replacement refs seriously botching a number of games/major calls. It caused quite the stir, but fortunately the Falcons were unaffected and are 3-0! I'm sure you're thrilled, haha. Keep on living the good life and thanks for letting us all live vicariously through your amazing travels! Lots of love from me, Albert and Wilson

 

[YukonMontanaTannerTrapper]

Hey Lauren........thanks.........I picked up (2) hitchhikers in Yosemite a few days ago. They had just climbed a big wall and had huge racks of climbing gear with them. They jumped into the backseat with the dogs and I swear the girl reminded me of you so much......very, very upbeat and with an eternal smile. They were a treat for me.......just like you guys.

So, time to get caught up. All is well here as I have returned to Reno, Nevada this morning. Since my last posting here's the news. Starting with Monday (09/24), we drove south to Reno, Nevada hopeful that we could overnight in a Wal Mart parking lot. Once again we ran into city ordinances which forbade it. Our next stop was at one of the casinos but they wanted $45 for one night.....much too steep for this unemployed bum. We left Reno that evening and headed southwest for Lake Tahoe. Fortunately Tahoe National Forest began soon after leaving Reno and we found a great spot to camp for the night (although it was posted no camping).

Up Tuesday morning to beautiful weather (again) and we were off for Lake Tahoe. We chose to drive the western shoreline first.......lots of traffic and lots of construction. Not so beautiful here. As we progressed south things changed for the better and it was very nice with lots of forests. We had lunch along the shoreline and the dogs swam the entire time. From there we continued driving around the lake until we came to the big city with all the casinos and shops (sorry.....forgot the name). We wanted to walk around there and hang out some but I swear there was no place to park a rig like mine. I've never seen so many threatening signs regarding parking. So we left town and headed south for Yosemite National Park. We found an adequate spot just outside the entrance of Yosemite in Inyo National Forest for the night.

Up early Wednesday morning and we were in the park by 8:00 a.m. As we only had one day in the park it was mostly a driving day. We did stop in at the housekeeping camp and had hot showers. For some reason the guy gave us free showers (a savings of $10...sweet!). The only hike we did was Bridalveil Falls. I guess that the drought has affecting the flow significantly since there was very little water falling over the rocks. We also got the binoculars out and watched (3) groups of climbers on El Capitain. Amazing climbers !! We returned to the same camping spot as as the previous night.

Thursday's goal was to return to Reno which was only about (130) miles so we slept in, then just hung out doing nothing (I did give myself a very nice haircut). I decided on our way back to Reno to take a short detour and visit Virginia City, Nevada. I had no idea what was there but it turned out to be a real tourist trap. Tons of western / cowboy type stores in this little town.I bought a cup of coffee and hit the road. Last night we returned to the same camp spot in Tahoe National Forest.

And today, Friday, I'll be dropping my friend off at the airport as he needs to return home. As for me, I've said that I'll let the weather steer my course. It seems as though I may have gone south a bit too fast (although I wanted to share some places with my friend). So this afternoon 'm going north. I'm headed for Bozeman, Montana. I have friends there and I have an invitation to stay with them for a week (or so). I'm tired right now and I'm looking forward to some time on a couch watching television, getting up in the morning and taking a hot shower, just living the old life (kind of) for a little. I may hang out in Bozeman........my friends are climbers so we're talking about doing some stuff together. I'm excited...........

Reno, Nevada



Montana in Lake Tahoe



Highest Prices Yet



Yosemite National Park