The road home

We stopped in McCloud for 4 days of great Square dancing.

 

 

 

 

McCloud, a quaint historic village on the south slope of majestic Mt. Shasta. Bypassed by time and blessed with a 5,000 sq.ft. maple floor dance hall built in 1906. The location is peacefully quiet with starry nights and spectacular scenic beauty.   

 

 

8/23/13

Lake Shasta

 The water level is much low now than when we passed by in June.

 

Redding 

 The Sundial Bridge provides pedestrian access to the north and south areas of Turtle Bay Exploration Park.  It also forms the gateway to the Sacramento River Trail a 35-mile-long trail that extends along both sides of the river and connects the bridge to the Shasta Dam.  Drift boats of fishermen are often seen passing beneath the bridge as they fish for salmon, steelhead and rainbow trout.

 

Cooling his feet in the Sacramento River

 

 8/24/13

Brentwood

 Brentwood began as a farming community in the late 19th century, and still is known throughout the Bay Area for its agricultural products, primarily its cherries, corn and . Due to urban sprawl many of the old farms and orchards have been replaced by suburban developments since 1990. Brentwood is increasingly residential.

 

 

Orwood RV park and Marina

 

California Delta at Orwood

 

   There are some 1000 miles of navigable waterways in the California Delta labyrinth, an area rich in history--from the era of the Lauritzen Indians, through the Spanish settlement, to the gold rush, the creation of the levees, the golden age of steamboat travel from Sacramento to San Francisco, and to its current popularity as a destination for camping, fishing and boating.   

 

Visited with some of the Long family



Uncle Bill is the only one to sit still and have his picture taken

 

 

8/27/13

Santa Maria

 

Our favorite. Tri tip dinner at Shaw's. 

 

 

 Lunch at Rincon Beach

 

 

 

8/28/13 

We arrived home after 88 days on the road. With 4,546 miles on the motorhome and 2,653 miles on the jeep.  Along the way we took 3,931 pictures.

 

 A BIG

 to Gregg and Harry for looking after our house, mail and pool while we were gone.

 

We are currently planning our next trip! We hope to be back on the road by mid October.



The night we spent on the side of the road

Yes, it finally happened, but not to worry we have AAA Roadside Service for Motorhomes.

 

 

3 miles to go to our destination and we could smell hot coolant.  Dave checked the gauges and everything looked good.  Then the lights came on and the buzzer went off.  We immediately pulled off the road and turned the engine off.  We both ran to the engine in the back but everything looked normal.  When we stepped around to the drivers side we had massive amounts coolant running out the storage bays.  With our aqua hot system the coolant from the engine runs forward through lines to provide heat and hot water while driving down the road.  Well one of those lines sprung a leak.  We promptly called AAA.  First, they tried to tell us we didn't have motorhome roadside assistance but after we insisted they agreed we did.  Next, they told us they cannot send us a mobile mechanic.  If we were lame enough to needed fuel they could send someone for that.  Since they wouldn't send assistance, we asked for a tow truck.  After gathering  our location, size, color and cell number he then tells us he cannot send us a tow truck because we are too large.  When I ask WHY AAA would sell me motorhome roadside assistance if our motorhome is too big for their service he could not answer that.  Due to cell service we end up getting disconnected and he never called us back knowing we were stranded on the side of the road.  We will be paying AAA a visit when we get home and shopping for a new RV roadside service.

Being late and no help on its way we prepared for a long night on the side of the road.  Dave went on the Tiffan RV forum he visits often and described our problem.  In the morning he had replies and links on where to find and how to fix our split hose.  We then went Napa Auto Parts in Mount Shasta. Which turns out to be the 1st Napa Auto Parts in the state of California back in 1925.  Bought the supplies we needed and fixed the problem ourselves.   We had to replace 5 gallons of coolant that leaked out due to the fact when we got stopped we were headed down hill.

We were really surprised that in the 17 hours we were on the side of the road not a single person stopped to see if we needed any help. But on the other hand we were really glad that none of the wrong people stopped either.

Heading South, Washington and Oregon to California

Our route from Washington to Oregon took us over the Astoria Bridge.

The Astoria–Megler Bridge is a steel cantilever through truss bridge that spans the Columbia River between Astoria, Oregon and Point Ellice near Megler, Washington. Located 14 miles from the mouth of the river, the bridge is 4.1 miles long and was the last completed segment of U.S. Route 101 between Olympia, Washington, and Los Angeles, California. It is the longest continuous truss bridge in North America.



Up, up and away

The bridge is 21,474 feet in length and carries one lane of traffic in each direction. The main span is closest to the Oregon side and measures 1,232 feet long.  The bridge was built to withstand 150 mph  wind gusts and river speeds of 9 mph.  The south end is located at what used to be the toll plaza,

 WikiMiniAtlas

 / 46.18723; -123.85427 (Astoria-Megler Br at the end of a 2,130 ft long inclined ramp which goes through a 360° loop while gaining elevation to clear the channel over land. Since most of the northern portion of the bridge is over non-navigable water, it is low to the water.

 WikiMiniAtlas

/ 46.24084; -123.87493 (Astoria-Megler Bridge nor

 

The area of Astoria is a nationally significant historic region at the western end of the Lewis & Clark Trail. Astoria is the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies; a place that takes visitors back to simpler times, its architecture dominated by hundreds of Victorian homes clinging to steep wooded hillsides and with a revitalized 1920s era downtown; all set against a backdrop of tremendous natural beauty in the temperate rain forest at the mouth of the Columbia River.



 Tillamook

  

Not sure the sign shouldn't say Tillamook Ice Cream! Most people leaving the tour all had a great big ice cream cone in their hand. 

The Tillamook County Creamery Association was formed in 1909 as a quality control organization for the ten cheese factories operating in Tillamook County.  By 1948, the cooperative had developed into a marketing agency for all the cheese factories in the county.  Product quality has always been the driving force in what has made Tillamook Cheese and other related products what they are today. 

The Tillamook Cheese Visitor Center is one of Oregon's most visited tourist attractions, attracting over 1 million visitors each year.  At the Visitor Center, you can take a video tour, watch the cheesemakers at work from the observation deck and visit the gift shop.  If you are hungry, you can sample the cheese and curds, buy your lunch at the deli and taste some of the most delicious ice cream in the world - Tillamook Ice Cream. 

Pacific City

Sunset at Thousand Trails Campground

 The northern Oregon coastline is beautiful. We will have to revisit this area when we have more time to snoop around for sights and local attractions.

Netarts Bay


Sand Lake
The Sand Lake Recreation Area is located along Oregon's North Coast, 15 miles southwest of Tillamook between Cape Lookout and Cape Kiwanda.
It covers 1,076 acres of open sand dunes, surrounded by forests and adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.
 The Sand Lake Recreation Area is popular with Off-Highway Vehicle enthusiasts. It offers riding on open sand dunes with access from campgrounds or day use areas that are open year round.

We aired down the tires and had some fun in the dunes. Years ago we spent some time riding our ATC's in the sand dunes near Coos Bay. Cruising in Jeep was fun, but not quite the same...."just sayin"

Reedsport 

The Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area is the year-round residence for a herd of about 100 Roosevelt elk. A mild winter climate and abundant food allow the Roosevelt elk to remain at the Dean Creek Elk Viewing Area all year. Dean Creek is a Day Use Only site. 

 Stopped along the Umpqua River and picked wild berries. These will make a fine cobbler in a few weeks.

Diamond Lake

Mount Shasta 

 Just on the other side of mountain is our campground. We'll have time to rest up before the Square Dancing starts. Hope we remember all the calls.....

Long Beach Peninsula, Washington

The Long Beach Peninsula is an arm of land in western Washington. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the south by the Columbia River, and the east by Willapa Bay. Leadbetter Point State Park and Willapa National Wildlife Refuge are at the northern tip of the peninsula, Cape Disappointment State Park, formerly known as Fort Canby State Park is at the southern end, and in between is Pacific Pines State Park.

 The Long Beach Peninsula is remarkable for its continuous sand beaches on the Pacific Ocean side, 28 miles in extent, claimed to be the longest beach in the United States and the world's largest drivable beach.  Because of the fine beaches, it is a popular vacation destination

Just outside the reach of the mighty Pacific Ocean, the popular Long Beach Boardwalk stretches for half a mile.  Offering interpretive displays, superb views and picnic areas.  The boardwalk is a short walk from most downtown Long Beach.

 Long Beach is noted worldwide for its mid-August kite festival.
 Unfortunately we missed it.

 Almost 2,000 vessels of all types and about 700 lives have been claimed by the treacherous waters off the Peninsula over the past 300 years.  Even when visibility was acceptable, ships often had trouble traversing the Columbia River bar, the area in which the gigantic flow of the river rushes headlong into towering ocean waves. Sailing ships had a terrible time getting into the Columbia, since the two natural channels through the broad, sediment-choked river mouth, particularly the north channel, forced ships to turn sideways to the wind and waves.

Cape Disappointment, part of the Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks west of Ilwaco, was the western most point for the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  In 1788, English Explorer Captain John Meares, in seeking the Columbia River, wrote of missing the passage over the bar, and his discouragement named the nearby headland Cape Disappointment.

North Head Lighthouse built in 1898, 42 years after its sister lighthouse was completed on Cape Disappointment.  The need for a second light was critical.  Ships coming down the coast from the north could not see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse until they were into dangerous water at the mouth of the Columbia River.

The mouth of the Columbia River. 

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse began operating in 1856, and is now the oldest lighthouse still in use on the west coast.

Fishing boats returning with their loot, most were heading to docks in Ilwaco



  

24.04
We spent a couple of hours at this working Cranberry Farm & Museum. It is a research center funded partly by WSU. It was interesting to see the different harvesting methods and equipment developed over the years.  Cranberries have been commercially on the Long Beach Peninsula since 1883.  Cranberries are planted on sandy soils.  They prefer well drained soil and need adequate water.  Cranberries grow on vines not bushes. Cranberries are a perennial wetland plant that can produce for 100 years or more. It takes about 3 years after planting before the first harvest, and 5 years for a full
harvest.

 

The principal industry of the Long Beach Peninsula has become tourism, though fishing, crabbing, oyster farming, and cranberry farming are also important components of the local economy. The Long Beach Peninsula is located on the west side of the Willapa Bay, considered the number one producer of farmed oysters in the United States and among the top five producers worldwide.

     
Historic Oysterville

This 80-acre community is on the National Historic Register of National Historic Districts.

Oyster shells bundled and ready for reuse in seeding a new oyster crop.

An Oyster "seed" is an oyster that is transplanted to another location for the purposes of commercial grow-out or restoration. Seeds can be produced from a hatchery or harvested from the wild. The type of seed we start with is "spat-on-shell" or cultched oysters produced from a hatchery. In producing spat-on-shell in the hatchery, the whole oyster shell is first dried out on land in order to remove organic material that could degrade water quality in the setting tanks. Shells are placed in plastic mesh bags and stacked in the tanks - river water is then added and heated to temperatures that will enhance the setting of free-swimming larval oysters. Once the oysters have attached themselves, metamorphosed and set, they are then referred to as spat. Spats are generally kept in the tanks for several days, then removed to a nursery area where tides and currents provide the water exchange necessary for growth and survival.

The Interpretive building is a replica of a 150 year old oyster station house built on pilings over the water where Oystermen and their families used to lived.