Redding, California (GA615)

Mary is no longer available for RV traveling, but we remain good friends.
Because we have 5,000+ postings, I’ve invited her to continue posting entries on this blog.
Sadly Mary is struggling with health issues. To see the latest about her situation, click here

To view past blogs, scroll to the bottom of this page and use the menu.

I’m currently in my 24th year of full-time RVing and my lifestyle is changing, For more info click here

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The motorhome is parked in Thousand Trails RV Resort in Seaside, Oregon. I’m scheduled to depart here June 2nd.

 

 

Since my RVing life is changing (see above), I’m starting to re-visit previously visited places. So rather than constantly re-blogging past entries, I’ve decided to do something different.

  In 2011-2013, Mary and I did a 682 day, 12,679 miles in the motorhome and 8,000 miles in the Bronco, circumnavigation of the United States, which I called The Great Adventure. I called it so because other than my oldest granddaughter’s high school graduation in June in Connecticut, I didn’t know where we would be going or when we would be there!

So, unless I do something really different and unusual warranting a new blog entry, I’ll be posting entries from that trip.

This entry was posted October 9, 2013…

 

 

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 148 miles from Medford, Oregon to Redding, California.

 

The day started sunny and clear, but as I drove south on Interstate Highway 5, I began climbing the steep grade to the Siskiyou Mountains Pass at elevation 4,310 which was shrouded in low clouds and is the highest elevation on Interstate Highway 5…

 

 

 

 

 

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six miles later I crossed into California and the low clouds had cleared…

 

 

 

 

 

Much of the drive through northern California is quite scenic…

 

 

 

 

 

The first glimpse of Mt. Shasta with an elevation of 14,162 feet is seen in the distance on the right…

 

 

 

 

 

Shastina had a pretty cloud cover…

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a closer look at Mt. Shasta as I passed over Black Butte Pass at elevation 3,962 feet…

 

 

 

 

 

Lake Shasta as seen through the very dirty passenger-side windshield was the lowest I have ever seen it…

 

 

 

 

 

While it’s a pretty drive, with all the ups, downs, twisting, tuning roadway and lots of 18 wheeled tractor trailers, it’s also a tiring drive. Three hours later I arrived at Redding, California where I parked in the rear lot of Moose Club #1006…

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s the usual dinette window photo. There’s a nice pool hidden behind the trees…

 

I’m pleased to report that even during the very steep climb up the Siskiyou Pass, the newly refurbished motorhome cooling system performed flawlessly. The needle of the heat gauge never moved off of the normal position. The motorhome pulled this very steep climb without even thinking about raising a sweat!

 

I spent the afternoon reading, taking a nap, doing some computer work and visiting with the local Moose members. I’ll continue my southerly journey later this morning. Google Earth is telling me I’ve got 247 miles to go until I arrive at Mary’s home at Murphys, California.

 

Last night I watched another old movie from the 1940’s. This time it was 1942 –  Casablanca with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Another classic!

 

Enjoying friendly Moose Clubs is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

 

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Oregon. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TWO FOR THE PRICE OF ONE! MARY WROTE A MANY GREAT BLOGS…SO WHENEVER SHE PUBLISHED A BLOG POSTING THE SAME DAY THAT I DID…YOU WILL BE ABLE TO READ HER BLOG BY CLICKING THE BELOW LINK! DO IT NOW!

https://otrwjam.wordpress.com/2013/10/09/the-greatest-country-on-earth/

 

 

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed the photos.

Forecast for today is mostly sunny and 61 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows my approximate location in the State of Oregon. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

 

 

 

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

 

“Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.” –James Madison

 

 

“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” —Mark Twain

My current travel rig is a 2006 Fleetwood 26′ Class A Motorhome and a towed 1986 Ford Bronco II, Eddie Bauer Model. This photo was taken in the desert at Slab City near Niland, California…

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original works copyrighted – Jim Jaillet -2019

Thousand Trails Lake Minden RV Resort – Nicolaus, California

Yesterday I drove the motorhome 135 miles from Redding to Nicolaus, California. We are parked at Thousand Trails Lake Minden RV Resort in Nicolaus, California. We will depart later this morning.

The below Google Earth image shows the area. Since we spent only one night, we decided to boondock (no utilities) rather than park in a regular site where I would have been required to un-hitch the Bronco then re-hitch it this morning. The arrow shows our boondocking location away from all the other campers where we enjoyed a pleasant quiet night’s rest…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Our camping spot…

And the usual dinette window photo…

I took a short walk to the lake edge to take a couple of photos…

This park is a convenient location 113 miles north of Mary’s home where we will arrive later today. We always enjoy our stops here.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

With regards to my upcoming cataract surgery..my pre-op exam and consultation is set for September 29 at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California…surgery is scheduled for October 9th.

Yesterday was a cloudy/sunny day and 78 degrees. Forecast for today is cloudy/sunny and 67 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

Moose Club #1006 – Redding, California

Yesterday I drove the motorhome 168 miles from Rogue River, Oregon  over the Siskiyou Mountains to Redding, California. The entire drive was on Interstate Highway 5 which meant lots of 18 wheelers.

Because of an early winter-type storm in the area, we saw lots of unusual and pretty cloud formations along the way…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Mount Shasta was more cloud-covered than Mary or myself had ever seen it in the many times we have driven by…

Lake Shasta remains really low in comparison to past years…

We parked behind what WAS Moose Lodge 1006…

And the usual dinette window photo…

I say WAS…because they are closed. I found several volunteer members cleaning out the building which was recently sold to avoid bankruptcy. It’s a situation we see all to frequently as we travel these United States. Many fraternal organizations (American Legion, Eagles, Elks, Moose and VFW) seem to be fighting the same battle…insufficient membership activity to meet the financial obligations to run the club. This club told us they will be downsizing to a smaller building rather than closing their doors like many others have been forced to do. This club has been in existence 102 years and in this building since the early 1950’s. They also told us their new site will have RV parking.

It’s truly a sad statement about today’s United States involvement in organizations that do so much good for so many people.

I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THE PHOTOS.

With regards to my upcoming cataract surgery..my pre-op exam and consultation is set for September 29 at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, California…surgery is scheduled for October 9th.

Yesterday was a cloudy/sunny day with rain at night and 74 degrees. Forecast for today is cloudy/sunny and 74 degrees.

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of Oregon. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

Blue Lake, California

Mary is traveling with her 14-year-old grandson on a trip to Turkey. I expect her to catch up with me sometime in mid-May somewhere in Oregon.

Yesterday I drove the 138 miles from Redding to Blue Lake, California. The entire drive was on California Highway 299, a road I had not driven before. I crossed the Klamath Mountains with lots of up and down, curvy and winding roads. I also passed through the Shasta-Trinity and Six Rivers National Forests. Several summits, the highest being 3,213 feet. The trip took four hours and passed through a number of small mountain villages. I parked overnight at the Blue Lake Casino. A nice and quiet night’s sleep.

Here are some of the photos I took yesterday…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

 

My parking spot at the Blue Lake Casino…

And the usual dinette window photo…

After three days in the mid-90’s, Yesterday I drove west to a point only about six miles from the Pacific Ocean. The effect was wonderful! It was a partly cloudy/sunny day with a high temperature of 65 degrees. Today’s forecast is partly cloudy and 60 degrees. A bit cool, but delightful compared to the mid-90’s!

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

Redding, California

Mary is traveling with her 14-year-old grandson on a trip to Turkey. I expect her to catch up with me sometime in mid-May somewhere in Oregon.

Yesterday I drove the 131 miles from Nicolaus to Redding, California. Most of the trip was on California Highway 99, a much more pleasant drive than yesterday’s drive on Interstate Highway 5. Much of 99 passes through miles of orchards…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

Along the way I stopped at a couple of GoodWill stores to buy some used books to add to my waiting-to-be read collection. Arriving at Redding, I parked at Moose Lodge #1006…

And the usual dinette window photo…

Yesterday was a sunny day at 95 degrees. Forecast for Redding today is sunny at 95 degrees. Too dang hot! This morning I’m heading due west to the California coast to escape this terrible heat. The forecast for my destination of McKinleyville is only 60 degrees. A little cool but much better than this horrible heat!

Enjoying nice weather is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

There are more than 500 photo albums in my Picasa Web Albums File. To gain access, you simply have to click this link… https://picasaweb.google.com/jimjrver

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

For more information about my books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2014

Nicolaus, California

Yesterday I drove the motorhome the 135 miles from Redding to Nicolaus, California.

I started the day driving south on Interstate Highway 5…

As always you may left click upon an image to see an enlarged view and then click once again to see an even larger view…

After about 30 miles I reached Red Bluff on got on California Highway 99 South. With slower speed limits and a lot less of 18 wheelers, it’s a lot less stressful and more pleasant drive through miles of fruit orchards. It goes through a number of small towns with an occasional traffic light…

On the two-lane portions, speed limits are typically 55 miles per hour…

With an occasional road repair…

On the four-lane portions, speed limits are typically 65 miles per hour. California State Law has a maximum of 55 miles per hour for all towing vehicles. Since I’m towing the Bronco, that means me…

Near my overnight parking location there are lots of walnut orchards…

I spent the night at Thousand Trails Lake Minden RV Resort of which Mary and I are members. The X marks my location in the below Google Earth image…

There are no pull-thru sites, so I backed the Bronco in first and hitched back up to the motorhome so I’m ready to roll this morning…

Here’s the usual dinette window photo…

Lake Minden is a convenient place to spend the night when approaching Mary’s home from the north. I’ll continue my southerly journey later this morning. Google Earth is telling me I’ve got 113 miles to go until I arrive at Mary’s home at Murphys, California.

Last night I watched another old movie from the 1940’s. This time it was 1943 – Ox Bow with Henry Fonda. Another classic!

Enjoying Thousand Trails RV Resorts is another joy in the life of a full-time RVer!

The red dot on the below map shows our approximate location in the State of California. You may double left-click the map to make it larger…

Enjoying 65-75 degree temperatures with low humidity most of the year is a primary joy in the RVing lifestyle!

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving”…Albert Einstein

On October 27, 2012, I created a two-minute video titled America The Beautiful. The music America The Beautiful is by Christopher W. French. The photos, which I randomly selected, are from the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, Washington and West Virginia (not shown in that order)…are mine. Yup, That’s me standing in front of the Post Office in Luckenbach, Texas…Y’all!

Click this link to start the video. Make sure you have your speakers turned on and go to full screen asap.
http://youtu.be/FfZUzEB4rM8

If you would like to see my YouTube videos, click this link… http://www.youtube.com/user/JimJ1579/videos

If you have not checked out my Ramblin Man’s Photos Blog, you can do so by clicking this link…
http://ramblinmanphotos.wordpress.com/

All original material Copyright – Jim Jaillet 2013
For more information about my three books, click this link:
http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/panamaorbust