Almost Nuttin'

Sunday April 8^th

Almost as exciting as yesterday, but we did manage to get together with Catie for dinner. We went to a place called Cicily’s. It was Italian food and it was very good; So good that we had dessert too.

Nuttin' Honey

Saturday April 7^th

Didn’t do anything but read today. Finished reading “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo” and another small book.

California Redwoods

Friday April 6^th

We got up early to get going before 9am – and succeeded. It wasn’t very sunny when we left but the skies cleared as we traveled toward Crescent City. The only good road to the coast from here is US-199 that runs SW from Grants Pass, OR to Crescent City, CA. The entire trip is through the Coastal Range of mountains is up and down and follows the Illinois River valley for awhile and later the Smith River. Both of them are swift blue green rivers full of snow melt from the recent precipitation. We got to Crescent City about noon and then stopped and got some information at the park headquarters.

Our first stop was a few miles south of Crescent City on a high hill that overlooked the curve of the Crescent beach S of Crescent City and the shoreline to the S from there. There were some surfers along the beach but the surf was not very big today. Then we decided to go back to Crescent City and have lunch because we didn’t know what was available further south. We had lunch at a place called the Chart Room, which was right on the waterfront. There was a floating platform in the water just outside the restaurant and it was filled with harbor seals and sea lions. They weren’t doing much, just sunning themselves and one of the sea lions would occasionally do some barking. Later we notice that a nearby pier was also covered with sea lions. I had some clam chowder that was pretty good – not spectacular but good.

After lunch we continued our drive S along the coast to the Klamath River. We traveled on a side road on the N side of the river to a view point that looks over the river mouth and the coast both N & S. It was interesting to see the different colors of the ocean where the water from the river empties into the ocean. The land along the Klamath River is controlled by the Yuroc Indian Tribe and they control the fishery on the Klamath River. It is one river that still has a good salmon run.

Later we dorve along the S side of the River and went by a monument to an early Radar station that was built there in 1942. The installation was disguised as farm buildings and they are still there, though they have been restored. The place was put on the Historical Register in the late 70’s.

At 4:30 we decided to turn around and begin our trip back to Grants Pass and Gold Hill. We never did stop and take pictures of the trees – I don’t think our piddling cameras could do much to convey the size and majesty of these trees. It’s just one of the things that you have to see for yourself to understand.

We got back to Grants Pass about 7:30 and there was still a little daylight. We stopped at McDonalds for supper and then drove back to Gold Hill. Just before we reached Gold Hill the moon rose above the horizon. It was directly ahead of us on I-5 and it looked like it was the highway to the moon!

The Toilet Project

Thursday April 5^th

The major item on the agenda today was to install the new toilet parts. I waited until both of us were done with the bathroom and then began the project. As it turned out it was a pretty simple job except for the tight quarters. The hardest part was getting the water supply line reconnected after the parts were installed. There was very little slack in the supply line and I had to take the toilet off of its mounting bolts for a second time to get the toilet oriented in position for the supply line to get threaded on. The whole job, even with the partial re-do still only took about 90 minutes, so it wasn’t too bad.

Later we went to the grocery store in Gold Hill and picked up a few things, then went for a ride down the river for a few miles as far as the town of Rogue River. There is a winery (and vineyard) along the road about half way between Gold Hill and Rogue River called the Del Rio Winery.

Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny day so we are planning to make our trip to the coast to see the redwoods.

Laundry Day

Wednesday April 4^th

The only thing on the agenda today is to get laundry done. About 10 I went into Gold Hill to get quarters from the bank for doing laundry. Coming back, I saw a road that followed the Rogue River East and I couldn’t help do a little exploring. I drove E for about 5 miles to a little settlement called Sam’s Valley. This really is a beautiful corner of the world, especially at this season when the hills are turning green and a lot of trees are blooming. There are a lot of small cattle ranches in the valleys around here and plenty of fruit trees, vineyards and some nut tree orchards.

So after my little exploration, it was back to the trailer and then to the laundry room to get the laundry done.

When the laundry was done I went to Medford and picked up the parts for the toilet and then went to Barnes & Noble for some browsing and some coffee.

Later in the day we went to the Mexican Restaurant in Gold Hill and had a pretty good dinner – although it seemed to take a long time.

The Sisters Convergence Ends

Tuesday April 3^rd

The girls went to Ashland for lunch so we met Greg for lunch at Shari’s. Just before we left for lunch the pedal on the toilet broke off; I called the manufacturer to make sure I had the right part number and then looked up RV parts stores around Medford. So after lunch Cathey went with Greg and I went in search of toilet parts. It took quite awhile to find the place; they didn’t have the part on hand but said they could have it by noon tomorrow, so I went ahead and ordered it.

Then I got a text from Cathey saying that they were on their way to Catie’s, so after I stopped and got a few groceries, I headed over to Catie’s also.

Ryan fixed chili and cornbread and it was excellent. We ate early because everything was going back to normal tomorrow; Rose was leaving for Citrus Heights, Greg and Violet were returning to Forks and Sequim, and Catie has to be back at work at 0500 tomorrow.

Dinner at the Trailer Site

Monday April 2^nd

Once again Grandpa and Grandma couldn’t make it to breakfast on time. We met them at the Shari’s and then went to Jacksonville, which is a historic town from the gold mining era. We wandered around town and visited several shops and finally made it to a deli for a late lunch.

The plan was that Catie would be cooking dinner tonight but Grandma was tired and wanted to go back to the trailer to rest. So Catie decided she would bring the dinner and the rest of the gang out to our trailer for dinner here. When they arrived it was almost dark but we had the outdoor lights on and we did fine. Dinner was chicken breasts baked in a cranberry sauce and was very good.

After dinner we all went into the trailer, which was a tight fit since usually we think two of us is a tight fit and now we had seven. But they didn’t stay long and we were back to our normal tight fit.

A Visit to Ashland, Oregon

Sunday April 1^st

We all got up early and set out to climb Mt. Shasta – APRIL FOOL!!

We all got up late and I think they went out to breakfast at Shari’s – Grandma and Grandpa didn’t make it to breakfast because they weren’t ready so we were going to meet them in Ashland, about 10 miles SW of Medford. We were supposed to meet at Lithia Park, which we found easily enough, but missed them on the first pass. We split into two groups to make everyone happy, and then went exploring.

Ashland is the location of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival held during the summer since 1937. We visited one of the theaters that are used for the festival and there are several outdoor venues as well. We wandered around the shops in downtown Ashland and walked through part of Lithia Park, which extends over 90+ acres.

About 3:30 we headed back to Catie’s, where Ryan was fixing dinner for the whole gang. Ryan is Catie’s roommate and likes to cook and is pretty good at it. He fixed an enchilada dish that was very good and then topped it off with a delicious chocolate cake – all gluten free, at Catie’s request.

After dinner Terye left with Gabrielle and Jeff to return to Paradise, CA. She will spend the night at her son’s house and then meet with her boss to travel to San Francisco for a convention.

The Sisters Converge on Medford

Saturday March 31^st

Greg and Terye and Violet were going to leave from their home in Sequim at about 6 this morning so Catie said she would expect them at about 3pm. We had a text from Greg when they were getting close and they were right on time. Gabrielle and Jeff came from Paradise, CA and they got to Catie’s just before Greg, Terye and Violet arrived. We were the last to arrive and had a hard time finding Catie’s house. Rose has to work yet tonight so she won’t arrive until the wee hours of the morning.

We hung around Catie’s place for a while and then went to the Olive Garden for dinner. It was busy there so we had to wait for a table. But I think it was worth the wait; we all enjoyed the dinner, late though it was.

Catie and Derrick Come to Visit

Friday March 30^th

We just hung around the trailer today. It rained on and off most of the day but did see a little sun in the afternoon. Catie and her friend Derrick came to see us in the trailer about 5. We visited for a while and then went to the Abby’s Pizza in Central Point, the next town between here (Gold Hill) and Medford.

We had some good pizza and visited more and learned about Derrick’s police academy course.