Home again

Nice, easy, warm drive home from Kingman. Everything looks fine, few spider webs on the house but all good.  Puddles around so we have had some rain! Good deal.  Got everything unloaded and started to get it all put away, and laundry is in the works. Always a little down when we get home--mixed emotions.  Good to be home but it was another remarkable summer.  Wait until I get all my pictures sorted out.

That long road ahead, this is between Wickenburg and Kingman.

Familiar sight.  Almost home, those are the Catalina mountains.

Just to prove that I did some driving--not much, really but I did yesterday and today.

And looks who's back!  This little Screech Owl obviously has taken a liking to our patio.  Evidence suggests he has been roosting there all summer, left quite a mess--bird wash, and animal remains.  I left him alone and didn't clean the patio until after dark when he had left for the night.  Love that he hangs around, but now that we are back I am thinking he will look for a quieter place.

Back in Arizona

We made it as far as Kingman, Arizona today.  We're staying at the same RV park tonight on our last night as we did 2 months and one week ago on our first night out.  Rained a bit after we got here and set up.  Good timing!  Except that we were all ready to go out and do something in Kingman and it was raining.  We ended up taking the time to do a little housecleaning and fixing some odds and ends that needed attention in our moving summer home.  

  Home by mid afternoon tomorrow.

  

Starting the trip home

We got an early start this morning and left behind the last cool mountain morning for a while.  We have run the furnace in the RV each morning that we have been at Sardine Lake.  By 10am we had the truck air conditioner on while driving.  Well, to quote Will, "you better get use to it!"

   We ran for several hours thru heavy smoke.  It was especially bad around Reno and Carson City.  We are traveling south on hwy 395 that skirts along the eastern side of California's Sierra Mountains, and it wasn't until Bridgeport that we finally got out of the way of the wind patterns that were bringing the smoke up from the Yosemite fire.  We were especially appreciative of the clear skies once we got far enough down the road.  This is a beautiful hiway and a pleasant drive.  (I'm not sure Will agrees that it was a pleasant drive--he was driving into a strong headwind all day and there were several passes to haul the rig over early on.  I love it that he does pretty much all of the driving!)

I think this is Mt Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states.  We stopped for the night at Lone Pine which has Mt Whitney on one side at 14,494 ft high and Death Valley on the other side at 282ft below sea level.  Quite the contrast.  Lone Pine is also where Alabama Hills is located.  Just outside of town, it is an area of unusual jumble of rocks and craggy landscapes that has been used in dozens of Hollywood movies from as far back as the 20's and also very recent ones.  You can get a map of movie locations and go out for a drive or hike and try to find them.  I'm thinking it is the Monument Valley of California.

Another day at Sardine Lake

Sunrise on the still lake.

More morning light pictures.

Lots of 1850 gold mining history in the area.  We toured an intact mine and stamp mill that was in continuous use until 1953.  Was a big operation at one time, then shut down, then opened by a father and son and operated as a family affair until the son died in the mine in 1950's.  Everything was left in working order which made for a really interesting tour.  Could actually see how things were done, especially in the stamping mill (rock crusher.)  The technology of the day was incredible.  All they had to work with was gravity, water power, black powder, and human muscle and they used them all to the utmost perfection.  

This mine has since caved in but it originally went into the mountain a quarter of a mile and then turned at a right angle for another distance.  At first they worked by candle light, just imagine working in such a dark place.  Then carbine lights mounted on headgear were invented which improved the lighting but then the miners were wearing an explosive on their heads.  

Hike to Look Out

Went out last night for a very nice dinner at a resort restaurant at a nearby lake.

 

This view of the Sierra Buttes mountain range is from the restaurant parking lot at sunset.  We were gazing at them and noticed a tiny building way up there on top.  We were told it was a look-out tower that you can hike to.  We asked more questions and got directions to the trailhead.  Found out you can drive up there all but the last 3 1/2 miles.  We're doing it!!

   It was a memorable trek! In spite of the smoke haze the view was incredible and worth the work to get up there. I don't know how they got the materials up there to build the tower, let alone construct it  on  top  of that rock.

Our campground is on that far lake.

And best part was the hike back to the car was also 3 1/2 miles but it was downhill!

Sardine Lake, Sierra Buttes, Gold Lake Road, california

One last camp in a National Forest away from everything before we make a push for home.  Unfortunately we have encountered smoke from the California forest fires going on south of us. Comes and goes depending on the winds.  Was especially bad when we arrived yesterday about noon but afternoon winds shifted and sky cleared again.

Lovely spot beside a lake with several interesting hiking trails close.

Sierra Buttes as backdrop for Sardine Lake.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

We just spent two days enjoying Lassen National Park.  We stayed at a quiet camp at Summit Lake half way into the single road that runs through the Park and mostly just hiked, sat around camp, and enjoyed the forest.

Thats the Park's namesake, the volcano that erupted in 1914 and at the time was the first active volcano in the US.  Of course that was before Hawaii or Alaska became a state and before Mt St. Helen blew up.  

It contains the largest thermal area of boiling mud pots, fumaroles, steaming sulphur cauldrons outside of Yellowstone.

All four kinds of volcanos are represented in the geology right here in this park--cinder cones, plug dome, shield. . .and I can't remember the last one, but that is a unique feature of Lassen.  Lake Helen is a clear blue alpine lake that was so stunning.

Another Bear Story!

  Saturday we hiked to Kings Creek Falls.  Its a popular trail so lots of people on it but we found ourselves on a quiet spot--no one else around.  We stopped to look out over the cascading stream we were following.  The trail takes a little dip right there and as we turned to move forward we found ourselves looking straight at a black bear coming up over the rise on the trail in front of us!  For a split second I thought, wow thats a big dog--whoops, no dog!  She saw us and immediately turned and sauntered off into the woods and two young bear cubs came running after her.  I just snapped a bunch of pictures without hardly aiming the camera and managed to get a couple of good ones.

You can see just a glimpse of each cub along with Mom.

The last cub running to catch up.  She definately let us have a good look at her beautiful family.  We've had some amazing bear sightings this summer.

Gold Beach to California

One last chance to do some Tide Pooling.  We had to get up early to catch it at the lowest tide, and that meant we had to be out there at 6:30.  That's AM!  We haven't been getting up very early this summer so this was a stretch.  But we made it to Myers Creek Beach in time.  It was foggy, as usual, but quiet and we had a good time searching out sea stars and bright green anemones and other little critters moving about in the tiny worlds.

The tide is visibly coming in filling the shallow pools.

Semipalmated plover is up early too, looking for breakfast on the beach.

Stopped in town for breakfast ourselves at a local restaurant and then packed up and headed out on our last leg of the Coast.  The few miles between Gold Coast and Brookings is suppose to be the most scenic and   beautiful  of the entire coast.  Guess we won't get to confirm that--we didn't see much of anything.  The morning coastal fog got worse and did not let up until we were well away from the shore.  Our view all morning was pretty much like this. . .

We drove a long day into California, through fog and then rain (even haze from smoke from fires around Medford, Oregon) to clear blue skies when we got in view of Mt Shasta.

One last picture--the coastal rain forests all along the Coast are so interesting.  The old growth forests are dripping with moss and heavy undergrowth.

 

Rogue River Jet Boat Ride

Beginning in 1895 the only way the town of Agnes, Oregon, 30 miles up the Rogue River,  could get its mail delivered was by boat.  Occasionally the mail boat would take on a passenger or two, it was going that way anyway.  At some point somebody saw a tourist opportunity, and pretty soon they added jet boats.  That one mail run a day has turned into multiple choices plus you can choose to go further than the 30 miles to Agnes into what is today the Rogue River Wilderness.  Had to do it.

  We decided to go 40 miles upriver on a  5 hr ride.  The trip to Agnes is pretty calm, shallow river with just a few riffles which the jet boat operator took full advantage of to the glee of especially the kids on board.  After Agnes, there are a number of honest to goodness rapids and we all managed to get thoroughly wet. 

That spray thoroughly drenched us all a split second after the photo was snapped!

Most of the fun for us was the wildlife along the way like the family of river otters we stopped to watch, a deer with fawn, lots of osprey, bald eagle, ducks, geese, herons, AND

A mother black bear with two cubs stuffing their faces in a berry patch.

And yes, Agnes still gets its mail daily by boat.  Its one of only a few rural river mail routes still in existence today. The months when the river is frozen, it goes by 4 wheel drive vehicle. 

More at Bandon by the Sea

We stopped in town to check out the little downtown area on the waterfront and found the "Washed Ashore" Project.

Its to raise awareness of how our marine waters are polluted with all kinds of plastics, and other non deteriorating materials and how devastating it is to our oceans.  They have collected tons of "stuff" and then made art projects out of it--like this great seal to get your attention.  Now while you are looking at the displays and marveling at all the weird stuff that has gone into the piece and realize that every bit of it was found on a beach in the area, you begin to get a sense of how big the problem is.  Other displays explain how sea life and water fowl get caught up in tangled plastic netting, how animals die from trying to eat plastics, and on and on.  

Its a huge, world wide ocean problem.  

Did some more morning beach walking here.  Would like to be out there more but the wind has just been incessant and its beginning to ware on us.  Wonder if it is always like this in Oregon!?  

From inside a beach cave that is exposed at low tide.  At least we are out of the wind for a little while.

I think I am going to blow away!

Bandon, Or

We moved again today down the Coast another 75 miles or so to Bullard Beach State Park near Bandon.  Nice woodsy state park campground close to the shore but protected from the wind.  That is important these days because it seems the wind is always blowing off the ocean and it is down right cold!  Mornings start off foggy and quiet but by midday the wind picks up and we are pulling more and more layers on.  I guess I shouldn't be complaining as I understand it was something like 107 degrees in Tucson the other day.  

We are past the sand dunes now so the coast is much more rugged and rocky.

These rocks near Bandon are the perfect place for the largest "haul out" for Harbor Seals, Steller and California Sea Lions, and Elephant Seals on the Oregon Coast.  It is amazingly noisy down there.

We stopped at Shore Acres State Park to see the botanical gardens.  An early timber baron and wealthy businessman of the area built an estate on this sight in the early part of the century on a bluff overlooking the ocean.  In fact he built two mansions as the first one burned in 1921 and he built another one.  The house is no longer there but the state of Oregon has restored and maintained the formal gardens quite nicely.  Was not the kind of thing one expects to see here.

We enjoyed the small fishing village of Charleston outside of Coos Bay--watching all the fishing boats coming and going. 

Fresh caught Albacore Tuna.  Filleted while we watched and then canned right there in town.  I bought some smoked tuna from the small local cannery and we devoured it in a flash.  Made a trip back to buy some more to take home--or eat on the way, it may not make it home.

Bandon has a lighthouse also.  This one is the Coquille River Lighthouse.