Saturday, January 13, 2007

Jan and Pamm took a class at a glass blower’s shop and each made a glass float.

We also got a chance to tour some of the other lighthouses on the Oregon coast; Yaquina Head lighthouse is just 4 miles north of the Yaquina Bay Light and Umpqua River Lighthouse 77 miles to the south.

After a month on the coast it was time to say goodbye to all of our new friends in Newport and move on down the coast. We headed south on 101 towards California. We stayed one night at Harris Beach State park just north of the California border. What a beautiful place to stay. We took our coffee and had a nice walk to the beach in the morning and then headed south again.

Our next stop was at Kamp Klamath on the Klamath River in the redwood forests of northern Calfornia. Our camp was on the river near where it enters the Pacific Ocean. It was the first time in our travels, however, that we didn’t fall asleep to the roar of the ocean. (it was just over the hill) Pamm and Jan miss it, but I can sleep anywhere!. From our location we were able to see a good part of the Redwoods. We first went north to Crescent City. There is a great history museum there. When we went in to the museum, Jan and Pamm were talking with the caretaker about the local lighthouses. They told her about lighthouse volunteering in Oregon and she immediately asked if we would be interested in hosting at their lighthouse (Battery Point Light). We were invited to go out to talk with the keepers living at the lighthouse. It was raining and the lighthouse is only accessible at low tide and by climbing over a huge pile of driftwood, so I was not allowed to go. But Jan and Pamm had a great time visiting with keepers Randy and Sally and touring the light. They have signed on to host there in August.

The next day in the Redwoods took us south into the park. Jan and Pamm went on a hike into the Lady Bird Johnson Redwood Grove. It was breathtaking! When they started the hike it was raining, but it soon turned to snow. They had the entire grove to themselves. (I stayed behind because it was too cold and rainy for me.) There is a valley in the park that is a preserve for elk. They stand around on the side of the road posing for pictures. We saw a herd of 6 males, and then later a herd of 8 – 10 females. I guess the boys and girls don’t get along this time of year.

We decided to pull out of Klamath a day early. Our second day there, a landslide cut off our exit from the park. They were able to clear it that day, but as it was still raining quite a bit, we didn’t want to chance getting stuck there by another slide.

We made it to the Avenue of the Giants for our next stay. We found a nice little camp in the little town of Redcrest. We are quite accustomed to seeing very large tree in Washington, but these were really amazing! We felt so small nestled in the groves of giant redwoods.

As we continued the next day south, we came across the little town of Myers Flat. Of course we had to stop to get our picture taken. Most of the town was closed down for the season, but there was a little tourist trap of redwood novelties (drive thru tree, treehouses) that we were able to explore. I found some great napping spots! We also met 2 local women whose mother was from the Myers family that named the town, as well as the local lumber mill.

We arrived in Sacramento on Friday, January 5th. We are now staying at the Cal Expo RV park. It is the first time we have stayed somewhere without trees! It is fun, though, because we are parked right over the fence from the horse racing track. We can watch the Harness Races from our bedroom window. What a fun treat that is. We are here visiting with Pamm’s dad and his wife Jody. Yesterday we went into Old Town Sacramento to the train museum. It was exciting to see so many cool trains. We met some very nice people, too. The ladies really liked to give me hugs. It was nice! I am pictured here with some of the people we met there.

Monday, January 8th , Jan and Pamm went to Pamm’s dad’s (Earl) to play with the trains in his back yard. Pamm’s Aunt Sherry and Uncle Jerry were also there. Can you believe they went and did something that fun and forgot to take me!!!? They did take a lot of pictures though so I can at least share in the fun. The train layout is amazing. It is called a garden railroad, the tracks covering nearly the entire back yard, even running along the side of the house. Many of the engines use live steam to run, with sounds (and hot steam) to add to the realism. Pamm’s Dad and Uncle built the engines themselves (not from kits).

Tuesday, January 9th, Earl and Jody took us (yes, I did get to go!) for a drive up to Lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada border. We drove all the way around the lake, stopping at some beautiful overlooks, as well as in the cities of Carson City and Reno. It was so much fun to go with Earl, as he had many stories to tell of his growing up in the area. I tried to do a little rock climbing to get a better view of the lake, but it was very slippery. Fortunately, I landed on a soft spot and wasn’t hurt. There was snow on the ground, but not enough to make the roads bad.

2 comments:

Jerry Jensen said...

Jan & Pamm, It's great to see that you're having such a good time!

Jerry Jensen

Debbie Davis said...

Jan,Pamm,and J.B.
When you left Port Orchard on your great adventure, I was so happy for you, and to see and share your adventures is just fantastic!