Let the Good Times ROLL!

NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
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Round Lake Golf & RV Resort, Klamath Falls, OR

Sunday, June 03 - We left Mountain Gate RV Park in Redding, CA on I-5 and Hwy. 97 and arrived at Round Lake Golf & RV Resort in Klamath Falls, OR around 11:30. Klamath Falls is located at the intersections of Hwy. 140 & 97. Scenary was beautiful on I-5. We drove over a bridge crossing Shasta Lake, considered the houseboat capital of the world. The lake has 370 miles of shoreline and is considered California’s largest lake. We saw so many variations of evergreen trees on mountains and Mount Shasta in the distance. We were constantly going from one mountain or high hill to another. Lots of trucks. On Hwy. 97 there was not a whole lot of traffic. We passed through Whiskeytown and Tulelake.
Tulelake is the horseradish capital of the World, producing 1/3 of America’s harvest.
We traveled mostly in the valley with mountains surrounding us. Volcanic activity was well pronounced in the cuts made in the rocks for the roadways.
On our drive we saw our first white pelicans in the nearby waterway. Lot of cattle and horses and our elevation was a constant 4,000 ft.
We had great weather upon our arrival. The park is wide open and surrounded by trees and high mountains. The lake on adjoining golf course is beautiful and took some pictures of the birds that were flying around. There are barn sparrows everywhere, robins, red wing blackbirds, and white skimmers darting here and there. Was not surprised to read that this is a World Class Birding area with over 350 species that call this major Pacific Flyway layover home. Something I’d like to see during the summer (they say it is May – August) Here we are in June and 45 degrees is a high? Something wrong with this picture! But we want to see Crater Lake National Park.


Monday, June 4 - We got a late start to see Crater Lake. On the way we stopped at the tourist center and also saw the famous Goeller house across the street. Built in 1905 by Fred Goeller who owned a planing mill down on the river. It is a private residence today.
Ray also took a picture of the stuffed Pelican in the tourist information center.
Crater Lake NP in Southern Oregon is the deepest lake in the US at 1,932 ft. and one of the bluest lakes in the world. Eruption of Mt. Mazama more than 7,000 years ago caused the lake as it sits in a huge crater, which is bordered by walking paths, interpretive panels, and thousands of photo ops. Along our drive we saw mountains all around and on our left was Mt. McLaughlin at 9,000 + ft. with tons of snow on top. The valley has cattle everywhere and there is a levy on our left with a railroad track on top of it. There are wild flowers everywhere. We also saw deer grazing –












Bald Eagle was sitting on a log out in the field far away, but took a few pictures anyway.



























Once we started the climb through the park, our first stop was to see a giant canyon and Annie Falls at 6,800 ft. It was so rugged and the sides of the canyon were stark and the falls were down so far you could barely see it. As we drove further the roads started to show that the snow plows had been very busy clearing our path ahead of us.
Popping ears attest to the elevation change as we drive the route to the Rim.
We stopped at Rim Village for the best view of the Crater Lake and its enormity. The Rim Drive is a 33-mile road that circles the caldera rim that stands at 7,025 ft. We have never seen such a beautiful pure blue water ever. With many pullouts along the way, we were always amazed at the different views of this volcanic spectacle. The north entrance road was closed due to the snow but we were ready to turn around anyway. We saw two men getting ready to ski down the slopes.
Crater Lake has a long history, from the Klamath Indians to the early explorers to today's scientific studies of the lake. The knowledge from studying and understanding the cultural history and origins of Crater Lake is crucial to keeping the tradition of Crater Lake's unique past alive for appreciation.
William Gladstone Steel is credited with the founding of Crater Lake National Park. He was fascinated with the enchanted beauty of Crater Lake when he first learned of it from a newspaper that was wrapped around his lunch when he was a school boy. His first glimpse of this exquisite beauty in 1885 inspired him to devote his life and fortune to set aside this scenery for all of us to enjoy. After 17 years of dedication and hard work, his dream came true when President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill on May 22, 1902, to establish Crater Lake as the nation's sixth national park.

The clean, clear, cold lake water contained no fish until they were introduced by humans from 1888 to 1941. Today, rainbow trout and kokanee salmon still survive in Crater Lake. Wildflowers bloom late and disappear early here, thriving in wet, open areas. Birds and other animals often seen are ravens, jays, nutcrackers, deer, ground squirrels and chipmunks. Present but seldom seen are elk, black bear, foxes, porcupines, pine martens, chickaree squirrels and pikas.
The lake was formed after the collapse of an ancient volcano, posthumously named Mount Mazama. This volcano violently erupted approximately 7,700 years ago. That eruption was 42 times as powerful as the 1980 eruption
of Mt. St. Helens. The basin or caldera was formed after the top 5,000 feet of the volcano collapsed. Subsequent lava flows sealed the bottom, allowing the caldera to fill with approximately 4.6 trillion gallons of water from rainfall and snow melt, to create the seventh deepest lake in the world at 1,932 feet.
· Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States
· The second deepest lake in the Western Hemisphere
Tuesday, June 5 - Today we decided to stay in due to the weather. We did go into town for groceries. As soon as we arrived back home the hail about the size of a pea started but didn’t last long. At 4,000 ft. but in a flat valley, we get a constant 20 to 30 mph wind off the lake. We can see the robins outside looking for worms and we see the Mountain Bluebirds flying by every now and then.
Forecast off the internet says “chilly" air mass invading the area...frost possible at midweek... temperatures will dip into the 30s tonight and again Wednesday night. winds and cloud cover should keep frost from forming tonight...but as skies clear and winds diminish Wednesday night into early Thursday morning...the threat of frost will increase...especially in some of the protected valley areas.
Wednesday, June 06 - The rain has stopped, but it is only a high of 45 degrees today. Took Mitzy out for a brief walk and the wind cuts right through my layers. A major cold front hit northern California, all of Oregon and Washington. We didn’t go as planned originally to see the Bear Valley National Wildlife Refuge and Lower Klamath National Wildlife. We also wanted to see the Lava Beds National Monument south of here. The Modoc War, which occurred largely inside what is no Lava Beds is the only Indian War in which a general was killed in US history. The Lava Beds National Monument was a training ground for the astronauts heading to the moon. Just too cold to enjoy outdoors so we will prepare for our very early departure tomorrow to Eugene.
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FULL TIMING

FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.

It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!