Mountain Gate RV Park Redding, CA

Sunday, May 27 - We left Arcata at 8:30 am and arrived at Mountain Gate RV Park in Redding, CA around 1:00 pm – Four and one-half hours to travel 129 miles over two mountain ranges (Shasta-Trinity) in the RV. The forests were so thick and green. The road Hwy. 299 is full of twists and turns, even some switchbacks. Motorcycles were buzzing the highway and it was certainly the road made for them. Each side of the road has wild flowers and there were very few barriers up to prevent someone from driving over the steep cliffs. Mountain Gate RV Park in Redding is beautiful and we have a site on the corner so we only have neighbors on one side.
Redding, California, is located at the north end of the central valley, just a short two hour drive north of Sacramento and three hours east of Eureka. Once in Redding, a one hour drive in any direction will land you in some of the most spectacular recreational playgrounds in California! We loved Redding and hope to return someday.
Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 - We enjoyed our trip to see Lassen Volcanic National Park 50 miles east of Red Bluff and Redding. Although a long drive, the scenery was spectacular. The road was passable in all areas and signs of recent snow removal were at the higher elevations. The Lassen Peak stands 10,457 ft. and can be seen from the road’s high point of 8,512 ft. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing the forests, meadows, lakes and streams, the snow-capped peaks and the amazing wilderness. Active volcanism at the park includes hot springs, steaming fumaroles, mud pots, and sulfurous vents. Thin wisps of steam were visible today. At the end of the road there is a gift shop area and a huge parking lot at the foot of the snow-covered mountain. At 53 degrees it was quite comfortable with the sun shining. We saw several skiers and snowboarders actually climbing the steep incline so they could navigate back down the slopes on skis. No lift is available in this area. Usual snow falls and the driving wind leaves twenty-foot snow packs.

"Hot Rocks" Following the May 1915 Lassen Peak eruptions, they discovered several massive "Hot Rocks" resting in the valley. The rocks careened down the mountainside and the hot lava rocks touched off a snow avalanche and it carried this 300-ton rock five miles where it settled, sizzled, and cooled.

Lassen Peak erupted intermittently from 1914 to 1921 and, before the 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens in Washington, was the most recent volcanic outburst in the contiguous 48 states. Beneath Lassen Volcanic's peaceful forests and gem-like lakes lies evidence of a turbulent and fiery past. 600,000 years ago, the collision and warping of continental plates led to violent eruptions and the formation of lofty Mt. Tehama (also called Brokeoff Volcano.) After 200,000 years of volcanic activity, vents and smaller volcanoes on Tehama's flanks-including Lassen Peak-drew magma away from the main cone. Hydrothermal areas ate away at the great mountain's bulk. Beneath the onslaught of Ice Age glaciers, Mt. Tehama crumbled and finally ceased to exist. But the volcanic landscape lived on: in 1914, Lassen Peak awoke. The Peak had its most significant activity in 1915 and minor activity through 1921. All four types of volcanoes in the world are found in the park.
Tuesday, May 30 - We drove a 200-mile scenic round trip to see Mount Shasta and Shasta Lake and it took us five hours. The roadwork was the reason for the length of time. We also were told the Rt. 89 was scenic and that we should go that route instead of taking the interstate back to Redding. Big mistake. In our opinion, the scenic part was nothing compared to what we have seen elsewhere. Also the delays for roadwork were tiresome. Mount Shasta was beautiful, but you can only view it at 6,900 feet (Picture of Ray & Mitzy) and it stands beautifully at 14,000 feet.

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Mad River Rapids RV Park, Arcata, CA

Sunday, May 21 - We left Sonoma County Fairgrounds at 8:00 AM to travel 230 miles to Arcata, CA. Took us about 5 hours. Along the way on Hwy. 101, from Cloverdale, we passed numerous vineyards; Asti was one I recognized. Lush green hills at an elevation of 333 ft. The road was very rough in some places. We reached the redwood country after Leggett. At 730 ft. elevation, you would think we were in the high Sierras. Thick forest of many conifers including the ponderosas, Sitka spruce, Douglas Fir, and Grand fir are all there, but mostly redwoods so large and they are right on the edge of the road. We passed areas where the sign was” rock slide area” and we saw the massive granite cliffs covered with wire mesh to keep rooks from sliding down to the highway.
Ray had to use pull-offs many times to let faster traffic pass us. We started seeing Eel River, it is a beautiful emerald green in places and deep gorges and thick forests. We love the new park, Mad River Rapids RV Park, Arcata, CA. The Mad River empties into the Pacific Ocean along a mile-long picturesque beach just north of Arcata. The park has a lot of full timers and there are a lot of very small trailers, but neatly kept up outside without a lot of clutter. Located six miles north of Eureka on Highway 101, Arcata has long enjoyed a reputation as an eclectic combination of traditional and alternative lifestyles. The city center — known to everyone as the Plaza — hosts innumerable festivals, fund raisers, races and artistic events year round. The Plaza is home to one of California’s longest running Farmer’s Markets, which is held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from April through October.


Humboldt Bay was finally "discovered" in 1806. Today, the Port of Humboldt Bay (Arcata) has positioned itself to greatly expand its worldwide shipping connections. The completion of a recent harbor deepening project gives the port the potential for becoming an oasis of international commerce, linking Northern California with the rest of the world. Humboldt County's first residents hailed from the Yurok, Karuk, Wiyot, Chilula, Whilkut and Hupa tribes, among others. They settled on the coast and along the banks of the Trinity and Klamath rivers.
Driving down Main Street Ferndale is like taking a step back in time when life and times were simpler. Colorful Victorians coupled with an old-fashioned sense of charm makes this small dairy town an enchanting getaway. Used as the main set for several Hollywood movies and a past winner of the Prettiest Painted Places in America contest, the city has had its fair share of national coverage. Whether you hike Ferndale’s Russ Park, venture 5 miles west to the coast, tour historic Fern Cottage or stroll down Main Street, you will most likely agree that there is plenty to do in the Victorian Village.
The town’s authenticity and its determination to protect its unique character and sense of place are at the heart of its appeal. That’s why the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2002 designated it one of its Dozen Distinctive Destinations.
The sister communities of Garberville and Redway are the population center of a breathtaking region encompassing hundreds of square miles of steep terrain, deep river valleys, large Redwood State Parks, coastal mountain ranges and a coastal fishing community. The climate of the area compares favorably with that in the Mediterranean. Rainfall averages 65 inches a year, and with elevations ranging from sea level to the 4,087-foot King Peak, snow is recorded in the winter at 400 feet and higher.
Tuesday, May 22 - The weather was perfect. We drove over an hour to reach our destination of Humboldt Redwoods State Park in Weott CA. The Avenue of the Giants Scenic Byway was awesome. Park headquarters and the Visitor Center are located on the Avenue of the Giants, State Route 254, between the towns of Weott and Myers Flat. This is 45 miles south of Eureka and 20 miles north of Garberville off of Highway 101. Weott is 228 miles north of San Francisco. We exit at the sign for the Avenue of the Giants and immediately leave the well-worn path area and enter this deep and very dark forested environment. It's really hard to describe what the bottom of a three-hundred-foot canopy is like without being there.
There were many other trees such as 60-foot Douglas firs that were dwarfed by the Giant Redwood. The average height is 300 feet but many are much taller than a skyscraper. Due to a recent mudslide, we were not able to see the world's tallest tree, a 360-foot redwood. All of the straight-edge straight trees are redwood, with huge ferns filling the space between the trunks.
A short drive south of downtown lays the 154-acre Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. You'd never guess, strolling past tidal areas filled with shorebirds, that this was once an abandoned landfill site. In the 1980s, using locally developed technologies, a coalition of scientists and community leaders brought these wetlands back to life. Arcata's treated wastewater now flows through these restored marshes into the bay. It's a bird-watcher's paradise, with more than 200 resident and seasonal species, including ospreys, red-tailed hawks, American coots, and black-crowned night herons.

We drove past or through small towns. Small town of Scotia created by the Pacific Lumber Company (PALCO) founded in 1863. It is the last company town in America. In 1992 the earthquake damaged the shopping center along the Eel River and resulted in fossils founded that are 5-15 million years old.
Rays Reflections: May 23 - Marsha had read about a route SR 36 between Fortuna and Red Bluff. It was said to have a lot of roller coaster elevations and an equal amount of twists and turns. Known as the best motorcycle ride in the country. We would be leaving the coast in the RV on our next move heading East on Rt. 299 toward Redding, Ca. Therefore I decided to ride a loop east on Hwy. 299 and back west on Hwy. 36. Wanting to check out Hwy. 299 for the RV drive ahead of us, this covered the next move and a great bike ride in one day. At 8AM, fog had lifted and headed east on Hwy. 299. The road was newly paved with a lot of four lane and passing lanes spaced every 3-5 miles on the two-lane areas.
This highway crossed over two different mountain ranges, one at 4,600 foot elevation and the other 6,400 feet. This road would definitely pass for a suitable RV road with several 6-7% grades several miles long. I’ll just drop to low gear in the RV and play like a loaded truck. Aquamarine color of the Trinity River was full of running rapids almost the full length of Hwy. 299, swapping from the north to the south side with many vista points. I almost always ride with my trusty camera over my neck and tucked into my jacket to eliminate time and effort at photo stops. I took advantage of many overlooks. This entire region is covered with a carpet of large pine and fir trees. Just beautiful to behold. I understand why this country is referred to as Big Foot country. About 2.5 hours into my ride a small community offered a Saquaska museum. (see photo) and there are many sightings in this area. Umm? There is so much wooded area, one could literally step off the road and disappear in the thick forest and never be seen or heard of again. Due to the many stops I took, it was three hours and still not to my half-way point. I decided not to continue the loop, but returned on Hwy. 299. I know there are steeper and longer grades than this road offers, especially in Colorado and West Virginia. But, some of these proved to be a challenge for loaded trucks and RVs. While riding the cycle, you enjoy every smell the outdoors has to offer, especially, but not limited to, cow pastures, horse ranches, flowers, freshly mowed grass, wood smoke, coffee brewing, and the forrests. Today, I picked up on something hard to describe. A skunk with a sweet odor - yuck! I have NO idea. There are also smells of 18-wheelers doing 70 mph down grades 200 ft. in front of me. They are smoking and dust and debree, wow, closer would not be good. This was a GREAT RIDE!








We made a brief stop at The Trees of Mystery, in Klamath, and saw Paul Bunyan and Babe, the Blue Ox, (Paul is 49 ft. tall, has a 24 ft. long ax, and 10 ft. high boots). The original Bunyan, constructed in 1946, lasted only one year. Paul's head, made of paper mache, melted in the winter rains and caved in. It is purely a tourist attraction and we didn’t take the time to walk back into the woods to see the the unusual trees located up into a giant, hollow, redwood log, and then back to the actual mystery trees, the ones shaped like pretzels and DNA strandoids.




















Through the town of Orick we saw many Burl carving shops and stopped at one to see what they had. There were plenty but all way too heavy to add to our weight in the motorhome.


We took a side road to see the secluded, sandy beaches at Trinidad Bay, a fishing village 20 miles north of Eureka along a shoreline graced with a natural arch and weirdly shaped rocks. Trinidad Bay is located in Trinity County and was created in 1850. History is sordid with a big business of mining in full swing at that time. We understand why the locals call Trinity County “God’s” country, as it is so beautiful words fail me.




























Friday, May 25 - Went over to Eureka to do a little shopping and was able to see the Historic downtown district. We saw one of the most written about and photographed Victorian houses in California, and perhaps in the United States. William Carson, a timber wholesaler and one of the richest citizens of Eureka, had this Victorian house built, mainly of redwood. The William Carson Mansion epitomizes the range of possibilities for eclectic design expression that created a peculiarly American style of architecture. Derived from many sources, but unique enough to represent none predominately, this much discussed and debated property stands today in virtually the same condition as when first constructed. The designers, Samuel and Joseph Newsom, were well respected San Francisco architects who heartily embraced the concept of the "picturesque", a quality that continues to fascinate all who see the Carson Mansion's intricately composed interiors and exteriors. The Carson Mansion was owned by the descendents of William Carson until 1950, when it was sold to the Ingomar Club. We stopped at a shoe store along the Boardwalk in the old town section, very pricy. Since the sun wasn’t shining and the fog was thick, we made it a short walk.
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Sonoma County Fairgrounds Santa Rosa, CA

Monday, May 7 - Arrived at Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa around 3:30 pm. The park is huge with RV section separated from other areas of the fairgrounds. The sites are close, but not too bad, all gravel roads. The price is right and with Passport America 3 day- discount of ½ price is even better at $10 a night. .

Wednesday, May 9 - Knee has disrupted our usual tourist trips, but decided to try the truck to see the 19th century town of Bodega, infamous as the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s film “The Birds.” Potter School (1863) and St. Theresa’s Church (1860) were historic landmarks featured in the film.
Until the Fall of 1775, the Miwok and Pomo Indians lived peacefully in the coastal mountains and valleys of what we now call Sonoma County. Their lifestyle revolved around the seasons, hunting and gathering from the land and harvesting the sea and rivers. Little changed over hundreds of years until the first white sails were spotted off the coast. The Spanish sloop, Sonora, carried Don Juan Francisco de la Bodega y Quadra Mollineda and a group of explorers to anchorage at the mouth of Tomales Bay at the southern end of Bodega Bay according to a journal kept by a member of the company. Slowly moving north from Mexico since the mid-1500s, the Spanish claimed vast areas of land for Spain and sent back tales of the glory of California. This attracted explorers from other countries throughout the world. But it wasn't until the early 1800s that white settlements began to spring up along the coast. By 1812, Russian fur traders were looking for new sources of otters and seals and came south in search of better food supplies for their northern settlements. With the help of local Indians, they built Fort Ross 24 miles north of Bodega Bay.
By the mid-1800s, Mexico had gained independence from Spain and in the process, granted the land to Mexican citizens and soldiers. General Vallejo and his family were among those who established hundreds of thousands of acres of ranchos along the coast and inland valleys in what is now much of Sonoma County.
One of the settlers was Captain Stephen Smith who married a Peruvian, Manuela Torres, and became a Mexican citizen in order to receive a land grant. Together they established Rancho Bodega bordered by the Russian River to the north and Estero Americano to the south, a large portion of the Bodega Bay Area. Firman Camelot founded the town of "Bay" in the late 1800s, which later changed its name to Bodega Bay.
Bodega Bay in Sonoma County is a popular visitor’s destination and located on the Pacific Coast just 68 miles North of San Francisco. With a population of 950 and 45 ft. elevation. Hiking trails abound in this area. It was a beautiful drive even though the closer we got to the coastline, the fog got much worse. The road was full of twists and turns with the usual hairpin turns that leave my stomach very uneasy. Flowers were everywhere you looked. In addition to vineyards and wineries you also see herds of cattle and sheep, orchards, gardens and many different varieties of farms. We gazed upon beautiful lush hills with cattle of all types grazing. We have seen more cattle in California than we ever did in Texas. Upon reaching Bodega Bay around 4pm, we took some photos, but the fog was getting thick. We had to fill the truck with diesel at $3.30 a gallon at Spud Point Marina.

The most prominent geological feature of Bodega Bay is Bodega Head, a peninsula that forms the protective arm between the ocean and the bay. The San Andreas Fault runs right through it, separating steep rocky bluffs from sandy dunes. Atop the bluffs, grasslands rise more gently to the coastal ridges. The Head provides a dramatic vista and the ideal place to watch whales migrate south twice yearly in January/February and April/May.

Leaving Bodega Bay we traveled along Highway 1 that runs along the colorful crests and bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean, and offers a number of turnouts where motorists can stop and explore secluded beaches and caves. Ray got out to take a picture and it was a shocking 52 degrees and we had traveled under an hour where the temp was at 72 degrees.
We saw Goat Rock Beach from a distance and turned at the junction of Hwy. 1 and Hwy 116 to go back home. It is at this junction with the town of Jenner that the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. We saw the train depot at Duncans Mills that used to bring tourists in traveling to the coast. That all changed when people starting to use the automobile for travel and by 1935 the last train rolled out of the town of Duncans Mills. Fortuneatelhy for modern-day visitors, this was not the end of the town. Duncans Mills has been restored to closely match its earlier appearance and it’s easy to imagine a train chugging into town with a load of city slickers from San Francisco. The depot has been turned into a museum.
Doran Park is a strip of beach formed by the currents of Bodega Bay. The ocean side is ideal for water sports such as surfing and body boarding while the harbor side offers a salt marsh which is a habitat for a variety of birds. At the end of Doran Beach is the protected entrance to the harbor where the fog horn keeps a constant watch.

Sonoma County Wineries – Most people don’t realize that Sonoma County is the place California wine making started in 1825. Sonoma Valley is a federally-designated wine appellation region, meaning that the climate, soils, and topography of the valley produce grapes of a distinctive and extraordinary character. Ranked as one of the top wine producing regions in the world, Sonoma Valley boasts more than thirty award-winning wineries and, with some of the oldest vineyards and wineries in the state, is recognized as the birthplace of California wine-making.
Saturday, May 12 - Around 9am we took short ride over to the main fairgrounds where they were having an English hunter/jumper show through the Pick Wick Equestrian organization. The horses were so beautiful and spirited. Some riders we saw taking their horse through the course and taking the jumps looked inexperienced, while two others looked very experienced and jumped the hurdles without hesitation. Ray rode the bike to the coast today as the sun is out and winds are insignificant to take a lot of pictures.
Monday, May 13 - We drove over to the coast with perfect weather, stopping along the way to see the town of Sebastopol and buy some bread from Wild Flour Bread store. Bought several scones and a loaf of their white bread. It has a hard crust but the inside toasted is wonderful. http://www.wildflourbread.com/. Wild Flour Bread features organic sourdough breads, scones, biscotti and coffee drinks. Working with a wood fired brick oven they produce beautiful hard crust breads that our customers come from miles around to taste. They also have sticky buns, cheese fougasse and either the Bohemian (apricot, orange and pecan) or the Egyptian (pear, fig and candied ginger) and an endless variety of scones.
After navigating the extremely rough road on the coast heading north to Jenner, we stopped at noon to eat lunch at River’s End restaurant perched on a bluff overlooking the mystical Russian River entering the great Pacific Ocean @ www.ilovesunsets.com. The vistas are breathtaking and beaches are endless. Restaurant is located one hour and 45 minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge and has been around since 1927. Originally built as a restaurant and inn for the loggers and fisherman; today the River’s End serves visitors looking for the ideal romantic dinner or just searching for renewal. It was elegant, with every table having a great view. I ordered Wild mushroom soup and a Northern Coast Chef Salad that had dungeness crab, bay shrimp, jack cheese, avocado, hard-boiled egg, wasabi tobiko, and seasonal greens with a lemon, ginger vinaigrette. It was memorable. Ray played it safe and ordered a cheese burger.
We kept heading north on US 1, but with travel at 35 mph and crazy hairpin curves, we finally turned around without reaching our destination at Rhododendron State Reserve. We were gone five hours and Mitzy was patiently waiting at home.
Saturday, May 20 - Today we drove to see the Petrified Forest outside Santa Rosa about 30 minutes. Due to my knee we couldn’t visit all the sites as it was all uphill and very rough terrain.

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Turtle Beach Preserve (Thousand Trails Park) Manteca, CA

Sunday, April 22, 2007 - Left Sonora Mother Lode Fairgrounds and traveled 65 miles with rain most of the way to Turtle Beach Preserve (TT Park) in Manteca, CA. Love the park and the layout. We are very near where (my friend known since highschool) Penny lives in Stockton so we will try to hook-up with them. Monday, April 23 - Went to the Escapees Rally and took in two seminars. We felt we didn’t need to attend other seminars as we have a lot to do. At least we know what to expect whenever we have time to spend at other Rallies.
Tuesday, April 24 – RV lost power to our refrigerator and we switched it to LP gas. The air conditioning system is not working, nor the central vacuum, nor the washer/dryer. Ray called National, then the service department for RV repairs. We scheduled the service for Monday, May 7. We are moving from Turtle Beach on Sunday, May 6. Thursday the winds were up to 20 mph gusts. Friday, April 27 - Woke up to a beautiful day and checked on the birds out in a tree outside our home. They look like small blackbirds and their nest is in a very large gaping hole at the joint of the tree. California Blue birds are all over and one keeps continuously pecking at the car and RV next to us as well as our own. Drives Mitzy nuts and she is barking thinking it is an intruder.
Stockton is situated at the head of a navigable channel, several miles east of the San Joaquin River and approximately 90 miles inland from San Francisco Bay. The city’s strategic location along several waterways is what defined Stockton and its surrounding communities.
The discovery of gold turned Stockton Channel a river boat landing that served the mining areas of the foothills. It became the gateway, supply and transportation center to California’s southern mines. Although the gold rush ended by 1855, Stockton businesses prospered from their ability to process and transport agricultural products to the markets of the world. The combination of rich peat soil and a temperate climate made the area around Stockton one of the richest agricultural regions and dairy regions in California.
The Port of Stockton opened in 1933 as the first inland seaport in California. The legendary Delta, created by the confluence of several rivers and many man-made channels-popularly known as 1,000 miles of waterways-is what in many ways defines Stockton and surrounding communities. Stockton and environs have long been known in the entertainment industry as location-rich, both as fore and background such as COOL HAND LUKE, BLOOD ALLEY, ALL THE KINGS MEN, TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN and many others
Monday, April 30 - The weather is in the 80’s during the day and we are semi-comfortable with fans running since the air conditioner does not work. Expect the rest of the week to be cooler. We purchased the tile needed to remove the carpet in our living area and replace with tile. Picture of the living room shows our new tile installation. We really enjoy the new look.

Saturday, May 05 - The wind is constant 24 mph with gusts over 30 mph. High will be around 77.

Ray's Reflections: The motocross track I accidentally came across in the hills while riding west of Manteca (south of Stockton) was a real treat to watch. This area was a long route for several 100 yards specifically designed for dirt bikes and ATVs. The expression on the guard’s face at the gate was priceless when I rode up on my Gold Wing. After a brief conversation, I realized he thought I was going to ride the track, I assured him I just wanted to watch and take pictures. At that point I could feel a sense of relief from him. There were all ages and all sizes of direct bikers practicing to be the great one. This turned out to be a nice ride for me, and also passed 12 antique, model-T cars coming my way enjoying the drive, they all waved. Again the huge wind mills (electric power) covered the hills and valley. Very few small trees in this area and brown grass and shrubs.

Since we were so close to Stockton, we went to visit with Penny and Larry Shoppel. We enjoyed the visit and dinner was at Mallard’s Restaurant. Five star quality/service is expected. The food was excellent and I enjoyed the macadamia-nut-crusted Mahi Mahi over a bed of rice and veggies.
Monday, May 7 - Got to the service center in Manteca at 8AM. After they worked two hours, the tech explained to Ray that the park was probably the reason we were without electric for our four major appliances. Not enough amperage to our coach. He also found our generator breaker switch had been triggered. A good lesson learned. The good news is that everything is working and we didn’t have to pay for service. While waiting on service, I took Mitzy for a walk outside the service center’s waiting room. I took a step off the sidewalk unexpectedly, my right knee buckled and I twisted it badly, fell onto the ground and skinned the knee and left hand on asphalt. The knee has swollen up as expected. I’m going to try to see a doctor tomorrow. How clumsy can I be?

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Mother Lode Fairgrounds RV Park, Sonora, CA

Friday, April 13, 2007
We drove the RV over the same route as yesterday in the truck - Rt. 49. Ray took the twists and acute turns slow and pulled over at turn-outs to let the faster traffic pass us. Route 49 is about 44 miles and it took us almost two hours. We arrived safe and sound at the Mother Lode Fairgrounds RV Park in Sonora. There are about twenty sites and only three RV’s counting ours. Beautiful trees surround the park and are their leaves are starting to come out as Spring has sprung. On Saturday a front that started in the Pacific finally reached this area and caused overcast skies and rain off and on all day long.
Ray's Reflections: Sonora is just east of Stockton and its big claim to fame is this area is where gold was discovered in California along Rt. 49 *the Mother Load Road. This was real was a big surprise to us, with its horse ranches, rolling hills, beautiful lakes, and history. A little town just south, Jamestown, houses one of the largest displays of steam locomotives. These trains and their equipment have played an important role in many of our favorite movies and TV series. What an amazing collection of vintage trains.
I had the opportunity to ride this area several days. Every direction from Sonora was very enjoyable including the day I was looking for a winery and ended up on a single-lane road that dead-ended into a detention camp for juveniles. Never found the winery. On the day I was looking for Mark Twains’ cabin, I found an indoor casino, no one seemed to know where the cabin was located and I thought the locals knew everything.
We drove to nearby Jamestown to see the historical downtown district. At the height of the Gold Rush in 1852, Jamestown had a population of 6,000. Tuolumne County’s total population was about 17,000. Over 150 years of history have been preserved in the town’s architecture and many of the original buildings have been restored and are on the National Register of Historic Places.
This is a two-story Victorian-Eastlake style commercial brick building, and among other types of businesses it became the county’s telephone switching center from 1906-1923. A number of two-story building with porches and verandas line the west side of Main Street. In the 1950s, the Highway 108/49 bypass took Jamestown out of the mainstream of travel and helped to preserve the historic downtown.

In the winter of 1897, the Sierra Railway steam passenger train came to Woods Crossing west of Jamestown.

The park gives walking tours featuring the roundhouse, one of the last of its kind in North America. but we arrived too late, so we took a self-guided tour of this famous Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, also called the “Movie Railroad”. Most of the structures that remain were built between 1897 and 1922. The Jamestown shops remained intact servicing the growing needs of the motion picture and television industries. When the State of California purchased the 26-acre site and included it in the State Park System, it preserved one of North Americas last operating steam era railroad facilities.

Locomotive No. 3 The most famous locomotive in the world. Built in 1891 for the Prescott & Arizona Central and purchased by the Sierra in 1897. It has appeared in nearly 50 motion pictures and more than 20 television series, and is still used for movie work and special occasions. Most recent credits include Back to the Future III, Unforgiven, and Bad Girls.

Track Car No. 8 is a 1920 Model T that was converted to rail operation by Jamestown shop crews and is still operational.
Wednesday, April 18 - Drove to Columbia and walked the streets of Columbia State Historic Park. We found the walk through the old buildings fascinating and enjoyed hearing the stories passed down and shared by the shop keepers. You can pan for gold take a trail ride or climb aboard a stagecoach. When we needed to warm up, we got hot chocolate at the 1850s saloon.The temperature was 42 degrees warming up to 59. Picture of original Supply Store. The town is at 2,100 feet elevation. Columbia is known as the “Gem of the Southern Mines” – By1853 Columbia was one of the largest cities in CA, with estimated population of 25,000. As much as $150 million in gold was mined here. Gold from Columbia helped to finance the US government and the Union Army during the Civil War. Today Columbia State Park contains the largest single collection of existing gold rush-era brick structures. The buildings of wood were destroyed by fire in either 1854, 1857 that left only brick buildings with thick walls and iron shutters intact.
Mining started out primitive and improved once water was delivered to Columbia by a 60-mile complex system of wooden flumes, pipesand ditches to convey the water from the Stanislaus River to Columbia. Native people for thousands of years resided in the valleys, foothills and mountains of Central California. The Miwok lived in the Columbia area. Their way of life was drastically altered when newcomers came to the area introducing diseases and increased warfare in the region. In spite of epidemics, abuses and deaths suffered in the gold rush era, the descendants of native Miwok and Yokuts Indian people survive today.
We continued on our drive to Murphys and ate lunch at the Sun China restaurant. Good food and service. We saw a lot of wineries along our drive, but didn’t stop at any of them.
Friday, April 20 - We took a ride over to Tuolumne to visit the Cover’s Apple Ranch. They have fun for the whole family with a bakery, gift shop, petting farm, and Steam Train Ride. They also have soup, sandwiches and a daily special available at the deli. We bought an apple pie to “die” for, bit pricy at $13, but worth every morsel. The ride over the hills and through the valleys was awesome. We went to dinner at Outlaws Bar-B-Q Restaurant in downtown Sonora. Good steaks and lots of history. Bullet holes in the walls as decoration?

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Yosemite Westlake Campground & RV Park, Greeley Hill, CA

Saturday, April 7, 2007
We left Kings Canyon RV park around 8:30 am to drive our rolling home and tow to our next site at Yosemite Westlake Campground & RV Park, Greeley Hill, CA. The drive was beautiful once we reached the valley and saw mountains up ahead, but Greeley Hill was filled with tight turns and a very narrow road for the RV to navigate. Good news is we made it safely – bad news is we have to take that same road back down the mountain when we leave.
Our park is very small, but nice people. Site for 50 amp was on the highest ground and we look down on the rest of the tree-filled park. Weather has been fantastic.
Monday, April 09, 2007
We drove to see Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevada mountains. It is known as the heart of Gold Country and the “Mother Lode”. The park has a spectacular collection of waterfalls, meadows and forests that include groves of giant sequoias. There’s still gold in the Central Sierra’s ore-laden foothills – lots of it, mining experts say – just waiting to be found.
The park is about the size of Rhode Island. Once established by an act of Congress in 1890 as a national treasure, it has become one of the best-known parks in the world. Yosemite is roughly oval in shape and includes 800 miles of hiking trails, more than 230 species of birds, 76 species of mammals and 1,400 species of plants, 37 of which are trees.
Elevations range from 2,000 to 13,000 ft. The valley is 7 miles long and 1 miles wide.

El Capitan is a dramatic rock formation. And Half Dome is smaller one in picture. We were too early in the year to see Glacier Point or take Tioga Pass as they are closed until Summer. We were also too early to enjoy the rainbow of colors that spring brings with the many wildflowers that bloom all over and attract butterflies, adding to the dramatic effect.
The route is open year-round into Yosemite Valley. We marveled at the spectacular vistas as we descended into Yosemite Valley. We stopped to have lunch, but the main dining was closed and we had to partake of a quick meal in the cafeteria with the masses.

Picture of the falls taken from the valley many miles away.

Had very interesting conversation with the owner of this large sheep farm. I have never eaten lamb and she tried to convince me I was really missing out on the best tasting meat there is. There were many babies just born.

Wednesday, April 11 Was much colder with temps at night in the low 40’s and mid-60’s during the day.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
We drove the truck over the mountains and across beautiful valleys of the High Sierras to reach Jamestown, Sonora, and Columbia towns on Route 49, referred to as the “Gold Road” or the “Mother Lode Highway.” There were very tight, blind curves with no guardrails. Can’t believe Ray rode the same road yesterday during his day on the bike. I'm not looking forward to taking the RV over this same road to get to Sonora at Mother Lode Fairgrounds RV Park where we will stay a few days to see all the wonderful historical sites taking us back to the 1800’s and the Gold Rush. We were amazed by the drive as each of the turns gave a far different view of the hills and valleys.

The Don Pedro Lake and the Recreation camping/picnicking/boat launch facilities.

They have RV sites, but it is a long distance from there up to see Sonora and the other small towns we want to visit. Ate lunch at a very quaint restaurant called Heart Rock Café on Washington Street.

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Kings Canyon RV Park - Dunlap, CA

Tuesday, April 3 We drove from Soledad RV Park, Acton 219 miles to Kings Canyon RV Park. What a disaster. The park has to be the worst park we have encountered. Sites are unlevel and full of weeds. Considering the location to Kings Canyon National park is the only plus. We never saw the manager – and she never returned our calls to confirm reservations. The hodge-podge of mobile home are in disrepair around this park. You certainly do not have a sense of security we have grown accustomed to at other parks. But we stayed because other parks were now too full to accommodate us.
Wednesday, April 5, 2007
We left around 10:30 am in dreary overcast skies, but the sun was trying to peak through the clouds at times. It wound up to be a beautiful day. We drove to see the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. First pull off you see the Sequoia National Monument at 3,000 ft. A lot of very curvy roads with switchbacks, but the scenery was amazing. Going from the dessert canyons with nothing but sand, limestone, and cactus from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and southern California, to see these green mountains was such an amazing transition. Yellow flowers were growing everywhere and added color to the sheer cliffs. Also saw a large amount of trees that were in full pink blooms. We were not able to take the road to see Kings Canyon overlook as they are still clearing the rocks from slides during the winter months. We also missed the Mist Falls, but there is always next year.

We stopped at General Grant Grove Village at 6,600’ elevation. We saw a pristine grove of Sequoias, but the largest in the grove was the General Grant Tree, third largest of the Sequoias.

General Grant Tree is over 267 ft tall, 40 ft across its base and over 107 ft around. Estimates of its age range from 1500 to 2000 years old. Once it was thought to be 4000 years old due to its extreme width, but scientific studies have shown that its size is due to rapid growth in an ideal location. The main cause of death for Sequoias is toppling. Sequoias have a shallow root system with no tap root. Soil, moisture, root damage, and strong winds can also lead to toppling.
Kings Canyon reaches a depth outside the park of some 8,200 feet from river level up to Spanish Mountain's peak. There, just downstream from the confluence of the Middle and South Forks of the Kings River, the canyon is without peer in North America; deeper than the Snake River's Hells Canyon in Idaho, or the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Kern Canyon in southern Sequoia National Park is 6,000 feet deep, and several other canyons exceed 4,000 feet in depth. Sequoia & Kings Canyon Parks form the heart of the second-largest contiguous roadless area left in the lower 48 states. The southern Sierra is so rugged that few roads cross it; you must go north to Tioga Pass in Yosemite National Park or south to Walker Pass or Tehachapi Pass.
Friday, April 06, 2007
We left home around 10am to drive Hwy. 180 to Generals Highway through Sequoia National Park. Sequoia is the second-oldest national park in the United States. Managed as one park, together Sequoia and Kings Canyon total over 863,700 acres. The day is sunny and just a few wispy clouds high above the mountains. We saw beautiful pink, blue, purple, and white wildflowers along the highway and up on the mountains. The road grades were about 5-8%.
The drive is without hesitation the most beautiful we have ever seen, even in our favorite North Carolina mountains. Every twist and turn there was another incredible vision of beauty to behold. The road winds through more conventional forests of pine, fir and cedar trees but still with some scattered sequoia clusters, and after a while the canyon comes into view – there are places to stop and appreciate the tree-covered vistas that stretch for many miles east, west, and down to the river far below, and across the valley to higher, more rocky peaks that fade into the distance. We had to stop our photo-op delays or it would be dark before we returned home. We took our lunch break at Wuksachi Village and Lodge. We felt very fortunate they were open as all other stops we had passed were still closed and will not open until May. We were about half-way on our journey out of the mountains at Three Rivers. We ordered takeout lunch to eat in the truck as we had Mitzy with us. She loves snow!

Our next stop was at The General Sherman Tree and Visitor's Center. In volume of total wood, the giant sequoia stands alone as the largest living thing on Earth. Its nearly conical trunk, like a club, not a walking stick, shows why. At least one tree species lives longer, one has a greater diameter, three grow tall, but none is larger. In all the world, sequoias grow naturally only on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, most often between 5,000 and 7,000 feet. There are some 75 groves in all. The General Sherman tree is between 2,300 and 2,700 years old. Its largest branch is almost seven feet in diameter. Each year the General Sherman adds enough wood growth to make a 60-foot-tall tree of usual proportions. I took the walk up the ramp slowly to get pictures and Ray stayed down below with Mitzy as the park rangers do not allow pets on the walkways. It was quite a hike for me and took about 15 minutes to get to the tree, but worth it.
"Most of the Sierra trees die of disease, fungi, etc," John Muir wrote, "but nothing hurts the Big Trees. Barring accidents, it seems to be immortal." Muir was partially right. Chemicals in the wood and bark provide resistance to insects and fungi. Their wood is so impervious to decay that piles of sawdust remain in Grant Grove's Big Stump Basin where sequoias were cut for lumber over 100 years ago. This ability helps them to survive for centuries; the oldest known sequoia lived more than 3200 years. Since they continue to grow each year, they achieve impressive sizes. Sequoias sprout from seeds so small and light, they look like oat flakes. Mature trees may produce each year 2,000 chicken's egg-sized cones, collectively bearing 500,000 seeds, dispersed only as cones are opened. Cones hang on the tree green and closed for up to 20 years. Douglas squirrels or the larvae of a tiny cone-boring beetle may cause cones to open, but fire is the key agent in the dispersal of seeds. It causes the cone to dry, open, and drop its seeds. The fire also consumes logs and branches that have accumulated on the forest floor. Their ashes form fertile seedbeds and enhance sequoia seedling survival. The fire cycle ensures seed release and seedbed fertility.
The rest of the road down the mountain had double-hairpin turns, and at one spot to save a sequoia tree, they split the road and made it one-way around the tree. We were told about the road construction that stopped all traffic at the top of every hour. We missed the open gates by one minute and had to wait for 59 minutes before we could go down the one-way road past the construction area. They are shoring up the sides of the mountain with new rock formations. It was about a mile down the side of the mountain and very scary.

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