Canyonville, OR

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Sparky

Canyonville is a tiny town nestled in the rugged hills of southwest Oregon. But the city really doesn’t matter because we didn’t see it; we spent all three days resting in the embrace of the Seven Feathers RV Resort, arguably the best RV park we have visited on the GTW.

As I mentioned, it all starts with service. The check-in and escort to the site were the best we have experienced. The entrance/registration portico had the feel of a first-rate resort hotel. The site itself was a perfectly level concrete pad with lush grassy strips on either side with plenty of room for the slides. All sites (nearly 200) were beautifully landscaped, with trees, bushes and manicured mulch. Two sewer connections, front and back, made hooking up the sewer lines a snap. Cable TV, 50-amp electric and sweet water. The perfect site.

The welcoming portico

Seven Feathers

Seven Feathers

Other amenities? A beautiful stream that runs the length of the park, a very nice laundry, a barbeque area, a nice reading room, a beautiful pool with hottub and the most amazing individual bathroom/shower facilities that we have seen anywhere.

Pool

Reading room

Barbeque area

Patience at Seven Feathers

Laundry

Laundry

Bath/shower

The complex includes a full-service truck stop (yes, they actually pumped my diesel when I filled up) with a very nice mini-mart and deli, and a casino that gave Jett a $140 return on a $20 investment. They also had a $14 buffet which was not as good at the Bellagio’s, but was much more economical and quite good.

The whole complex is owned and operated by the Cow Creek Band of the Umpqua Tribe of Indians. Really. I don’t know what the Umpquas did before they got into the casino/RV biz, but they are really good at what they do now.

Bridge with Umpqua plaque

We had two interesting neighbors during our stay. One was an Open Range fifth wheel – the first one we have seen (we have seen two other OR’s but both were travel trailers) and a cute 15-foot ultra-compact trailer.

Another Open Range 5th wheel

Tiny Casita trailer

We enjoyed our stay despite the weather. It rained about 90% of the time, including a fierce storm on Monday that kept us inside all day (expect for the required doggy walks). Not a great few days of weather, but the park was awesome. We were happy that we weren’t on the coast where an 84 mph gust flipped a fifth wheel. We rocked pretty hard at times, but stayed upright.

Categories: GTW, OR, Places, RV Parks | Leave a comment

Heavy weather

Posted on November 19, 2012 by Sparky

We are still hunkered down at the Seven Feathers casino and RV park in Canyonville, OR. The weather is awful here and worse along the coast. There were gusts of over 80mph all along the Oregon coast today, including one of 98mph at one location – that’s a category 2 hurricane. We felt gusts that I think were around 50mph. Enough to rock the RV pretty good. Now the heavy rain has begun.

We are hoping to get to Tillamook tomorrow, but it depends on whether the storm abates overnight. I called the RV park today and they said the Wilson River was over its banks, but only slightly. They had 40 RVs there that they felt were safe. The river is supposed to peak tonight, then drop tomorrow. We’ll wait and see.

In the meantime we amuse ourselves with books and slot machines. Jett won $140 yesterday, which more than made up for my $40 in losses.

Categories: Adventures, GTW, OR, Places | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 29: Redding, CA, to Canyonville, OR

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Sparky

219 miles via I-5. Cumulative distance: 5,104 miles.

GTW Hop 29: Redding CA to Canyonville OR

Yes, folks, we have actually made it to Oregon, the last state that we will visit on the GTW. From here to the end it will be a trip down the coast to San Jose.

I wish I could be confident that we will arrive safely, but the forecast is just plain awful: between now (Sunday) and Tuesday some areas of the Oregon coast will receive over 10 inches of rain, with some flooding of streams and rivers. That makes our intended RV park destination – the Wilson River RV Park on the banks of the Wilson River – a risky choice. Our backup park, on Netarts Bay, in under a high wind advisory, with hurricane-force gusts possible. Neither sounds like a safe option right now, so I will have to watch the weather forecast *very* carefully for the next couple of days.

In the meantime, we are hunkered down at the Seven Feathers Casino and RV Park in Canyonville, OR. This is arguably the best RV park we have seen on the GTW. Spacious sites, beautiful landscaping, a fine lodge, a heated indoor pool and the most amazing bathroom/shower facilities I have seen anywhere, hands down. Not a bad place to be while waiting for the weather to pass.

The route from Redding to Canyonville was very interesting. On a sunny day I am sure it would have been spectacular (I hear that Mt Shasta is a beautiful sight), but it rained most of the way. We didn’t catch even a glimpse of Mt Shasta. We were fortunate to get a sunny break for lunch, at a very nice rest area just south of the Oregon border. We ran into an RV couple there who were headed to Yuma, AZ, for the winter. Both were 83 and were driving a rig that looked new, but in fact was over 10 years old.

Rest area

Patience at rest

Lunch stop

A sunny break

Rainbow

I was surprised at the elevation of the pass over the mountains at the border – it topped out at 4,200 feet. I was expecting no more than 2,500 feet. It is good that we got over it today because the forecast was for snow down to 4,000 feet overnight.

I will talk more about the Seven Feathers RV Park when we leave, but it had a great first impression: the sign at the entrance directed us to the portico. An RV park with a portico at the office? That’s a first. Under the portico, a man was waiting to greet us. He took some notes (my license number and RV type) and handed me a slip to take into the office. It had the feel of a valet parking service. Indeed, once I completed the registration process, the greeter hopped into a golf cart and led us to the site, directed me in and then took the time to explain the hookups. I really didn’t need the help with the hookups, but the individual attention was impressive. It was the best service we have received anywhere.

Approaching the Seven Feathers portico

That’s a good start. Now if only the casino is that friendly…

Categories: CA, GTW, OR, Places, Routes, RV Parks | Leave a comment

More spam

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Sparky

My anti-spam filter is clearly not working. I broke the 2,000 barrier – more than 2,000 spam messages received in the past 24 hours. This is just ridiculous. I am deleting all messages until I figure out how to deal with this. If you post a message and it doesn’t appear, that is the reason. I can’t take the time to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Death to spammers!

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 28: Sacramento, CA, to Redding, CA

Posted on November 18, 2012 by Sparky

167 miles via CA 160, I-5 and CA 299. Cumulative distance: 4,885 miles

GTW Hop 28: Sacramento CA to Redding CA

All but a handful of these miles were on I-5. This was essentially a trip up California’s central valley on a drab, dreary day. I was impressed with how flat the valley is – it reminded me of Kansas. It is far more rural north of Sacramento than south. It probably would have been beautiful on a sunny day, but in the drizzle it was just many miles of gray fields.

We stayed overnight at the Redding RV Park which is right off of I-5 in Redding. The location was convenient and the park is clean, with amenities like a pool and laundry. But the sites are very narrow. It was fine for one night, but I wouldn’t want to stay here much longer.

Categories: CA, GTW, Places, Routes, RV Parks | Leave a comment

Sacramento, CA

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Sparky

I visited Sacramento several times on business in the mid-70s, which is nearly 40 years ago now. Not surprisingly, I hardly recognize the place. But I liked it then and I like it now. It is a clean, medium-sized state capital, similar to Madison, WI, my home town, but with a better climate.

We stayed at the Cal Expo RV Park in north Sacramento. Cal Expo is home to the California State Fair, weekend harness races and a variety of seasonal events (e.g., the “harvest crafts fair” this weekend). The RV park exists primarily to house those attending these events. But nothing was going on while we were here so the RV park was pretty empty. Which was fine with us.

Cal Expo RV with grandstands behind the trees

Patience at Cal Expo

We were tired – a little travel-weary and fighting colds – so we took it easy, mostly. But I felt well enough yesterday to check out the American River Bike Trail nearby and, while doing that, discovered a cute little 9-hole golf course which I played in the afternoon. So last night I was weary from biking and golfing. It was a refreshing kind of weariness.

Campus Common hole 1

No, I didn’t play very well. Thanks for asking. I did the round with a general contractor who was recovering from 5 broken vertebrae and played with crutches. He kicked my ass.

The American River, of course, is where gold was discovered in 1849. I don’t think anyone is panning for gold nowadays, but I have to wonder… were some nuggets missed? Part of me wanted to leave the golf clubs behind and go search for gold.

American River at the 5th tee

On Wednesday morning we packed up the dogs and took a trip into the Old Sacramento historical district. This is a part of town near the river that looks a lot like it did in the late 1800’s, post Gold Rush. It is an area with wooden sidewalks and some pretty interesting shops. I got some kettle corn (can’t resist) and a bag of almond/macadamia brittle that was to die for.

Jett and Grace in Old Sacramento

Old Sacramento

Wooden sidewalks

This was also where the Pony Express began, as I learned by reading the plaque on a statue. I was surprised to learn that the Pony Express was in business for just 18 months and employed just 121 riders – a small, unsuccessful business by modern standards. But an iconic failure.

Pony Express memorial

We are now just 4 days away from Tillamook. We have decided that since the weather is going to be bad (we don’t expect to see the sun for the next 10 days) and there is no town that is all that interesting between Sacramento and Tillamook we are going to do it in 4 short 1-night hops. The longest hop will be today’s at around 170 miles.

Rain we can take. I just pray that we avoid snow.

Categories: CA, GTW, Places, RV Parks | Leave a comment

Spam

Posted on November 16, 2012 by Sparky

The spam is becoming unbearable. There were over 1,100 spam comments waiting for me this morning. The first 15 minutes of every day are now devoted to deleting spam messages from the blog, which is most decidedly NOT a good way to start the day. I really don’t want to know where I can get tramadol without a prescriptions. And you don’t either.

I would be strongly in favor of a federal law that tars and feathers spammers.

Categories: Uncategorized | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 27: Kingsburg, CA, to Sacramento, CA

Posted on November 14, 2012 by Sparky

196 miles via CA 99, I-80 and I-5. Cumulative distance: 4,718 miles.

GTW Hop 27: Kingsburg CA to Sacramento CA

This was supposed to be entirely on CA 99, but a wrong turn in Sacramento resulted in a 7-mile error. Oops. But at least we didn’t run into any low bridges.

The 180+ miles on CA 99? Boring, boring, boring. Flat, nearly featureless (unless you consider citrus groves to be a feature) and very bumpy. More evidence of California’s fiscal problems, I suppose.

The big thrill was seeing a sign for the Chowchilla prison. It used to be a women’s prison but is now coed. In any case, it still has a cool name. Chowchilla. Very poetic. Someone should write a song… “How will a girl from Chowchilla find a man to love?” Something like that.

I sniffled all the way to Sacramento. Not one of our better travel days.

I have one week to shake this cold before we arrive in Tillamook. Time for massive doses of Vitamin C?

Categories: CA, GTW, Places, Routes | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 26: Boron CA to Kingsburg CA

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Sparky

180 miles via CA 58 and 99. Cumulative distance: 4,522 miles

GTW Hop 26: Boron CA to Kingsburg CA

If you have been following this blog since the early planning stages, you will notice that we have deviated from our planned route in a major way. The plan called for us getting to Oregon via Reno and northeast California, east of the Sierras. But the weather forecast for that area was iffy; I-80 just west of Reno got buried in over two feet of snow on Saturday night, the day before we were to leave Vegas. So we opted for Plan B: going through Barstow and up the west side of the Sierras. That route is a little longer but safer, weather-wise.

The first leg of Plan B took us to Boron, CA, where we stayed just one night. The second leg brought us to Kingsburg, CA, near Fresno, where we planned to stay two nights. However, Viking RV Park proved to be less than we expected – small and noisy (trains so close that the RV shook). Whispering Palms now has competition in the “Worst RV Park on the GTW” award. We are leaving today and hope to spend 3 nights in Sacramento. That works out fine in my view because I think Sacramento is more interesting than Fresno.

Tight site at Viking

Close call for the truck

Narrow Viking roads


If only I didn’t have a cold. I don’t look forward to driving three hours today on 3 hours sleep. I hope Sacramento will be a recuperative stop.

This hop was very interesting in terms of geography. We started out in the high desert in Boron, at about 2,000′ elevation. We passed by Edwards Air Force base, on the edge of a mountain range that sported thousands of wind turbines. We climbed to over 4,000′ elevation as we passed through these rugged mountains, then dropped sharply to the verdant valley where Bakersfield is located. The trip from Bakersfield to Kingsburg was level and straight, passing through citrus orchards and vineyards. Quite a contrast from the Boron desert. The elevation of Kingsburg is just over 300 feet, so we are nearly back to sea level.

Rugged mountains approaching Bakersfield

Wind turbines at Edwards AFB

One nice thing about dropping several thousand feet and have a long, level stretch of highway: we did it at 10 mpg! That’s a first.

We were too tired to cook last night, so I stopped in at the closest pizza place in Kingsburg to pick up dinner after filling up the truck. It happened to be Corsaro’s Family Pizza. I got a pizza with chicken and artichokes (Jett’s favorites) and some chicken tenders. The pizza came with bread sticks.

Watch out, White Sport: you have competition. The pizza ranked among the best we have ever had. The breadsticks were just flat out the best ever. And the service was first-rate: they took the order efficiently, kept me informed of the progress, provided me with a free glass of ice water while I waited and delivered the order to my table when it was ready. They even offered to carry it out to my truck for me!

So if you ever get to Kingsburg, be sure to have pizza at Corsaro’s. Highly recommended.

Categories: CA, GTW, Places, Routes, RV Parks | Leave a comment

GTW Hop 25: Las Vegas, NV, to Boron, CA

Posted on November 12, 2012 by Sparky

193 miles via I-15. Cumulative distance: 4,342 miles.

GTW Hop 25: Las Vegas NV to Boron CA

This hop involved long stretches of arrow-straight highway cut through desert. Starkly beautiful, but boring after 30 minutes. And lest you think it was hot, I will tell you that the outside temperature never broke 60 degrees. A sunny but very cool day.

We stopped for lunch at a rest area in California (yes, we have made it to California! Woo hoo!). It was one of the dirtiest, most poorly maintained rest areas that we have encountered. I think that it our first tangible experience with the California state budget deficit.

Our origin was Las Vegas, one of the busiest, brightest, most entertaining places on earth. Our destination was Boron, CA, home to… the world’s largest open-pit borax mine (yes, folks, we finally discovered where Boraxo comes from) and the Twenty Mule Team Museum. It doesn’t seem to have much else. Not that we wanted to go exploring because it was COLD. It dropped into the low 20’s last night and our water hose froze.

Our overnight home was the Arabian RV Park, a dusty little RV park on the edge of Boron. It didn’t have much to offer, but we really didn’t care. The price was right: $20. We will be on our way to Fresno soon.

Setting up in the Boron desert

Patience at Arabian RV Park

Abandoned building across the street from our site

Boron is on the edge of the Edwards Air Force base, the secondary shuttle landing site. I suppose if we had been here a couple of years ago we would have gotten a good view of a shuttle coming home.

The chill has gotten to me. I am now coming down with a cold. I sure hope I shake it before Thanksgiving.

Categories: CA, GTW, NV, Places, Routes, RV Parks | Leave a comment