RV There Yet?

The View from Verde Valley

As some of you may have noticed, for several months now, I have not been able to get out and do any serious hiking, take many photos or post to my blog. I have spent most of my time making repairs to the trailer, the weather hasn’t cooperated, and Barbara recently had eye surgery. However, now that we are in Arizona, most of the repairs have been made on the trailer, and Barbara can see clearly again, so I have been able to get out and stretch my legs a little.

We are currently staying at an RV park in Cottonwood, AZ and the temperatures have been below freezing most night but warm up to a comfortable 65 to 70 degrees during the day. So, this past week I have taken three hikes of 3 miles or more. Boy, can I feel the difference already. At the park where we are staying, there are numerous hiking trails on elevated and rocky terrain. It’s nice to be someplace where I can push myself, just a little, and go to bed knowing that I got some good exercise and my steps in during the day. Below are a few photos of the park and the surrounding area.

I’m hoping to be able to go explore the red rocks near Sedona, AZ next week so stay tuned.

The southern edge of the Colorado Plateau with the tops of the San Francisco Peaks, covered in snow.

Bullards Bar

Late last year, while we were still in California, we visited some friends that we have not seen in a while. While we were visiting Ember and Neal, they told us about Bullards Bar in Sutter County, California. Neal works part time at the reservoir, mostly during the spring, summer, and fall. Bullards Bar is a reservoir that was built on the Yuba River back in the 1950’s. The dam is a gravity arch dam just like Hoover dam. However, Bullards Bar dam is wider while Hoover dam is approximately 80 feet higher. So, Barbara, Ellie and I took a drive up to see Bullards Bar. The reservoir was a little low while we were there, but I understand the recent rains in the area have filled it up. A lot of people have houseboats here and it looks like a great place for boating, fishing, and other water sports like paddle boarding and swimming. It is a beautiful area at the elevation where the oaks of the Sierra Nevada foothills give way to the conifer forest of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Take a look!

Lake Minden Sunset

Last evening, there were some white, wispy cirrus clouds floating overhead, so just before the sunset, I hiked down to the lake to see if I could capture the clouds and colors of the evening sunset. I used two cameras, with different settings to see how they would turn out. I set the first camera on a tripod and used a wireless remote and I handheld the second camera. The first five photos are with the tripod held camera while the last five photos are with the handheld camera. Honestly, I don’t see a significant difference in the two. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Lake of the Springs

Over the past few months Barbara and I have been having repairs made to our trailer as well as myself making additional repairs that the manufacturer didn’t do or happened later. It has been a frustrating and difficult time for us and due to this I have not been able to do any hiking and or photography. But last week, Barbara, Ellie and I spent a week at Lake of the Springs in Oregon House, CA. One day while there, I took a long hike from our RV spot to the dam on Lake Mildred and then most of the way around the lake. We have camped there many times, and until now, I didn’t know there was a trail that went around the lake. It was a nice, quiet hike as I was the only person on the trail that day. This time of year the trees are turning colors and this added to the beauty of the scenery I enjoyed that day. This area is a transition zone where the oaks of the California foothills start to give way to the conifers of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The winds were light on this day allowing for some nice reflections off of the lake surface. I hope you enjoy the photos.

Indiana Dunes National Park

Last week, Barbara, Ellie and I traveled west to visit the Indiana Dunes National Park. This is a pretty park that is, surprisingly, surrounded by several steel mills. On this day the temperature hovered around 91 degrees with 80% humidity so we didn’t stay around for long. In fact, the last thing we did was Barbara bought some ice cream bars and we headed back to Elkhart.

Mt. Hood Railroad

A few weeks ago we took a ride on the Mt. Hood Railroad. The scenery along the way was not as scenic as we had anticipated, but the ride was very enjoyable. The train cars were very comfortable and we enjoyed the relaxing ride in the company of our friends Keith and Janice. At the midway point of our trip we stopped at a vineyard where we relaxed some more and I took some photos of the train and the surrounding area. At the end of our train ride, we visited a nearby shop, picked up Ellie and some goodies, and headed back to Mt. Hood Village. All in all a great day.

Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum

While staying in Mt. Hood Village, one Saturday, Barbara and I along with our friends Keith and Janice took another drive to the town of Hood River to see the Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum (WAAAM). On this day they were also having a car show and we could vote on our favorite cars from those on display. You can also take car rides in the vintage cars and a flight over the Columbia River in a biplane. While Keith and Janice to a ride in a biplane, Barbara and I checked out the vintage aeroplanes. This is a fun place to spend an afternoon enjoying a wonderful vintage collection of planes and cars while learning a little history.

Early aeroplane frame. They’re not that much different today, just the materials used.

Wasn’t this car in the TV show Happy Days?

Trillium Lake Trail

The day after we took the Mt. Hood Scenic Drive, I returned to Trillium Lake to hike the Trillium Lake Trail. Trillium Lake is one of my favorite places in the state of Oregon. I tried to hike this trail a couple of years ago, but at that time the trail was closed, a third of the way around, for repairs. I can understand this because a good portion of the trail is a boardwalk because otherwise the trail would be underwater most of the year. The trail is mostly flat and at only two miles long it makes for an easy hike. On this day there were a lot of other people on the trail so I stopped frequently to let others pass, take a break to eat some fruit, and drink some water. It was a great day for a hike with the temperature hovering around 75 degrees with a lite breeze. Perfect conditions for hiking. If you’re ever in the Mt. Hood area, be sure to check out Trillium Lake, you won’t be disappointed.

Mt. Hood Scenic Drive

I haven’t posted in awhile because Barbara, Ellie, and I have been traveling across country, to Indiana to get some repairs made to our trailer. Living in and RV and traveling is a great way to enjoy our retirement years, but the maintenance on the RV is exhausting and time consuming.

A few weeks ago, we were in northern Oregon staying at Mt. Hood Village with our good friends Keith and Janice. Keith and Janice hadn’t done the Mt. Hood Scenic Drive before, so the four of us, and Ellie loaded up the truck and took a drive.

The first stop on our adventure was nearby Trillium Lake. I always enjoy it here. It’s a great view of Mt. Hood and on a calm day Mt. Hood makes a great reflection off of the lake.

After a short stop at Trillium Lake, we headed northeast to Panoramic Point, near the town of Hood River, Oregon. Here we got an amazing view of Mt. Hood with the vineyards and orchards of northern Oregon in the foreground.

After a brief stop at Panoramic Point, we traveled I-84 through the Columbia River Gorge to Bonneville Dam, fish hatchery, and visitors center. The fish hatchery is the nicest fish hatchery I have ever seen, and I have visited many.

From there we headed further west to Horsetail Falls. We wanted to visit the famous Multnomah Falls, however, on this day we were unable to find parking. There were spaces available, but the parking attendant would not allow us in so we passed it by and headed back to camp.

This is a wonderful scenic drive and I recommend it to anyone who is in the area and has a day to take a leisurely drive.

Oregon Coast

This week we have spent most of our time exploring the Oregon Coast. We took a train ride along the coast from Rockaway Beach to Garibaldi. We drove to Tillamook and toured the cheese factory and we spent some time at Tolovana Beach.

First, we took Ellie on her first train ride. It was only a ten-mile roundtrip ride, but Barbara and I always enjoy train rides and I believe Ellie did too. She’s a great rider.

The next day, Ellie enjoyed time with other furry friends while Barbara and I met our friends Keith and Janice at the Tillamook Cheese Factory for a self-guided tour and some ice cream.

And finally, yesterday we spent a few hours on the beach. Ellie got her first experience with the ocean and salt water. I don’t believe she likes the taste of salt water but she appeared to enjoy running around the beach with me. After Ellie and I explored the beach, I took a hike to the Canon Beach haystack rock. Haystack rock is a 235-foot-tall sea stack that was formed 15 to 17 million years ago from a basalt lava flow that originated from the Yellowstone Hot Spot. Originally, it was part of the Oregon Coast, but over time, erosion has separated it from the coastline. Today, it is a nesting place for sea birds and aquatic life like the California Mussels.