Debriefing

 We left Salem with the temps in the cool 80's and drove the short 160 miles south on Interstate 5 to Canyonville, Oregon on Thursday, July 1st. Canyonville is the home of Seven Feathers RV Resort, which is part of Seven Feathers Casino, and is a very popular spot for rv'ers to visit while traveling the west coast. The beginning of the Fourth of July holiday influenced the attendance at the park, as we found when we approached the check-in portico.

Gazley Bridge over the South Umpqua River just outside of town is a great place to cool off. The temperature was in the 80's and we were lovin' it!

This part of southern Oregon is the heart of the timber industry. This section of an old growth Douglas Fir tree now has a "hat" to protect it from the weather, but when it was new it contained enough lumber to build a three bedroom home, thereby protecting others. When cut by M&B Logging it was 142 years old.

Several huge lumber mills surround Canyonville, and we couldn't resist stopping for a couple of photos.

And with tens of thousands of logs waiting to be milled, you gotta wonder why the price of lumber is so high.

Our site at Seven Feathers, number 123, was wonderfully cool as the sun set. We took advantage of the shade by sitting out until all hours.

Leaving Canyonville, we were soon out of Oregon and into California.

The smoke from the several fires burning in the Siskiyou National Forest was evident, both by sight and smell.

Two hundred twenty six miles further south, we pulled into Win-River Casino RV Park in Redding, CA. Not intending to stay more than one night, we didn't even go into the casino. The satellite signal was blocked by trees, the local TV stations were running reruns of Judge Judy, and there wasn't a cable connection, so we enjoyed a comfortable evening outside.

We noticed on the way into Redding that the water level of Lake Shasta was extremely low. This lake has been in existence since 1944 and the water level has never been this low since it was first filled.

Providing water for irrigation and domestic use throughout the Sacramento Central Valley, as well as electricity, it is a key element of control of the Sacramento, Pit, and McCloud Rivers.

We left Win-River this morning telling each other that another rv park will be our stop the next time we're in the area. Interstate 5 south toward Sacramento is a long, mostly straight road, in need of repair as are most roads in California, so we had a chance to look at the countryside as we passed through. Evidence of the record-breaking drought is everywhere along the route.

Getting closer to Sacramento, the famous rice fields of the area came into view. This is going to be a tough crop to grow if water gives out.

Two hundred miles under our belt today got us home. We're going to stay put for awhile and try to get our tiny house done so we'll have a "home" to return to as we travel. One of the things we had to do as we got into town was fill up with fuel.

Welcome to California, where your gas tax dollars are not spent on road maintenance.

The motorhome is settled in and we're looking forward to a good nights sleep.

And, of course, today, July Fourth, is Sasha’s birthday! She’s seven today, and had her annual bowl of vanilla ice cream! Hand fed, no less!

So, here's the wrap:

6,588 miles

66 nights

101 hours of driving

$2,800 in fuel costs for the motorhome

And roughly $2,900 for lodging

An additional 4,618 miles on the tow car, not counting towing mileage

An unfathomable number of dollars spent on fuel for the car....

We saw some sights, By Golly, and enjoyed the trip. A few bumps and bruises later, we're home and planning out next trip in October. We'll be busy with the Tiny Home for awhile, so I'll post a few pics as we progress, but it's back on the road ASAP!

Thanks for traveling along with us!