Cost per Night: $35.00 per night Weather: 49/65 F Overcast
We went hiking at Starvation Creek State Park, which is located west of Cascade Locks, Oregon in the Columbia River Gorge. It is right alongside Interstate 84; by the Columbia River.
Selfie at Cabin Creek Falls
Thimbleberries are tart and red when ripe.
Hole in the Wall Falls
The trailhead was named Starvation Creek because a train was stopped there by snow drifts and passengers had to dig out the train. Luckily no one starved there.
However, after our hike, I was ravenous, so we eat at the Sedition Brewing Company in Dalles, Oregon. This Craft Brewery is in a historic icehouse. I had the Tri-Tip Sandwich with a tasting flight of beer. Dark Sky was my favorite. Paul enjoyed his Mac and Cheese. I would recommend this establishment highly.
Cost per Night: $51.00 per night Weather: 52F Cloudy
Crater Lake is a crater lake in south-central Oregon in the western United States. It is the main feature of Crater Lake National Park and is famous for its deep blue color and water clarity.
We left a bit late, around 10:00 a.m. The drive up to Crater Lake was beautiful. There was not much traffic.
Paul spotted a black bear off the 62 and I was able to get a good photo of it.
Crater Lake did not disappoint. We had a bite at the café and wander around. We could only get to Discovery Point due to weather.
I bought a “Passport To Your National Parks” book and placed my first Sticker (Crater Lake) in it. Got more laundry done while we prepared for our drive to Dalles, Oregon in the morning.
Panoramic View of Crater Lake
The weather was warm enough to melt the ice.
Serviceberries have a berry-like pome,
red to purple to nearly black at maturity.
Paul Threw A Snowball at Me.
Us posing at Crater Lake.
You can see Wizard Island in the background.
Cost per Night: 51.00 per night Weather: 52 F Cloudy
Route:
5 North
97 North
Joe Wright Road
4. Country Hwy 875-A
Left at 8:45 a.m. At 10:10 a.m.
"The Beast" drove through the tiny town of Weed, California. We climbed to an elevation of 5,000 feet. Stopped to get gas at Worden, Oregon Sinclair for the low price of $3.49 per Gallon.
There is nothing to special about the Klamath Falls KOA. We did laundry and watched TV via their internet.We did meet a nice older couple from Utah. They instructed us to keep traveling as much as possible before our days were filled with doctor appointments. We gave them a handful of our avocados.
We will be going to Crater Lake tomorrow.
Welcome to Oregon
Fueling up at the Sinclair's just over the Oregon Border
Cost per Night: $30.00 per night Weather: 60F Overcast
We decided to go to Lassen Volcanic National Park to see the volcano. The GPS took us the windy backway. The higher we climbed, the colder it got. After about an hour and a half, we were actually in the snow. The Volcano was closed due to weather, but we had a beautiful drive in the snow.
We then drove to the Lake Shasta Caverns. We arrived in time for the 2:00 p.m. trip. The Lake Shasta Caverns are a network of caves located near the McCloud arm of Shasta Lake.
We crossed Lake Shasta in a pontoon boat; then took a mile trip up the mountain in a bus. Rachael was our tour guide.
There were over 600 stairs in the caverns – quite a hike but worth it!!!
Travel Day to Redding, CA: Left the lodge to get gas and then returned to dump. The Dump Station was included in our stay but did not open until 8:00 a.m.
Route:
880 West
80 East (Lots of traffic and we had to crawl along for about forty minutes.)
505 North.
5 North
44 West
We stopped for a late lunch at the Rolling Hills Casino (2655 Everett Freeman Way, Corning, CA 96021). Of course, Paul ordered his Grilled Cheese with Fries; I eat a Club Sandwich. After, we each dropped $20.00 at the slots then returned to the road. Casino was small but nice. Food was okay.
Checked into the Redding Elks in very windy weather. They had you check in at the bar . . . . great marketing strategy. I had a Crown Rocks while filling out the paperwork. Paid for the first one – the second was on the lodge. It rained hard most of the night.
We took a taxi to the Freemont Bart Station ($20). After trial and error including the asking of a bunch of questions from several poor bystanders, Paul and I made our way onto the Daly City Line. We exited the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Train at the Embarcadero Station. The ride cost $7.00 per person one way and took about forty-five (45) minutes.
The BART was not too clean but tolerable. I downloaded the munimobile app and purchased two ‘all day’ trolley passes for twelve dollars apiece. We got off at Fisherman’s Wharf and walked about a bit. Since it started raining hard and was almost noon; we stopped for lunch at Tarantino’s. Paul had his Cheese Raviolis and I enjoyed my Seafood Angel Hair Pasta.
On our walk back to catch the cable car, we picked up some Boudin Sourdough Bread and Ghirardelli Chocolates. We also treated ourselves to some delicious Coffee Ice Cream.
We got on the Cable Car aright, but it would only part of the way back to the BART because they had a problem with the cable. We would have been lost as a shuttle bus picked us up had it not been for local Carole. She guided us onto the correct bus and even walked us a block to make sure we found the BART Entrance.
We visited the bar at the lodge. The first round was on them. A Virgin Sunrise for Paul and Myers Coke for me. I also had a Jim Beam’s Devil’s Cut Rocks. Free Popcorn, peanuts and friendly company. We really enjoyed this lodge.
Paul buying Boudin Sourdough Bread. #yum
Ghirardelli - just one word "Chocolate"
Paul and I made it onto the Bart at the Fremont Station.
Travel Day. Got up and broke up camp. Left at 8:30 a.m. for our next stop, the Fremont Elks Lodge 2121. We witnessed a bad accident on Interstate 101. The motorhome appeared destroyed. That slowed us down a bit; however, we used the time to fix our lunch. Other than that, nothing out of the usual happened.
Went to Walmart for some supplies: a 32 1SD Card for the Atoto; Paper Plates and Bowls; a Bath Mat; Knee Pads; Sandals; Tea . . . . Fixed Tacos with Guacamole watched a little TV then bed. Tomorrow San Francisco.
Good internet for $5.00 for a 24-hour period. The internet was good enough that we were able to watch ‘Game of Thrones.’ ($5 per device though ☹)
We took our bikes out for their first ride on this trip. Fun way to explore the campsite.
Horseback Riding Stairs
Conicosia is a genus of succulent plants in the
ice plant family native to southern Africa.
Spent the afternoon with Rose, husband Dave and Brother Jimmy. We went to enjoy the Oso Flaco Lake Trail in the Oceano Dunes.
“Oso Flaco Lake Trail offers a hike with easy-going appeal. The nearly level trail takes a boardwalk over a 75-acre birdlife-boasting lake and across sand dunes to a tucked-away beach and a viewpoint overlooking the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes. These are the largest dunes on the coast of Southern California, but Oso Flaco Lake Trail is a short hike at just 2-miles round trip.”
The boardwalk on Oso Flaco Lake
Very appropriately Mother’s Day – Lake duck with her seven ducklings.
Trail Ends At The Pacific Ocean
Patches of Poison Oak
Rose, husband Dave, Brother Jimmy and Paul
This Plant Was Covered with Foam (From the Spittle Bug?)
Camissonia Californica Is A Species Of Flowering Plant In The Evening
Primrose Family Known By The Common Name California Suncup.
Cost per Night: $65.00 per night Internet Remaining: 1.9 of 20 AT&T Remaining
We hooked up the tow vehicle at the bottom of our hill in front of Champagne Lakes RV Park.
Took the 15N to the 210W; 210W to the 118W; 118W to the 101N. No problems. Just one small accident in Carpinteria, CA.
Arrived at Rose and Dave Lambert’s house around 10:45 a.m. We set up camp at the Pacific Dunes RV Resort around 2:00 p.m.
They gave us two spots: one for the RV and one for our tow vehicle. They are small spots on gravel. Our George Boy is backed up right up to the fence. Behind the fence are the dunes. It was pretty windy when we arrived, so we did not do too much exploring.
Going to McLintocks for dinner with Dave, Rose and Jimmy.
Swallows nest throughout California, and the Dunes in Oceano, California are no exception. These Birds were busy building their mud nests . . . . they were everywhere.
SkyRunner’s Gravity-Defying Vehicle Takes Flight on “Top Gear”
The Elite New Powersports Aircraft - Airports Not Required!
SkyRunner MK 3.2 is an FAA certified special light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) fused with a rugged, military grade all terrain vehicle wrapped in a design that would make James Bond blush. Arguably, SkyRunner is the most versatile and logistically competitive machine on the market. You’ll be hard pressed to find a trophy truck, ATV or UTV in the world that can follow where SkyRunner can go.
SkyRunner conquers sand, dirt, snow, asphalt, and born to defy gravity; for those peaks, rivers, lakes, canyons, trees and cliffs that get in your way.
This ‘Bond Baddie’ off-road flying car, took flight on the BBC’s highly touted “Top Gear” season 25, episode 2, aired on Sunday March 4th on BBC America.
SkyRunner manufactures the FAA-certified light-sport aircraft (S-LSA) that also functions as a military-grade off road vehicle. Stewart Hamel, SkyRunner’s creator and CEO of the company, is featured on-camera in the episode to make the three-minute conversion from off-road vehicle (ORV) to airplane.
So, how does SkyRunner differentiate itself in the bustling niche of flying all-terrain vehicles? It uses a proper car engine. On the ground, SkyRunner reaches top speed of 70 mph. Airborne, it cruises at 45 mph with a rear-mounted propeller-driven by a Rotax engine.
While LSAs are considered one of the safer forms of recreational flying, there are always inherent risks in aviation and in driving. SkyRunner is unique in that it flies its plan B (parachute), and unlike most aircraft, the engine isn’t considered a safety component of flight.
“Should the engine run out of fuel, a pilot can simply glide down into the nearest grass field, strip or sandy desert. Unlike other powersport vehicles, this one requires proper training before you can use it,” said Hamel.
Per Hamel, being featured on a globally-recognized show known for highlighting the latest ground transportation innovations as well as thrills, speed and excitement—and pushing those extremes by exposing the hosts to a flying vehicle—is a coup for this ‘Bond Baddie’ creation.
About Stewart Hamel
Stewart Hamel, CEO of SkyRunner, launched a Shreveport-based private investment company, Hamel Interests and Private Equity, LLC, the original funding arm for SkyRunner's research and development, manufacturing, and distribution in 2010. SkyRunner builds and sells all-terrain/light-sport aircraft vehicles. Stewart Hamel and SkyRunner have been featured on Fox News, CNN Money, TopGear, Discovery Channel, Jet Set Magazine, Flying Magazine, Digital Trends Magazine, featured by Red Bull and the Light Aircraft Manufacturing Association among other industry publications. Stewart has served on the board of Oxford University’s, Saïd Business School, and the Development Board of the London Symphony Orchestra.
