Just a Quick Update

In case you didn't see it on my other "trademarked" site, I did need to set up another URL for my blog.  I changed the name on the title page but of course that did nothing to change the URL - which is what would pop up if someone did a search on travel therapy.  There really is a New York travel writer with trademark ownership of this name so ...mea culpa...I should have done more homework than I did.  She was nice about it but she meant business.  I understand that if a person fails to "vigorously defend" their trademark, they can lose the right to that trademark.  I don't understand all the ins and outs, but I'm okay with it.  Keeps me sharp to have to figure stuff out!!

So this is what I did today (other than working on my site!).  I found a lady bug on my kitchen counter.  She was on her back waving her little legs all around so I got her to grab onto a paper napkin and took her outside and put her on a bush.  I was worried that she was not going to make but I wanted a picture so I ran back inside and got the camera.  By the time I got back, she had flown away so I guess she was fine.  I am sorry to report that the spider I found in the bathroom did not get equal treatment!

Tomorrow I hope to get back to writing about some of our past travels.  No word yet on the motor home.  Russ has picked the 2nd as the day we will get "The Call".  My date has already passed so I guess I lost the bet. 

I'm In Trouble!

I got an email this morning that said I am violating a registered trademark by using Travel Therapy in my blog title.  So I am going to have to figure out how to change everything without losing all my work.  Not sure just what I have to do but I don't want to get in any legal hassles with anyone.  So, see you all later when I get this figured out.

Fit to be towed

Friday we got our little Fit home, all decked out with her new "collar" and "leash" so we can drag her around behind the motor home.  Here's what happens when the toad gets a new look:

The hardware on the front is barely noticeable.  Seems to be easy enough to clip on the tow bar.

She also has lights now.

And a proportional braking system.

Russ assures me it is very easy to set up the brake and to take it out when we need to drive the toad.  There is a wireless remote brake monitor that rides in the motor home with us. 

This part can stay on if we want to save some time hooking up.

She's all ready and raring to go.

So we're as ready as we can be - well, except for cleaning out the house.  That will wait until we see exactly what we are going to do with this lifestyle.  Full-time, part-time???  Only time will tell.

NOW ALL WE NEED IS THE MOTOR HOME!!

Memories of Bishop

I was missing Bishop the other day and since I couldn't visit I decided to blog about it.  So I started looking at pictures and one thing led to another and three days later I am finally getting to my blog.  Bishop is a small town about halfway between San Bernardino, CA and Reno, NV. on US Hwy 395.  It is located in the middle of the Owens Valley.  The rough and rugged Sierra Nevada mountains contain the valley on the west side and the White mountains form the Eastern border.  On the other side of the White Mountains is Death Valley and to the west of the Sierras lies Yosemite (that's an approximation - Bishop is a little north of Death Valley and a little south of Yosemite) .  But that may help situate its location in your mind.

Two of my siblings (my brother, David, and my sister, Sharon) were born in Bishop - I was not so lucky!  My dad worked first in a dairy in Bishop and later as a school bus driver.

While researching old photos for this blog, I found a postcard written by my Dad and sent from Bishop to family.  The postmark on the reverse of this postcard is July 29, 1948.  That would have been my first trip to Bishop, even though it was impossible for me to enjoy the beauty of the area.  I was born on January 4, 1949 so I hadn't yet seen daylight but I was definitely along for the ride.

Main Street in Bishop 1948, looking north.

The message on the back of the postcard reads:  "Hello Gang, Having a swell time.  Caught several fish and have hopes of catching more.  Bill" 
And that is very much what Bishop is all about; the great outdoors, fishing, hunting, and just enjoying creation.

Not exactly the same angle, but here is Main Street in the early sixties.  Notice Schats Bakery on the Left.  This bakery is the home of the famous Sheepherder bread and is still in operation.  They have changed location to a larger facility on the north end of town but the bread remains the same.  The drugstore on the right was now a Rexall Drug.  They had a soda fountain and we always went there for ice cream sodas when we first got into town.

Bishop, CA, Main Street (Hwy 395) early 1960s

And here is what it looks like today.

Bishop, CA, Main Street April 2010

I have so much I could write about Bishop.  I think this will have to be part one and who knows how many parts will follow.  I want to tell you about where we stay in town when we are traveling by car, and about all the wonderful rivers, streams and lakes in the area, and where to camp and where to eat...but for this time I just need to write a little about my own history with Bishop.  This is mainly for my family so I won't be offended if the rest of you wait for more interesting material.

My first memories of vacation involve Bishop.  Daddy was always in a hurry to get going - he didn't want to waste one minute of his vacation time.  His excuse was he wanted to get across the desert before it got too hot.  But we all knew that he just wanted to get to the stream and start fishing. 

We had two main destinations as we headed towards Bishop.  The first was the camping part and that was most always Fish Springs.  This was just a small creek located near Big Pine, Ca.  Not quite to Bishop but we would make it there in a few days.  Back then, there was no campground, just a wide dirt area next to the creek where fishermen could camp and enjoy the creek.  We were always the only ones there.  We camped first in a tent and many years later in a 13' camp trailer.  Daddy's first act upon arriving was to get out the dipper and head to the creek for that first taste of pure mountain water - wouldn't do it nowadays but back then the water was pure and clean.  This is an old slide taken on one of our camping trips in the late 50s.  Pardon the quality.   I am the girl on the left, and the rest are the Kirby kids, Gene, Myra, and Stanley.  The Kirbys were our best friends and we had many fun camping trips together.

Donna and the Kirby Kids playing in Fish Springs

When we went back to find the place in 2010, we found it is now a county park with rustic facilities, a charge to stay there, and LOTS of people...even big rigs!  Some things just do not stay the same.

Tinnemaha County Park (used to be Fish Springs)

It was kinda sad to see how much the area had changed.  When we camped there, it was ordinary to go for a  walk in the sage brush and find old Indian arrowheads.  They were not "artifacts" then, just old arrowheads and it was fun to collect them.  Wish I still had them now!! 

After several days at Fish Springs, we would head on into Bishop.  There we would stay with our friends Bob and Opal.  Bob and Opal ran the local Indian Mission for the Paiute tribe.  It may be more politically correct to say "native American" but this is not how it was in the middle of the last century.  The people referred to themselves as "Indians" and so we did as well.  I mean no disrespect when I use that term now - it is just how it was.

It was behind this mission that I caught my first fish.  We went back in 2007 and found that old mission and my favorite 'fishing hole".  To say the mission has changed is a huge understatement.  It still has a cross on the front but it is dilapidated and overgrown and I doubt that it is still a mission.  We did not see anyone around at all.

Former Paiute mission

A small unnamed creek ran behind the mission and it was in the corner of that concrete structure that I caught my first trout.  There was more water in the creek and the trout hung out under a swirl of leaves that had collected in the corner.  I tried for days to catch that fish and I think he finally took the bait just so I would leave him alone.  But, I caught him and pulled him in.  After dragging the poor fish across the yard and yelling for my dad at the top of my lungs, I insisted on putting the half-dead trout in a bucket of water because I didn't want him to die.  Daddy got me a bucket of water, unhooked the fish, and gently placed him in the water, even when I am sure Daddy knew what the outcome would be.  Alas, his trip across the ground had been way too traumatic for my fish and he died and I ate him.  I was about 9 years old at the time.

In the corner of that concrete structure is where I caught my first trout.

I have so much more to write about Bishop but the hour grows late and I grow weary.  To be continued....

Blue Skies and Gray Clouds

Another spring teaser day in Eugene.  These are the days we usually get in February.  It was 62F today...and I was ready to break out the shorts!  We took the dogs to the lake for a walk but on the way I made Russ pull over at the truck scale so I could take a photo of the sky.  It was all blue sky to the west but in the southeast sky, this is what we saw.  Click on photos to enlarge.

You can tell the wind is blowing by looking at these clouds

Unretouched - strange cloud patterns

Where we were stopped along the road, we were in the flight path from the airport.  This old prop plane was flying very low and then circling back to the airport to do it all over again.  Not sure what he was doing.  I only had my "baby" camera with me, an 8X Lumix point-and-shoot, so could not get good pictures but I did snap this one.  I hate not having a viewfinder...the sun was shining on the screen and I wasn't sure what I was shooting!

We continued on to the lake.  The wind was quite strong but we still had a nice walk with the dogs.  Poppy found some flowers that someone had "planted" in a hole in the concrete.  She said, "These do NOT smell like flowers mom and they kinda scare me."

Poppy investigating "flowers"

Rusty just wondered if he should "mark" them.  He wisely decided they were not worth the effort.

The wind was blowing so strongly that it made a "part" in Rusty's fur.

Rusty with windblown hairdo.

The walk felt good, even in the stiff breeze.  I was happy, Russ was happy, Rusty was happy and Poppy was smiling too.

That's our happy girl

A New Gadget!

Thank you Donna aka Froggi for helping me get a map on my blog.  Looks like I'm a "westerner" for sure!  I'll have to do something about that, huh?  Not sure if my visit to Texas really counts.  We flew into San Antonio when our son graduated from basic training at Lackland in 1989 (?).  We loved the city and the Alamo but it was a very short visit.  Hope to go back one day.  Looking forward to expanding my horizons.

Signs of Spring

It's a BEAUTIFUL day here is Eugene.  The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and the temperature is comfortable...in JANUARY!  What's going on?  I had to do a little walkabout in the yard to see how my gardens were faring.  This is what I found:

Daffodils in the front yard are already several inches high.

At the base of the Sweet Gum tree, last year's
snap dragons are volunteering for another season.

The ferns are unfurling from their protective layer of leaf mulch.

The peonies are covered in buds.

Even the pool looks inviting (except for the leaves in the bottom!).
Don't be fooled, that water is COLD! 

When we first moved into this house in 1976, Russ used to jump into the pool (and right back out again) every April 1st.  He hasn't done that for many years now.  The last crazy thing he did was stand out by the pool with no shirt and a towel around his neck last time it snowed (I'll spare your sensibilities on that one).  Never a dull moment!  Us old folks gotta take our fun where we can get it.

I promised Russ I would NOT plant millions of annuals this year.  I am trying hard to stifle the urge!  I just gotta keep thinking about traveling in Therapy.  But look at this little pansy.  It's trying so hard to survive.  The pot is full of grass that I need to dig out to give this little flower a chance at life.

So why am I so excited about this terrific weather?  It's almost time for us to "get the call" to go pickup the motor home.  I DO NOT want to do that in the snow.  The following pictures were taken on January 27, 2008.  This is more typical of January around here and I DO NOT want to travel when it's like this:

Rusty, Poppy and Donna in the driveway. 

We all enjoyed the snow.   I just don't want to travel in it.

No swinging today.

Care to go for a dip?

Rusty wonders why the pool deck is covered with this cold white stuff.

It was really coming down and getting deep (for Eugene!)

Poppy is taking a break under the patio cover.

So you see, I am enjoying today's sunshine and hoping it lasts....at least until we can get to California and back.  How is the weather where you are?

Seven Feathers Casino

Okay...had a bad migraine yesterday so didn't get this posted as promised... sorry!  And this morning I'm still moving slow and gotta get some grub and coffee in me before I can write.  However, some things come first...such as checking with my blog buddies.  So, before I go make the bacon, I want to share with you all a blog I read this morning.  I think it was enjoyable as well as containing a good message.

http://redphotog.blogspot.com/

This is a fairly new blog with only a few entries, but I find it enjoyable...maybe because it's written by my son???  Anyway, take a look and see what you think.

I'll be back later with my post for the day.

I'm baaaaack...fortified by waffles, bacon and coffee.  I know, not very healthy but it sure was good.  Now with the caffeine coursing through my veins, maybe I can get something done.

This is mainly an informational post but if you are ever traveling the I-5 corridor you might find it useful.  Seven Feathers is located just off I-5 at the Canyonville exit, number 99.  The closest city is Roseburg, about 30 minutes to the north.  You can read all about the casino here http://www.sevenfeathers.com/ 

We are not much for gambling but we enjoy pulling a handle now and again.  What I like best about Seven Feathers is their RV park.  When the casino was first getting started, they had a little dry campground right in the parking lot.  Then they added a few upgrades and full hook-ups.  Several years ago, they moved the RV park across the street and developed a full service park with all the amenities you need. 

The photos from this trip are from June 2007.  We had been down to Grants Pass to ride the jet boats...I'll write about that later (a FUN activity).  We were still traveling in the old class A and spent a night at the RV park on the way home.  We were traveling with my sister, Laila and her husband, Brian.

The RV park is located back off the highway on the opposite side of the freeway from the hotel.  We didn't detect any traffic noise...it was like being in the woods (well, almost).  We were surprised by the beauty of the park, even the office was attractive.

Office: check in area

 Check in is quick and convenient.  Just pull up to the large overhang, check in at the front desk, and then a guy in a golf cart escorts you to your assigned spot. 

One of the streets into the parking area.

The park is well designed for ease of parking your rig.  There is ample space for large rigs and towed vehicles as well.  The trees in this photo are no doubt much larger by now since this was taken almost four years ago. 

The sites are SO clean and well maintained.  Each has a concrete patio, a picnic table and a grassy area.  There is a comfortable shuttle bus that runs about every 15 minutes to take you to the casino or to the convenience store and restaurant located near the entrance to the RV park.

Russ and Brian soaking up the sun.  Free WiFi so Russ was checking his Email.

There are no open fires allowed.  The RV park is in an area that gets very dry and the danger of wildfires is real.  Along the walking paths (there are many) and in the common areas there are picnic tables and built in barbecues.  These are conveniently located if you feel the need to grill something. 

One of the barbecue areas.  Jordan Creek is right behind this grassy area.

There is also one big open fire pit area.  I did not ask if this was a supervised fire area or if anyone could use it.  We were there mid-week and did not see a fire at all.

The benches around the big fire pit are typical of those found throughout the park.

If you are tired of scrunching down in your RV shower and using as little water as possible, you might want to take advantage of their free showers.  All the shower rooms are private and they are SO clean.  I worried about hidden cameras as it seemed they had someone out there cleaning as soon as you exited the shower room!

If you are traveling with pets, you will appreciate the enclosed, grassy dog run.  Bags are provided at the entrance and it is expected that dog owners will use them!

Doggy park

If you are traveling with kids (of any age) you will appreciate the playground.  It's always good to let the kids play and use up some of that energy.

My Sis.  Yes, she did make it down without breaking her neck.

Plenty of play equipment for ALL kids.

Back inside the clubhouse you will find a wonderful year round swimming pool and hot tub.  This is not for hotel guests...they have their own and they are across the way anyhow!

Laila can't resist sticking a toe in the water.  The pool was warm and clean and there were plenty of lounges.

I don't know who these people are but they were enjoying the hot tub and didn't mind having their picture taken.

There is also a fully equipped exercise room...lots more than just what is shown here.

Don't be fooled...she was just posing!

Not pictured are the library, gift shop, snack bar, computer room, and community room.  The latter has a full kitchen and would be great for large family gatherings. 

So if you ever find yourself looking for a place to spend the night while traveling I-5, this would be a great place to visit.  And if you're feeling lucky or want to have a good buffet super, just hop on the shuttle and head on over to the casino.  Happy Travels.

The Redwoods

Since we can't travel right now, here is more about our trip in August, 2008.  We left Brookings and traveled south to Crescent City.  From there we took US 199.  This is also called the Redwood Highway.  The Redwood Highway has two segments.  It begins north of the Golden Gate Bridge and follows Route 101.  It then veers inland near Crescent City, Ca. and continues through the redwoods on US Route 199.  This is a twisty, turny road and there are often construction delays, but it is certainly scenic.

Our first stop was Stout Grove, part of California's Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park.

This is a very easy, level trail winding through some giant redwoods.  There is an ample parking facility and restrooms are available.  The road into the park is partly paved and the rest is well maintained dirt.  It's narrow though so you don't want to go speeding around corners!

Dirt road into Stout Grove

We weren't even to the grove yet when we saw this giant stump.  I don't know who this person is in the photo, but it shows how large the stump is.

That had to take a really big chainsaw haha.

The path takes off right from the parking lot.  Very easy for those of us who don't get around as good as we once did.  The entire loop trail is .6 mile.

Even on a hot day it was comfortable because of all the shade.

Stout Grove does not contain the biggest redwoods but they are still impressive and they go WAAAAY up.

And they are BIG around.

Makes Russ look positively tiny and he
hasn't been tiny since he was a 5lb. preemie!

Two trees for the price of one

Russ tried to save this tree but he just couldn't do it....

...It came crashing down - okay so it's not the same tree, we had fun pretending!

This one doesn't look so big.....

...until you add a little perspective.  Yes it IS the same stump!!!

After enjoying our walk through the woods, we stopped at the picnic area of the park for a nice lunch.  We had purchased Subway sandwiches in Crescent City so all I had to do was lay them out.  It was the perfect spot for enjoying our lunch.


There is a laminated notice on every table: DON'T FEED THE WILDLIFE

 In 1974 Russ and I stayed in the campground here for our 1st anniversary trip.  We borrowed a 1963 pick-up and a 17' camp trailer from his parents and we thought we were living high on the hog.  His parents had even put a porta-potty in the closet of the trailer and we thought that was really uptown.  I did most of the cooking over an open campfire, just like my parents did on all the family vacations that I remember from my childhood.  The concept of full hook-ups, cable t.v., and a shower in the RV never entered our minds.  We didn't need hook-ups as the stove ran on propane and the frig was not a frig but an ice-box.  My how things have changed. 

A visit to the ladies room showed that this area was not without its problems.  The high water mark on the restroom door shows just how bad the area was flooded in 1964.

As were were getting ready to leave, we noticed just how dusty the car had become from our drive into Stout Grove.  I couldn't resist adding an editorial comment.

We left the park and continued our journey to Grants Pass, Or.  We made a couple of roadside stops for pictures.

The Smith River is WAAAAY down there!



Some may call this a weed but I thought it was pretty.
It tried so hard to live, growing right out of the gravel
and dodging the cars that pulled into the turnout.



We didn't see any access but it must have been there cuz there were people down there.

Smith River beach access (somewhere!!)

From there is was a pleasant journey on the ever winding Hwy 199 to Grants Pass.  From Grants Pass, just the boring I-5 freeway to home.  Tomorrow I will share a fun attraction just off the freeway - Seven Feather's Casino.  Here's a sneak preview:

Some old folks just can't grow up!  This is my older
sister at the Seven Feathers RV Park playground.