Volunteering at Cape Blanco

This is our phone booth where we can get cell service just outside of the campground. Pretty nice aye. Jeni loves this place. We have seen gray whales here playing not 100yds off shore.
This is by far the most beautiful state park we have ever seen.
Jen and I drive the "ole" gator to this spot for lunch,breaktime,dinner,and phone calls. Its our favorite spot.

Here I am chopping kindling for the campers. this is the wood shed. There is 6 cords of wood in here. The park has these little carts that we load with fire wood and sell to the campers for $5.There is usually 9 or 10 pieces of wood in the cart. What a deal!
Jen and I load the carts {we have 5} and pull them over to our site about 5pm. We set in our lawn chairs and greet the campers and sell them wood until about8pm. Its a tough job, but sombody has to do it!


Jeni and I found a great place for breakfast a few miles from the park in Port Orford. A place called "The Paradise Cafe" Nothing fancy but hugh portions.Jeni wanted pancakes,she looked on the menu and they only sold 1 pancake. Regular or blueberry. Jeni ordered 1 blueberry pancake and an egg over easy. Our eyes poped out of our heads when we saw the pancake!! Thats a 16" plate that pancake is on and the egg is totally "dwarfed" by the cake. Wow! We both shared it and could not eat it all. The prices are great too.

It gets a bit windy at the "Cape" as the locals call it here. If it isn't rainingt, its windy or foggy. But now and then the sun sneaks out. It stays in the 50s for the high temp. here so we wear a coat most of the day. Jeni almost lost her scarf posing for this picture.

There are many wonderful overlooks at the park and each one is different.

I may have trouble getting Jeni to leave this place.

While we were in Port Orford,we toured the coastguard museum.This boat was used to rescue people off the oregon seas in the 1940s and 50s.This boat amasingly can right itself if it capsizes. The dosent says there is a ton of brass in the hull. It makes it top heavy when capsized so it just rolls over to right itself.

Port Orford is a neat little community.Jeni grocery shops and does laundry here. When we eat out we come here.

One day when we were off, we toured the Cape Blanco lighthouse. It is still a "working"lighthouse and still guides ships around the rocky shores of the cape. It was a beautiful day and the views from the top were breathtaking!

There are lighthouse hosts that man the tours,and they live in the campground like we do. There are 7 hosts in all in the campground. We are the camphosts,then there is the cabin hosts who take care of the rental cabins,4 lighthouse hosts,and the "Hughes house" camphost.

And this is the Hughes House!

This is a turn of the century project built by Mr. hughes for his family.They built an empire in the Dairy industry.

They amassed about 2200 acres which they later on donated to the State Park that is now Cape Blanco.

The inside is ausume. with all the amenities for that time period.

Jeni and I really enjoyed it.

Another place we like is Bandon,about 20 miles north of the Cape.

It has shops and lots of little seafood shacks along the wharf. We had the best cvlam chowder and fish and chips we ever ate! Its a cool little town.

The wharf is been redone and modernized and they have installed many benches, rails,and even a glass enclosed shelter with tables, chairs, and benches made out of "Myrtlewood" which grows locally here.

This is the enclosure.Jeni and I were playing checkers while watching sealions on the boat dock. Jeni kicked my $%?>" in checkers.

It is windy here and they have a couple of cool kite shops that we browsed through.

Actually, I lost because I fell asleep while we played! But Jeni never caught on.

Next week we have plans to head down to Gold Beach to ride the Jet boats.





This is Coquille lighthouse at the head outside Bandon. It is smaller than Cape Blanco and is not in service anymore. It is out on a point and there is another State Park just north of the point called Bullards Beach. We toured it and it also is a great park. The park is at beach level unlike Cape Blanco which is 100 or so ft. above the beach. They also have what they call "yurts". these are like cabins but are made from canvas.

The campground is bigger than Cape Blanco,with more sand and less vegetation.

We are enjoying Oregon so far and the sightseeing has just begun. We will surly be back to the Cape every chance we get.

Cape Blanco

Sorry we have not posted in a while but
we have no cell service at Cape Blanco State Park.
I have posted some pictures of our site here and the park itself, but they are in random order so my script may not match up with the nearest picture.
Our trip here from Sotherlin was a smooth one.We got settled in nicely for our month stay here.
We are the "camphosts"for the campground.In the site next to us is the "cabin hosts Gary and Elsie.Our days off are Monday and Tuesday's and the other hosts play camphosts for us.Gary and Elsie are off on Wednesday and Thursday's and we

play cabin hosts for them.

This is by far the most scenic park we have ever visited.The campground shrouded in forest and being able to look out to the ocean from about 100 ft. above. Assume! Some of the most sptacular views we have ever witnessed.

Cape Blanco lighthouse is also here. It has 2 lighthouse hosts that run the gift shop and help with the lighthouse tours.

In spite of the persistent rain and wind early in the month,we have taken advantage of the many vista points of the ocean along the coastal trail which runs through the park.As you can tell in one of the pictures,Jeni is a "happy camper "when she is by the ocean!

We have a "Gator" cart for running around in to do our chores.(DJ would like this cart as it has an enclosed cab so he could stay warm).Cape Blanco also has "horse camp"sites with corrals to keep the horses in and a riding trail just for horseback riding.Pretty cool!

Oregon State Parks have a great host program.Far superior to any other park we have volunteered at. They issue you a cap,vest,and name badge. They also issue you a park binder with all the info you need for the park and the surrounding area. By day two you are orientated and ready for work. The parks also train you on what they call "safety modules" for all of their equipment so that you are proficient to operate them within days of your training.

The best thing Jeni and I have gotten so far though, is a one foot by three foot sign with our name one it with big bold letters!We love it! We take our sign with us anywhere in Oregon that we are hosting and we display it so we are recognized as the "camphost" of that park.

Our site at the park is right next to the pay station and has a nice big patio.across the street from our site you can see through the trees to the ocean.It just doesn't get any better than this!

As I said earlier, Jeni is one "Happy Camper"!

Once we get our first days off we will be exploring the surrounding areas. There is a lot to see in the area and we can't wait to get touring.

Well I'm writing this blog up by the lighthouse overlooking the ocean. What a veiw! It is getting dark so I have to get back to camp.This we found is the only place where we get a signal for our phone and internet. But what a great place to be,the ocean at dusk,the lighthouse lit up and beaming it's beacon to wayward ships,and the cool ocean breezes,WHAT A PLACE!

Sight seeing and rain!

As the folks here at Timber Valley say
"welcome to Oregon,hope ya brought your umbrella."It is raining again this morning.The last two days have been sunny which we have taken advantage of with some sight seeing and leisurely walks around the park, but when we woke up this morning it was raining nicely! Well,at least I will get to see if my fix on the leaky passenger window worked.
We have sure enjoyed it here at Timber Valley. As always with any Escapee park, the members treat you like family.And here was no exception. There is a special bond with the RVing community that is like no other. a kinship that spans the U.S.No matter where you are traveling, an escapee park is like a safe haven for the RVer. Where friendship and camaraderie is always present.
Jeni and I did a little local sight seeing Saturday. We went to Copper Creek lake which is just east of town for a little picnic.It is a beautiful little county park surrounded by the forest. We took out our lawn chairs,found a spot along the bank, and watched the fisherman as we dined on Subway sandwiches. The warmth from the sun felt good and I was tempted to
take a nap but I just sat there enjoying the views.Jeni and I turned to each other and said "It don't get any better than this!"
We also checked out the "Rochester covered bridge" which spans the Calapooya river. The bridge is a couple of miles west of town on hwy. 138.
Friday night we went to dinner at the local Italian resturant.It was a bit pricey but the food was delicious. our favorite place though is "Diary Queen!" Were hooked on "Dilly Bars." Jeni likes the regular ones, I like the "Heath coated ones but with no stick. Yes,because of my phobia of eating ice cream on a stick, Jeni has to pull the stick out of the dilly bar before she serves it to me. I'm a weird little man!!! Today is Memorial day. It is a day we honor our brave men and women that have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Show your patriotism,thank a vet,put out your flag,reflect upon the freedom you have because them.
Tomorrow we will leave Timber Valley for Cape Blanco State Park. We are very excited about volunteering for Oregon State Parks and Jeni is real happy because she will be by the ocean. Yes,whether were sight seeing, driving to new places,volunteering,meeting new people,or just puttering,"it don't get any better than this!"

In Oregon

Wednesday afternoon we arrived at

Timber Valley escapee member park in Sutherlin Oregon. It was a long drive from Redding 270 miles in and out of rain. We arrived at 4pm and were warmly greeted and parked in our site(#13). The park has 206 sites and is beautifully landscaped and stair stepped up hill. It is surrounded by forest and sets in a clearing.

We slept in Thurs morning and debated as to would we site see today or just kick back and relax. Being the adventurers we are we took off for the Umpqua river scenic byway on hwy #138. This is a 100 mile drive from Roseburg to Crater lake.It has world class salmon, and steelhead fishing,rafting,kayaking,and waterfalls.

We stopped off at fall creek falls trailhead and hiked back in a half a mile for a spectacular up close view of the falls. There was a big Doug fir tree fallen across the pool below the falls. Of course I had to impress my gal by walking across the pool on the log. It was pretty high off the ground so I decided I would show Jeni my athletic prowess by jumping off the log onto a rock. A big wet rock! You know how your inner self tells you things, things

like"Hey DumbAss Don't do It!"Well I didn't listen, and I jumped,my feet went out from under me and down I went......I laid there all wet and muddy,my first thought....did Jeni film that? I looked over and she hadn't even seen it ,she was too busy filming the falls. "Thank God you won't see my fall on film!"Luckily I wasn't hurt.Just my pride. By the way a couple of days ago,when we were up at Burney Falls,I was filming Jeni and she took a little tumble.I did get that on film.We laughed so hard we nearly wet our pants.I should send it in to that show about bloopers caught on tape.

As we traveled the byway we were in and out of rain.One minute you are in sunshine and the next minute your in a rain storm.As we climbed toward crater lake it got colder and colder. We stopped at another trailhead to view Watson Falls. This time we didn't get too close as it was a pretty good hike to get to it,and it was pretty steep. We just took a picture of it from the the trail head.
As we got closer to crater Lake, we started seeing snow on the ground and even though it was still only rain, we figured it was only a matter of time before it turned to snow. We got as far as Diamond lake,and decided this was as far as we wanted to go today. Crater Lake will have to wait til next time. We found a little picnic pull off with a view of the lake so we had lunch.It was cold! we had our lawn chairs out bundled up but it was too cold for enjoying the view of the lake,we "wolfed down" are sandwiches and headed back to the park.We stopped in Roseberg at Denny's(it's always open) for dinner.
Friday we slept in late again but this time we just "puttered"all day. catching up on things.One thing I needed to take care of was a pesky leak on the passenger side window.When we were coming to Oregon,the rain was coming in the window so bad Jeni had to put a towel in the top to keep from getting wet.I climbed up the ladder to inspect it and found those darn woodpeckers at Park Sierra had pecked an acorn into the rubber around the window! I removed the acorn ,smoothed out the rubber,and caulked it for good measures. Hopefully that will do the trick.
At 3pm I went over to the "social "at the clubhouse.Cake,coffee,and good conversation.Jeni was busy with a project so she didn't come.I did meet a couple that have a lot here as well as one at Park Sierra.Their name escapes me but they remembered us from last summer when we camphosted. They have a beautiful park here and I can see why there is a 4 or 5 year wait on the list to get in.
Well tomorrow we will be on the "site seeing" trail again.We will be here til Tuesday then it is on to our volunteer job at Cape Blanco. Jeni and I hope we can stay on our feet when we head out tomorrow for new adventures because the camera will be rolling as always when we hit the "site seeing trail.....in Oregon.

in Redding Ca.

We are up and moving this morning even though the crane from the saw mill made it tough sleeping last night. The crane runs back and forth the length of the RV park......all night! Along with all the other machinery it was very noisy. No wonder the price was cheap!
Last night we took a walk along the river(Sacramento river). The fish were jumping and the water was swift. I think I'll do some fishing this evening.

Jeni and I set out for some site seeing today. Our first stop was Lassen National Park. There is still snow on the ground but the park was open. We stopped at the visitor center for info and maps and we toured the park. Probably the most spectacular site in the park is mount Lassen. It is at 10,500 ft. ele. It is a volcano that last erupted in 1915. changing the surrounding area forever.
We snapped a picture of mount Lassen through the fog and clouds. But even obscured, it is an assume site.
Lassen park is kinda like Yellowstone
park in that the park has a lot of geothermal,and geological features.
With so much snow, it was tough to get a feel for the devastation that the eruption caused, but we did see some giant boulders that were hurtled some 4 miles during the eruption.
On our way out we stopped by a privillian depicting the four regions of the park. We just hd to throw a couple of snowballs at each other!




Jeni and I enjoyed Lassen but we feel its best to see the park during the summer months. We will return again soon.
After we left the park, we headed north on hwy, 89 to the little town of Burney for some lunch. We found a nice little cafe in town that served the best burgers I've tasted in a long time. The secret ingredient was thousand island dressing, it was homemade and delicious.
The weather was turning ugly as we left the cafe. It has not started raining yet but it looked like it could start at anytime.
Jeni and I have never seen a full blown waterfall before. Oh yes we have been to Yosemite and the sierras to see them but always in the fall when the water had started to recide and the waterfalls become "puny", so we went to Burney Falls State Park where they are supposed to have a spectacular waterfall.



When we arrived ,it was open so we first went to the visitor center for a short film on the falls. We spoke with the volunteer about what there was to do at the park.He told us of the great fishing the park has in the creeks and at lake brittany in the park. They also have camping and cabin rentals.
Another great thing about the park..... we got in free! We had our "volunteer in the parks" cards we got when we camp hosted at Beals Point this last winter, so we just showed them to the ranger and she let us in. YEA!


Burney Falls State Park. East of Redding on hwy.89, 5 miles north of hwy299. We will be back. Maybe even to camp host some summer.

After we left ,the weather took a turn for the worse as it started raining hard. But the troopers we are we kept on site seeing. Next we headed north on 89 to the "MCloud loop where there is a series of waterfalls. With the rain pounding down on us we drove the 7 mile loop. We couldn't take any pictures as the rain was heavy so we just ran out to check them out and then scurried back to the car soaked to the gills. These falls were not as good as Burney Falls, but the area,even in the rain, was breathtaking.
We stayed on hwy89 to the I-5. What we didn't realize is we went way north to the tune of 90 miles north of Redding, so we had a 2 hr drive ahead of us,
About half way home we came to a screeching halt on the freeway! We were stuck on I-5 for an hour before we finally started moving, very slowly.After we snaked our way along the freeway for a time, we finally came upon the problem, an overturned "big rig". He was carrying bottled water and must of lost control in the rain.
We didn't get home til 9pm, and the rain was still coming down.
It was a "soup and grilled cheese sandwich night for dinner before we retired for the night.
I took a picture this morning of our site(#138) at Sac. River RV resort (in better weather). I would recommend the park only to my friends with insomnia!!
Were off to Oregon tomorrow but it was a great day in spite of the rain, the snow,and the delay on the freeway.

On the road again

Just like that ole Willie Nelson song, we are" on the road again!" After filling in for the assist. managers of the park this weekend,we put the golf cart in the storage shed(yes it does fit in there!) said goodbye to our friends,and we hit the road.

Our destination was Redding Ca. We had to make a pit stop in Sacramento for Jeni's eye exam,so I pulled the rig into the Mervyns parking lot across from the Dr's office,sent Jeni to her exam and I took a siesta.

We headed out again,this time with Jeni at the wheel and arrived at Sacramento River RV Resort in Redding at 6pm. We went to dinner at a greasy spoon nearby and took a nice walk along the river before turning in for the night.

Tomorrow we are going to explore Lassen National Park and the surrounding area. Hopefully we can find a better place for dinner.

My daughter Jackie and DJ visited us at the park last Saturday before we headed out. It was great to see them and we will miss them and all our family while we are in Oregon this summer.

We will be here a couple of days then we will head on up to Oregon. We heard great things about Sac.River Resort and when Jeni used to work in Redding,she would pass by the resort and dream of one day staying here. Well we are here now and you know how sometimes places aren't always what they seem.There's a big noisy saw mill right across the river! Oh ya, the mill is operational 24/7.....Its going to be a sleepless night!

Hitting the "Grandkids" highway

There's nothing like Grand kids to make a person feel their age.
Before we leave for Oregon we decided to visit all of them.
First, after "stagecoach days" we headed up to Sacramento to babysit DJ for a week while the parents went to "Cabo".That's Jen with a sleeping DJ. I'm not in the picture because I was asleep on the couch! DJ and I wore each other out at the park.Trying to keep up with a 3 yr old is like boot camp. Its good for you..... if you survive!
After 5 days of "grand kid"boot camp", we hit the road back to the park tired but with great memories of our time with the little guy.
Back at the park we have been sprucing up our site and planning future projects when we get back in the fall. We are glad we decided to become members.The people here are just like family,and the good times never end. I wish I was as lucky as one of our members John Ely was as he won 100 dollars at one of the raffles at" stage coach days". Him and his lovely wife Barbara were sitting with us.I tried to get a "table commission" from him but he wasn't having any of it. COME ON JOHN!
help an "ole" retiree out.
This past weekend it was time to hit the "grand kids highway" again. This time we headed down to Riverside to see Aiden and Nevin our son Dans sons.My brother Gary and his wife Martha also came up from San Diego. Our son made some "killer BBQ ribs" and all the fixings.We had a nice visit. Sunday Dan and the boys took Jen and I out to breakfast for mothers day/fathers day/Jens birthday. He is off the hook til Christmas now. That is Dan and sons Nevin (on the left) and Aiden. Jen and I weren't in the picture as we had nothing left in the tank, we were rode hard and put up wet, we were toast, you get the idea.
after breakfast,we hit the road back to park Sierra tired but glad we got to spoil the little ones.
Today I played golf with a couple of the members.We all had a great time(except for the rain) I could not take any pictures because of The weather but I'm happy to report that we made all 18 holes.George and Mert were my playing partners and we all became fast friends. They have golf sign ups here at the park every monday and when we get back this fall I will be taking part.
This is our last week here as we pull out a week from today for Oregon.We have agreed to volunteer for assit mgrs in their absence from thurs. thru Sat. Jeni will be working in the office and I will be parking rigs,reading meters, and monitoring the septic system. Those three days will go fast! That leaves us Sunday to prepare for our departure.
We will be camp hosting at Cape Blanco in June and then up to Dechutes in July and August.
We are planning on some site seeing on our way up to Oregon. Maybe Lassen and crater lake.
Well, we have traveled the "Grand kid highway"and survived! Some people never get to travel that road but for Jen and I it is a trip filled with joy, love, excitement,and adventure. We shall travel that road again, and again, and again,and again.