Friday 27th May 2016

It’s been a volatile month for weather. We started to head west to avoid some bad incoming weather and managed to land slap bang into a snowy weather system. We are not geared up for snow anymore so had to hole up in the camper for a few days in Eastern Nevada till it was clear enough to drive on.

We finally snagged some sunshine in Redding, California.  This is Sundial Bridge. A neat looking walking bridge that crosses the Sacramento River in Redding. The bridge deck  is a translucent glass tile and the cantilever tower is at an angle with cables that hold up the whole bridge.

We biked along a very nice trail next to the river. There was lots of broom blooming.

We drove to Lassen National park for some hiking. Most of the trails were still deep under snow but we managed to find a nice hike through the woods. Dean enjoyed a little nap.

There were many patches of Snow plants. They look kind of creepy cool.

In one area we saw hundreds of these butterflies.  It was hard to get any pics as they are pretty quick.

Moving on to Mount Shasta we had several nice days of hiking. There was a lot of snow melt so the waterfalls and streams were lovely.

We have some good memories of Mount Shasta. For several years we had season ski passes and spent many weekends on the slopes.

I chatted with the lady who had this wooden house built onto her pickup.  She lives in it full time with three cats. Now that’s a tiny house

Finally made it to Ashland, Oregon. We have not been to Oregon since 2013.  It was super to visit with Deans sister Minita and spouse Ana.

We hiked up to Grizzly Peak one day.  It was cold and muddy but we made it. The Mariposa lilies were all open.

We stopped to check out the Growler Guys (beer fill station in Ashland).  They had 68 taps for beer and cider (Rose loves cider).  They also sold coffee and kombucha (some kind of fermented healthy tea, Yuk!)  They even fill whatever you want in a 32 oz can and seal it.   Of course we had to get a couple of beers and a couple of ciders.

Heading to Grants Pass next week.   We had a house there for nearly 12 years which is the longest we had ever stayed in one place.   This year we have lived full-time in the camper for more than 12 years.  I guess we are nomads at heart since we have no plans on settling down in one place any time soon.