I headed up 101 to the Redwood National and State Parks to see some trees. The woman at the information center gave me driving instructions on where to go. The first section, yeah, there were big trees (I kept saying aloud, "Big Tree...Big Tree...there's a Big Tree"), but I'd seen bigger and better on the Avenue of the Giants and the Richardson Grove State Park just the other day. All the pullouts and parking lots were full so I wasn't going to stop and have to deal with hoards of humanity.
At the beginning of the Redwoods second route I received a warning on Google 2.8 miles of unpaved roads. Ah, no. Sorry. I turned around and jumped on Highway 199 to Oregon! This is a beautiful drive especially when the sun started shining through the trees! Hooray! At times the highway lane got very narrow on my side with a drop off, but still beautiful. I stopped at a huge pullout and stayed the night. The traffic was noisy up until midnight.
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| The morning shade...but here comes the sun! |
September 19, 2026: Sunny, gorgeous...a little hot, but better than cold and cloudy. I washed Big Blue in Cave Junction (Oregon) and recycled my hoard of Spindrift cans.
Weirdness with recycling...Oregon charges 10 cents per can when you buy them and pays 10 cents per can when you recycle them. California charges and pays only 5 cents. Cheap! So...I drove to Oregon to get rid of my Oregon-purchased Spindrift cans for a better price! Yeah, I'm insane. That was $1.80, but I probably spent $180 on gas just to get here!
However, I needed a cool, but sunny place to waste time until my return to Arizona, cool WITHOUT clouds or rain, maybe a swim or two, so I'm heading back to Klamath Falls to kill a few more days. Nevada seems to be cooling down with Reno in the high 70s. Tucson is high 90s still. UGH! We'll see how long I can stay put until I get the urge to roll. What a game!
Once again, I stayed at the Great Meadow Sno-Park just outside Klamath Falls. I love that it has internet and phone even though it's up in the mountains. For some reason, Klamath Falls calls to me. I think this is my fourth visit? It's comfortable.
September 20, 2026: I spent the day parked, watching what I think were wedding/engagement photographers taking photos of couples out in the "Great Meadow". One showed up at sunrise and another showed up at sunset. I also did computer work and read my new book Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslein Charles.
I love wartime historical fictions! This one is about the women who went to France during WWI to help put a community back together by creating children's libraries. It's based on the true story of Anne Morgan (socialite who financed and managed CARD, American Committee for Devastated France) and Jessie Carson (the CARD librarian). It's a little G-rated especially since it's during the war right on the front with Germans only forty miles away. Everyone is a little too cheerful. Interesting enough, the chapters alternate with a separate story taking place in the 1980s about a woman who wants to write the history of the CARDs and during the story she asks one of the characters if they think it's too unrealistic without conflict or drama. LOL! Even though she was informed it was too cheerful, she didn't change much of the story. I still love it.
September 21, 2026: Did a run into Klamath Falls for some shopping and swimming. The geo-thermal-heated pool was nice and warm! Warmer than the air! I think there were only three other people swimming laps. An empty, warm pool is my kind of pool! I spent the rest of the day parked at Moore Park reading, relaxing, and handwashing shorts I've been wearing for weeks.
OMG! I forgot about the bugs! They are all over everything! Clinging to my screens and finding their way into the van to bounce on the windows. Their dead bodies are covering the outside of my van. Blah! It's a reminder why I do NOT want to live here! Weather is high 60s lows are high 40s.
EPIPHANY!!! As I'm traversing the highways outside Klamath Falls once again, I notice my van is not sputtering and studdering! OMG! At the beginning of summer when I spent three weeks here, I was constantly stressed out how the van was not running well. Was it the all-terrain tires? This was my last theory since no mechanic could definitively tell me anything. Now that I have a clear comparison, I believe the new tires did fix the problem! I was told by a few mechanics that the computer program in the van will "learn bad habits" which means the transmission when trying to figure out what to do with the all-terrain tires will try to adjust for them causing the problems I had. I assumed that maybe it would take some time for this computer program to adjust to the new tires. It's been about a month. I think it did! I can't tell you what a relief this is! The cost of those new tires is way worth this peace of mind.
Of course, when things start going right, it's just a matter of time before things start going wrong again! My philosophy of change...
Overnighted at the Great Meadow Sno-Park. Wake up to dew and frost on the outside of the windows, but it seemed warmer than the last couple nights.
September 22, 2026: Can this month go any slower? But I'm having a good day. Van is running well. I have a good stock of food. Weather is sunny, cool and beautiful. I have a pile of books to read. Plenty of steady work. Love it. I go through stages of good and bad so I thought I should express happiness since so often I'm complaining about something!
Overnight at the Great Meadow Sno-Park again.
September 23, 2026: BRRRRRR!!!! Froze last night. Could not get warm. Woke up to ice covering my van and 41 degrees. This is too cold! I have found my limit in one place seemed to be three nights and then I'm itching to roll. Got up and didn't even bother with breakfast, drove to warm up the van and headed to Moore Park to eat and organize. I think it's time to leave for warmer weather! Went swimming, did all kinds errands.
I took the van into Les Schwab to get their opinion on my noisy brakes. This mechanic contradicted the mechanic who said my brake pads are cracked and tried to tell me the brake pads are just dirty. Who do I believe? He told me to buy some brake cleaner or spray them when I wash the van. I told him everytime I wash the van I spray the brakes. So I went into AutoZone and asked the guy what he thought. He said he thought it didn't make sense and not only that, how am I supposed to get the tire and wheel off to clean the brakes with brake cleaner?
Les Schwab mechanic also told me my front struts are leaking??? It's one thing after another, but I can't tell if anyone knows what they are doing especially when they all contradict each other! My van is finally running great EXCEPT for the noisy brakes so how can these struts be leaking? Discount tires and the latest oil change place didn't mention strut problems and I saw both of them inspecting the van. I've had too many mechanics replace parts that don't need replacing, I've heard some companies will give bonuses and commissions to get people to get customers to spend money whether they need the repair/replacement or not. Who to trust? Again, I don't seem to be having any indication I need new $1,000 struts, but if there really is a problem, I also don't want it to get really bad if I wait to get it fixed. Damn!!!
I made a vow that if someone gives me a diagnosis and a high quote, like medical care, I get a second opinion. I'm not going to cave to men's scare tactics. Or if I do have something major repaired, I stick around the area for a while to make sure there are no problems. So I'm leaving. Les Schwab won't be getting my $1,000!!
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| Overnight Parking Site on Highway 299 |
Left Klamath Falls around 1:30pm on Highway 39, to Highway 139, to Highway 299 and stopped on the side of the road for overnight in the Modoc National Forest just west of Centerville in California. Very nice, relaxing ride. Warmer here, high 80, low 48.
September 24, 2026: Hardly any traffic on this highway at night. Much warmer night! Most of it was in the 50s. There are times when I wake up in the night, need to pee, and I cannot get out of bed because it's so cold! So thankful this was not one of those nights. Cold in the morning, but the sun is shining! These tiny little flies are driving me nuts. Not sure how they are getting into the van....
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| Large pullouts all along 299 in the Modoc National Forest |
Worked all day, answered emails, listened to music, and relaxed.
September 25, 2026: Woke up to clouds, but warmth! Temperatures look like they are coming down in Tucson, although it's still raining. Getting close!! Left on Highway 299 and headed south on Highway 447. Lovely drive!
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