THIS AND THAT – REDDING, CALIFORNIA TO SUTHERLIN, OREGON

A couple days after I posted the recipe for Honey Lentils, I received a great email from reader Nancy.  I had bemoaned the lack of nutritional information for the recipe, which she calculated and attached to her email!   She calculated it using Mastercook software, which she raved about… I might have to look into that.

I’ve updated the recipe to include the information.  For Weight Watchers, if you have one sixth of the recipe (which would be a large, main course serving – probably close to a cup and a half), you would consume 7 Points Plus.  I always serve it as a side, which yields 8-10 servings easily.  Also, Odel likes the lentils best as leftovers (I agree; like chili or baked beans, the dish improves when it sits awhile) – but be forewarned that they look fairly unappealing (as he says, “Like they were left out overnight and shouldn’t have been.”  Yum.)

After two nights at the Redding Elks Lodge – just enough time for a few walks along the swollen Sacramento River and a visit to Redding’s Costco – we took off heading north on a mild, cloudy, dry day, perfect for travel.  Our target was Sutherlin, Oregon, 250+ miles north.  We planned a fuel stop along the way, so knew we were in for a long driving day.  

Just north of Redding, as you leave the city and rejoin I-5, you get your first glimpse of majestic Mt. Shasta.  Odel and I both gasped as we crested a hill and saw the snow-covered peak in the far distance, and that small rush of excitement set the tone for the rest of the day.  Heading north is climbing, with grades of various lengths and degrees winding through heavily forested mountains, a beautiful drive when your don’t have to worry about snow.  Shasta Lake was completely full; I don’t know if I have ever seen that before – no ugly brown “bathtub” ring! 

Crossing an arm of Shasta Lake (note the dry road!)	Mt. Shasta looms very large near Mt. Shasta City.

Around noon, we stopped at the rest area in Weed to eat lunch and admire the view of Mt. Shasta, then rolled on into Oregon.  At the Pilot Truck Stop at exit 33, we filled our diesel tank at $4.29 per gallon.  At the same station in May of 2009 – just TWO YEARS AGO - we paid $2.43 per gallon!  Sheesh.

We’d both forgotten that the first hundred miles of I-5 in Oregon are so hilly.  After the long, long climb up the grade to Siskiyou Summit, the road rolls up and down, up and down for many miles – slow on the climbs, careful on the descents.  We didn’t care; we were both smiling, happy to be traveling again, happy the road was dry, listening to favorite music and discussing on all the interesting things we saw along the way.

Driving on the shoulder when going up a steep grade seems to be common practice for big trucks in Oregon; we often passed long lines of semi’s climbing a hill on the shoulder.	This is a sight I’ve never seen before: a truck buried in the deep gravel of a runaway truck ramp.  The steep Siskiyou Summit downgrade had two ramps, one 1 1/2 miles down, the other 5 miles down.  Glad he looks unscathed!

Shortly after 4 pm, our long (for us) day ended in a wonderful site at Umpqua Golf and RV Resort (click here to read our full review from 2009, or click here to read our impression from this visit).  We stayed here once before, in 2009, as we made a fast trip south to Sacramento.  We were impressed and hoped we would have the chance for a longer stay “next time” – which is now.  We paid for three nights, through the weekend.

Umpqua Golf and RV Resort used to be a member of the Passport America program (1/2 price camping).  For reasons that aren’t totally clear to me but have something to do with special golf/RV packages, the RV park is no longer affiliated with Passport America – but still offers PA rates to PA members.  So, for a lovely, roomy, level RV site adjacent to the golf course, we are paying $15/night – 50 amps, full hookups, cable TV and blazing fast WiFi.  It must be the best deal in Oregon – if you are a Passport America member. 

Too bad Odel isn’t quite ready to hit the links!  He visited (and no doubt vanquished) the putting green, though.  Even though he can’t take advantage of it now, we have decided to extend our stay for another two nights, until we need to leave on Wednesday to head to Eugene for an adjustment to our living room slide.

Next post: It’s a Small World… or Why We Didn’t Make It to the Coast!