Sunday, June 5, 2011

THIS AND THAT – REDDING, CALIFORNIA TO SUTHERLIN, OREGON

Sacto River in ReddingA 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! 

Shasta Lake is FULL Shasta Looms

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.

Truck on Shoulder Truck in Runaway Ramp

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.

Tenth Hole UmpquaUmpqua 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!

11 comments:

  1. That picture of Mt. Shasta is really incredible. And look at all that snow. Looks like a great park and that $15 a night is definitely a great price. Be sure to tell Odel that eventually he'll be able to bash that little ball all over the greens.

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  2. I can't even remember the last time I saw Shasta that full. What a great photo. Nice review on the RV park. Hope Odel is back out there playing before too long.

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  3. Looks like a nice place to stay, and you can't beat the price!

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  4. AWESOME pic -- am enjoying your travels to places we've never seen but hope to -- some day! Enjoy & be safe!

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  5. I knew that California has had a lot of rain since we were there at the end of February, but I didn't realize that Lake Shasta was full now. Yay!

    Good to know about the Umpqua Resort honoring the Passport America rate. I wonder how long they will continue to do that?

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  6. i know an RVer who had to take one of those runaway lanes here in British Columbia. She blew one front tire but other than that there was no damage. I always look at them as I pass and think about maybe someday having to so the same.

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  7. All those years I lived in California, when Oregon was still my "home", I drove your route to Weed at least 48 times. That first view of Shasta never failed to thrill me. You captured it so well. When I drive to Klamath from Rocky Point, Shasta rises to the south. The Mountain is truly magical. Glad you are in such a lovely part of Oregon, and may the sun shine on you!

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  8. Loved the Mt.Shasta photos...majestic! You got a real deal for full hook-up..We try to stay at no more than $25...and love the Army Corps parks, where us older folks can stay for 1/2 price....

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  9. We are loving that area. We drove that route in late February and it was the first time we did so. It certainly won't be the last. It's so peaceful and beautiful up there! I did a post on it in our blog on February 25th. It looks like you had wonderful weather to pass through those mountain ranges. We lucked out the time we went through. It was blue sky and beautiful but if we would have hit it just a couple days later, that area had a winter storm.

    We can't wait to get back to that area and explore more of Oregon. We only hit a small southern portion of it because we needed to get work done.

    Enjoy the nice scenery and weather!

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  10. Like Malone, we used to travel that route frequently, and Shasta was always beautiful - snow or no snow. Our favorite picture of Mt. Shasta has her wearing a halo of cloud around her peak -- it was springtime, so we figured it was an Easter bonnet! When we stop in Sutherlin, we stay at the Escapees park there, but have looked at the golf place. If they still accept PA, that would be a good option.

    Jerry and Suzy

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  11. Mt Shasta is beautiful--what also amazes me is knowing Shari and Matt have climbed to the summit, twice now!

    Safe travels-
    donna

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