Collins Lake, Adult Slushies, and SKP Park of the Sierras.

 

Sunset at Collins Lake.

Although we had to scramble after the DOGE inspired staffing shortages cancelled our reservations, Rog did find a winner. We arrived at Collins Lake Campground on Tuesday, 5/27. The campground is HUGE with around 300 sites spread along a mile and a half of lakefront. They offer a variety of sites, everything from cabins, to full hookups large enough for any size rig, to small tent sites with no amenities. They have a nice camp store and do boat rentals too. Another claim to fame are their giant ice cream cones. Bring it on! We made several trips and you know it’s a ridiculous sized serving when I felt the need to switch from “giant” to “kid” scoop. The calorie guilt was overwhelming. And yes, the pups got ice cream too.

This is a single scoop!
And there were 24 flavors to choose from.

The pups got plain vanilla. I think Raney is wearing half of hers. Lol.

We reserved a site right on the lake with no hookups. It was a great test of the solar system. If we hadn’t hit a heat bubble that had the pups whining for max air conditioning, we could have easily managed without running the generator. We were able to run one air conditioner on the batteries for about three hours, but that wasn’t enough to keep the spoiled pups happy. Lol.  

Just a few steps to the water!

Guess where we spent a lot of our time.

Relaxing outside once it starts to cool down.

Collins Lake is also known for its trout and Rog was excited to do some more fishing. Sadly, because it was unseasonably warm during our stay with temps touching triple digits, the trout were too deep for the equipment Rog carries. He did hook a solitary angry bass. Lol. After several fishing excursions in the kayak, he has added a new fishing seat and downrigger to his wish list. Happy Father’s Day!

Rog is happy, the bass...not so much.

Rog and I went out for a paddle and met several very large and vocal flocks of Canada geese. Because we were right on the water’s edge, it was also a great spot to work with Raney in the kayak. I put her in with just me and paddled in circles in shallow water close to the shore. She did ok, but was a little nervous. Both Callie and Riley got comfortable enough to take a nap in the kayak. I think next time we’ll put her between Rog and I, so if she is anxious I can comfort her and not try to juggle her and paddle at the same time. Lol.

Out for a paddle on Collins Lake.

Gaggles of geese on the lake.
We had fun watching them go "bottoms up".

Getting her in and settled was a bit of a challenge.
We probably could have sold tickets to the show. Lol.

Once I got her turned around facing me, she did better. 

After four nights at Collins Lake, we had a one-night stop at Consumnes River Farm and Winery, a Harvest Host site near Thornton, CA. We stopped here on the recommendation of our friends, Bob and Carole. I’m not a wine person (whine yes, wine no), but they had a great selection of other items. Including…drum roll please…adult slushies! I’m embarrassed to say how many lime margarita slushies we drank, but they sure hit the spot. (Hint more than two, less than four. 😊) Rog picked out a bottle of wine, while I scored some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and jam. We had a shady spot right next to the vineyard to park the rig and the staff were very friendly and helpful. We’ll happily add this to our list of excellent Harvest Host sites.

Excellent slushies and other good stuff too. 😁

Another plus, the walk home was short. Lol.

We had one more week before our reservation at Yosemite and opted to spend it at another of the Escapee’s RV Club co-op parks. There are 11 co-ops owned by the members and the SKP Park of the Sierras is the sixth one we’ve stayed at. (Sound it out…S-K-P…Escapee. Lol.) Each park is different, but great amenities and friendly welcoming members seem to be the rule. The Park of the Sierras (POS, and yes it took me a second when I saw that acronym on the staff nametags. Lol) was no exception. We checked in Sunday around noon and were given tickets for free ice cream at the 2pm ice cream social. (I think the scoopers gave Collins Lake a run for their money!) I was thrilled to see they had a pickleball court and then super bummed to find out it was closed for resurfacing. Just my luck!

At the main SKP POS clubhouse.

We took the tour and Mike drove us around in a golf cart pointing out the various amenities – dog park, work shops, hiking trails, laundry room, and the club house with a large kitchen, craft room, library and workout room.  We loved the "back 40", a large undeveloped area with trails and Coarsegold Creek. 

A pool formed by Corsegold Creek. 

A fabulous area to explore and...

...let the pups roam.

On Tuesday, 6/2, we took the pups for a drive on the Sierra Vista Scenic Byway. We drove most of the 100-mile loop and stopped at several of the viewpoints for views of the mountains, Whiskey Falls, Mammoth Pool and more. The pups even managed to get their feet wet in a tiny creek when we stopped for a potty break.

Having an Ansel Adams moment. 

Mammoth Pool.

Whiskey Falls.

These guys will find water anywhere!

Anybody know what this is? We saw it near the creek. 
I've no clue, but it was certainly interesting.

A bridge on the route was closed and the detour took us on some seriously sketchy logging roads. I was very glad the Pupwagon is 4WD. We drove through old burn scars from the 2020 Creek Fire, one of California’s largest wildfires that burned 380,000 acres of forest. We wound through gorgeous pine forests and got a glimpse of the imposing granite mountains that Yosemite and the area are known for.

The detour took us down logging roads and...

...through areas devastated by the Creek Fire in 2020.

Love the granite peaks. We saw an eagle, do you? 

One of the really fun stops on the drive was Globe Rock. This nearly spherical, 15-ton rock is perched on a granite pedestal. Former president Theodore Roosevelt was reportedly photographed here during his visit to Yosemite in 1903. So of course we followed suit. Lol. The formation was formed by erosion, not placed by glaciers. Regardless of its origins, it was super cool.

Globe Rock.

Ok, we had some fun.

No traffic signs. No speed reduction. 
But some helpful soul painted this on the road before several of the hairpin turns.

The town of Oakhurst is about 30 minutes from the SKP’s park and we went there a couple times for groceries, the Thursday evening Farmers Market, and, of course, ice cream. Rog found the local South Gate Brewing Company, so we had dinner and a beer there too.

On Friday we took the kayak to Bass Lake. Originally called Crane Valley Reservoir, the name was changed when a local lumber operation polluted the lake, killing all the fish that were in it. The lumber company was ordered by the government to replace the fish that were lost. They restocked it with bass, hence its new name - Bass Lake. Whatever the name, it’s a lovely lake to kayak. Word to the wise, the speed limit on the lake is 10mph until 10am, and then it gets spicy. There were lots of jet skis and power boats with water skiers buzzing around. We kept fairly close to shore where there’s a 5mph buffer zone.

The sand in the shallows sparkled with gold mica flakes! 
It was mesmerizing.

Bass Lake is very pretty, but...

...it's well developed with lots of resorts and speed boats too!

Rog planned to get up early Saturday and go fishing. We did the get up early part when Raney asked for breakfast at 5:30am. Unfortunately, Rog wasn’t feeling great and decided that being out on the lake and away from the perks of modern plumbing wasn’t in his best interest. Instead, we opted to make Robyn proud and get in another workout. That’s three in a week! Where’s my gold medal? Lol. It is really nice to have the equipment and indoor workout space, we aren’t usually so lucky. The other activity I finally got to indulge in was pickleball! The court reopened on Friday. We met a small group of park residents that play mornings and evenings so we joined them to play. They were all outstanding players, me...well, I had fun. Lol.

Workout equipment we DON'T have in the RV. Lol.

Yay!! Pickleball. 

Sunday we pulled out for our long-awaited spot in Yosemite. I’m hoping to have some fabulous pictures to share soon!

A Pit River Gem, Grandmaland, and DOGE Did Us Dirty.

 

While I handle most of the preplanning and reservations, Rog is a master at finding places to go and things to do along the way. Since we’d left Crane Prairie early, we had an extra day to fill. Rog read about Ahjumawi Lava Springs State Park, a remote park in Shasta County, CA that can only be reached by boat. There are no public roads to it and private motor vehicles are prohibited. The park offers 20 miles of trails through rugged lava beds, but the real draw is the spring-fed waterways.

Since all the campsites in Ahjumawi are boat-in and the Short Bus doesn’t swim, we needed a campground within easy driving distance of the launch site. Rog found the tiny (only 8 sites) Pit River Campground, managed by BLM. We drove down several miles of very winding, very narrow road to get there. Given the sketchy drive in, we weren’t sure what to expect, but we were very impressed with the campground. Humongous sites, well maintained, a lovely fishing access and launch site on the Pit River – and all of that for $8 a night ($4 with the NPS Senior pass). We were bummed that we only had one night there. Note: Do plan to arrive early, because it’s all first come/first served and was completely full by 5pm on a Wednesday. (If we had struck out, Option B was the Intermountain Fairgrounds in McArthur, CA.)

Pit River viewpoint.

Pit River fshing access and launch site right in the campground.

The campsites were spreadout and easily long enough for two short buses. Lol.

Ahjumawi means "where the waters come together" and the waters are Big Lake, Tule River, Ja-She Creek, Lava Creek, and Fall River. Together they form one of the largest systems of freshwater springs in the country. Throw in absolutely spectacular views of snowcapped peaks including Mt. Shasta and Mt. Lassen and you have the makings of a marvelous kayaking adventure.

The views from the water were stunning!

The access point is a PG&E public boat launch known as "Rat Farm". Ok, there had to be a story behind that name. Turns out Rat Farm is a nod to the Mount Shasta Fur Farms company which had a successful muskrat farming operation there in the 1930's. Who knew? Unfortunately, a non-native species of Muskrats was imported from Ohio, and while the company is long gone, the muskrats remain. 

Boat access at "Rat Farm" launch. 

We spent a solid two hours paddling around Big Lake and Horr Pond and stopped to explore one of the boat-in camping areas. The weather was perfect and the views were breathtaking. And yes, Rog spotted a muskrat during our paddle!

Checking out the Horr Pond boat-in camping area.

Mt. Shasta. Nope, not tired of the view yet. Lol.

Being on the road for months at a time often requires a “go with the flow” mindset. Usually it’s weather or road conditions that require a change of plans, but this was the first time DOGE disrupted our plans. We had four nights reserved at Orland Buttes, a Corp of Engineers campground on Black Butte Lake. Then I got an email saying that due to a staffing shortage, the campground was closed,  here’s your money back, sorry for the inconvenience. Ugh!! I checked the other COE campground on the same lake, also closed. Double ugh!! Now what? Guess we’re back to the drawing board. Luckily, we had some time to figure it out because our next stop was five nights in Redding, CA to visit Rog’s mom. (And yes, I checked and DOGE cuts to COE staffing are affecting critical services, so I’m guessing campgrounds are going to be a low priority.)

We pulled into Barb’s Marvelous Moochdock (We should get her a sign! Lol) on Thursday, 5/22. We settled in and began collecting the many Amazon packages that we’d been sending her way. We have lots of little projects to do, both for Mom and on the rig. Shortly after leaving home the RV backup camera died. The original Weldex was a wired system with a black and white monitor. Rog ordered a new color wireless system for about half the price of just replacing the Weldex monitor. Being able to see what’s behind you when you’re backing up a 33’ box is very helpful (yes, even with my awesome ground-guiding skills), so we were happy to have a replacement in hand. Rog got it installed with only one (ok, maybe two) trips to the hardware store and it works great! Yay!

New camera, new monitor and a rear view in living color!

When our daughters were little, they always spent a couple weeks every summer in Grandmaland. Sunshine, pool, fun times, and world-class spoiling – what’s not to like. Apparently, Riley feels the same way. Lol. He’s been coming here since he was a little puppy and as soon as we were parked, he made a beeline for the pool. After a quick dip and a relaxing nap in the shade, he was doing crazy dog zoomies around the back yard, pouncing and tossing his toys. Pure puppy joy! He sure loves Grandmaland! Raney was a bit more sedate, but she loved being off leash and hanging out in the shade. And lucky for everyone, Riley’s hot spots are healed enough to allow him some pool time. I do not even want to think about having to restrict his access while in Grandmaland. I’ve no doubt there would be a mutiny.

After a dip in the pool, it's time to relax in the shade.

Our spoiled pups.

We tackled our projects, got caught up on laundry and housework, did two workouts (thank you, Robyn) and spent lots of time relaxing in the shade ourselves. Both Barb and her partner of 18 years, Ed, have had some recent health problems. They have a lovely deck under a shade tree in the corner of the yard that catches the evening breeze, but they weren’t comfortable with the step up. Rog extended the railing to the edge of the deck and installed a grab handle, so now they can safely navigate the step up and down.

Easy peasy! Now we can all enjoy the deck again.

We like the deck, but the pups prefer the cool grass.

On Saturday, Rog and I hit the Redding Farmers Market. Some of those tasty strawberries and peaches along with sausage and some bakery items managed to follow us home. In the evening, we all went out to dinner to Final Draft (great brews and good food!) to celebrate Rog’s birthday. We rarely find a brewery that makes multiple sours (my favorite!) so I was thrilled to have enough choices to put together a flight. 

Colorful produce at the Farmer's Market.

A belated birthday dinner at Final Draft in Redding.

Several excellent sours on tap so I had to try them all!

On Sunday, Rog and I took the bikes for a 14-mile ride. We left from Mom’s house and rode a portion of the Sacramento River Trail. For Memorial Day, Rog bbq’d ribs on the Traeger while I weeded Mom’s landscape beds. It never quite hit triple digits, but it was still plenty hot. Hurrah for the pool. Lol.

Rog on the trail. 

Sacramento River.

The trail crosses the river.

Infinity Loop.
A new sculpture installed this year on the Sac River Trail.

Cormorants sunning themselves on the river.

Rog takes a final dip in the pool. Raney takes a pass. Lol.

So where to next? With Black Butte Lake off the table, Rog found another spot where he could scratch his itch to fish. We’re headed to Collins Lake. It’s dry camping, but we’re right on the lake. Since it’s a private campground rather than COE, it’s going to cost almost 5 times as much. Can I send DOGE the bill?