This morning it was cool, in the upper 40's but it warmed up nicely by noon after the sun came over the mountain. Our location is in a rather shady site and the sun really does not get in here very much. We see it shining on some of the units that are higher up the hill than we are.

Later we went to the Casino and I got my Players card and we went to the senior buffet for a great lunch. So much really good food. They had a soup and salad bar, an American bar, a Mexican bar, an Italian bar, an Oriental bar and a desert bar. Needless to say I sampled food from all except the American bar as I was really to uncomfortable by that time.

Later we went back in the casino and spent Evelyn's $20.00 that was on her Players card, courtesy of the casino. She won $11.81 which almost covered the cost of our buffet dinners.
When we left the casino we went to Coarsegold to get some groceries. There is a small grocery there but they had what we needed without driving the additional 10 miles to Oakhurst.

Tomorrow we need to get our dishes ready for a pitch-in for Saturday's Halloween party.

Maybe tomorrow we will return to the casino and spend my $20.00 on the machines. It takes a while to understand the way the machines work and the more you play the more you understand what is going on.

Maybe, just maybe I can win some money like Evelyn did today. Only time will tell. At least, you do not have to put cash into the machine to make it work and use the free money the casino gives you.

Our photos are of sr41 north from the park. You can see the houses on the side of the mountain. Not sure where the service roads are, but apparently some of the one lane roads off the highway go to these homes. The view from some should be spectacular.
The second photo is the cut through the stone at the top of the hill and the third photo is down the hill that leads to the town of Coarsegold.

Monday it was off to Fresno, CA to get groceries and pick up my meds at the local Walgreens. It is about 35 miles down sr 41, the Yosemite Parkway. There is always a lot of traffic on that road going both north and south most any time of the day. It is the only road to the park in this area. It connects with road 120 and 140 that go into the park. Road 120 is closed most of the winter due to snow and has already been closed once this year due to snow.

We are at about 1700 feet in altitude. There is a marker just north of here that indicates 2000 feet and then you go down into Coarsegold and then back up the next mountain and over to the town of Oakhurst.

We need to get over to the casino and gamble away our free $20.00 and enjoy the great lunch buffet that they have for $5.95 with your players card. The people here at the park say it is very good with a lot of variety.

I have been playing bridge at every opportunity and enjoying it, but still not getting any cards, but still having fun. Nice people here at the park and they are always in a party mood.

They always seem to be ready to eat with a pitch-in or something. We will be having a pitch-in Saturday for the Halloween party. We will be going, but not in costume as it is difficult for me to be anything but me.

Our photos are of the entrance, the clubhouse and our parking spot here in the park.

It has been several days since I posted to the blog. Not that nothing has happened, but not anything out of the ordinary. Sunday and Monday were primarily rest days with not a lot going on. We did go to the Ice Cream Social at the clubhouse and get to know a few more people.



Monday we went to the Casino, basically across the highway from the park to look it over and get our Players card. It is free and you get $20.00 playing money for free as well as discounts on food, etc. We have not had the opportunity to eat there and spend our gambling money, but will do so in a few days. It was on to Coarsegold to get a haircut. Sure is hard to find a good hair cut on the road. All they want to do for $15.00 is give you a trim that lasts about 10 days and then you need to do it again. So it goes with life on the road.



Most people go on north of Coarsegold to the town of Oakhurst which is quite a bit larger and has a lot more to offer. Lots of fresh vegetables at the super market, but expensive as it is far from the suppliers. Gas is high as well, $3.05 and $3.09 for regular. Maybe when we get out of CA, the land of quakes and flakes, it will be less expensive.



We are thinking about attending the 49ers Gold Rush days in Death Valley National Park the first part of November, so we will see how that goes. May do a hamfest in Kingman, AZ about that time as well, so we will see if that all works out for us, or we just stay here and enjoy the mountains and wildlife.



The Red headed Woodpeckers are having trouble with the squirrels stealing their nuts from their hiding place. When the Squirrels get close they fly down and peck them in the head or grab their tail and lift their back end off the ground. It is fun just to watch all that is going on.



The covey of Quail come through the lot about every day, if the cat is not out. The cat watches all that goes on but does not bother the squirrels and the Red Headed Woodpeckers are not worried about the cat as they just stay away.



We will be going to Fresno to get refils on my meds and to shop at some really big stores in the area. That will probably be on Monday.



Tonight, it will be Casino night at the club house. a $5.00 donation gets $600.00 in casino chips to play with. So it will be interesting to see how that goes.

Friday we got away from Kingsburg about 10am. We had been having a problem with the right front tire on the motor home losing a little air. I thought maybe it was the PressurePro sensor that was leaking as it would lose3 or 4 pounds per day. I called Good Sam Road Service and they gave me the names of two tire companies within a couple of miles from the RV park.

We went to the closest one and the fellow removed the right front tire and put it in a tank of water and found the leak at the valve stem. It had a metal valve stem in it but the rubber seal was old and leaking. He replaced the valve stem with another metal one, a bit longer and all seems to be well, at least a couple of days later.

It was noon by the time we got out of town and headed north on road 99 to the town of Fresno, CA. we went to the Walmart on the north side of town, closest to our route as we needed some groceries, etc. This was supposed to be a Super Store, but they only had limited groceries, no fresh fruit or veggies, so it was almost a wasted stop. we headed north on sr41 to the Sierra SKP park just south of Coursegold, CA.

This is really a nice park, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. It has 161 acres and over 500 lots, all different in size as well as terrain. Adjcent lots are at different levels so you do not look into your neighbors windows, etc. Lots of Live Oak trees, Grey squirrels and Red Headed woodpeckers.

We are getting to know a few people already. I played Bridge with a few and we went to the Ice Cream social this afternoon.

We are scheduled to be here for a week, but we may extend that another week or more as we have nothing planned to do next. We are just resting, seeing the sights locally and getting caught upon things.

Our pictures are from Kingsburg, CA. The water tower was very interesting as well as a couple of churches in the downtown section. A nice town in the middle of a vast agricultural area. We saw grapes, several kinds of fruit groves, several different kinds of nut groves, hay fields, green corn, apparently for feeding cows as there are several dairy herds around. It appears that you can grow most anything you want with irrigation, at any time.

Thursday we traveled from Kingsburg to see Sequoia National Park. What a different park from Yosemite. Most of Sequoia is marble rock formations. It is very rough and the roads are narrow and windy and go up to the top of the mountain and then down the other side and then into the Kings Canyon National Park.

we traveled from about 250 feet in Kingsburg, CA to over 7000 feet in Sequoia and Kings Canyon, It is a long haul up and they were working on the road near the top of the mountain with one lane of the road gone, They were rebuilding the outside lane from about 30 feet below the normal road level with concrete reinforcements. I can only imagine the chore it would be to drive a mixer up either side of the mountain to this construction site. It took us about 2 hours for the trip up with a few stops along the way. Going down was faster as the road through Kings Canyon is not as crooked so you can make about 30 to 35 mph as opposed to 10 and 15 mph going up in second gear.

We have many photos that we took in both parks and will have them later as we go along in our travels.


While we were waiting in line at the construction site the Ranger was talking about the fact that it was shorter/quicker to go on to Kings Canyon rather than turning around and going back the way we came, so we decided to do that and it added a lot to our day, but not as much as going back. A lot easier drive, however longer in miles.

A trip that most anyone that likes mountains would really enjoy, especially if you like mountain driving.

Friday it is off to the Sierra SKP park near Coarsgold, CA in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. We will the there for at least a week just to rest up and catch up on things.

Wednesday we left our campground on top of Greeley Hill road and went back down the hill. We did not hook up the van until we got to Mariposa. The trip down the hill was all second gear with some braking along the way. When we got down the hill we decided to take sr49 down through the mountains as it was many miles closer that way than the only other way out, which was the crooked way we came in a couple of days earlier.

Sr 49 was a pretty good road but still curvy and up and down the mountains. The Sierra Nevada mountains are something else when it comes to mountain roads. They look like they have been there a hundred or more years and follow the old Indian trails and those of the trappers and hunters. They are a challenge to drive but get the job done.

I pulled over for more than one vehicle to pass as we were not making very good time. There were two motorcycles that blew by me and it certainly looked like they were having fun.

What a great road for motorcycles. There were stretches where they probably were going 60 or 70mph and then it would be down to a switchback of 10 or 15mph.

As you can see in the photos, it certainly is crooked and way up on the side of the mountain. The lake is down considerably as it is used for agriculture use down in the valley and in the spring it will be full from the snow melt and spring rains. You can see the high water marks. Maybe another 20 or 30 feet of water will be available. It is difficult to tell from this altitude.

After we got through the worst of the mountain roads we came to a settlement called Bear Valley. It was just a few houses and a business or two and that was about all, but it was a town anyway.

We finally made our way to Mariposa and better roads where we hooked up the van for the remainder of our trip to Kingsburg, CA and the Viking RV park for a couple of nights. We planned a trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon.

You can see in the photos the kind of road that we traveled, much of it was a narrow two lane, most with out guard rails and some areas no berms at all, just the white line and a couple of feet of gravel and then nothing but air. A great challenge but enjoyable driving.

On Tuesday we left the motor home at the park and drove to Yosemite National Park. It was on up the Greeley Hill Road over the top and down the other side to sr120 and into the park.

We drove up to about 5000 feet and then down into the park. A most interesting trip as you traverse many sharp curves, up and down and round and around again. Beautiful scenery all the way.

We only covered the northern portion of the park as there is really too much to see in a one day trip. We will see the southern part another day next week.


The visitors center was most interesting as it showed how the park was created and it is still growing a small amount each year. I am sure it changes in appearance as well as time takes its toll on the rocks, etc.

If you had the opportunity to see the documentary on the National Parks by John Burns, it will help you understand a lot of things you see when you visit the park in person. It is just to grand to explain in words, you just have to visit to really see the splendor that nature has put before you.

It is a place you could spend days, weeks, or even months just looking and exploring all that is available in the park.

The top photo is of John Muir, the man that worked so hard and long to bring the park to the point it was finally made a National Park. It has been increased in area since then to the point it is today.

The second photo is of ElCapitan on the left and Half Dome on the right.

On Monday we traveled from Citrus Heights, a suburb of Sacramento to our campground at Greeley Hill, CA.

We got away in fairly good time but got lost getting through one town, as we missed our turn and had go back and find it. After we got on the freeway (99) things were moving along pretty well until we say a sign that said there was a wreck near sr4. Soon, we came upon the backlog of traffic and lost about an hour getting through. Only one lane was open down from the normal 3 lanes. Apparently it was a big wreck as they had wreckers and a trailer there with a lot of wreckage loaded in it and they had a sweeper cleaning up some powder due to maybe fuel spill or oil or a similar product.

Finally we arrived at Coulterville after a difficult trip across road 120 that was very crooked as well as up and down. Lots of short grades, some down to first gear and then down the other side and around a corner.

We had called ahead and made a reservation, so they were holding our spot. He said just go to Coulterville, turn left go about 50 yards and turn right up the hill on the Greeley Hill Road. Go 7 miles and the campground is on the right. Does not sound difficult, but what he did not say was the 7 miles was up the mountain. Had I known it was all uphill, I would have unhooked the van and drove both units up the hill. Much of it was 2nd gear and some first gear with very little break in the grade. There was not any place to pull off or stop, so we just kept going and sure enough, after 7 miles of this road, there was the Yosemite Westlake Campground. As it was nearing dark, we were escorted down a hill to a level place where we unhooked the van and finally got the motorhome in a space on the side of a hill. Other units had a front wheel several inches off the ground to get leveled up.
We were there for two nights as we planned on going on to Yosemite the next day and did not want to try to get back down the Greeley Hill road after driving to in and around Yosemite.

The photos are of Coulterville, a very historic town from the gold rush days.

The Hotel Jeffrey is in very good condition on the outside, however we did not find out if it was still in use today or not. The other photos are of some of the buildings in town. The town is only a couple blocks along road 49 and 3 or 4 blocks north along the Greeley Hill Road. Actually there is a small settlement of Greeley Hill about 6.5 miles up the hill that is smaller than Coulterville.

I am not sure what the people in this area do for a living as there is not any towns of any size within at least an hours drive. So, where they go every morning I do not know. I can not believe it is to McDonalds for breakfast because I have not seen one in over a hundred miles.

It is off to Yosemite National Park tomorrow.

Today we traveled from Clear Lake to Citrus Heights, CA. We were still in the mountains however as we got farther east the terrain changed from mountains with lots of trees to mountains with a few trees and lots of grass and then it finally opened out into the agriculture of the Sacramento valley.

The road was good but there were still several 7% grades to negotiate and lots of curves as we traveled around through the valleys. It was a most interesting drive.

We stopped in Yuba City for lunch and a nap and then on into the Sacramento valley where there is all kinds of things growing. We saw lots of rice and cotton as well as corn that was ready to pick and corn that was still green, maybe sweet corn about ready to pick.

There is lots of hay, both alfalfa and grass as well as fresh produce, fields of squash and strawberries being picked. It seems you can grow most anything any time of the year in this area.

We saw several fields that were being prepared for planting as well as those that had been planted and those that were just coming up. An interesting part of the state for sure.

We met with our friends the Pearson's and had dinner with them and went to their home for a tour and back to the motor home for the evening.

We were out of the Redwood campground a little later than we expected. Evelyn went to the Post Office to mail some mail and they would not be picking up mail in that town until Monday evening. So, we went on down the road only to find the next Post Office closed. Next town we just put it in the box and it will go out on Monday. Apparently the US Mail does not run every day of the week like it used to do. Apparently there is not any mail on Saturday any more or they would pick it up as well. Maybe it will go out early Monday when they bring the mail for distribution.


We headed on down US101 until we got to exit 555 and then we took CA20 east toward the mountains, but rather than going over the mountains, it winds around the valleys and over some of the hills but not what you would think. It winds around until you come to a group of lakes that are some 20+ miles long. Nice lakes with some small cottages and homes along the road, where there is room for them as well as nicer homes up the hills overlooking the water.

The terrain is changing from the redwoods to more pines and more rock mountains with pastures and hay and more cattle and horses. The change was in just a few miles and quite apparent.

Our photos are of some interesting things, the first was shortly after we left the campground and it was a sign that said "The Legend of Bigfoot" and just before that a sign that said 30mph curve. In that curve was this junk place with everything you could imagine and all related in some way to Bigfoot.

What a better place to catch tourists than when the have to slow for a 30mph curve anyway.

The third photo is of Redwood Highway showing how narrow the road is when going between trees. A really tight squeeze for us and this 5th wheel rig.

Tonight we are at camp Walmart in the town of Clear Lake, CA. It is on east toward Sacramento.

We got a fairly early start from our parking spot on the Pacific Ocean. To bad it was chilly and we could not leave the windows open and listen to the surf and the Sea Lions all night, but you could hear the Sea Lions even with everything closed up in a "keep warm" status.

We had a beautiful sunrise with the low hanging clouds and to the west, out across the ocean and the big rocks it was also a beautiful sight.

Our parking space did not leave us enough room to make a U turn, so we continued on north and within about a mile we came to the end of the road. It ended in a large parking lot that overlooked the ocean and close by there was a large older home that was being remodeled. There apparently was someone living there as there were several cars around. We turned around and drove back to Crescent City and picked up some information on the Redwoods and headed down US101.

We took the first exit we came to for the Avenue of the Giants and sr254. This is a narrow two lane (mostly) road that goes right down into the huge redwood trees. It parallels US101 in several areas, but is really remote. There are a few small towns along the road but not much going on, just beautiful trees that are so tall you can hardly see the tops.

We are currently in Myers Flat, CA, a small town a few blocks long and a couple or three blocks wide. There is an exit here for 101 or you can continue on down 254 thru the redwoods for another 12 miles to the south end of the avenue.


It is a slow drive with lots of short turns, many 20 to 30mph and trees that you have to dodge as they are actually in a small portion of the pavement. Not much of a problem with a small car but with a big rig, you have to move over in the other lane a bit and if there is another car coming somebody has to give a little. Our size is a bit intimidating for other drivers and they quickly make room for you.

We are camped this evening in the Redwood campground, actually among a lot of redwood trees and very close to the river.

As a side note, we have seen several markers along the road indicating the water level in 1964. Apparently there was a big flood or a Tsunami that year that flooded a lot of the area.

Last night our GPS indicated that we were 12.6feet above sea level, which is not very high. I can understand how a huge wave could really cause a lot of damage.

Tomorrow it is on south to somewhere, we are not sure at this time, maybe decide tomorrow.

We fueled up, picked up our UPS package and was on the road south about noon. We headed down I5 to Grants Pass which included 4 passes all together. Most of them were 6% grades up and down which means 30mph and 2nd gear (3200rpm). Along with a few loaded semi rigs we crawled up the berm of the highway. Forth gear holds pretty good on a 6% grade with the use of the bakes occasionally, especially on those 50 and 55mph curves.

In Grants Pass, we picked up US199, the only road to the coast. I5 takes you way west through the mountains and there is not any way back to the coast for a long ways south.


US199 is a pretty good road, 4 lane in some areas and through the larger towns, however as you get close to the California border it gets rougher and more narrow with rocks straight up the right side and straight down to the Smith River on the left side.

It goes right into the redwood forest and they do not cut the trees from the roadway. As you can see, they are right against the white lines on the edge of the pavement. In one place the road makes a 90 degree turn to the right around a big tree that has a lot of the bark skinned off where vehicles have rubbed it making the corner. Fortunately there was no one coming and I was able to use most of the other lane to make the corner. It was marked 25mph but really more like 15mph with our rig.

These are smaller redwood trees, maybe 4 to 5 feet in diameter at the base, but really straight and tall. We will see the big guys tomorrow.

When we got into Crescent City we headed west through town until we got to the ocean. Turned north and out of town a ways there are nice paved parking areas between the road and the ocean. That is where we are parked for the night. You can hear the surf and the Sea Lions barking from the rocks. It should be an interesting night.

When we filled up in Tri City the fuel was $2.77/gallon, down the road at 7 Feathers Casino it was $2.91, in Crescent City CA regular is $3.31/gallon. We may not stay in CA very long.

A little cool this morning but the sun came over the mountain before 10am and started warming things up. We made some preparations to get back on the road hopefully tomorrow, however we did not get our last UPS package, so we will be here another day.

They are talking about rain in the next few days but I hope we can get out ahead of it as I really do not like driving in the rain.

Our photo is of one of those beautiful houses way up the side of the mountain. I am not sure how they get to it, maybe from the other side of the mountain. I am sure it is probably a paved road and drive, due to the size of the house and its setting.

So, tomorrow it is just wait and after the UPS comes then we will decide if we are leaving or staying another night and get an early start toward California.

Not a lot going on the last few days here in Tri City. Getting some minor repairs made to the motor home which is now completed and quite satisfactory.

We will be here another day so we can get our mail and a UPS shipment which should be here tomorrow. Then we will be off to the coast and down 101 to see some of our national parks.

Nothing scheduled for hamfests in the near future. Probably the next one will be Quartzsite and then to Palm Springs, CA and then back to Yuma, AZ.

Our photos are of the mountains in this area that have not been clear cut yet, or at least for many years, but it shows how steep they are and how difficult it must be to log them.

I did not leave the ranch today. Evelyn had an appointment with the Chiropractor again this morning, so not a lot going on.

Yesterdays trip was still a topic of discussion with all of the trees that had been cut. Many of the areas had been clear cut. Many areas were up the side of a mountain and there was not a tree left standing. Many areas had been clear cut and replanted with all of the trees the same size. Other areas had much larger trees and still others had quite big trees, maybe ready to cut again in a few years.

This is a remote area and there are no roadsigns except one like this message board. The green note indicates a road that is getting new culverts a few miles up the road. there are no road signs. Our GPS told us what road we were on, most were named for the creek or fork we were traveling along side.

Also there was two plaques for the Chinese workers that help build the rail road in this area back in the early 1800's. They were brought here with the promise of a better life but few ever realized that dream.

Apparently most of this land is owned by the government and leased to various lumber mills to be used for the production of trees and wood products. They refer to as a "renewable resource".

At both of the lumber mills, we saw several piles of large hardwood logs that wold be used for veneer for furniture, etc. I have been told that all of the walnut is shipped to China for processing and then shipped back.

Nothing planned for the weekend at this time. We will see what happens.