The Trip South: First Leg

We started our trip south on December 28th. We had taken the coach through the Siskiyous shortly after Thanksgiving and left it in Red Bluff, California. That negated the need to winterize and made our trip through the Siskiyous in late December less problematic since we could do that part in the Jeep.

As we drove through the lush pastures of the Williamette Valley, we noted two things.  First, whether we looked east toward the Cascades or West toward the Coast Range, we could see plenty of snow in the mountains.  We also saw many more sheep than we were accustomed to seeing.  I guess either lamb or wool is bringing a good price these days.

Encouragingly, we saw a lot more mill activity than we had seen the last several years.  Outside a peeler plant, piles of thin sheets of wood wait to be glued into plywood panels.

We saw lots of other RVs on the road.

Around noon we began to ascend into the foothills of the Siskiyous.  The deciduous trees here are covered with lichens.  Despite appearances, they cause no damage to the trees since they make their own food and extract their own water from the atmosphere.

A few miles further on, we began to see snow on the roadsides.

Near the Siskiyou Summit, there was more snow on the road, but there were only a few places with snow in all four lanes.  We would have been able to traverse this in the RV, but were glad we didn't have to do it.

A few miles into Northern California, the sun began to peek through the clouds, and the road became much clearer.  We were able to relax and enjoy the scenic drive.

We were tired by the time we arrived in Red Bluff, but it was good to be back in our coach.  So far, this trip was proceeding exactly as we had planned it.