Beaver Creek State Natural Area

6/21/2017
Arrived at Beaver Creek Welcome Center. We'll be here till after Labor Day.  As we did at Cave Creek Canyon AZ, we're early so we'll be dry camping in the parking lot for a few days.

More to come about Beaver Creek after we get settled.

Back on the Oregon coast

6/18/2017
Arrived in Coos Bay OR to a fog bank off shore, and a cool north wind, typical!  We where there to visit friends who are work-camping at Shore Acres state park. We stayed at The Mill Casino they have a nice full hookup campground but we were in their dry camping area for $15, no Wal-Mart camping allowed in Coos Bay. You get to use all the facilities  including WiFi and very nice laundry and bathroom/showers.  I think we got our monies worth luxuriating in loooong hot showers.

6/19/2017

The next day we moved to Honeyman State Park for a 1 day kayak safety class then on to Beaver Creek visitors center, our home for the next 2 months.

After Arizona and eastern California, Oregon is very GREEN!

Lava Beds National Monument

6/17/2017

Note: Don't know why March 17 2017 re-posted!?!?

Stayed in TuleLake, CA for a couple nights to visit Lava Beds NM.  A lot of volcanic activity in northern CA over the last million years or so.  The main attraction at Lava Beds are the lava tube caves.

Here's Some pics...

Campsite at TuleLake fair grounds, no facilities, just a nice GRASSY full hookup site.

Going in Upper Sentinel cave.

Roof clasped in the distant past leaving a very rocky floor.

Inside Valentine cave. Unlike Sentinel cave, lava just stopped flowing and solidified, leaving cave intact.  Lava tube passed around this pillar of rock.

Last gasp!

Mt Shasta from Lava Beds NM.  It's June 2017 and still lots of snow.

Lassen Valcanic National Park (updated)

6/15/2017
We were sitting in a Wal-Mart trying to plan our next destination  when an associate pointed out Lassen Volcanic NP.  It was on our map but we just didn't see it, we'd never heard of it. 

There was an eruption in 1915 that resembled a mini Mount St Helen.

We spent 2 might at Lassen, here's some pics...

Late afternoon.

Sunset

Eruption of Lassen Peak by B.F. Loomis, 

June 14 1914

US 395

6/14/2017
Returned to Redlands, CA for Joan's grand niece's high school graduation.  All went well as did the party and mini family reunion that followed.

We left Redlands heading  north via US  395 on the eastern side of the Sierra-Nevada's.  This is possibly the prettiest road we've traveled.  We stayed a couple nights near Lone Pine, CA, the "Portal" to Mt. Whitney.  The beautiful scenery just keeps on going, all the way to the Nevada border.  There's so much to see and do, we'll definitely come this way again.

We're just south of Reno, NV.  Have to be on the central Oregon Coast by June 20, a week earlier than planned.

Here's some pics...

Ajo, AZ

6/6/2017
Spent a couple of nights in Ajo. 105 yesterday afternon.  On to So. Cal.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!

Heading to southern California for grand niece graduation.   Looking forward to seeing family.

Garden Party

5/27/2017

Last Saturday was the annual Garden Party hosted by the Friends of Cave Creek Canyon at the Visitors Information Center.  Here's some pictures...

Golden Eagle

Solar telescopes

The Food!

A Llama greets the guests.

The Wizard would send you into the Past, Future or ...
well... you know!

Mike with Friends of  Cave Creek Canyon, aka The Boss!

Local plants

Relaxing on the porch.

Local King snake

Bugs

Local Artists

Saturday night music at the Portal Cafe.

Al Foul

Oh, by the way,  when we arrived in Portal a few weeks ago, we found a new favorite beer. Kilt Lifter!  Ya, that's really the name, I couldn't make this stuff up

The end of another day in the Canyon