Bridges and Beaches - 4/22/2013

I've long had a "thing" about lighthouses. Last night's stop was within view of the lighthouse at Crescent City so I had to try to get a shot at sunset. Unfortunately, the sunset was about 30 degrees to the right of the lighthouse.

Some of the highway bridges are now classified historic structures and sport some nice art deco design. The bridge in Gold Beach, Oregon has two of these portals at each end.

I think this bridge was in North Bend, but I could be wrong.

This bridge was going for the rusty look. The rails that ran over this bridge weren't getting lots of use either.

We stopped for lunch at the Coquille River lighthouse near Bullards Beach State Park in Bandon, Oregon. This lighthouse looks very different from any of the others along the Oregon coast.

The wind was blowing

and waves were rolling in.

The sun was shining but we were chilly. The Scotch Broom seemed to find the climate ideal.

Home for tonight is the northwest corner of Valley River Center in Eugene. The mall here has a very good process for accommodating overnight parking.

Mountains, Rivers, and Ocean

We started out this morning by crossing the first (and highest) of the three or four passes on California 299 all of which were steep enough to see some significant compression braking on the descents. For a Sunday morning, the county name seemed appropriate.

Weaverville was the last of the 1850's gold towns on my list. It has grown through the years and the gingerbread is scattered among much newer homes.

Some of the downtown buildings were unique in that they each had a circular staircase at the sidewalk to access the second level. Originally, the buildings were designed for separate ownership of the second story.

We passed through the remains of the LaGrange mine, at one time the largest hydraulicking mine in the world. Some years after it closed, the state used the same equipment to cut a new alignment for the highway. This large nozzle used water pressure to blast dirt and rock from the hillside in search of gold.

The Red Buds were in bloom and the maples were starting to leaf out in the sunny spots.

The roads were twisty but we weren't in a hurry and there was minimal traffic. Might be different in a month or two.

Eventually we found the ocean, right where we expected it. What wasn't expected is that California waves now apparently wear shoes.

We found some redwoods

and managed to get the navigator and the guard to sit for a picture.

Home for the night is a large, very basic, city operated RV park right on the water in Crescent City complete with on site laundry facilities. I'm sure the folks we see this next week will appreciate that!

Whiskeytown - 4/20/2013

It was an easy day today with a little bit of everything. Out of the foothills and into the farming with grain elevators, rice paddies, oats, and a solitary crop duster.

Many of the pictures today were taken on the fly including this out-of-focus one along US-99 of some short-haul rescue practice.

We saw fruit orchards, nut groves, cattle, horses, and sheep along with a fly fisherman in a drift boat on the Feather River and a rancher out mending fences on his ATV.

GasBuddy saved us 50 cents a gallon in Red Bluff but we had to work for it since the town was enjoying a parade that we circumnavigated.

We did end up with a short section of Interstate today but it gave us a wonderful view of Mt. Shasta behind the billboards.

We stopped in downtown Shasta for a walk around the Shasta State Historic Park. With the exception of the still functioning Masonic Lodge, the downtown is mostly stabilized brick walls marking businesses long since gone.

Even the General Store and the Bakery were shells of their former self. No cinnamon rolls here!

But the California Poppies were out in full force.

We're parked for the night at the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area on Whiskeytown Lake. RVs are parked in an asphalt parking lot with dump but without utilities but the sky is reflecting blue and the weather is warm while I sit outside to finish this post. Very slow 3G connection. $9 with National Parks senior pass.