Departure Bend Oregon to Redding California

Sunday morning...the Sun was out...skies blue!  OK Nick - weather report was checked & we think we can go!  We tidied up the house we were so generously allowed to stay at (thank you Kelly & Kimberly!!!) and Nick was outside putting hot water on the snow so he could remove the electrical chord to the motor home.

Time to GO!

We packed our things and at 12 noon we drove off!   It was still very icy in town...but driving very slow we went to the store where it was leveled and Nick could hook-up the car to the motor home.

Polly came to see us off...how sweet of her!  "Hey Pol!  How nice of you to come and give us a huggie before heading off...you were the first one we saw arriving 6 weeks ago with a warm welcoming "HUG" and a now another Big hug sending us off!  "We will be back in the Spring time!!!"  and "Yes!"we will stay in touch!"

So after the car was hooked up we departed south on Highway 97...the roads were graveled but still Nick drove careful - getting use to the tow-car now hooked up to the motor home behind us!

I was thankful Nick drove slow & careful getting use to the pull!..I sure appreciate his care!  As we drove south...we past Sunriver Click on this Link...Sunriver is a very Special Vacation Resort! and then...suddenly the roads was clear  Yes...no more snow on the roads...my goodness!

We continued down the highway to Gilchrist and then Chemalt and then turned off on Hwy 138 towards Crater Lake area Crater Lake National Park more info on this gorgeous area! Crater Lake 

Took a break at a rest stop~

Such beauty!

We drove into higher elevation and the roads were a bit messy again...but thankfully it too had been graveled...we then switched to Hwy 230




we continued to climb...

then we reached the Summit and turned west towards Medford.  Seeing lots of pretty sights along the way!



                On the west side of the Cascade Mountains...the roads were clear and the fields were still green! Such pretty scenery!

We arrived in Medford (1472 feet elevation) around 5 pm and were thankful to get there before dark!

We drove to a Walmart shopping center and parked.  Then Nick checked outside around the motor home & car and found out that some pipes had cracked - water pipes under the motor home. Darn!  And the heater too didn't kick on anymore...yes the blower worked but no warm air!  Oh!Oh! 

...............even though Medford was still lower elevation - it was still pretty cold out there! 

Nick decided we needed to go on....keep driving to a warmer climate...No fun sleeping in a "cold" motor home and not having any water either!

So we did just that!

We left...again and drove from 6:00pm - 11:10 pm and made it into Redding CA!  We had driven 352 miles today.  Yes we made it safe and sound...and Nick was right...it was milder in Redding CA!

We couldn't find a Walmart but another store with a BIG parking area..and decided to stay there for the night!

Lowe's Hardware store...and the parking lot was big and it was a new store in a new area!   

We parked...settled in and slept solid....it had been a long day!

Still a lot snow the roof - melting all day in the Sun!

The next morning...the skies were dark blue...and the Sun was shining brightly...and the weather was really really nice..it felt like 65F out there! Nick went into Lowe's and bought the parts for the repair of the pipes....BOY....How I love this handy husband of mine!  He does such good work and is so' diligent!  Good job Nico!  You are a blessing!

I organized the motor home and got things back in order a bit...we had a good day parked there on the parking lot...warm Sun...conveniently close to the stores!  We found a car wash and took the PT Cruiser and washed off all the grim and dirt - being pulled behind a motor home..the car gets really dirty...nad especially with the roads full of gravel & dirt!  Yes we did a good cleaning...one dirty car!

We unhitched the car and went to a motor home store to inquired about the heater ~ yes they could diagnose it for us the next morning - first thing!  So tomorrow morning we will drive down to Anderson!  Hopefully it will not be too much of a problem!

We made contact with our good friend John Melton...and yes he was home!  He moved recently from Bend OR back to Chico CA, where he had lived for 19 years...John did not want to deal with the winters in Bend anymore ...too cold he said.

I first met John - at RE/MAX.  He too was a Real Estate Broker.  John had moved to Bend just 6 months before.

Since I had worked for RE/MAX in Modesto already 15 years I decided to continue to sell for the same company...and that is how I met John and his wife Susan!  We became acquainted and got to be good friends!

Nick & I look forward to seeing John tomorrow!