Joseph H. Stewart Campground & Crater Lake National Park, OR

Crater Lake National Park, OR

Friday, June 29, Joseph H. Stewart State Campground, OR -154 Miles Today, 9,173.5 For the Trip


The mileage for today is a little deceptive - it was only 41 miles to tonight's campground, but after setting up the trailer I drove to Crater Lake National Park & did as much of the Rim Drive as was open. The last time I was here was during a 2004 trip - it was a month earlier, far more snow, and the Rim Drive wasn't open past Discovery Point. This time I got as far as the boat docks, but the East Rim Drive was still closed.


It is a very pretty location with different views from every stop along the drive. I shot a couple of panoramas, but with the slow Verizon connection here at the campground I'll wait before adding them to the page. I included a photo of one of the buildings at the Rim Village Visitor Center. I don't believe the ladder is a fire escape, but the way in before the snow melts. They get an average of 44' (yes, feet) of snow per year. Makes our 200" at Oswego look pretty anemic!


I also stopped at the Mill Creek Falls viewpoint & a gorge along the Rogue River. Although I could be wrong, I believe the river supplies the water for the Lost Creek Lake, the lake the Joseph H. Stewart Campground is on. I'm in site A8, and, since, as usual, I'll early for hitting Bullards Beach on the 10th, I've decided to stay for at least a couple of days. I'm booked until July 2nd. It is my kind of campground. Water, 30 amp Electric & free showers for $20.00 per night, and although the campground map makes it look crowded, each site has lots of space. My site is 78' long with a large field in back & on both sides. Oh, and it is level! Highly recommended!


By the way, it rained last night. I'd have to go through all my posts to be sure, but I think it is the first rain of the trip. I should have jumped out in a bathing suit & cleaned the bugs off the trailer, but I didn't. Today was cloudy - good for photographing the river & falls, but not quite as much color on Crater Lake as a clear blue sky provides. Still, it sure is blue, and the few times the clouds parted enough to let the sky show through it was even bluer! More photos at today's LakeshoreImages Page.


Dinner is going to be Rice Pilaf & a couple of Beer Brats. Not sure what the vegetable will be...


Until Next Time!

Holiday RV Park, Phoenix, OR

Mt Shasta, CA

Thursday, June 28, Holiday RV Park, Phoenix, OR - 171.6 Miles Today, 9,019.5 For the Trip

It is great to be back in the land of electricity & cell coverage. Actually, the electricity part was covered by the solar panel, batteries & inverter, although I didn't try to use my electric blanket. That might have pushed the batteries, however I did manage to make a pot of coffee every morning.

The drive up CA 89 was very pretty. I've driven it a couple times before, but only going south; the north direction has Mount Shasta in view & it looks great. Eventually, CA 89 runs in to & is replaced by I5. Still pretty, but not as interesting a drive. I stopped at the Toyota dealer in Medford, OR, and left the trailer in their parking lot. More than one salesmen came out to ask about towing the Escape with the RAV4. Lithia Toyota did an oil change, rotated the tires, and checked the transmission fluid - the color was OK so I didn't have it changed. It should be good for another 10,000 miles. They did a great job of washing the collection of bugs off the front end (as well as the rest of the RAV4) - I only wish I had reconnected the trailer before they washed the car so they could do the trailer as well! While I didn't make out as well as last year when I bought over $1000.00 worth of tires, I do appreciate Oregon's no sales tax.

By the time I got out of Lithia Toyota it was 4:00 & I decided to find a nearby place to stop for the night. I'm in site B8 at the Holiday RV Park. It is connivent, but probably not the quietest park - it is along side I 5, and, as I just discovered, at the end of one of the takeoff patterns for the local airport.

Dinner was the rest of the mixed vegetables & a Bubba Burger. The handy thing about the Bubba Burger is it is the only meal I have in the freezer or refrigerator, for that matter, that doesn't need any prep - just throw the frozen hamburger on the grill. I guess that is why it tends to be my short notice dinner.

Till Tomorrow -

McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, CA

Burney Falls, CA

Wednesday, June 27 - McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, CA - 61.5 Miles Today, 8,847.9 For the Trip

Today was a short drive. I did make one stop to photograph a snow covered peak & the stream below it. Too bad the road is part of the image, but that's the way it goes. It did get cold last night - down to 33°F. Got a bit of a scare when I fired up the furnace at 2:00AM - it wouldn't start. I had run out of propane since the last time I ran it & it took a couple of tries to get going. As far as battery power, after running the furnace set at 60°F & it cycling off & on, I still was at 85% at 6:00AM & the solar system had me back to 100% by 7:30AM.

After leaving the park I stopped at a gas station in Burney to fill the tank & to post yesterday's page. I forgot to post the Jon's Journeys page at Blogspot, so I'll have to do two pages tomorrow.

I stopped at McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park since it is my second favorite waterfall. My favorite is Chittenango State Park in NY, but this is a very close second. The biggest problem with Burney Falls is the lighting. It is difficult to find a time of day that the shadows are light enough to work with the highlights of the water. Since there was an open site for the night I decided to stay in the park. There were still last night's campers in the site so I drove to the end of the park road & Lake Britton while waiting.

The campsite is about the tightest I've been in, both this & last year's trip. With the trailer bumper against a tree there is only a couple of feet ahead of the trailer tongue, and barely enough room to park the RAV4 next to it. I'm glad there wasn't any traffic on the road in front of the site because I had to block it to unhook the trailer, and with the weight distribution hitch, that takes time.

The price went up $5.00 from last year, making it $35.00 for a no hook up site (and a $.50 / 5 minutes charge for showers). It is less expensive to stay in most full hookup sites! Still, it is a very pretty park. I did have to spend 10 minutes picking up the previous camper's trash - cups, wrappers, band-aids, etc. In any case, I'm settled in. I may drive to a near by town to get something for dinner - while the spaghetti last night worked out OK, I'm not ready to use the rest of the jar of sauce to make more tonight.

I found a Safeway in Burney & they had salmon on sale so dinner was grilled corn on the cob & a very nice grilled salmon fillet. Morning will be interesting - the tree above my RAV4 has dripped a shower of sap across the windshield. The Windex Wipes take it off with lots of scrubbing, but it is a mess!

There is no Verizon here at the park, at least in the campground so this won't get posted until tomorrow.

Since I'm posting this on Thursday because there was no cell coverage at the park, I'll say till later rather than till tomorrow!

Lassen National Park, CA

Lassen National Park, CA

Tuesday, June 26 - Lassen National Park, CA - 162.1 Miles Today, 8,786.4 For the Trip

I made a short stop along CA 89 at Indian Falls. Not only got a photo of the falls, but they had signs along the way identifying trees & plants. I finally got to see the difference between poison ivy & poison oak.

As you can see by the title of the page, I finally made it to Lassen National Park, sorta... While the road into & through the park is open, the campground I wanted to stay in was not (even though the ranger at the entrance station suggested I stay there). Neither was the Bumpass Hell trail, the hike suggested by a number of people as a great hike. So, if I really want to see the park, I guess I'll have to come back in August! There is still lots of snow on the ground - I even have a photo of a picnic table that isn't quite ready to use.

As to the rest of the photos, they are at stops along CA 89 as it runs through the park. I'm at the Summit Lake South Campground (I wanted the Summit Lake North, but it is still closed). Nothing but a parking place and a near by vault toilet, but you can't beat the price $5.00 with the Senior Pass.


Dinner will be spaghetti & meatballs. I'll put the stove/grill in the bear box since the grill still smells of Bubba Burger & I'd rather not have one of the park's Black Bears trying to pry open the front storage box on the trailer! I won't be able to post this or the "Jon's Journeys" page for today until tomorrow - there is no cell or WiFi available here in the park.

It's tomorrow & I'm just outside Burney, CA & posting from a Shell Station. I'll stop at Burney Falls because I can't pass up my second favorite waterfall, but if I stay I probably won't be able to post - last year there was no Verizon coverage in the park...

Till Tomorrow -

Clio, CA & the Plumas-Eureka State Park

A Blacksmith's Shop at the Plumas-Eureka State Park, Graeagle, CA

Monday, June 25 -Rivers Edge RV Park, Clio, CA- 194.3 Miles Today, 8,624.3 For the Trip

I spent most of the day driving up US 395 with a short stint on A15 & CA 89. Rivers Edge was recommended as a pretty stop & it is. I'm in site A12 & got a discount for being a RVN vet. Tall trees & a quiet stream wandering by the edge of the campground. While I didn't find much to take photos of on the way to the campground, after setting up I drove to Graeagle & the Pulmas-Eureka State Park. This is a park built around the mines on "Gold Mountain" or Eureka Peak. The park has a museum with both indoor & outdoor exhibits, a gold panning trough, the Eureka mine building (which is currently off limits) and a campground. Like most California State campgrounds, it has no hookups & seems a bit over priced at $35.00 per night. In any case, I did take some photos, more of which are at today's LakeshoreImages Post.

Dinner, for those interested and I'm not at all sure why you should be but I keep putting it in the post, will be a Bubba Burger, left over macaroni & cheese & mixed vegetables.

The plan for tomorrow is to continue up CA 89 to Lassen National Park. I've tried to see the park twice before; both times the road was closed due to snow. This year I'm a couple of weeks later & it has been a dry year so I expect it will be open. I'll probably stay in Mill Creek, at a commercial RV park outside the National Park.

Until then -