We arrived here in Champoeg State Park this afternoon, gray skies but fairly warm. We spent last night at 7 Feathers Casino RV resort and it was nice to see Rhodies, evergreens, and other blooming flowers instead of cactus. Not that we did not enjoy the cactus of the desert, but it was more of a confirmation that we were indeed back in the NW to see the Rhodies in bloom.
After leaving Palm Springs we spent a long day in Yosemite National Park. Like I have said before, our National Parks are each very unique and should be visited if you are in the areas. Yosemite is no exception, again this park has its own distinction and we enjoyed a sun filled, warm day there.
We headed north the next day to Santa Rosa to visit with Deane's sister. She and her husband Bill, own an apple orchard and were hosting their 20th annual Apple Festival for their neighbors and friends. They set up in the orchard and the weather cooperated with sunshine and temperatures in the 70's. Next day we all toured the area of the Russian River and Bodega Bay where I and Deane as children vacationed. Karen and Bill also live in the wine country of Sonoma, so of course we had to visit a couple of them. We visited Iron Horse for some good champagne, and Cahill Winery for port.
Monday found us in Redding visiting Deane's cousin Ty and his wife Jeannie. They are recuperating from a terrible motorcycle accident of almost a year ago, and we are happy to report they looked good and are healing well. And, believe it or not, looking forward to getting back on a motorcycle again!
We will spend 10 days seeing friends and family before our commitment here begins. It has been a fun 8 months and we have seen so much. Looking forward to staying put for a while in our 'backyard' and seeing our grandkids.
We will post more next month about our hosting here at Champoeg. Thanks for traveling with us.