Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Our Travels to Southern California 2014

Our trip south started on 11/14/2014 after Dick got cleared to travel following surgery in September. We had been staying at the Keizer Elk’s. Our first stop was Timber Valley SKP RV Park in Sutherlin, OR. SKP stands for Escapees and this park is a co-op park. We put our name on the waiting list for a lot because we liked it so much. In the meantime we rent a space whenever we can. Each site has a shed and gravel to park on. They are all about the same size. Some sites are plain and others like this one is nicely landscaped.

 

Timber Valley RV Deer Turkeys our site_1

Wild Turkey’s came to eat in our yard.

Timber Valley RV Deer Turkeys our site

And so did the deer.

Timber Valley RV Deer Turkeys our site_3

Our next stop was the Redding Elk’s Lodge.

Redding Elk's Lodge_9

The lounge is very nice. It has some very nice murals, this is just one of them.

Redding Elk's Lodge_2

We learned that Redding has a river walk along the Sacramento River. The next day we found the way to the river walk and headed towards the Sundial Bridge that crosses the river.

Redding River Walk & Sun Dial Bridge_9

We met a friend along the way.

Redding River Walk Rockey

And some cute kids.

Redding River Walk Rockey_1

The Sundial Bridge is amazing.

Redding River Walk & Sun Dial Bridge_3

Redding River Walk & Sun Dial Bridge Rockey

Our next stop was the Lodi Elk’s Lodge for 1 night. Then on to Visalia Elk’s Lodge for 3 days. The weather was good the next day and we headed up Hwy 198 to Three Rivers and the entrance to Sequoia Nat’l Park.

Sequoia NP Visitor Center & Museum

After going to the visitor center we took the Sherman Tree Trail.

Sequoia NP

The General Sherman Tree is the oldest in the park around 1,000 years old. It is not tallest.

Sequoia NP Sherman Tree_1

We decided to climb Moro Rock. The view at top, we were told is amazing. Up the stairs we went.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_26 

Still going up, there are places where you can stop and catch your breath.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_25

We are almost to the top.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_19

We finally reach the top.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_18

This is the view of the Great Western Divide. This ridge of peaks divide the Kaweah River drainage in front of us from the Kern River Drainage on the other side. 

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_21

View of the valley we drove up and the Kaweah River.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_16

This is the view looking west.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_22

Now that we have rested it is time to head back down.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_11

I can’t believe we managed to get to the top.

Sequoia NP Climbing Moro Rock_7

We had a grand day with the tall trees and we will come back to explore more of the region.

Our next stop was Wilderness Lakes TT in Menifee. It really isn’t a lake but canals that run through the park. The Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Black-crowned Night Heron are common visitors and some nest here in the spring.

Snowy Egrets & Blk Crowned Night Heron Wilderness TT 12-17-14_1

We had a lot of rain and some of the sites became water logged. Our site wasn’t too bad.

Wilderness Lakes High Water

But some of them it was hard to even get out of the rig.

Wilderness Lakes High Water_7

But the worst hit were the people in tents.

Wilderness Lakes High Water_3

Maintenance worked like crazy to drain the worst sites. They had a fire hose hooked to a pump and would pump the water into a water tank on a truck. This flooding was not caused by the canals flooding but just the relentless rain.

Our next stop is Indian Waters in Indio, we will be here for Christmas.

Indian Water's our site 

In January we headed back to Oregon but that is another story for another day.