Cruising along to Klamath Falls

We typically take a stroll around any RV park where we stay and I was delighted to see several more Alpines here at Sparks Marina RV Resort. There were five coaches in fact. Alpines are more popular than I imagined. One other Alpine was from Washington State, and we had met that couple in Lone Pine. They live in Anacortes, so we will be visiting once we are back. Ah, the people you meet and the places you see when you travel in an Alpine....

We decided to stay one more night in Sparks before heading on to our next destination. Avoiding the gusty winds and freezing overnight temperatures in the forecast seemed like the logical thing to do.On Sunday morning we continued our journey north to Klamath Falls. The first part of the journey along route 395 to Susanville was pleasant enough, on this sunny and calm day. Along this stretch, the road skirted the western flanks of the Sierras. East of us, on the leeward side, lies the dry desert terrain of Nevada.

In no time, we were back across the border in California, driving through pretty scenery.
There is of course an inspection station within a few miles of the border, but this time the "food police" simply waved us through.

This section of California is quite scenic and also hilly, with interesting rock and soil formations and colors. It was like a jumble of the different geological occurrences from the past.

We passed ranches along the way with coal black cattle munching happily away. We saw horses and even llamas.

wedged in the peaks ahead were layers of bright red soil

Eventually the road continued through a wide valley. The soil here must be fertile as there were fields for far as the eye could see. A river meandered its way along so there is water here.

A few miles south of Susanville, I was on the look out for a large lake marked on the map as Honey Lake. There was no evidence of a lake but we did drive past an enormous sandy colored depression which could have been a lake bed. Perhaps it was named Honey Lake because it looked like the color of honey. There was not a drop of water in it that I could see, however.

We continued along, among the rolling hills until we reached Susanville, a city of approximately 18,000 people at an elevation of 4,186 feet.

I noticed as we were driving through Susanville, that banners along both sides of the main road honored the men and women from this town who served our country.



















We then veered off on to route 139 which was to take us north to Klamath Falls, and along the east side of Lassen National Park. Just as we turned on to 139, I noticed a sign as we drove by. The words "trucks over 30 feet, axles, towing, and not advised" is all I could pick out. It was not a very large sign.
Too late.
The next sign said: Narrow road ahead.
Even if we had wanted to turn around, we couldn't. Let's just say that I did not feel comfortable or happy as we began to climb up along a steep side of the mountain, the valley below looking increasingly smaller the higher we climbed. It was indeed a narrow winding two-lane road, with no shoulder, a steep drop-off, and few barriers along the side.  It was not exactly a comforting feeling. I am quite sure that Michael has a very different perspective about this same road but for me it was not a pleasant road and one I would certainly avoid.
Eventually the road led into the Modoc Forest and though the drop-offs were no longer an issue once we plateaued, the road was not exactly straight or level, so we undulated and curved our way along for the remaining 88 miles until we re-joined a wider and better portion of the highway at Adin. At times, it felt to me like we were in a boat going through one wake after another.
I think that towing a car behind us along these tight curves would have been a nightmare and I was rather glad we did not have a car with us.
As pretty as the scenery was, I am afraid that I was concentrating more on not driving outside the white line and onto the sandy narrow shoulder than on enjoying and capturing the vistas on camera. But here is some of what I did capture:

starting the climb around the side of this mountain,
after glimpsing the road sign warnings

the valley faaaaaaar below as we continued the steep climb 

twisting and turning ever higher

Antelope Summit at 5,466 feet and a sheer drop below

driving along the top of the world once we plateaued

winding our way through the Modoc National Forest

climbing ever upwards

descending back down again, Eagle Lake in the distance

a lucky shot of Lassen peak to our west, elevation 10,457 ft

back amongst the trees in Modoc National forest along the undulating stretch

our destination in sight now

Just past Adin, the nightmare long and winding road improved and I was much relieved and a lot happier. After almost three hours with no rest stop or place to pull over, we were finally able to stop for a quick bite and a much needed bathroom break.
The rest of the trip went smoothly, the scenery morphing into more variety. Flat topped buttes and conical outcroppings became more frequent. In some places, charred rocks were scattered for as far as the eye could see. This was obviously an active and turbulent area.

At one point, we were among sand dunes that surely belong along a coast. Perhaps eons ago this was part of a sea.

flat topped buttes appear

evidence of volcano cones

The "Welcome to Oregon" sign was a most welcome sight after this tedious day's drive.

We continued along past green fields and snowy volcanic peaks that began popping up on the western horizon, straight to the KOA at Klamath Falls, happy to be here with the kettle soon boiling for that well-needed cuppa'.
Tomorrow we will be in Bend, where we plan to stay for the rest of the week. Michael's sister lives there and we will be spending time with the family.
The Eggs are also there, and we will be seeing them too.
And hopefully we will also be able to have our hydraulic leveling jacks taken care of. The two rear jacks have developed a problem and we need to have them fixed. Apparently Bend is an RV friendly town with several good repair shops.