The last thousand miles

First the stats on the trip northbound to Bellevue - 

First leg 191 miles: Pismo to Santa Nella for an overnight.
Second leg 282 miles: Santa Nella to Redding for an overnight.
Third leg 210 miles : Redding to Seven Feathers in Canyonville, Oregon for two nights.
Final stretch 295 miles: Canyonville to Centralia, WA (to Brazels to have a wire replaced in the Jeep) and then a short hop of 85 miles further to Safegard Storage in Bellevue.

The first leg was relatively short compared to the others. The reason is simple: we were dragging our heels to leave the beach! So we squeezed in one last morning beach walk and left after 11 AM.

All in all, the drive north along the I-5 corridor was a good one. We had good weather and light, flowing traffic. 
The "jacks down" alarm sounded once the first day, then again on the third day,predictably within the first hour of driving. Thankfully, both times the alarm was immediately silenced after pressing "store." 

Although we have traveled this route numerous times and know it well, this time the scenery looked very different. The typical dry, desert landscape through the Central Valley on previous travels is currently very green and bursting with pink and white blossoms. Reader boards still announce that California is experiencing a drought, and to conserve water. However, the scenery surrounding us belies the fact. Everything looks lush, verdant, bursting with new growth. 
Beyond Corning, Mt Shasta loomed above the highway to the north and Lassen peak was visible to the east. The route across the Siskiyous is always scenic, the granite mountain peaks imposing. Thankfully, the passes were clear, not a flake of snow in sight except high up on distant peaks. As we crossed into Oregon, the raindrops appeared. We were back in the NorthWET, as I like to call this region. The predicted rain appeared off and on, none of it too bad, with plenty of dry sections in between.

Long drives in Alpine are surprisingly comfortable and less tedious than in a smaller vehicle. We entertained ourselves by listening to our next audio book.I pulled out my knitting to occupy my fingers. Photos along this stretch are by now redundant, and the numerous bug splats as we whizzed past the blossom-laden orchards, as well as the raindrops further north created less of an incentive to click away.  
I did,however, capture a few scenes that caught my eye.

Shasta Lake, notably fuller than when we last saw it

in the Siskiyous, dry today

the fascinating red soil, a hint of snow on the mountain tops

Mt Shasta looming over us

Black Butte ahead

looking back towards Mt Shasta

winding our way between the peaks

entering Oregon

creeping back down on the other side

outside Roseburg, Oregon, meandering between the hills

a wet patch around Eugene

grey northwest skies

we're back in evergreen forested areas, and also a lumber industry

crossing the mighty Columbia River into Washington

close to our exit in Centralia, we saw a double rainbow.... I took it as an auspicious
sign that more Alpine travels are in our future.... perhaps even full-time travel...

Mountain Gate RV park ablaze with blossoms

We tried two new RV parks. The one in Santa Nella was OK, good enough for a quick overnight stop, the only negative being the highway noise. 
Mountain Gate RV Park just north of Redding is pretty, but also close to the highway, which though noisy is at least convenient. The spots are large and level.

Seven Feathers is one of our favorite stops, as I know it is for most of the folks who travel the I-5 corridor. We decided to break up the tedium of the long drive and stay two nights. We try to stick to our rules of 2's and took breaks after driving for 2 hours, depending on how conveniently spaced the next rest stop was. However, taking a two-night break didn't make sense until we got to Seven Feathers, which is a great spot to stay over. Historically, Canyonville was a rest stop for pioneers traveling to California and Oregon. Today it continues to serve RV-ers and truckers. The casino across the highway is also a great excuse to enjoy a buffet dinner for a change of pace.

at one of the rest stops with the trucks

At Seven Feathers, Michael tried a different tack to extend the room slide. He had me pretty rattled when he tried a method recommended by another Alpiner of letting gravity help. He proceeded to lower the right-side jacks and then deflate the airbags so that Alpine tilted precariously (my interpretation) to the left. Next he extended the slide (which slid out without a problem). 

the 10-10-10- Seven Feathers RV Resort

With Alpine tilted to one side and the slide out, all I could envision was gravity doing the rest and our Alpine lying toppled on its side. Thankfully that did not happen, and he proceeded to level the coach. I think DH has now come to the conclusion after looking at my panicked face and huge eyes that this method perhaps ought not to be repeated. 

We felt rested after our day at Seven Feathers and ready to tackle the rest of the long haul. We arrived in Centralia around 3PM, pulled in at Brazels RV and plugged in. We will spend the night here and in the morning Alan will replace a Jeep wire after which we will be off again on the last 85-mile stretch. 

It's been yet another terrific Alpine adventure. We spent time at our favorite beach, explored the desert, dry-camped for the first time, met more Alpiners, and more full-timers. With every trip, the question: Why must we go home? echos louder and louder. Most of our Alpine friends have remained in the desert and are enjoying the sunshine and good weather. Perhaps next year we will be joining them too.

And so, after our 3,144-mile Beach-to-Desert trip, I am signing off until we are back on the road again. The next Alpine rally we plan to join is the NoWACA Sisters/Bend Rally in Oregon in June. 
But, we may take a side-trip or two before that, to our other favorite spot on the water - Anacortes. 
Or.....