Heading south towards Texas

Our southbound route took us first to Bend, Oregon where we spent a week. We decided to try a different route along Route 26 past Mt Hood. The AAA shows it as a dotted road, and indeed it was very pretty and scenic, despite the fog. It felt mysterious and appropriate for this time of year with Halloween approaching.

somewhere around Government Camp along route 26 in Oregon

Predictably once we crossed the mountains to the other side, the sky in the east was blue and bright, with scattered fluffy white clouds. 

a dry, khaki landscape

one of the many rivers in Oregon

Michael's sister lives in Bend and it's always a stop we look forward to. We parked our home at the Elks which suited us well, and had good visits with the family. We also went to the Elks dinner dance on Friday.
Bend has so much to offer when it comes to parks and trails. We went for several long walks. 

along the Deschutes River Walk

river walk at Smith Rock State Park

spectacular formations at Smith Rock SP, a blend of hardened volcanic ash

From Bend we continued on to Eugene for an appointment with RV Glass to have the driver side windshield replaced. We got our first starburst back in June, and by October it had spread into a long crack. 
The drive from Sisters to McKenzie Bridge along Routes 20 and 126 is also a dotted road on the AAA map and therefore designated as scenic. The fall colors were splendid.

fall colors adding a blaze of color to the volcanic landscape (you can see the crack in the windshield)

When we pulled in to the RV Glass facility there was another Alpine there. It was the Doerns, Ed and Diane. 

you could call this a kiss rally..haha!

It took a day to replace the windshield and another night under the cover in the bay, hooked up to 25 amp electricity. The Doerns will be in Texas too.

The next morning we were back on the road, straight down I-5 to the Elks in Redding, California. It was a smooth ride down I-5, with a quick fill-up stop at Seven Feathers. And because there are scales, you guessed it, Michael had us weighed.  Thankfully with a full tank of fuel and the other tanks about 25% full, the total came in just 20 lbs overweight.  So I don't need to jettison any extra baggage - I can keep my machines and fabric stash - phew!

Crossing the Siskiyous we wondered if it was hazy or smokey up ahead. Mt Shasta was hidden and Lake Shasta was veiled. More than likely we were seeing smoke from the awful current Northern California fires. 

crossing into California

Shasta Lake

The next morning we were off to A&N Diesel for Steve to look at a couple of things Michael wanted to have done. He replaced a very old-looking coolant filter and fixed a leaking HWH jack solenoid.  He also recorded the axle serial numbers and called the manufacturer to determine the weight rating.  And the good news is that our axles are each rated at 1500 lbs higher than stated on our federal label on the coach.  Yippee!  I can carry 1 ½ tons more stuff in the storage bay!

From Redding, our plan was to continue on to Petaluma Elks for a couple of days. It is located within driving distance of San Rafael where Michael's brother lives and where his mother is currently spending time. Unfortunately she has had some health issues and has most recently been in hospital yet again. However, because of the recent and tragic fires in that area, the Elks called to advise us not to come because of the smoke and also because they were offering space to evacuees.
We went to plan B and found a really neat spot at Duck Island RV Resort in Rio Vista right on the Sacramento River, putting us just west of I-5 and east of San Rafael. We were lucky to find a spot in their overflow area as there is the Bass Derby fishing event this weekend and the park is full.  Although the overflow site only had water and 30 amp electricity, it actually had the prettiest location in the park. 
It will be a long commute in to visit Mom but at least we are not in the line of fire and with any luck the winds will co-ooperate and not blow smoke our way.

our home along the Sacramento River

our own private fishing dock

smoke west of us hanging over the Bay Area

sunset...an eerie orb setting behind the curtain of smoke

There was a fair going on across the river from us and at night we could see the lights on the ferris wheel and other rides. On Saturday evening we were treated to fireworks at the fair which we watched from our private dock.

Tomorrow we continue our southbound travels, nose pointed to Pismo Beach for a short respite.