Today was our final six-hour driving day for awhile. We left the relative flatlands around Red Bluff to climb into the Mt. Shasta and Shasta Lake area. Last year when we crossed the bridge over Lake Shasta, it looked like it had a giant bathtub ring around it because the water level was so low. This year, the water level has risen to its normal level, but the damage from the huge fires last year is everywhere on the mountains surrounding the lake. On the ridges above the northeast portion of the lake, the burned and downed trees were being harvested to recover at least some value.
When we reached Yreka, California, we started a serious climb into Oregon. We climbed over 3,000 feet to cross Siskiyou Summit, as well as three or four other passes on the way north. It seemed like every time we crossed a summit, we dropped down into a valley only to start right back up another mountain. Our motorhome definitely got a workout today; especially pulling our Explorer behind it.
We're camping at Twin Rivers Vacation Park for the next four nights. It's just outside Roseburg, Oregon, where the Upper and Lower Umpqua Rivers merge. All the campsites are shaded by mature Douglas firs, bigleaf maples, and red alders. It doesn't have great facilities if you're looking for swimming pools, exercise rooms, and fancy amenities. But if you want large, level campsites, lots of green grass and trees, and a quiet, peaceful "vibe," this is close to a perfect campground.
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