When we were out sailing in Yohelah, changing plans to accommodate weather was a frequent event. Rob once said in a blog as we crossed the North Pacific that “We spend all our time watching the weather trying to stay between lows and highs, under the illusion we can dodge and weave our way across the ocean in favorable winds.” We knew we could rarely outrun bad weather sailing at 5 knots, but now we have our trusty tow vehicle moving at 55 mph. And this trip was all about dodging and weaving and actually missing the storms.
The image above is a typical forecasting tool we used when crossing an ocean. Here at home we just need a weather forecast from our smart phone and word from the locals about what they know is headed their way. And that’s exactly what we got on our very first night out on our April trip to Yosemite. We pulled into a Marionberry Farm south of Portland, which is a Harvest Host site, and soon learned from the owners that a big storm was coming in the next night. A little bit of research soon revealed a need to pivot on the next day’s plans and make a run south.
We had a reservation at a lovely winery in a canyon west of Medford, and called them first thing to cancel the stop. We made plans for an early departure to get across the Siskiyou mountains ahead of a big incoming snow storm. We carry chains for the truck and the trailer, but seriously did not want to use them. We looked at the elevation profile for Weed, CA and thought that would be a low enough altitude for an overnight stay, but found when we arrived for lunch that we were still high enough in the mountains that the forecast for snow was likely going to happen there also. So we continued south out of the mountains towards Redding.
As we drove south out of the mountains I was searching for a spot to camp for the night. There was no Harvest Host close by, so I searched the Recreation.gov (national parks) site. Bingo, a tiny little campground on the shores of Lake Shasta. That sounds delightful. We drove down a long windy road and found a spot at the little campground, then went to explore the lake. We knew the lake level was low from what we had seen driving by in February, but were surprised to find no water at all in this arm of the lake. It was, however, a suitable campsite for a quick overnight.
Since we had traveled so much further the day before, we now had a very short day to our next stop, a winery in the foothills east of Redding. It is a boutique winery in a small AVA called Manton Valley. The winery website states that “The large swings in temperature of this microclimate from the summer heat of over 100 degrees during the day, then to cool into the 70’s from the cool breezes from Mt. Lassen in the evenings give the grapes grown here flavors found nowhere else.” Unfortunately, we were still tangling with the storm moving inland, and that temperature swing proved to be something the vineyard could not outrun.
When we woke in the morning we found the winemaker had already discovered the impact of the storm, which brought a hard freeze overnight and destroyed the new vines. He said this had happened once before and he lost all but 10% of that year’s crops. We felt so awful for him, but he took it in stride, saying he was a farmer and that’s what happens sometimes when you farm. He’s actually retired from a career in construction and him and his wife live in an RV on the 6 acre plot that he farms. He bottles “big reds”, and was a delightful host. He even let Rob & I pitch in and help cut back the remaining 9 rows of last year’s crop (9 rows that for sure will survive this year).
The next stop was another Harvest Host, Raging Bull Vineyards, in a small town west of Sacramento. If Harvest Hosts starts a “Super Host” designation like Air BNB has, this site will definitely qualify. They own a few hundred acres of stunningly beautiful pastureland, and grow grapes on a small portion of it. I was allowed to take my bicycle and explore the property, and it is gorgeous. The hosts are delightful and the stop was perfect. This will be on a must return list.
Now having been several days dry camping with no hookups, it was time to prepare for a week in Yosemite, also without hookups. So I had a reservation at a California State Park just east of Sacramento. And it really was in the Sacramento suburbs. But it was clean and quiet and gave us what we needed to replenish water and power and empty tanks. We also got the bikes out and pedaled a circumnavigation of Folsom Prison on the Johnny Cash Trail. There is a longer trail into old town Sacramento, but we didn’t have that much time. It was a perfect stop, although we got drenched in the morning from another stupid rainstorm.
And then it was time for Yosemite! I cannot begin to put into words how beautiful this park is in the springtime. There are a bunch more pictures here: Yosemite Pix. The best thing we did was bring our bikes and explore the entire valley. We got away from the crowds and had a lovely picnic along the river. We saw Yosemite Falls (remember all the recent rain?) and hiked up to Vernal Falls (not realizing the elevation gain on that little walk). One night I quietly lifted a glass and toasted my BFF’s late husband Bob, who said everyone should see Yosemite in the springtime – Bob you totally knew this! We had three fabulous days in the valley and one day hiking down to a sequoia grove and one day hiding out in the trailer from absolute drenching rain. If ever I get the chance again, I’d love to go back later in the year when more of the park is open.
With yet another rainstorm (and possible snow at our campsite elevation) coming in, we pivoted again and left Yosemite a day early. We were headed to Sonoma wine country to pick up a quarterly release at a winery we belong to. I found a spot at the Napa Expo Center RV park, which was perfect for the evening. It is just across the river from the delightful town of Napa. A quick dinner in town and laundry in the morning, and we were off to Sonoma.
When we were in Sonoma last February for our birthdays, we stopped at Roth Estate Winery. The host pouring our tasting convinced us we should join because it was part of the Foley Family Wines. Normally, belonging to a wine club so far away has little benefit, but now we can go to any Foley property and get free tastings and discounts anywhere in the world. So we chose a trip to the property where I believe the Foleys began their wine adventure and currently have a home, Chalk Hill Winery. We enjoyed a marvelous time chatting with the host there and had some of the most delicious Chardonnay I’ve ever tasted. Unfortunately a case was way far out of my budget, but I did manage to slip a couple of bottles into the trailer for the trip home.
That last night in wine country we also stayed for free at at Harvest Host, Mayo Family Winery. We enjoyed a lovely tasting before turning in, and also added a couple more bottles to my growing collection. In the morning we would head for the coast.
We stayed in another California State Park named Sue-Meg, which has recently been renamed to the original name given by the local Indians. The park was only partially opened, still being early in the year, and we had a nice walk around. Another time we’ll get out the bikes here, as this is a huge property with lots to see. I did get out my phone and start playing with the cameras on this trip and this is the coolest shot. It’s actually a very tight zoom far away across a big bay.
This is the first snap across the bay, and the pic above is just a zoom in close at the far side of the bay.
The next stop was two nights at an Oregon State Park in Coos Bay. We know by now that the Oregon State parks are always amazing and clean and nice to stay at, so I booked two nights here. What I didn’t know was that there was a nice long walking trail along the coast and we had a great walk one day taking pictures of the always beautiful Oregon Coast.
Our last stop was the Sea Ranch RV park in Cannon Beach, and I’ll just leave it at a “NO”. Dirty, unpleasant hosts, overpriced. Yuck. Happily, though, our pals Bill & Dara drove out from Portland and we had a marvelous dinner catching up with two of our very favorite people.
Here is a Google Map of the trip. I’ll add some directions and info as I learn how to use those features in an embedded map.
Because this trip was about a trip to Yosemite, I’ll leave this little panorama photo as a last look at that beautiful park. In the end you can see in the pix we did manage to outrun the worst of the weather. We had a few rainy days here and there, but it’s April.