On the Road Again...

Well, I'm on the road again, at least for a few weeks.

I've spent the past 3 months caring for my elderly mother after she fell and broke her hip, her femur and 3 ribs. It's been exhausting, but healing. She and I have never been particularly close (she didn't rear me), and this has given us an opportunity to reconnect, so I'm grateful.  However, caring for an elderly person is difficult, and we both realized it was time for a much-needed break from each other.

I hired a housekeeper who would help her with her showers, signed her up for Meals on Wheels, gave the house key to 4 close neighbors, and hit the road!

I'm headed up to Portland, Oregon to visit my 3 sons and their families for the 4th of July. Then, if mom does ok, I'm hoping to meet up with a group of van-dwelling friends on the Oregon Coast for a week.

It was SO GOOD to be back in my little rolling home!

Yesterday I drove 8 hours, just to get out of the heat of the San Joaquin Valley.  The scenery was beautiful!  Here is a shot of Mt. Shasta from a rest stop along the way:

Last night I thought I'd sleep in the Walmart parking lot in Yreka, where they do allow overnighters. However, there was some type of race car activity going on and it was LOUD!  One nice thing about van dwelling is the option of putting the key in the ignition and driving away.  I headed up the hill to Rain Rock Casino, and ended up with a beautiful quiet night of sleep!

View from my van door:

The casino is fairly new and was quiet. If you stay there, you can register your license plate with security and they have a lot just for RVs and overnighters. But I simply and stealthily parked on the outer edge of the regular lot. It was wonderful!  Quiet, cool, and safe.  Inside, there are nice clean bathrooms and free pop and coffee.  The food reviews aren't great, but the place is new. I suspect it will get better as they get more experienced.  However, with Yreka 2 minutes away, a person can find Thai, Black Bear, and other restaurant options, or shop for groceries at Walmart. I eat Thai food each time I visit Yreka (a regular stop over the years) and it is VERY good, though a bit spendy.

Today I'll meet up with friends in Medford, then tomorrow head for Portland. I'm hoping to connect with Phyllis and Suanne and Nelda and Jerry and .... as many of my van-dwelling buddies as possible, along with my family, before having to head back down to California.

Stay tuned .  .  . and Happy Trails!
Annie