Blue California Skies but Icky Thousand Trails Park

 

Getting ready to get on the road takes a little bit of time.  There are things to finish up, people to hug, laundry to do,  groceries to stock up on and weather forecasts to check.  Most of that was accomplished by Saturday.   Originally we had planned to leave Washington State about November 1st.  Dates are usually “about” and not necessarily “on”.  Rains were originally supposed to be out of the picture for the first part of the week.  However, weather forecasters weren’t quite accurate. 

After an early Sunday morning breakfast with family, we pulled onto I5.  It was raining but by the time we were south of Portland most of the heavy rain was gone and by the time we were south of Eugene, the rest of it had disappeared.  Instead we were looking at some beautiful blue skies.  Those blue skies were definitely a beautiful sight.  Our intent wasn’t to make it a long travel day.  We were actually dragging our feet and figured we’d only go as far as the Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville.  It was hard to stop so early but we were going to try to make it a leisurely trip south instead of the long days we had been used to in the past.

One thing we like about stopping at this casino is that it’s an easy on and easy off the freeway location.   There are two places to park your RV at the casino.  One is a full hookup RV park across the freeway and the other is a dry camping area right next to the casino.  We chose the dry camping.   After getting setup we trudged our way across the lot to check out the buffet.  Sometimes the buffets at casinos are a gastronomic extravaganza and other times not so much.  It’s all about what you like to eat.  I loved the seafood and the chicken.  However, Terry is not a fan of either seafood or chicken and the prime rib was over cooked.  Needless to say, he was disappointed.

Those little slot machines were waiting for a donation.  I did my duty and did just that.  I thought they were tight, tight, tight but maybe I’m just a poor loser.  Oh well, back to the motorhome I went …. empty pockets and all.

The next morning we were on the road again.  Our destination ….. another casino.  This time it was the Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, California.  It would be another short day and that was the plan.  First, we had to tackle the Siskiyou Mountains.  The roads were dry, the skies were blue and the only snow we saw was at the top of Mt.Shasta.  It was another event free driving day.  Instead of boondocking this time in the huge lot, we opted for a full hookup site instead.  The rate for full hookups was $28 a night but after $20 in free slot play, the night only cost $8 that night.  However, whoever said parking at any casino is free, doesn’t know what they’re talking about.  It’s not free at all whether you visit the slots or chow down at the buffet.  

The following morning we were on the road again.  It would be another pretty short day.  We had about 220 miles to go.  This time we were heading towards a Thousand Trails park south of San Jose.  It was a new destination for us.  We hadn’t been there and had no idea what to expect. First we had to get through all the traffic we expected in the area we were traveling through.  The good thing was we weren’t going through the Sacramento / Stockton area but the bad thing was we were hitting those freeways outside of San Francisco.  I guess you swap one heavy traveled area for another.  We did just that.  The roads were heavy with vehicles but it was still an uneventful travel day.

Pulling into our intended resort we noticed a sign to check out the park’s new upgraded 50amp sites.  Okay, we checked them out and we weren’t impressed.  I can’t even say we have full hookups because we don’t.  We don’t have sewer.  Our Dish Network antenna needs a clear view of the sky to get reception.  This park had so many trees, many of the sites were on top of each other, sites were fairly full and even unlevel.  We weren’t happy campers.  Terry wanted to go on but go on where?  Eventually, we did find a site that worked and then were off to check out the rest of the park.   The huge pool was closed for the season and  laundry room full with folks.  I was even disappointed with the lodge.  The furniture was old, torn and dirty.  Tables, chairs and pianos were loaded with dust.  The room was downright dirty.  What’s happening?   The park also appeared to be full of permanent residents and not the kind who pay $4000 a year for an annual site.  The Thousand Trail parks used to be the Cadillac of RV Resorts.  I’m thinking this one is an Edsel (remember those?).

 

 

The good thing is we rolled back the rainy fall weather of Washington state.  We’re now in the warm sunshine of California. With that in mind,  we settled down for the night.  First it was dinner and then it was to watch the mid-term election results on TV.   Our reservations were for three nights.  We’re sneaking out after two. Even one night here is one night too many.   Sometimes we luck out and stay at great parks.  Other times we’re not so lucky.

‘Tis life on the road.

You don’t need magic to disappear.  All you need is a destination.