From Rolling Hills to Seven Feathers....

We left Rolling Hills RV Park, in northern California, for Canyonville, Oregon, yesterday (Sunday) morning.  The clear blue skies and warm temperatures signaled a clear path over the passes.  It was a treat to view the beautiful topography during our 5+ hour drive.

Diane took photos of our rig on I-5

The weather so often presents rain, snow or a mix of both in this area.  So to travel under blue skies was very nice. 

Traffic was light for our Sunday drive.

While Hector and I were golfing the great Sevillano Golf Links Course @ Rolling Hills, CA, Jeanette and Diane drove around the area and dropped in on some interesting spots. 

Jeanette was surprised to find 'moonshine' being sold in a boutique retail outlet.  Imagine that?

This area is famous for olives so it is not surprising to find an olive hut or two in the neighbourhood. I love olives.....and to try out the numerous varieties is attracting.

Looking west on the Sevillano Links Golf Course.

Came close to landing in the sand bunker....!

Sevillano is a great golf course!  The sand bunkers play so well and the greens were razor fast; just at they should be.

Hector did hole this put.  I was witness to that.

Our Tee off was for 10:00 am and it was still a bit cool.  An hour after starting out, the sun had heated things up and the wind breakers came off.  I so enjoyed playing this course.  And I will play it again. Hector concurred.

The golf course sent a shuttle service to pick us up at our RV sites.  Very classy!

Our site at the Rolling Hills RV Park....closed up and readying to drive out.

Jeanette and I are not casino gamblers.  We are not drawn to RV Casino sites for the card playing or the one armed bandits.  That said, Rolling Hills does offer some nice sites and, with the golf so close by, it is a place we would never hesitate to drop in on.

Shasta Lake

We both found the water level low; based on our recall of the lake levels in earlier years. Not sure what to make of that.

There were a few small pleasure boats plying the waters.

Nice roads for a Sunday drive.

Mt. Shasta shone bright!  The recent rains that impacted this area left a nice white coat of snow on that gorgeous landmark.

A long and winding road.........

About six hours after the start of our Sunday drive, we had arrived at the Seven Feathers RV Resort and Casino in the small town of Canyonville, Oregon.  Regular readers may recall that this place is a favourite stop on our route down to the U.S. southwest and, occasionally, on our return drive home. When the weather is inclement, we usually do not stop in here when heading north.  With sunny skies and truly warm temperatures, this was a must stop.  It is so nice here that we booked in for two nights.

Our site - and check out the blue skies.....!

Hector and Diane convoyed along with us and being parked next to each other was accommodating to enjoy a happy hour and Diane's meal of soft tacos.  And, to enjoy that meal while seated outdoors in t-shirts and shorts tells you just how nice it truly was.

All the deciduous trees are leafing out.  The birch trees, that dot every site, are dropping their seeds and I got busy sweeping the walkways at our site and Hector/Diane's too.

Did someone call for a cleaning/sweeping service?

We enjoyed the spa facilities before calling it a night.  When we woke up this morning (Monday), there was a hint of fog that burned off by 10:30 am.  We are now back under blue skies, warm sun and ready to enjoy another wonderful southern Oregon day.

Did I hear Hector talking about finding another golf course?   I may have heard right.  We'll see.  Jeanette and Diane left earlier for a long walk down to the town centre.

It is all good!

Thanks for dropping in.

Diablo Was Grande...Sevillano Is Next...

Blue skies greet us this Saturday morning in Corning, CA.  The temperature is set to heat up.  Yeah to that!

When we left you in the previous blog, we were heading off to play the Troon associated 'Diablo Grande' Golf and Country Club that is nestled in the green hills immediately east of Patterson, CA.  It was a demanding day on the links course but one not to forget.

WEB LINK:   Diablo Grande

The secured entrance into Diablo Grande.

Hector and I were greeted at the secure gates to the private facility where we were issued a day pass.  The 'Ranch Golf Course' is surrounded by houses and the 'Legends Course' - our choice for play - is surrounded by green hills.  This is a beautiful area.

After hitting a few practice balls, we were greeted by the statue of Gene Sarazen - the old time golf pro and co-designer of the 'Legends Course' - on our way to the starting hole.

This links style course is demanding.  There is trouble every which way.  The key to playing well is to keep one's golf ball in the short grass and away from the numerous fairway bunkers and natural rough.

The opening hole.

Looking back at the first class club house.

Hector was in full form for play and he did well on the front nine.  I, on the other hand, had more trouble finding my swing rhythm, for the first few holes....but I did smarten up and equaled Hector's score on the back nine.  

Stunning rolling hills surounded us and several vineyards could be seen too.

Hector found himself in some easy rough.  He played this shot brilliantly.

We both found our balls in the rough, near the water to the right, but we're able to land the green.  A demanding Par 5 hole.

The greens on this Legends course are fantastic.  They read true.  Find the line and your ball will track towards the hole.  In our case, we felt the greens keepers had placed smaller than normal cups because our putts would often rim the cup and not fall in.  We'll have to check into that!!!  LOL

When we started the round, it was breezy and a bit cool....but the wind breakers did come off part way into play.

We had a good day on the course.....and marveled on the fact that we did get to find this gem and that we did get to play it.  And.....we plan to play it again in the years going forward.

We're not certain on the reason 'behind' this statue but she greets everyone who arrives at this gated and private resort.  This photo was taken on our way out.

While we were at golf, Jeanette and Diane toured the area around the small city of Patterson, CA.  They enjoyed a good day of browsing and came home with some fresh strawberries too. Amazon.com has one of its ginormous warehouses here.

Diane in front of the Museum in Patterson

Jeanette and Diane found one of several almond patches that make this area famous.

Almonds are grown here and there are numerous almond specialty stores in every town and small city.

Chico got to spend the day out with Diane and Jeanette.

The strawberries that we got to enjoy.....

Our planned route yesterday (Friday) was to head further north, on I-5, to northern California.  We had set our sights on the Durango RV Resort in Red Bluff, CA, but, while working the radios between our rigs while driving, we opted to stop and check out the Rolling Hills Casino and RV Park in Corning; just south from Red Bluff and Redding.

 Rain greeted our Friday morning.....

Sacramento

Several heavy downpours greeted us on our drive north.  We no longer have any desert dust and sand on our truck  and 5th wheel.

Rolling in to Rolling Hills Resort.

Without reservations, we got one of the very last spots available in the RV Park.  Yea to that!  Not only that, we discovered another golf course of note.  Fueling our desire to play it, Jeanette and Diane chose to take a walk and, unknown to us, booked a 10:00 am tee off for today (Saturday).  While they were at the clubhouse, I was on the telephone to the clubhouse and, as it turned out, I booked an 11:00 am tee off.....!  Once back at our site, Diane and Jeanette told us about booking the golf and that's when the laughter began.  I called back to cancel the 11:00 am tee time in favour of the 10:00 am time.  So.....Hector and I will be playing the Sevillano Links At Rolling Hills, CA.

For the golfing enthusiast....or the curious....have a look at the Sevillano WEB site.  A John Daly Signature course, it offers some incredibly challenging golf holes.....!  And, we're up to the challenge.

WEB SITE:     Sevillano Links | Northern California Golf Resort | Rolling Hills Casino 

The clubhouse at Sevillano

Jeanette captured this photo of Diane looking out on the links golf course.

Although not in our original plans - but with golf now on the agenda - we have opted to stay two nights here before continuing our drive into Oregon tomorrow (Sunday).

These last minute RV plans have sure wielded some pleasantly unplanned golf for Hector and I.  What a gift that is!  On the other hand, Jeanette and Diane (non-golfers) have the opportunities to tour the areas while Hector and I play our round.  It is win-win!  The ladies were quick to book us our golf so we know they had their own agenda!

Oh, yes, we had often heard from RVers who've traveled through here that the Rolling Hills Casino buffet is a must have.  Well, we did just that, last evening.  The theme was 'sea food'.  We did partake in the food fare. No regrets whatsoever!  The buffet was as good as folks made it out to be.

All right!  On with our day.

Thanks for dropping by.

An Unbelievable Find in North Central California.....

Our Tuesday was uneventful.  Hitched up, we were driving out of Sam's Spa and RV Resort around 10:30 am.  It would be a short, four hour drive to Orange Grove RV Park near Bakersfield, CA.

Although it was April Fools Day, no one made fools of us!

Once the electric meter was read and the statement was ready, we paid our bill and pulled out of the resort.  Hector and Diane convoyed along with us.  We led the way, this time around.  

Soon to depart from Desert Hot Springs.

The weather for our departure was quite nice but the Santa Anna winds were trending with a western blow and that would only be helpful as we climbed Highway 62 north and east to Yucca Valley.

Dillon Road - heading west to Highway 62.

The long climb up Highway 62 on our way to Yucca Valley.

The long climb up Highway 62 led us to Highway 247 north, on our route to Highway 58, near Barstow, CA.  We did end up fighting the wind for most of our drive but being directly into it only used up a few more gallons of diesel.  Other than that, the drive was easy.

Edwards Air Force Base - east of Tehachapi, CA

Following a long stretch of west bound, level highway, we arrived to climb the high hills at Tehachapi.  This is a beautiful area.  With homes perched on the high hills and snow at the higher elevations, driving through here is very pleasant.....unless the roads ice up.  We had good roads all the way.

Lovely home at the top of this hill.

Only about 20 miles from Orange Grove RV, we radioed Hector and Diane to continue through to the RV park while we pulled off and into a truck stop to fuel up.  We arrived at Orange Grove minutes after Hector and Diane had finished their set up.

We did not reserve but learned that we had taken the last two long pull through sites.  Orange Grove RV Park is very, very busy with snow birds heading back for home.  We'll certainly reserve next year.

Diane and Hector hosted dinner.  It was a bit breezy and cool so we ate indoors.  Following some TV time and internet browsing (email stuff too) we called it a night.  Early the next morning, Jeanette and I took a walk around the park.  It was full to the rafters.  Even the over flow was full.

I noticed the price of propane was $3.40/gallon and, with one of our two 30 lb tanks dry, I carried the tank to the office where a nice young fella juiced it up for me.  He gave me a ride back to our site.  Good thing for that because our site was about as far away from the office as one could imagine.

Hector and I walking Chico before driving out of the Orange Grove RV Park.

With a planned departure for 10:00 am, we were buttoned up and ready to head west through Bakersfield, then north for a brief while on Highway 99 before heading west on Highway 46, through Wasco, and later on to I-5 at Lost Hills, CA.

Nestled in the orange groves.  The trees are now in flower.

Jeanette and Diane did manage to find a few oranges to tide us over for the days ahead.  This is such a special place and we always enjoy an overnight or two in this park.

A fruitful basket.......

Leaving our site at Orange Grove.

The exit from Orange Grove at 10:00 am was easy, peasy.  Most snowbirds had long left the park.

The beautiful hills along I-5 in central and northern California.  The recent rains sure greened up the hills.

With one stop for lunch along our route to Patterson, CA and our overnight stop at Kit Fox RV, the entire drive was only 3.5 hours.  By 3:00 pm, we were well settled in to the RV park and, once unhitched, we drove to Diablo Grande to check out two most beautiful golf courses.  Jeanette and Diane had found these golf courses online and we wanted to check them out.  Talk about BEAUTIFUL!  For you golfing aficionados, check out the WEB sites below by clicking on the links. You will not be disappointed!

Diablo Grande          Experience Troon Golf Luxury Golf Courses 

The figurine on the right is of Gene Sarazen - famous golfer and golf course designer.

Gene Sarazen (/ˈsɑrəzɛn/;^[1] February 27, 1902 – May 13, 1999) was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers (along with Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods) to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam: U.S. Open in 1922, 1932, PGA Championship in 1922, 1923, 1933, The Open Championship in 1932,^[2] and Masters Tournament in 1935.  (Wikipedia)

Sarazen, along with Jack Nicklaus, designed the LEGENDS COURSE that Hector and I are booked to play today.  What a treat that will be!  To play Troon Type golf courses is a treat anytime. We sure look forward to playing the Diablo Grande Legends Golf Course.  

Now, Troon golf courses are very expensive to play and this one, situated out of the way in the green hills near Patterson , CA - and at least 90 minutes east from San Fransisco - is a sweet deal at only $39 - cart included.  We hardly could believe our luck!  We qualified for the senior rate.  By comparison, the Troon golf courses in Scottsdale, AZ cost $350 on average to play.  (Yes, you did read right....)  $39 to play this Troon Golf course is an unbelievable deal.  For us, it is a steal.....!  It is well worth the second overnight, here in Patterson, CA to play this pristine facility.

While Hector and I are busy with golf, Diane and Jeanette will be touring the area around Patterson.  The town was modeled after the city layouts of Washington, D.C. and Paris, France using circles and radiating streets.  Trees abound.  There are wineries, museums and other attractions to keep their appetite whetted for the entire time we spend on the green turf of a championship golf course.

More on our golf experience in the days ahead.....!

The view from the beautiful clubhouse near the starting hole on the Legends Golf Course.

Jeanette captured this photo of us hanging out at the Diablo Grande Golf Resort.

Kit Fox RV Park was in our plans for an overnight, well before we headed for home from Desert Hot Springs.  We were happy to read Rick & Paulette's RV Travels blog with their thoughts on this place when they rolled through here several days earlier than us.  It is good overnight spot, located far enough away from I-5 to offer some peace and quiet.  We both slept well last night.

Tomorrow (Thursday) will see us head further into northern California and our planned overnight stays at the Durango RV Resort in Red Bluff, CA.

Thanks for dropping by. 

Exit Day

That's right!  Today is our planned exit from Desert Hot Springs.  We are slowly heading back for our home in the Pacific Northwest - the south coast of British Columbia.

Monday morning - before the heat of day.

With our departure planned for today - Tuesday - I had planned to caulk the areas showing signs of minor cracking on the roof of our 5th wheel.  This is preventative maintenance - pure and simple.  Using mineral spirits to clean the affected areas, applied Dicor (self leveling) caulking to fix those areas I felt needed a touch up.  I was on the roof for a couple of hours; well before the heat of day.

I got up there before Jeanette was up....and when she had enough of my puttering about the roof, she got out and took the photos above.

After lunch, the motorcycle was loaded onto the swivel wheel.

Strapped on and ready for the journey.

We did spend some time with our packing process before we called it a day and headed to the pool/spa area for a final day of R&R.

The pool/spa area was not too busy but there was some evidence of spring break with some kids in the pool

 Jeanette opted to find a lounge chair in the sun and continue reading the 'Chris Hadfield - Astronaut' story.  I checked out the hot springs pools and finished off with a swim in the pool.

One of the two or three cats that call the pool area home.

As the day waned, we put a few more things away before joining Hector and Diane for some turkey burgers.  

Ready to hitch up.....

We called it an early night while listening to the Santa Anna winds continue to blow through this area. Other than a few days without, the winds have reared up quite regularly these past several days.

Early evening sun set - last night.

So....we'll see where our journey leads us today but our plan, so far, is to overnight at the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield.  

Till later.......!

 Thanks for dropping by.