Every Which Way but Right

This has been a stressful day.  It started out calm as we leisurely ate breakfast and packed up the motorhome.  In fact, the first 100 miles was very nice as we traveled back up Highway 199 to Grant's Pass.

Stumps with roots attached of the redwoods can be found everywhere.  This one was at the entrance/exit of the KOA.

The firefighters in this area are very appreciated.  Homemade signs like this one are found along the roads.  The rain overnight seems to have helped with the fires.  The staging area on route 199 was almost empty and it was full when we came by on Friday.

I couldn't resist taking a few more pictures along the route as we drove 199 back to Grant's Pass.

We drove 199 westward and were on the inside lane so we didn't see the Smith River running along the canyon beside the road.

A river named Illinois runs through the Illinois Valley between Crescent City and Grant's Pass.

We arrived at Grant's Pass without incident.  I saw this assortment of windmills at a business named "The Water Hole."  I assume the business is water related.

The picture above and below was taken on I-5 South as we headed to Medford, Oregon.

Medford, Oregon is where we went wrong.   The highway we needed to take to Klamath Falls was not an exit from I-5.  I had googled the directions but the street signs didn't appear quickly enough for us to make all our turns.   Remember, we are in a 34-foot RV with almost 15 additional feet attached with our toad.  You just can't turn it around on a dime.   While looking for a place to turn around, we discovered a street we needed to be on but east instead of west.  We ended up going around a big square and got back on the correct road.  The whole incident took about 30 minutes of being lost in  town in which we are very unfamiliar.  Finally we found the correct route and headed east on 140 to Klamath Falls.

This highway had some nice scenery.  We had to cross a 5500 mountain pass so it was slow going uphill.  When we got close to the top, Sandy started shaking her head and pacing the length of the motorhome.  I think her ears may have been causing her some problems.  Fortunately, when we got to the bottom, she settled down.  We have been up passes this high on the trip and she didn't have any trouble.  

Finally, we made it to the top and followed the road down into Klamath Falls.  Again, we had directions but the street signs were not visible soon enough for us to make the necessary turns.  I guess I needed to use binoculars when we are looking for specific street signs.  Finally, we made it to the KOA.  It is nice.  There is actually a gas pump at the entrance so we can fill up with gas before we leave here on Thursday.  We spoke with our friends and we will be meeting them tomorrow morning.
This has been a stressful day and we are glad to relax for the evening.  We had been seeing Abby's Legendary Pizza in some of the cities we had driven through so we ordered a pizza for supper.  The pizza was delicious and it feels good to just sit and chill for the rest of the evening.

It is definitely colder here.  From the looks of the clouds, rain is on the way.  I listened to the local forecast and not only rain but snow may be on the way.   It is already snowing at Crater Lake.  The forecast calls for rain at Klamath Falls and up to 6 inches of snow at Crater Lake.  It would be just our luck that the park would be closed!  It is supposed to be above 32 during the day so I'm sure the roads will be clear.  The people around here are happy about the snow and rain because of the fires.  The level of danger for fires has already been lowered and air quality has improved.  However, they are saying that if the rains are heavy, flooding could occur where the fires have burned off all the vegetation.   

Here is our spot for the next three nights and two days.

We actually have a nice view from the front window.  I think we may need the heat tonight.    I may even get to wear some of the sweatshirts I packed.