Oregon Bound

The day we left Laughlin, we were still unsure of our route back north. The trip down I-5 had scared us. However, we took our chances and ended up rolling uneventfully along the highway. We stopped for the night at a Flying J Travel Plaza in the middle of California.

The next day, we were greeted to a beautiful, hazy morning. We left the Flying J and continued north into warm and sunny weather. Life was good.



Then the smell arrived as we approached Harris Ranch in Coalinga, aka Cowschwitz. This overpopulated, smelly cattle feedlot is just a sad reminder of American’s overconsumption of animal products. Passing it only breaks my heart knowing the fate of all the poor, defenseless cows preparing to be someone’s dinner.



The Win River Casino in Redding, California was to be our home for the night. As we drove towards the casino, I got a funny feeling that we had been on this road before. Sure enough, right when we pulled into the casino parking lot, it was obvious we had stayed there one time before, about five years earlier while full-timing. We were able to open the windows and let the warm air inside before heading inside the casino for some food and distraction.

The next day, our drive was calm. We drove through the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area and past Mt. Shasta without a hitch; the snow had long melted from the highways.



However, the sun was short-lived that day. Twenty miles from the Oregon border, thick, gray clouds gathered over the Siskyou Summit, welcoming us back home.