Saturday, October 10, 2009

Day 8 - Medford, OR to Lakehead, CA

[Saturday, Medford, OR to Lakehead, CA] Left our comfortable Quality Inn room near 9:22a.m. after John had his waffle, cereal, coffee, orange juice, milk and a banana. Now prepare yourself for some earthshattering news. Linda did NOT have Raw Bits Twang Twang for breakfast and the world did not come to a crashing halt (yet). She forgot to bring her RB packet to the breakfast room so she made do with a boiled egg, toasted Os and raisin bran with banana and some good news/bad news yogurt. It was peach Yami yogurt (click here to visit Yami Yogurt) with probiotic and live cultures made in the Pacific Northwest from fresh, wholesome Grade A milk that contains no antibiotics or synthetic growth hormones. I swear to you that it was the MOST yummy yogert I have ever tasted. That's the good news. Bad news is that the tiny 4 oz container contained 130 calories. Oh, well, it was yummy Yami!

We mostly just drove the 120 miles or so to Lakehead, CA. Tried to call a friend of ours who lives in Dunsmuir (right on our way). An interesting lady named Angelique who was staying in Morgan Hill for a month or so in the early summer and was a volunteer at the Senior Cafe in the senior center. John had met her in the swimming pool at the Centennial Recreation Center. Linda and Angelique traded phone messages. By the time we got her message we were already in Lakehead. She wasn't going to be available today anyway, so it just didn't work out.

We made a brief stop at Pollard Flat. John had found a restaurant there in his online search for accomodations in the area. It is in conjunction with an Exxon station. Been voted best truck stop in America. The restaurant is called USA Restaurant. You'll see why later. If you ever make your way to the USA Restaurant in Pollard Flat be sure to visit the restroom. You won't forget it!

Our cabin at Lakehead is very comfy. Lakehead Lodge is owned by a young couple. Jim, our host, was very nice and very helpful. He's in the process of repainting and refurbishing the units. Great WiFi! It's very slow around Lakehead now because Lake Shasta is very, very low. More on that later. As you will see in the photo gallery, he is painting the units a very bright yellow. It's really eye catching and looks nice. You can visit their website by clicking here.

After sandwiches and other lunch goodies in our cabin, we went took a ride on Lakeshore Drive which mostly does follow the lake's shoreline. Very depressing. So many boat docks just left high and dry laying on the side of the hole in the ground that used to be the lake. We've been told that the main body of the lake at the Pitt River bridge down by Redding is low, but still commercially viable. If you're interested in investing in a depressed area in this bad economy, Burgies Restaurant on Lakeshore Drive here in Lakehead is for sale. Nice looking place. Been closed for about six months. Asking price is $349,000. Bet you can get a better deal!

Went back to our room. Worked on the travelogue (as opposed to Kellog's "travel log"). John took a nap from 4:00p.m. until just after 5:00p.m. Linda and Maggie went down to a nice grassy area at the lodge. Linda dozed off in a high-backed Adirondack chair while reading Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg. All this relaxing has just worn us both out. Life is good! Retired life is better!!

Left for dinner about 5:15p.m. When we had stopped in Pollard Flat earlier to check out the restaurant, we noticed a River Access sign. We went back and explored that before going to the USA Restaurant for dinner. The road down to the river access parking area is steep and has lots of switchbacks. But, the parking area is nice and there are steps and a long trail leading down to the river. Light was poor for photographing, we we decided we'll go back when the sun is higher in the sky (the river's sort of in a canyon) so we can take some pictures.

Back to the USA Restaurant. It's chock full of antiques and memorabilia. Lots of cute signs. Our first clue came when our waitress, we'll call her "Grandma" noticed that the Glen Beck show had just started on Fox News. She said, "Oh, good, I really like him!" (Actually, so does John). Glen's talking about how the citizens need to take back the country and Grandma is feedin' the fire with her grandhildren, who happen to be in the restaurant with her. Then, she takes off doing a little denigration of President Obama for the benefit of, you guessed it, her grandchildren, who according to all appearances seem to be at least 1/2 African American. John did notice the NRA sticker on one of the cabinets and he purchased a copy of "The Citizen's Handbook" (on display at EVERY table) for $1.75 before we left. In addition to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, it has, among much more, a complete section on Juror's Rights. Guess who has a jury summons for November 2nd.

The food was good. Linda had split pea soup (she said as good a Split Pea Anderson's) and grapefruit juice. John had a cup of split pea soup and, at long last, a hamburger steak with grilled onions, mashed potatoes and gravy! These folks were very nice and hospitable (if you weren't from the government), but there was some interesting indoctrination of the children going on there. Will Pollard Flat be the home of the next Timothy McVey?

John's chocolate bug raised it's head and we went by a market on the way back to Lakehead Lodge to get some kind of dark chocolate candy bar. Maybe it was a dark Snickers. And, maybe there was a Milky Way Midnight in the bag as well. Wait, what's this White Reese's doing here?

Sweet, sweet dreams!

Link to Day 8 Photo Gallery The gallery will open in its own window. When finished viewing, close that window to return here.

1 comment:

  1. Ah, sorry John & Linda, but maybe you should extend your trip a week or two longer. You see, I'm actually enjoying opening my email and reading about your travels. I don't want it to end... but I do miss seeing you!

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