To start this off on a positive note I’m compelled to report that we didn’t leave Weed this morning without parting with a significant amount of cash for fuel. We chose to err on the side of caution and topped off the tank on the truck and the RV which came to a tidy $218. Thank goodness neither of the tanks were pushing empty. We did both because we chose to have Diane drive the truck over the Siskiyou Pass instead of forcing the old RV to pull it. It was a wise choice and made the day much easier on this old man. The RV chugged right along at 65 with no problems and hardly slowed down at all on the hills. Made me proud.

Our first stop was at the welcome center near Ashland. Diane discovered that it’s only 4 years old and it’s a beautiful sight for we who have been out of the state for a month. Diane walked out with an armload of brochures and books and was still collecting them when one of the ladies behind the desk brought her a large bag. Then she got some more. This was one of those moments where you get caught up with what you’re looking at and forget that you have a camera. Yup. Didn’t take even one photo. But, if you click the link above you can see one way better than I could have ever provided.

From there we drove straight through to our current domicile for the next two evenings at Valley of the Rogue State Park, space D-2. This is a beautiful part of our glorious state. As stated, we’ll be here for two nights then we’ll head to Bullards Beach State Park for a while.

This afternoon we took a short trip up I-5 to Grants Pass to do a little shopping. Mainly Diane wanted to get Max a winter coat because the weather, for us, is getting colder pretty fast. After spending nearly a month in 90+ weather, we find ourselves shivering in the 55 degrees we drove into. It’s really chilly here on the Rogue River. Next, we’re going to the beach for a while and it’s going to be chillier there I bet. After visiting a couple of thrift stores with no luck for dog apparel, we went to Petco which HAD to have what we’re looking for, right? They did, but it was all girly stuffs and nothing matched his fur. In addition, Diane had to take charge of Max for a bit and he turned in to a real butthead. So, even if there had been some clothing that fit him, we wouldn’t have got it for him. After the fact, we decided that he was having some sort of flashback to when he was given away, to us, at a Petco in Albany last May. Maybe not, but he was totally out of control. So, we left and drove to Gold Hill thinking they may have a grocery store where we could buy some milk. Actually, that was one of the items we were supposed to get in Grants Pass but forgot. Diane realized this on the way home which is why we decided to stop at Gold Hill.

Turns out Gold Hill doesn’t have a grocery store. They’ve got Napa and ACE, but they don’t sell groceries. We drove up and down most of the streets in Gold Hill and didn’t find anything. In their defense, we only looked on one side of the river. There may have been something suitable on the other side. Instead of looking, we went back to Grants Pass and Diane got what we needed at WinCo. We knew they have groceries. Max and I stayed in the truck and had a father son discussion about bad attitudes and how important it is to not tick off Mom. I’m not sure he’s convinced. We’ll see.

Somewhere in the middle of all that above, we decided to eat lunch because it was noonish. And we were hungry. KFC was the chosen venue, so Diane took us through the drive thru and ordered an 8-piece bucket and two large coleslaw sides. We ate it in a parking space nearby and I snuck bits and pieces to Max because he looked so pitiful at me. It was the right thing to do. We only ate half of it, so the rest turned in to dinner for later.

I didn’t take any photos today but have to share a couple from yesterday evening. The park we’re in has in ground sprinklers all over the place which is new in our experience. Apparently they do a nice job because all the available grass looks really nice. While sitting next to the RV, enjoying the evening, and Max apparently decided he needed to see what the sprinklers were all about.

I’m not sure he figured them out because I put a halt to his efforts, explaining to him that it’s not nice to dig holes in state parks. As a matter of fact, I think it’s illegal. When I explained that to him, sharing the possibility of jail time, he demonstrated a contrite attitude, hiding under the table on my chair, in hopes of avoiding an arrest on his record.

That’s about it.

See you tomorrow.