Don't Trust Your GPS!



For our Wisconsin friends!

After leaving the kids in Salt Lake. We drove west on 80 on our way to visit Barb’s relatives in Redding California. We spent the night in the Walmart parking lot in Susanville California and continued west on 395 and Hwy 44 through Lassen National Park. Lassen is an incredibly beautiful drive with lots of huge pine and cedar trees. We saw mule deer and turkeys while driving through the area.
We were headed to Bear Mountain RV Park north of Redding for a few days. They are Passport America members and the cost is listed at $12.00 a night for full hook-ups. Following the Garmin GPS out of Lassen National Park the GPS had us take a left out  of Palo Cedro and a right onto Intermountain Road, which indicated the park was 4 ½ miles ahead. So far so good right? The GPS is counting down the miles and we are getting closer. After 2 ½ miles the road turns from blacktop to gravel. No big deal, we are 2 miles away, take it slow and easy and we will be there in a few minutes. A ½ mile later the road narrows to the width of a driveway, we are starting to get a little concerned and we joke that this looks like another adventure but hey…… the GPS is counting down! At 1.6 miles to the park the road goes up a hill and as we crest the hill and look over the other side the road disappears into a washout and turns into a 4x4 trail!



The GPS wanted us to go down this goat trail!

I stop, turn off the truck and we just kind of stare at the road on front of us, knowing there is no way we can go forward. After a minute, we get out and walk back down the road to see if there is someplace we can turn around. A few hundred yards back there is a driveway, the problem is the “No Trespassing” signs and that the driveway takes a pretty severe drop downhill and once I get the rig pointed down the driveway, there is no guarantee I can back it up the hill and turn the corner to turn it around. I am going to give it a try! I back up to the driveway, look to my right and see llamas, sheep and a donkey staring at me thinking “What the $%#% is that guy doing?!” I turn down the driveway and as I ease the truck down the hill. The back of the truck is getting closer and closer to the nose of the trailer as the trailer has not started down the hill yet. The back of the truck actually touches the trailer before it follows the angle down the hill. Okay…… we are on the driveway facing downhill and I am fully committed.

As I start to back up, I see two men walking down the ¼ mile driveway waving their arms. Oh crap, here we are miles off the main track, us on a driveway that says no trespassing and two guys coming

Our new best friends!

towards us. The meanest looking one (James) owns the property and the other menacing character was JT the neighbor. They, along with James’ wife Janna were some of the nicest people you would ever meet! They ask….”Were you following your Garmin?” I said no, we were just going for a drive and thought we would come down your driveway (not really). He says I am welcome to drive the rig up to their house and turn in around up there. So we walk the route, there are a couple of sketchy sections but I think we can pull it off. I go back and get the rig while they jockey some vehicles around so I can get turned around. 20 minutes later and a couple more tight spots we were turned around and back on the road and Barb and I, although frazzled, feel really blessed to have met such wonderful people.


Sundial Bridge

Veteran's Cemetary

Following the directions James provided, we were at Bear Mountain RV Park 15 minutes later.
We spent that day with Barb’s stepmom, Paula. We visited the Veterans Cemetery, Sundial Bridge and had a nice dinner at Logan Steakhouse. The following day, we visited with Paula along with Ron and Diana, Barb’s aunt and uncle. It was very nice to see them and have two days of much needed rest and visiting before our appointment at AM Solar on Monday!