I'll Always Remember My "First Time"

[Cudedog]

Wow what a trip! glad you arrived safely....and did you camp at the lake in your last photo?
awesome photos
sheila

Once I got back to the paved road I was surprised read a sign saying that Medicine Lake itself was only about 5 miles further on, so I pulled off to take a quick tour of the campground (beautiful, with lots of spaces - but there was no one camping, the place was deserted) and snap a few photos.

It was odd - all of the large wooden Forest Service signs were covered in clear plastic sheeting, wound and tied closed with rope. Kinda ominous, really. Says a lot about winter at the lake.

The lake is at about the 7,500 foot elevation, with no hookups. Without electricity to plug in my heater it would have been. . . uncomfortable, to say the least.

I ended up camping that night at an RV park in the small town of McCloud, which is at the foot of Mt. Shasta. Almost had a disaster there - arrived about 5:30 (the camp host closed at 6:00), paid my fee and pulled into a campsite only to find that only 30 amp service was available, and I didn't have an adapter (you can bet it was the first thing I purchased when I got back home).

Without an electric hookup (for heat) I would not have been able to stay there.

I rushed back to the office and explained my difficulty, and they let me stay in a giant pull-through site (obviously for really large RV's) that had both 30 amp and 15 amp service. Whew!

Lucky for me the place was basically empty, and I was told that this was their last weekend, and that they would then be closed for the season. McCloud gets quite a lot of snow. In fact, the next night they had several inches of snow, but by that time I was already back home.

When I got up at about 5:00 a.m. the next morning it was 28 degrees outside my van, but a steady 65 inside. With my down comforter I was perfectly comfortable.

McCloud is a lot lower than Medicine Lake - I'm guessing it would have been in the low 20's at the lake that night.

Anne

[avalen]

a very good first time trip and very good blog, thank you. Can't wait till your next adventure

[Bethers]

Love your maiden voyage. And I'm one of those who take off on those back roads - so far I've come off them just fine. But did turn around a couple months ago when I realized the back roads were not meant for my rv pulling my toad lol ... not those back roads anyway - and I got lucky enough to find a place I could even turn around without unhooking.

BTW, in that van, you could turn around on a little single lane road - just might have to make it a 25 point turn

[grammynmaggie]

Great blog I knew it would be!! and a great "first time"
would love to see inside pics of your van now that it is done...
just to see what I am missing when I gave up my van...still wish
I had it...
donna

[BirdbyBird]

Now with a blog like this one and your stories to share, you will be the inspiration to others to follow their dreams....you are paying it forward from those that inspired you!

[bluepinecones]

So glad your initial trip is behind you and you are still looking forward to the next outing.
Your work on the van is awesome.

[SoCalGalcas]

Anne, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL....THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I too love volcanoes. You have studied them much deeper than I. The subject is fascinating. I'm looking forward to the next installment. lyn

[dayspring39]

You are one intelligent creative lady in so many ways. Love your blog and also left a message about your title!
My favorite picture is looking south at Mt Shasta with the sun in the upper left corner.
Keep up the great work.
Kathy Kathleen

[JudyJB]

I did some more checking on Sunset Crater. Actually it is Bonito Campground across from the visitor center and part of the national forest. There are flush toilets and drinking water available, just no places to hook up hoses, so you should be able to use bathrooms, but no showers.

And it does not open until May, anyway!

[Readytogo]

Thought we were in for another rolicking discussion! I used to live near mt Shasta and Mt Lassen. Wendy

[snowball]

we used to workkamp for a company that had a contract to take care of forest service campgrounds in the Island Park area of Idaho
we did that or rather the maintenance guy did (cover the signs ect) think it's not so much the dept of the snow but to show that the
campground is closed...the sure way of knowing how bad the snow is that on the roads they plow the markers that stick way up so that the
snow plows can find there way
Last year I attended the Oregon gtg when I left there went toward Mt Hood...got there in the dark so scary no one around not acquainted with the
area and it was a neat two lane perhaps it was even 4 lanes who can tell in the dark! I would have been frantic on the road you went on. Glad you survived to tell about it...
sheila

[Deeann]

I read your blog and left a long comment for you there. I also have one of those radiator looking heaters. They work good but take up lots of space. When I am truck camping I use a small heater that I've had for years. It has a thermostat on it so that it regulates the heat, has a 2 speed fan, and you could fit 2 of them into a shoebox. They are that small. I think I bought it from Camping World years ago. I just love it. Works well and takes up no space at all.

Be cautious when camping alone out in the boonies. I had one scarey experience that I told you about on your blog. Just stay alert and be sure to tell someone where you are going when you leave and, and when you'll return.

A word of advice on your beds (which you did a great job on): round off those corners. As they are now they are shin-eaters. Take a saw and cut off the square corners and sand them down. Your shins will forever thank you.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the van pics and reading about your travels.

[Liz]

Great blog post!

[Gentleladybear]

Great Blog!!! Keep on going you will figure out all the things that need to be tweeked. We all went through that. Do keep your blog going, your trips will be an interesting read for those of us who don't venture out that far.

[Lopo]

Anne, I was with you all the way while reading your blog, and along about the getting dark, nowhere to turn around part (yipes!), I remembered this SPOT satellite messenger that might give you more protection than the CB radio because it's satellite-based so you would be sending out a signal on where you are at the same time you were needing help. http://www.amazon.com/SPOT-Satellite-Me ... ncy+beacon