Coolest Gas Stations in America?

I was checking out Roadtrippers.com on Facebook and they're looking for the coolest gas stations in America.

Here's the coolest one we've seen-The Redwood Service Station in Ukiah, Ca:

Attention Lake County Fans: Konocti Resort making a comeback?

We've had some great times enjoying the burgeoning wine industry, the rural charm and, of course, Clearlake itself in Lake County, Ca.

From the Official Lake County website: Clearlake is the largest, freshwater lake in California with 68 square miles of surface area. Lakes have existed at the site of Clearlake for at least 2,500,000 years, possible making it the oldest lake in North America.

The Konocti Resort, at the base of Mt. Konocti,  has been closed for four years. From our vantage point, the resort closing combined with the recession really hit Lake County hard. The loss of the resort's big, live music venue just seemed to mean fewer people were drawn to head up past Napa and check out California's (and maybe North America's) oldest lake and the rolling hills around it.

Breaking news in the Lake County Record-Bee says that the legendary property is in escrow and initial architectural drawings and mockups are underway. 

You can link to TrailerLuv's Facebook page to see more detailed renderings-and it looks pretty cool!

The resort was originally developed more than 50 years ago by the Local 38 Plumbers and Pipefitters Union in San Francisco as a recreation and vacation spot for its members and was then taken over by the Bennett family, who added the outdoor amphitheatre. Acts like ZZ Top, KISS, Chrissie Hynde and Ray Charles played there over the years and you could listen to the live shows from your boat!

Here's hoping the Lake County officials and buyer Resort Equities LLC play well together and give the county an exciting focal draw that will bring more folks to discover Clearlake charm.

Vintage Trailer Rally in Felton, Ca. July 2013

A Vintage Trailer Rally in Felton, California, nestled in the Santa Cruz mountains, surrounded by trees and just down the street from the BigFoot Museum? Yes, please.

Here are pics of two of our favs:

:

There's a Tin Can Tourists Vintage Trailer Rally at the end of September in Petaluma. Click here to get more info on that rally and others on the West Coast.

Photo-Journal of the TrailerLuv Budget-Friendly Re-Do

Just realized that I haven't posted all the pics of our TrailerLuv Re-Do from July. It all started with a n exterior repair job that turned into "Hey, why don't we just take everything out, refinish the cabinets somehow and paint it all?"

Here's a more complete look at the project:

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER

Bed Platform extended and turned so that we have room on either side.

And Voila! It feels like a completely new space! We also removed the sofa that's covered by the blue sheet in the "Before" pics. Thinking about building something with seating and storage for that spot. For now, though, we are enjoying that we have more room for Django's crate and just more floor space in general.

Django The Little Camper Dog and An Adventure Cut Short

I know I'm biased but isn't our littlest family member just so stinkin' cute?

He's even more handsome in person :)
So is Tom :)

Our camping excursion to Oregon was cut short right after these pics were taken. We had to rush back to the Bay Area--though, I don't know if you can call 10 hours rushing. But that's pretty much how long it takes to haul-ass from Harris Beach State Park to San Jose, Ca.




On our way back we just had to suck it up and wave as we passed the spots we had originally planned to stop...like The Avenue of the Giants:

Caspar Beach, Mendocino

And sleepy-cool little Petaluma

And missed the beer-tasting we had planned at Lagunitas Brewing Company

Ah, well, I guess that just means we'll have to go back and try it again!

Do You Like Weed?

As in, Weed, California?

I forgot to post these from the journey between Lake Siskiyou and Valley of the Rogue.
We stopped to re-fuel and check out Weed.

"Enjoy Weed" shack? Had to see The Weed Shack.

Everything Weed in the Weed Shack. Hmmm, how many more times can I use the word "weed" in this post?
Lots of shirts and tchotchkes at The Weed Shack.

Like this one:

"Best Weed in The West"...well, if they say so...

And on to The Oregon Coast and Harris Beach State Park

The next leg of our adventure took us from Oregon back into California and then back into Oregon again.

As we approached Grants Pass, we could smell smoke. There were fires raging in the mountain forests. We had no idea, having been "unplugged" from the news and such for a few days.

We raced on, trying to get ahead of it but could now see the smoke everywhere.

We passed through a plethora of little mountain towns, waved to a fire crew resting alongside Highway 199 and re-entered Oregon. Harris Beach State Park is just over the border from California and what a fine sight to see!

This is a great park! We would so go back there! Most of the spaces are surrounded by greenery and felt much more private than the wide-open sites at Valley of the Rogue. Add in ocean breezes, a little morning fog, a little afternoon sunshine and we were happy campers!

We took Django for an "unwind walk" through the trees surrounding the park.

And caught the sunset.

Time to pour some wine, fire up the grill and prep S'mores! Or, rather, I should say "S'meeses."

Yes, those are Reeses peanut butter cups and a few M & M's in those s'mores--I mean, s'meeses.

What to do after a glass of wine and a S'meese? Cue the flip-flop lights and settle in for the evening.

Looks pretty cozy, right? Harris Beach State Park is definitely on the "return-to" list.