Tim, Laura and Michael – ready to go!
We were almost ready when they arrived, but it still took us over an hour to load their belonging inside “Ellie Mae”, put away a few last-minute items, hook up our tow vehicle, and give them both a “familiarization” tour.
And of course the mandatory pictures in front of the rigs as we readied for departure just before 9:30. With it being the weekend, no one was around to snap a picture of the four of us wearing our new shirts all together, and we did not want to mess with setting up the tripod. I’m hoping to getting a shot of all four of us together wearing our matching shirts before the end of the trip.
Our SURPRISE TRIP was underway!
In case you missed reading about the history of our surprise trips, you can read about them here.
The first day was primarily a travel day. And a long one it turned out to be. Wanting to get past the 1/2 point for our first official destination, we pushed on and finally arrived at our campground, just as darkness was setting in, around 8:00p.m.
Orland Buttes Campground
Tim had selected another Army Corps of Engineers site overlooking Black Butte Lake. We are HUGE fans of their campsites. I almost hesitate to brag on them, as I sure don’t want them to get overly crowded. BUT, I will mention their manicured grounds, friendly camp hosts, scenic settings, clean restrooms with hot showers, and well-spaced campsites.
There is a boat ramp, but no hookups.
Oh, and the price can’t be any better. Over night was priced at $20.00, but with our Senior Pass, it was only $10.
Black Butte Lake
Sunday morning we took time to briefly explore, snapped a couple of pictures, and after breakfast, got back onto the 5 Freeway, heading further north.
Driving past, we noted that Lake Shasta was full, healthy and has recovered from the dismal drought from just a couple of years ago.
Castle Crags State Park map
Our first scheduled stop was to take a short hike to the vista point located in Castle Crags State Park, this area was the ancestral home of the Okwanuchu Shasta people. They believed that spirits took human forms to live in the rocks such as the Crags.
Vista Point Trail
Castle Crags
Tim, Michael, Laura, Joanne in front of Castle Crags
View of snow covered mountains off in the distance
Moss covered tree
Our destination for the night was Howard Prairie Resort where we met up with my sister and brother-in-law, Jan and Mark.
Dinner followed at Green Springs Inn before we all crashed for the evening.
Green Springs Inn
GRATITUDE MOMENT: Tonight I am grateful that we have the time and opportunity to be off on another road trip – this time sharing it with friends whom we have cherished for almost 30 years.
A Note From Abroad 
Ahhh a welcome sight in my inbox! So happy to read about another Tim and Joanne adventure. Gorgeous pictures, as always and how amazing that you guys get to spend time with close friends on a fun trip together. I look forward to the next post about this one!
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Thank you Claire. I loved the sound of “Another Tim and Joanne adventure”, as that seems to sum us and our travels up.
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Fun to hear and see what you two intrepid travellers are up to now!….’the grass doesn’t grow’ cliche comes to mind! Great to be in the vast out-doors and seeing old friends, and snapping away of course! Now ”im indoors’ is nearly 90…our longer travels are over (fab.memories) but we’re still out and about here in Spain and are going to the UK for a month in the summer. Have fun!
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I don’t know that I will ever loose my love for traveling, but well expect it to morph over the years as our likes and abilities change. But for now, we are living our dreams and it is wonderful to be able to share these moments with dear friends and family.
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Happy for you. Thanks again for the pretty pictures topped up with the information.
It’s simply amazing. Had missed the emails from you. 😊
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I have much more to come 🙂
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Splendid and marvelous read and such beautiful photos. Great post.
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Thanks! So glad you are joining us.
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Welcome
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Gorgeous scenery + kindred spirits = a wonderful amount of fun (and a good post).
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Being with others who enjoy the beauty of nature and have a sense of adventure certainly is important, lol…
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Sounds like fun!! Enjoy.
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We are certainly off to a great start.
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What a beautiful way to start your adventure! We are also huge fans of COE parks. Have fun!
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The COE parks as well as ones situated in our National Parks have been our favorites so far.
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Love that you are on this mystery adventure. All of your photos are gorgeous. Black Butte lake looks amazing, as do the Crags. Looking forward to your next post.
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Black Butte Lake was a pleasant surprise for us too. We have quite a varied itinerary planned out. Hope you enjoy following along.
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Love love this
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Thank you!
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Trips are so much fun. It’s funny as I was up going through that neck of the woods on April 27-28 on my way to Vancouver, WA to visit my son and family. Now home after getting back on May 1. Have a great trip.
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Terry, it seems like our paths often “almost” overlap. I’m glad you got to have that time with your family.
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One day we’ll get them to cross and have a nice evening around the campfire.
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Sounds ideal.
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Great photos and commentary as always and what a wonderful idea doing the surprises. Howard Prairie Reservoir was a very special place to me in my youth. Can’t wait to see more…
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Mike, talk about a trip down memory lane. I can still hear my stepdad, Bob, say “Sis, are you going to step on that mushroom or pick it?”: He had eagle eyes when it came to spotting the morels. We were a little early this year, but still had enough that I could make a frittata this morning for breakfast and we could all have a few bites.
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Michael and I are so blessed to have these amazing friends of over 30 years. We all have a lust to travel and look forward to many more years of making special memories together
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This is just the beginning…
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Wonderful scenery and so great to share it with special friends!
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YES, to both of your statements ❤️
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The pictures are beautiful!!!! Enjoy your adventure
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Fran, thank you so much.
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Your note from abroad in my inbox always makes me smile. I find your idea about surprise trips truely inspiring.
Your trip looks amazing! Seems like you had a great time 😉
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How very kind of you to let us know that we have given you a smile 😀
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Get out and goeExploring. This is great. Enjoy!
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Thanks – we are 😃
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Looks amazing!
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It has certainly been an adventure.
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So nice to read about “our neck of the woods”. Growing up in Ashland we spent a lot of time exploring the Green Springs. TJ was a firefighter and patrolled that area every day during the summertime. We always stop at the Green Springs Inn when we are up that way.
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We have a real love and connection with Southern Oregon. I once anticipated that I would retire in Ashland. We have spent many spring days hiking in the Green Springs area looking for the elusive morel mushrooms. Glad to hear from someone who also appreciates this magnificent area.
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