Finalizing Plans For Our Route To Palm Springs

A cold, rainy day got me thinking again about our coming trip south.  Living on Vancouver Island presents us with two basic choices when we head south to Palm Springs each year.  One is a direct route down I-5 and the other is a combination of I-5 to somewhere in Oregon and then taking a turn-off to the coast to link up with the Pacific Coast Highway (101) and cruise all the way down to Los Angeles.  We’ve done both routes – coming and going.

One of our favourite sights on I-5 - Mt. Shasta – taken 12/31/10

This year, our plan is to take the I-5 route straight down to LA before heading east on I-10 to Palm Springs.  It’s not because we’re in any particular hurry but rather we plan on taking a leisurely trip home in April up the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to Port Angeles.  We’ll take our usual 5 or 6 days to drive down to Palm Springs this year which means easy driving most days.

Our planned route and stops

This is a drive we look forward to every year and are not at all put out that it might be the same, boring or been there done that.  It’s always different with things to see and do that we missed on our other trips.  Weather can be a big factor too.  We always keep our options open to swing over to Highway 101 in the event that there is snow on the Mt. Siskiyou summit.  We did that one year by heading west at Grant’s Pass and then out to the California coast – nice!

Heck, we’ve hit snow in Portland, OR as shown below in 2009

Another advantage of our annual trek is that we’ve become familiar with the great RV parks along the way.  We’re not boondockers or Wallydockers so we pretty much make reservations and look forward to the amenities offered at most of the RV Parks we choose to stay at.  It’s always nice to get a 50 or 30 amp site and be able to put on the fireplace in the evening and early morning!

Seven Feathers in Canyonville, OR – one of the best parks around

As to whether we end up going down I-5 all the way or drive over to the coast, that will depend on the weather once we get close to Grant’s Pass.  If it looks to be bad on the Siskiyou for more than 2 days, we’ll probably opt for the coast route.  If there’s snow in the mountains but it looks to clear up in a day then we’ll just camp out in Seven Feathers for a couple of days – it’s a great place to be stuck!

It’s tough to beat the Rolling Hills Casino Buffet in Corning, CA

One RV Park we always stay at that doesn’t offer much in the way of luxurious accommodation is the self-serve RV Park located at the Rolling Hills Casino in Corning, CA.  We just drive in, pay $25 at the ticket dispenser, pick a spot and park – that’s it.  The roads are paved, the sites level and offer electric and water.  What’s the big attraction here?  It’s the world class buffet offered at the Casino – probably the best we’ve ever been to.

Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield

Another favourite stop of ours is the Orange Grove RV Park in Bakersfield.  It’s a very nice, comfortable park with spacious, level sites and full hookups.  In late December and early January another big attraction is the loaded Orange Trees all over the park including each site.  There’s no problem picking these oranges either in fact the owners encourage it and provide long ‘picking-arms’ to help.

December is just flying by and Christmas is going to be here before we know it.  I’d better get busy checking things and packing or else I won’t be taking any route south!!

Have a great Wednesday, and thanks again for visiting!