Day 1. Wednesday, July 10th 2013
We managed to escape town at 11 am with the car not as packed as on our last trip; there’s room to breathe. First potty break was at our fav old haunt, Granzellas in Williams – they have clean bathrooms and an amazing taxidermy collection including 3 polar bears. Novella spent $3 of the $4 she got from Gma and Gpa on a Hello Kitty Pez dispenser which she truly and deeply adores. We made it as far as Red Bluff when B demanded another break, but we were ready for a snack break. I found a State Park with good reviews not too far up the highway.
I highly recommend a stop at William B. Ide State Park; although the parking lot was closed we parked just outside and had a lovely picnic under heritage oaks with a cool breeze. The adobe house is all set in period style and we could look into the window and get a glimpse of life back when… There was an outhouse, fire pit, juice press, woodworking shop, garden, schoolhouse, barn, and corral all under the shade of an immense gorgeous oak tree.
Our next stop for the night was Cave Springs Resort in Dunsmuir. We arrived, unloaded into a cute little “historic” cabin and went for a dip in the pool. N braved the slide and loved it. After the refresh we loaded up and drove downtown to Dunsmuir Brewery Works for an early dinner.
Hoping for a repeat of the great time we had there in January (perhaps our expectations were too high). The Hefeweisen and IPA were remarkably similar in taste and color. The server was not having her best day and they were setting up for a big event. We started inside but the persistent flies drove us out to the patio once a lone shaded table opened. In the end it was ok. The food was tasty but the beers failed to impress. Our walk about town and stop at the playground were very nice. Some teens were practicing MMA on the grass and a dad with 3 kids played basketball. We walked the quaint downtown as the sun began to set behind the forested hills, I took photos, and we sipped the worlds cleanest water from multiple fountains around town.
Our night was a little rough. The first night away we expected a little adjusting, but the train every few hours, trucks on the highway and various odd noises made me wish for morning. We utilized the cute little kitchen and provided amenities for a nice breakfast of bagels and fruit on the picnic table out front of our cabin and got an early-ish start to Chemult, OR by way of Klamath Falls and Crater Lake.