jury’s still out

Our original plan was to head over to the I-5 after we left Healdsburg, CA, so that we could avoid some of the twists and turns (and bumps and sway) of the 101 on our way to South Bend, WA. So, after we spent Monday exploring downtown Healdsburg, on Tuesday we headed to Red Bluff, CA, off the I-5 just south of Redding. However, that night we realized that quite a bit of snow was falling and predicted to fall on the pass near Mount Shasta, and chains were required. We don’t have chains (and don’t really want chains) for the RV (and, I discovered, to my surprise, that Deron has never driven with chains – something I’ve actually done that he hasn’t), so we quickly changed plans and found a route back over to the 101. We lost $50 on a reservation we couldn’t cancel, but we probably saved at least that much by not purchasing chains. And we probably saved a bit of our sanity, although the ride from the 5 to the 101 was crazy! It wasn’t snowing, but there’s a reason highway 36 is not recommended for vehicles our size – our average speed on that foggy, curvy, beautifully redwood-lined 100-mile stretch was only about 35mph! Thankfully we made it through, and spent Wednesday night in Crescent City, CA, and Thursday night in Lincoln City, OR. By Friday night we were in South Bend, having fried fish and fried oysters (because we’re right in the heart of Oysterville). (BTW I now know I’m not a fan of oysters.)

We have two weeks here before we need to start heading to San Carlos for Thanksgiving with Deron’s sister and mom. As of tonight, we’ve toured much of South Bend and Raymond, and looked at several homes for sale. We’ve picked a church that sounds promising (only one of the many churches around here actually has a website, so it’s somewhat difficult to find out anything, including service times!), and we’ve checked out the local grocery stores. After all that… well, the jury is still out. Deron (and I agree) is starting to think we need to shoot for a slightly bigger town that has more amenities, so we’re going to spend some time up in Aberdeen (which, if you’ll remember, is the very first town we thought we might retire to when we started planning years ago), and maybe check out Bellingham as well.

As for where we’ll go after Thanksgiving, that’s also up in the air. We haven’t decided where we want to be in December to celebrate Christmas if we haven’t found our new home yet. We have a couple of events we’d like to attend in San Diego in January, plus we’re considering an interesting proposal I got regarding some temp work in San Diego in December and January. So, it’s possible we’ll head south again soon, but… as I said earlier, the jury is still out.

downtown Healdsburg

revised route: I5 to 101 via highway 36

South Bend / Raymond

praise & prayer

We’re praying for clarity regarding our winter plans. The dogs (and therefore I, because I have to manage the dogs) don’t love riding in the RV on the 101 – but during wintertime, the 101 is really the only way we can safely travel. Also, rumor has it that diesel prices may be upwards of $10/gallon by the end of the year, and if that’s the case, it will make much more sense for us to nix any plans of traveling to San Diego and instead stay put for the time being. Would you join us in asking the Lord what His plans for us are?