Year 2 Days 301 and 302 Continuing South

After resting up yesterday we returned to the road today as we continued heading south toward the San Francisco Bay Area. Today’s drive was just another short jaunt of only 3 hours.

While being a relative short drive of under 200 miles, as well as being all on a freeway, it was actually one of the more stressful drives we have had. It was stressful because it rained almost the whole way and we were traversing the Cascade Mountain Range. There were many sharp curves as we went up and down various grades and the truck traffic kept us on our toes. The trucks would slow way down going up the steep grades and speed way up going down the grades. Thus, we repeatedly passed many of the same trucks going up the grades and then they would pass us going down. Many times, the passing was on sharp curves which added to the stress. This was true even though the speed limit around some of the curves was reduced to 50 and sometimes even 45 MPH. While I stayed within the speed limit, many of the trucks did not. Apparently, they felt they had to make up the lost time of going up the grades by speeding while going down the grade. A number of times I watched them in my side mirror crossing the line demarking our respective lanes as they passed us going around the curves. Yikes!!

Big, bulky, speeding trucks; steep grades; sharp curves; rain hitting the windshield; and wet, slick roads. Yep, it was a recipe for high stress.

Fortunately, we made the mountain crossing safe and sound and as we approached Medford, Oregon, the sun came out. Yea! We continued a few miles further south to Ashland, Oregon. Ashland is the home of the annual Shakespeare Festival and is famous. Since it founding in 1935, over 20 million people have attended. All 37 of Shakespeare’s plays have been performed over 300 times. The festival also sprinkles in plays by other playwrights such that over 30,000 performances have been presented.

We got off the freeway at Ashland and drove east into the Emigrant Lake Recreational Area, where our campground is located. When we arrived, we were shocked at how low the reservoir was. These pictures give you an idea as to how low it was.