Oregon - Origin and meaning of name unknown, may be based on the French word ouragan meaning "hurricane," as the French referred to the Columbia River as le fleuve aux ouragans meaning "Hurricane River"

Flag: 

 
The flag of Oregon is the only state flag with different pictures on each side. On the reverse appears a beaver the state animal. Both sides have a field of navy blue with design in gold. The front picture includes a heart shaped shield with an eagle on top, surrounded by thirty-three stars. (The number of states in 1859.) The scene on the shield shows the sun setting over the Pacific Ocean, mountains, forests and a covered wagon. A plow, wheat and pickax represent farming and mining. Of the two ships: The one leaving is a British ship and the one arriving is a United States ship representing trade. The eagle represents the United States. On a banner are the words "The Union" representing support for the United States. Finally the flag is emblazoned with the words "State of Oregon" above the picture and the date of statehood "1859" below.

Oregon Facts and Trivia

• Oregon has more ghost towns than any other state. 
• The Columbia River gorge is considered by many to be the best place in the world for windsurfing.
• Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and is formed in the remains of an ancient volcano.
• Oregon and New Jersey are the only states without self-serve gas stations.
• Eugene was the first city to have one-way streets.
• Pilot Butte, a cinder cone volcano, exists within the city limits of Bend.
• At 8,000 feet deep Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
• The hazelnut is Oregon's official state nut. Oregon is the only state that has an official state nut. The hazelnut is also known as the filbert.
• In 1876 the University of Oregon opened in Eugene. Deady Hall was the first building on campus and still exists.
• In 1880 a sea cave was discovered near what is now known as Florence. Sea Lion Caves is known to be the largest sea cave in the world.
• The nation's most photographed lighthouse is the Heceta Head Lighthouse located in Lane County.
• Oregon's second highest waterfall is Salt Creek Falls in the Cascade Mountain range. It drops 286 feet.
• There are nine lighthouses standing along the coastline. Five are still being used; the others are designated historic monuments.
• Portland is an example of outstanding urban planning. The city is known as The City of Roses.
• High above the city of Portland the International Rose Test Garden features more than 500 varieties of roses cultivated continuously since 1917.
• At 11,239 feet Mount Hood stands as the tallest peak in Oregon. Mount Hood is a dormant volcano.
• Silver Falls State Park is the Oregon's largest state park. It features 10 waterfalls and contains a wide variety of forested hiking trails.
• Discovered in 1874 the caves located in Oregon Caves National Monument are carved within solid marble.
• The world's largest rosary collection is exhibited at The Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center. A local resident collected the exhibit.
• The Carousel Museum contains the world's largest and most comprehensive collection of carousel horses.
• Fort Clatsop National Memorial contains a replica of Lewis and Clark's 1805-1806 winter outpost.
• The small village of Bickelton is filled with bluebird houses seen on the posts of every house.
• The Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range.
• Tillamook is home to Oregon's largest cheese factory.
• Florence is known as Oregon's rhododendron capital.
• In 1905 the largest long cabin in the world was built in Portland to honor the Lewis and Clark expedition.
• The Oregon Trail is the longest of the overland routes used in the westward expansion of the United States.
• Haystack Rock off Cannon Beach is 235 feet high and is the third largest coastal monolith in the world.
• The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, built in 1880, is currently used as the site of the final resting place of up to 467,000 cremated individuals.

Yosemite

Spectacular!

Hot!  It was in the mid-90s the day I was there, but it felt even warmer.

Crowded!!  Think Disney World on a holiday .... there was gridlock everywhere; the shuttles were full and also behind schedule because of the gridlock; and people were not nice.

I was talking to a couple of the shuttle drivers and they were saying people have spit on them and called them names when the shuttles were full and they had to wait for the next one.  So sad.

I took the Yart to the park from the casino by my campground.  It was $13 round trip for a senior and I didn't have to worry about the gridlock .... also, if you don't have a senior park pass, it is $30/car to drive into the park.  I also saved the $30 at Sequoia with my senior park pass.  It's a great deal.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks

Elevation of 8,000 feet and 20+ degrees cooler may not sound like good reasons to visit the parks .... but it helped.  The parks themselves are spectacular!

It has been 30 years since I was last there and they are every bit as wonderful as I remember ...

The parks cover 865,964 acres, so it is best to choose one region to explore at a time to maximize the experience. Of course, I didn't follow this advice and drove over 400 miles in the one day ....

If you decide to visit Cedar Grove in Kings Canyon, you will be treated to a lush place of tumbling waterfalls, meadows and miles of quiet trails.  Half the excitement is the 1-hour drive getting there on Highway 180, which zigzags down into the canyon through Sequoia National Forest.  Be sure to stop at Junction View on the way; sheer canyon walls seem to close in around you as the wild South Fork of the Kings River surges over rapids far below.

And I do mean rapids; this is no calm river ...

This picture doesn't do it justice .... where they are really churning there wasn't a photo op ...

Roaring River Falls is less than a 5 minute stroll from the parking lot.  During years of heavy runoff, the river pours through the gorge and over the falls with a tremendous roar.  Even during the dry season the falls are impressive.







I also found this impressive waterfall ...

At Grant Grove, near the Kings Canyon entrance, you'll see the General Grant Tree.  The General Grant is the second largest tree on Earth. 

By visiting Giant Forest, you can see the famed Big Trees, including the General Sherman Tree.  This tree is more than 2,000 years old and has the distinction of being the largest living tree in the world.

Sequoia National Park was established in 1890.  It was California's first national park and is America's second oldest (after Yellowstone).



The lowest elevation is 1,370 feet (in the Ash Mountain area) and the highest is 14,494 feet at the summit of Mount Whitney, the tallest peak in the contiguous 48 states.

Fresno, CA and the surrounding area

Just did a quick drive around this morning ..... planning on King's Canyon and Yosemite after the holiday.

In Clovis, CA, Festus from Gunsmoke is staring at you ... there is a fenced statue bearing the likeness of Festus dedicated to the actor who played him, Ken Curtis.

Located in Caruthers, California is a gas station with something peculiar atop its roof. If you're traveling along Highway 41, you can't help but stop and notice this WWII-era fighter jet, nose-down into the station's pump island.

For a town that refers to itself as "Swedish Town," this water tower is right up its alley. Located between Bakersfield and Fresno, Kingsburg's water tower is uniquely shaped like a coffee kettle, complete with a colorful, Swedish-like design and handle.

After running some errands and returning to the campground, there was the Sunday afternoon ice cream gathering and I learned to play Hand and Foot, a card game.

Current status

Well, I have been traveling full-time now for 18 months (2 years for my Jeep).  I have about 66,000 combined miles on the two vehicles. Here is the current map of where I have stayed -

And this is where I have driven ....

Green - 2015; Orange - 2016; Pink - 2017

A lot of miles .... and not nearly enough.

California - Named by the Spanish after Califia, a mythical paradise in a Spanish romance, written by Montalvo in 1510.

Historic Bear Flag raised at Sonomaon June 14, 1846, by a group of American settlers in revolt against Mexican rule. The flag was designed by William Todd on a piece of new unbleached cotton. The star imitated the lone star of Texas. A grizzly bear represented the many bears seen in the state. The word, "California Republic" was placed beneath the star and bear. It was adopted by the 1911 State Legislature as the State Flag.

California Facts and Trivia

• California's Mount Whitney measures as the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Its most famous climb is Mount Whitney Trail to the 14,495 feet summit. Wilderness permits are required.

• In 1925 a giant sequoia located in California's Kings Canyon National Park was named the nation's national Christmas tree. The tree is over 300 feet in height.

• More turkeys are raised in California than in any other state in the United States.  (There's a comment there waiting to be made)

• Fallbrook is known as the Avocado Capital of the World and hosts an annual Avocado Festival. More avocados are grown in the region than any other county in the nation.

• In the late 1850s, Kennedy Mine, located in Jackson, served as one of the richest gold mines in the world and the deepest mine in North America.

• An animal called the riparian brush rabbit calls Caswell Memorial State Park (near Manteca) its home. Endemic only to the state's park system, the critter lives in approximately 255 acres stretching along the area's once-vast hardwood forest. 

• The largest three-day rodeo in the United States is held on the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff.

• Demonstrations on making toothpaste from orange by-products were popular attractions at the Los Angeles County fair in 1922. The fair is held in Pomona.

• Located in Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum is the largest museum of its kind in North America. 

• California Caverns claims the distinction of being the most extensive system of caverns and passageways in the Mother Lode region of the state.  

• On Catalina Island in 1926, American author Zane Grey built a pueblo-style home on the hillside overlooking Avalon Bay. He spent much of his later life in Avalon. The home is now a hotel.

• Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge contains the largest winter population of bald eagles in the continental United States. 

• In Atwater the Castle Air Museum has the largest display of military aircraft in the state.

• The Country Store in Baker has sold more winning California State Lottery tickets than any outlet in the state.

• Reputed to be the most corrupt politician in Fresno County history, Vice-leader Joseph Spinney was mayor for only ten minutes.

• The Hollywood Bowl is the world's largest outdoor amphitheater.

• The first person to personally receive a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood was actress Joanne Woodward. She received it in 1960. Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees.

• The first motion picture theater opened in Los Angeles on April 2, 1902.

• Inyo National Forest is home to the bristle cone pine, the oldest living species. Some of the gnarled trees are thought to be over 4,600 years old.

• San Francisco Bay is considered the world's largest landlocked harbor.

• Sequoia National Park contains the largest living tree. Its trunk is 102 feet in circumference.

• Yorba Linda is home to the Richard Nixon Library.

• The Coachella Valley is nicknamed The Date Capital of the world and The Playground of Presidents.

• One out of every eight United States residents lives in California.

• If California's economic size were measured by itself to other countries, it would rank the 7th largest economy in the world. 

• California is known variously as The Land of Milk and Honey, The El Dorado State, The Golden State, and The Grape State. There are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California annually.

• California produces more than 17 million gallons of wine each year. 

• Fresno proclaims itself the Raisin Capital of the World.

• The highest and lowest points in the continental United States are within 100 miles of one another. Mount Whitney measures 14,495 feet and Bad Water in Death Valley is 282 feet below sea level.

• Castroville is known as the Artichoke Capital of the World. In 1947 a young woman named Norma Jean was crowned Castroville's first Artichoke Queen. She went on to become actress Marilyn Monroe.