Larry and Judy's in Oroville

  Oroville, California, United States
Friday, August 29, 2008

Next we drove up to Oroville, CA to see our friends Larry and Judy. They were originally clients of mine on Maui in 1987 and we became good friends. They used to visit Maui, at least once a year and Larry and I would go scuba diving.

Larry & Judy, Chey & Chica on Maui

They also liked to go out on the Navatek high-tech boat and my granddaughter, Cheyenne, used to go with us, too. We would always go to a Luau and just have a fun time together. 

Us at Larry & Judy's

Larry has been one of the main manager's at the Bidwell Marina on Lake Oroville for close to 30 years and he can do, or make, almost anything. Judy is a hairdresser and had her own shop until a year or two ago.

They both have had major health problems (mostly heart, lungs and/or back) and have had several surgeries, too. So both of them have had to slow way down.

Rick, Larry and Judy

Lake Oroville was just about at an all-time low due to the lack of rain. It was really sad. Even most of the boat ramps didn't reach down to the water level and the ramp down to the docks was so steep it was really difficult for Larry. He would come home totally exhausted.

Inside the Casino

We were there over the Labor Day weekend, so he actually took three days off and got a little energy back. We went to breakfast a couple of times at the nearby Gold Country Indian Casino and their son, Rick, would join us there. Judy and I played the slots one day, but we both lost. Terry, however, played Blackjack for an hour, or two, and won a bit.

Gold Country Casino

Wild turkey crossing the road

While there we got a couple of small RV repairs done and from where we were parked in front of the house, we could watch deer and wild turkeys cross the road either early, or late, in the day. 

Also, their dogs could be fun. Bandit is an older Rottweiler mix, but she's really a pussycat. Simba, on the other hand, isn't even a year old yet and is sweet but completely out of control. Unfortunately, neither Larry, nor Judy, have the energy to train her.

Simba & Bandit pretending to be fierce

When we left Oroville, we headed north mostly on the Interstate 5 towards Oregon. As we approached the Mt. Shasta area, there was a big forest fire, just a bit off the west side of the highway. We saw a twin engine plane circling around to make a water, or retardant, drop. I tried to get a photo but I wasn't successful.

Also, I almost didn't recognize Mt. Shasta. First, of course, it wasn't snow covered and looking at it from the west, it doesn't look like the perfect triangular, pointed mountain. Only as we got past it and could see it from the north, did it look better and we could even see a little bit of snow/ice in a few small spots.

Driving towards Mt. Shasta

Another spot, near Mt. Shasta, called the Castle Crags was an interesting scenic site.  

Castle Crags near Shasta