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NorCal Big Bucks
It’s been tough for us to get out and explore so far this year. Finances have been a little thin and we both have been ill the last few weeks. [I even tested positive for the virus.] Fortunately, we have had the ability for some shorter day trips near base camp. We have lots to explore in Southern Oregon and Northern California without having to travel too far to do so.
A pair of large mule deer stand on a ridge overlooking the Tule Lake NWR near the boundary of the Lava Beds National Monument.
Bald Eagle perched in a tree inside the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge.
It’s been tough for us to get out and explore so far this year. Finances have been a little thin and we both have been ill the last few weeks. [I even tested positive for the virus.] Fortunately, we have had the ability for some shorter day trips near base camp. We have lots to explore in Southern Oregon and Northern California without having to travel too far to do so.
Felling better, I ventured out on a Sunday drive. Visiting one of my favorite locations this time of the year, the Tule Lake and Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuges.
Once again, and probably for a while, there is little water in the refuges due to the ongoing drought. But I did start off my adventure near what little water remains at the NWR’s - the southeast side of the Tule Lake NWR.
On this trip, water-based wildlife remained scarce. By this time of the year and through the month of March, the area is usually teeming with waterfowl and raptors by now. The refuges hold the largest concentration of wintering Bald Eagles in the lower 48.
This year, it’s anything but typical.
The deer have usually moved out to dryer winter ranges, but to have stayed in the refuges and not migrated.
This past Sunday, I counted:
1 Coyote
11 Bald Eagles
15 Hawks
70 Deer
Seventy deer is a pretty good number and unusual for January. Normally the deer would have moved south into more traditional winter ranges by this time. Of those seventy, half were males with large racks of unshed antlers.
I have never been good at distinguishing the difference between hawk breeds - red tail and rough-legged. So my hawk count is a combined total.
What I did not see was even more astonishing. I did not see large flocks of Speckle Belly Geese, Tundra Swans, Wood Ducks, Merganzer, or Canadian Geese. Just a few scattered duck and geese and one decent group of Snow Geese. Because the waterfowl is not present in large numbers, neither are the preditors.
I finished my near 100-mile journey with a stop at “the old shovel,” an early 1900s model excavator that was used to create the canals of the Klamath Project and wildlife refuges. This old piece of heavy equipment must have some great stories to tell.
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ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY
Southern Cascade Loop
Crystal and I kicked off the new year with some cabin fever - from having been stuck at base camp for far too long. We decided to go out for lunch in Keno, Ore. and take a trip around the Southern Cascades.
Such winter beauty in the old growth fir forest of the Fremont-Winema National Forest along Clover Creek Road in Klamath County, Oregon.
Crystal and I kicked off the new year with some cabin fever - from having been stuck at base camp for far too long. We decided to go out for lunch in Keno, Ore., and take a trip around the Southern Cascades.
There are only a couple of places to enjoy lunch in Keno. One is the Whoa Tavern and the other is the Keno Store. In our opinion, it’s an easy decision on which one to stop at. For us, it’s the Keno Store with their world-famous jojo's potatoes.
After our mid-afternoon extremely unhealthy lunch, we found ourselves with a few hours of daylight left.
We began on one of our favorite loops in Klamath County that we call the Southern Cascade Loop. It’s one of my personal all-time favorite locations on the planet. From what I know, there is not an official name for this drive, but essentially we drove a 75-mile loop around the Mountain Lakes Wilderness in the Southern Oregon Cascades.
There was a good bit of snow up there in the mountains. At the highest point (5374'), I would estimate about 4-5 feet, maybe more.
About halfway through the loop, we stopped at the Lake of the Woods Resort to check on lake conditions. Although, we did not stay long. Blustery winds were whipping over the lake and through the resort. We could tell that the lake is establishing a nice layer of ice and snow, but it did not appear ready for ice fishing yet.
After leaving the resort, we meandered along on ORE140 back to basecamp.
The trip was enjoyable and fun. It is always good to get out and explore a little on a Sunday afternoon. More snow is expected this week, likely keeping us grounded at base camp.
We are already planning the next adventure.
Where would you like to see us go next?
Additional Material
Additional material such as our Relive videos and Gaia GPS tracks are available to our Patreon Family.
For as little as $1/month you can help us tell the stories of our overlanding adventures and as a thank you, you receive special bonus content with extra videos and our GPS tracks.
Photography
New Years Day Adventures
Today, I went on a short adventure. Roughly a 100-mile loop from basecamp to nearby refuges - Lower Klamath NWR and the Tule Lake NWR. I went with the intention of checking on the winter conditions at the refuges and counting the number of wildlife spotted.
Jack at the Peninsula in Northern California.
On New Years Day 2022, I went on a short adventure. Roughly a 100-mile loop from basecamp to nearby wildlife refuges - Lower Klamath NWR and the Tule Lake NWR. I went with the intention of checking on the winter conditions at the refuges and counting the number of wildlife spotted.
Today I counted:
Bald Eagles, 15
Rough Legged and/or Red Tail Hawks, 42
Peregrine Falcon, 3
Coyote, 6
Waterfowl: Canadian Geese, Heron
This is a low count for this time of year when compared to the same times in recent years. Sadly, the drought has left the refuges dry with the only major water area located near the far southern end of the Tule Lake NWR near the east entrance of the Lava Beds National Monument.
I also had the opportunity to visit the petroglyphs located south of Newell, California. The petroglyphs are ancient rock carvings along the edge of a former lake bed. The area is managed by the Lava Beds National Monument.
Additional Material
Additional material such as our Relive videos and Gaia GPS tracks are available to our Patreon Family.
For as little as $1/month you can help us tell the stories of our overlanding adventures and as a thank you, you receive special bonus content with extra videos and our GPS tracks.
Photography
Medicine Mountain & the Lava Fire
Everything started peaceful enough, with a beautiful drive from basecamp to the Medicine Lake Campground for an overnight stay. The next day turned into an eventful situation that jerked me out of overlapping and into work in a matter of moments.
Everything started peaceful enough, with a beautiful drive from basecamp to the Medicine Lake Campground in Northern California for an overnight stay. The next day turned into an eventful situation that jerked me out of overlanding and into work in a matter of moments.
Our first stop was just north of the Lava Beds boundary at the start of the auto trail for the Tule Lake NWR. Due to extreme drought conditions in the Klamath Basin, water was diverted from the farms and refuges to support downstream fish. [It’s a long story, Google it]. Because of this, the refuge was dry, and we wanted to see just how dry it was. We both were appalled and saddened, so we decided to move on.
A dry lake bed and small channel is all that is left of the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge following diversion of water in the Klamath Basin. June 2021.
There are several ways to reach Medicine Lake on this journey, we would venture through the Lava Beds NM from the north and exit from the west side of the park. Before heading out, we made a quick stop at the park headquarters for a bathroom break and to check out the views.
Following the pitstop at HQ, we traveled out of the park and into the Modoc National Forest. While traversing the backcountry, we used the USFS map layer in Gaia GPS to locate a pinned location - the base of a cinder cone named Cinder Butte. Although we took the long and windy route, we found our pinned location and learned that the area is named Badger Basin.
Medicine Lake Campground
After a few photos from Badger Basin, the clock showed it was now after 5:30 PM. We drove a slightly more direct route to Medicine Lake where our reserved campsite awaited; arriving a couple hours later.
Medicine Lake is a beautiful location atop a shield volcano (Medicine Mountain) 6600 feet above sea level. On the north side of the lake are four Forest Service campgrounds and a day-use area. On the southside is a small community of cabins.
Once at the lake, we drove through all the adjacent campgrounds to get a feel of the area before settling into our campsite. To stretch our restless legs, a short hike to the lake was in order, before returning to camp to make dinner. Dinner was simple. Just some jarred spaghetti sauce and some freshly boiled noodles.
Medicine Lake, California.
By this time, the sun had gone down and the air was cool, much cooler than back at base camp. Overnight temperatures were quite comfortable.
The next morning, we woke to the sounds of bluebirds in the trees above with the occasional cry of a magpie.
Awakened by nature, it was time for coffee and breakfast. Like the night before, breakfast was simple. Just a bowl of cereal.
Camp was soon packed and we were back adventuring by mid-morning.
With no real destination in mind, as the campsite was our only true destination on this trip. We headed out of Medicine Lake Campground and went westward toward Little Mt. Hoffman Lookout. We hoped to reach the lookout to see views of the Medicine Mountain area.
Unfortunately, we were met with a gate about a mile below the summit.
Disappointed with the gate, we continued on toward Little Glass Mountain, a beautiful obsidian lava flow.
The lava flows at and near Little Glass Mountain were stunning, and dotted with great little boondocking campsites. Soon we found ourselves off the dirt roads and on a paved Forest Service road that lead toward California Highway 89.
Once on CA89, it was mid-morning. Checking the map, we spotted three waterfalls to visit; the upper, middle, and lower falls of the McCloud River. We started at the lower and worked our way upriver.
Lower McCloud River Falls was very busy. The parking lot was full of cars. Many people were enjoying the area, including a few people fishing in the plunge pool. Next, we stopped into Middle McCloud River Falls and the Upper Falls areas.
Each waterfall is beautiful in its own right and easy to access.
The Middle and Upper Falls were not as busy as the lower falls but still crowded.
From here we popped into the little town of McCloud for some fresh ice for the cooler and kept moving on.
Leaving McLeod our adventure would next take us to Lake Siskiyou and Castle Lake west of Mt. Shasta City. In my opinion, some of the best views in the Siskiyous can be found at these two lakes.
Mount Shasta and smoke from the Lava Fire as seen from Forest Service road 42N15. 24-hours later this area would be burned by the Lava Fire.
Lava Fire
Returning toward Interstate 5 is when we noticed smoke from the newly ignited Lava Fire and our little trip was cut short and my occupation called me to work to report on the Lava Fire.
Smoke from the Lava Fire rises in front of Mount Shasta, California.
For those who do not know, I own and operate a small local news brand called Klamath Falls News. Part of Klamath Falls News is Cascade Firewatch, a regional wildfire news brand. Cascade Firewatch covers Northern California (north of Redding/Chico) and Southern Oregon (south of Eugene/Bend) from the Warner Mountains in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west.
What we did know, is this fire was in a beloved part of Northern California. What we did not know was just how devastating this fire would become and how it would be the beginning of several huge area wildfires. But that is another story.
We traveled up to Weed, California, just a few miles from the fire. I checked in with my wildfire contacts and a few colleagues to see what they knew. Because the fire was new, collectively we did not know much.
We traveled around Weed to find a few good vantage points but ultimately went to a spot off of US Highway 97 at USFS Road 42N15. A beautiful place where we had camped before. Little did we know, just a few hours later, the fire would turn and toast this area.
Feeling the urgency to get back home. We pulled the plug on this trip and decided to try again another time.
GPS Track
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Additional Photos
Williamson Headwaters
An overnight solo excursion started out with dinner on the Nylox Ridge alongside Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath County, Oregon with no real destination in mind. Little did I know, I would end up right back where I started.
Dinner was simple, just some grilled chicken with cheese.
DETAILS
Location: Klamath County, Ore.
When: June 2021
Stops: Diamond Lake, Klamath Marsh, Williamson Headwaters, Applegate Butte
An overnight solo excursion started out with dinner on the Nylox Ridge alongside Upper Klamath Lake in Klamath County, Oregon with no real destination in mind. Little did I know, I would end up right back where I started.
Overnight parking accommodations.
Just a few miles from basecamp and too early to bed down, I left the ridge and traveled north. With the hopes of finding some night photography landscapes to photograph. I tried all the usual suspects (click here to see some of my previous work) but did not find anything different or inspiring from the past.
I ventured through the Wood River Valley and Crater Lake before finding myself along the shores of Diamond Lake. Still unable to find anything great with the Milky Way, I was going to call it a night along a pullout near the dam. Unfortunately, another traveler had the same idea. I then ventured over to the overflow parking of the resort for a few hours of shuteye. It was about 3:00 AM when I laid down for the night.
The next morning. I awoke to a beautiful sunrise over the lake. Mount Bailey was glowing and the marina was busy. It just so happened to be the first day of fishing season on the lake.
The marina of Diamond Lake Resort looking to Mount Bailey.
After a quick cup of coffee and a visit to the bathroom (maybe not in that order), it was time for breakfast. I did not want to cook in the resort so I went a few miles south to the South Shore Day Use Area to whip up some ham and eggs.
Full and caffeinated, I broke down from breakfast and left the mountains for the Klamath Marsh.
After arriving at the marsh, I settled on a destination. A place, I have never been to before. The headwaters of the Williamson River. This was about 75 miles from camp and would take the better part of the afternoon to traverse. The difficult roads were not difficult, just extremely dusty - with a section or two with loose cinders.
Along the way, I found a old cinder pit and captured some unique photos.
It was much hotter in the valley than it was up on the mountain and extremely dry, but beautiful.
After arriving at the headwaters, I parked next to the sign and walked 50-yards or so to see the water bubbling up out of the ground. Like many large river systems, this headwater bubbled up out of the ground over a large stretch before forming a pool nearby. That pool then feeds the Williamson River on its path for Upper Klamath Lake.
Headwaters of the Williamson River in Klamath County, Oregon.
After an hour or so of exploring, it was time to move on. I had pinned a nearby fire tower site on Applegate Butte. So that site was next on the list.
Another hour or so later, I was at the top of the butte with views looking toward the Klamath Marsh in the north. The butte was pretty overgrown so not much else could be seen, with the exception to some communications towers and buildings.
The old fire tower was long gone, but the concrete footings remained.
By this time it was getting late in the day and it was time to once again return back to basecamp.
Patreon Family
For as little as $1/month help us tell the stories of our overlanding adventures and get special videos and our Gaia GPS tracks. https://www.patreon.com/jackburban
Additional Photography
1,900 Mile, 9-day shakedown trip
A shakedown trip is usually held close to one’s home or base camp. The purpose is to learn about one’s rig, supplies, gear, etc while close to home before adventuring too far out. That way if something goes wrong, an adventurer is near home base allowing for an easier return if necessary. I did not do this.
A shakedown trip is usually held close to one’s home or base camp. The purpose is to learn about one’s rig, supplies, gear, etc while close to home before adventuring too far out. That way if something goes wrong, an adventurer is near home base allowing for an easier return if necessary. I did not do this.
Feeling the need to escape, I decided to do just that. I went out solo with no real destination or itinerary.
I drove from basecamp west to the Rogue Valley of Oregon where I camped out on a side street, in a commercial neighborhood, in the rain.
Waking up the next morning, I visited the Black Bird, an outdoor and adventurists retail paradise. After strolling the bird, I opted for a drive up to the top of Mt. Ashland. An hour later, discouraged and unable to find a parking spot from the crowded ski area, I left. Heading back down the snow-covered mountain.
Once reaching Interstate 5, I pointed Jack north and kept driving until I could not go any farther. A couple of days later, I dipped my toes into Canada.
I returned back to basecamp via the Washington coastline before cutting inland at Astoria.
Overnight quickie
After returning home from my solo adventure. Crystal wanted to head out for a quickie. We opted for a drive from base camp through the Siskiyou Mountains of Northern California before taking the long way back.
We saw some incredible landscapes, many we should have not had access to in the middle of winter. Such as CA-3 across Scott Mountain. But the winter snows had been mild and allowed for some on pavement adventures that would normally be closed for winter. After traveling up and over Scott Mountain we rounded by Trinity Lake before ending up at a truck stop in Redding for the night. The next morning we grabbed a quick drive through breakfast and caffinated up at Dutch Bros before heading north to Medford and a special stop at the Black Bird.
What I learned
Along the way, I camped out at truck stops, Cabella’s, rest areas, and casinos. Travel was fun, exciting, and adventurous. Best of all, I learned a few things along the way. Here are nine things I learned on my nine-day adventure.
The custom-built platform I made is too tall, there is not enough headroom in the bed area. I want to be able to sit crisscross applesauce without hitting my head.
I can get by with a shorter bed than previously thought. This frees up some extra space. But Jack needs specific storage for larger items. Cargo box?
A near 200-mile daily travel average is way too many miles.
After sticking my toes across the border, I cannot wait to further explore Canada.
Even in the rain in winter, the PNW has a lot to offer.
Truck stops are not as friendly to cars that wish to overnight park as they are to semi-trucks. Yet, Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops are friendly to car travelers. Casinos are also limiting overnight parking due to COVID.
Truck stop showers are beautiful.
Truck stop fuel prices are typically better than standard fueling stations.
Traveling alone is not lonely. But traveling with a companion is more enjoyable.
Various photos from the adventure
The Birth of Jack
Several years ago, my wife and I decided that our end goal was to live out of a vehicle and travel throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We had no idea what we wanted to live out of - a van, motorhome, or travel trailer. What we did know is that we wanted a 4x4 for off-pavement capabilities and we wanted to experience more of Mother Nature than just what is along the interstates and highways crisscrossing the continent.
Several years ago, my wife and I decided that our end goal was to live out of a vehicle and travel throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. We had no idea what we wanted to live out of - a van, motorhome, or travel trailer. What we did know is that we wanted a 4x4 for off-pavement capabilities and we wanted to experience more of Mother Nature than just what is along the interstates and highways crisscrossing the continent.
After searching for months we could not find what we wanted. Then like a light bulb it clicked, a Chevrolet Suburban.
Jack takes in the sunset in Southern Oregon. (Image: Brian Gailey)
Sure a Suburban is not what one might first think of for recreational travel but think about it, they are a solid 4x4 with a dependable drive train that has been in production for decades. They are roomy inside for a comfy bed and can still seat up to 4 people. I can do the build myself, that way I know how to fix it when it breaks. We can have water, a kitchen, and electricity integrated into the build. A Suburban can be lifted, upsized to bigger tires, and includes anything I want it to have. I can make the build as posh or basic as I like. Plus, the biggest in my mind, they are an affordable platform to start a build on.
Dealer photo (Image: Autolane)
So I began searching for a Surbaban that met the needs I wanted. What I did not know was how long it would take to find it. I searched for months and had a laundry list of things that I wanted in the truck. Unfortunately, what I wanted just was not readily available in the used market and what I did find would sell quickly or was in poor condition.
What I did find in my initial search was inspiration from the crew at Suboverland.com with their custom overland builds for Suburbans. When I found these guys, I knew I was on the right path and I wanted to order one immediately. But their conversions were out of my beginning budget.
Inspired I began to search even broader - I was looking in Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, and St. Louis. But still, no luck and I began to get frustrated.
LIKE / FOLLOW / SUB
STICKER MERCH
JACKS BUILD
Curious as to what gear we have in Jack? Check out our rig details page.