After having an exciting time on my ATV tour yesterday, I decided to do something a bit more relaxing today…I hit the spa here at the Chalet View Lodge for a couple of treatments.  To start, I enjoyed a sea salt scrub to exfoliate my entire body.  After a quick rinse, it was back to the table for a deep tissue massage.  Oh my gosh, it was one of the best massages I’ve ever had.  I highly recommend Amanda.

After my massage I went to explore the two small towns nearby, Portola and Graeagle.  Graeagle is interesting…every building in town is painted the same color red.  Apparently the entire town is owned by one guy who really enjoys the color red.

I had a lovely evening at The Grille with Bob and Carrie (the owners of the lodge) and two of their friends Steve and Roxanne.  After dinner, while enjoying cocktails, Lizzy (the chief) joined us for a spell.

I’ve had such a wonderful stay here at the Chalet View Lodge…this is an amazing place.  Do yourself a favor and plan a trip to the northern part of the Sierra Nevada Mt. Range (about 45 min. northwest of Reno) and stay here at the lodge…I promise that you will not be disappointed.

Tomorrow I’m off to Yosemite National Park, a place I’ve never been.  I’m really looking forward to it and plan on camping out for a few nights to get the full affect.  The weather forecast is looking good and I think I’ll still be able to catch the brilliant fall leaves.

Well, today was an action packed one.  After breakfast I went over to the “Villa” here at Chalet View Lodge to shoot some pictures and video.  The “Villa” is a luxurious stand-alone cabin often reserved by honeymooners…which I can see why, it’s simply fabulous!  The Villa has two bedrooms, kitchen, large Jacuzzi tub for two, radiant heated floors, real wood burning fireplace, two large screen plasma T.V.s, deck with fireplace and elevated hot tub overlooking the golf course and pond.  It’s simply spectacular!  While I was shooting pics and video, Bob (the owner) said “we really need a model in the Jacuzzi tub to make the pictures and video look better…hang on, let me go get one.”  In just a matter of minutes Bob brings his beautiful wife back to the villa to get in the tub.  It was hilarious.  After the Jacuzzi tub shot, I got Bob to join his wife in the hot tub on the deck…not sure they really wanted to go back to work after this break in the day.

Next up was an adventurous ATV tour just a few miles away on a nearly 2000 acre private ranch.  Ken, the owner of Explore! Sierra Touring Company gave me a private tour of the ranch.  We covered 20 miles of varying terrain, from a lava field, to dense pine trees to scrub oak and aspens full of golden leaves.  We went fast at times, climbed to the top of peaks and crawled over some large rocks…it was simply a blast!  The weather could not have been better either, not a cloud in the sky and probably mid-60s by the time we finished.  Needless to say, I got a bit dirty today…I posted a pic on my Facebook Fan page with my face caked in dirt. Ken was telling me that during the winter months he does snowmobile tours (or snow machining if you’re Canadian), which I can only imagine would be a amazingly unique experience.

After I got back to Chalet View Lodge, the first thing on the agenda was to shower.  After getting cleaned up, I went out to hit some small ball on the chip & putt nine hole course.  It’s nearly November and I was in shorts and a tee-shirt…great afternoon.

Later that evening I headed over to “The Grille” for some dinner. I had the special of the evening, which was a blacked Salmon with some colorful veggies.  Simply delicious.  The sky is so clear and with little light pollution, I decided to try and capture a good star trail picture…I got a couple good ones.

It’s now time to retire for the evening….

I arrived at my next destination today…Portola, CA, which is a small town in the northern part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range.  I’m staying at this fantastic place…the Chalet View Lodge.  My room (which is more like a villa) has dramatic vaulted ceilings finished in tongue-and-grove cedar.  The vault of the ceiling was created for a loft in which a plush king-sized bed awaits me as soon as I finish this post.   The lower level has French doors that open onto a deck providing wonderful views.  The soft leather couch is situated perfectly for snuggling by the fireplace or watching T.V. on the large flat screen.  There are even two bathrooms…one upstairs with a travertine rain shower and one downstairs with three sinks and a bathtub…all with a refined modern flair.

The Chalet View Lodge is one of those places I just love to discover.  I hate to use the cliche, but this is a “hidden gem” for sure!

I really hit it off with the owners, Bob and Carrie…they are wonderful people who really seem to enjoy and care about making the Lodge and the area itself a unique and special experience for guests.  The Lodge has a restaurant on-site, “The Grille,” where I just finished a wonderful meal with Bob, Carrie and Debra, their marketing person was fabulous.  Three of us all enjoyed the special of the evening…fresh cod.  It seems we all share a passion for travel and enjoyed discussing the various places we’ve all been.  I even discovered earlier in the day when Bob paid homage to my bumper sticker, “who is John Galt,” that we are both Ayn Rand fans.

Needless to say it’s been a great day!  Tomorrow there is a good chance that I’ll be going out on an ATV tour and perhaps do a bit of fly fishing.  And, if there is still time left in the day, I might just hit some small ball on the 9 hole course they have here at the Lodge.

I’m beat…off to bed in some 600 tread-count sheets. 

It’s another beautiful day here in Jacksonville, Oregon.  I went to the Jacksonville Inn this morning for a lovely breakfast.  Then I took a stroll through downtown taking a number of pics along the way.  The brilliant morning light and colorful fall leaves made for some great shots.  There are so many wonderfully unique and historic homes and buildings in and around the downtown area…some still have old advertising murals on their brick walls.

For lunch I hit the C. Street Bistro, which is located right next door to where I’m staying…it was d’lish!

Tomorrow I’ll be leaving Jacksonville for my next destination…Portola, California, which is located northwest of Lake Tahoe. I’ll be staying at the Chalet View Lodge, which looks just amazing.

I’m now in Jacksonville, Oregon and what a cute little town it is.  Jacksonville is the type of destination I enjoy discovering…it has that small town feel (well, probably because it is) where many of the historic buildings have been retained and renovated.  There are several parks and walking trails; cool and unique shops, with some quality restaurants and lodging.  Speaking of lodging, I’m staying at the “Country House Inns,” which has a collection of properties in Jacksonville.  I’m staying in this really quaint bungalow, or as they call it, a “Wine Cottage.”   I’m right in the heart of town and everything is within walking distance…except for the wineries…however there are some tasting rooms in town.

Stay tuned for more from Jacksonville, Oregon.

I arrived at the Weasku Inn yesterday, which is located in the southern part of Oregon, just outside of the Grants Pass town center.  This Inn is wonderfully historic, built back in 1924 it has played host to many old-timer celebrities like Walt Disney and Clark Gable.  There are several accommodations to choose from, you can stay in the lodge itself, or in a cabin near the Rouge River, which is where I’m staying.  The cabins, while with a rustic flair, are quite refined…luxurious bedding, huge jacuzzi tub, a real wood burning fireplace and pretty private outside deck.

It was another spectacular day of weather, so I took advantage by strolling along the banks of the river as well as the grounds here at the Inn.

I had the most spectacular day today!  Not only was the weather absolutely perfect, but so too was the journey.  My day started off with yet another sensational breakfast at Thundering Waters Inn.  After getting packed up I hit the road just after 9am, which unfortunately was not soon enough for all the exploring I ended up having to forgo due to time restraints.  I made my way along Scenic Byway 138 (aka Rogue Umpqua), stopping for short hikes to amazing waterfalls and scenic overlooks.  The crown jewel was reaching the top of the pass and seeing Crater Lake…wow, what a site it is!

I really wished I had had more time to explore today…I’ll certainly have to come back to the area and hopefully do a bit of camping and backpacking.  If you’re interested in this area, I found a great site that highlights many of the stops along the way…many of which I stopped myself and will follow up with another post in the feature. In the meantime, check out: http://byways.org/explore/byways/2147/itinerary/62580

My next destination is Grants Pass where I’m staying at the historic, and quite famous, Weasku Inn. I’m actually staying in the same cabin that Clark Gable once rested his head.

Today Jim and Christina, the proprietors of the B&B (Thundering Waters Inn) I’m staying at, were gracious enough to take me to their favorite winery (HillCrest) for a tour and tasting.  The owner of HillCrest Vineyards (Dyson DeMara) personally showed us around and shared some of their newest wines that will be hitting the market soon.  I’ve been to a number of wineries, from Napa Valley, Sonoma to Walla Walla, but I’ve never enjoyed the experience as much as I did at HillCrest.  Dyson is so knowledgeable about his craft, it gave me a whole new appreciation for wine making.  To make a good wine requires a delicate balancing act between science, art and experience.  To listen to Dyson speak, to hear the passion he has, it’s very inspirational.

The Umpqua Valley in the southern part of Oregon (Roseburg area) and has been known as “the undiscovered wine region,” but I suspect with the quality wines that are being produced, that it won’t stay that way for much longer.  I took a lot of pictures and video while I was at HillCrest and look forward to sharing those with you soon.

After an amazing breakfast here at the Thundering Waters Inn, which consisted of a fresh fruit with Greek yogurt, freshly baked croissants and bacon & eggs…I did a little fly fishing.  I didn’t have any luck fishing, but it sure was fun.

I then took off to do a bit of roaming around Roseburg and the Umpqua area.  I stopped by the Winchester Dam Fish Ladder where visitors can observe salmon and steelhead in their native environment. I then went to the Whistler Bend Park, which is located on the banks of the North Umpqua River, actually right across the river from the Inn.  Driving around to the other side of the river allowed me to get some good footage of the Inn for my pending video. I explored the park and the banks of the river, occasionally taking pictures of the colorful Fall leaves.

When I made my way back to the Inn, I decided to take a soak in the hot tub, which is located off the main deck, providing outstanding views of the river below.  After freshening up, I had a bit of time before wine and appetizer hour, so I headed up to the game room and shot a bit of pool and watched a few innings of the World Series.

There are twenty-two wineries in the surrounding areas of Roseburg, tomorrow I’m going to check out a couple.

I arrived at the Thundering Waters Inn a few hours ago and am really enjoying myself.  My accommodations are extremely comfortable and the sounds of the river below are wonderfully soothing.  Everything about this B&B is impressive.  Unbeknownst to me, a hearty appetizer and wine hour are part of the experience.  Oh my gosh, was it amazing!  Dinner included a perfectly seasoned and thinly sliced flank steak, sauteed shrimp, a caprese salad and raspberry gelato for dessert.  Dinner was paired with two local wines that set the meal off perfectly.

Can’t wait for breakfast!