Staying cool, or sulfur in silence

During the July 4th holiday, I vacated our area and headed north to cooler air. Actually, I wasn't sure it would be all that cool, but as it turned out; it was in the low 80s at peak hour each of the three days.

Trekking off to my old stomping grounds was pretty refreshing. I used to live in Jacksonville, Oregon, during the 1970s and wow, how things have changed, even though I have revisited a few times in between then and now.

So, the first thing to do is plot the trip by going on the Internet and seeing what RV facilities are available. Brilliantly, I decided my friend and I should probably stay at this hot springs place in Ashland. But, I didn't make reservations.

After spending a night in Mt. Shasta, we went north to Oregon for our weekend tax-free shopping trip.

We shopped till we dropped and then headed to the Jacksonville Inn. Walking around the old historic town, things started coming back to me. There was the time I met Hollywood celebrities like John Mitchum and Millie Perkins in the Jacksonville Bakery.

Then I recalled the friends I made, now long gone to somewhere else. They, too, had moved away as I did.

As we walked the sidewalks of century-old and older buildings, more thoughts returned, some a bit cloudy, some clear as day.

We entered the Jacksonville Inn a little after 5 p.m., as we didn't have reservations. I remember if you didn't have reservations, you better arrive early if you don't want to wait.

The host took us down a dark corridor, around a corner, and up a flight of stairs to ground level and the outdoor patio dining area. It was beautiful with grapevines winding along a wall that kept the patio and guests away from the view of tourists roaming the narrow main street.

We sat and chatted and looked over the menu and interacted a bit with the table next to us when a universal topic came up in the conversation or when food came to one of the tables catching our eyes.

After debating 15 to 20 minutes about what to order, we made our choices. But my friend ordering the cheap Chardonnay wine surprised me. She thought what the heck, take a chance. So I ordered a glass, too. When it came to the table, we clinked our glasses and said, "Oh well, here's to cheap wine and a great trip."

Well, let me tell you, it was the best either of us had ever sampled anytime, anywhere. Thanks Jacksonville, for giving us a gem that won't break the bank.

Now it was a matter of finding the place that produced it and then a distributor. Well, that best-kept secret can be had right here in Redding. We ordered it and if it's the right stuff … will go back for more another time.

After a great dinner, we hit the road south to Ashland hoping to land an RV site for the night. We drove and drove and drove back and forth in Ashland looking for this fantastic hot springs RV park. Finally it was almost getting dark and we spotted a sign and pulled in to the main building where the office was located. I smelled a peculiar odor the minute we left the vehicle and walked across the parking lot.

"What's that smell," I said.

"Sulfur," my friend answered.

We walked inside to find out there was one RV site left, but it had electricity. Not realizing what we were getting into, we took it and went to park in it.

"Oh, boy," I said as we entered the area. "This isn't what I expected."

We had gotten ourselves into a less-than-ideal RV park, old junk cars parked at sites that apparently were rented by the month or year.

But it was quiet and we decided to bite the bullet.

It actually wasn't that bad until we entered the restroom and shower building where the sulfur odor hit us in the face full force. It was the hot water that held the sulfur odor, straight from the hot springs, we guessed.

No way was I going to shower or brush my teeth with sulfur water. So we used the bottled water, left early in the morning and beat-foot it home to a nice, friendly, odorless shower at home.