NESTING WITH 35 HOT AIR BALLOONS IN FAR-NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
by Guest Author "Don"...
What THRILL it was to camp right at the launch site for 35 hot air balloons for three days. Breakfast, hot and cold served right there if you didn't want to cook. Free transportation into the small, historic cattle, gold mining and railroad towns of Montague and Yreka, where an antique steam train pulled in and out every day, among other events like a hometown "balloonists parade", antique show, quilting display, and old time melodrama.We accidentally stumbled upon this little known hot air balloon fair held by the local Rotary club as an annual community service fund raiser. It is known as the Montague Rotary Balloon Fair and they have a 200 site RV Village set up right at the launch site. Each site is a 'dry site', but there is a dump station and potable water available right at the Village. There are also game sites, such as horseshoe pits. The cost for the 'entire' Fair, all four days, was a "whopping" $25, which included discounts to some of the fund-raising events like the bar-B-Q sirloin steak dinner - cooked right at the Village. The fee is also fully tax-deductible as a contribution to their tax-exempt community service foundation. What a deal!
We love nature and were quite surprised to find out that this area of the lower Cascade Range is one of the most biologically diverse regions "in the world". The launch site is in a beautiful valley about 8 miles off the north face of 14,000 foot high Mt Shasta. We were rimmed all the way round by mountains and salmon/steelhead bearing waterways, most notable the Klamath River just 10 minutes ride north. When we weren't doing something with the Fair, we were out strolling around glacial fed streams. Bring your rod if you love fishing.
Bring your clubs if you're a golfer. There is a great course just 15 minutes from the RV Village, and two more within 30 -40 minutes.
Love Shakespeare? There is a festival just 45 minutes to the north in Ashland, Oregon.
Amazingly enough, this wonderful "country" event is easy to get to, just 6 miles east from Interstate Highway #5. We'll keep this short and rather than try to tell you all, cause we could go on and on about our find, it would do you better to go to their website.We're going back. If you like comfortable non-commercial, non-crowded events, good people and seeing unspoiled scenic areas while they are still that way, you'll want to join us.
Ed Note: Don enclosed a couple of pictures per below:
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