Stopover In An UN-Likely Place – Likely, CA
We’re rolling north, towards the mountains and pine tress, on the road to green grass and lush meadows. We’re on one of our absolute favorite highways Hwy 395, but we’re driving it further north than we’ve ever been. As we motor down the relaxing 2-lane road and pass into California we see the landscape change -> spatterings of trees, bursts of spring flowers and the puffy clouds of dreams. Our stop is a place we would never have found on our own. In fact, it’s a place we would never usually go because it’s {{gasp}} a private park.
It takes alot to pull us out of the wilds and into a private park, but some places are just too unique to pass up. Thanks to recon last year from our buddies Beluga we’re in the middle of no-where at a lush, gorgeous and immense spot called Likely Place Golf & RV Resort. Around us is ~50 miles of cow pastures & rolling hills, but within our little enclave we’re in the midst of pine trees and fresh-mowed grass (can you smell it?) overlooking a fabulous dog-friendly 18-hole golf course surrounded by over 6 miles of hiking trails, shimmering lakes, sweet-flowing rivers, a private geocaching course and snow-capped mountains in the distance to top it off. It’s as unlikely a place as you’ll ever find, but it is totally worth the visit!
When we first arrived the forecast was for drizzle and chill, but over the next day it cleared up revealing deep blue skies, a brisk air so clean & crisp it almost hurt to breathe and miles of excellent pooch-friendly (and cat-friendly) earth. We honestly haven’t done much here except enjoy the area, golf and walk the trails…but that’s the whole point of being here! With our isolated site (no neighbors) it’s been like camping in the midst of an excellent state park, but with full hookups and all the gorgeous golf you’d ever want to play. The changing weather has given us some cool pictures and the grass our first opportunity (in ~7 months) to take off our shoes and feel the draw of the earth through our feet.
Even the paws have been loving it. The cats have been bouncing through the grass and eaten enough of it to regurgitate several times (it’s a cat thing ya’ know) while the dog has been rolling herself with complete abandon in the stuff. After our winter in the desert all this green is like taking a long, sweet drink after an age of drought. Hard to describe, but man is it wonderful!
We’ll be clearing out and moving further north tomorrow. There’s more changing weather ahead and that’s all to be expected. We’re entering the Pacific Northwest and spring is only just on the cusp of Nature’s lips so we’ve got a ways to go before we hit the real warmth of summer, but I’ve got a particular spot in mind that I’ve wanted to visit for ages. Let’s hope the weather clears enough for my pics and even if it doesn’t I’m sure the stop will be worth the while. After all, sometimes the most unlikely places provide the very best surprise of all 🙂
How wonderful that a rare stop at a private park gave you the relative isolation and and peace of the wilds…with conveniences! Good one!
I have to admit that for a private park this really has a very unique feel. The hiking trails are like being in a national forest, and the sites are rustic and pretty. I could see us coming back here whenever we drive this route.
Nina
Wow! That last photo is truly amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Pam
Thanks. That rainbow was just stunning! Took the pic in the rain and caught the very last rays of the setting sun illuminating the trees. Pretty special moment.
Nina
Nina
Wonderful find! We will be traveling up through that area in about 2 weeks and will check it out.
(BTW, we were your neighbors a few days last fall near Bishop at Volcanic Tablelands
Sure, I remember you guys! This is a nice little stop, especially if you like golfing (hubby was in heaven). There is also a very nice (donation) BLM campground around 40 miles south of here if you want an alternative stop.
It’s called Ramhorn Springs. Here’s the link:
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/eaglelake/ramhornspring.html
Nina
I feel the relaxation over taking me as I read 🙂
Good to know the feeling is coming through on the blog post…that’s my goal ya know 🙂
Nina
Was that a posed shot of Paul on the Tee or the real thing?….Only a 10 handicap or less can finish like that….
That was actually the real “in action” shot. Paul isn’t quite a 10 handicap (used to be many years ago, but he just doesn’t play enough these days), but he had a really, really good day on the course today. Hit pretty much all of his shots straight and true with that nice little sound you get when it hits the sweet spot. He was a very happy boy 🙂
Nina
So hopefully with in two months time we’ll be out there with you roaming. I just love seeing all your photos and hearing where you guys are!! (thanks for the Mr Buddy info..we are so getting one. iRV2)
If you get a chance could you peek at my new travel blog. sigh..allot of work!! LOL…
Thanks for all your posts..
Sheila
Well a huge congrats on your upcoming adventure! Just checked out your blog and looks like you got a great start. Sweet-looking rig, by the way too.
Nina
P.S. Blogging IS hard work, but it gets easier the more you do it 🙂
Perfect rainbow shot!! While I don’t partake of looks like you had a beautiful spot to enjoy all the things you love the most!
I do believe we would really enjoy this place with the golf and hiking trails. Thanks for sharing:)
I definitely think you’d like this spot. Perfect mix of stuff to do. There’s even more hiking in the national forest just 8 miles away.
Nina
Dreaming with you and t-feetin’…. That’s what I call a barefooted stroll through a late evening green….what a waste to not enjoy all that lovely, lush and crisp tickle on ones feet during an evening (or nightly) romp!! T-feetin, baby!!
I am totally into the bare feet in the grass thing…rejuvenates me in so many ways.
Nina
Beautiful rainbow shot. Wow!
Wow is right on that rainbow shot. You got the pot at the end obviously. That’s some great golf form Paul. Sounds like everybody had just what they wanted at this stop. Mighty fine!!
Yup, it was a nice mix of his, hers and paws…golfing for hubby, geocaching for me and hiking for doggie.
Nina
Wow, that rainbow shot is so beautiful!
Thanks…it was fun to capture!
Nina
We love Modoc county, probably the most isolated area of CA, but man is it cold up there! Expect near freezing temps tonight!
It’s actually been somewhat better than we thought. A cozy 38 this AM LOL. It sure is pretty country here, but I can see how temps would drop in the winter. The hookups have been nice.
Nina
looks like another great spot to stop on 395…
Definitely. I think this may become a “regular” for us.
Nina
That rainbow photo is amazing !!!
What a great find. There’s a little bit of everything there. Putting it in our destinations folder for later reference. And that rainbow picture is pretty cool! Good job!
I’ll be you all almost forget what grass is over the winter. This looks delightful, even if ‘private’ and especially with the rainbow.
Totally. The grass feels so unreal after our desert winter. We have the same response every year.
Nina
Glad to see you getting so close to Oregon, Nina. We stopped in at that park after Laurie and Odel visited and mentioned it. Of course, Odel like the golfing. I had to laugh, because everything looks green to you, and you are still in what we Oregonians think of as desert. Now when you get west of the mountains, then the green will blow your socks off! Can’t wait to see where you are going next.
I know, I know. It’s funny I thought about the fact that were still officially in the “desert” section of CA, but it’s still soooooo much greener than our winter. Small things make such a big visual difference. We should be in beloved Oregon today!
Nina
So wait… does private geocaching course then mean they’re not listed on the site? How are you supposed to get a nice little trail of smiley icons then?!
😉
Yeah, sadly they’re not listed on the site which means no geocache points. It’s a really nice hike to find the geocaches though.
Nina
PS Just followed the link and saw it’s a bit of an astronomers’ haven too. So much for geocaching, this astronomer would just sleep through the day and be up all night…
HAH! I’m actually surprised at how much there is to do in the area. The hosts told us about some good hiking (and a few lakes) nearby which we didn’t get to. Alturas is a cute little town too (just north). Gives us a reason to come back.
Nina
The rainbow photo is outstanding! What a shot!
Thanks! It took stitching together 2 shots to capture it all (the rainbow was huge), but it worked out beautifully.
Nina
While we’re not likely to make it that way in the near future, this sounds like a place to make note of for future reference — and I have. I had to check, though, to see what the rates are, and was surprised to see that they seem quite reasonable.
Nice rainbow photo!
Yup, totally decent rates. It’s kinda pricey for the area I guess (not much out here), but very, very reasonable for a private park. I’ll be writing a full review next.
Nina
Be careful going barefoot on a dog and cat friendly golf course 🙂
Beautiful find.
Box Canyon Mark, from Lovely Ouray, Colorado
Isn’t it good for the skin? LOL…
Nina
I love your photos. You probably use Lightroom. With your purchase of Photomatrix you get a plugin for Lightroom. You will see it after installation. With three bracketed photos you can merge into a 32 bit file! This allows for a huge dynamic range and the ability to make HDR without any of the artifacts. Try it out. Perhaps you have heard of Serge Ramelli on Youtube, check out his videos sometime. Love your travels and adventures.
I actually use Photoshop, but I’ve got a copy of Lightroom somewhere which I really should learn to use. Still learning the Photomatix stuff. Cheers for the YouTube tip. I did not know about that guy.
Nina
What a great little RVing discovery you’ve made. I really like the pics too. Apparently you’ve been getting familiar with your new photo editing software? Nice work making your photograghy pop even more.
Yup, I’m playing around w/ the software & probably even going a little overboard at the moment (it’s just too much fun). In this post I used it on the first two pictures only.
Nina
Nothing quite like a good grass bath – so refreshing! Hwy 395 is a real California treasure and rarely gets the love of it’s western cousins, Hwys 1 and 101. We are looking forward to seeing that northern stretch, and this looks like the perfect location (this time of year). Safe travels north.
Totally with you on the grass bath and the draw of 395. I prefer it to just about every other route north-to-south in CA.
Nina
Absolutely beautiful picture of the rainbow Nina.
The Northwest is on our bucket list. I hope to be traveling in that part of our wonderful country in 2015. Can’t wait to see your pictures and read about your travels there.
Cool! The PNW is a fabulous spot in summer. Near-perfect temps all summer and not too much rain (there’s always some). We love it!
Nina
Nina,
You are so right about Likely….it was our first stop when we started full timing and have been there twice since. Incidentally, our dry run before we took off was Washoe State Park!
We try to hit Likely whenever we are in the area. Hope your travels further north are good. Washington is a beautiful state and of course you know about Oregon.
How funny! Sounds like this is a “well-known secret”. It’s a sweet little spot and just so unexpected.
Nina
That definitely sounds like our kind of place. I have been living vicariously through so many of you this winter and spring who are breathing in the beauty out west. Keep ’em coming! 🙂
I first learned about Likely Place from Dave & Rebecca’s tripblog. http://www.mytripjournal.com/FullersBigAdventure . They worked there as full timers last summer. A nice country atmosphere RV park.
How interesting. It actually looks like a neat place to workamp (plus the host sites were very pretty).
Nina
Beautiful photos, next year we are planning to travel up 395, will check this out.
Brenda
This was a sweet little stop. Definitely recommended!
Nina
Nina,
I grew up in Likely, my parents live just below Saddleback (the mountain covered in snow in the one picture of your husband with his golf bag) and our long-time friends own Likely Place. It’s truly a one-of-a-kind place and I’m really glad you found it. Thank you for your beautiful write-up and photos. You’ve made me homesick! 🙂