The End

Came down off the mountain this morning and began unloading the 5th wheel and putting stuff away. After I loaded the washing machine I started looking for the coin slot. Ha...habits. We have the barbque and patio furniture outside again,my truck is up and running and sitting in Dick and Sue's driveway for the time being...

It was a great Summer. We saw so many beautiful places and interesting things. This is a huge country.  In the past,I loved visiting Europe and Fiji but there are so many places in our own country I have not been and would like to see. Next year Jack and I have talked about heading East perhaps.

Things I learned:

1.People are generally helpful and friendly
2.Jack and I can still travel together for an extended period without killing each other
3.You are never more than 10 minutes from a McDonalds or Starbucks
4.Our ancestors were insane for crossing the country and setting up their homestead anywhere in Southern California where Summers reach 115.

Hope you enjoyed following us on Road Trip 2010.

Kathy and Jack

It's Official!

Santa Rosa Country Club

We're going down the mountain in the morning with the 5th wheel. Our AC is still not working and even though we had a nice few hours at the pool today we decided to just head home instead of waiting until Saturday.
We took our books down to the pool this morning and there was a huge raccoon making himself at home on a bench next to the pool. He wandered over to the pool (salt water not chlorine) and took a few sips then sat down and watched us for a few minutes. He was kind of cute but we were wary of him knowing how unpredicitable raccoons can be. Ive had a few cats come home beaten up and wrecked after tangling with them. I think he may have been waiting for us to leave so he could get back to the garbage can near our table.
Even though the predicted temperature for tomorrow is 106 we can take a break now and then in the air conditioned house.

Home Again But Not For Long

Okay but it's a dry heat.haha

Giant squirrels

Another night without AC in the 5th wheel but again it cooled down enough to shut off the fans in the early hours. We packed up some clothes and stuff to take down to the house. Everything looks good except my potato vine that I've had for at least 10 years died...it was gone anyway...the planter was empty. Turned on the air and water,did some laundry and Jack made a trip to Home Depot for a part to fix the leaky toilet. Uncovered the furniture and cleaned the kitchen countertops etc. It was 104 degrees when we left to come back up to the campsite and the 5th wheel. 

It was great to see neighbors Dan,Terri and Kelli-dog! Tomorrow our plan is to hang around the pool up here at Silent Valley and then.....??

Silent Valley RV Park near Banning CA

We have a nice shade tree and a big camping spot

Restaurant,bar and store in RV Park

Catfish Pond at Silent Valley RV Park

We spent a rather restless night in Coalinga last night without airconditioning. Something wrong with it. It's the first time I can remember sleeping with the door open all night. It finally cooled off enough by 4AM to turn the fan off and pull up the sheets. Got an early 7AM start just as the sun was coming up and pointed south.... first I-5 through a most dismal area of California...miles and miles of dried brown grass interupped occasionally by rows of almonds or walnuts and every mile a sign stating "stop the Congress created dust bowl!"  then onto the NASCAR Expressway..oh wait that was I -215 skirting around L.A. through Pasadena.... to our current RV park up in the hills above Banning..about 10 miles from Idllywild and 40 miles from home.

This park is huge. There are two sections...family and adult. We are near the adult rec center which has a pool,hot tub,pool tables, big screen TV's and snack bar...The property also has a full blown restaurant,bar and store. We snagged a pull through spot with a giant shade tree overhead. It turned out to be a plus as our AC is still on the fritz. In addition,there are gi-normous squirrels here...at least 3 feet long...I'm sure they are up to no good..I spotted a couple of feral cats which I hope will patrol our campsite tonight as we will be sleeping with the door open again..

Tomorrow we will make a trip to Ivey Ranch and turn on the gas and water...make sure the AC is working (!) uncover the furniture and unload all of our winter clothing that we will not need again for awhile. I want to check my garden and maybe put out the feeder for The Dude (Hummingbird) to see if he has returned from his vacation yet. We are scheduled to stay in this RV park until Saturday but I'm guessing we won't last that long. The lure of a king bed,50" big screen, A/C  and our shaded patio may just win out over extra days of camping.

Coalinga #2

Toys..Don't leave home without them

The pool felt great after driving all day

Sommerville RV Park

We left Yosemite this morning and arrived in Coalinga around 2PM. Coalinga is NW of Bakersfield but other than that it is just a  convenient spot off I-5 to spend a night. I found out it is home to Pleasant Valley State Prison where Sirhan Sirhan (asassin of RFK) and Erik Menendez (parent killer) are housed. Good place for them...in the middle of the scorching desert.

We took a dip in the pool,walked over to Baja Fresh to get some dinner to go...and found out since we are at the back of the RV park  (at the end of the electric line) our AC is not working...   :(     It is 94 degrees currently.

Jack wants to put in a long day tomorrow and set up in the Silent Valley RV park in Banning...above Idllywild.  I hope it cools off a bit tonight..just put ice in my beer and I'm headed back outside in the shade to eat some Baja Fresh chips.

Yosemite Part 2

Water Level from 1997 flood

Cool and shady through the trees

Beautiful Scenery

On the tram in Yosemite starting our tour

Drove back to Yosemite Valley this morning and caught an open air tram for a 2 hour guided tour through the park. It was very informative and fun. There were climbers on El Capitan that looked as tiny as ants and if it had not been for the flash in the sunlight of their climbing gear we probably would not have spotted them without binoculars.

After the tour we pulled into a picnic area for a bite of lunch.

This is our last day at Yosemite. We'll leave in the morning over the road we scouted yesterday....still a mountain road and somewhat steep but not like Hwy 4! We'll hook up to I-5 which will be a relief for Jack I'm sure, and spend one night in Coalinga. Tuesday we'll be back on the road and spend one night in Adelante.....then Wednesday we'll be in the Silent Valley RV Park just outside of Banning (and not far from home)  
A few nights at this park and then down the hill and back to Ivey Ranch and I guess  then it will be the end of road trip 2010

Yosemite National Park

Coyote just strollin'in the parking lot. He crossed at the crosswalk.

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park


We drove up to Yosemite Village today. It is actually a little village with a post office,medical center,market and fire department. There is  a  free shuttle bus which will drop you off at various spots in the park so you don't have to drive and try to park.El Capitan....a popular climbing monolith is spectacular. The park itself is beautiful with jagged rocks,rivers and nature trails throughout.We plan on going back on Sunday and taking a 2 hour tram ride so we can get some history from a park ranger.We saw this coyote in a couple spots during our visit to the village. He was not afraid of people and just walked along the path....crossed at the crosswalk and went on his way between cars in a parking lot. Literature warned us that an average of 15 bears a year are killed by cars in the park and there are red signs marking the "kill" spots.

Tomorrow we are scouting out another route out of here toward Merced or Modesto so we don't repeat our disastrous trip from yesterday (see yesterday's blog) We will probably eventually head toward a park in Banning which will be about 70 miles from home. We may sneak home and turn the water and gas on before we actually unload the 5th wheel for the end of Summer. Dan and Terri keep a lookout for us and we'll give you a shout if we're in the neighborhood.

Highway 4 to Yosemite

This portion of the road actually had a centerline!

I guess our first clue should have been the sign that stated " Not recommended for vehicles over 24 feet"  The 5th wheel alone is 30 feet long. Our second clue should have been the sign that stated "Steep,curves,narrow road".    Highway 4, (and I use the term "highway" loosely) over Ebbetts Pass..elevation 8700 plus feet...is a narrow,twisty,steep road. In most portions there is no centerline and several hairpin turns. Jack compared it to driving on a golf cart path. We did ask a construction worker at the beginning of the road whether or not it was okay for RV's...his response "Sure we take semi's over it all the time."  While Jack drove I scanned the road  ahead  for oncoming traffic so we could edge over to the right as far as possible. It was very scenic with waterfalls and beautiful vistas but there was really no place to ever pull over to enjoy the views.

We made it to the Yosemite Lakes RV park in the afternoon and this place is very very remote! It is 4 miles from the entrance to the park...but there is no cell phone service and wifi only at the lodge.  The nearest town is 18 miles away.The packet we got upon check in was down right scary....several pages warning of bears,cougars,snakes and one warning" do not tease the snakes"  uh okay!!! Not a problem.

Today we'll go into the park. A chilly night...30 degrees but the sun is out now and it looks like it will be a nice day.

Leaving Reno

We checked out of our wonderful suite in Reno this morning and we're back at the RV in Minden for another night ...then off to Yosemite. I'm not sure we'll have cell service or wifi at the park in Yosemite.

We woke up to clouds and partial sun coming in the huge windows on our 17th floor suite. It is much cooler today.... 65 and very windy. Doing the usual chores such as laundry,flushing the tanks and packing up today.

El Dorado...El Diablo...What's the Diff??? Nada

Huge Jacuzzi Tub

El Dorado Reno NV We are in the tower on the 17th floor

We started out in a Deluxe room which was beautiful in itself and then I swiped my players card in one of their promo kiosks and we got upgraded to a suite like we had last year. You are allowed to swipe your card every two hours. On my second swipe I got a free banana creme pie (gave it to Jack)...third swipe got me 20% of at the gift store. So I guess we DID win something. We have a beautiful view over the hills of Reno. I'm filling up the jacuzzi tub getting ready for a soak. Tomorrow back to Minden and the 5th wheel..

El Dorado Tomorrow!

Madison's First Day of Kindergarten

Going to spend a couple nights at the El Dorado tomorrow..woo hoo!! Bathtub...King size bed....!!!!

Museums and Graveyards

Very old cemetery with wooden headstone in Dayton NV

Old Jail circa mid 1800's in Genoa NV (No that's not Jack in the bed)

Visited Genoa (pronounced Juh no uh) and Dayton today. Both claim to be the first and oldest settlement in Nevada. Genoa was originally called Mormon Station and after the Mormons moved on an Italian immigrant settled there and renamed it Genoa. Genoa has a great museum with a jail cell,courtroom,blacksmith, and several displays of mid 1800 type kitchens and parlors. It was a very well done museum and one of the most interesting I have seen.

On to Dayton where the states oldest cemetery stands on a hill outside of town  in the sagebrush. The picture of the grave above shows an old wooden headstone surrounded by a rickety wooden fence. There were many young people buried here....some just babies and teens. Some of the plots date back to  the1850's and 1860's.

I have always been interested in the pioneer movement westward  in the 1800's.  I've read a fair number of books describing the migration. Between 1841 and 1869 over 250,000 emigrants headed west from Missouri to California. The main route was through Nevada on the California Trail. Interstate 80 runs over a good portion of the original trail but in some spots you can still see the ruts from the "prairie schooners" (covered wagons). The trail was rough and the wagons had wooden wheels...no shock absorbers.. Sometimes the emigrants ran out of food and water, got sick, left valuables behind on the trail to lighten the loads etc. It must have been a gruelling trip and I'm surprised anyone survived it. Someday I would like to retrace one of the Overland trails....either the California or Oregon Trail from Independence Missouri to the Pacific in the comfort of an airconditioned vehicle of course!

Virginia City NV

Silver Queen Casino and dress made out of  3,261 silver dollars

A mansion in Virginia City. Not much else outside of town.

I hate to think how this saloon got it's name

Jack catching  a peep show in Virginia City NV

Driove up to Virginia City today. Virginia City is one of the oldest established communities in Nevada. Like many cities and towns in the state, Virginia City was a mining boomtown; in fact it is one of the most famous boomtowns in the Old West, as it virtually appeared overnight as a result of the Comstock Lode silver strike of 1859.
During its peak, Virginia City had a population of over 10,000 residents and was called the richest city in America. During the 20 years following the Comstock success "about $400 million was taken out of the ground".

When the Comstock Lode ended in 1898, the city's population declined sharply.

The mining operations were hindered due to the extreme temperatures in the mines caused by natural hot springs. The miners would snowshoe to work and then descend into the high temperatures. This contributed to the low life expectency. We wondered how they even decided to mine here as it is so high up in the mountains and remote. Life must have been hell for those that didnt strike it rich.


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Minden Nevada

We left Red Bluff around 6:30 AM this morning to beat the heat and made it to Minden (about 35 miles from Reno) around 10:30. Got a great spot in the RV park with a shade tree overhead....very welcome in the 85 degree heat today. The RV park is neat and clean and about 150 yards from the Carson Valley Inn and Casino  http://www.carsonvalleyinn.com/

Lunch at the casino...free..because it took forever and Jack told the waitress his fries were cold. We started out pretty cold on the slots until we found our "lucky" seats and by 6PM tonight we were winning some cash.

Tomorrow we may head to Virginia City and do some sightseeing.

Madison started her first day of Kindergarten today. I can't believe how fast time flies. She called me after school and said it was lots of fun and she had two recesses and lunch in the cafeteria!

Katie said the homework packet states" kids learn by scribbling". Her response was scribbling my a** Madison can already write and do math. They'll give it a couple months and if she is not challenged enough consider bumping her to first grade. Madison obviously gets her brains from G-Ma Kathy..haha