Leg 3 - Eastern Sierra magic.....

 7:36 am - Thursday - October 17th - Bishop, CA - 39° F, humidity 69%, wind 5 mph out of the northwest......mostly clear today with a forecast high of 77° F.  On this date in 2020 TLE and I were having breakfast at 'The Coffee House' located in the Historic Bay Front area of Newport, OR.....

The largest 'Americano' I've ever been served!

.....the view of the Sierra Nevadas out my salon window this morning from Bishop RV Park at the Tri-County Fairgrounds......

We've been doing the drive between Gardnerville, NV and Bishop, CA twice a year these past few years...once going north in the Spring, and once going south in the Fall.  The Fall trip is, and has always been my favorite drive anywhere in the USA.  It is only 150+ miles, but there are numerous passes/summits to surmount on the way, and the going is slow going up and going down, usually in 2nd gear at about 28 mph.  They always say you go down a grade in the same gear you went up it, and we have found that to be wise advice.  Cameras do not do the views justice, but with TLE's help (she took all of these pictures) I will try to give you a sense of what we see along the way.....

Topaz Lake, NV

Back into California

Quacking aspens on the climb to Conway Summit

US-395 is 1,300 miles in length, and this is the highest point in that 1,300 miles

Mono Lake coming into view as we descend from Conway Summit

Beginning the descent from Sherwin Summit down Sherwin Grade (8 miles of 6% grades) to Bishop, CA

....we departed the Tahoe-Douglas Elks Lodge around 9:30 pm to get ahead of the forecast rain for the area scheduled to arrive around 11 am, and managed to stay ahead of it all day.  The drive south was beautiful, quite cloudy, and relaxing.  We arrived at Bishop RV Park (located in the middle of the Tri-County Fairgrounds in Bishop, CA) after a completely uneventful drive around 1:30 pm, and were in our site with water and power by 1:45 pm.  We took one 20 minute break in Bridgeport, CA, but were otherwise moving southward continuously for the 4 hours it took us to reach Bishop.

Around 4 pm TLE and I took a 3/4 mile walk over to 'Whiskey Creek' a fine dining restaurant, which has been a Bishop staple for decades.  The original 'Whiskey Creek' was located at Mammoth Lakes, CA, and we used to eat there a lot back in the 70's when we would spend around 30 days a winter skiing there.  That one closed a few years ago, but the Bishop one is still going strong.....

....the rain we escaped in Gardnerville was scheduled to arrive in Bishop around 6 pm, and we were walking, hence the early dinner time....

....we ordered a bottle of McIntyre (located in the Santa Lucia Highlands near Monterey, CA) Pinot Noir (2019)....what a great Pinot!  For our appetizer we ordered their bacon wrapped shrimp, which was the perfect bite before the entrees.  I ordered, of course, their Filet Mignon with a side salad.....

....and TLE their Chicken Rama.....both dishes were exquisite, and what one would expect from a Yelp 4 star rating....

....for dessert we ordered two Expresso Martinis....what a great way to end a fine dining evening....

....we were home by 5:30 pm, just ahead of the rain...well, the rain did finally come at 7 pm, and went on for about 2 hours....never hard, but it was windy.

Thanks for stopping by!

A splendiferous Thursday in Bishop, CA

Leg 2.....

6:56 am - Wednesday - October 16th - LPG&RVR - 40° F, humidity 67%, wind ZERO mph out of the south....partly cloudy this morning with rain in the afternoon (but we will not be here) and a forecast high of 65° F.  On this date in 2020 I was cooking peppered bacon on our Coleman single burner on the 'lido deck' in Seal Rock, OR.....

....with a view of the ocean.

We were awake before 7 am, but true to our word, we did not get out of bed until the sun lit up the bedroom curtains.....so nice to get up when it is light outside!  I typed my daily blog post, and then we took two laps around the Rest Area to stretch our legs.  We were on the road by 9:30 am heading south on US-395 to Carson City, NV.  The drive south was just as pleasant as Monday's drive, only this day we would cover close to 104 miles before arriving at the COSTCO in Indian Hills, NV around 11:30 am.  We parked our 62' monstrosity across the street in a local sports complex parking lot, and walked over to COSTCO to do some shopping.  We haven't been to COSTCO since September 5th, so there was some pent up demand for things we only buy at COSTCO.  By the time we paid close to $400 for our purchases, and extricated ourselves from COSTCO it was close to 1 pm.  

Next up we drove a couple of blocks over to the Walmart/Trader Joe's parking lot (there is also an In 'N Out Burger there!) to do some more shopping.  Once that was done we walked across the parking lot to have our first In 'N Out Burger in months....I'm not really sure when we had our last one....probably last November....lol!

.....TLE ordered hers 'Protein Style' (lettuce wrapped, no bun)...we cherished every single bite.

We had one more task to complete before heading to the Tahoe-Douglas Elks Lodge in Gardnerville.....top off our propane tank.  The gauges are not real accurate, but it appeared to me that we had used about half of our 60 gallon capacity the past six months.  We arrived around 2:55 pm, not realizing they only pump propane until 3 pm.....whew, that was close!  We took on EXACTLY, and I mean EXACTLY 30 gallons at a cost of over $127....propane is getting expensive!  We'll be using our gas heaters a little more this winter, but I'm sure we can make the next 6 months on 60 gallons just fine.

We arrived at the Elks Lodge around 3:30 pm, and found there were four RV's there.  There have never been more than 2 on any of our numerous prior visits.  Fortunately, there was one spot I could back into pretty easily, and we were able to do so in one try.....that never happens! The gentleman next to us was pretty impressed.  TLE has learned to give good directions over the years, and our communication while parking the Newell and trailer has improved significantly.

By the time we finished setting up for our one night stay, and I had cleaned two days of bugs off the windshield it was getting close to 5 pm.  In all we covered 121 miles, so we have now covered just over 200 miles of the 770 miles to our destination.  We'll continue south on US-395 Wednesday to Bishop where we'll spend a couple of days at the Tri-County Grounds before continuing our journey....that drive will cover over 140 miles through some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the U.S. Stay tuned for pictures!

Thanks for stopping by!

The hiatus begins.....

7:42 am - Tuesday - October 15th - Honey Lake Rest Area, Janesville, CA -  39° F, humidity 68%, wind 2 mph out of the west.....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 79° F.  On this date in 2016 TLE and I were having dinner with long time friend Don Neff at Christy Hill in Tahoe City, CA.....

....it was a very stormy Fall evening, and one could not tell the difference between Lake Tahoe and a stormy Atlantic Ocean.  One of our all time favorite fine dining restaurants, to which we have returned several times since.

Well, Monday was the 6th day we have been putting things away, and there was just enough time to get it all done before hauling anchor. Our goal was to leave around 2 pm as we didn't want to arrive too early at the Honey Lake Rest Area where we have overnighted on our way south the past two years.  I didn't take any pictures Monday as I was too busy putting the final touches on the trailer organizing.  There was a point where I didn't think it would all fit, but in the end I found a place for everything.

Finally, around 1 pm, we were ready to unhook ourselves from the LPG&RVR utilities, and move the coach out of site #55, where it sat in one place for 6 months and 4 days this year.  Whenever we sit that long I always wonder, and it is only natural, if she will work as she should.  That is why we only drive 80+ miles the first day when leaving LPG&RVR.  If anything arises that needs attention I can take care of it at the Rest Area, which I have done the past two years when the trailer turn/stop lights were not working.  This year they worked, and there were no other issues.

Once I had pulled the Newell forward about 80 feet I folded up the large artificial turf piece, and dragged it into the trailer, followed by the insertion of our 2001 VW Beetle, where it will reside until Saturday, or Sunday when we arrive at our winter destination.  And then we were off...well at least a few hundred feet over to the Clubhouse where we said our final 'until next times'.

As we crossed the bridge at the park exit it was 2:40 pm....a little later than we hoped, but still fine.  Our Garmin Trucker GPS unit advised our ETA at Honey Lake Rest Area would be around 4:20 pm....perfect!

In about 2 miles we were at US-395....our Mother Road....we turned left (southbound) and began our climb to Sage Hen Summit, which sits at exactly 5,555' above sea level.  The Newell performed flawlessly on the 10 mile climb, and then it was down hill to cross the Madeline Plains for the last time in 2024.  US-395 is pretty much straight as an arrow through the Madeline Plains, and you can see for miles.

We hit a couple of construction zones along the way, but we were in no hurry.  The road was straight, and smooth (new pavement), and there was a slight tail wind.  The big Detroit Diesel 6v92TA engine just purred as we floated down the highway.  I looked at TLE and said "It's good to be moving again", and she replied "Yeah", as she always does.  It it good to be moving again.  I am rarely ever happier than when I am behind the wheel of our home on wheels with the cruise control set at 60 mph, my driver side window open so I can hear the 6v92 purring like a kitten.  

Our drive south to the Honey Lake Rest Area was completely uneventful, and we arrived just before 4:30 pm, found a spot in the truck parking area, parked, turned off the Detroit, and just sat there for a few minutes enjoying the view, knowing that there will be no more early morning awakenings for six months.  We'll stay in bed until the sun lights up the curtains in our bedroom every single day......

Isn't she purdy?

....after checking the trailer interior to make sure everything had stayed in its place I pulled a Dr. Pepper out of the Norcold basement fridge, sat down in my recliner, and just enjoyed the view....

....we were expecting over night lows to be in the high 30's Monday night/Tuesday morning so we closed all the mini blinds and curtains to keep the cold air at bay, and it worked.  When we awoke Tuesday morning (today) the outside temp was 39° F, and the Newell interior was at 61° F.....nice!  We were in bed by 9 pm, and didn't get out of bed until after 7 am this morning....a very nice start to our winter hiatus.

Thanks for stopping by!

A longish day.....

7:47 am - Monday - October 14th - LPG&RVR - 38° F, humidity 66%, wind 2 mph out of the southeast....crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 78° F.  Today is departure day, and the park is empty except for some guys who are laying fiber optic cables along US-395, and they will be here for a couple more months.  On this date in 2021 TLE and I were on the Clinton-Mukilteo Ferry headed to Seattle......

Sunday was a longish day.  It was too cold to do anything outside until after 10 am so we got dressed and headed over to the Clubhouse to have a rare breakfast.  We have done so each October before departing LPG&RVR, to enjoy the ambiance of the deck, while saying our 'until next times' to all our friends.  Since Sunday was 'closing day' the restaurant would only be open until noon time.  The park was quickly emptying as we made the drive over, and by the time we returned an hour later there were only 2 RVs left in the upper section, and that was it.

I had an ambitious game plan for Sunday, which mostly included washing the Newell from top to bottom, literally.  I haven't cleaned the roof in a long time, and after sitting for 6 months I fully expected it to be quite dirty, but it wasn't that bad.  My main concern was being sure the solar panels are clean to maximize their charging capabilities as we motor southward. Once the roof was clean I proceeded to wash all four sides of the Newell, something I have not done in one day, let alone doing it in just a few hours, in years.  I began washing around 12 pm, and finished around 3 pm, and was ready to be done, but there was more to do before the sun set for our final night at LPG&RVR until next May.

I had to dump the black tank, and disconnect the sewer hose, then disconnect the water, and electrical in order to back up the Newell, with TLE's help, to the trailer, so we could drop it on the hitch.  I wanted to plug the trailer into the Newell in order to check the brake, and turn signals on the trailer to be sure they are working before we leave on Monday.  In the past we haven't done this until it was time to leave, and found there were issues which had to be dealt with before we left.  Of course, when you do it ahead of time like we did Sunday, everything works!

All the time I was working outside, with occasional assistance from TLE, she was inside preparing the Newell for travel, and also doing several loads of wash.  There is a lot of work to do inside after being stationary for 6 months, but she does a great job of securing everything so there are no flying projectiles whilst underway.  By the time I finished outside I was beat, but got everything done which needed doing on Sunday.

We'll not be hauling anchor until the afternoon on Monday, so that gives us time to finish putting the final touches on the trailer before VW insertion around 1 pm.  We'll be the last seasonal workers to leave LPG&RVR.  Monday we will have  been here 6 months, and 4 days....time for a new view!!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Migration......

7:58 am - Sunday - October 13th - LPG&RVR - 38° F, humidity 87%, wind ZERO mph out of the east by southeast......crystal clear, blue, sunny skies today with a forecast high of 73° F.  On this date in 2017 TLE and I stayed overnight at Ririe Reservoir east of Idaho Falls.  The afternoon looked like this.....↴

....when we awoke the next morning it looked like this....↴

 ....we had no idea it was going to snow overnight.....what a surprise!

And so it began, the final work day of the LPG&RVR 2024 season, and a beautiful sunrise.....

.....it was cold!  I wore pants, two long sleeve shirts, my LPG&RVR winter jacket, watch cap and gloves to begin the day.  The forecast high was 66° F, but it barely got to 60° F.  There was a chance of rain, and we got that, too, for a short period of time.  We rented just 12 golf carts, and many of our customers got a little damp during their rounds. As might be expected with rain, the golf carts came back filthy, but is was what it was....lol.

I spent most of my day marshaling, and enjoying the big views....

There's that forecast rain

.....there is a reason why we have decent cell phone coverage.....cell towers on top of Likely Mountain....about 8 miles away.....

....the day passed quickly, and soon it was time for TLE's lunch break.  I decided to take a one hour lunch for the first time in months, because I wanted to work to 5 pm to be sure I could wash, and stow as many carts as possible.  As it turned out, in spite of my best intentions, the final three carts did not return until after 5:20 pm, so they will be washed and stowed by Lynn, who is working the final Sunday of the season.

We began saying our 'until next times' Saturday morning, and continued doing so late into the day.  I'm sure there will be more on Sunday as we take down the rest of our site in preparation for lift off Monday.  It has been a great summer, and now as Fall tightens its grip on the Pitt River Valley it is time to migrate southward for another winter.  Have we become snowbirds?  Perhaps.  But, we are still nomads, and look forward to changing our view without going through escrow.

Thanks for stopping by!