Home Again!

Our plans were to be home in mid-month,

Mother Nature came in and said "that's enough"

I'm bringing cold, and wind and snow,

South and East is where you should go.

Good thing we listened to her! We heard on the news that a cold front was coming to Reno, and the high altitude passes would most likely get snow by that evening. Forecasts of not only snow, but also windy conditions made us leave early from Reno. We headed south, back into California via Highway 395.

We had made plans to stop at the small town of Lee Vining, which is on the east side of Yosemite National Park. This would allow us to unhook the 5th wheel and travel into the park through the Tioga Gate. Mother Nature was one step ahead of us. The sign at the visitor center just off the highway notified visitors the road would be closed for the next couple of days.
We weren't about to stay in that area either now, knowing the storm would most likely drop snow in its path. We had to be content to see the mountainous perimeter as we hurried (at a top speed of 55 MPH) to get out of the area. For those of you who only travel by car, minivan, etc. through California, there is a top speed limit of 55 for any motorized vehicle pulling a trailer. We are used to getting passed up. The other drivers are probably humming "Blue Bayou"....
Even in the mountains to the south of us didn't look inviting at this point!
This is the kind of weather you don't look forward to when pulling a trailer. If you're in a mountain cabin, with a roaring fire and a cup of hot cocoa in your hand, you don't mind so much. Out here, on the highway, the thought of heavy rain or snow and gusty winds is a might disconcerting.
After 8 1/2 hours, we stopped overnight in Boron, California. This resulted us in being near Edwards Air Force base and hearing sonic booms, listening to trains blowing their whistle at night and the gusty winds literally rocking the trailer. I didn't sleep well that night, but none of that bothered Don!

The next day we had more inclement weather. We hit dense fog and rain north of San Bernadino. We could hardly see in front of the truck. Don said he was going to get off the freeway at the first chance. There was no exit for miles....the only sign announced that in 2 miles there was a runaway truck ramp! I prayed as Don drove, very slowly, in the dense mist that seemed to engulf everything in its path. No pictures either. I was too busy gripping the armrest and watching the view through the windshield.

Trouble is, there was no view.

At all.

We found out after we came home, we were actually traveling through Cajon Pass, known for its turbulence, high winds and fog. Thank the Lord, we got through it intact, except for some frazzled nerves.

Home again! So much to be thankful for! Two bathrooms....a king size bed....lots of counter space in the kitchen.....and a dishwasher! Plus there were 2 granddaughters anxious to see us again. A winning combination, that's for sure!

Lovely Lake Tahoe

As we headed up the mountain road towards Incline Village and Lake Tahoe, we hoped that we wouldn't encounter any rain. We had watched the weather reports on the morning TV program coming out of Reno, and a cold front and storm was headed east. Snow was predicted by that evening for the higher elevations. That included the road up to Lake Tahoe, even though it was only the first week of October.

As we drove along the shoreline, one of our first stops was at Sand Beach, located on the Nevada side of the lake. The cumulus clouds were starting to build up, although there were still patches of bright blue sky.
From our viewpoint, this gigantic lake changed colors: shades of Royal blue, Turquoise and Ultramarine seamlessly mixed together.
But by the time we drove over to King's Beach, about an hour later, the wind had kicked up and the clouds became darker. Lake Tahoe now looked like the ocean, whitecaps broke up the expanse of the deep blue waters.
This was taken from the same spot, only looking out in a different direction. Sure didn't give the same impression of how cold it had become.
The water had gotten so choppy that I dared not go by the bench to take pictures. The puddle of water by the bench wasn't from a previous rain shower. Some of the waves actually hit the fence! Time to keep my distance so both my camera and I stayed dry.
At one of the places along the way was a stone cutout of Lake Tahoe, providing tourists with some pertinent data about Lake Tahoe. It's 22 miles long, 12 miles wide and has 72 miles of shoreline. The deepest section is 1645 feet deep. Even during summer, I don't think I'd be swimming it it, since it ranges from 41 to 68 degrees. Not even a tad bit warm. Only people from Minnesota, Wisconsin , Canada or Denmark would enjoy swimming at those temperatures. My cousin, Sarah and her grandmother from Denmark would have probably enjoyed it since they swim in the North Sea. Too cold for me that day to even get my toes wet!
One young lady, all bundled up in a sweater was much braver than me. With age comes wisdom (at least that's what they say). I was content to take a picture and not imitate her.

Visiting Virginia City

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So, this blog will be mostly pictorial. The pictures of the "vehicles" and people speak for themselves!

This was a first for us. We've never attended an outhouse race before or had even heard of such a thing before the weekend we spent in nearby Reno.

The guy in the striped shirt was the announcer for the event. Much better looking than his friend beside him!
On the left...the entry from Mustang Ranch brothel and the Brown Bomber on the right.
The guys pushing the Comstock Load seemed to be really pushy at times...

Going back to the pit area after the race was done.

Even the Great Dane was dressed up for the event!



One guy handed Don a black marker and told him to write something on the outhouse wall! Don at first couldn't even think of anything.....it has been awhile since he's written on a bathroom wall! I'm hoping he didn't put down our cell phone number! : )
How about the outfits on these guys? At least they have the guts to wear them out in public.
I found a nice Southern gentleman at a nearby hotel and he agreed to have his picture taken with me.
It was much better than having a photo taken with the old prospector and his burro.
Another heat for the Brown Bomber who was pitted against the Haunted House, and a second heat for Comstock Load and Trailer Trash.

Double ply Charmin was used for the finish line! Excuse the puns, "butt" at the end of the outhouse races, all that is left is the "paperwork" and you are pretty much "wiped" out.
No unruly people around when this guy walked past. All in all, this was a fun event. The weather was absolutely perfect, it cost us nothing except some diesel fuel to get there, and it was hilarious to watch.

Re-visiting Reno

We were last in Reno 4 years ago, in the summer of 2007. Then the downtown area was still vibrant and alive. This time, however, we saw the downhill changes and were saddened to see that many of the shops on the main street were closed, even the places across from the main casinos!

When we arrived in the late afternoon, a portion of Virginia Street was cordoned off for the grand opening of Commrow Hotel. This remodeled place was once the grand Fitzgerald's Hotel and Casino, one of the orignal casinos here.
On the outside is a 164 foot climbing wall! This first phase is a non-smoking, pet friendly hotel. No casino at this point, but it also has a 7000 square foot bouldering park inside!
You sure wouldn't get me to climb up those walls, even if I was attached to a rope! Our son and daughter in law love to do this sort of thing. Bret sure didn't inherit his love of climbing from me, that's for sure!
And no, we didn't drop a single penny into any slot machine here. The inside of casinos is the last place I wanted to be. I feel claustrophobic inside those noisy, smoky places. Our tour of downtown Reno was a short one, only 45 minutes of walking around and we both were done.

It Hasta be Shasta!

Around 6 miles west of Redding, California, are the remains of the gold mining town of Shasta. For now, at least, you can visit this wonderful state historic park and take a step back into time. Unfortunately, the state of California has decided to close all the state historic parks since they don't generate much revenue. One volunteer at the museum here said it would cost $22 million to keep them open, or $25 million to put everything into storage. Guess which one they opted for? I'm hoping someone in the California legislature finds a way to keep places like these open to the public. Once the parks are closed, they'll fall into disrepair, and all the history will be more or less lost.

Okay, I'll get off my bandwagon, and just settle down to discussing what we had the opportunity to see here. The sign gave us an idea of what Shasta looked like in the early 1850's. At that time, all the buildings were made out of wood (unless you happened to live in a tent). This busy little town was given the name of Shasta in 1850, and within 2 years, more than $2.5 million worth of gold had passed through here.

Much of the town burned down in December, 1852. They rebuilt the wood structures, and 6 months later, a second fire razed all 70 businesses on Main street. The third time they got smart and built with bricks. Some of the old brick walls remain today, propped up by steel beams in places.
Don is walking along the porch of the Litsch Store Museum, one of the few buildings that are still intact. We got here just as a California state park employee was giving an overview of the store to some new volunteers. We listened to her explanation of the history of this unique place.
Frank Litsch purchased the building for $400 in 1873, and expanded it in 1878 to include clothing, boots, shoes, hats, miner's goods. You could buy almost anything you needed here. The amazing part is that almost all the items are NOT replicas. They are the actual canned goods, shoes, ladies apparel, etc. that were in the store in the late 1880's and the early 1900's.
The oats look a bit familiar? Even back then, the Quaker Oat Company was in business! Most of the canned goods sold for $.25. Twenty pound hams, cured and shipped in large barrels, could be purchased for $3.00.
Mr. Litsch carried a variety of cures for stomach problems. No Tums or Rolaids back then!
The red object is an old coffee grinder. As I'm sitting here typing my blog and drinking a cup of Hazelnut coffee, I'm wondering what their "fancy blended" coffee tasted like.
The store did so well, that in 1875 he rented the store next door to use as a warehouse. For decades, the overstock never was sold, and remained stored away.
An old stove heated the store. Note the spittoon nearby.
Here is a close up of the sign on the stove. I sure wouldn't have wanted to be near one of those guys who chewed and then decided to spit! Gross!
Another section shows all the old (and original) fashion in shoes and spats.
I just had to take a photo of the American Express Sealing Wax. If they still made the sealing wax, I bet there would be some kind of legal suit over rights to the name of American Express. Later on, the store added a post office and installed gas pumps in 1922 to reflect the changing of times. The store was passed down through the family and was kept open as a museum until 1960 when Bob Litsch sold the entire collection to the State of California.
The Coyle-Foster Barn is part of the historic park. It was built in the 1850's and stood in the Trinity area for about 100 years. In 1959, the area was going to be flooded with the building of Trinity dam, so the owner donated it to the state. It was carefully taken apart and reassembled on this site at that time.
For right now, this park will stay open through June of next year, with the help of volunteers. I wish I lived closer so I could take all of my grandchildren through the general store museum before it is closed for good. Walking through the store is so much better than reading about it in a text book. Like the old saying goes: "They don't make them like they used to". Enough said.

Sundial Bridge

What is there to do in Redding? Well, we did some research and decided to scope out the Sundial Bridge.

This pedestrian bridge that crosses over the Sacrament River, took 11 years to complete. It opened on July 4, 2004. It cost $24 million to build and is 720 feet long. The bridge links the north and south parts of Turtle Bay Exploration Park. It is truly a sight to see!

Looking at it from this perspective reminds me of a giant harp. The world renowned Spanish architect that designed this, however, describes his design as a goose in flight.

Some interesting facts are that it is made up of parts from seven different countries and can hold the weight of 6000 people. The design was so complex that new software needed to be developed for the engineering calculations!
The walkway is comprised of 2,245 glass panels, which can heat up to 150 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer. No walking across this during that time if you are barefoot, that's for sure!