Holiday Lodge Grass Valley

... got one too since it was one of those self wash things with a pressure gun (FUN) we also gave her another oil change but this was later on in Yuba ( the dude there was really nice, he complemented both our lack of direction and the paint job on Betsy)

... Townsend.
It really was a good time....

Even though we were there to see family and friends, we still got to see and do some new things, just to keep the spirit of the road trip alive. Of course when you think of California, you think of the Gold Rush, among many other things, but we both tried to become experts in panning for gold. I ended up scoring quite a bit of gold, but the majority ...

What a great weekend I was able to spend with Ken and Terry plus Nessa and Vicky (the dogs). A lot was had at the Apple Festival in Apple Hill; eating a drinking everything apple along with a great conversation on "Choice". Sunday was spent in ...

Today is Saturday, Oct. 10, 2009. Lots to do before we take off next Friday. Clean up the trailer, make the bed, stock it, and then start praying. We're anticipating taking off early next Friday and make our way to Tonopah, Nevada. I'm hoping the rain we're expecting next week doesn't interfere with our plans. Keep your fingers crossed.

... d always wanted to try it after seeing people do it in San Diego. The surfboard was actually the base of a kiteboard and was hollow so kind of hard to balance on, plus with the wind, paddling didn't get me very far. I never did fall in, so I counted that as a successful try. Once out of the water some big clouds started rolling in. I had looked at the weather forecast before my trip and saw nothing about clouds or rain for that matter ...

... spent at the Yuba River, but I have all of August to enjoy that! So while I'd like to write letters while I'm away, I'll also see if I can grab the time to update this blog... if only to flaunt the fact that I'm in Europe and you're all stuck at home! =D (But I'll try to be nice about it... really.) I have to go be productive now! Wish me luck! - Sage

Zwei Tage verbrachten wir am und um den Lake Tahoe. Eindruckvolles Suesswasserreservoir (Umrundung mit dem Wagen: 117 km). Nachdem wir an der Suedkueste des Sees historische Zentren aus der Siedlerzeit besuchten, sind wir ins benachbarte Alpine Meadows gereist. Hier hatten wir ersten Baerenkontakt in der Umgebung des Ferienhauses. Heute gings hinunter nach Grass Valley. Daselbst besuchten wir die Empire Mine (riesiges Gold-Bergwerk mit tiefen Schaechten bis 2500m).

... the fun ended, the rest of the afternoon was climbing up to Aurburn! I was in the easiest gear that I have trying my best to keep from falling over doing 5 miles an hour. My legs I think finally got the message that we aren't taking a day off. I pray the energy faries come and fill them tonight because ...

... we had "proved our point" by then and were ready to be driven to warmth and comfort. We appreciated his concern, which had led him to take his lunch hour to find us and make sure we were okay. We figured we were still good for a few more miles, but we accepted his offer partly because we needed to be rested for the evening presentation. We were greeted by Bruce's wife, Lia, who had come home from work also worried about us. Not long after, Doug Milhouse called to check ...

... luggage as a new sun screen, forgot it was in my bag, and my Elizabeth Arden eight hour cream, were both missed in Fiji but confiscated at LAX. I was met at Sacramento airport by Meg, a med student I had met in Botswana and I spent a fab week hanging out with her in sleepy ol' Sacramento, trying to get my body clock on US time and get over another culture shock. I didn't manage to see Arnie, even though I hung around the capitol building... but I did manage to get to ...