Day 29 Reno Arizona to Califronia
Trip Start
May 07, 2008
1
39
205
Trip End
Nov 22, 2008
Stockton,
California,
United States
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Today's decision was, "let us leave Boomtown Reno behind" There was a very lazy cold wind (it did NOT take the time to go around us it went right through us!) blowing when we visited the restrooms, so it took no convincing to pack up after breakfast and leave.
We were across the border into California in a short time and had an agriculture check point to pass through.
No big deal to explain we had bought some potatoes and a bit of fruit in Nevada, We then were subjects of a talk about the "bugs" in fruit and how some people do not peel fruit before they eat them etc. I wonder if the nice agricultural lady just enjoyed hearing our accent? I have been told that some Americans enjoy our accent; it just appeared to be a longer delay than one would have felt was required.
Daughter Father time contemplating
No worries we roll the Castle past the agriculture stop and take the road to Lake Tahoe.
The road into Lake Tahoe was very picture post card with lovely little stream (Truckee River) bubbling along with the fir trees on either side with cabins and small communities in this picturesque setting.
This led us into small communities alongside the famed Lake Tahoe. GREAT if you could get a view, but the best spots were taken with houses nestled beside the lake, and the road tracked through the little villages built up on both sides of the road, No places for a Castle to pull over to allow the inhabitants of the castle to have a look around.
A corner and a clear spot! the Castle crossed to the other side of the road to come to rest (on the wrong side) beside Lake Tahoe.
We walked down and sat and absorbed the view, Yes! it is a wonderful view and a beautiful place. The beach is round river worn pebbles/stones of a variety of hues and shapes, and even some flat ones to allow Rick relive his boyhood days of skipping stones over the water.(Like riding a bike, you don't forget But it does get a little harder with the aged muscles and bones, and for some reason the stones do not skip as far as they used too!)
We absorb the view and then decided to move along to see what else was to be offered around this area
Our view from our pebble seats
.The climb began and the road became a bit of a challenge for the Castle to negotiate, with some tighter bends and switch backs, but gee the castle goes forward, Most likely because there isn't a wide enough place to do a U- Turn in a 30 ft vehicle! Nah just kidding, a tiny bit. It was tight but not really too bad.
We came to a "vista" (lookout point on Oz lingo) and pulled over. It really was a beautiful spot to have another view of the Lake with a back drop of sharp rocky mountain behind, and a small waterfall feeding into the Lake, with some wild animals showing themselves to us as we looked over the waterfall and the wall, (this animal took the form of a ground squirrel) It was a park and pay area, but we figured we were only here until the billy boiled and the cuppa was consumed, not to take the hiking path down to the lake. (Mind you the path had signs warning about the length and the climb back up, so it was really prudent of us to "think about it" over a cup of tea.
The decision was made Not to take the walk (gee how surprising!) so we drove the castle out of this small tight parking lot and back onto the road.
From this point the road climbed and narrowed and climbed! Some good views of the lake as we negotiated our way up towards the snow.
Over the Wall is a drop off
The road led us away from the lake and led us on to where it decided to go back down, Gee the 10mile per hour switchback turns and some tight narrows made for a fun steady journey. We came down through the rest of the woods and hills with a lot more relaxed road conditions and we again ran into another Agricultural check, Again we explained about the food and this was no problem, the nice officer asked us where we were heading, we explained we were heading towards Sacramento and on towards San Fran, He kindly suggested taking an alternate route that was much prettier and more scenic, and "besides the 5 is horrific in Sacramento they are tearing it up and it is a huge mess in there!" Well we drove through and stopped and recalculated (or should I suggest, Interpreted the actual language and terminology) as well as observed a large sign ahead in lights advising us the road through Sacramento was "under repair"
With all this in mind we chose to take the "more Scenic" route.
It started out as can be described, nice and post card type stuff, and THEN of course, climbs and twists, and other wonderful stuff that road engineers can construe to give the travellers and the Castle a few tests! It might be mentioned here that the razor back transverse allowed ALL parties unobstructed views that dropped a LOT of feet before the ground could be seen. The road travelled down a ridge that was only wide enough for the road and then nothing either side but drop offs both sides.
We did manage to find ourselves higher than the snow as well, YEP we did it we had snow below us and snow above us, not on the road but pockets in amongst the woods and the trees still attempting to turn into water. Was Karon impressed? NOT!
We arrived at a small food stop that gave us a chance to pull over (yep the road widened enough for that) made some lunch and had an ice cream from the shop. The vote was clear cut, not one of the party of travellers felt that the "joy" of living near or in the Lake Tahoe area was the choice of retirement destination for them.
It had a cold bite to the wind and it was obviously still coming out of the winter/spring period (even though it is "Summer" and the locals were already gathering wood for the fires maybe for next winter?
During this period we re-adjusted our destination and re-set Mandy (remember Mandy the GPS dude) to take us to a KOA RV park.
Along the way we spotted a supermarket (related to our favourite from back in Anaheim) and pulled in to restock the quarter-masters store. Leaving the car park (NO we DID NOT buy another outside mat to leave behind!) and onto the road again.
This took us through some beautiful flat farmland growing cherries, grapes and strawberries as well as other produce we couldn't choose what it might be. (The strawberries in the supermarket are so cheap compared to our Aust counterparts, EG: $2 for a double size punnet and very large strawberries)
Mandy directs us towards our RV park and did another great job! She gave us directions and then told us we had reached our destination, and here we were on a great big bridge crossing some water and could look back over to our left and observe the mariner/RV park on the banks of the river behind us, on the other side of the road, Gee great and well done! So no choice but to proceed over the bridge and looking ahead the road was long and straight and one of the few with no turning lanes. A quick decision to pull into the first farm driveway and U turn. WOW what a lot of fun in the 30ft Castle, but testimony to the fact we succeeded because we have spent the night in a wonderful RV park with huge amount of space and sites in a grass land type park and only 3 other RVs here at this point. Quiet bliss and warm as well! We had dinner and wandered up to have a look around the mariner that is associated with the RV park.
We re-assessed our progress and have decided to head to Monterey for a couple of days and take things from there, doing a trip around that area and do the San Fran in a couple of days.
Comments
eo the travellers
You should have said to the lady at the border that you have these in Australia, because of the fruit flies. Sounds like an interesting drive through Lake Tahoe, I bet Mum was applying the brakes even though she wasn't driving. Don't worry about the cold, at least you haven't been in the rain for week, like us here.
By the way what did you leave on at Universal Studios? Funny that you visit and in burns down (even it was a week or so after).
Love you Sarah and all the Boys
to the travellers
You should have said to the lady at the border that you have these in Australia, because of the fruit flies. Sounds like an interesting drive through Lake Tahoe, I bet Mum was applying the brakes even though she wasn't driving. Don't worry about the cold, at least you haven't been in the rain for week, like us here.
By the way what did you leave on at Universal Studios? Funny that you visit and in burns down (even it was a week or so after).
Love you Sarah and all the Boys
Re: to the travellers
Gee Sarah, WAS it YOU that commented on Rick repeating himself? Gee who else must enjoying hearing their storeys twice.
Gee it took a while for the 'effects' of our visit to Universal to be created, but there you go we are sneaky!We are missing you as well
Universal Studios
There's something suspicious going at Universal Studios. After the Powell/Garland 1999 visit to the studios the backlot burnt down. Is this a concidence or a pattern emerging??? If I was Mum and Pop I would be heading for the border.
Danial
I had a spelling mistake
I would have to agree with you Dan, I was trying to remember this morning what visit that happened on (but it was 96).
Rick, unlike you I don't like to hear myself talk :P
I knew that comment was coming but I couldn't leave the spelling mistake, because I debated with myself if I wanted your comment, but anything from you guys is a plus.
Love you all Sarah