Monday, December 4, 2006

We had another relatively good night last night because we were plugged into electricity.  It seems that electric is really the only thing you can't get along without.  You could but it would get mighty cold in here at night.  We've been living out of water jugs for the past few days since our pump went to hell.  On the way out of town we stopped at the RV Dealer's and picked up a pump. $68 was not a bad price.  I would rather have not bought it but what're you gonna do.

We were on the road by 8:45 since we had to wait for the RV Parts store to open before leaving the campground.

We drove on I-80 as far as Battle Mountain today and then swung south to hit "The loneliest Road in America."  That even appears on the Nevada maps showing highway 50.  Since we were probably not coming this way again this late in the year we had to check it out.  And it was pretty desolate.  We only stopped for lunch when we found a spot to pull off, and I was bragging to Sharon that I found a place for lunch before 12 noon.  She wasn't impressed.

We were immediately back on the road after lunch and never stopped again until we were 20 miles from I-80 and in need of LP Gas.  We spotted a place and I pulled in.  $2.50 a gallon.  Ouch!

We returned to I-80 and a short while later we were in California.  It was about 80 miles to our destination (Susanville) and we wouldn't pull in there until after dark.  Drat!  We found the Wal-Mart right on Main Street and pulled in and made ourselves comfortable for the night.

Sharon made us tacos for supper tonight and apparently I wasn't very hungry cause I only ate 3.  We settled in for TV tonight but there was nothing but repeats on.  I guess it's officially the Christmas season when the repeats start to be shown.

We were both in bed early tonight trying to catch up on lost sleep.  What a waste of time.  I was up at two to check the batteries and napped on the couch for the rest of the night.  The only thing I was catching up on was worrying about the batteries.  This should be our last night of boondocking for awhile.  At least until we get to Quartzsite.

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful after getting the generator started for the rest of the night.  It's now about 3:30 and I sit here typing my journal for yesterday.  You'd think I'd have something better to do with my night than this.

Tuesday, December 5, 2006

We pulled up stakes and got on the road this morning knowing that our first stop the Lassen Volcano National Park, was closed for the winter and that our stop would only be at the Park Headquarters, for the cancellation stamp.  We stopped in Mineral, California for about a half hour but there were no programs or even a movie to see before we left.  We did have a nice chat with a Park Ranger.

We were back on the road again headed toward Redding, California where we would be stopping for a few days.  It would be our base for the next four or five days while we visit the rest of the National Parks in Northern California.

We arrived at our campground, Bear Mountain RV Resort, about noon and after setting up we headed into town for groceries.  We actually had another ulterior motive in going to town immediately.  We knew there was an In-N-Out Burger somewhere in the vicinity of where we were going.  We got directions from the campground owner before we left.

The town was confusing to get around but we did manage to track down the In-N-Out Burger.  We went in and ate lunch and then ran into a lady on the way out who said she used to frequent the original restaurant in Southern California.  She said she's been eating here for 50 years.  Whew!

We went to Safeway for groceries and didn't realize that a $50 purchase (ours was $95) in groceries would give us an additional 10 cents off a gallon of gas.  We stopped on the way into Safeway to fill up knowing we would be traveling tomorrow or the next day.  No matter, we'll hit them up for a fill before we leave here.

When we got back home I put on the new water pump and the icemaker valve while Sharon caught us up on the laundry.  We had several pairs of sweats that needed laundering along with unmentionables and socks.

We had left-overs for supper tonight.  I had Rigatoni and Sharon had crackers and Dip.  We settled in for TV for the rest of the night, and Sharon picked up her cross-stitching.  We both lasted until 10 tonight probably more relaxed because we were going to squat here for a few days.

Wednesday, December 6, 2006

I got up at 7:15 this morning which must be some kind of record for me.  I don't sleep this relaxed even at home.  When Sharon got up we got ready and then took off for Lava Beds National Monument near Tulelake in Northern California near the Oregon border.  It was a 170 mile drive and by the time we got there it was time for lunch and we stopped at the only restaurant in town....Mike and Wanda's. We both had the "Steak Sandwich" Special.  It was a slab of meat on a piece of bread that was cut diagonally.  The steak was good but the "sandwich" was unusual.

The monument is a crater volcano that erupted through several mounds on the site and created lava fields of molten rock.   There are several lava tubes on site and we walked in the most prominent one, Mushpot, near the Visitor's Center.We didn't feel much like climbing through lava tubes today so we took most of our pictures of the lava fields and the mounds that emitted them. 

By the time we started our journey back home we didn't get back until 6 o'clock, after dark.  We were in time to watch a little TV for the night but that was about it.  We were both a little taxed from the journey.

Thursday, December 7, 2006HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

We were both up early this morning and after we got dressed we were on the road to Redwood National Park near Orick, California.  Redwood is located on the northern coast about 160 miles from Redding where the motorhome is parked.  By the time we got up there it was time for lunch and we found a little restaurant called Trinidad Bay Eatery.  We had a delicious Crab Melt Sandwich with fries.  Then we finished it off by sharing a Blackberry Cobbler.  Very good.

Then we were off to see the Redwoods after making a brief stop at the Visitor's Center.  We watched the movie before we headed out on the drive through the park.  We stopped at several pull-offs to view the trees and also a herd of Elk that were resting in a Meadow.  We continued on over a scenic drive that traversed redwood groves surrounding the road. 

We had intended staying in a motel near the park tonight, and going out for a nice Anniversary Dinner, but instead decided to drive the road back again tonight.  The road over and back was a winding, climbing, descending piece of twisted spaghetti that was a challenge in the daytime and a nightmare in the dark. Especially with headlights that were not aligned since Sharon hit the deer at home.  We got home about 7:30 and just crashed after we got our overnight clothes and toiletries put away.

A new episode of CSI was on tonight and it ran the second time at 9 o'clock.  We watched it before the bewitching hour.  We were still contemplating going somewhere tomorrow since we made it home tonight.  We wouldn't have to do that horrendous drive again.  I think we were both glad to be home.  We put almost 700 miles on the car over the past two days.

Friday, December 8, 2006

Today was a "find the Post Office" day.  We had a couple of things to mail out and some stamps to pick up.  And as long as we were going to be in town, we would find a restaurant to have lunch.  On the way into town the sun came out and we didn't have our cameras with us.  We turned around and went the 2 miles back to get them.

The Post Office was quite a busy place.  Not necessarily with people but with things for sale in every available space including  hanging off the walls.  The place looked like a gift shop that handles mail instead of the other way around.

The restaurant that the campground lady recommended was the Black Bear Diner which we saw on a cross street on the way to the Post Office.  We went back and had lunch there.  Sharon had the Codwich Sandwich Special and I "almost" had the Big Bear Burger.  I say almost because the thing was the size of Rhode Island.  I cut it in half and only ate half the fries also.  I'll have a nice lunch for tomorrow too.

We got call from Phil today saying that Port Chicago was not conducting any tours during December or January.  That will put an end to the visit there for this time.

After lunch Sharon spotted a 99¢ store just outside the restaurant and while I checked our e-mail in the parking lot she went shopping.  And if it hadn't been for an intestinal "2 minute warning" she would have been in there for a while.

The su8n was shining when we finally got everything together and decided to try to find the Sundial Bridge.  It took us about a half hour but we did manage to find it.  We walked over it and took pictures.  The only trouble is that the bridge doesn't tell the time in the winter.  It seems like a colossal waste of money for telling time.  The girl that was working near the bridge told us it keeps time within 20 minutes all summer long.  It is however, a beautiful work of art, but as we found not really very accessible.

We decided that as long as it was still light we would find the Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area.  It was only 10 miles west of town and we found the Visitor Center without much trouble.  When the ranger explained the park we decided to come back another day to see some of the finer points.  Most of the sites were hikes.  Something that I don't do for the most part.  But there a few that weren't.

We left for home and made it before darkness fell with a loud crash.

Me and the Mrs. were going to have steaks on the grill for Supper tonight.  It would be our Anniversary Dinner that we missed out on yesterday.  Afterward we settled in for some TV.  It looked as though it was going to be another bleak night for programming. We were both sawing logs at 9:30 singing the "old peoples" lament.

Saturday, December 9, 2006

Well today was the other day to go back to Whiskeytown but the sky opened up and it rained all night.  As a matter of fact it rained on and off all day too.

Sharon made omelettes to start out our day and that was one of the best things that happened, food wise all day.

We attempted to just pass the time today since we really had nothing to do and noone to do it with.  HaHa.

I took the time to catch up on the December Newsletter and update the website which I'll publish by Monday.

Sitting around and doing nothing today was not all that earthshaking, since on occasion we tend to try to force more into a day than is possible.  We have an ambitious schedule that starts next week when we go down to Yountville and the San Francisco area.  We have several National Parks that we'll visit in a short amount of time.  And then of course we have good friends that we want to visit while we're there.

I had my leftover Big Bear Burger for lunch today while Sharon was putting up a beef stew for supper.  She forgot to pack her crock pot this year so it simmered on the stove all day.  The joint smelled like a short-order kitchen all day.

Sharon took off with the car to make some phone calls to everybody we know today since we really have lousy signal where we're at.  Our e-mail has been curtailed to say the least.  Hopefully that will improve next week.

After Dinner we searched for something to watch on TV as the power was going in and out at the campground.  We managed to watch a couple of shows from our batteries before it started raining hard enough to cause rain fade on the dish.  That was pretty much enough for both of us as Sharon took up her cross-stitching and I continued reading my Christmas present from Jen.........Culture Warrior by Bill O'Reilly.

We went into "old peoples" mode at about 9:30 and headed for the feathers.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Sharon took off for church this morning and promptly got lost on the way.  She knew she was lost right away and found her way in time to get to the church before the mass started.  By the time she got back I had eaten Breakfast and was vacuuming the hacienda.

It was still raining off and on and has been for the last 3 days.  It doesn't seem like it's going to let up anytime soon.

We had planned to go to Whiskeytown-Shasta-Trinity National Recreation Area today and since this would be our last day here, we hadn't changed our mind.  We took off right after Sharon got something to eat.  As we approached W-S-T NRA the sky started to clear up and the sun came out.  Partly sunny, but sunny none-the-less.  At least the rain stopped.  We drove around to the sites and even tried to find Whiskeytown to no avail.  All we could find was an old General Store that was abandoned.

On the way back home the sun disappeared and the rain came back.  The park had only been 10 miles up the road.  By the time we got back it was raining full time again.  Go figure.

We had Cornish Game Hens for supper tonight.  It was a dish that Sharon had made at home and then frozen.  It's made with 3 different colors of peppers and it 's fabulous.  We also had some acorn squash that was given to us by Rose Schultz at home.  We usually travel with Len and Rose but we don't think they will be traveling this year.

After Dinner we settled in for TV and at least we didn't have power problems tonight or rain fade.  We just had bad options for programming.  What else was new.  TV has been rotten for the last couple of weeks.  But we did manage to find something to watch until the bewitching hour.  The only trouble is that the bewitching hour seems to come so early.