Monday, September 01, 2008
Redwoods and Starting the Trip Home
[Be sure to click on the photos for larger versions.]
This installment covers Wednesday (August 27) through Monday (September 1).
Wednesday was a sunny driving day down the coast highway to Crescent City, California. Before leaving the RV park this morning we walked about 100 yards up a hill to an observation deck where we could see the north end of the Oregon dunes. On the drive today we stopped at several viewpoints – at one we had lunch and I took a short nap.
The RV park for the next three nights is a quiet one and our site is nestled nicely among the trees. This evening we drove downtown for dinner, then returned to the RV to watch Senator Biden’s speech accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination.
Thursday was another nice day. We spent most of the day driving through redwood forests, or along the coast. First, we drove a loop through a state park, then after lunch and a short drive down Highway 101, we drove a coastal road which first passed beaches, then cliffs, then went through another redwood forest, before passing through elk meadows, sans elk.
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This evening we watched Obama’s speech accepting the presidential nomination.
Friday we did errands and relaxed in Crescent City. In the afternoon we went to the local cinema and saw Traitor, which opened today.
Saturday was a driving day from Crescent City to Red Bluff, California. This morning was cool on the coast, with some light fog on Highway 101. We then turned west and headed over the mountains into California’s central valley. By the time we got to Red Bluff, the temperature was in the mid-90s, the hottest we have been since leaving the U.S. in early June. (This actually was better than it could have been – yesterday Red Bluff logged in at 105). The RV park this evening is new – they have sunk a lot of money into nice concrete pads and landscaping, and had nowhere near enough business to break cover their operating expenses.
Sunday was a short driving day to Bordertown, Nevada, just outside Reno on the California/Nevada border. The drive went up and down through the mountains on the east side of California’s central valley. We had lunch in the café attached to the small casino (slot machines and video poker only) that owns the RV park, drove toward Reno for a little grocery shopping, had dinner in the same café, then lost $20playing video poker for about 45 minutes.
Monday was a long driving day from one border of Nevada to the other. Most of the day was spent on US 50, the “loneliest highway in America.” This was a very well maintained highway and, true to the advertising, passed through few towns and had little traffic. We climbed from about 4000 feet in Bordertown through several passes at 7000 to 7500 feet, but the climbs were all gradual and there were only a few spots of curvy road. The scenery was a mix of high plains, desert, and mountains. We had planned to stop in Ely this evening, but decided to drive the extra 66 miles to the border to shorten tomorrow’s long driving day. Even here in the middle of nowhere, we have off-the-air TV and WiFi access, so I will update the blog this evening.
This installment covers Wednesday (August 27) through Monday (September 1).
Wednesday was a sunny driving day down the coast highway to Crescent City, California. Before leaving the RV park this morning we walked about 100 yards up a hill to an observation deck where we could see the north end of the Oregon dunes. On the drive today we stopped at several viewpoints – at one we had lunch and I took a short nap.
The RV park for the next three nights is a quiet one and our site is nestled nicely among the trees. This evening we drove downtown for dinner, then returned to the RV to watch Senator Biden’s speech accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination.
Thursday was another nice day. We spent most of the day driving through redwood forests, or along the coast. First, we drove a loop through a state park, then after lunch and a short drive down Highway 101, we drove a coastal road which first passed beaches, then cliffs, then went through another redwood forest, before passing through elk meadows, sans elk.
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This evening we watched Obama’s speech accepting the presidential nomination.
Friday we did errands and relaxed in Crescent City. In the afternoon we went to the local cinema and saw Traitor, which opened today.
Saturday was a driving day from Crescent City to Red Bluff, California. This morning was cool on the coast, with some light fog on Highway 101. We then turned west and headed over the mountains into California’s central valley. By the time we got to Red Bluff, the temperature was in the mid-90s, the hottest we have been since leaving the U.S. in early June. (This actually was better than it could have been – yesterday Red Bluff logged in at 105). The RV park this evening is new – they have sunk a lot of money into nice concrete pads and landscaping, and had nowhere near enough business to break cover their operating expenses.
Sunday was a short driving day to Bordertown, Nevada, just outside Reno on the California/Nevada border. The drive went up and down through the mountains on the east side of California’s central valley. We had lunch in the café attached to the small casino (slot machines and video poker only) that owns the RV park, drove toward Reno for a little grocery shopping, had dinner in the same café, then lost $20playing video poker for about 45 minutes.
Monday was a long driving day from one border of Nevada to the other. Most of the day was spent on US 50, the “loneliest highway in America.” This was a very well maintained highway and, true to the advertising, passed through few towns and had little traffic. We climbed from about 4000 feet in Bordertown through several passes at 7000 to 7500 feet, but the climbs were all gradual and there were only a few spots of curvy road. The scenery was a mix of high plains, desert, and mountains. We had planned to stop in Ely this evening, but decided to drive the extra 66 miles to the border to shorten tomorrow’s long driving day. Even here in the middle of nowhere, we have off-the-air TV and WiFi access, so I will update the blog this evening.
