A 3-Day Journey

Friday, july 14,2017

Hitched, tied, packed, and secured we say goodbye to Mike, Maryann, Rose, and Gil with plans to meet back at Camp Blanco RV Park in Port Orford next summer. We have reservations for April 15th-September 1st, 2018.

We take an adventure-filled route today, heading south on 101 to Gold Beach where we head east on Jerry’s Flat Road through the town of Agnes over a road closed during winter and not recommended for trailers… Oops!

It’s a bumpy, twisty ride filled with patches of sunken grade road and gravel. The cabinet over the kitchen sink flies open, spewing bowls, dishes and small cooking gadgets. Then, a crate on the dinette bench topples over spilling pots, pans, cooking utensils, and all of the soil from a potted plant!

After passing through the town of Merlin, we reach I-5 near Grants Pass. With shattered nerves and scattered belongings we pull over in Rogue River City and stay the night at Bridge View RV Resort overlooking the Rogue River. It’s a hot 98 degrees, a big adjustment from the coast’s daily highs of the mid 60s.!

Saturday, July 15,2017

We pass into northern California and pull over to enter the Border Protection Station, an agricultural inspection stop established in California in the early 1920s to prevent the spread of invasive species. Store-bought produce was okay, but cherries were not. We passed.

As we approach Yreka and head toward the city of Mount Shasta, a snow-covered mountain appears on the horizon to the right.

It’s Mount Shasta, a dormant but potentially active volcano that flanks the city with the same name.

It is the 2nd highest peak in the Cascades and the 5th highest elevation in California.

We exit I-5 and turn southeast on 89 towards Lassen Volcanic National Park…

…but when we are only 14 miles from the NP we take 44 and pass through the high plains of Lassen National Forest…

In Susanville, we pick up 395 and spend the night at Days End RV Park in Standish, California.

Sunday, july 16, 2017

We pick up Route 395 in Janesville and pass by Milford, population 70.

In Reno, Nevada we catch I-80 and then outside of Sparks,

we pick up the Nevada portion of Highway 50, nicknamed “The Loneliest Road in America.” Many Pony Express stations were along this route.

We will be on this road for the rest of today and all day tomorrow as we cross the Nevada desert.

In Fallon we notice names spelled out with rocks in the sand along the highway.

A sea of sagebrush and sand, valleys, rolling hills and mountains in the distance…

One hundred ten miles away is Austin, Nevada, population 192.

Austin is a “living ghost town”, a well-preserved example of an early mining town. According to local history, a Pony Express rider’s horse kicked over a rock and silver was discovered here. (en.m.wikipedia.org)

We spend the night at a small Baptist Church RV park for $25 cash placed in an envelope… the honor system.

Monday, July 17, 2017

Back on Highway 50, Eureka, 70 miles away, pops up for a couple of blocks.

It’s another 77 miles to  Ely.

A working steam engine, the Nevada Northern…

Ely has a population of a little over 4,200… so this is big time civilization! Founded as a Pony Express stagecoach station, copper was discovered here in 1906. (en.m.wikipedia.org)

It only takes a mile or 2 for the scenery to change again.

And in the early afternoon we spot our destination for the next 3 nights.

We’re here… The Border Inn Motel, Casino, Cafe, Convenience Store, and… RV Park! We literally are on the border. I circled the Utah Welcome Sign. Walk beyond the sign and the time zone changes to Mountain Time.

Check this out… a 5th Wheel with a patio that folds down like a drawbridge! That looks to be a sliding patio door and I bet there’s an outdoor entertainment system and grill behind those storage compartments.

A beautiful sunset…

Good night!