Another Northern(or other part) California tale/trip

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Here we go!
First stop........... Winnemucca Nevada.

[LadyDraco]

Marking your grounds are ya

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Made it! 100 degrees when we pulled in to town, but nice campsite for the night and it cooled off to 65 last night.
Today we are heading out for Utah and crossing the Salt Flats.

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Home, haven't uploaded any of the pictures yet from the phone.

I need a vacation from our vacation already. Cleaning the trailer from 9 days on the road is WORK!

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Finally!
PART ONE ______

Left Napa here and made the trek to Winnemucca Nevada with a lunch picnic stop in the Sierra's along the Yuba River below Donner Pass.
Nice picnic spot!



Pulled into the New Frontier RV Park and got a nice level spot for the night with full hook ups, which was very nice because it was 98 degrees there.
We ran the A/C all night and stayed cool, nice regular showers without having to worry about the holding tanks, and then headed out early in the morning.



Before leaving town, we both decided to grab a nice coffee somewhere to start the day. And boy did we find a great coffee shop on a cool old side street.



https://goo.gl/maps/XMeYRgFTTwJ7vzuK6 Along The Way Cafe was a true surprise and treat. The owner makes her own chocolate sauce for the mocha's. WOW!

Hit a few rest stops and they always seem to have great historical markers out there on the "old roads".





AND....... We got a lesson about the Mormon Crickets(which are not crickets at all) and then found out we were lucky and not in the major part of the migration.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mormon-cri ... lko-idaho/

A few gas stops... Okay! A LOT of gas stops and we made it across Nevada and to the Utah Border at Wendover.

I had to! It's a mechanic thing, a gear head thing.... I had to drive out to a sacred place for motor junkies like me!



No records were set, but a bucket list item was checked off................
I drove on the salt!


Drove on across to Salt Lake City and started seeing the weather get worse to the south of us, even had an Emergency Alert System activation on the radio for sever thunderstorms, and flash flooding. Check into our next KOA campsite at 93 degrees and decided to hit the swimming pool! Great little campground out in the farm fields!
https://goo.gl/maps/qa397hWgvjhxnRRC9



Next day was the final push to Pinedale Wyoming and the spot for the Family Reunion. More great picnic spots along the way at Bear Lake on the Utah end in Garden City
https://goo.gl/maps/qGtZR7yzCWVX84wR7

Then made it with some sweating about finding fuel in the middle of nowhere Wyoming and found two stations in La Barge https://goo.gl/maps/qhfkXWncbhPKDVoH6 as the fuel light came on.

Drove into Pinedale and found the grocery store for supplies to get us through the week, tyhen on out to the campground and our site was great as the storm clouds started to gather.
https://goo.gl/maps/SqHm49Eap5CV6jKMA


Got the trailer leveled as it started to rain a little, then trying to finish up things and get the awning out, the pea size hail hit!

[Delicate Snowflake]

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Part Two!

We arrived on Thursday evening to the thunderstorm (which was actually very cool) and that dropped the temp down a bit, so sleeping would be a little easier than the desert heat. Fixed some dinner, then drove down to the Lodge to see the early arrivals from the family. Friday morning was great, and for some odd reason, we climbed back in the truck and headed up to an overlook.

Glad we did that!









Back to camp and then over to the Lodge for the Friday night mixer. A bunch of the "younger ones" went rafting on the Snake River near Hoback Wyoming https://goo.gl/maps/38JrZjiUb8CEAPzm9 on Friday as one of my second cousins runs a white water rafting tour business, and brought his raft. We opted out and stayed with the old folks.

Saturday morning we all met at the lodge for a day of family fun on the rented pontoon boat, and it was a blast!


The lake is seven miles long and a mile wide so we took a tour up to the north end of the lake for a dip. Stopped and floated for a while, swam, and enjoyed the scenery.


Saturday night was the family dinner that my cousin & her husband hosted and they BBQ'd some marinated pork chops that were amazing. And they brought a six pack of local craft brews for each of the separate clans. Beer flowed, stories were told of old, memories were recalled, our missing members were remembered, and we all had a great time.

Except Chris, he fell off the dock towards the shore and hit a boulder with the back of his head. Of course I was called over as the EMT of the family to inspect and determine if....
"Sorry Cuz, that's ugly and you really have to go before your mom beats me senseless."
Mike loaded him up and took him to the clinic in town for six staples to close up his scalp that was laid open 1-1/2".
He did miss the dinner, but the pain meds took away any need for more beer, so he went and crashed on the couch in their cabin.

Sunday was catch up day, and we headed into town to find a laundromat. And did we find one! Wyoming style.


Laundry was in the machines and we took a walk for a block to a sporting goods store. I like Wyoming, friendly people & shop owners who actually talk to you, and show you products. Didn't buy any guns, but I did buy "parts" so that made him happy. $$$$

Next up............ Jackson and the ride home.

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Part Three

Now what vacation isn't complete without a little drama? Many of you know that my brother-in-law has been fighting cancer for ten years, and he's been circling the drain for the last year. Two months ago I went over at 10:00 O'clock at night and put him back in bed after falling, and he stated that he was fine and did NOT want to go to the ER (AGAIN!), so I tucked him in, and told my mother in law to watch him. She called 911 at 5:00 AM the next morning and he wound up in ICU. This was it, he won't make it through the weekend, his daughters flew out from Florida..... TWO MONTHS ago.
My wife got a text Saturday afternoon that he was not doing good and would soon die. We both were skeptical. We've heard that one before.

On the way back to camp we had to stop and take pictures of the sunset. I think in some sort of glorious way he was telling us that he was done fighting, and let the sun set for him. We got the text Sunday morning that he had passed away in the early morning hours.
The fight is over, his pain is gone, and we still can't believe that he's actually gone now.



The wife took it very well, she's worked in the medical field for years also and my years in the fire service taught us that we're all going sometime.

On with vacation, we're in Wyoming and can't really help right now. (cold but true)

Sunday morning got our laundry done, a little fun shopping, and it was lunch time.
We wanted pizza! Three cruises threw town, three different stops at restaurants (and a very greasy menu) we gave up on the pizza idea and hit up the Wind River Brewing Company.
https://windriverbrewingco.com/


Wife had the brisket sandwich that was. WOW!


I had the Fish & Chips for the standard Pub fare and it was great also. As we waddled back to the truck, we knew dinner would be a lighter menu of left overs in the trailer.

Packed up a little that night, finished off hooking up in the morning and headed North again. We just went passed Rim Station and entered the Bridger/Teton National Forest when we crested over a ridge on Hwy 191, and a moose ran across the road in front of us. My first moose in the wild! Never came close to hitting her, but to see the size of those animals and to see it run on those long legs........ now I know how they go through windshields. Their body mass is four feet off the ground.

(stolen pic, not mine)


Absolutely awesome scenery in the canyons along the creeks and rivers. The Snake River was spectacular to drive along, and we finally made it into Jackson. TRAFFIC JAM!
I did not realize how big of a tourist trap it was. Cool town, great parking for RV's, lots of food options..... but after the third T-Shirt shop that had the same stuff, and looking into the windows of art galleries and jewelry shops, we were done.
But we did stop in the park for the photo moment.


SIDE STORY-- As we were parking next to another city park with the trailer, a young guy in front of us offered to pull up his Toyota Tacoma so we could fit into the space better. He's digging the around in the camper shell and putting on his sweatshirt when he tells us....
"I'll pull up, get all straight and level here, you can park on the streets for 72 hours before they hassle you. Free camping man!"
"Thanks, but we're just passing thru, appreciate the offer!"


On up Teton Pass and into Idaho for another picnic spot, more lush forests to see, awesome farmland to drive through, and on to another campground with full hookups in Idaho Falls.


Found our site, settled in and ran into another firefighter from Berkley California (his hat gave him away) and I said something to him about retired life. We laughed, exchanged a few names of mutual friends, and went on our way. Then off to the pool for a dip in the 93 degree weather.
Had a nice dinner in the trailer with the A/C on, and then decided to "Go Downtown" and check it out. Great idea, what a neat city.

They have an awesome walking trail along the river and a Friendship park that's an island with foot bridges to it.
https://www.idahofallsidaho.gov/1248/Ja ... hip-Garden


The sunset was a little different that night with the skyline of silos.


Next morning was early on the road and back to Winnemucca Nevada via Twin Falls (we'll leave the pizza story out of this one) and Highway 93 to Wells Nevada and Interstate Highway 80.
More rest stops, more Mormon Crickets, more speed traps, and more road construction that really didn't bother us at 65 MPH.
And then back to the same RV park, and we were two sites away from where we were the first night.
(so I'll use the same picture, all the sites were the same!)


Great trip, 2,206 miles, lots of cousins, lots of great food, lots of awesome scenery, and lots of memories.
And the wife wants to go back?

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And some more pics, just because.

Our campsite was visited almost everyday by the locals. Can you spot the little guy?



And she would wander in multiple times a day.


And he view across the lake from our site.



And I HAD to do some dumb tourist stuff! "Don't pet the fluffy cows!"
No idiots were injured during this photo shoot.


Elk Preserve in Jackson Hole.



Grand Tetons from the truck window at 50 MPH.

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We’ve gotten away for our 40th anniversary and headed up the coast again. Rented a beach house again at The Sea Ranch on the Sonoma coast. Pictures later when we get home, but we’re up here for 5 nights and six days. Weather is great, views are magnificent, and the crowds are light.
Our rental house is right on the bluff, and we have 40’ of glass panels and sliders looking at the ocean. Nice to get up in the morning and make coffee, then sit down at the table to look at the breakers.

AF3BD8D9-5271-4790-BDB9-C4C8BFF0C414.jpeg

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Well now! The new server must have different options for pictures, and I can select upload size now.

4F13D840-FEFD-4536-98EA-0C910382C0DD.jpeg

The sunset last night from the deck. Fog bank was hanging right off the coast and created a great effect.

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Another great day of relaxing, and winding down….or resetting if you want to call it that. Far enough away to be in the dark (literally) on the coast to see the heavens at night and the ISS cruising by. Along with a StarLink train of satellites, two other solo satellites, a few constellations, and with no moon here this week it’s all enjoyed from then warmth of the hot tub.


Sorry , but I thought for a cell phone picture, it would have to do.

15C10C8B-F4A6-4E90-972A-DBB51E10CCD5.jpeg

Love this place, but local politics are affecting the simplest projects around here. A stair case to a beach was damaged so they are now having hearings on it, and have hired a consulting group for $75,000 to do a study on how to fix the staircase.
Sonoma County Parks Department estimates that it will be rebuilt and open in early 2025.

A local comment on it was “it would take four brackets and two planks for a qualified carpenter to spend 20 minutes fixing this issue.”


Plenty of other beaches around to go to. It’s all good.

[ur]l https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Ranch,_Californi][/url]

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The little enclosed trailer proved handy again, but I'm going to need to add a propane tank and a heater.
This camping in December made me shiver.


Took the wrong sleeping bag.

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Went on a ride down in Southern California last weekend.
I plan on doing a ride report, but here's a teaser for now.

[LadyDraco]

LOL it's a good thing you bud didn't step back by a foot LOL ..

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Great trip last weekend to catch up with some of the guys, and a nice getaway for some solo time.
Found a nice little removed spot about a mile off the highway to take a break and get a few rounds through the old Remington 22 rifle. Started raining on me, so I sat up on the tailgate and kept plinking away.


34°55'08.9"N 117°21'58.6"W

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Another Tahoe trip is in the books last week.
Took a day trip up the west shore to the Hellman-Ehrman Mansion site at Sugar Pine Point State park.
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=991

Had a great time hiking around and exploring and looked into one of the boat houses on the property and saw this gem.
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=23085



Another house had this wooden classic.



Great week of getting out of the 101 degree heat here.... for 81 degree weather up there.



And the sunsets were just as nice.

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And then when we get home today, the wife spots this online.....

https://www.kcra.com/article/truckee-be ... e/61020910

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There's been a couple of "Missing Rider" alerts on various pages, and we've had our own locally here too.
https://www.kron4.com/news/bay-area/nap ... th-search/
https://napavalleyregister.com/news/loc ... 29103.html

When I saw that he had been located, and where he was, my heart sank as it's one of the roads I traverse a lot on short rides. It was a warm day here and the wife went shopping, so I decided to head out for a few miles and catch a windchill if I could. Thought about the report I saw and thought to myself "Why not, let's see if anyone has marked the spot" and I headed up Redwood Road to Mount Veeder Road.
As I cruised up the twisties, the music was playing in the helmet with a rather melancholy playlist. Hotel California was about halfway when I started into a blind right hand corner that always has dirt and rocks in the middle of the lane from the hillside above. As I rounded the corner, and slowed down there was the usual dirt patch right there in the middle of the lane. But to the inside and stayed out of it, only to see the markers on the far embankment above the creek.



I pulled over and flipped a U turn and went back to a safe parking spot. Got off the bike and walked up to the memorial, and peered over the edge.
Downed trees, bushes, and lots of rocks for about thirty feet to the shallow amount of water running in the creek. I could see a couple of places that had been cleared out for Stokes basket, and recovery rigging. A few old calls came back to mind.
Pondered life for a while, gathered my thoughts about a scenario, paid my respects, said a prayer, and hopped on the bike to finish what I started.

Headed on up to the top of the mountain for another view, and the songs didn't seem to lighten the mood any.
Life is short, hug the ones you love, forgive the ones that hurt you.



Things are drying out fast, and we've already had three fires around here already.



Found another cool spot for a break and stopped to enjoy the road. There are some great corners on that road.


Songs changed, the mood improved and lightend up, and I started to realize that it's what we do.
We ride.
Slow, fast, straight, curves, twisties, pavement, dirt, rocks, gravel, sun, rain, cold, heat, mello, happy, sad, mad, and everything else. We ride.
Grab the bars and get some miles in, enjoy what you have and dream of that perfect ride you want to take.



And for those that don't make it home, ride for them too.

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Up in the hills camping with our kids
Good times. More later with pics