Family Time and then Homeward Bound

Our youngest daughter, Rian, has lived in Sacramento since her freshman year at Sac State back in 2011.  We’ve visited several times in the RV and I can assure you it’s slim pickings for places to camp. We usually ended up far outside of town, fighting traffic whenever we wanted to get together. Until this year we’d always avoided the RV park at the Cal Expo fairgrounds even though it’s only 10 minutes from Rian’s house. Our assumption, and to be fair it was a good one, was that Cal Expo was just an overpriced parking lot. Well yes, but it turned out to be a very convenient overpriced parking lot! I sure wish we’d tried it sooner. It wasn’t any worse than many private RV parks we’ve stayed in and even had a decent sized off-leash play area for Riley. Another plus, it’s right next to the American River trail, where Riley got long walkies and river access.

Riley with his feet in the river, again. Lol. 

We arrived on Thursday, 5/16, and Rog had a hankering for sushi. We had Rian pick the restaurant, love having a local to chauffeur us around. 😊  Her pick, Takumi Izakaya Bar, was most excellent. We opted for the sushi roll platter and made short work of it. The waitress was impressed. Rian’s comment, “We’re professionals.” Lol.

Sushi Magic! We made it disappear. :) 

Friday evening, we visited Rian and took the grand-puppy Floyd on walkies through her neighborhood to Land Park. It’s a beautiful neighborhood, with huge Sycamore trees lining the streets and unique older homes. No cookie cutter subdivision here. I see why she loves it.

Rian and Floyd at Land Park.

Rian and I managed to hit a few garage sales Saturday morning before the weather turned and then we consoled ourselves with an afternoon of thrifting. Rog opted to hang out with Riley in the RV, down time for the boys. Sunday was rainy again, so we went to the movies and saw Avengers: Endgame. Our four days in Sacramento passed way too quickly and we kissed our baby good-bye and headed to St. Helena to visit Rog’s grandma.

Hugs for the puppy-brother.

Grandma Ardys turned 95 last January and is still living on her own in the home she’s occupied for over 60 years. Her house is now surrounded by vineyard and St. Helena is a wine lover’s paradise. Wineries and tasting rooms everywhere and the incessant whistle of the Wine Train as it makes it stops. We avoided the tourist scene and spent our time hanging with Grandma and catching up on chores. Riley was a big help. 

Helper Dog.

Grandma gave up driving this year, so we were her wheels for a few days. Her “honey-do” list for Rog was short, but she did need a new cell phone. We spent some time going over the options with her and she decided on a Jitterbug Smartphone. We took her to Napa to get it and then we spent a fun afternoon getting it set up and teaching Grandma the joys of texting. She liked the voice to text feature and there were some hilarious messages sent before we got it figured out. Lol. Again, our stay passed quickly and it was time to move on to Redding to visit Rog’s mom.

Lunch with Grandma Ardys.

Beautiful koi at the restaurant.

Saying good-bye to Grandma and the vineyards in St. Helena.

It’s always a joy visiting Rog’s mom, Barb, and her partner Ed. We pulled in on Thursday, 5/23, and got set up in the ultimate moochdock, full hook-ups and all the comforts of home! We timed it so we’d be here over Memorial Day weekend. No fighting the traffic or the crowds at the campgrounds, gotta say it was a brilliant move on our part. Lol.

We did get some walking in too. After all the eating out we did over the past week, I have an extra five pounds to lug around. Ugh! We always look forward to the 4-mile round-trip walk to Starbucks. After a double shot of expresso, it always seems faster coming home. Lol.

On the way to Starbucks, a great way to start the day!

This visit we also walked part of the Sacramento River Trail. Barb took us on a 6-mile loop where we saw some of the devastation from last year’s Carr Fire. The fire burned 229,651 acres before it was contained and jumped the Sacramento River threatening the city of Redding. Barb and Ed were evacuated, and while their neighborhood was unharmed, many weren’t so lucky.  Part of the trail ran past a neighborhood where you’d see where one house had been completely destroyed while another right next door was untouched. Wildfire is as arbitrary as it is destructive.

Fire ravaged hillsides border the trail.

Six miles with a break to check out the creek.

Pedestrian bridge across the Sacramento,

Sacramento River.

Saturday we were hanging out in the back yard when the weather took an unexpected turn. We watched as an enormous thunderhead formed – it was one of the most magnificent cloud displays I’ve ever seen. A truly impressive formation with amazing colors that continued to change and evolve as we watched. Just across the valley they had torrential rains, huge hail and high winds, it even generated a tornado warning for the area! Happily, all we got was a marvelous show!

Sitting on the patio watching the clouds. 

We started off with a little rainbow action.

And then it started to get serious.

A perfect vortex.  Cool, but a little creepy.

Rog climbed to the top of the rig for a better view.

Bright white, gold tinted and dark clouds layered.
And it just got more intense....

As the storm passed the colors faded to pink and purple.

Yet again, our stay ended too soon and we said our good-byes and headed north.  It’s about 600 miles from Redding to home so we plan for two nights on the road. We spent Monday evening, 5/27, at Valley of the Rogue State Park just south of Grants Pass, OR.  We’ve stayed here many times in the past. We love the paved Applegate Trail and access to the Rogue River. In addition to the river, Riley had a blast playing in the sprinklers! What a goof, he would like these installed at home please. Lol.

  

What a nut case! We need this at home. Lol.

The Applegate Trail runs right by the campground.

Lots of occupied bird boxes along the trail.
These Swifts were cobalt jewels in the sun.

Our second night was a freebie. The overflow parking area at the French Prairie Rest Stop in Aurora, OR is another repeat stop. We got our favorite spot next to the rose garden too.  It’s a beautiful wooded area and tucked far back from the freeway, so we don’t mind an occasional semi-truck moving through.

Got our favorite spot by the rose garden.

We've stayed at plenty of campgrounds that weren't as nice as this rest stop!

And that brings us home. Yay us!! We pulled in on Wednesday, 5/29, after spending 102 nights on the road. We traveled 4403 miles and stayed at 31 different places. It would be hard to pick a favorite, but the Sedona area, Borrego Springs, Lake Powell, and Alabama Hills are all contenders. We visited two National Parks (Redwoods and Joshua Tree) and five National Monuments (Organ Pipe, Sunset Crater, Wupatki, Rainbow Bridge and Vermilion Cliffs). 

We also found that we have new tenants. Our house sitter, Tafline, had left the Christmas wreath up on the font door and a little Junco thought it was the perfect spot to raise a family. They built a nest and hatched two tiny fledglings on my front door. Tafline was using the back door to avoid disturbing them, but that wasn't going to work with all the unloading we needed to do. So I carefully moved the wreath, nest and all, a few feet away from the door. I got scolded, but Momma bird settled in soon enough.  

Home again and with new tenants. Lol.

We have lots already scheduled to keep us busy at home – delayed maintenance, home improvement projects, lots of yard work, local camping trips, Mariners tickets, a trip back to visit family in Pennsylvania, and three kitties to love up. Oh, and many long overdue play dates with Riley’s Great Dane buddy, Mina. In addition to all of that, we’ll also be busy planning our next big RV trip! No, we’re not done yet this year. We have reservations for the Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival in October! Another bucket list item we’ve wanted to do for years. Hope you’ll join us. 

Hwy 395 - Riley’s Snow Mojo Wins Again

Last year we spent several fantastic weeks on Hwy 395 and we were looking forward to revisiting many of our favorite spots. Not only are there interesting small towns, hot springs, incredible views of the Eastern Sierras, but the road is easy driving. So easy, that Momma did a short stint behind the wheel. 

I'm driving, maybe Rog should have some lemonade. Lol.

It worked out just fine, but I had to wonder at the wisdom of putting me in the driver’s seat immediately after our stop at Indian Wells brewery and bottling works in Inyokern, CA. Indian Wells does some decent beers, but their claim to fame, in my opinion, are their excellent hard sodas and lemonade. After some judicious sampling we put together a case to go. Be nice and maybe I’ll share. 😊

Lunatic Lemonade is aptly named - 10% ABV. Oh, dear. 

Our first destination on 395 was Alabama Hills outside Lone Pine, CA. There are tons of boondocking spots tucked around Hollywood-worthy scenery with spectacular views of Mt. Whitney. We spent a week here last year and loved, loved, loved it. Here are the two posts if you want to check it out: 2018: Alabama Hills and 2018: Alabama Hills.

This year, as an added bonus, we’d made plans to hook up with Brother Bob again in Alabama Hills. Cell reception was so sketchy we couldn’t do more than determine that he’d arrived first, so we unhooked the Acadia and went in search. We scouted a few good spots but saw no sign of Bob until we’d gone a few miles in on the gravel Movie Flat Road. We laughed to see he’d chosen the exact same spot we’d picked last year. Apparently great minds think alike. 😊 There was plenty of room for both our rigs, so we went back to claim the short bus and get settled in.

Heading back to our old spot on Movie Flat Road.

The Short Bus is set up next to Brother Bob in the White Buffalo.

2019 on the top, 2018 on the bottom.
Almost exactly the same spot as last year!

We did have some new neighbors. These guys were charming.

We noted there was a lot more snow on the mountains this year and temps were definitely cooler and wetter. No worries, it was perfect for exploring the area and enjoying an evening campfire. Riley loved being able to hike and play off leash. 

Into the Alabama Hills.

We found a shady spot for a break.

The area is popular with crazies, I mean climbers. :) 

We saw wildflowers and clouds of butterflies on our hike.

What a great place to explore.

Campfire time....

... and playtime too!

I really do think this is one of the best boondocking sites ever. There is some truth to the saying that the best things in life are free. Sunrise, sunset or just sitting staring at the snowcapped mountains – it never gets old.

First light on the Sierras.

Sunrise was spectacular!

Snowy mountains and wildflowers - a winning combination.

Sunset was another chance to see color in the clouds.

We stayed just three days in the Alabama Hills and then continued north with Bob to Bishop, CA on Monday, 5/13. We opted to stay at the Fairgrounds again, it’s nowhere near as scenic as Alabama Hills but it’s walking distance to everything in town and has fast, free Wi-Fi. Besides, we used their horse washing stall to give Riley a bath, a convenience you won’t find just anywhere. 😊

Bishop was another place we spent a whole week last year, but only a few days this time around. Here's the link in case you missed it: 2018: Bishop. We were all set to reprise Rog’s birthday celebration (albeit a little late) at the Mountain Rambler Brewery and were devastated to find they were closed for cleaning on the only two days we were in town. Whaaaatt?? We (ok, me) had our hearts set on one of their Porter Brownies with homemade ice cream to celebrate Rog’s 60^th. Sigh. Maybe next year. To make up for it, I went a little wild at the Great Basin Bakery, our other favorite spot in town. I managed to salve my sorrow with their excellent Rosemary Shortbread cookies. Lol.

On Tuesday we all piled into the Acadia and set off for a hike at Lake Sabrina. We did this hike last year with Riley and we found a few spots where he could get a snow cone, so we knew it’d be fun. 

Lake Sabrina.

Well, I think I did mention that we’d noticed more snow on the mountains this year. As we pulled in, Rog said it looks like we’ll be hiking in the snow. Just as he said that, I looked down and realized I’d forgotten to change into my hiking boots and was still wearing my sandals!  Oops!  Oh well, idiocy has a price and mine was going to be cold toes! Lol.

My stylish Keen sandals weren't the best choice of footwear! Lol. 

We started up the same trail we'd done before and quickly found there was far more snow than we’d bargained for. It was easily knee deep in places and you couldn’t even see where the trail was. Riley, of course, was ecstatic. He charged up the hill through the deep snow, turned around and zoomed back down, then ran back up and then back down. Then he turned around and about fell over. He was all wobbly on his feet could barely walk. I yelled to Rog that something was wrong. We made him sit and checked for injuries.  We thought he might have hurt himself dashing like a madman through the snow, but it turned out he was hypoxic.  Apparently a 100-yard dash through deep snow at 9128 feet of elevation will starve your brain of oxygen. After several minutes he was perfectly fine, but he sure gave us a scare!

Crazy snow dog! 

We had to slow him down long enough to get some oxygen back to his brain. :) 

Since the trail was completely buried under snow, we drove over to the marina to see if there was another option. Fortunately, there was another trail on the opposite side of the lake that was passable. Riley still had lots of snow to play in, but at least most of the trail was clear.

Over the rocks - less snow on this side of the lake.

So this is still the less snowy trail! Lol.

Mountain views from the lake.

View of the lake from the trail. 

You’d think all that snow play would have been enough for Riley. Instead it must have whet his appetite because he ramped up the snow dance and got his mojo on.  Rog was keeping an eye on the weather reports and another big storm was forecast to dump several inches, or feet depending on location, of snow across the Sierras. Our plan had been to continue north on Hwy 395 and spend a few days soaking in the hot springs around Bridgeport and then head west to Sacramento to visit the youngest daughter, Rian.

So much for our plans. The timeline for getting home was getting shorter and shorter and we didn’t have an extra week to hunker down and wait out the snow. Without chains for the RV, not to mention a strong aversion to driving the bus across mountain passes in inclement weather, we abandoned thoughts of leisurely soaks and beat feet over the mountains. Apparently we chose well, because Hwy 395 was closed later that week!

On the upside, we got to try out another new Harvest Host site.  Saluti Cellars near Somerset, CA wasn’t too far off our route. Fifteen miles isn’t much, unless it’s an exceptionally windy, narrow, hilly 15 miles. Lol. The 300-acre property, owned by Tina and Randy Rossi, is gorgeous. In addition to the vineyard and winery, they host a bed and breakfast and are a venue for weddings and other events. Randy showed us around and opened up the tasting room. We loved the cave where the casks are aged and they hold special catered dinners. So cool! Of course, we also loved the horse, goats and other animals. But the highlight was getting to play with Zeus, their 5-month old Great Dane puppy! (Sorry, no picture of Zeus I was too busy getting puppy love!)

  

Parked at Saluti Cellars.

We had a lovely spot next to the pond.

Cool details: a vintage windmill and interesting stonework.

More of the family and the entrance to the cave. 

One night and a few bottles of wine later we left Saluti Cellars and moved on to Sacramento. After years of avoiding the RV park at Cal Expo (the Sacramento fairgrounds) we’re going to give it a try.