Reno/ Sparks, Yreka and home

August 3, 2018
     We drove the almost 400 miles from Caldwell, ID to Sparks, NV via Hwys 95 and 80 through Winnemucca. It wasn't a bad drive because it was new to us. We stayed at the Sparks Marina RV Park. This is a very nice park with paved sites and everything we need for our four day stay. We got set up and settled in for a nice warm, but smokey day. We had neighbors across from us who had to evacuate their property in Redding because of the fires. Pete and Patty are really nice people who had to bring their three dogs with them. One is Romeo, a husky malamute mix who they are taking care of for their daughter. He's a nice dog but is a little wild,

We learned that next weekend is Hot August Nights so we will miss one of the the craziest weekends in Reno. 
     Today is Saturday. We needed some groceries so we found a supermarket and restocked the pantry. After shopping we took a walk around the park. A few hot rods are already in town for the the show next weekend. After our walk I more neighbors in the park. They are Terry Fiest and his wife Bobbie. They are a little older than us and live in Orlando, FL. They grew up in Anaconda, MT so we have some things in common.
      On Sunday we decided to go to Reno . We haven't been here for over 20 years so we are intrigued to see what Reno is like. We walked the main street of Reno going through casinos as we went along. We did a little gambling during the process. After the visit we decided we don't need to return to Reno. We stopped at a sports bar for a late lunch on the way back to the park. After dinner Terry and Bobbie invited us for cocktails. Terry is very involved in classic wooded boats. When they leave here they are going to Lake Tahoe for a classic boat show. After that they are going to Anaconda for a funeral for a friend they went to school with. 
      After breakfast today we went to Virginia City. We noticed more hot rods and Classic cars driving around. In Virginia City we parked the truck and walked the town. There are the usual trinket shops and stores along with the the old businesses and public buildings. The old Delta Saloon was nice. They have re purposed some of the rooms upstairs for special events and rentals. 

Delta Saloon

We stopped at the Bucket O Blood Saloon for a drink and gather more historic knowledge. On the way back to the park we stopped for lunch. Behind the restaurant there was a car show with over 100 vehicles showing. Back at the park we sat out visiting with other campers and enjoying the many more cars coming into town for the show.
     
August 6, 2018
     We left Sparks this morning heading to Yreka, a 255 mile drive, on Hwy 395 to Susanville, then on Hwy 44  and 89 to I5 at Lake Shasta. In Yreka we stay at the Waiiaka RV Park. It's a nice little park where we usually we stay on our way north. After getting set up we went to the new casino near town. We won a few dollars so we cashed in and went into town for dinner. We found the Etna Brewery and Tap House. We had a great dinner and will return on our trip. Back at the park we had a great sunset, of course with smoke, above a nice VW Van in our park.

Tomorrow we drive to Woodburn, OR for our last night on the road, then home on Thursday.

Caldwell, ID

July 28, 2018
     We left Packwood by 9:30 as planned heading for Pendleton, OR. We arrived in the early afternoon at the Wildhorse Casino and RV Park and got set up by 2. It was hot and smokey from fires in Canada. At about 3 we went to the casino for some light gambling and an early dinner. We sat out in the park until about 9. I heard some loud music that I thought was from in the park. After wandering around a bit I found that it was Latino music night at the outdoor venue near the casino. It was supposed to last until 11. At about 11:30 I still heard the music, I turned out to be some of the concert goers in the park still partying. By midnight security shut them down.
     We were up and out of the park before 9 for the 230 mile drive. We got to Caldwell, ID and the Ambassador RV Park. It was very warm and smokey here. We have stayed here several times. It's a very nice park with all the amenities. Gail's very good friend Sherral Sherry and her husband Tony live in nearby Nampa. Gail called Sherral and we were invited to her new house for dinner. Sherral 's daughter and family were leaving Monday on a camping trip and wanted to see us. Both families have moved into new homes. We had a very nice dinner and were shown both homes. We were back at the park by 9PM.
     Monday in Caldwell. We had breakfast and called Sherral at about noon. She was running errands so we decided to meet her for lunch at about 1. We had a very nice lunch and went to her house. Since they have just moved into a new home she had some furniture that needed to be assembled. I grabbed my tools and went to work putting together a pneumatic adjustable table. We barbecued some chicken for dinner and spent the evening visiting. Back at the park it was still pretty hot and smokey. This made for some nice sunsets.

     On Tuesday I had an appointment to get the truck serviced in the afternoon. Sherral came over for lunch and then she and Gail went for a drive while I took the truck in. The dealership found our front brakes needed to be replaced so I got it done. I met the ladies at Sherral's home for dinner. We went back to the park at about 8 so I went for a swim.
     Today we had a leisurely start before calling Sherral asking if she had plans for the day. She asked us over to her house for lunch. AND, she had a desk that needed to be assembled. We had lunch and I went to work. Later we went out for Pizza dinner. We were back to the park by 7 so I took another swim.
     This is our last day in Caldwell. We went over to Sherral's home for a while in the afternoon and then back to the park to get ready for our drive to Reno in the morning

Cascade Peaks 2018

July 21, 2018
     We left the house this morning for Cascade Peaks near Packwood. We met Hart and Amy Hughes and their two kids at Krain Corner Restaurant for breakfast. What a great way to start a vacation. After eating headed over Hwy 410m and Hwy 123 to the RV park. We arrived after noon and began setting up our site and the Hughes' theirs. Shortly afterward Tracy, Erik and Emerson joined us and began their setup with the Hughes'. The weather for our 8 day stay is supposed to be quite warm in the 80's and 90's

 It is our tradition to go to the Blue Spruce for dinner so off we went. The kids, three of them, are able to come to Spruce but can't sit in the bar area. We had a fun dinner with much laughter.

After dinner we went back to the park for the evening. The kids wanted to swim but the pool was extremely crowded and needed maintenance so they decided to wait until tomorrow. We stayed at the kids' site and enjoyed their campfire.
     Today the young ones went for a swim in the pool after a lot of the campers had left the park. We all took a hike to the Cowlitz River which flows adjacent to the park. It appears there wasn't much flooding this year so there are nice places for us to enjoy the river.
    After breakfast on Monday Gail and I went for a walk all around the park. It is about a 2 mile walk. Yesterday when we arrived the place was very busy but today probably two thirds of the campers have left. After lunch most of us went to the river and soaked and floated for a few hours. Later in the evening we joined the kids at their site and sat by the fire and played games.
     Tuesday was fishing day. Most of us left the park at 8AM heading for Dog Lake just east of the White Pass summit. It is a nice little lake with lots of things to do.

We only caught one trout in several hours so we headed back to the park for lunch. Our intention was to have a trout feed for dinner and fortunately I had frozen some I caught at Lake Pearrygin so there will be plenty for all. Late in the afternoon we went to the kids' site to prep for dinner,. Emerson, 13 years old, asked if she could help clean and cook the fish. I showed her how to clean the fresh trout and she proceeded to clean it. She did a great job aside from a minor gag reflex incident.

She was a real trooper helping cook and serve the fish. She likes crispy fried skin. Gail made a pot of Chili-Ghetti and garlic bread for dinner, too. After dinner we went to our site and sat out in the nice warm evening.
     Wednesday was another beautiful day. After breakfast Gail and I went into town to do some shopping. After lunch I joined the other campers down at the river to sit in a lawn chair in the river to keep cool. It was a fun way to wile away the afternoon. After a couple hours of that I went back to our site. We sat reading in the shade. At about dinner time we went to the other site and joined in on some rousing games of Corn Hole. A bit later we had dinner with the kids.
     Thursday some of us went fishing again. We didn't catch anything so at about noon we all got together for lunch at the Spruce. After lunch we all walked around Packwood checking out a couple of new businesses. Then it was back to the park for the rest of the day. The others came over to our site later in the afternoon for happy hour and appetizers. Thee they left for dinner and we joined them later to sit by the fire and have S'mores.
     Friday we had a nice breakfast and went outside to enjoy the morning. The Packwood Rod Run is this weekend and there are a few custom cars in the park. Here is a very nice '29 Model A roadster pick up that was parked across from us. The owners are from Shelton.

Our plans were to stay until Sunday and then drive over 400 miles to Caldwell, ID. We talked about leaving Saturday instead driving to Pendleton, OR to cut driving time in half for Saturday and Sunday. The next time we saw the kids we told them of our plans. They understood completely. We plan on leaving Saturday by 9:30.