Trying to start the Blog!!!!
At this point I will describe some terms that you will see throughout. Of course the Alto is our 17 foot travel trailer. Has AC which on this trip is a must. Harvest Host (HH) is an organization that connects people on the road with places that would allow them to park their trailer or van on their property and stay overnight for “free”. Free means planning to spend at least $30 or so on merchandise that they sell to help offset the cost of their place. These places are all over the USA and they can be Farms, Ranches, Wineries, Museums, Breweries, and I’m sure I’m missing some. Since most people traveling do spend money buying, then why not combine both! If the facility does not have items to buy then it’s nice to donate some money to their cause. It’s really a win/win situation. I signed up for this program when I first got the Alto in 2018 because it seemed like a good thing to do and it has been.
At first they only allowed one night stays but now the program has expanded and they have many Hosts that allow an extra night for a nominal fee and even can let us hook up for electricity for a little fee too. Having that additional service has been wonderful and we have already taken advantage of the option to plug in so we can run our AC. Also Eldon can hook up his Starlink to have internet and we can plug in our Dometic to provide freezer on the road.
I will also tell you that I will start the Blog with the date, time, location and temperature so you can get an idea of where we are. The actual date of when I send the Blog may not match. So hope this is not too confusing.
Last night I did start the story but did not have internet but now at a KOA in Steamboat Springs, CO and I will try to get up to date.
So we left OPH on Monday the 14th at 9:45am, 69 degrees. Mileage was 84697. That will definitely change by the time we are done!
As we passed Morongo, CA on I10 the temperature broke 100 degrees!!! 1st gas stop was in Joshua Tree, 106 degrees, and while there I was able to get a Passport stamp for my National Parks Book. At 2:50pm when we arrived to our first HH stop it was now 106 degrees. This was the Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association in Essex, CA. Chris is the local manager and Laura is the General Manager. Chris and his wife had moved here from Arkansas to work at the Center about 3 months ago. This is quite a place. Almost no words to describe it. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Of course I will depend on Eldon to add to this as only he can tell the story.
Day 2, Tues. 7/15, Got up at 7:30am, 84 degrees in Goff Ghost Town, Essex, CA. Left this HH at 10am and it was already 96 degrees!!! Not much gasoline around so had to pay $8.299 for Regular Chevron gas on Route 66. Our next HH for today was to be in Kanab, UT at Paria River Ranch but first had to drive pass Hurricane, UT for a gas stop and 115 degrees temperature!!!! By the time we arrived to the HH it was 99 degrees with a nice breeze which became Thunder rolls. Not bad tho. Moreno endured except for the "buffalo heads" stickers meaning he had to wear his Croc's.
This HH is managed as an Animal Shelter for abused or abandoned horses, goats, dogs, etc. We were happy to be able to donate some money to support such a worthy cause.
Our 3rd stop was Wed. 7/16/25, in Palisade, Colorado. This HH is Gubbini Winery and Wine Shop which we stopped one other time (2023). On the way there we stopped in Torrey, UT to find a campsite so Eldon could hook up his Starlink and make a Zoom call for work. He was able to accomplish that while Moreno and I worked on the Blog until we had to hurry up and pack to hit the road. A sudden thunder and lightning and gigantic rain drops had us hustling to hit the road. Moreno managed ok with the thunder.
The scenery along Utah State Route 12 was spectacular! You need to take this road!! Spectacular. "Brains, Sweat, Dynamite."
Day 4, Thursday 7/17/25. Steamboat Springs, CO. Up at 7:30am, 75 degrees, Nice, sunny and a mild breeze in Palisade, CO but now it was already 87 degrees at 2pm. The town is a typical ski resort town and Eldon was able to find Mythology Distillery to try out some new whiskeys. We settled into our KOA space #1 which is just along the Yampa River. A shame we cannot stay longer to enjoy and relax. The clerk told me that "people kill to get that spot". I responded by saying "I hope they don't kill us"! Our neighbors are cool, here for a family reunion. But we are both leaving tomorrow; they much earlier than we ever do.
Fri 7/18/25, 6:45pm in Michell, NE Day 5 of our adventure.
Woke up around 7:30am and it was 61 degrees and already sunny. Being at a KOA campground gives us the luxury to be able to shower!!! Oh, how the little things in life become special on camping trips Another special feature about the KOA is that we get to empty out our sewer line. Yes, that too is a luxury while camping We filled up our tanks and are ready for a few more days on the road.
We gathered our belongings and left camp at 10am, 72 degrees and cloudy. Not too bad. We now headed towards Michell, NE. Crossed the border into Wyoming at 11:50am and that was 74 degrees. No real bad weather so far. I noticed that we would be passing via Cheyenne, WY and I hear that name a lot in the country music so I thought we should stop and do lunch there. Of course being in cattle country we figured a steak was in order. So we found a place (High Plains Steakhouse) by looking at the YELP app. It looked pretty good on paper but then we found the place inside the casino, and they really do not have any steaks, just burgers!!!!! Real steaks are only at dinner time. Oh well, we stayed and actually had fun by meeting a lady who used to be from Southern California. She ended up paying for our meal.
Eldon had a steak frites, Moreno a hamburger patty, and I had a buffalo burger. Tonight we’ll eat some of the leftovers from lunch and yesterday.
We entered into Nebraska at 4pm, 92 degrees and balmy and cloudy. Hope we don’t get any thunderstorms but now as I write this there are rumbles and a few scattered drops falling already. I hope it doesn’t get any worse. Along the way today we were running out of gas and were lucky to find a lonely, automated gas pump in the middle of the fields in a no nothing town called La Grange (pop. 78) AND THEY ONLY CHARGED $3.309/gal. Finally arrived to our current HH Farm Girl Fresh Market, at 4:45pm, 88 degrees and they were not home (funeral in South Dakota) but we parked where directed, set up our chairs and got onto emails. No Starlink today (or tomorrow) as we are running only on battery and Starlink and microwave and AC need shore power.
About 6pm it started dripping shutting down the computers. It's 7:30pm and a thunderstorm arrived along with heavy rain and almost continuous thunder and lightening. Poor Moreno can’t find a safe place. Finally he did by crawling under the bed (in the tunnel we call it). It’s a space between the two storage sides with the mattress for a roof. No idea when this will end, but hopefully no tornadoes too.
Well, 5 minutes after typing that, our Hosts got home flying by splashing mud from the driveway. Then they called us to come to their house because there was a tornado warning (the bad one meaning it has been sighted) and our trailer would have no chance. Problem was, it was totally pouring, their house is 1000 feet away, the ground is a literal swampy lake, and Moreno was embedded beyond easy recovery. Tornado was about 2 miles to the south where they were experiencing heavy hail and 60 mph winds, none of which were conditions here. Decided to stay in the Alto and they would inform as the weather radar gave more details. Now, 5 more minutes later the rain has stopped, the sky has blue patches and the sun is out. Whew!!
Sat 7/19, day 6, Mitchell, NE. Up at 7:30am, sunny, 66 degrees. Did some fresh produce shopping at this HH Shop (Farm Girl Fresh Market). Left at 9:15am, 74 degrees, bright and clear.
Arrived at Nenzel, NE at 3pm, 74 degrees, degrees, grey. Stayed at the Niobrara Valley Vineyards HH. An island of grapes in a sea of cows. Along the way we saw nothing but open fields and happy cows grazing. Also sadly saw collapsed homesteads from days gone by.
Once we set up camp we walked up to the winery and did a tasting. Managed to buy 6 bottles. 3 for Eldon and 3 for me:):):). Funny thing was that yesterday we ere at the ranch and saw no cows. Now we are at a winery and cows cows cows.
They were hosting a wedding today and everyone was nicely dressed and having fun. Two dogs were not allowed to attend the wedding so someone had to miss the ceremony to babysit the dogs.
I have now started making my notes in the Notes app with Eldon’s help. This should make it easier for me to document things along the way. You don’t really want me to tell you how I was trying to do it before. This will be easier. Thanks Eldon.
We’ll add some photos now with captions to fill in the day.
Up at 7:30am, 71 degrees, sunny. Left at 10am.
We were to be on hwy 83 but somehow missed a turn and continued onto a dirt road that I’m sure Moreno did not enjoy🐕😢. Posted at 25 mph but Eldon felt 55 was better. 9 miles of same scenery.
We entered into SD at 11am at the Rosebud Sioux Reservation. Of course there it was, a big Casino.
First 2 stray Indian dogs seen in town. Hard to leave them but they seem to be eating enough. Eldon thinks the black one was like a Husky. I think the white/beige one was a lab.
Crossed the Missouri River at 2pm. Passed several RV parks that were full of big rigs. One was called “God’s Country”! Not a single tree and wall to wall rigs. Might be a poor name choice.
Crossing the Mighty Missouri River in South Dakota. Width is enhanced by a dam off to the right.
Intermittent sprinkles, 78 degrees just West of Sioux Falls. Fields are now sunflowers blooming interspersed with corn and soybeans. Thanks for the farmers who tend to our produce.
Just crossed into the great state of Minnesota!!! 84 degrees, mostly cloudy. Raining to the north and supposed to stay there.
Arrived to Magnolia MN Campground at 5pm, 81 degrees. Tom and Cheryl were already at the campground and greeted us. We also met the owners of the campground. The husband is also the town Mayor and coincidentally purchased Elmer and Doris’ house here.
As we were standing around chit chatting the raindrops started and then the thunderstorm came. Bad for Moreno. Once again he retreated to the tunnel for protection. We were going to take him with us to dinner but he was not going to have it!!!
Our camp in Magnolia, MN. Under the trees not good for Starlink but it is on wire way back by the corn.
Once we got to the restaurant in Luverne MN (Take 16 Brewery with a BBQ catering truck - both very good though only Eldon had a beer) the rain stopped, a rainbow came out blue skies shown again. We were sorry Moreno didn’t come but he would have not had fun.
We will catch up on “chores” and get ready for tomorrow’s outings.
Mon. 7/21/25 Day 8, Visit with Cheryl and Tom Wiedmann, Magnolia, MN
Up at 8am, 71 degrees and overcast. Sight seeing throughout the day including a visit to Pipestone National Monument so I could get my Passport book stamped. Turns out I already had it stamped from 2018. Senior moment.
The highlight tho was going to the local Historical Museum in Luverne. Doris used to do a LOT of volunteering with selling on ebay for the them and organizing the newspapers from years gone by. Her partner in crime at the museum, Betty Mann, was there and doing very well at 94. She misses Doris a lot. Betty was the collector of nutcrackers and now they are in display in the museum. Over 6000 of them (hers were 4000). She also has a humongous collection of little decorator shoes (I don’t know the professional name for those items) and she is trying to find someone who would help sell them and donate the money to the museum.
We drove to Cheryl and Tom's home and got a tour of their farm/garden. Amazing. Dottie, their boarder collie dog is still doing her thing. She helps with gathering the chickens to go back to the coop and other chores. She is very intelligent.
We said our goodbyes tonight after dinner. Promised to stay in touch.
So when Betty donated her nutcrackers to the museum, the city of Luverne went all in. Now there are dozens of full sized ones on corners all over the city, people come from all over the world to see the collection, it is crazy.
Tues. 7/22/25, Day 9, 71 degrees, hazy, a little humid. Hazy. Up at 7:30am, left Magnolia, MN at 9:30.
Headed to our next HH, Wild Rose Meadow in Postville, IA. Arrived at 5:30pm, 81 degrees & sunny. We traversed Minnesota, West to East avoiding Interstate highways, just county roads and state highways. Towns would have been a days ride apart but not now. What is still present are fields and fields of corn!
Being so close to the Spam Museum, in Austin, MN we had to stop. They had a few new flavors so I got a few.
Along the way we stopped at the Effigy Mounds National Monument in Harpers Ferry, IA. Got my Passport book stamped and Moreno was given a Bark Ranger medallion to add to his collection.
Today’s drive was a bit more exciting because we saw a crop duster flying over the corn fields. So very close to us. The Mississippi River was also in our sights. One day we might do a cruise on a paddleboat.
We’ll put some photos with captions so you can share the day with us.
Eldon and Moreno ready to go.
Just corn in the morning but at night it was a firefly light show, with bats swirling and hunting above. Very cool.
So we knew about the Buffalo Ridge wind turbine project in Magnolia, but literally all along southern Minnesota were hundreds (thousands) of these giant turbines. And some farmers also cashed in on corn and went full solar, lot less work and honestly, too much corn.
This guy buzzed around us hitting this field with ... something? We held our breath until well away. Sure looked like fun flying though.
SPAM Museum in Austin MN.
Wed. 7/23/25, Day 10, Postville IA to Des Moines IA
Up at 7:30am, cloudy grey skies. Wet grass. 76 degrees.
Left HH at 9:15am, clear skies and warmer temperature.
We had a lot of thunder and lightning starting at 1:30am until about 7am. The Hostess said the weather report said it was 4 inches of rain but her rain gauge showed 3 inches.
Of course, Moreno hid under the bed in his tunnel. Heavy breathing and heart thumping. Poor guy. I’ll put on his Thunder vest for the drive today. I already gave him some Trazadone this morning to help.
The hostess sells various home made items which she’ll delivered very to us. Honey, flours of various combinations. These are to make breads, not to vase and decorate as I first thought😍. Eldon bought some … naturally.
Another quick stop to get a Passport Book stamp at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. His birthplace.
Thurs. 7/24/25, Day 11. Cloudy 71 degrees. Des Moines IA
Slept in until about 9am. Another night of thunderstorms. Again Moreno found a new “safe place” by lying on the floor mat in the bathroom. It was dark and shielded the thunderstorms sounds at about 3am.
We went ahead and checked in the E’s Club team at the National Senior Games volleyball facility, and then visited with Larry Jordan who is the Jim Reeves biographer and guru. We gave him the JR items that mom had been collecting all her life. We brought two boxes of mom’s memorabilia to give to him - autographed records, photos, personal letters from Jim, etc. He was very happy to receive them and we are sure he will give them a good home. He has written the definitive 600-page biography about Jim Reeves, mom is interviewed extensively throughout.
Larry Jordan, the Jim Reeves Guru.
A neat sculpture in West Des Moines, IA
Friday 7/25/25-Sunday 7/27/25, Days 12, 13,14 National Senior Games - Mens 70+ volleyball
78 degrees, cloudy and Humid in Des Moines, IA
Not much blogging got done until now (Wed. 7/30) since it’s just playing volleyball. We’ll post some photos and you will see the Gold Medal winners in the 70+ division of Men’s Volleyball 70+ age bracket. Even Moreno was given a medal since he was such a supportive fan.
We were in the playing venue all 3 days so the air conditioning helped us tolerate the weather.
E’s Club went undefeated and won the Gold Medal in their 70+ division.
Some of the guys stayed on to compete in the sand tournaments and they too were Gold winners. Congratulations!
Before the matches. Still friends.
After the matches. Gold Medal winners, undefeated. Note the fan!
Moreno did not miss a point nor refuse a good-luck head rub.
The fans who supported the team!!!
The brain trust at work. Mike Miller did a great job managing everyone.
While there and having an open afternoon we went to visit the birthplace of the Duke. Winterset, IA
Moreno is ready for another hot asphalt day. Notice his Gold Medal.
Monday 7/28/25-Tuesday 7/29/25, Days 15, 16
Up at 8:30am, 76 degrees in Urbandale, IA at the Holiday Inn. Did our packing and when we tried to move the Alto using the trailer movers, we found that there was No Power!!! We had not had any sunshine for 3 days so the batteries had been depleted and the solar power panels could not harvest any power without direct sunshine. So while we did not like the sun’s heat we certainly needed the sunlight to power the Alto.
So Eldon Magivere’d his portable Lithium battery to the trailer and got enough power to turn it around, and get it connected to the car. As he was just done with that the hotel manager came out to admire the trailer and hearing of our difficulties pointed out a power box literally 5 feet away that he would have been glad to turn on for the entire duration of our stay. Instead we had moved the incredibly heavy Dometic freezer unit into the hotel room to keep everything frozen, and we had emptied most of the Alto rig stuff into the room’s mini-rig (at the expense of beer) and a cooler. Now we know to 1) look around and 2) ask!!
Finally at 11:45am with 82 degrees temperature that felt like 92 and humid we finally hit the road. We drove on HRY 17 north to Blue Earth. That is the town where the Jolly Green Giant lives and there is a museum and a giant statue. Really neat!
Jolly Green Giant was huge. Clara for scale.
They also have lots of mini-green giants scattered about the town and a scavenger hunt game to find them all. WE found this one at an ice cream stop.
We went past this but the town does not have any Winebagos. Weird.
We arrived at Steve and Lynn Japs’ place in Plymouth MN (near Minneapolis) about 6 pm, in time for a garden tour (Lynn’s) before dinner.
She also likes garden art and garden turtles.
David, Mike and Gretchen. Gretchen was a volleyball player (bad knees is her excuse now), Mike still plays soccer, and David was a gymnastics guy.
Gary and Steve and Eldon - not afraid of color.
Mary (aka Hugs) made it thanks to David.
Some fun shots at Lynn and Steve’s BBQ. Everyone had fun. Burgers, pasta salad, veggie salad, and Eldon’s beans.
That night ended with a bang as North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Minnesota got hit with a “derecho” essentially a squall line of 50+ mph winds, lightening and 2 inches of rain in an hour. Then all is done. Moreno spent the night in the bathroom (again). Basically we have had maybe 3 nights without a thunderstorm, and some of those nights were made up for during the day. Tough trip for our thunder-allergic dog.
Wednesday 7/30/25, Day 17. Up around 9am and left at 10:15am, 74 degrees, hazy. Plymouth MH to Volga SD
Again we had a little drama with the Power management. Even though we had plugged into Steve’s electricity it looks like the connections got wet from the derecho we had and shorted the power. So we were not able to start the car and also not able to drop the roof on the Alto. Eldon plugged in the little generator to jump start the car and Steve reset his plug so the electricity to the Alto was now working. More Drama.
 |
The story of our life. Never leave home without a battery charger.
We made a quick stop at the St. Paul Science Museum so I could get my Passport stamped for the Mississippi River National Scenic River. Very impressive and free museum. Worthy of a day, easy.
Eldon’s Anoka Senior High School group had collected a lot of dinosaur bones from Wyoming and they are housed there too but no time today. Next trip. This T-Rex was NOT one of their finds.
Most of the day was hazy and by the time we arrived to our HH, Schadè Vinyeards and Winery, in Volga, SD, at 4pm it was hazy and mildly raining. 73 degrees so at least it was cool.
We were greeted by a very friendly and massive dog, Fred, who got along with Moreno. They were both pretty mellow guys.
Fred is the greeter. Awesome and mellow dog at the Schadè Vineyard and Winery.
We did some wine tasting and bought a few bottles of course. We also bought a pizza and some cheese.
The rain is gone and we are trying to catch up with the Blog and emails. Eldon I think has gone to bed but will probably get up before “going to bed”. He has been doing most of the driving even though I offer to drive. He enjoys the drive and can sight see at the same time, while I sleep a lot.
So there you have it. Now it’s time to put some photos and captions and send it out.
Thanks for tagging along with us.
Thursday 7/31/25, Day 18. HH in Volga, SD
Up at 7:30am, 58 degrees and Sunny. We had a great experience at the Shadè Vinyards. Of course there was more lightening during the night.
Tough morning at the “office”. His two assistants were waiting for orders.
Moreno and Fred (their dog) got along even to the point that Moreno was trying to hump Fred but Fred didn’t want any of it. Funny to us.
I want you to have our baby!!!!
The venue is used also for Weddings and this is an archway which I’m sure is featured in the Wedding photos.
The family photo!
Once packed and ready to leave at 9:45am we hit the road. Another HH awaits us in Scenic, SD.
Along the way we stopped at the Minuteman Missile National Historic Site in Jackson County, South Dakota. I got my Passbook stamped and spent a little bit of time reading things. Very impressive and certainly deserved more time than we allowed. We did the Badlands NP last year during our Keystone trip, even camping there.
Those were scary days. I liked the writing on this carving.
We arrived to our camp at 3:45pm, 76 degrees, Cloudy and windy so minimal solar power generation. This site is called SOBO’S Campground and it is run by Veterans and offers discounts for them. It’s VERY clean and has power, water, showers, and dump options. Also a sand VB net set up, very good quality. A person can dry camp for free or for $60 donation (we did - cloudy) you can have full options. The spot we had was like overlooking the world and prairie.
Once we arrived at SOBOS campground we were able to set up the Starlink and I was able to work on the Blog.
Friday 8/1/25, Day 19. HH in Scenic, SD
Up at 7:30am, 66 degrees. Feels like 60 and strong winds with strong gusts.
Moreno was sleeping under the bed because during the night another thunderstorm with lightning happened, little rain but a lot of lightening
.
We finally hit the road at 10:40am, 74 degrees, windy, gusts of up to 22 mph. Clear skies and sunny. Sunny is actually good to help charge the solar panels.
Lunch stop at a funky “grill” place in SD. A dive. But the cheeseburgers were fabulously tasty and the fries were even better.
Eldon ordered our lunch and while waiting, of course imbibed.
Apparently famous all over the U.S.
You only see these in South Dakota.
We finally make it to our HH destination in Casper, WY. This is the Gruner Brothers Brewing.
Eldon backed in like a pro!!!! We arrived at 4:45pm, dark, grey overcast.
This was one that we had actually been to once before. We recognized it as soon as we could see it from the road. Then we went in and sure enough it was the same. And maybe even the same group of musicians doing some Irish jamming music. It was great. We see there is another band at a stage getting their stuff ready so when we finish doing our chores (Blog,emails, etc) we’ll head back to the Alto where Moreno is lying under the bed. Thunder and lightning and rain too welcomed us. Does the weather ever end?
Our neighbors in the Airstream were from Colorado and very nice. We said good night and off to bed. When the thunder started, Moreno went into his tunnel.
Sunday 8/3/25, Day 21 until Wednesday 8/6/25. Now in Yellowstone National Park
Teton Range in the background behind Purple loosestrife flowers that were a common sight.
Pretty pictures in Yellowstone.
These formations reminded me of a overflowing rootbeer float.
Looks like they are discussing the "Poop bag" next to them. How rude for those tourists to dirty our home.
This line of cars were waiting until the road was cleared. I think it was at least 1 hour. But at least we got to drive away. Not the Bison.
Another view of the overflowing root beer float.
We got to the Old Faithful just in time to see the last of its eruption. You will have to just go yourself. WE decided 90 minutes to wait for the next one was just a bit too long, and we needed to get to Montana's Big Sky to get Moreno some meds.
What type of parent leaves her child's medications at home. So here we go to a local Vet and arrange to have our normal Vet email this place a prescription for his Flea and Heartworm medications. It turns out tthat they do not carry what he normally takes but instead there is a new medication, Credelio Quattro that covers both conditions so now he only needs one pill a month instead of 2!!!! Silver lining!!!! One pill costs $46.65. He is worth it tho. He has been losing weight on this trip. He is now 43.6 lbs. and when we left home he was 49 lbs. On the other hand, I think I am gaining weight. Too many ice cream cones!!!
So on the way back to camp we stopped off at this very memorable historic site. Earthquake Lake in Idaho.
Wednesday Day 24, 8/6/25, 51 degrees, Leaving Yellowstone for Tetons and beyond
These are of us at our HH just relaxing. We could use the relaxation after our touring the Tetons.
Thursday Day 25, 8/7/25, 57 degrees, Sunny, brisk & clear skies.
The photo can't show how flat it is. But it IS, trust us.
Friday Day 26, 8/8/25, 52 degrees, Overcast (like our car spirits).
Moreno and Tank in a stare down that soon turned into a pissing match. Tank at 175 lbs had more range and volume but Moreno was more accurate. After this, they were fine.
Our camp site. Very comfortable, except for the flies. But as Eldon is very insensitive, he was able to sit outside and endure them, whilst Clara was confined to the trailer.
Sunday Day 28, 8/10/25, 58 degrees, Sunny
Along the way we did manage to stop at the Golden Spike NHP in Corinne, UT. This is where the two railroad construction projects met to connect the lines. A guy names David Hewes came up with th side for a golden spike connected to the telegraph line so that when it was hit, the sound would go out over the nation. David Hewes was a major land developer in San Francisco, essentially invented grading wherein significant earth is moved to create homes and the QC of which Eldon got his start. Hewes eventually moved to Tustin, his home still exists, and we live just off of Hewes Ave. The funny part of the story is that the two railroad presidents both had the wired hammers, both missed the spike but an alert telegraph operator hit "click" anyway. They have the display of the two train engines (reconstructions) meeting from East to West. The Golden Spike (the last spike to connect) is displayed in the Smithsonian institute. Very memorable and I purchased a pair of earrings to help remind me of the occasion.
This place is literally the most advertised National Monument we have ever encountered. They have signs for it as far back as 60 miles, and then decrease in distance like every 2 miles, another reminder sign. IT is as well marked as Wall Drug.
Just outside of the Golden Spike NHS, we stumbled across a rocket display in the middle of the desert, so of course we stopped. It is a HUGE facility, totally guarded except this little area of rocket pieces.
Just after leaving the rockets we almost drove through one of the many Dust Devils we saw throughout the day.
Otherwise the land was open and hot. Not much happening along the way to our HH camp, 14 miles down a very dusty dirt wash boardy road, then up a hill with loose gravels that brought Eldon a flat tire flashback, this time on a slope. Fortunately, nothing happened and we were able to get to the top successfully. Our host, Jay, met us at the camp site. He is originally from Hawaii and has BIG plans and dreams for the property he has purchased. He came down to hang with us this evening.
Jay's 20 acre Ethereal Ranch.
We set up camp and relaxed in the vast openness of Elko, NV. Someday we would like to visit again and see what has grown from his seeds and dreams.
I think this is Oreo, one of his goats. They are Nigerian miniatures, though he is suspicious that Oreo is not so miniature, especially compared to the other cool little fellows and girls.
Because we prefer to program "least use of highways" on our route planner, we have enjoyed some interesting roads, vistas, and Americana. This time we ended up on some Nevada State Roads (aka dirt) for 30+ miles, then 20+ miles of the Pony Express Trail (less than dirt) and another 20 miles of more dirt. "This is how GPS gets old people killed." But we lived and can always wash the trailer.
And apparently our Microwave did not appreciate the 80+ miles of washboard roads. But Clara fixed it.
Eldon was able to make a meal and Moreno was not deprived. Then he just slept. So did we. Tomorrow forecast to be 100 degrees. We are looking forward to a cool cave tour.
Tuesday Day 30, 8/12/25, 74 degrees, Sunny
The next morning, we were about the only ones at the campground. I guess everyone left in the morning. Not a problem. We are here for three nights, again to just gain some peace and calm after so much driving, to see the Great Basin National Park and to do some reading, blogging, and for Eldon, some work.
We drove up to the top of this mountain above 10,000 feet and you can see the arrow in the sculpture showing where the avalanche occurred. The bowl-shaped feature is a glacial cirque, no glaciers left though there are some good moraines farther down the mountain evidencing their size thousands of years ago.
15,000 years ago it was definitely not 100 degrees here.
The Great Basin, one of dozens of such basins in the Basin and Range geomorphic province of western North America. If you were moving east to west, you would first experience the "range" part as you stood in the Wasatch Range and looked down into the Great Salt Lake Basin. Then all the way to the California Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Central Basin, you have a multitude of ranges, basins, ranges, basins, .... on and on and on. Eldon's explanation, think of a hundred books sitting vertically on top of a towel. Pull the towel, the books tip over leaving you highs and lows. The highs (ranges) have a steep side (which has a fault that extends down to the towel) and a gentle side (the basins which fill with sediments shed from the bounding ranges). Now just keep pulling on the towel and everything remains essentially the same but the basins get wider as the books spread farther and farther apart. IF you do not get that model, he encourages everyone to read John McPhee's book, Basin and Range.
Wheeler Peak at 13,000 ft. We got to 10,000 in the car. Close enough. They have Bristlecone Pines here at the +10,000 feet elevation but they are being threatened by both drought and heat. These are the longest lived things on earth, some over 3000 years.
We did the 30 minute tour, pretty typical cave formations and stories but nice 52 degree weather.
 |
Wednesday Day 31, 8/13/25, HOT, Sunny
Thursday Day 32, 8/14/25, Sunny, Nice with a light breezy, 78 degrees
Time to depart for our next HH stop in Fallon NV. Got up early at 8am but departing late at 11am so we could finish and publish the Blog to right now. Eldon's last real coffee is done, the Blog is current, Starlink needs to be shut down, and off we must go hopefully by 10:00 AM. By now it was 94 degrees so the hot shower at camp felt really good.
We start back on the road (The Loneliest Road) HWY 50 in Nevada.
Day 33, Friday 8/15/25, sunny 67*, HH Lattin Farms, Fallon, NV
Left HH at 8am to take Subaru to tire center, Les Schwab. Arranged for 4 new tires installation, with all the bells and whistles. About $1500.
Got to Kathy’s house at noon!!! They live in Mound House, NV. Wes and her are happy living in this rural lifestyle. They even have wild horses that visit their yard. The photos she showed us were beautiful. I think she said even about 12 have been there at once.
We visited then they toured us around there. I just realized that brothels are a legal part of Nevada!!! We visited around Virginia City and could feel the history made there.
Day 34, Saturday 8/16/25, up at 8am, 66 degrees, Sunny. Mound House, NV
We were still at Kathy and Wes's home. They made up a wonderful and refreshing breakfast. We had brought some fruit from the Lattin Farms stop. They are famous for cantaloupes and they were sooooo sweet!!!
We headed north to visit Norman and Kristie Allen in Janesville, CA. That was about 113 miles. As we got closer to Janesville we could see the remnants of the Dixie Fire that devastated a lot of the trees in their area. Fortunately I don't think there were any human casualties. Norman and Kristie did have to evacuate and stay in a hotel for a bit. Their house was still standing when it was all done. 200 feet.
Normally it is so green and full of trees but this time it was not.
Day 36, Monday 8/18/25, up at 7:30am, 59 degrees, Sunny. Lodi, CA
One more exciting event on the trip. We were getting gas in Visalia when we see this car crashing into this power pole. The transformers start flashing and Sirens all over the place. Gas pumps shorted out too, then the transformers starts blowing up, bang, bang, bang, ... 20+ minutes for the station's electronics to reboot and we could get gas. Did not matter too much because the fire department (and the domed pole) blocked our road anyway.
.
