One Particular Blog: To Des Moines, IA and Back 2025

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.

Moreno - you want me to leave the AC car? You crazy?

At the Goff ghost town, they had a slew of cool signs. Don't wash the dog. Or ...

Bonnie and Clyde would be jealous. But so too would any Route 66 fans.

Another Route 66 fan.

The Mojave Desert phone booth. ET phone home!!!

No frogs in the Mojave except here.

Bonnie and Clyde have nothing on this bus.

Clara plowing the road. John Deere would be proud his tractor was still "working." How Clara's butt did not melt on the iron seat is another 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.

Dinner at the HH, little bit windy, little bit dry, little bit just us.

As before, just us. Turns out very few people camp in the desert SW in the middle of July.

Our camp, good people doing good things for animals.

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."

Seriously there is a road in here.

And some cows too

Open Range.

ECI's Torry CO field office.

Gubini Winery camp spot under the pines. Finally after a 12 hour day. No wine tasting, closed. Sigh.

Gubini Winery camp spot under the pines.

Sunset from Palisades CO showing the blood red impact of Grand Canyon fires.

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.

Eldon's choice for our intro to Steamboat Springs CO. Whiskey .. of course.

But, others seem to agree that it was a pretty good stop.

Cheers.

Earth Consultants International's new Steamboat Springs Colorado field office.

Moreno would also seem to want to stay, but on we must go.

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.

Eldon had to stop for a business call, money talks, Clara waits.

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.

We were a little early for most of the her fresh veggies, mostly just cucumbers and zucchini (Eldon's only two inedible) but we also got some fresh basil that will go with the OPH tomatoes we brought.

Mr. Toad eats the grasshoppers. Unfortunately there is also a Mr. Snake who eats the toads, but also the mice. Fortunately we did not see him. There really is a Toad in there.

Moreno does not sleep well in the car (anymore) so takes advantage of every opportunity in the trailer. He eventually ended up in the tunnel under the bed.

The sky starts to get ominous, but beautiful as well.

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!!

And then it is over and tomorrow will be another day for us.

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.

Experimental corn plots everywhere. The road was even called Experimental Farm Road.

Cow country and nothing else anywhere.

BBQ brisket lunch.

Clara liked this, ...?

Camp for the night at the Niobrara Valley Winery.

Very common throughout Nebraska.

Typical hay mowing.

The wedding party at the Winery. Clara approved of their music choices.

Another Mr. Toad. Moreno almost got him.

Clara tasting their wines, most were in her (narrow) wheelhouse of "this wine is too dry, this wine is too sweet, but this (and many were) is just right."

Niograra Valley Winery in the 8 person town of Nenzel, NE.

The winery's cows

Grapes for the wine. Marquette, St. Croix, and other cold weather varietals.

Our snail from the original 2018 Safari Condo trailer pickup party. Now sporting new finger puppets for some unknown reason.

The blogger at work in her road office.

What are you looking at?

Sun. 7/20/25, Day 7 NVV HH. Nenzel Village, NE

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.

Rainbow view from the Take 16 Brewery.

After the rainbow view from the brewery. Blue skies, but did not last. More rain later that night.

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.

Eldon, Cheryl, Clara and Tom

Squash or watermelons?

Dottie.

Cheryl and Tom with part of their garden. If you look closely, you can see Dottie right over Cheryl's shoulder, not wanting to miss anything.

Cabbages

Baby butternut squash.

A solar-powered place, fully off the grid.

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.

So who knew that there used to be a Luverne Car Company? This one, from 1909 was fully restored though the robin's egg blue is not original - they came in brown and black.

This brown one from about 1914 is fully original. These might be the only two surviving Luverne Cars in the world. They transitioned from cars to firetrucks and did very well.

Mom's friend Betty and the force of nature behind the museum (and in front of it too).

Just a small part of the nutcracker collection.

Dinner Monday night - burgers and pizza.

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.

Bridge from Marquette IA over to Illinois across the Mississippi River.

Our new camping spot tonight. Awesome people, spent 14 months in a bus with their 3 kids touring the US, then settled down here in east central Iowa, about halfway between their two parents. The horses (2) arrive next week. We bought some varieties of flour.

Moreno is very happy to be on solid earth, especially grassy earth. He was upside down a lot. Here he is enjoying the sunset and also later more of the fireflies. He keeps looking at the blinking lights ... not sure what he is thinking but certainly is. Tomorrow is Des Moines and a hotel. That will be weird.

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.

Harvest Host : Wild Rose Meadow in Postville, IA.

More of the same but even better.

Next stop: Field of Dreams where the movie was filmed. That was fantastic!!! Photos can speak more than words. See the movie. People come from all over the world just to run the bases. Now that Shoeless Joe is off the MLB banned list, he might show up here with his Hall of Fame cap on. They let you play on the field too. Couple of guys were playing second and first base and encourage me to hit a coupe for them to field. Clara pitched and Eldon hit a hustle double off his first at bat. If you get a chance to go to this place, you should. It was a very sentimental stop. Of course you need to have seen the movie. Field of Dreams.

We came across signage about Herbert Hoover National Historic Sight. So off we detoured to check it out. Got there at 4:30p and they close at 5p. So much more to see.

Another quick stop to get a Passport Book stamp at the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site. His birthplace.

Arrived to Holiday Inn at 7pm. Mostly cloudy, 86 degrees. More rain forecast. Parking at the Holiday Inn. With the caravan movers (those weird mud-covered things behind the wheels) we are able to park backwards making us theft resistant.

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.

Tuesday evening Lynn (and Steve, hah) arranged a get together of U of MN friends (50+ years).

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.

Clara’s Office:):)

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

These are at the SOBOS HH Campsite as we were leaving. It’s definitely a great cause to support and very unique.

On our way out we stopped at The Grain Bin which is the HH “bar and grill”. The money all goes to the great cause to helping Vets. The beer goes to a good cause too, I suppose.Pabst Blue Ribbon for breakfast - oh well, on holiday.

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.

Moreno befriended this wood pig that was outside greeting us. He's here because the place is famous for smoked beef, pull pork, etc.

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?

Irish band jamming.

Once we settled in the Alto we took Moreno for a walk and we went inside to the deck and had dinner. The Band is different and playing County. They were pretty good. Eldon bought their CD. Eldon took a couple of videos but unfortunately we cannot add it to the Blog.

Good beer, good music. Best Harvest Host in Casper.

Once we took Moreno for his evening walk we went up to the deck and had dinner and enjoyed the rest of the evening. 75 degrees and cloudy but not thundering. Of course, that did not last.

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.

Saturday, 8/2/25. Day 20, HH in Casper, WY

Got up at 8am, 60 degrees, Sunny. Headed to Yellowstone, WY and got the thunder and lightning around 9pm. Again Moreno went under the bed. Poor guy. We arrived to our KOA Yellowstone Park/Mountainside Journey campground spot. We arrived at 5:10pm, 76 degrees, partly sunny. We had to drive through the Teton and Yellowstone parks to get to the KOA. We will spend more time in them during the next 4 days.

Along the way we did make a really neat stop at the National Museum of Military History in Dubois, WY. Dr. Joe needs to visit this place. Eldon can write about it. OK - it started in 2011 when a local rancher bought an M4 Sherman (WW2) tank to run in the Dubois 4th of July parade. 2012 saw him get another so that one would actually run. Now he has 400+, built a 150,000+ sq ft building to display them, and has another couple hundred still outside. It is an incredible experience, extremely well done.

M46 Patton tank guards the building entrance.

The outdoor pavilion with dozens of "extra" tanks, half-tracks, and other vehicles.

A couple of tanks and an ambulance guard the driveway entrance.

USMC diorama of the winter retreat from the Chosin Reservoir in 1950 during the Korean War.

Over the top at Inchon, the surprise landing that broke the stalemate in Korea.

Some of the beautiful geology west of Dubois in the Wind River Range. Red beds are Triassic in age (dawn of the dinosaurs) and lots of other species recovering following the great Permian extinction event where 95% of life on the planet went dead due to the global climate fiasco following record global sea levels and oxygen levels. The CO2 went into forming most of the world's coal from nearly global swamps. Time of the 6-ft dragonfly. During the Triassic, all of that excess Oxygen went into rust (red beds) and eventually the planet stabilized.

Sunday 8/3/25, Day 21 until Wednesday 8/6/25. Now in Yellowstone National Park

We planned to spend 4 nights at our KOA campspot and tour the area. We'll put some captions to the photos to tell the story.

Now into the Jurassic (park) where the oxygen levels returned to livable levels and the dinosaurs really took off.

Teton Range in the background behind Purple loosestrife flowers that were a common sight.

This moron was within 10 feet of this Elk.

Fortunately for her, not his type.

We had difficulties getting up early to go see the park.

Eating dinner when the dinning table has too much "stuff" on it for both of us to use simultaneously.

Though we did stop at many of the features we did not do much hiking as Moreno was not welcome on the trails and boardwalks. Despite having her precious walking stick, Clara was supportive of the ban.

We thought Teddy Rooselvelt formed the Yellowstone NP but per this monument, it was really Ulysses S. Grant in 1872 that formed the park.

We saw way too much of this traffic flow.

Pretty pictures in Yellowstone.

Many geyser sightings.

Mammoth Hot Springs - pretty cool.

These formations reminded me of a overflowing rootbeer float.

Did not appreciate that Yellowstone was a pretty large 1870s Army fort. Most of it is still there and Moreno used the grass horse grounds to get upside down and wiggle.

Looks like they are discussing the "Poop bag" next to them. How rude for those tourists to dirty our home.

We were treated to hundreds of Bisons just hanging out. But sadly we also saw what happens when two of them get into an altercation. Next photo.

The Rangers had to hold up traffic to clear out the result of one Bison who lost the rutting battle. They bang the heads until one can no longer manage. So sad.

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.

To Moreno a vet clinic is still a vet clinic. Radar?

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.

So in 1959, a major 7+ EQ occurred in the Hebgen Valley, resulting in 12+ feet of vertical surface rupture right through a campground. Down came the mountain and at least 25 people are known to have been killed. In this photo you can see the landslide and how it dammed the Madison River resulting in Earthquake Lake.

Very impressive!!!

Wednesday Day 24, 8/6/25, 51 degrees, Leaving Yellowstone for Tetons and beyond

Up 8:30am, to a beautiful clear and crisp morning and left at 10:30am which was now 58 degrees. We stopped off at Teton National Park on our way to our next HH in Thayne, WY. Remembrance Ranch. We arrived at 6pm to 85 degrees but clear and no clouds. Meaning most likely no thunderstorms. These hosts were so welcoming and generous. The property had its own pond which I would have loved to jump into had it not had such a cold water in it. April, the hostess, gave us some of her homemade aromatherapy products. Moreno was a bit unsure of how to deal with the 3 chickens and 1 rooster. She also had an outdoor cat that was trying to play but he is not a cat dog.

There was another HH camper that came to stay and he had a black dog (about 12 years old) who wanted to say hi to Moreno and Moreno was not very nice. How rude. Actually, after a few sniffs they went their separate ways. This dog was friendly enough and was named Simba but he has a Gallbladder disease which might be the cause of his loss of weight and low energy. His owner was very concerned and sad.

These are of us at our HH just relaxing. We could use the relaxation after our touring the Tetons.

The Tetons from the east side.

The Tetons from the west side.

More Teton shots.

Clara and her moose. Fortunately none seen on the road, just these bronze ones.

Our HH campsite in Thayne WY, electricity, nice sitting area, and very friendly hosts.

Moreno approved, but their cat and he did not approve of each other so no free range for Moreno.

Thursday Day 25, 8/7/25, 57 degrees, Sunny, brisk & clear skies.

We woke up in Thayne, WY and Left at 10:15am, 69 degrees to go to our next stop. This is to be at Dutch John Resort in UT. Arrived at 4pm and 92 degrees and sunny.

Along the way we stopped at Fort Bridger, an important fort and meeting place in the old west, established by the Mountain Men and Mormons.

Some of the interesting stuff you see along the way. Worlds largest Elk Horn crossing.

Another contender.

There was a big fire immediately on our way south but fortunately we went a little east (left) and only had the smoke plume for a few miles. We were worried that the fire might be in the Flaming (sic) Gorge area where we were headed.

Utah Hwy 44 is a fabulous drive. Not only spectacular scenery (and no smoke) but they also post road signs about the multiple geological units you are driving through. The turquoise waters of the Flaming Gorge Reservoir are an awesome contrast to the red Triassic rocks.

Pulled into our camp spot, heard a hissing from the rear of the Subaru. What is that? Within a minute our right rear tire was flat. Total flat in less than a minute!!!

The photo can't show how flat it is. But it IS, trust us.

So not much to do today except arrange for a tire replacement to come from Vernal, UT in the morning. Tomorrow!!!! The "resort" was useless, and the gas station equally so.

Now the title of this site implies a resort type environment but that was a bit of a misnomer. It was just like a campground but, oh well, in the middle of no where, one cannot complain.

This "resort" had a restaurant with nice photos of steaks and other foods. Again we tried to find that perfect steak but no luck. At least Moreno is not as picky about the quality of his meat! Tomorrow JT's Tire Pros come the 50 winding miles from Vernal to render assistance.

Friday Day 26, 8/8/25, 52 degrees, Overcast (like our car spirits).

Here you can see the inner edge of the tire with wear and tear. It was really hidden from view. Even the tire guy missed it until it was removed and then was obvious. What must have happened was that upon entering the RV part of the campground, which is paved in large gravel, a rock must have ruptured the steel belts leading to an instant and immediate leak. This probably occurred when Eldon turned into the pull through space. Imagine, just 20 minutes earlier we were on a narrow mountain road with 20 mph switchbacks ... yikes.

JT's tire guy arrived at 9 sharp, got the tire off easily, showed us that it is not repairable (Eldon already expected that so had asked them to bring a new one), and then spent nearly an hour fighting to get the tire from the rim. Finally with both of us holding various levers he was successful and the new tire could be mounted and installed back onto the car. Left Dutch John about 10:30 for an equally scenic drive down the mountain to Vernal where we will pick up the narrative in the next posting. Time to hit the road now.

This is the road map of the Flaming Gorge area and some of the most spectacular geology you will ever see. Heading to Vernal to do a final road check on the new tire. Matt the tech made a final lug nut tightening and we were done with that. $518 + tip and were happy that it wasn't worse. 21

After getting the tire checked and approved we stopped at a cluster of permanent food trucks for lunch. This guy drove up, full of quips and jokes and when Eldon complimented his front license plate, he gifted us one. Plus some Dinosaur Hunting licenses.

Vernal is the main entrance to Dinosaur National Park, and dinosaurs are everywhere here.

Even at City Hall and the Visitors Center.

Arrived to our HH (Partridge Family Farms) where they had a cool old WW2 ambulance that supposedly ran once. We arrived at 4:30pm and were greeted by a very welcoming family. Husband, wife and precocious 4 year old daughter. This was in Spanish Fork, UT and it was 84 degrees and clear.

This is a working farm and we purchased $155 of meat and pork. We are keeping it frozen for one of our Que Paso dinners!

Moonrise over the campsite in Spanish Forks Utah.

Saturday Day 27, 8/9/25, 63 degrees, partly cloudy.

Along the way we stopped at Timpanogos Cave NM for Clara to get her book stamped, then off to the High West Distillery for Eldon to get his souvenirs as well. Moreno loved the break from driving as well as the appetizers.

This Distillery was very relaxing and the pond with Koi fish reminded us of our prior home with a pond in the back and Gold fishes. Moreno also enjoyed the break.

We finally arrived at 2:55pm, 75 degrees to our next HH which was a working Farm: Uinta Family Farm in Willard, UT. We got a tour of the farm with their Alpacas, chickens, pheasants, and dogs. The alpacas were so meek and mild. So beautiful and I wanted to bring one back with us.

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.

They all have names so one would be missed if Clara had followed through on taking one home. But as they are pack animals, you cannot just have one so the idea was impractical as well. Turns out they prefer to be at least 3 in a group and that was not to be.

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.

Clara scored an Alpaca scarf, and Eldon a couple pairs of socks.

Dinner in the trailer as there were too many flies outside (tis the season).

Finally we turned in for the night.

Sunday Day 28, 8/10/25, 58 degrees, Sunny

Woke up at 7:30am at the Uinta Family Farm and quickly packed up to escape the rising temperature and flies. Left at 9:30am headed to our next HH spot, Ethereal Ranch, Elko, Nevada.

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.

It is a HUGE facility, totally guarded except this little area of rocket pieces.

This is where they designed and built the space shuttle rocket and obviously a lot of other US Navy and Air Force rockets. I was emotional seeing such huge pieces of equipment that get put in submarines or the shuttle to space.

Moreno loved the grass ...

... and the shade.

A Minuteman missile, which went into those silos we saw in South Dakota.

A Trident missile

This is the engine for the space shuttle booster rocket. Tiny little thing.

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.

More goats but I don't know all their names.

Day 29, Monday 8/11/25, Up at 7:30am and sunny/clear. (8/11, 8/12, 8/13)

We woke in Elko, NV at the HH Ethereal Ranch. We wish only the best for Jay.

At 9:05pm, 76 degrees we left on route to our next destination which is a Campground: The Whispering Elms in Baker, NV. We arrived at 330pm and was 91 degrees. Very dry. Our plan is to sleep here for 3 nights so we can have time to tour the local sites. It will give us a chance to catch up on the Blog and wash clothes. But it is a Very HOT & DRY spot. But getting there was "interesting."

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.

Don't leave me behind. I have the water!!!!

We walked 300+ feet out to read these explanation panels. The soils was weird, like moon dust. Just fluffy silt 3 inches deep and that floated gracefully onto you.

When we got to the posters, they were essentially illegible from the sun, but we were able to discern that this was a Pony Express stop at Jacobs Well. No sign of Jacob, his well, or any other sign that anyone had ever been here but us. And cow manure.

Moreno understands shade.

The Pony Express Trail, from nowhere to nowhere. Off we go.

Ely Nevada, mostly under road construction through nearly the entire town.

Ely was and still is a mining town. These huge tailings piles were just west of the town, but we never did determine what the mine was nor its status. Obviously something valuable in those hills, at least at one time.

When we got to camp we washed off the mud, almost like concrete.

And apparently our Microwave did not appreciate the 80+ miles of washboard roads. But Clara fixed it.

With all the rough roads our Alto had a total makeover inside. This was fixable so we still had use of the microwave. But the worse was all the fine dust which covered EVERTHING!!!!! I tried the best I could do to clean up.

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.

Lehman Cave, Baker, NV

We did the 30 minute tour, pretty typical cave formations and stories but nice 52 degree weather.

Moreno allowed me to put on his Crocs and his wet suit to keep cool. It was up to 100 degrees here at the camp in Baker, NV

Dinner of chicken, corn, green beans and tomato/snap pea salad.

No arguments or complaints from the eaters, typical night in the trailer.

Wednesday Day 31, 8/13/25, HOT, Sunny

Today was a nothing day, just chilling in the heat the best we could. Fortunately, the Alto blocks the sun until about noon so it is nice to sit in the shade and read/write. Eventually we got up the energy to go to tthe second Great Basin visitor center for Clara's second stamp. While there one of the rangers came out to rub Moreno as he was a recent transfer and had not yet gotten his dog to his new posting.

A Great Place to Call Home. Well, maybe if you could not make it to Oregon, but the phrase "If you find yourself walking through Hell, keep going." comes quickly to mind.

The visitor center had this awesome stained glass window in the roof peak. Some of the glass reminded us of our window at home, and especially the level of detail.

There was also an exhibit area about the various ranching preservation efforts in the Great Valley area. This was a metal sculpture that we thought pretty cool.

Lunch was at a semi-permanent taco truck in town. They were very good, and especially the freshly made and still hot chips and salsa. Dinner was to be at the other restaurant in town (open 4-7) but they never opened so we had a frozen pizza (heated of course) at the "bar" hosted by our campground. First night that it had been opened.

Because Moreno does not sleep in the car, he does real well in the camper every night. And so we close out our time in Baker. NV Eldon will undoubtably miss his morning Moreno walks down to the "general store" where they have freshly made dark roasted coffee and young women who make it. Back to Starbucks instant.

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.

This is in Eureka, NV where Eldon had a client (General Moly) but unfortunately they went broke. Notice that this tree is growing inside this abandoned building. General Moly's offices are next building to the left. Also deserted but at least no trees yet.

Onward and westward we went for a while anyway. Then we come across a very sad town, Austin, NV. It's a town about to become a Ghost Town. Then about 20 miles west we get a Second Flat tire on the Subaru. AGAIN!!! Opposite tire. We called around and we found a tire shop that sent a fellow about 2 hours drive from Fallon, NV.

Clara took advantage of the delay to practice her guitar and to serenade to emptiness.

Again, everything must be discharged from the Subaru so we can access the spare tire.

Not much for us to do than wait. So I managed to practice a little bit of my guitar and Eldon commented that the sound was nice. Even though I wasn't doing much, at least the sound of the guitar was soothing to us. Fortunately neither of us has an ear to hear how bad it really sounded:). It was not bad.

The tire guy changed the tire and the fellow told us that he would follow us into town (Fallon, NV) and the next day we'd be at the shop to figure out what to do. So we ended up getting 4 new tires!!! It's only money right????

We were late to get to our HH camp spot so we just parked at the Lattin Farms and then in the morning we got up early to head to the tire store. After getting our new tires, we went back to the Farm and were able to meet the owner and buy some really great fruits. It was already 7:45pm, 83 degrees and sunset when we got there. Now it was time to settle down to sleep.

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.

Home of the Naval Air Station in Fallon, NV. This was a surprise find. Moreno enjoyed the green turf to roll around.

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.

This scene is like being in a western movie.

... and then there is a Lincoln. Remember the ending of Blazing Saddles? Of course that Lincoln was black.

One of the famous Brothels that still provides services.

This sign directs you to the Brothel. It indicates one of their services ("69").

As yummy as it looks. Took home leftovers.

Mark Twain's Museum, totally abandoned. Sad.

Clara liked this area because of the Mark Twain history. One of the Star Trek episodes (Next Generation) has Data's head found under one of these old buildings and Mark Twain's character was part of the story.

Sadly Eldon missed the Frey Distillery when we were in Fallon, worrying more about tires than whiskey. Whew ...!!!

I think Mark Twain would have sat at this bar in his day.

These are real silver dollars.

This IS the spot of discovery!!!

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!!!

Moreno not a fan of cantaloupes, but if you have bacon ...

So after that fabulous spread we were set to hit the road again. We look forward to visiting them again. And having breakfast ...

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.

Once we got to the Allen house Moreno was trying to decide if to jump or not. He chose wisely and walked back down the porch steps. He was thinking where is Mom A?

Our Janesville campground. It was free, thanks Jim for the electricity.

We set up camp next to the house, Norman volunteered to be a cook..

That is a damn big .... squirrel, or ... ?

Eldon took Moreno for a little walk around the grounds and came across this dear. Not sure what Moreno was thinking. At least he did not run after it. It's a lot bigger than a squirrel.

I'll wait till I get to our home park and I'll get my own squirrel.

Master Chef Norman preparing the pork chops! Purchased from our HH in Utah.

We had a fun and delicious time together. Chatted and enjoyed the evening. Kristie and I walked Moreno around and later did dishes in the house. Easier than in the Alto. We chatted until late hours but we all had to quit and go to bed. We wanted to go to the site in the morning where the folks ashes were strewn but the route was going to be too risky to drive both the Subaru and the Alto, 100+ miles of dirt, they really wanted to get away. Next trip.

Day 35, Sunday 8/17/25, up at 8:30am, 63 degrees, mostly cloudy. Janesville, CA.

Gathered our stuff and hit the road at 9:45am. We headed to our next campground in Loomis, CA but via Lassen National Park. The plan was to just go through Lassen and get Clara's stamp, the head south to visit with Brucer at their new place in Lincoln, CA. Unfortunately the Loomis booking wasn't complete so we did not have a space. As it turns out, that campsite was not very desirable. I would not want to stay there anyway.

Since we couldn't stay near Brucer then we headed south to find a place (OMG we stayed in a Walmart paring lot). Next time we'll visit Brucer. and stay somewhere nicer.

We left Janesville and headed NW to Lassen National Park. We could witness more of the remnants from the recent forest fires. So sad.

Got to see some snow.

After the park we headed south on CA32 and a dear jumped out in front of us. Eldon safely managed to avoid hitting him. That deserved a celebration so he navigated us for a lunch break and drink at the Sierra Nevada Brewing in Chino, CA. These people literally invented craft brewing and so is king of a Mecca for drinkers like ...! Eldon reported that in 2015 when he was on his geology speaking tour, he spoke at Cal State Chico and was beer and dined her at the Sierra Nevada brewery. It was then, and still is, an awesome place with excellent beers.

Our greeter at Sierra Nevada!

We couldn't find a campsite and when we got to Lodi we gave up and decided to park in the Walmart Super Store parking lot. No charge!!! Saved a little money:). Had dinner at an Indian food restaurant that was not bad, and the leftovers fed us several days later.

Day 36, Monday 8/18/25, up at 7:30am, 59 degrees, Sunny. Lodi, CA

And Day 37, Tuesday 8/19/25 in Sequoia RV Park, Three Rivers, CA

We gathered our goodies and left Walmart at 8:30am. It was 65 degrees, crisp and clear. We were heading to our campground in Three Rivers, CA when we had our 3rd flat tire. Right rear tire. Stainless steel hay hook. Souvenir. Happy Birthday Clara!

Moreno in the Subaru on top of the tow truck.

Moreno was feeling like a king.

Tow truck for the Subaru and also for the Alto.

At least our flat tire was in.a quiet place.

Almond grove

Talking to AAA.

Third and final flat tire of the trip!!!!

Farming implement that popped our tire and flew into our Alto A/C. Fortunately the Air Conditioner unit still worked because when we used it that night, it worked. Thank goodness because it was hot.

King of the world!

So, there we were along the almond groves just north of Merced, CA. Another roadside guitar concert while waiting for the tow truck. So Eldon contacted our now friendly Les Schwab Tire Center in Merced and they sent a tow truck to take the Subaru and tow the Alto. Moreno got to stay in the Subaru, front row and ride into town. He looked like a king.

I called Miguel Craven (OPH neighbor) to see if he was still in Merced (he was) so he and his girlfriend, Jackie, met us at the tire shop and we went out for a pizza lunch. We had a nice visit. They make a cute couple.

The shop was able to replace our 2-day old tire in no time so we were off to hit the road again. Hopefully no more flat tires.

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.

We got to Three Rivers OK, got set up and headed to Tippy's restaurant for dinner. It is right on the river, food is good and the staff is excellent.

Moreno is NOT a water dog.

Day 38, Wednesday 8/20/25 in Sequoia RV Park, Three Rivers, CA Up at 7:30am, 70 degrees and sunny.

The fresh clear day at the campground. Being able to see the outside from our inside of the Alto is so special. This is why I chose the Alto.

Another dinner at the restaurant. Carlos brought his two huskies (OMG real dogs) to meet Moreno, and you can tell he is is a WTF/OMG moment. BUT, everything and everyone went well and there was harmony.