Saturday, November 10, 2018

California Coast to Nevada

Here’s what’s new!  We left off around Eureka, Ca traveling down the west coast.

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We did a dump and diesel fill at the Shell station in Fortuna, then headed on south on the 101.  Since the weather on the Oregon coast had prevented much enjoyment of coastal scenery, we headed back out to the California coast at Westport, leaving the 101 at Leggett.  It’s a very narrow winding road, but good pavement and we were in no hurry. Meeting loaded logging trucks on blind corners keeps your attention focussed on driving.

A homeless-looking van was parked in my preferred ocean view spot, but snugged up against a guardrail nearby proved to be an adequate alternate.

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The view out the door wasn’t too shabby!IMG_0408DJI_0570DJI_0572DJI_0574DJI_0575There’s nothing like sleeping to the sounds of pounding surf!

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It was such a nice spot, we spent two nights here before deciding to move on.IMG_0417

Had a bit of an issue getting going as the worn-out truck batteries wouldn’t start the truck. Conveniently, my heavy duty 40 amp battery charger also refused to work.  I knew I should never have left home without at least two battery chargers!  So the generator charged up the house batteries, which eventually charged the truck enough to start as well.  We certainly wouldn’t want to be stuck in such a gorgeous spot now would we!

After passing through Fort Bragg, a turn inland brought us out to the 101 at Willits.  Continuing on southward we filled up with diesel ($3.81) and propane ($2.19) at the Coyote Valley Casino and station before continuing eastward on Hwy 20 into central California.  After a bite to eat in Williams we continued on to Colusa for the night.  We found a decent quiet spot right along the Sacramento river to spend the night. Unconventional, but better than Walmart!  Haven’t had to resort to Wally world for a year or so now!

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We stayed on 20 through Yuba City, Grass Valley, Nevada City, and picked up I-80 for it’s run eastbound over Donner pass.

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At Truckee we got off the interstate again.  Adding our 10 gallons of spare fuel, we had enough range to make it to the cheaper fuel in Nevada!   I didn’t recall ever traveling on the east side of Lake Tahoe, so that’s the way we headed, eventually coming out into Nevada at Carson City.  There were some minor construction delays on that route, but I kind of like that Winking smile

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After going through a single lane pilot car section, I let everyone else go past, and then I can mosey along as slow as I like with no traffic behind.  That gave us a chance to stop along the side of Tahoe for some photos.

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Joining the 395 in Carson City, Nv, we went southbound, and filled up the tank and spare cans in Gardnerville ($3.29/g diesel), the last chance before returning to higher California prices.

There was evidence of recent wildfires in the area, and I thought it odd to see the red patches beside each burnt area.  Then I realized that the red stripes were all fire retardant drops from the aircraft fighting the fires.

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The next stop was in Bridgeport to enjoy the Travertine and Buckeye hot springs for a few days.  Check out the fuel prices in Bridgeport!  That’s why I filled up in Nevada!

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Next we spent a few days camped on some BLM or NF land, about a half mile from the springs.

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6 comments:

  1. That's a lot of travel in a few days. Love the photos!! Enjoy the hot springs.

    Deb

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  2. Now you can enjoy the "winter time" and move slowly
    Next week we are leaving the Ontario to our winter trip to AZ

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  3. Hey I wonder what the chances are of you meeting another naked girl in the hot springs eh. I seem to recall you had that experience last year or the year before with a photographer and a model. Geeezzzzz, some guys have all the luck.

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  4. Lots of people in these hot springs that can't afford suits (?), but no photographers and models, lately ;-)

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  5. Wow! Cold in them there mountains! Glad the old GMC is all fixed up now, battery and radiator. Good for another 400,000kms! Would have been nice floating in the hotsprings especially with some company ;-). That Jedi place looks awesome. Will have to go there next Cali trip. Glad to see Hailey is keepin busy guarding and catching pesky lizards. Safe travels and more great adventures my friend!

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  6. Staying on this beautiful places near the sea and mountains is really great. Thanks for the nice post. short term jfk parking deals

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