Heading North Again

Hi everyone! We're back on the road now, on our way to Vancouver Island for 2 races there. But first, a recap of the past few days.

On Saturday we took it easy, and sat around in the RV park. We were going to watch some of the action at the start of the desert race, but the security was so tight we couldn't get close, so we decided to take it easy. I did some maintenance on the car to prepare if for our next few runs.

Sunday was Father's Day, and we relaxed some more. A modest quantity of bourbon was enjoyed. In the evening we cooked up a fine dinner of leg of lamb, Brussel sprouts, mashed potatoes, and some of our favourite red wine. Ben enjoyed the lamb too, and is still working on the bone!

Monday Marlene cooked up the left over lamb as a curry with wild rice. Yum!! Monday evening we took a taxi to the Atlantis casino. We had enjoyed the deli there, and decided to give it another try. Marlene had the matzoh ball soup again, and I enjoyed a chopped liver sandwich. The food was fantastic, and the price reasonable (Total: $16). This time we remembered to take some pics of the food, and you can see the size of the portions. Huge!

We had hoped to watch the free band entertainment in the casino cabaret, but found out on Mondays it doesn't start until 9 p.m. We really didn't feel like sitting around waiting, so we got a taxi back to the Grand Sierra, and relaxed at home with a couple of drinks.

Tuesday we did a few loads of laundry, and packed up the dishes and stuff so we'd be ready to hit the road in the morning. Wednesday morning we left Reno, heading up into the High Sierra again. We climbed the long grades up into the snow belt, then coasted down the long hills. We reached our destination of the Walmart in Anderson, California at around 4 p.m. and it was HOT. Even with the airconditioning running full out, we were hot. We took the opportunity to stock up on our wine here, since its only $1.97 a bottle. We now have enough wine and liquor to last us until we return to the US in August.

The only space big enough for us at this Walmart was near the rear loading docks. Ben was jumpy because of all the noise, and he kept waking up barking in the night. And it was hot all night, and we didn't want to run the generator to keep the air conditioning on all night, so we opened the windows and sweltered. None of us slept well.

We've decided to take our time with this trip, and enjoy the sights, so we're going in short runs each day. Yesterday we drove from Anderson north to Cottage Grove, Oregon. As we drove, Mount Shasta loomed ahead of us. Amazing to see the mountain totally snow covered, while we are sweltering in 90 degree heat.

The Walmart in Cottage Grove is a small one, and there are no restricted parking signs. The store is surrounded by beautiful park-like grounds, and the area was quiet. Several other RV's pulled in later in the evening. These small town Walmarts are quite pleasant, and don't have the noise and crowds of the big stores by the Interstates.

This morning we woke early, packed and left immediately. We only went a few miles down the road, to stop for a few hours. Marlene cooked up some french toast and sausages for breakfast. Today we'll meander along slowly, not far to travel today to get to Happy Valley, where we've stayed before. Please stay tuned...