On the Road

Who knows where?? July 2 - 5


Everything after Vegas should just be called "Post-Vegas" because we needed to recover from the gambling. Not really, but LVM was a wonderful treat. I haven't blogged since we were there because we  have been keeping busy with the traveling to get to Seattle on a strict time schedule. So far, on this entire trip, every place we have stayed (even the overnights) except for one has been so good to us. We always want to stay another night at all of the parks, but if that was the case we'd never get anywhere so what would be the point??

At the lovely hour of 5:15am, Dad woke me up and we started the 45 minute process of getting ready to go somewhere. No wonder we need 3 months to take this trip. We pulled out of LVM at 6:00 AM on the dot. Even if one of my friends had come with me on this trip, I don't think anyone would be prepared for the early hours Dad tends to force me to keep. It's not as terrible as it sounds; as it gets bright around 5:00 AM, the early morning sun helps to get me moving.

We traveled from LVM to Sparks Marina RV Resort in Nevada which was a 500 mile,  11 hour day. That's a long way, and it was hard driving. This leg took US-95, Hwy 359, and US 395. Parts of these roads go into California, so I can truthfully say we went to California on this trip. Although, I can't give any picture evidence with a state sign because all of those I took show only the trees just after the state sign. Why am I so terrible at that??

On this leg of the trip, the roads we were on were not interstates. This is an example of this size of the roads that we were on for 500 miles. I believe our average mph was about 47. So slow going added up to the 11 hour day.

This is Mono Lake in CA. This lake was not developed with houses which is very different than something we see back home in the east.

In CA on Hwy 359. Definitely a beautiful ride (for me) but a lot of turns and hills for Dad. We are so lucky the Newell performs flawlessly on roads like this.

Self portrait (I know, I know) with my buddy the bunny.

We had to wait about 20 minutes at a construction site, and Dad got up to stretch. He wanted to use the restroom, but I wouldn't let him because I was too terrified it would be our turn and he wouldn't be there!!!

The rest of the drive to Sparks was fairly uneventful except for me trying to fight sleep the whole day! Dad hardly ever gets sleepy when he is driving, which is great of course. Sometimes, however, in the middle of a long day like that, it becomes increasingly more difficult for me to stay awake. I try not to nap ever on this trip, but especially when we are driving because I know Dad likes to have the second set of eyes to help him. I do have to admit, that sometimes, I can't help it, and close my eyes for 10 minutes or so. He is probably just finding out as he reads this (oops!) because I also manage a responsive sound when he comments while I'm resting my eyes.

One of the MANY different things about the west are these salt flats. From afar it look like a lake, but driving closer and closer you see white and then the road seems to disappear! Here are some pictures of the salt, and also of some of the views in California (I think!) When I don't blog every day like I should, the states run together.



Approaching the salt flats. See how it looks like the road is going into the salt??

An abandoned town near the salt flats. Looks like it used to be a rest stop or something of that nature. Maybe gas. Anyway - whatever it was is totally gone now. Somewhat like a modern day ghost town.

It was CRAZY to see mountains with snow on them and be in such warm weather at the same time.

More scenery...

When we finally arrived at the exit for Sparks Marina RV in Sparks, NV we found heavy construction. Well, bad for us. Dad is a pro at not hitting any cones and so far (knock on this picnic bench...) he hasn't hit one yet! So we ended up having to go around the block to get into Sparks, but we made smart decisions.   When we saw the roads the GPS originally wanted us to choose, we noticed they were too residential for us to navigate. We ended up entering the park from the other direction  than we had originally studied, so we weren't quite prepared for the right turn.  Actually we couldn't make it into the check in lanes for Sparks. What else is there to do but unhook? Nothing, because Dad has to back up to make the right turn. This is the very first time we had to unhook the Jeep under pressure, and fortunately we were off the road so we weren't blocking traffic. We unhooked perfectly, moved the Jeep, and then were guided to our site. Even though it was just an overnight stay, Big Rigs Best Bets did us another good one. Sparks was so pretty and near such a cute little downtown area. Each spot had turf grass between it and a parking spot for the toad. Definitely a place we would have liked to stay longer.

Another great thing about heading north through Nevada is the drop in temperature. We really felt a huge difference between the 106 degree Las Vegas days to the mid-90 days as we traveled. Amazing that even mid-90 can be considered "cooler!"

Also, in Sparks, I found a great brewery where we had a really relaxing dinner and even ran into some UT fans! Go VOLS!!!

The Newell and Jeep at Sparks Marina RV

The artificial turf grass.

The wide, wide roads at Sparks.

From Sparks, we continued to head north through more CA and into Oregon. Oregon is stunning! So much green, but way bigger trees than in the east. The trip this day, July 3, was a 400 mile day, so less distance, but still a big day!  After winding through some beautiful roads, we finally made it to an interstate, I-5, which by now, has been our interstate for a while.

Such beauty!

Getting passed by an 18-wheeler. Wish I could say this doesn't happens every day, but it does!

We arrived at Seven Feathers in the mid-afternoon after a 7: 00 AM start from Sparks. Seven Feathers is in conjunction with the casino that makes up most of Canyonville, OR. We were guided to our spot (without having to unhook...yay!) and would you believe that we had a spot on the end of a row?? It was the easiest time getting into a spot yet. What's even better is knowing that we didn't have to worry about leaving either. I made reservations about a week before we showed up and we are there for the 4th of July. So I figure that when I told the receptionist that we were totally huge she believed me, as that is the only way I can imagine we managed to snag a spot on the end. Here are some pictures of Seven Feathers.

Newell at Seven Feathers

Wide streets and flowers

Club house and flowers

Indoor pool, fitness room, bathrooms

It was great to have a break for a day and enjoy the amenities of this new park. I believe it was rated the top RV park in Oregon, and it definitely lived up to its name! The weather was much chillier than what we have been used to, so that took some adjustment, and I was cold most of the time! The 4th was a relaxing day at the park with bike riding and eating. On the night of the 4th, I heard a big bus come in and it was an older Newell so, of course, we ran out and introduced ourselves to Murray and Mary Craig who use their bus for Search and Rescue. We exchanged information and they told us if we were in British Columbia to give them a call. So maybe we will be able to do that. More friends! It is such a community within the RV world.

So far, we are right on schedule and heading to Fidalgo Bay on July 5th. Looking forward to our 4 night stay there and visiting Julie Spalding from back home.

Rolling, rolling, rolling.....