Saturday, November 11, 2017

Medford to Reno

Odometer 57400 miles
315 miles this trip

We left Central Point at 9:30 this morning and headed down I-5 past Ashland, OR,  up to the summit of the Siskiyou Pass (4310 ft) and into Yreka, CA.  In Yreka we took the exit onto Cal 3 where we indulged ourselves with Starbucks coffee and sweet rolls!  Finding parking for a 53 footer can be challenging.


We laughed as we were heading back to the bus with our coffee it looked like we were pulling through the drive-thru lane of the Burger King next door!

The weather in the Rogue Valley (Medford area) was partly cloudy to mostly sunny, and temps in the mid 40s.  I have to admit the sun streaming through the windshield felt mighty good.  We were rather surprised that we hit ground fog at the Siskiyou summit and it stayed with us all the way to Weed, CA.  The fog lifted just in time to give us an opportunity to photograph Mt. Shasta as it slid into view in front of us.



 We continued South on I-5 to where we turn east onto California Highway 89 near Mount Shasta City.  We take Cal 89 south and east through the northern end of the Sierras before turning onto route 44 which takes us further east  past Lassen Volcanic National Park and down a very steep grade into Susanville, CA.    At Susanville we join US highway 395 which takes us south and east to Reno, Nevada.

Lunch stop at Hat Creek on  Cal Hwy 89

This route is well known to us, but the scenery never gets boring.  Today the sun turned the yellow leaves of the cottonwoods a bright golden color and the foothills were frosted with a hint of snow.  We stopped at a gravel turnout near Hat Creek to make a quick lunch

This natural log jam made for a nice deep pond and a nifty waterfall

I wandered along the banks of the stream while Joan fixed us a quick lunch of veggie tamales and "Cowboy Caviar" (Corn and bean salsa) from Trader Joes.  Delicious!

This route is high elevation and we are getting a lucky break to be able to transit these 3-4,000 foot summits at this time of the year without a drop of snow



Joan has been studying the RV parks in and around Reno and Fernley, and suggests we stay at the Grand Sierra Resort Casino in Reno.  Easy on and off the freeway and relatively inexpensive at $26.50 + tax with our Good Sam membership.



Sunset over Reno and the Grand Sierra Resort rising into the night sky.  We watch folks driving floating golf balls into the "lake" behind the resort and casino, before retiring to the coach for dinner and some relaxation. 
Tomorrow we have set our sights on the small town of Beatty, NV

Your Traveling Friends

Jeff and Joan

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