July 29, 2012, Returning to Reno and Sparks, NV.

We enjoyed our two week stay at the Antioch Fairground campground. 

 

It isn’t much, but the price ($20) and location work for us when we have to be in Antioch, CA, for less than a month.  The fairground rules limit campers to 14 days in a six-month period.

We headed for Reno/Sparks, NV, with the intention of avoiding some of the hot weather plaguing the nation.  I lived in Sparks, NV, a LONG time ago and wanted to just look around at my old stomping grounds when I lived in the trailer like we saw in Albuquerque, NM.  See that post here: Enchanted Trails restored trailers.

Site unseen (yes, I meant RV site) I booked us a week’s stay at the River’s Edge RV Park in Sparks, NV, based on price and location next to the Truckee River.  We are very happy with the choice of this park.  The sites are flat and enough space side to side to park the car easily next to the camper.  The restrooms and laundry are very clean and the staff is friendly and helpful.  What more could we ask for?

(Oh, maybe fewer plans landing and taking off from Reno International Airport located just across the river, smile.)

In order to lessen the “shock” to our bodies by traveling after sitting for 14 days, I reserved a site at Dutch Flat RV Park in Gold Run, CA for the first night on the road.  It was lovely!

Even Larry enjoyed it the campground and the opportunity to rest up—after traveling a whopping 100 miles in one day, smile.

I wanted to savor the opportunity of going over Donner Pass early the next day; it is one of the most beautiful routes in the entire U.S.

 

It was interesting to note how the trucks had literally worn off the black top covering the cement highway underneath.  We ran into road construction and I was glad it was Larry’s turn to drive.  We stopped to enjoy the views at the rest area at Donner Summit.

And then we went down—down the hill to Donner Lake.  I was able to get a photo over my shoulder over the old Route 40 down the face of the mountain:

If you look carefully, you can see the old highway winding its way up the face of the mountain to the bridge at the top—where we used to prior to I-80.  And looking to the left, in the next photo, the dark line from left to right is the snow sheds built to protect the tracks during the winter snows so the trains can run all year.  A long time ago, I rode the train from Reno, NV down to the SF Bay area to spend Thanksgiving with my family.  In those days, the snow sheds weren’t the solid line in the photos—they only covered the areas in danger of snow slides.  The train conductors let us stand in the open doors of the train cars as we went in and out of the snow sheds--breathing in the brisk winter air.  It was exciting for a 19 year old!

The sign is still standing on Virginia Street, Reno, NV.

And some things haven’t changed that much.  The casinos still offer affordable meals.  The gal I moved to Reno with worked at the Cal-Neva.  I wasn’t old enough to work in the casinos. That was almost 49 years ago and it still is in business.  Maybe we can get parked downtown and check it out for old-times sake.

On a side note, we checked out some of the other RV parks.

This is the Sparks Marina RV Park and that grass at each manicured site doesn’t require mowing.  It is artificial turf!

We have driven around some of my old places, but the most fun so far, is a new place.  Cabala's is located next to Boomtown Casino west of town.  We like checking out the different stores as they have different types of displays.  This one has an African scene inside:

The only thing we could think of as we left was:  If Cabala’s doesn’t have it, you must not need it.  I could have gotten in serious financial difficulty in that store…from vacuum sealers, cast iron cookware,  solar chargers for electronics, camping gear, towing parts, clothes, etc.  And the gun and  ammunition department had lots of customers!

We are paid up until Wednesday morning and then heading to Alturas, CA, for a few nights. We discovered Larry doesn’t do low- humidity weather well.  We have the humidifier running 24 hours in the camper and only venture out in the cooler mornings with a bottle of saline spray.  We really, really don’t want a repeat of February’s ER visit with a bloody nose.  We may need to re-plan our travels omitting very dry areas.