Thursday, August 4, 2016 Heads up!

Thursday, August 4, 2016

 

My humans have taken me outside.  I don't like it here.  I look out the window all night.  There are lots of things that are bigger than me.  I will stay inside.  I am good with it.

 

My morning walk takes me one more time on the Thoroughbred Loop.  Sue is leaving on a horseback riding jaunt, so I need to get back but those darned blackberries keep calling my name.  I brought a bag to collect some.  One for the bag, two for my mouth...  Picking berries is a challenge with all the thorns.  I am not sure if my hands are full of berry juice or if they are bleeding!

 

We bid our farewell to Sue, then go up to the house for some time with Rick, before we ready Hannah and depart.  Today we will head up 20, through the piney back country up to I80 east towards Reno.  The I80 pass over Donner pass is absolutely beautiful.  Hard granite cliffs and rocky outcroppings are dotted with a variety of pines, poplars and cottonwoods.  Add a few ponds there, Donner lake here, and the Truckee river all along and you have some pretty scenic eye candy.  But once you cross the border into Nevada, it is almost like a tree switch goes off!  The trees disappear and you have the boring brown Nevada hills.

 

We thought about visiting our friends and family in the Reno area, but it is Hot August Nite time where a gazillion people bring their restored classic cars to all the casinos.  Getting an RV spot would be highly doubtful.  We are reminded of this as we see a whole lot of these cars being transported over the pass.

 

So, after a brief stop at Cabelas, we head north on 395.  It is brown and uninteresting at the beginning.  Then the hay farms add some color.   A few dust devils cruise the landscape.  We pass the shoe tree.  What is a shoe tree?  Duh... it is a tree with a bunch of shoes in it!  Don't know the story behind it, but it is certainly a spectacle!

 

We ultimately land in the town of Likely, California.  We stayed here last year and played golf, so we thought we would do it again.  Now, the vacation officially begins!  And so do the shenanigans...

 

Note to Spouse:  DO NOT leave the water running to flush out the head and then walk away...  Oh well, they have a nice laundry facility here...