Heading south

Well, the dentist in Klamath Falls couldn't find any cause for Steve's toothache, which makes in none the less painful, but, resulted in no treatment. So, we've decided the best approach is to head for home. That way if he needs to get to his regular dentist he can. I still don't feel much like sightseeing anyway, so we'll move along faster than usual, and if we both improve we'll slow down and take in whatever points of interest we happen to be near.... that's called shifting to "Plan B".

Shiner and I had taken several forays out into the woods while we were at Collier State Park. She did enjoy the opportunity to work on her leaping-like-a-deer-over-logs skills, and rooting for rodents,and wading in the river, so she got in her daily exercise. Our next stop, Ram Horn campground, in northeastern California.

Another of our favorite out of the way spots, the campground is usually empty or at least sparsely populated when we arrive. This time there were several vehicles and tents in occupancy. We pulled into the far end and managed to find a place that didn't require us to unhitch... we still have that broken jack to contend with.  This is a very rustic campground.... no services and no supervision, so Shiner could run off leash. We explored the road in both directions, inspecting fresh deer tracks and evidence of horses as well as chipmunks and lizards. Shiner would dash up one side of the road, then back and down into the creek bed. I'm sure she traveled at least four times as far as I did in the same amount of time. It had rained recently so the ground was a bit soft, but fortunately we'd missed the muddy stage. We'd been quite a while on the road, and the weather had turned cold, so we tucked in early and prepared for a long day ahead.

Next stop, south on hwy. 395, Hawthorn, Nevada. Hawthorn is largely an Army depot that stores ammunition, not really what you'd call a tourist attraction. It does inspire creative stories however. Being "out in the middle of nowhere", as it is, makes for good story telling. One version version is based on the idea that the depot is really a secret, underground submarine base! A very 007 concept, don't you think!

Whiskey Flats RV Park was our destination, and it's a nice park, as such things go, with large grassy areas at the ends of the rows and across the front of the park. 'Very tidy, people are friendly, full service including a laundry room if you need one. The gentleman who checked us in was very clear..."NO dogs on the grass". OK, so we pull into our assigned space, which is a very narrow ribbon of concrete snuggled up to another rig, on their very own ribbon of concrete. As we've been assigned an end space our doors open onto a large patch of beautiful green grass, and in the middle of the grass is a sign..."NO dogs on the grass"! Shiner is quite young and has not yet learned to levitate, but we did the best we could, making her walk on only her front feet until we were on the gravel drive. She cast longing looks at the green patch, as she does love to roll on soft green grass, and really couldn't understand the restriction at all!

The park does have a dog area toward the front that is large enough to play ball, which we did, so all was not lost. We tried adventuring out into the desert, but the entire area is scattered with broken glass. I can't imagine how so many acres could be covered with the stuff, all colors, but none of the old sun-purpled glass, so it's not old. Some is sandblasted enough to be rounded on the edges, but much is still sharp, though in mostly very small bits. Very strange, but we worked our way around it and went back to playing in the dog area. A little exercise was enough for the day for all of us.

Back on the road, still heading south, we'd planned a long drive for the day. Traveling at our usual pace wouldn't get us home, and to that dentist, very quickly! We sailed through Nevada's back country, where traffic jams are unheard of, the sky is bright blue, and the vista's are colorful and varied. We never tire of admiring the multicolored, weather sculpted mountains. Evidence of mining activity, new and historic, dots the hillsides, and it's fun to located settlement names on the map, then try to find evidence they were ever in existance as we drive through the location. Lumber was always scarce in this part of the country, so any wooden structures were usually either moved to a new location when a mining town folded up, or have been since used as firewood. We often can see a bit of adobe ruins, if the town was older, or a little concrete foundation, but often even that has been overtaken by sagebrush.

Destination for Monday night, Boulder City Elks Lodge. This is one of our favorite places to stop, as far as city accommodations. (See this post for history of the lodge) We've been here twice before, most recently was two years ago, and the host and bartender remembered us! Such friendly folks, and the club is always having some sort of social gathering so there are always folks about to chat with, and we always find connections. This time we met a gentleman who grew up in El Monte, where I was born, then moved to Long Beach, where we both grew up. He was in the newspaper business, and both our fathers were (though he was in a different capacity). It is truly a small world!

The lodge RV area was pretty full, but we did find a space that, again, allowed us to park without unhitching. Steve had checked the Camping World in Henderson, on the way in, for a new hitch, but they didn't stock the one he wants, so we'll do without for awhile. He can probably fix the broken one when we get home, so it's just a matter of putting up with it until then.

One more long day ahead of us and then we'll take a break for a couple of days. Maybe by then my head will be clear enough to snap a few photos.