Week 667-669 - Moving out of California - 06-09-2019

Moving out of California

Our last "live" travelogue had us at Crosswind Church in Palmdale, California. Since then we have been with family which is great for us but not so interesting to many of our viewers. Thus our last two travelogues were Favorite Photos which are always enjoyable. It's time to catch up. From Palmdale we spent nine days with Ellen's sister Janice, 10 days with Melissa in Atascadero, eight days with Emily in Butte Valley and 11 days with Pete's sister Donnalee in Redding.

We have been moving through California and now we are Moving out of California. And we are headed to Idaho to be with family and friends who are permanently moving out of California.

Before we left Redding, we witnessed a tornado warning in Redding! A tornado was forming over Redding just to the east of us. This is the sky above the Elks. Pete saw the warning on the TV and thought it best to move into the lodge.

Inside the lodge we mentioned the warning to the bartender who didn't know or care! 1) Outside there were a couple of folks that knew of the possible tornado. We all took pictures and mused about the possibilities. The camera could not show that all the clouds above formed a giant circle obviously formed by the spinning formation. 2) Meanwhile the folks inside kept on dancing to the live band.

This photo courtesy of Monica Leard shows the cone of clouds created by this possible tornado.

Leaving Redding we drove Hwy 44 to meet Hwy 36 toward Susanville. This is a lovely road, smooth, wide and little traffic.

We continued onto Bordertown Casino and RV in Nevada to spend the night.

Out of California we began enjoying the low diesel fuel prices. Our second night was spent at the Reno, Nevada Elks Lodge. Our $10 donation was $10 more than they asked! Pete spent a wonderful evening with Bill, our RV mentor. Bill bought his mobile fort in 2005 and called Pete everyday to tell him about it. Bill was the catalyst that brought us to the point of purchase. Thanks Bill!

1) We are headed to Idaho to visit our friend Mike and Ellen's brother Larry. Mike lives near Boise and Larry another 100 miles to the Northwest. We exited Reno on Hwy 80 toward Winnemucca following the Truckee River. Stopping for fuel in McCarran, we paid just 3.379/gallon, 80 cents less that our Lost Hills, California fill up. 2) We noticed a man trying to push his car to the pump. Pete jumped out to help and with the help of two other, much younger men, we got the car to the pump. The driver said he ran out of gas uphill and coasted three miles to the station. The final 100 feet stopped him. Fun to help out and well appreciated. That day we made it to Winnemucca and stayed at the Walmart. It did say "No Overnight Parking" but we tried it anyway.

We have broken Craig's Rule by driving everyday. Craig is right, if you drive everyday it takes the fun out of the trip. But a trip in northern Nevada offers a lot of open space but not much that we found to see. (Editor: Anytime we have tried and studied an area, we have found worthwhile side trips.) With stormy weather ahead we settle into Iron Horse RV Resort in Elko, Nevada to relax in their hot spa. But, as luck with have it, it was a cold spa on our stay. Still a nice park with grass Mandy could appreciate.

Hwy 80 out of Elko takes you right into the Ruby Mountains which though mostly treeless, they are very beautiful.

Perhaps Hole in the Mountain Peak, Ruby Mountain Range.

1) Most of our Nevada trip was filled with gorgeous clouds. 2) A little cloud formed over this 3-car/boat pileup.

Arriving in Idaho, we stayed at the Snake River Elks Lodge in Jerome, Idaho, just north of Twin Falls. Everywhere we traveled through Idaho had lots of lush grass. This lodge shares their parking lot with 93 Golf Ranch. A low cost stay with great surroundings.

From Twin Falls/Jerome to Boise you follow the Snake River as it travels west and then north.

We stopped over to visit the Mountain Home, Idaho Elks

That night we stayed at the Caldwell, Idaho Elks with more glimpses of the Snake River from the road.

We bypassed Mike's place in Boise, Idaho as Mike would not be there until June 8th and this is only the 2nd. So we headed to Larry's Ranch in Indian Valley. Following HWY 84 to Larry's, you cross the Snake River and you're in Oregon. A few miles later you cross the Snake back into Idaho.

Our first look at Indian Valley, nice!

Larry's 200 acre ranch has a lot of structures; the guest house here.

A look back to the MotherShip next to a big shop.

1) Larry shows Pete the "ditch system" used to flood irrigate the whole ranch. 2) On a trip out in the Polaris Ranger Side-by-Side, Larry illustrated how the ditch system works. He periodically travels the range and opens or closes the "dams" to divert the water to the dry areas. All the ranches in the valley do this and all the water comes free from the mountains.

Larry diverting a ditch stream.

Larry has not brought his cows to Idaho yet. These belong to a rancher who is leasing the grazing area.

What a beautiful setting and affordable compared to California. It is no wonder that so many would like to move out of California.

Our friend Mike also just moved from California to Idaho. Mike has an RV and we have met up with him several times in our travels. When we came to visit, the MotherShip was too wide to fit through the gate next to his garage. So he just tore it down! Another great home visit with superior hospitality.

Next week we'll head up to Hell's Canyon National Recreation Area and camp along the Snake River. We continue to love to see the amazing world that God has created.

With love, Pete, Ellen and Mandy

Photos from May/Jun 2019