On Tuesday, October 6th, we drove east to The Dalles then turned south on Highway 97. I was reading my book aloud – Grisham’s Playing for Pizza – while Pennie drove. She loves to drive on our trips, and I love to read to her, so we were both happy campers. Most of the 1200-mile journey would be on Highway 395. Our ultimate destination was La Quinta, near Palm Springs.
Mt. Jefferson and Three Sisters filled the horizon to the west as we passed the farm community of Madras, then rolled through Redmond. We pulled into Bend around noon and located Drake Park a few blocks off the highway. Strolling along the banks of the Deschutes River that winds through the park, we carefully sidestepped piles of duck poo everywhere. It had snowed in Bend two days before and there were a few patches of snow remaining in the shade of the pine trees.
We refueled and returned to Highway 97 through south-central Oregon and turned east on Highway 139 at Klamath Falls before crossing into California near Tule Lake. The sun was in our rear view mirror as we entered the high-desert town of Alturas. We stored our luggage at the local Best Western, after which we enjoyed a surprisingly fine pasta dinner at Antonio’s Cucina Italiana.
There was frost on our car in the morning as we continued south on Highway 395, a lonely two-lane ribbon of rough asphalt south of Alturas. An hour or two later we turned west briefly and skirted the edge of Susanville and Honey Lake. Highway 395 achieved four-lane status as we entered Nevada at Cold Springs. We continued through the sprawl of Reno before driving east on Highway 341, aka Geiger Grade. After climbing and twisting through several steep hairpins we crested the mountaintop and dropped into our afternoon destination, Virginia City.
Once called “The Richest Place on Earth”, Virginia City is filled with historic buildings, mansions and saloons from the 1850’s, with underground mines beneath the buildings. Since the town is tucked into the steep hillside, we took a tour bus that climbed through the hills. We learned how the discovery of gold and silver made several men instant millionaires and attracted many interesting characters. A young Samuel Clemens had a brief stint as a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise, and his writing career as Mark Twain actually began in Virginia City.
We stopped briefly for lunch and gas in Carson City before continuing south on 395 to the Nevada border at Topaz Lake. There is a resort casino on the state line that is the last chance to lose spare change on the slots, but we drove right past this minor temptation. We climbed to nearly 7000’ at Bridgeport before descending to Mono Lake where its iconic salt pillars lined the southern shore.
The sun was setting on the snowcapped mountains as we arrived at Mammoth Lakes, our overnight stop. The air was crisp, chilly, and in the upper 30s as we checked into the Best Western. Though we were pleased with the other BW’s on our trip, this particular facility was in need of lots of maintenance. In any case, we had a nice dinner at Slocum’s Grill.
We began our third day on 395 gazing up at the splendor of the Sierras between Bishop, Big Pine and Lone Pine where we pulled over to take a few pictures of the magnificent Mt Whitney.
Tucked into a rundown, residential neighborhood, Inyokern Park served as our lunch stop. We finished our apples and water as we listened to the children’s chatter from the elementary schoolyard, then got in a little exercise by walking around the sand pit play area and basketball court. More gas and we were on the final leg of our trip.
At Adelanto, a few miles north of Victorville, we saw the aircraft graveyard euphemistically referred to as the Southern California Logistics Area. It was row after row of commercial airliners that were no longer in service and were now parked for parts.
Soon we were winding through the smog and smoke choking the Cajon Pass, encountering the menace we had avoided for nearly a year – Southern California high-energy traffic. Our speed remained the same as before, but now there were cars and trucks everywhere, crowding us, changing lanes, as our casual trip evolved into frenzy.
Things began to ease as we took Highway 10 through Beaumont, Banning and Cabazon. As we approached North Palm Springs we were amazed and aghast at the hundreds of wind turbines scattered across the desert floor. The power generated by these wind farms is a good thing, but it is at the expense of the landscape. What an unfortunate eyesore.
We arrived in the late afternoon in La Quinta at the beautiful home of our friends Lauren & Denny Peterson, and unpacked for our twelve-day stay. We had made a list of meals we would prepare during our stay (instead of going out to eat) and took this extensive shopping list to Ralphs so we could have all our supplies on hand.
The projection bulb on their 50” TV had burnt out and Denny had given us a replacement bulb with instructions to call the local Geek Squad and have them install it. I called for an appointment and received word that they would call back on Friday to schedule a Saturday service call.
We made Sam the Cooking Guy’s fish tacos for dinner, watched TV in the second bedroom, and retired for the night.
On Friday, we enjoyed coffee poolside in the soft morning light before removing the pool cover and turning on the solar heating to heat the pool. We also removed the covers on the easy chairs and couch by the patio fireplace, and hosed down the entire area.
We made the first of several trips to Panera to take advantage of their free WiFi. In the afternoon, a local TV repairman who works for the Geek Squad called regarding the bulb for the TV. When I told him I already had the new bulb, he convinced me I could either pay $100 for a house call, or he could talk me through the replacement procedure over the phone. I opted for the latter and soon the TV was working fine.
For dinner, I made tilapia with garlic and tomato sauce, accompanied by herbed rice and green beans.
Dave & Marianne and Kathy arrived around 1pm on Saturday. Greg had to work and would be driving out later that day. After a quick tour, we settled around a large table on the upper deck area. Greg was delayed in construction traffic on Highway 60 that added an extra hour to his trip, but he joined us around 5pm, and the smiles and laughter began as we shared stories with our dear friends.
We slipped into our bathing suits and sipped adult beverages on the platform in the pool. Greg served as guest chef and grilled our steaks to perfection. We finished our meal with Pennie’s lemon bars that paired nicely with the Tuscan Lemonade we’d enjoyed earlier.
Our friends are huge Chargers fans but Sunday was a bye week for the Bolts, so we went to The Beer Hunter, La Quinta's premier sports bar and grill, for breakfast. We settled in with a round of Bloody Marys amid the raucous shouts and cheers of the fellow football enthusiasts watching various NFL games on the over 40 large screen TVs. We had a great time before saying goodbye to the Barnes / Box Party and wishing them a safe return to San Diego.
The rest of Sunday and most of Monday was spent in and out of the pool, reading our books in the shade of the palm trees lining the pool area, or lifting our faces to the warming sun while listening to cool jazz on the cantina sound system. We designated the secluded pool area as a clothing optional zone, and it remained so for the rest of our stay.
On Tuesday morning we went to The Living Desert, one of the most unique attractions and the only American zoo and garden dedicated solely to interpreting and conserving the deserts of the world. Unlike our visits to other outdoor zoos, the animals were active and in the open. We saw goats, African longhorn cattle, camels, zebras (including a five-day old baby), golden eagles, cheetahs, a bat-eared fox, a Mexican wolf, a walk-through butterfly garden, and a mountain lion that was interested in making a meal out of me.
The enclosure housing the mountain lion has two large (10’x20’) viewing windows. As I stopped at the first window, I noticed an agitated tail twitching behind a large grassy bush about 15 feet from the window. I moved on to the second window to get a better look at what was behind the grass. Pennie was nearing the first window and I turned to tell her where to look. As I turned back toward the window, the mountain lion sprang out of the bush, leaped and crashed into the window directly in front of me. My life, such as it is, passed before my eyes as I recalled my brief shining moment as a Little League All Star, hitting my first home run, rounding the bases as my teammates awaited me a home plate … but I digress. My heart began beating again as the mountain lion skulked away, and I realized how wonderful the 2-inch thick glass protecting me was. Did I tell you I LOVE 2-inch thick glass?
On Wednesday, Pennie continued reading Girl with the Dragon Tattoo beneath the shade of the poolside palm trees while I worked feverishly to develop my tan. I was hard work but I was up to the task.
We went to the nearby community of Palm Desert on Thursday evening for a visit with Linda & Jim McCoy. Their home overlooks the ninth tee at Chaparral Country Club and they took us on a tour of the course in their custom golf cart. Afterwards Linda served a wonderful lasagna dinner with garlic bread that made my socks go up and down (and I wasn’t even wearing socks!).
We went to the La Quinta Civic Center on Friday morning to spend some time with Abe. The La Quinta Museum was featuring a special exhibit on Abraham Lincoln including photos of the sixteenth President, authentic Civil War artifacts such as a musket, battlefield bullets, merchant currency, Confederate money, and a framed document hand signed by Lincoln.
The midday sun can be a problem in the Coachella Valley. We intended to leave earlier Saturday morning but we didn’t get to the College of the Desert Street Fair in Palm Desert until a little past noon. The heat was billowing off the asphalt parking lot as we entered the vendor area. This is a very large weekly street fair with over 300 vendors offering a wide variety of unique gifts, clothing, and interesting trinkets. Let’s be honest – a lot of it is schlocky jewelry, t-shirts, hats, some art but mostly crafts.
We have made a few worthwhile purchases here in the past, but this year the afternoon heat was approaching 100° and we had little interest in anything other than enjoying a lemonade slushie in the shade. We fought off self-inflicted frozen headaches as we listened to the pan flutes of the Peruvian musicians selling CDs in the booth next to us. Momentarily refreshed, we rode the shuttle back to the air-conditioned comfort of our car, and returned to La Quinta.
On our final Sunday we returned to the LQ Civic Center, this time for the Certified Farmers Market where we found a wide variety of local produce including fresh fruit & vegetables, honey, nuts, cheese, cut flowers & plants and fresh-baked breads. We purchased two pounds of shelled walnuts for my mother, and Pennie bought a large bottle of organic grape juice.
Sunday night we watched our three favorite shows -- Amazing Race, Dexter and Madmen.
Monday. Nothing. Nada. We didn’t do anything we didn’t want to do, and what we wanted to do was nothing. And we did exactly that. By the pool. In the shade. In the sun. Nothing. Ahhhhhhhhh…..
The goal Tuesday morning as we left La Quinta was to get through the endless cement maze that is the L.A. Basin. And “basin” is the perfect description for this mess. But, almost by magic, we cruised up the 10 to the 210 then to the 5 and over the Grapevine, without ever slowing.
Blink, and we were out in the flat and the open and the straight. There’s a certain sameness to the drive up this stretch of road, so much so that we can’t even remember the name of the town where we stopped for lunch. We had a sandwich at a Carl’s, but noted the sign on the restaurant across the street:
Tio’s
Authentic Panamanian Restaurant
Burgers, Fries & Malts
Our overnight destination was Los Baños (The Baths). The Best Western was nearly new and had a patriotic theme, with pictures of G Washington and friends in the lobby and hallways.
We had a unique dining experience that was completely unexpected in this tiny farming community. Wool Growers is a Basque family-style restaurant where everyone sits on long tables covered in a red & white-checkered oilcloth. There are no menus; the waitress describes the meat choices -- steak, tri-tip, lamb stew, chicken, and pork chops. Pennie had the pork chops and I ordered the tri-tips.
A steady stream of side dishes are all included: French bread, a simple green salad, a wonderful carrot & celery soup, beans, lamb stew, (we passed on the pig's feet), French fries, potato salad, and a small carafe of rich, red table wine.
For dessert, we were each given a small paper cup of vanilla ice cream (like you would get in a school cafeteria) and a bottle of chocolate syrup for topping. Our meals were tasty, and the service was immediate and friendly. Wool Growers was definitely a memorable experience.
Continuing up Highway 5, we stopped for lunch at the Berry Patch Restaurant in Orland, about halfway between Sacramento and Redding. This was a few miles east of Black Butte Lake. We didn’t go to Black Butte Lake. I’m pretty sure you’ve never heard of Black Butte Lake, and frankly, neither have I, but I just liked the sound of it.
One of the most beautiful drives of our trip started north of Redding as we began the climb past Lake Shasta, through the mountains and Castle Crags State Park, to the upper plateau near Mt Shasta. California gave up her last few miles and we crossed the border into the splendor of Oregon’s fall colors in the Siskiyou Pass.
The late afternoon sun glowed through a long row of Poplars as we pulled into in Medford. There was extensive roadwork in progress on the street leading into the Best Western. We couldn’t figure out how to get to the hotel when a worker noticed our plight and waved us toward a special temporary one-lane road that led to the BW office.
We checked in, unpacked for the last time, and walked to the Black Bear Diner adjacent to the hotel for a very ordinary dinner.
On our final morning on the road, we pushed through the foggy passes near Grants Pass, cruised by the casino near Roseburg, drove through drizzle around Eugene before stopping for a late breakfast at a restaurant creatively named Original Breakfast in Albany. The food was fine and the décor told us this was a Bob’s Big Boy or Sambo’s in a previous life.
One of the most difficult portions of the trip occurred a few miles later as I had to convince Pennie not to turn off at Woodburn Outlet Center, home to every retail store she loves, especially Chico’s. She barely overcame this urge and we turn east on 205, north to Portland, then east on 84. A remarkable sense of “home” came over us as we drove the final few miles in the astonishing beauty that is the Columbia River Gorge.
And then we were home, with three not-so-little kitties that were happy to see us once again.
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