Fulltime.HitchItch.com
Ron and Terry's fulltime blog
We try to boondock every chance we get... see where we find to stay in quality low cost campgrounds. Less on camp fees, more for fuel, so we can take side trips. We have the boondocking tools, solar, AGM bats, inverter, Honda 3000 gen, why not use them. 
                    See where we are at right now. DataStormUsers map ID 98 
 Go BACK       Go to  INDEX  Page     Go FORWARD 
 

Monday Oct.  5

It happened again... we took off and made a three point landing. All wheels still intact. Another great day on the road exploring trails we have not been on before... The best kind.  Now for the rest of the story going down HW 95 over to Fallon which was much bigger than we thought it would be. Must be the irrigated farm ground for miles to the south. 
But soon enough this was the sight for most of the drive. 
. 

Looking down the grade to Schurz in the Walker River Indian Reservation. 
This burg was depressed and on the edge. As was the other areas along this route after leaving Fallon. We would think things would be better as this is the prime HW between Reno and Las Vegas. Strange. 

Now when in this area again (with warmer temps) we will boondock in the great BLM sites along Walker Lake that we passed coming south from Schurz on HW 95 and north of Hawthrone, NV. Great views.  The camp sites had covered canopys... This natural lake has now very low water levels, but sill a wonder to behold. 

Off to the right for several miles we could see the Sierras on in the distance in California. 
With the snow the last few nights it made for an early snow covered event. We were tempted to take US 6 that connected to our route in NV and head over to Biship,CA and go south on US 395 in CA as we had done in years past. That is a great drive. Learn more about it at this link. Free Camping along Highway 395

At last we arrived in Tonopath, NV an old mining town. 
We are going to be here for a second night so we will have time to explore and learn what this 
historic place is all about.

They were having a Farmers Market  from 4 to 8. Didn't see any veggies. 
Some crafts, pumpkins and one selling hot coca. But they looked like they were having fun. 

Look she has ear muffs on. 

Our home for a couple of nights is the Ramada Casino RV park in Tonopath, NV. The casino is on the end and the rest is more like a strip mall with stores on the bottom and rooms above. They have shops on the back side as well. We were hoping for a buffet but no luck, just a small cafe and gambling area. We will have to wait till we get to Pahrump for anything more up scale.

Not very fancy... just a not so level parking lot with Full Hook Ups out back. But it serves the purpose. 

A little over priced but who's counting.  We could have gone to the only other RV park in town (a PPA park) but after reading the reviews and later touring it after we had landed at the Ramada, we're glad we paid the higher price here. We saw their pull through sites down the road, but still. Next time maybe. 

Tomorrow Terry will try to drag me kicking and screaming to the museums in town. 
OK here is the link to the Best Museum Rural Nevada
Also go to this link on the Central Nevada Museum


After viewing the links may have to go with him to learn more about it. I can sleep in all winter in Q me thinks. 

The weather is looking up a bit as I looked ahead and it is to warm up a bit... 
Now we don't want it to got hot again you hear.  Having to wear a hooded sweatshirt when hooking up and later in the day setting up is a bit much.  High about 55.

Now, we could still be up in Montana where the snow is a lot more than flurries, like heavy snow and me thinks this is a tad bit early for all that... We need to watch our back as the RVs are now going to be flooding the roads heading south.  After they thaw out, that is. We will be traveling way too slow for them to keep up.  AS they speed by. 

Hope to share more pics after touring the area on Tuesday. I have yet to go back and read the above links, but I think there are mine tours.  Even I could get into that... This place is full of photo opportunities. 
We shall see what we can find. 

Beef stew is in the oven as Terry had left over round steak (we had Swiss steak last night) and I think he planned it that way as he loves his beef stew... and now with toasted French cheese bread as appetizer... 
And watching HD TV as Terry set up the HD dish. 


Sunday Oct.  4

The wind did came up after noon on Saturday so we were justified by staying put. 
We had a relaxing Sunday and are all set to head south on Monday... 
I studied the web as to what should be some good stops on the route ahead.  I have learned I can find what I think is a great spot and after getting there it may not look I imagined.. Nothing is like it seems. So we shall see as we go. I gave my trusty navigator (Terry) the printouts of the spect sheets of the RV campgrounds I found, so when I say... Where should we stop?  He has all the info...  anyway it can't hurt, me thinks. 
So off in the morning, we are a going...  somewhere to be determined... But it will be south into Nevada.
Fallon to Hawthrone, and to Tonopah on HW 95. 

Later south through Goldfield, Beatty and over to Death Valley in CA if it stays cool, and then back into NV to Pahrump.  This should be a good tarvel event for the next several days.  I have a the PassportAmerica RV parks printed out so we can find them if that's where we end up staying. 

Each day is an adventure. Or I think, I could be back in my old office cubicle telling customers 
what the line of the day was. Now the line of the day, for me, is what's down the road and aroud the curve ahead. 


Friday Oct.  2

We left Susanville, CA and headed east toward Reno on HW 395 and felt good about it. 
What made the decision was the severe weather alert pop up that hit my computer screen this morning right after I logged on. 
We were planning on going down the east side of the Sierras in California but that will have to wait for a time in the future.  That would have been stressful me thinks. 
My gut was in knots getting through even this city and back out the east side on I-80 where we landed at Desert Rose RV park in Fernley, NV 40 miles east of Reno. 
OK the must be listed link to Renoright here. 
More on Reno...

 "The biggest little city in the world," as it likes to call itself, is a somewhat downmarket version of the glitz and glamour of Vegas, with miles of gleaming slot machines and poker tables, surrounded by tacky wedding chapels and quickie divorce courts. While the town itself may not be much to look at, its setting – at the foot of the snowcapped Sierra Nevada , with the Truckee River winding through the center – is superb.
There are three things to do in Reno: gamble, get married and get divorced. The casinos are concentrated in the downtown area, along Virginia Street either side of the railroad tracks. To get married, the requirements are the same as in Las Vegas, though here you obtain your marriage license at the Washoe County Court, Virginia and Court St (daily 8am–midnight; tel 775/328-3275). Wedding chapels all around the city will help you tie the knot; across the street from the courthouse, the Starlight Chapel – "No Waiting, Just Drive In" – does the job for under $50, providing a pink chintz parlor full of plastic flowers and heart-shaped seats (tel 775/786-4949).

I had called the RV park in Fernley before we left Susanville to made sure we could get in and stay for the weekend and wait out the storm. They were busy and would check and call back.  They called back within the hour to say they would be happy hold a great spot for us, and at PassportAmerica rates for all three days. 
We love our PPA membership, which came free when we got the HH 5er. We use it whenever we can for 1/2 price sites. You'd think we're nuts if we didn't. It was free for a year... I will renew for under $50. We save that many times over. And now with my Senior America COE, Forest Service etc. card we feel we save so much we can splurge at times in so called Resorts when we want to. Guess you could call the one in Susanville one of those. 

No that we have landed we of course went to Walmart down the road for a shopping fix. 
We did make sure we stopped for late lunch at Arbys (they have been having a 5 for $5.95 special) used to be 5 for 5 so we wouldn't go nuts in the food section at Walmart. That did help this time help with not buying EVERTHING that looked good...a little. I did git a big 20 oz box of breaded shrimp for supper. (For the oven and not deep fried) Terry sez he is having his leftover home made chicken noodle soup. Sure the cook always likes his own cooking. It was good but me thinks he will like it even more as it gets better the next day. 
Crispy breaded shrimp, me thinks is sounding tasty. I'm not going to use that Yummy word, now am I. 

This Walmart is right next door to the big Amazon shipping center out here. How many times have I seen this address on things shipped to us. 
We are relaxed and happy right here in this fine RV park. Time to chill out for the weekend and get prepaired to SLOWELY explore Nevada oun our way south to Quartzsite. 
 


Thursday Oct.  1

Like the next two pictures below show HW 395 in southern Oregon and northern California sucks. This is the view over and over and over again. 
Kind of like driving through Nebraska but without any people or buildings. Next time it will be down HW 97 me thinks. 


The big event was to hit CA. Not sure why as just more of the same. 
Ok time for the map.

We have landed in Susanville, CA at where else but Susanville RV park. I'm not even going to reveal the price for a nights stay. You can check out their  web site. But a fine park to be sure. All cement pads. We're not used to such treatment or cost. The office person was super friendly. So that took some of the sting out of the cost.  I'll get over it now that I'm on getting SS and a defined pension, both of which hit the bank this week. The SS for the first time. 

Now we are having happy hour and making up our minds as to where to next. This is the place for that. The road splits right here. 
Time to choose. Either west on HW 36 to Chester and south on HW 70 into CA.  OR east on HW 395 to Reno and over to HW 95 and south into NV.. 

We think we have made up our minds but I'm not telling till our next post when you will see where we landed. 
This is one of those to be continued stories. You never know we might wake up and change our minds... Isn't that what fulltimers do. The weather forecast could change and we move like snowbirds. Oh not that term... More like migrating fulltimers... We are a species, all to our own. A strange elusive breed hunted by RV dealers, RV parks, Camping World stores, propane dealers, gas stations, insurance and mail forwarding services, and of course by Walmart to name a few.  Stay flexible and get your butt down south soon... the weather is a changing... Me thinks...
 
 
Go  BACK       Go to  INDEX  Page     Go FORWARD

See where we are at right now. DataStormUsers map ID 98 
Have question or comment about our blog life... We love email.   Just email rbunge@hitchitch.com