RENO, REDDING AND ROCKS (MOLTEN ROCKS)…

Working our way North, we stop at The Topaz Lodge Resort andCasino. They have a small RV Park here and it’s a perfect spot for an overnight stay.  The next morning we head on to Reno.  Here we stay at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. (Hmmm we seem to be setting a trend here… but hey, it’s Nevada and we all know what Nevada is famous for LOL.) 

We spend time with our ever-gracious local relatives and get a surprise visit from a cousin from the Chicago area who arrives in Reno for business.  We all enjoy the Atlantis Casino Toucan-Charlie’s Friday Seafood Buffet, which is touted as the best in the area. (We whole-heartedly agree with this!)  After a few days in the Biggest Little City in the World, we head westward back to Northern California.

Cow Creek

In Palo Cedro, we have a lovely grass site under the towering oaks a few hundred yards from Cow Creek.  This park is so exclusive that, well… you have to be us to stay here.  Thanks Auntie J & Uncle G for a wonderful visit!

Kool April Nites Parade

Although most of our time is spent visiting with family we do get out a bit.  We venture to nearby Redding for the “Kool April Nites” classic car parade and go back the next morning for the pancake breakfast and car show.  Chris also takes advantage of the time to make a few repairs & improvements to Dimples so she’s road ready for Alaska.

One highlight of our stay is the purchase of 2 Bio-Mats.  We first learned about these devices when Chris had a massage back in Arco, ID last summer.  And low and behold Uncle G has one that he generously offers to let us tryout.  After a few days of enjoying the therapeutic effects and fighting over who gets to sleep on it, we bit the bullet and bought one for each of us.  Since installing them on our bed, we both sleep better, and wake feeling really refreshed and definitely more limber.  We enjoy these so much that I have signed up to be a distributor.  So if you are interested in the Bio-Mat or want to learn more about it, drop me a line ;^)

After over three weeks of family fun we need to get back on the road before we overstay our welcome.

Our first stop on the northward trek is the Lava BedsNational Monument.  The Campground is pretty empty and we find a nice spot with views of the surrounding mountains.  We’ve been to this park a few times in the past and it’s nice to see the improved visitor and nature center.

Petroglyphs Lava Bes N.M.

Our first outing is to the petroglyphs.  These are much older (4,500 to 2,500 years old) and definitely more primitive than the petroglyphs in Vernal, Hovenweep and Chaco Canyon. It’s interesting to compare them although we have no idea what any of them represent. 

Tule Lake

We drive around Tule Lake checking out the variety of waterfowl. In some places the air is thick with clouds of mosquitos. (Might be nature’s way to prepare us for Alaska this summer?) 

Medicine Flag
Captain Jack's Stronghold

Captain Jack’s Stronghold is the most historically thought-provoking area in the park.  As we walk The Stronghold Trail through the rough lava, it is easy to see how fewer than sixty Modoc Warriors held off the 20 times larger and technologically superior force of the U.S. Army with for nearly five months. But there is no happy ending to this tale. Here the cultural identity of an entire people was lost… so settlers could graze a few cows.

Icicles
 Heppe Ice Cave

The weather has been sketchy with heavy thundershowers every afternoon. A trip to the lava beds is not complete without a bit of spelunking and down under we can escape the rain, so into the depths we venture.  The Heppe Ice Cave is adorned with ice crystals and icicles. In Merrill Cave our hands stick to the metal rails as we descend to the bottom that used to be covered with a small frozen pond. We also stop and hike up to the rim of the Mammoth Crater.

At the end of our third day here we return to camp to find that 40 eighth graders and their 20 chaperones have invaded us!

It’s time to get back on the road… Next Stop… Bend, Oregon…

k