Author: Rick

Spent the night in Elko, Nevada. We were on our way to Winnimucca but decided to stop here instead. We were getting tired and must have misjudged the distance. The Walmart Super Center in Elko seemed quiet and safe. They lock the doors of their Auto Center, Garden Center, and Pharmacy entrances at night which ends up making a huge section of their parking lot vacant. They don’t allow trucks to idle after 9 pm and so it gets quiet. We restocked on some food, grilled up some steaks, had some pie and rested for the night.

During the night it rained pretty hard with lightning and thunder so sleeping in the Little Guy was nice and cozy. We did learn one thing about leaving things on the ground in the rain. Even though our plastic bins keep stuff nice and dry, the rain drops splattered dirt all over the sides, even on the pavement. Not really a big problem, just wiped things off with rag. Something to consider though before going in for the night.

Tip: Rain will splatter dirt on things if they are on the ground.

This park is midway between Lake Tahoe and crater lake. It’s $12 for a campsite and free entry with seniors access card otherwise it’s $20 to get in and $24 for the campsite. Lassen has been devastated by fires and drought so lots of dead vegetation.
We were nearly out of gas and the campground ran out. But rather than wait till 11:00 we took the risk and went to Old Station where we paid $3.69 for gas. Yikes!
We were going to head to lava beds national monument but after looking at the map thought we would push on to Klamath falls to re supply.

Tip: Get gas when you can.

Love our umbrella. We move it around as needed.

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State campgrounds aren’t really our thing, but national forests tend to be fairly off the beaten path and harder to find. The official U.S. Government website is almost useless when traveling down the road and looking for a place to camp for an evening. There’s just too much info to wade through. There ought to be an app for that but have not looked for it yet.
We took Simon for a run this morning on on our road bikes. He totally enjoyed it. 😀
We’ll be on our way to Winnamucca, NV right after we use the park shower facilities and pack up what little needs to be. We’re pretty settled in where all the stuff is where it belongs and easy to find. Not having to set up a canopy is a huge time saver.

Tip: If using an umbrella it helps to bungie it to the handles of the galley lid. The umbrella is not very tolerable in the wind.

Standard back up to table.

Great views from up here.

We were pleasantly surprised to find almost all the camp sites open in the Colorado National Monument. It was about 4 o’clock when we arrived. Again setting up with the umbrella is sooooo much easier than a canopy. Great view from our site, number 38, loop B, of the valley.
We picked up a bundle of firewood in Montrose, but can’t use it here. No fires allowed. We have some charcoal, but probably won’t cook with it tonight.

Tip: Forget the firewood. No open fires here.

Soaking up some sun this morning in the Colorado National Monument, Saddle-horn campground loop A. It was a little chilly last night but a down comforter for each of us kept the cold out. This is our first trip of 2015. Some lessons: don’t move boundaries in national forest campgrounds, choose your site carefully, if you plan on eating out find a campground closer to town, don’t forget the boombox. However this was intended to be a shakedown cruise, so all is good. Learning to chillax.

Tip: Don’t move USFS campground boundaries because the man in uniform gets upset.

After two restful nights at Schoolhouse Canyon Campground (highly recommend) we packed up and are heading toward Lake Tahoe to see Susan’s sister Rosemary. Here’s a few observations for future trips:

• We’re thinking disposable dishes and utensils would make for easier cleanup.
• Privacy popup/potty works great as intended.
• RV parks are less desirable because they are too crowded and we don’t need the hookups or extra services.
• Watch for dirty/dusty ground surfaces when selecting a site. We and the dog brought extra debris into the LG.
• Firewood can be an issue since you can’t carry it from state to state, so be on the lookout for good firewood to buy.
• Keep an eye out for Top That Yogurt. The best treats and our new favorite.

Dusty dry but easy. It was getting late and we were getting tired. Found this US Forest Service campground called Hikison Petroglyphs. There was no water, but we carry at least 5 gallons in our Coleman jug. We didn’t even unhook the Little Guy. Just cooked our dinner, cleaned up and crawled in for some welcome sleep. We found the air was so dry that condensation inside was not an issue at all. Even though we turned the ceiling fan on a few times during the night, I don’t think we really needed it.

I think we were a little anxious when we chose to stop here. If we’d gone another hour we’d have reached Bob Scott US Forest Service campground. We stopped to take a look on the way by it this morning and discovered it was higher in elevation, had more vegetation, and seemed way less dusty. Oh well, next time through there we’ll know. In other words, I’d recommend Bob Scott over Hikison Petroglyphs campground.