Every Monday, the pickleball players have a 4:00 p.m. Happy Hour in the Family Lodge. Sandra Smith was the host, but everyone brought a dish to share. There were probably about 20 of us! Some of the folks were people I have known over the years, and some were new friends.
Some of the familiar folks were Barb and Joe Clark. They just arrived at the park. So, the next morning, it was fun to get some pickleball games in with the two of them. They recently purchased a park model at Voyager RV Park in Tucson. So, I know where they will be wintering!
That afternoon, the dogs and I were walking in the park. We came across another mule deer doe and her fawn. Cute!
That night, there was a beautiful sunset. We had a few light showers too.
On Wednesday, Wendy and Kai came to Thousand Trails. Tom and I gave them some pickleball lessons. They used my two extra paddles. It was their first time on any pickleball court! It was fun!
We then loaded the bikes and headed to Sunriver Resort. We parked at the lodge and took a loop --- maybe five miles --- to the airport, marina, and back again.
After the ride, we had lunch at the lodge restaurant.
Tom and I came back home. It was going to be a long day. I took a 45 minute cat nap. We were meeting Carol and Terry Thomas at their home in Sunriver at 5:30 p.m. Terry and Richard were fraternity brothers at UCLA. Carol and Terry retired to Sunriver in 1999. This was my third visit to their beautiful home.
After some adult beverages, we headed to the Sunriver Village to have dinner at Marcello's Cucina Italiana. It is a favorite of Carol and Terry. Excellent food and service! It is also fun because Carol and Terry, as regulars, know the staff. Local flavor for sure!
Thursday was a calm day. No pickleball, no visitors, no planned activities. It was very nice. Of course, walking dogs is always on the docket. For dinner, we used various items in the refrigerator and pantry to make a pasta dish for dinner. Just enjoyed the day and our site near the family lodge.
On Friday, we decided to visit nearby Lava Butte of the Newberry National Volcanic Monument. Carol Thomas said that the shuttle ride to the top had great views. She was so right!
The last time this area had volcanic activity was 7,000 years ago. This aerial photo is amazing.
We took the tram to the top, but Tom and I walked down the road to the Visitor Center. It was about 1 3/4 miles.
That evening, we met Wendy and Kai for dinner at CHI Restaurant in Bend. We participated in an happy hour with great sushi, Chinese food appetizers, and adult beverages.
This would be the final visit with Wendy and Kai this trip to Bend.
Saturday morning, the dogs were walked and put into the trailer. Tom and I were heading on a road trip west. Our first stop was Five Pine Lodge. Both Beverly Garcia and Cathy Charles were working that day. I worked with both at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in 2008 and 2009.
We drove through the center of Sisters and ended at Black Butte Ranch. I knew some pickleball players who live there --- winters in Palm Desert and summers there. The public areas are accessible, but the homes are behind gates. It is too snooty and too isolated for me!
There was an open air market near the Black Butte General Store. We picked up some fresh vegetables for dinner that night.
Sunday was our departure day. We could have stayed another week, but the dogs are ready to go home and Tom's son is ready to be picked up. Jon completed over half of the Pacific Crest Trail, but wild fires near Yosemite are out of control and the smoky conditions are unhealthy.
We departed Thousand Trails at about 9:30 am. Our next stop is Susanville, California. We decided to take an Oregon Scenic Byway, highway 31. It only added thirty minutes to our commute
And, it was scenic!
We arrived at the Susanville RV Park at about 4:30 pm. It was hot, in the high 90s. The dogs were not excited about additional walks, so we used the dog run. Tom and I were too hot to cook. So, we called for delivery pizza from the local Pizza Factory.
We didn't empty the gray and black tanks after leaving Sunriver, so Tom used this stop to empty the tanks.
The next morning, we left Susanville and headed south to Nevada. We drove over 2 1/2 hours to pick up Jon in Gardnerville, Nevada. It was hot, in the low 100s. Jon had an Enterprise rental car to turn in. Before doing so, Tom and Jon made a lunch run to Taco Bell. Can you say parking lot picnic?
Jon will complete the Pacific Crest Trail another year --- with Oregon and Washington remaining.
The dogs were hot, so I found some grass and shade.
Ramsey saddled up to a fire hydrant. Over the past few days, his back legs have been acting up. When he is agitated, he is not easy to handle. I called Cinder Hills Kennel and made a reservation for Ramsey in October. We are taking a 4,000+ mile road trip to Austin, Knoxville, and Indianapolis. The girls are easier to travel with and they will join us on this trailer trek.
We proceeded to head southeast to Tonopah. We had reservations to spend the night in an RV park on Highway 395. The temperature was a little cooler there. We arrived to the RV park in the north end of Tonopah at about 4:00 pm. Initially, our intention was to not unhook the truck from the trailer. But we decided to have a real dinner meal at a local brewery restaurant.
We noticed that the truck was running hot since picking up Jon. The idiot light was suggesting that the coolant was low. So the next morning, Tom and Jon bought more coolant at a Tonopah rest stop before continuing our southeast trip.
The day's temperatures were going to be in the 100s, so the best bet was to make it all the way home. We had 428 miles to go.
Unfortunately, drama crept into our journey. Something was very wrong with the truck. It was seriously overheating, causing us to drive without the air conditioner and the windows open. Can you say it was 116 degrees in Las Vegas? In Kingman, we exited the highway, parked at a museum, and put more coolant in the engine. The dogs sat in some shade and hoped for relief.
I called my mechanic, James at JJs Automotive in Williams. An appointment was made for the truck. We did make it home --- another 113 miles --- but without air conditioning. Since Tom and Jon were such troopers with my sick truck, I bought them dinner at Rod's Steakhouse that night.
The next morning, I took the dogs on a walk to Cataract Lake. Ramsey, Kelsey, and Libby were glad to be home. It was at Cataract Lake that I took a beautiful photo of the lake and the clouds.
The rest of the day was dedicated to taking food and personal items out of the trailer. We also made a trip to Safeway, to restock the refrigerator and pantry.
On Thursday, I took the truck in to JJs Automotive. Tom and Jon decided to wash the trailer before it was put back in the RV barn.
I stopped by the Williams Gym, Results Fitness Center. For the past six months, I have been nagged with four, six, to even eight extra pounds. I decided it was time to get back into shape, so I joined the gym! Although I walk the dogs five miles a day, I need more of a challenge.
With my membership, I can attend as many fitness classes as I want. When I exercise, I prefer to be told what to do --- the "simple Simon says" type of workout.
On Friday, James called me. Indeed my truck was sick. I have had a slow oil leak for a number of years. It finally needed to be seriously addressed. James told me that my truck was TOTALLY without oil. That is what caused the overheating. He has to replace the entire belly of the truck's engine. That repair will stop the leak and remedy the situation. Fortunately, the tab was just under $1,000!!!
The part will come in on Monday and James will call me when my truck is ready to come home.
Friday night, we had pork ribs for dinner. I decided to not attend the Highland Meadows potluck dinner that evening. But, I learned that ribs were being served, so we had some too! The next morning, I was advised that Tom and I slept through a big commotion in our neighborhood --- with numerous highway patrol cars and a surveillance helicopter.
On Sunday, Tom and I took Jon out to the Williams Elementary/Middle School tennis courts to play pickleball. Jon picked up the game quickly. He is an athlete and a good ping pong player. Pickleball is a life-size version of ping pong. Welcome to pickleball, Jon!
Monday was an errand day for me in Flagstaff. I also had a hair appointment with Shawna. While I was waiting for my color to set, she had another client come in for a cut and blow dry.
After my hair appointment, I drove back to Williams. James at JJs Automotive had my car ready. He said that it was good to go, but that the oil leak had been very messy. He suggested that I take the truck on a dirt road to try to get the oil out of the underneath cavities. A 90 minutes massage with Natanya was also on my docket!
Later that Monday afternoon was a very peculiar day in our little Highland Meadows community. Apparently the Friday night commotion was not resolved that evening. The two people who had a stolen a car and had been chased by the highway patrol into our neighborhood were not apprehended Friday night. The authorities thought that they had left the area. But, no! They broke into a home shed and hid out for several nights. Then, Sunday night, they broke into an unoccupied vacation home and spent the night.
Monday afternoon, they tried to steal an old pickup truck, but were unsuccessful. Then, they found a blue Lincoln sedan in the garage of my neighbor with keys in the ignition. That became their getaway car!
The local authorities never shared with the community that the perpetrators were not caught. They didn't want to cause concern. Certainly not the right decision! My neighbor Connie's car was found several days later in Bakersfield. It was in good condition, but the keys were missing. Of course, Connie felt better cleaning the car thoroughly, inside and out!
Tuesday, I met up with six of the Highland Meadows ladies for breakfast at Pine Country Restaurant. Of course, we were all a buzz about Monday's activities!
Libby and I excused ourselves an hour into the breakfast rendezvous. We had pickleball! Jon joined us once again.
We have enough pickleball players now that we have two courts set-up. It is always a good two hour activity.
After pickleball, I washed my truck. It was ready to be cleaned!
