Monday thru Wednesday – Reno/Sparks

Monday morning Lydia and Janie went back to Walmart to get mani/pedis.   Afterward we took off to tour Truckee CA.  The drive was nice although we got stuck at the agricultural check going back in to California.  They wanted to look at a guy’s U-Haul trailer and couldn't get it latched again.  Took several minutes and a lot of frustration.  Come on guys, we’re touring here!  We made it to Truckee and drove around a bit and finally went to their local hardware store.  It was a store that has everything!  I bought an inspection mirror to use when I check water in my batteries.  Then we stopped at Cabela’s (Bass Pro Shops rival chain store) on the way back.  That took some time as this was a big store.  We found the fudge section and sampled and brought some home. Rick is hooked on fishing and bought a new reel.  On the way back we found Windy Moon Quilts in Reno.  Lydia was happy when she found some material she was looking for for her newest project.  Once we returned, I took Bailey back to the river for a walk and turns out, a swim.  Janie fixed dinner for us tonight and we settled in to rest and watch tv and catch up on mail and this blog.

Tuesday morning saw us take off early to follow Rick to drop off his coach for an inverter install.  More on that later.  We went to breakfast and headed off to Carson City to explore that area.  We really didn't do too much except cruise by the capitol bldg. and historic downtown.  We did find a Beall’s next door to Sportsman’s Warehouse. Perfect for all of us! On the way back to Sparks Rick called and his rig was ready.  Turns out his inverter WAS covered by his extended warranty so he only needed to pay $200. instead of $2200!  We have that same company so we are happy it went so well! We also stopped at Summit Racing so Rick could get an extension for his tailpipe (which he lost on the way up to June Lake).  We came back to camp so we could walk the dog and spend some time with her.   Then we headed out to Treasures, Trinkets and Trash, just down from our park.  This place was interesting.  Something for everyone.  We only bought a few items and headed to another Windy Moon Quilts and then made a quick stop at the store for bread before heading back home.  We added the tailpipe extension while the girls fixed dinner. I prepped the rig for our departure tomorrow.  We are headed 192 miles to Vallejo. 

Wednesday - The trip to Tradewinds RV Park was fun!  I started out going to fuel up at a local Valero station (I have a Valero card).  I squeezed in and had to go up on a slight curb to fit in the tight space.  I was only able to fill about 7/8’s but that was ok.  Rick got in to one of the larger islands and had no problems.  We headed west on highway 80 and climbed up to Donner Lake and then on to Donner Pass.  Then it was downhill almost all the way to Auburn (over 40 miles!).  We got into the park in Vallejo about 12:30 and when I went to unhook the car I found I forgot to release the emergency brake!  I still had brakes so everything was fine except that the emergency brake didn't feel right.  I did take it to a local Honda dealer.  They said that the emergency brake is a separate unit from the rear disc brakes and they phoned later to say that they found normal wear on the rear brakes but they recommended replacement at this time. The emergency brake system still needed to be looked at and they would do that tomorrow.  Once back in camp, Rick drove us to Napoli Pizzeria in Vallejo, just across from Mare Island.  We split a giant pizza and waddled out of there stuffed. Tomorrow we head east to Jelly Belly, Budweiser, and Olive Oil Tasting.