Made it to California

We have been on the road for about 1 month and are about a month earlier than we usually drive west. Since we weren’t sure of the weather, we decided to take the northern route on I80 into California. There was still a lot of snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains as we drove. 

Made it to Loomis last Wednesday where we will spend the next 2 weeks. We like the town, especially because they have a brew pub that’s within walking distance. Shannon and Carl met us for dinner. Was so excited that I forgot to take any pictures. 

On Thursday, we drove to Drew and Erin’s to watch the NCAA Wrestling Championships, meet the new grand dog, Dennis and for Bill to do some projects. The first project drew a little blood but he kept working through it. They had purchased a new stove/oven but when the installers came to install it, they found the previous owners had hardwired it in., no plug. So Bill needed to install a new box. 

This is Winnie

And this is Dennis. 

When we got to Drew’s to watch the Final Wrestling Championship, here’s what we found. Not sure who did it but Dennis was sniffing around it. 

Of course, you know who these three are!!

More fun and projects to come, I’m sure. Sorry it took so long for me to post, Aunt Kay. Hope you don’t need to worry anymore. I’ll try to post more often. Appreciate your reading and commenting. Love to hear from all 4 of my readers 😜. 

Best Harvest Host yet - Sawdust Alpaca Farm

Left Tonopah to head to our next adventure in Fallon, NV. 

Not too much difference in the scenery but we could see the eastern Sierra Nevada range with snow. 

 One of Fallon’s claim to fames is the Top Gun Naval Academy. For us, the excitement was Glen and Caroline’s Alpaca farm. Forty-six well loved alpacas and all had names and different personalities. They were such gracious hosts. We learned a lot from Glen about the alpacas and their fiber from Caroline. Of course, I had to get some pics of the cuties. 

I think that’s a smile on Rosie’s face, don’t you. 

This is Thunder, the loveable one. 


Caroline’s store had a little bit of everything from sweaters to socks, hats and yarn. The yarn is named by the Alpaca’s fiber. Mine was called Zahir, below. 

After a very peaceful night, we got up and watched Glen feed the alpacas. Then off to Loomis CA. 

North to Tonopah, NV

Driving north on route 95, the landscape was more desert and a lot of nothing!  

Our route took us through Las Vegas. Saw the Strip and the Space Needle as we motored through. 

Here’s a short video of our ride. 

https://youtu.be/oNpEhx8smZQ

If you look on a map, Tonopah, NV, is in the middle of NOWHERE!  But their little western town has a brewery and a coffee shop plus a hardware store. 

We boondocked on some BLM land, just off of Route 95. Lots of open land for a little walk. There was even a little snow left. 

A little glimpse of the town:

There was even a world famous Clown Motel !

We had another colorful sunrise to get us started on our way. 

On to Fallon, NV, just west of Carson City. Stayed at a Harvest Host site, Sawdust Alpacas. 

Kingman AZ for Saturday and Sunday

After 5 days of boondocking, we decided we needed to pull into a campground to fill up with water and dump. 

We chose Tradewinds RV Park, just west of Kingman AZ. Really nice park, clean and well maintained. A good morning sunrise greeted me when I looked outside on Sunday. 

Later Sunday morning we took off hiking at the Monolith Gardens trail. Another great hike. There were so many different hikes from that trailhead that we could have hiked all day. 

After the hike, we took a drive down Route 66 to Oatman, a historic little tourist town with burros walking the streets looking for a handout. 

It was hard to imagine this route was the only route to Las Vegas years ago. It’s a picturesque drive but very windy. It took 23 minutes to drive 9 miles. With sheer drop offs and no guardrails, and up over a pass, I now know why it took so long to drive. 

After the drive, we had to stop in Oatman for a drink at Judy’s saloon. 

Here’s how many curves I had to drive. Glad I didn’t know how many ahead of time. 




And a Classy Ass!  Check the sign. 

Back at the TV, we cook dinner and head to Tonopah, NV, tomorrow. 

Boondocking at Pump Station Rd BLM

Thursday and Friday we stayed at the Pump Station dispersed camping BLM land in the Iron Mountain National Monument area. 

This is our third time staying here in the desert. We enjoy the quiet solitude, wide open spaces, and desert landscape. 

This was our view from the RV. 

1st night’s sunset. More clouds today than when we got there. 

We visited the Saguaro National Park and found a hike that was pet friendly. Loved hiking among the huge Saguaro and other cacti. This one dwarfs Bill. 

We are getting a little better with selfies!

Back at the RV, we hiked in the Iron Mountain National Monument area. 

Sun setting behind Iron Mountain. 

Saturday we leave for Kingman, AZ. 

Exploring Historic Tombstone

Even though I knew Tombstone was a tourist trap, I still wanted to make the trip. 

It was fun seeing the old buildings and listening to the cowboys try to sell the gun fights. 

Back at the RV, we walked along the Indian Bread Rocks, wondering how they stay balanced. Indian Bread Rocks is part of the Dos Cabezas Mountains Wilderness. Such a diverse terrain of rocks, cacti and cows. 

Great boondocking experience. On to Tucson to boondock among the Saguaro.