Traveling from Oregon to Nevada
Things worked out pretty well on Thursday, as all of the coach maintenance was completed a day ahead of schedule. Of course, that’s only because I doubled the amount of time expected, based on past experience. That said, it was good to get all of our paperwork completed at the end of the day, and I was able to get our bill paid (several items were not covered by warranty, but quite a bit was). Our service writer took care of things very well, managing both hours and parts costs to reasonable levels.
Once we knew we were leaving a day early, we had to decide what to do about the trip plan we’d already made. I’d booked reservations at parks in Klamath Falls, Reno, and Las Vegas assuming we left Eugene on Saturday morning, and arriving home in Arizona on Wednesday. We have all the utilities being turned on Wednesday/Thursday.
You’d think leaving early would be as simple as moving everything forward a day. It could be, except for the weather. Throughout our last week in Oregon, we’d been feeling the effects of several storms moving in off the Pacific. Each wave seemed to be accompanied by dropping temperatures and by mid-week, there were rumors of snow levels falling in the Cascades. Well, to get from Oregon to Arizona, you have to cross mountains somewhere, so we had more research to do.
Rather than travel south on I-5 through California and I-10 to Phoenix, our plan was to avoid the interstates and use some of the routes preferred by many of the truckers I’ve met (you get to meet than when you hang out at the Detroit Diesel shop for any length of time). This path would take us over the Willamette Pass in Oregon, and relatively close to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite, prime snow zones. In addition, both Oregon and California have areas where tire chains have to be carried even if not used. We don’t carry chains and don’t plan to get them.
After checking the forecast from various sources and checking the Oregon DOT web cams at the various passes, we decided to take a chance with the route we’d selected. We left the service center around 10:00 AM because a) we only planned a 5-6 hour driving day and b) that would put us crossing the first mountain pass mid-day. The good news is that snow levels were down to about 4,000 feet in the Cascades. The bad news is that the Willamette Pass is about 5,100 feet. Because we were crossing mid-day, what light snow we did have to drive through wasn’t sticking to the roadways. It did make for a pretty view, though. We didn’t stop for pictures, but Geri shot a few through the coach windows.
By the time we arrive in Klamath Falls, the rain had stopped although the skies still had a lot of clouds. This wasn’t a complete surprise, since the high desert climate on the eastern side of the Cascade and Sierra Nevada ranges exists in a rain shield from the mountains. As storms roll in off the Pacific, the mountains “wring” the moisture out of the air and the deserts get more wind than precipitation many times.
The park we stopped at was older and, while many of the spots were configured as pull-thrus, it was pretty tight getting around. We had to disconnect the Range Rover because it was sticking out in the lane. This isn’t a huge problem, but I prefer to just leave it hooked up for an overnight stay, as it’s one less thing to have to do in the morning for departure.
We made pasta for dinner with some of the sauce Geri had made several weeks ago and stored in the freezer. This makes a good “traveling meal” for days when we stop early enough to defrost it and feel like pulling out a couple of pans for cooking. Paired with a nice Chianti, it’s a good way to end a travel day.
By Saturday, the storm system we started out with had moved much farther east and all we had to show for it was cold temperatures. It was a few degrees below freezing when we started out for Reno, and there was quite a bit of frost in the fields. We saw several ponds with a thin layer of ice, and one irrigation sprinkler that had been left on overnight was just covered in icicles. As we drove, we could see snow on the mountains to our west, and we caught a glimpse of Mount Shasta far off in the distance. Somewhere during the day, the clouds just disappeared. It seemed like one minute they were there and then suddenly I realized that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I’m sure that wasn’t exactly how it worked, but it seemed that way.
It was still breezy and chilly, and we arrived in Reno (actually Sparks), Nevada, by mid-afternoon. We had a chance to relax a bit, Geri called some folks we know who live there and chatted for a bit, and we settled in for the evening. The park was nice and had a good amount of room for maneuvering, but each site’s “grass” was actually fake stuff. Accordingly, park rules prohibited pets from “marking” there. This made it a little difficult for Merlin and Maya Lynn, who have a tendency to “lift their leg” when we’re out for a walk. Since we were only there for one night, we did the best we could.
Sunday morning was crisp again, with temperatures just above freezing. We got an early start because this was our longest driving day. We pulled out a few minutes before 7:00 AM and were well on our way before the sun came up over the hills. I say “we” even though Geri decided to stay in bed a little longer, getting up around 8:30. We had an uneventful drive down US-95 all the way to Las Vegas, arriving around 4:00 PM.
We’re staying at the Oasis RV Park, just south of the Strip. Our friends Linda and Wendell stayed here when they stopped in Vegas early this year, so we decided to try it. It’s definitely better than the KOA at Circus-Circus that we tried last October, although it’s not as nice as the Outdoor Resorts Park (but few parks are).
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