Rain, A Bad RV Park, and Snow. Living the Dream.

     The Goose started fine this morning, but I discovered the banging sound in the wind last night was the light above the back-up camera, hanging by only its wires, hitting against the back of the Goose. So I climbed up the ladder on the back of the Goose and taped the hanging lamp back into its socket. The duct tape doesn’t look so great, but it works.
     The first part of the journey Tuesday morning was Chamber of Commerce Oregon—rocky mountain streams through craggy mountains and twisty mountain roads from one charming town to another. There was even a sign to watch for big-horn sheep (although I didn’t see any). Then I slipped onto another planet.
     The mountains were devoid of anything but shrubby vegetation. The roads angled up the mountains. The Goose could barely get to 35 miles an hour at times. The peaks were the highest I’ve ever been, each one topping the previous at 6120 feet and 6240 feet. Between the peaks miles and miles of shrubby vegetation. No signs of life anywhere. I saw maybe two or three cars per hour. There were highway signs to watch for burros and horses, but that was wishful thinking. Somewhere Oregon became Nevada.
     The driving was hard. The road was two-lane and narrow. For hours there was not even a place to pull over. Finally a rest stop! Two picnic tables and an outhouse with no running water. When I finally was on a real highway I stopped for the night in what I will officially call the worst park so far, in Battle Mountain. It was tucked in behind the truck stop, so there was noise from the trucks all night. Somehow I didn’t notice the train tracks across the street when I checked in. The showers and bathroom were in the truck stop, a hike across the parking lot. The RVs surrounding mine? Let’s just say I was glad I’ve got Gracie.        
     It was cold, really cold Wednesday morning. The front heater and defroster don’t work, so I have to pull over frequently and wipe the windshield. After one such quick wipe, I noticed there was snow on the tops of the mountains in the distance. It’s been raining for three days, so I wasn’t all that surprised. And then in the mountains of Nevada, I was in a snowstorm. Snowplows and everything. The Goose handled beautifully in the snow. After more road construction, more fogging and freezing, I pulled into a KOA in Wendover, on the Utah line. Time for a hot shower, heat, propane, and a good night’s sleep.