The Wink of an Eye......the last 900 miles

      Leaving Tonopah Station and continuing north on US 95 we arrived at Reno, NV staying at the Grand Sierra Casino RV Park.  We have stayed here before and we needed a bit of a respite before making the final push to Washington.  Not bad at $27/night with hookups, but it's our last "hooray" before the final push.   6 days here.  www.casinocamper.com/nevada/grand-sierra-resort-casino  Our plans here are to relax, get some laundry done, and maybe even catch a Basque Meal.  Of course this means another opportunity for Barb to deplete the casino.  We are also keeping an eye on the weather.  I have 3 extra days built in, but the route west and NW of Reno is the Sierra Nevada Mountains, including Bonner Pass, and weather here this time of year is a coin flip.  I did my research as well as contacting several travel resources.  We also took time to hit Cabelas, Scheels,  and Sportsmans Warehouse while in the area.

Grand Sierra Hotel RV Park, Reno

Wild Boar Bangers n Mash

Cranberry Chicken

      An incoming weather front on Wednesday was not welcome.  The winds began rather quickly and escalated to at least 35 mph sustained.  I added water to the RV fresh water tank for the extra weight just to keep the center of gravity low. There were several developing 'lenticular' clouds forming in the area in advance of the snow. 

Lenticular clouds beginning to form south of Reno before the storm

      It began to rain/snow mix about dark and lasted till somewhere after midnight.  However, in Reno we only got about 1" of the white shroud.   Weather down in the Washoe Valley is much milder than on top of the ridges to the west.  The top of the Sierras including Lake Tahoe got about a foot, very welcome this time of year.   I'm sure our neighbor, Hall of Fame Skier Glen Plake loved it.
      I built 3 extra days into our timeline and am glad I did as we used 2 of them to wait out the storm and it's effects.  There are several routes across the Sierras, but in the wintertime storms will limit if not eliminate your options.  I had planned on possibly traveling north on US 395 into Bend, OR, staying on the east side of the mountains till Friday's news of a storm throughout Oregon's southern Cascades.  Even with the delay days our spirits declined some at times.  We didn't want to think about so abruptly changing our plans, but we hadn't any choice if needed.  Finally, Interstate 80 reopened.   Barb and I had the look of twin 7 year olds on Christmas morning.  

  National Hall of Fame Skier Glen Plake and his wife Kimberly enjoying the winter weather

      We finally got underway.  Our route now becomes much more eclectic.  We will cross the Sierras and hook up with I-5.  From here on it was just a matter of calling it a day and pulling off for the evening whenever and wherever the hell we wanted to.   Our first day went too well.  We got up early, hit the road, crossed Donner's Pass all within 2 hours.  Let me tell you there is a BUNCH of snow up there. 

Donner's Pass

                              

We were doing so well after we hit I-5 heading north that I just lost track of time.  We traveled a lot farther than we planned.  When it starting getting dark I had so scramble to look for a place as were high in the Siskiyou Mountains catching glimpses of Mt. Shasta from time to time.  Most of the snow here is way up high and the valley's are clear.  We stopped at the Friendly RV Park in the little town of Weed, CA.  What a hamlet.  I do have to say that diesel prices VARY WIDELY here in California from $3.59 all the way up to (get ready for this)  $3.99!  Unfortunately, as I waited a bit longer than I should have to get gas.......that is what I paid.  I only put $50 in just to get me into Oregon.   

Weed, California

The obligatory picture of somewhere not related

      The second day we continued north and stopped to take a picture at the (almost) famous border town of Hilt, CA.  No relation, just wanted the picture.  This was a good day, but even with about 4 more mountain passes we arrived in Eugene, OR averaging 14.2 mpg.  Today's diesel price in Oregon?  $3.01  Our overnight consisted of a somewhat under the radar location:  The Valley River Mall right next to the University of Oregon campus.  I was clued into this by my cousin and her husband who stay here every once in awhile while traveling north.  Free parking in the lot right next to the Willamette River.   The security guard comes to see you, fill out a form, and then gives you a FREE permit to camp.  You are allowed 2 consecutive days.  There is a wonderful river trail, dog area, and park system second to none right out your door.  If the urge strikes you, the mall is right there as well.  I was struck by no such urge. 

Valley River Mall     Eugene, OR

Even on the road good meals are to be had:  Cholula Chorizo Eggs n Taters

      The next morning it was off on a relatively short 140 mile jaunt to Tillamook, OR.  We had time to spare so we treated ourselves to 2 overnights while we once again visited the Tillamook Cheese Company and Blue Heron Dairy.  Our normal boondocking spot at the airport was not open this trip so we set up camp at Tillamook RV Park north of town.  A pretty bare bones park with hookups, laundry, and showers, but nothing fancy.  2 days w/discount = $83, yeah it's a bit steep.  13.9 mpg on this leg.

Tillamook Cheese 

      The Tillamook Cheese Factory is being remodeled to include an entirely new Visitors Center.  It isn't finished yet, but will be later this summer.  There is still a smaller version of the original you can tour, but just can't see the 'cheese lines'.  Barb also treated herself to a Tillamook Ice Cream on a Waffle Cone. We visited the Blue Heron Dairy a bit further south so we could pick up some smoked Bri cheese.  Amazingly the rain held off most of the day and enjoyed a nice afternoon, which of course included a nap.  

Blue Heron Cheese

       We arrived at our target destination of Grayland Beach State Park just south of Westport, WA in time for the allotted razor clam dig.   This has quickly become our favorite activity and was admittedly a part of the catalyst to get us here on time.  We reserved our favorite spot as soon as the tentative digs were announced, nearly 2 months in advance.  Upon arrival we were surprised to find the park only about 60% full.  The weather has been rainy and stormy lately and folks are saying the digging has been a wet chore.  Hard to get down to that surf with 8-13' waves.

Clam Camping at Grayland

42 degrees, windy, and raining

      We awoke our first morning to the sound of running water, but it was not rain.  The campground water spigot next to our RV sprung a leak during the night.  I pumped 45 gallons into our fresh water tank and removed our hose.  They have been in no hurry to fix it.  Our first evening's dig was a wet nightmare.  Rainy, windy, and only 42 degrees, we hunted hard for only an hour, getting only four clams and soaking wet.  With the rain and wind on the beach it was hard to see any 'shows'.  We did see a bald eagle with the same problem we had, no luck.  Disheartened, we headed back to camp.

Boudin Mac n Cheese Goulash

      After 3 days of battling the weather we didn't harvest nearly enough clams to make it worth it.  Nighttime digs in the winter are a different animal.   Not one of our better trips.  We'll keep an eye out for the proposed late February early March digs to try again.  We did stay over an extra day or two to enjoy the beach and get some laundry done.  Another one of the best meals to be had here is the Local Bar and Grill, located just minutes from the state park.  This local dive offers many different food and drink options that are delicious.  The vast Seafood Specials to Ethnic to their famous Wednesday night Steak Specials ARE worth the visit.  The Super Bowl Party offered 5 TVs, and several food and drink specials to make all of us happy, clams or not.

      From here it is a mere 50 miles to mom's place and our RV camp in the backyard for awhile.  We have been dealing with a 'soft spot' in our RV floor in the kitchen/dining room and we have an appointment while here to get that fixed.  During this entire journey we paid a low of $2.39 in Gonzales, TX and a high of $3.99 in Redding, CA for diesel.  We averaged 13.9 mpg for the entire trip. The next 6 weeks or so here will be an adventure, surely a test of wills.  I love my mother, but we need to reach a reasonable understanding of where things will go from here. 

"Maybe that's what life is......a wink of the eye and winking stars" 

Jack Kerouac

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The Grapes of Wrath.....the first 1600 miles

     The holidays are over and we have RV freezers full of gator, boudin, oxtail, andouille, tasso, and lots of wild hog. We now set our sails and compass NW as we head to Washington once again to check on Mom.  She had a rough summer this past year and although feeling much better, turning 90 this summer won't make things any easier.  We need to get there to help out.  This is a LONG journey, 2529 miles that will take us (more or less) several weeks, hoping to arrive sometime early February.  The latest dates for clam digging in January and February have been released and we're now having to step up our travels.  We'll be able to stay over an extra night a couple of places, but we have 20 days to travel the distance and make our reservations at the beach.  

      We leave Gonzales, TX heading NW towards the border.  West Texas could very well be it's own planet, it is that large.  Our first leg to Ozona, TX is 290 miles and our next is another 226 miles to Van Horn, TX, still 140 miles to the New Mexico border.

      There were no boondocking opportunities our first 2 days so we stayed at Encino Park for a night in Ozona, TX.  This was a side of the road gravel area with full hookups (probably for oil field workers) for $25/night.  13.5 mpg to this point. The next night in Van Horn, TX we stayed at the Desert Willow RV park.  In fact we stayed two nights so as I could crank up a stock pot full of my chili.  We've got some long driving days ahead of us, no need not to stop and catch our breath.  Van Horn is one of those towns that DOES NOT allow boondocking and there are signs in every parking lot warning you.  It is a $80 municipal fine.  You must utilize a campground or RV park.  Desert Willow is simple, but very nice park with full hookups, cable, and incredibly friendly staff at the very nice price of $22.50 for retired military/veterans.  I highly recommend this place.  A nice park at a great price.  With the wind/rain coming in this leg we averaged 10.5 mpg.  Diesel here in Van Horn is a whopping $3.11.  It is a captive audience type of thing.  The major interchange between I-10 (San Antonio) and I-20 Dallas/Fort Worth is just east of here.  Lots of travelers come through here.  

Tillamook Grilled Cheese, Salami, Green Olive Sandwiches w/Tomato Soup

      Leaving Van Horn we coasted the 180 miles NW to Hatch, NM (Chile Pepper Capital of the Known Solar System) to do a bit of shopping, eating, and visiting an old friend.  15.5 mpg on this leg.  Leasburg Dam State Park is on the Rio Grande River about 25 miles north of Las Cruces in a very scenic part of Southern New Mexico.  Nice state park on the Rio Grande River with full hookups at only $18/night. We HAD TO STOP at Sparky's, one of the most eclectic eateries & jazz clubs you'll ever experience and the home of my favorite Green Chile Cheeseburger. sparkysburgers.com They feature some damn fine BBQ and Steaks as well.  We also used this stop for laundry, groceries, and to shop at Target for a new Kindle for Barb as hers passed away the day I left for hog hunting back in Texas.  We dined out one evening with Jon and Cheryl for her birthday.  I have known Jon since high school.  

Leasburg Dam State Park, New Mexico

Sparky's Hatch, NM

Sparky's Green Chile Cheeseburger (the BOMB)

Cheryl & Jon

      On the morning of our departure we awoke to 16 degree temps and dump valves that were frozen shut.  So we had no choice but to depart and carry the extra weight to our next destination.  Mother Nature is a funny lady sometimes and today she provided us with a very nice tailwind so we still averaged 15.3 mpg  even with half full grey and black tanks.  We traveled to Tucson, AZ where we were able to boondock at one of our favorite desert places, Snyder Hill.  This a patch of BLM land just west of Tucson on the Ajo Highway near the US Shooting Sports Range.  You are completely off grid here.  We needed to water up and dump tanks at the TTT truck stop (exit 268) just south of town on our way.

Fire Pit Rib Eyes.  

Tucson, this is usually a fairly full area, but we got our best spot yet.  

      From here we traveled the 244 mile to Quartzite, AZ.  West of Phoenix and near the California border this area is a haven for winter RVers.  There are literally thousands of acres of desert on which to camp.  Once free, they now charge the dastardly price of $40 for 2 weeks or $180 for a 7 month stay.  This includes camping anywhere you please and free water fills and dumps.    www.your-rv-lifestyle.com/quartzsite-blm.html There are other Long Term Visitor Areas (LTVA) areas which are free, but do not offer any services.  We are only staying overnight here so we gassed up and filled our water tank for $5 at Rose RV Park.  We boondocked 3 miles north of town at Hi Jolly LTVA for free.  Another good day for the truck, 15.3 mpg.  I did run the generator this night for several hours just to top off the battery bank.  

Quartzsite, AZ boondocking

      Leaving Quartzite we traveled 250 miles north on AZ and US 95 arriving in Las Vegas at Nellis AFB Fam Camp.  13.8 mpg today.  Another one of those USAF retiree perks at $22/day.  This park was recently enlarged now offering 200 sites in several different cloverleaf areas.  Either pull thru or back in, most are full hookups although oddly arranged.  Our original boondocking destination, RR Pass Casino Henderson, NV is under construction (no parking lot) and Las Vegas is very much like Van Horn, TX.  NO OVERNIGHT PARKING ALLOWED.  Two days later we skirted Las Vegas heading NW 211 miles on US 95 to Tonopah, NV.  We arrived a day later than planned due to the 4" of snow and ice they received.  Better wait out another day in Las Vegas and let them clean that up.  Tonapah is 6000' elevation and at night it still got down to 18 so we filled our fresh water tank and ran tank heaters.  The Tonopah Station Casino offers bare bones-no frills-parking lot-full hookup camping at 'bit steep' price of $27/night.  By now the 'Slot Machine Therapy' was much needed by my Navigator/Wife.  re:  Chicken Soup for the Retiree Soul, March 19

Cream o' Poblano Soup w/Middle Eastern Couscous & Wild Boar Sausage

Traveling the Extraterrestrial Highway

Tonopah Station Casino Hotel RV Resort?

      These types of trips aren't as much leisurely fun as we would like.  Lots of miles with not as much time as anyone needs or wants.  Sometimes the extra day is necessary just so Barb and I can get some 'alone time'.  We have traveled 1612 miles with a mere 917 yet to go.  12 days down, 8 yet to go.  At least there isn't much traffic.  There isn't much detail as to what our menu was as it really depended on what we remembered to thaw.  It varied from BLTs, Chili, Tony's Cabbage Casserole, Italian Sausage Soup, Grilled Tillamook Cheese & Tomato Soup, and Cream o' Poblano Soup w/Middle Eastern Couscous (with our wild boar sausage).  It was delicious.  From here we continue north on US 95 towards Reno.  

"Love knows nothing of short hauls because it has committed itself for the long haul"

Craig D. Lounsbrough

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Rich's Best Damned Chili

    I have always loved to cook, but began to seriously fine tune my skills after my retirement from the USAF.  I dedicated myself to the 'stay at home Dad' and when I wasn't going to school, I took care of everything including cooking.  This is the first recipe I ever finalized.  It took several tries, none of which our family complained about, to get it where I thought it should be.  I have made this now for over 27 years and must brag a bit that it won 3rd Place at Winterfest in Kalkaska, MI in 2006.  It is very much meat, beans, vegetables, and all the seasonings needed to make it CHILI........the BIG SECRET here is using Green Chile Powder.  I like a bit of heat as much as the next guy, but not enough to make it uncomfortable; to make your scalp sweat.  It is much milder, yet more flavorful.  It also relieves me of the necessity to use additional cumin, a spice I'm not fond of.  NOTE:  This is the full recipe.  What I use was 'halved' for preparation in the RV.  Even at that I prepared it in an enameled stock pot rather than our standard crockpot.  It will still last us two days. 

2 pounds ground chuck
2 pounds lean stew meat (I usually still end up trimming off the fat myself)
1 pound good pork sausage (for this trip I used Wild Boar Sausage)
2 12 ounce cans of tomato sauce
4 12 ounce cans of red kidney beans
1 onion chopped
1 tomato chopped
2 green bell peppers chopped
1/3 cup green chili powder (I love green chili powder so I make my own; recipe below)
1 tablespoon meat tenderizer (Adolphs or Lawrys)
1 tablespoon Creole Seasoning (Tony's)
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1 tablespoon Hatch Chile Peppers chopped (or any fire roasted chopped peppers)

Green Chile Powder Recipe

5 tablespoons dried green chile powder

1 tablespoon dried red hot chile powder

2 tablespoons dried cumin

2 tablespoons dried oregano

2 tablespoons dried garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dried onion powder

2 tablespoons Masa flour (whole wheat will do)

      I order my green and red chile powder from www.hatchchileexpress.com/  in Hatch, NM.  You may be able to find it locally at a Mexican market as well.  

      Brown ground chuck, stew meat, and pork sausage in a large kettle, adding meat tenderizer and creole seasoning.  This year we used our Wild Boar Sausage.  Drain off well.  Add beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes, bell peppers, onion and stir.  Add chili powder, oregano, garlic powder, and chopped green chiles; stirring often while heating to a boil for 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.  I LOVE the way the house smells on chili day.  Serve with corn bread, and of course COLD BEER.  I will still add a bit of Tabasco, but that's just me.
      The recipe doesn't leave much to individual interpretation, but then what Chili recipe does?  Chili is a point of pride, sometimes even cultural or family secrets.  We all have our own tastes and preferences.  It is very tasty, not terribly spicy, but does have plenty of chile flavor and warms your belly when it needs it.  A FINAL NOTE:  FOR ANY OF MY TEXAS CHILI PURISTS, YES THIS DOES CONTAINS BEANS!  
     

Ladle it up for......

....for my favorite diner. 

"I'm the kind of person who will drive hours for a bowl of chili.  I'm not a three star restaurant kind of person; I'm just a food person"

Nora Ephron

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Van Horn, TX

Mr. Henry Travels to Pigville

      Our 4th year in South Central Texas pig hunting and our 3rd year staying here.  Even this year with the colder than normal weather, we enjoy Palmetto State Park.  Texas State Parks offer a wide range of venues complete with yearly memberships that help with reservations and offer free days as well.  tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/  $216 for 2 weeks.  This park is located just north of Gonzales, TX and only 16 miles further to my hunting destination at Independence Ranch in Waelder, TX.  The park is a little piece of the tropics and lies just an hour from Austin and San Antonio. With multiple sources of water (including the pristine San Marcos River), Palmetto State Park lies in a valley and is a haven for a wide variety of animals and plants, such as dwarf palmettos.  It is beautiful.  As I said it was  uncharacteristically cold this year.  Temps at night dipped into the low 20s and teens and daytime temps didn't reach freezing for several days.  We filled our freshwater tank, disconnected from the park water, and used our tank heaters to stay operational as we have done several times before.  

      We were also just south of the interstate yet still near Buc-ees, Gonzales, and TX Burger. Definitely several destinations worth visiting.  Buc-ees can't be described.  Think of it as the ultimate truck stop, deli, gift store, café, BBQ joint, and travel plaza.  We love their food kiosk where you order at an online station and then collect your meal when ready.  For lunch one day Barb and I loved our freshly made Ham Melt and Reuben Pastrami.  Made to order this is good as any sandwich you'll ever enjoy anywhere.   www.buc-ees.com/index.php  TX Burger operates just 10 locations in Texas and is the BEST HAMBURGER I HAVE EVER EATEN.  Admittedly our nearest one was located in Weimer TX,  50 miles east of us.... it is worth the drive.  Owned, operated, and beef are supplied from Hall of Fame MLB Pitcher Nolan Ryan's ranch.   Absolutely delicious!    txburger.com  I promise you won't be disappointed.  We ate two burgers and brought back an order of Steak Fingers for later that evening.  

      There is quite a bit of history to be explored in the village of Gonzales.  This is where Sam Houston formed the resistance and the inevitable victory over Santa Anna's troops began, leading to the independence of the Republic of Texas.  We booked our stay for 2 weeks so we could relax and take advantage of the local area attractions, BBQ, as well as hunt.  Lockhart, TX (the BBQ Capital of Texas) is a short 32 miles to the north.  While I love the pork ribs and sausage at Kreuz Market, Barb loves the huge beef ribs at Blacks.  It's all good. 

      As I said we plan to relax as well as hunt here.  The campsites are in a valley set back in the trees providing tables, fire pits, and plenty of shade.  Sites have water and electricity for $18/night.

     Once again this year I come ready to hunt wild hogs, but with yet another new weapon. I have taken pigs with my 45 Long Colt handgun and 2 more with my 7mm Rem Mag rifle.  I will challenge the beasts this year with my new Henry Rifle 45-70 caliber.  Prior to our departure from Michigan I outfitted the beast with a new custom sling from Lever Gun Leather  www.levergunleather.com . 

     This year I am hunting FREE as a result of winning a monthly lottery for a free 3 day hunt on Independence Ranch.  I am allowed unlimited pigs of any size, but realistically I am hunting for meat, which for me means 2 pigs in the 90-120 pound class.  Tenderpigs, as I call them. There is only so much room in 2 RV freezers.  Regardless, the "Pumpkin Lobber" 45-70 will take anything I choose to anchor 

      This year Barb gets a couple of days vacation as part of my free hunt package is to stay at the ranch lodge.  Eat, hunt, sleep, free.......she'll tough it out with the furbabies back at camp.  I didn't hear any complaining.  There's always plenty of Mac n Cheese.  She's better than I deserve.  

      As I said I spent my hunt at the ranch in the lodge 'bunkhouse'.  If you are offended by the sight of sweaty hunters in sleeping bags, relax.....I got your back.  If you enjoy those pics then you might want to think about some 'sit down and share' time.  There is always plenty of great food and the staff is attentive to your every need from arrival, to retrieving pigs, skinning, butchering, cooling, GREAT meals, and campfires.  I have always enjoyed my time here.  

Setting it up

 Filling those plates

This visit introduced me to a first:  hunting over bait at night in blinds.  I outfitted the Henry Rifle with a red light site.  It was different.  I didn't care for it.  Even with the auxiliary light, I had trouble seeing the area in low light.  

      I usually choose to hunt the "Honey Hole",  a mixture of lowland swamp and tangled timber, this area holds a lot of hogs.  You are assigned a blind and left to your own to hike into and then wait till you need your hog retrieved. The other option is the 'spot and stalk' which encompasses 12 miles of walking over the course of each day. This year I chose 'Red Blind', an area with a lot of traffic, but with shots that can be on the run

I was lucky to be in the blind only 90 minutes till this brute came along.  

Still 2 shots required to anchor this guy.  You can see the night light adaptation.

Skinning my 180 pound brute      

      I brought along an extra cooler to bring the meat back to the RV as we normally like to cut/wrap our own meat.  This year, however, we did have the entire hog processed into sausages this trip.  There is an extra charge of $1.50/pound for this and they swap you pound for pound on the spot so there is no waiting.  You do need to know that hanging meat only yields about 32% packaged sausage.  We got 60 pounds from our hog.  Curing flavors offered include Polish, Jalapeno Cheddar, Red Pepper, Italian, Boudin, Breakfast Sage Meat, and Shiner Beer Brats.  Not all the flavors are available all the time.  We chose 20 pounds each of Polish, Jalapeno Cheddar, and Breakfast Sausage Meat.  

      I know I have posted the link to the Independence Ranch before, but here it is again.  It details all the costs, fees, and anything you might need to know. Ranch Boss Paul Candelaria is very helpful and can answer any questions you might have.  Feel free to mention my name.  You do need to realize that there are always hidden costs such as gratuities, butchering, processing, trading for other processed meats such as smoked, etc. associated with any such hunt.  Be sure to visit the website to fully understand the costs.  www.independenceranch.com/hog-hunting   There are lots of hog hunting opportunities in Texas.  Be sure to look around, research online, and ask any and all questions you might have.  Mr. Henry?  He performed beautifully, easy loading, jacking in extra rounds for shots, and 'balls on' accuracy.  

     We will spend our last 5 days relaxing, visiting friends, and eating well.  We change the tact of our sails northwest now as we begin to make our way (eventually) towards Washington State again, but there will be some fun stops on the way.  Rich n Barb time still rules.  Joie de Vivre.  

"Remember that happiness is a way of travel-not a destination"

Roy M. Goodwin

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