roadquill1

Our trip south from Woodburn on Thursday was basically uneventful, but pleasant. We are very fond of Oregon, but the view of Mount Shasta from the top of the Siskiyou Pass always signals that we are finally heading into the “southwest”. We spent Thursday night at “Friendly RV” in Weed. We have stayed here before, and were ready for the near freezing temperatures at night.

On Friday, we headed a few miles south of Weed, and then took Hwy 89 and then 44 to Susanville. This trip is through high pine forests with snow still at the sides of the roads, and is very beautiful until you reach the fire-devastated area of Hat Creek in the Lassen Forest. Apparently about 60,000 acres of forest burned in two separate fires in the Lassen Forest last summer (early August). Crews were still on clean up operations as we passed through. At Susanville we turned onto 395 to Reno, where we made a rest stop at a Walmart.

Highway 50 took us west of Reno to Fallon where we stopped for the evening at Fallon RV Park – about 4 hours of afternoon travel. When I filled out the registration card, “Tony” who signed us in, commented on how special any “Tony” is. I agreed. Shorts and Tees lasted only about an hour before the wind picked up and chilled us down.

Today, Saturday, we continued on through Austin and “Eureka – the Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Highway in America” to Ely. This highway 50 is truly shunned by most traffic, however it is noted historically as the main route for the Pony Express! We would travel for miles without seeing another vehicle.  For miles, the road is level (or slightly elevated or declining) and then suddenly it climbs and twists through mountain passes – possibly 4 – 6 of them before Ely. (Pronounced ee’ -lee.) The Toiyabe and Shoshone Mountains just west of Austin are a spectacular sight!  We stopped for about an hour in Austin to walk the main street and view the array of antique cars on display.

The Toiyabe Mtns  

The speed limit is pretty consistent at 70 mph, and this steady travel has enabled my truck to get its best fuel consumption rating ever!  I think I will rename this route the “Tony Express” – after my new friend in Fallon, of course. (The average consumption over two days is 14.0 L per 100 km. This translates to about 17 mpg for those who are stuck in pre-System Internationale mode.) Just as an aside…it turns out that 15.3 L/100 km is also 15.3 mpg!

We have found our way to a KOA just south of Ely. It is too chilly to sit outside, so we are making use of our WiFi while we await supper – my turn to cook. I am blogging, Sandy is learning Spanish – I wonder if she is getting ready for New Mexican quilt shops!

Much love and best wishes to all!

Quill and Quilter