November 18, 2011

Sonya Celebrates 11th Birthday Romping in Field in Fernley, NV

Sonya birthday

"Yummy birthday treat!" Sonya smacks her lips after devouring who-knows-what she found while scavenging a field. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Amazing as it seems to us, Sonya turned 11 years old today. She’s been celebrating her birthday doing what she loves to do — run untethered in the open air, sniff everything within reach, eat and then nap all afternoon, warmed by the sunshine streaming through the RV window.

Sonya still runs quick as lightning and has a strong, lean, muscled body. And she’s still as sweet and affectionate as ever. Fortunately for us, she gave up the frenzied behavior of her puppyhood by age 7.

She’s a wonderful companion at home and on the road. Happy Birthday, Sonya!

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November 8, 2011

Snow Dusts Our Nevada Backyard

Snow covered hills, Fernley, NV

Snow covers the hills behind the field where Sonya romps. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Snow came early to the northwest Nevada desert. Early morning temperatures hover around 20 degrees, and frost clings to the car. When an RV site opened up at a park in Fernley, less than 10 minutes from the Amazon.com fulfillment center, we snapped it up. The 65-mile round-trip commute from the RV park in Sparks was a challenge, especially driving in the dark when it’s snowing or sleeting.

David is playing Santa’s elf at Amazon.com during the holiday rush, packaging all those Christmas gifts you folks are ordering over the Internet. (Amazon.com has a seasonal work camping program for RVers at three locations during the holiday rush. In addition to a decent hourly wage, the program pays for the RV site rental.)

Besides proximity to Amazon.com, the little town of Fernley (population 4,153) provides the basics: Scolari’s grocery store, Starbucks, several fast food franchises, some restaurants, Wal-Mart and Lowes. We feel we belong here now that the local library has given us temporary cards to check out books and movies. Best of all, Sonya can run free in the huge, fallow field just across from the RV park.

Nevada snow

Clouds hover over snow-dusted slopes near Fernley, NV. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Holding to my exercise commitment, I drive into Sparks four days a week to work out at Planet Fitness. (I’m already seeing the positive effects!) My drives are in bright daylight so they’re enjoyable, especially when I catch sight of wild horses. And on Sundays, David and I feed our souls at the Center for Spiritual Living,Reno. In addition to having a great ministerial team and energizing music, the center brings in top guest speakers: Karen Russo in October and Karen Drucker this month.

so far, the heaters are keeping our rig cozy enough. Life is good.

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November 5, 2011

Adventures on the southern Oregon Coast

Out of Denver magazineFrom riding a jet boat on the Rogue River to harvesting mussels, our On The Road column in the Oct/Nov 2011 issue of Out of Denver magazine chronicles our adventures on the south Oregon Coast.  Here’s a link to the PDF copy of the column, beautifully illustrated with David’s super photos. Enjoy!

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November 1, 2011

Time to Get in Shape!

Planet FitnessAll those walks on the beach in Oregon were great for uplifting my spirit but did little to strengthen my body. Getting my body back into shape is one of my key goals during our short stay here in Nevada. And as gets proven again and again, when you articulate your intention, doors open.

The door that opened for me was discovering a fitness center — Planet Fitness — that left no option except to say YES!  No commitment is required, the monthly rate is affordable (as low as $10 a month) and a physical trainer designs your custom workout program. Plus the new Sparks facility is walking distance from the RV park. Talk about a no-brainer!

Although I’ve worked out in a number of fitness centers over the years, I never learned how to use the cardio equipment effectively for my heart rate. The personal trainer selects the programs and their duration so that I’m now working at my target heart rate and will continue doing so as my endurance builds.

Wow! Can I feel my heart pumping and pounding! The workout demands that I push beyond my resistance — that threshold where it’s so tough I want to quit. And you know what? I push through it! And it feels great on the other side!

It feels so good to know I’m choosing to build a strong, healthy body!

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October 17, 2011

Sparks Sparkles With A Lake, Dog Park and Big Skies

sunset in Sparks

Fascinating clouds and big skies make for colorful sunsets in Sparks, NV. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Arrival in Sparks, Nevada. After climbing Interstate 80 through Ponderosa pine forests and spending two nights at Dutch Flat breathing sweet mountain air, we make the final climb to Donner Pass. Our timing coincides with clear roads and sunny skies. The only signs of last week’s road-closing snowstorm are a few patches of snow. The abrupt transition from forested to barren slopes prepares us for the desert terrain of our new home. “Golden” rolling hills surround the Reno/Sparks metropolis.

Sparks Marina Park

A two-mile walkway circles Sparks Marina Park, which has a swimming beach, fishing areas, marina for non-motorized boats and an off-leash dog park. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

We are now comfortably settled in immaculate Sparks Marina RV Park. City amenities, from Sheel’s Sporting Goods megastore, restaurants and outlet stores to a large park, are walking distance away. Discovering that Sparks Marina Park has an off-leash dog area where Sonya can swim and chase balls sealed our love for this locale!

Sonya swims at Sparks Marina Park

Sonya retrieves her ball from the lake at the Sparks Marina Park off-leash area for dogs. She's in canine heaven! Photo credit: Rose Muenker

We’re adapting to Sparks’ high elevation (4,500 feet) and dry climate after five months at sea level on the Oregon Coast. And eventually, we’ll get accustomed to hearing highway, railroad and aircraft  noise, along with the steady hum of a large city. Meanwhile, we’re tickled to be able to sit outside early evening in tee-shirts and shorts instead of fleeces and long pants for as long as the weather holds.

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October 11, 2011

Tales of RVing Through and in Redwoods

Travel-log Exterior

Charles Kellogg drove his Travel-Log, a motorhome made from a redwood trunk and set on a Nash-Quad chassis, around the country from 1917-1921 to stir interest in protecting the redwoods. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Day 10 – On our journey southeast on Hwy 101, we detour onto the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park. The damp redwood forest emits a rich perfume. I feel like I’m breathing pure oxygen. Can you get too much oxygen?

I’m eager to see the unique exhibit at the Visitor Center – Travel-Log, a motorhome crafted from an 11-foot diameter fallen redwood set atop a Nash Quad chassis. After building the Travel-Log, naturalist Charles Kellogg traveled the country in it from 1917-1921 to stir up support for protection of the California redwoods.  What a novel idea!

The living quarters of the Travel-Log had a sink, bed, table, cabinets and wide windows to enjoy the scenery. Much like a truck camper, entry was through a rear door. The entire body was made from an 11-foot-diameter redwood trunk. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Although the Travel-Log had no hydraulics, plumbing or electric power, it probably had its share of problems on the road. That seems to be the nature of traveling in motorhomes. Our morning started with a loud, startling ka-pow as we ate breakfast.

RV Duct Tape Repair

David uses Duct tape to make sure the jack stays in place while we travel. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Turns out that the clamp that holds a spring on the left front jack broke and the recoiling spring caused the sound. After retracting the jack, David used his indispensible RVer tool – Duct tape – to make sure it doesn’t drop down while we’re moving. We’ll get it repaired when we get to Reno.

For five rainy hours we drive on steep, winding roads. Then we pull into the Robinson Rancheria Casino where we will spend the night dry camping in the parking lot. But first a tasty dinner and some cheap entertainment playing the slot machines!

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October 10, 2011

Sampling Cheese, Strolling Victorian Towns and Saying Adieu to the Ocean

Eureka Waterfront

Woodley Island Marina viewed from the boardwalk in Old Town Eureka. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Day 9. For a respite from riding rough roads, we opt for gentler destinations, starting with the neighboring town of Loleta to visit the Loleta Cheese Factory. The cheese makers have the day off – it’s Sunday – so we can’t watch their cheese making process. But we do get to sample a huge selection of the 38 varieties of cheese they produce. Cheese lovers that we are, we’d be happy to take a brick of each if our budget allowed. Instead, we settle for 8 ounces of yummy dill Havarti. Before leaving, we stroll among blossoming roses and aromatic wisteria in their peaceful back garden.

Next, we drive north to Eureka to admire the stately Victorian buildings in Old Town, walk along the waterfront, and drive along the North Peninsula to the mouth of Humboldt Bay where huge breakers smash against the jetty. Industry that helped build Eureka continues operating, as evident with the pulp mill.

Carson Mansion

The eclectic Victorian mansion built by lumber baron William Carson in the 1880s in Eureka, Calif., is now a private club. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Back at Ferndale, we browse through a few of its shops, housed in beautifully restored and maintained Victorian buildings that rival those of Eureka.

With a tinge of sadness, we make our final visit to the beach. Tomorrow we hit the road inland, not to see the ocean again for heaven knows how long. The sky is overcast but a silver-blue hue tinges the waves. Enormous waves crest and roll in the distance.

And then we see them – a dozen or more harbor seals popping their heads out of the water and just as quickly diving back into the surf. As we gaze up and down the beach, we spot faces in the ocean looking at us. Some of the seals are no more than a couple feet from shore. They’re so engaging – I feel like they’re saying hello and want to make contact with us. Adding to my delight, a group of pelicans soars by.

Two of my favorite species to watch: harbor seals and pelicans. What a wonderful farewell gift from the vast, dramatic Pacific Ocean!

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October 10, 2011

Lost Coast Drive Highlights Remote, Rugged Shoreline

Lost Coast

Access only via a steep, narrow, winding, rough backroad keeps the Lost Coast "lost" to most travelers. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Day 8 – Under a blanket of fog, we begin our car journey from Ferndale up Wildcat Road to the fabled Lost Coast, reachable only by backroads. Potholes pit the rough road, causing us to focus more attention on it than the scenery, but for the first several miles that doesn’t matter. Except for Douglas firs along the road’s edge, the fog obscures the scenery.

Farther along, the view opens to rolling cattle pastures with isolated stands of trees. In a 10-mile stretch we spot only one house. Barbed wire fences block off access to the shore – a sight we rarely saw on the Oregon Coast. When we reach a pull-off with access to a black sand beach, we don our windbreakers and take in the rugged coast, which the gray skies make feel even more desolate.

Road hog

Those long eye lashes may be disarming but this road hog's aggressiveness is cause for wariness. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

As we approach the village of Petrolia (great in its day when oil was discovered here), we spot a huge hog with upturned lower teeth strutting up the center yellow line of the road. We find his “king of the road” attitude amusing until he starts humping our car’s right front fender. Protecting our property becomes more important than taking photos of this road hog!

beach labyrinth

David takes a meditative walk around a labyrinth someone created out of stones and driftwood on Mattole Beach. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

At Mattole Beach, in the King Ranch National Conservation Area, we plan to have a picnic lunch on the beach but find ourselves scurrying for shelter from the wind on the lee side of a dune. Fortified, we head for the surf and discover a sweet labyrinth in the sand that someone created with stones and drift wood. We haven’t walked a labyrinth (great for meditation, prayer, problem-solving and decision-making) since our stay at Sacred Rocks Reserve RV Park in southern California. To happen upon one in this sublime ocean-side setting is a delightful surprise gift.

From this point, we turn inland toward Highway 101, pleased to have ventured to the remote, rugged Lost Coast but also ready to end our jarring ride on this back road.

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October 9, 2011

Ferndale Offers Respite After Jarring Encounter With Humanity

Klamath River RV Site

Sun brightens our view of Klamath River where we watched seals, river otters, egrets, great blue herons and cormorants. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Day 7. Before breaking camp at Klamath River RV Park to continue south, we watch a seal do acrobats in the river and a great egret fish under bright sunshine. With Ferndale as our next destination, we drive past the beautiful waters of Big Lagoon, Stone Lagoon and Freshwater Lagoon.

Big Lagoon

Heading south on Hwy 101, we pass by Humboldt Lagoons State Park, rich with marshlands and bodies of fresh water separated from the ocean by spits of sand. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Later, we stop in Eureka for supplies. What a shock to be rubbing elbows with so many people after our summer on the sparsely populated south Oregon Coast! (Eureka’s population is a whopping 27,000 and everyone seems to be shopping in WinCo with us!)

After we take the Ferndale exit off Highway 101, David has the “thrill” of driving the RV across narrow, century-old Fernbridge. It stirs sweaty palm memories of crossing bridges over the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers into Kentucky with huge semis coming toward us in the opposite lane. This time, fortunately, he gets across the bridge before any semis come along.

Stately Victorian homes and buildings beautify Ferndale, which is surrounded by dairy farms, and cattle and sheep ranches. From our RV site in the fairgrounds we look due west over a lovely pastoral scene. To our delight, Sonya is free to roam the neighboring field leash-free.

Centerville Beach

Per usual, Sonya found a sandal on Centerville Beach which she eagerly waits for David to throw for her to retrieve. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Later, we drive five miles west to Centerville Beach to get another fix of the ocean. When the sun lowers and high school kids start stacking wood pallets for a bonfire, we head home for a relaxing evening, still in need of soothing our jarred nerves from our earlier encounter with “civilization.”

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October 8, 2011

Gold Bluff Beach, Fern Canyon and Elk Entertain Us

Gold Bluff Beach

Here we are in populous California and we have Gold Bluff Beach to ourselves! Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Day 6. Beaches always get top billing with us so we head to Gold Bluff Beach, an area that also has the added attraction of Fern Canyon.  The road to the beach is narrow and steep through a deep green forest with thick undergrowth. When we see the Tsunami Hazard Zone sign, we know the shore is close.

The bluffs are “gold,” the beach is fairly flat, and the sand is soft and smooth. The waves roll in practically on top of each other with frilly white crests.

Fern Canyon

Ferns beautify the walls of Fern Canyon on the coast of Praire Creek Redwoods State Park. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

Farther up the coastal road, we reach the access to the Fern Canyon.  A variety of ferns cascade down the canyon walls: sword ferns, five-finger ferns and lady ferns. We limit our exploring because we have soaked our hiking boots fjording the stream several times.

Back at the parking area, we walk out to the dunes where we happen upon an unexpected sight:  young buck elks grazing. Ha! Elks at thebeach!

Elk-dunes

Elk bucks hang out together on Gold Bluff Beach. When they're old enough, they will lure does into their own herds. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

These past days, we have watched a stately bull elk with his harem of does and their calves in meadows and on resort properties. One time, another bull elk tried to invade the harem to cull some does, but the alpha bull charged it. The scene in front of our car made my adrenaline rush even without their bucking heads!

Bull Elk

A statuesque bull elk with 12 points on his rack guards his herd of does and calves from rival bull elks. Photo credit: Rose Muenker

On the way back to our home at Klamath River RV Park, we walk up a portion of Cal-Barrel Road in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The width of the former roadbed enables a wider view of many of the redwoods. Burls, fallen trunks sustaining micro-forests, ferns perching in various crevices, and the way so many of the trees have glommed onto each other at the base, or even the top, and grow together intrigues me.

As our final walk among this park’s redwoods, we seek out the Corkscrew Tree. Yes, it lives up to its nickname!

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