September 2024

Total camping trips in the motorhome: 157

Total solo camping trips: 94

Remi and I are definitely into a routine of moving among the few RV parks in the greater Sacramento Region. As a result, there are not a lot of things to report about our routine that those who have read this blog are not already familiar with. As a result, you may see the blog gets a little shorter, which for many of you is probably a good thing.

One of the remarkable things that took place this month, was I wrapped up my trip up to Castle Crags in Siskiyou County for my initial tent camping trip Labor Day weekend, All in all, the trip went really well. The highlight of the trip took place on the last full day while camping at Castle Crags where I was going horseback riding with my friend Kat who lives up in Yreka. I started the day by dropping Remi off at Siskiyou Pet care in Mt. Shasta, and then I picked Kat up at her home. With Kat on Board, we went out to Kim Wiate's house where Kat's horse "Sparky" is boarded. This is the second time I've been able to spend time with Sparky and the first time that I'll get to ride him. Sparky has been working on getting his strength back.

It was a wonderful experience getting to see Sparky again... I have really become enamored with horses and Sparky is very bomb proof. There was one part of the morning where Kat had Sparky and another horse named Allie, who Kat was going to ride, in a small arena area. I was up on Sparky in the saddle and Kat needed to go put her cowboy boots on. She handed me the reins to Allie, and told me to just hold on to them and if Allie gets weird to just drop Allie's reins. Well, Allie nuzzled up to Sparky and something caused Allie to spook and start to buck... as instructed, I dropped Allie's reins, and without any indication from me, Sparky started to move me safely away from Allie. He is such an amazing horse; I just love him to pieces. 😍

Kat and I eventually went for our ride, and it was a truly wonderful experience.

The next day, Remi and I headed back to Lake Minden, fired up the motorhome and headed it to Snowflower lake, which is near the Interstate 80, just above Nyack at about the 6,000-foot elevation. This Thousand Trails Park is truly beautiful. I love being up in the trees. Once again, we are in the area called the cliffs. It allows us to have a clear view of the sky, so that the Starlink system works as needed. This is our second time up at Snowflower lake, and it never disappoints. This time, we actually met someone who might consider themselves an "Influencer". She goes by the name "Dr. Hannah Straight". If she is truly a doctor, it is probably of Kinesiology or something like that. I didn't have my camera with me, to take a picture of her, but that all seems so trite and cheap anyway. I did however get a picture of her Pick-up truck.

Regardless of where my base camp is, I always look forward to spending time with my friend Ally. She and I have become really close, and I'm so beyond thankful for her friendship. Her dogs Raider and Wallace also have become so very important to me. They are both great dogs with their own personalities. They both love spending time with me. Ally has been having some struggling times at work lately and she has been bothered by migraines. So, whenever I get the chance to try to brighten her day, it is my joy to do so. On one day, I took her, Raider and Wallace for a ride in the jeep with the Freedom top off. I always love any chance I get to see her smile! But, queen of my heart is always Remi... she is my constant companion. Fortunately, we seem to be getting her pain management under control. We are going to try her on a new pain relief medication soon... it is an injectable called Labrella.

After our week at Snowflower lake was done, we moved the motorhome back down to Lake Minden, which I have mentioned before is pretty much our home base. It is the physical address that I use to establish my voting location. Lake Minden has some of the most striking sun rises and sunsets. It also is out in the middle of now-where, so it is void of light pollution and is great for stargazing.

While at Lake Minden, the Jeep threw a check engine light. I stuck the code reader on it and it indicated that the coolant heater (kind of an oxymoron isn't it) had failed in the hybrid system of the jeep. So, I took it into the Jeep dealer in Rancho Cordova to have it looked into. The service that I got out of the service department was horrible, but I'm trying to not dwell on that. During the time they had the jeep, I had a Jeep Renegade as a rental. It wasn't horrible, but it is no Wrangler.

Also, while at Lake Minden, I took the opportunity to wash the motorhome. This was an effort which was way overdue. It always amazes me as to how well the paint job holds up on the motorhome! Also, the windshield protectant by "|Racing Optics" on the Jeep has done a great job of protecting the windshield from cracking after rock strikes. So, I finally put on an "Adopt don't Shop" banner on it and that worked out great!