Tag Archives: Susanville

The Road to 65, Mile 211: Reno Is For Reality Checks

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Posted by on in Social

June 27, 2015, Reno- I had breakfast at Kopper Kettle, then left Susanville, headed for my mid-journey anchor.  In Reno, I would do things like see how my car was holding up, assess the state of my clean clothing supply and share my Alaska, British Columbia and Pacific Northwest stories with people who would actually listen for more than three minutes.

Truth told, I have people I consider family (both spiritual and biological) in many parts of the world:  Massachusetts, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Atlanta, northwest Florida, Alabama, various parts of Texas, eastern Kentucky, southern Indiana, northern Illinois, northwest Oklahoma, Colorado, New Mexico, all over Arizona, southern California, western Oregon, southeast Alaska, France, Luxembourg, Luzon, South Korea, somewhere in Canada, and Reno.

That this could keep me in perpetual motion is plausible;  that the list will grow, is probable, but I digress.  I got in to the parking lot of the apartment complex, where the matriarch of my Reno family lives.  I checked the oil dip stick on my Nissan, after giving it a two-hour rest:  Nothing.  NOTHING?? How long, with no oil light flashing on the dash?  The consensus was:  The temperature gauge was normal, no smoke was coming out of the tailpipe and no clanging, shaking and banging were being vocalized by the engine, so lucky Nissan, lucky me.  Jiffy Lube, in Reno, opens at 9 A.M. on Sunday, so the rest of today could be, and was, spent doing things like sipping artisan iced tea at the Starbucks that lives in the House that Barnes & Noble built, whilst listening to my spiritual nephew speculate as to the possible virtues of a Hillary Presidency, and enjoy a 3:30 PM dinner, at Black Bear Diner.  The day was well-capped by three of us going to see “Inside/Out” at a nearby multiplex.  Given the heat, anything inside was best for my Reno family.  I am almost impervious to heat; but most are not.

“Inside/Out” is, essentially, the depiction of a young child’s emotions, as she struggles with a move that was generated by her father’s quest for the Golden Egg.  It is a fascinating take on the topic, and ought to be seen by every parent- and prospective parent.  Too often, a child is expected to take one for the team.  I know we moved far too often for my long-suffering son.  He is a treasure, nonetheless, and handles life’s vicissitudes quite well, I’d say.

After the film, I was gratified to see that it was still light out, yet cooling off enough to briefly enjoy some fresh air.  Then, another breath of fresh air showed up:  Spiritual grand-niece.

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There is no end to the joy this little one brings into a room, and into a heart.

The Road to 65, Mile 210: Oregon’s Multivariate “Big East”

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Posted by on in Hiking and Nature, Travel

June 26, 2015, Lakeview, OR- This day started in the sere brownness of Ontario, in the heart of the Great Basin, above the Snake River.  It was not too hot, as I made my way over to Gandolfi’s New York-style Deli, the closest thing in the Riverside area of Ontario, to a coffee shop.  The fare was satisfying, though the atmosphere was more motel breakfast room than comfy cafe.

This is an irrigated agricultural area, and the landscape thus shows a striking contrast of colours.003 004

The small village of Vale, southwest of Ontario, is the seat of Malheur County, of which Ontario is the commercial hub.  Vale has a small historical museum, which was not open when I passed through, but was worth a look at the exterior. Eastern Oregon still has an Old West ambiance, in many places.

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The Malheur River waters the area, gathering its tributaries, west of Vale, then heading towards the Snake River, south of Ontario.

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After going through a barren section, once past the Malheur, there is a scrub pine forest that leads the way south, towards Burns.  This area reminded me a lot of central Arizona, just as the Snake River near Ontario resembles the Colorado, in western Arizona.014

Burns, named for the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns, is a quiet, but charming little town, about two hours east of Bend. I was warmly welcomed at Broadway Deli, a bustling local hangout with freshly-made soups and sandwiches.  The ranchers also say it has great breakfasts.  All I know is, I could have stayed all day.

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Once south of Burns, and its smaller sister city, Hines, the desert takes over again.  Ninety minutes later, I was in awe of the sere beauty of shrinking Lake Abert.  This alkaline lake is inhabited mostly by brine shrimp.

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There are numerous iron-oxide infused basalt boulders on its eastern shore, which the Oregon Outback Highway passes.

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Just as Oregon and California meet, the Warner Mountains look over Lakeview.  As I was coming into town, I spotted an Arabian horse, at the roadside fence, nervously shuffling on his back right haunch. Fearing he might be stuck, I went back to the driveway, where the owner went with me over to the pasture, and determined it was the beast’s arthritis acting up.  He was grateful for my concern, and hopefully tended to the poor creature.

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A section of California took me through the rest of the afternoon.  Alturas is a small gateway community, with an Ag-Inspection Station, a dusty main street and Hotel Niles, an early 20th Century railroad stop.

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I continued on, getting gas at the village of Standish and settling in for the night in Susanville, so named for the nearby Susan River.  Both are named for Susan Roop, the daughter of an early settler.  “Susan” was fairly lively when I first got there, as there was a country music festival at Lassen County Fairgrounds.  It wrapped up at 9 P.M., though, and most of the people there were my age or older.  It had been a lengthy drive today, and the car needed a good rest, so before checking out the tail-end of the hoedown, I had some fish fry at Kopper Kettle and took a room at nearby Frontier Inn.  Tomorrow, I will head over to Reno, for a day or so, and catch up with the Nevada Family.