Saturday Traveling Day

I rose at 6ish as I could not return to sleep, and it was a travel day. I had run everything but my PJs in the washer, wanting to avoid having dirty clothing at the house for nearly three weeks while I travel. I tossed that into the dryer and started on the blog with some instant coffee and a banana for breakfast. I had changed into clean PJs and clean sheets the night before. Those will be OK, as I used them only once.

I focused on finishing the blog and washed the few dishes I’d used when I was done. Just one cup of coffee. I published it after a few hours and talked to Deborah. Next, I showered with new towels (again, only used once) and dressed (with some of the clothing that was washed).

With the blog done, the extra laundry completed and put in my suitcase or being worn, and getting my suitcase in Air VW the Gray, aka Evie (the name Evie was used for EV in some of my text-to-English, and I liked it). I managed to jam the suitcase on the seat, leaving plenty of room for Deborah and Jeanne’s baggage and for Jeanne in First Class.

I then collected the trash from the house and put it in the bin, set the heat and AC to vacation mode until I return, and set the water heater to low. I placed my waterproof light coat and two hats in the EV (I would need them today). I arranged the items within easy reach so I could snack on them. With that done, I hit the road. It is Highway 5 until mid-California, when I head towards Modesto, not San Francisco, on Sunday.

I cut across Beaverton and Tigard to 5, then 5, until I stopped at Yrika, California, about 3:30. I do stop in Canyonville at the Seven Feathers Truck stop to charge, get a sandwich, and then continue. There was one bathroom break too.

The trip was a challenge as traffic was often moderate to heavy. I enjoy the trip and remember all the places I want to return to, as well as a few I would like to try. It always seems that Oregon just keeps going, and suddenly, there is the stateline. The steep declines up to 7% kept me busy dodging trucks.

Mount Shasta in CA.

In Yreka, after I checked in with a very helpful staff person who upgraded my room for $3 less than my price, no surprise to me, as I have done it in the past. She warned me that the pool room was hot because the thermostat had been splashed by some baseball team’s pool party and had stopped working. They are still waiting for parts and will put a box over it this time.

In my room, I immediately headed out again, found the charge station at Miner Station on Miner Street in Yreka Old Town, and spent 45 minutes charging for $22, bringing it from 45% to 100%. This charger was half as powerful as the last one. I walked through the town while I was waiting (thinking it was fifteen minutes). I found some places to eat, and an Italian place, Strings Italian Cafe, interested me most. Discovering I was stuck longer, I looked up the places, and a Thai place scored near me did well, as did the Italian place. A steakhouse with a 3.5 rating, a point lower, was my first choice, but its website, when you went to it, was up for sale, suggesting that there were no more.

I was disappointed that I missed out on a bookstore as it closed at 4.

With the charging finally done, I drove around town. Found a sign at the intersection of Miner and Gold Street. Yes, in Yreka, there are streets of gold, or at least one street named that way. I stopped at the Purple Dragon gaming store, bought a figure since I hate to leave without supporting my local gaming store, and had a nice chat with the staff at the craft and goodies store that shares the space. They recommended the Italian place.

I parked the car, headed into Strings Italian Cafe, and was not shocked by the excellent food for $50, but the service was slow, as it appeared the one waiter was running the place. Still, the food was good, and I had the combo with their stuffed mushrooms (ok), pasta (!), and a slice of lasagna, baked and stuffed in an onion-flavored pastry. It was excellent. The salad before dinner was good, though it had store-bought industrial croutons, and you used a cheese shaker to finish your Caesar salad, which was served with raisins and sunflower seeds (which were good).

I walked after dinner as my watch was harassing me about one more walk. I found that they had a park dedicated to local Native Americans, featuring a traditional wooden structure and a statue. I think Beaverton could use something like that. I took more photos and then let Evie take me back to the hotel.

 

There, I used the pool and planned my car adventures from Yreka to Fresno, a seven-hour trip. The drive from Fresno to John Wayne Airport takes four hours. I am the Uber driver for Deorah and Jeanne on Monday. They land at 11.

And it is time to finish this as it approaches 11 on Saturday. Blogs are written when I can, when in travel mode.

Thank you very much for reading.