Friday Driving and more Driving

I am writing this Saturday morning about Friday’s ten-plus-hour drive back from California.

I started at Chester, California, near a lovely lake and only 25 miles from Lassen Volcanic Park. This time, I took Nav to swing around the park and headed in a vaguely northwestern direction to reconnect to Highway 5 near Redding. The locals had shared with me that they use the same path, skipping the National Park or the scenic route that passes by the entrance and continues to Chester in a mostly west-to-east direction. I checked with Nav using an app and the built-in Nav in Air VW the Gray (this Nav is connected with the charging of the EV), and the same results appeared. I was later disappointed that Nav added 90 minutes to my trip, about 1/3 of the way in. Hmmm.

I rose early, before my alarm, and risked another use of the claw-foot tub for a shower. I managed to not slip and get clean. I shaved, dressed, and all that. I packed up, loaded the EV, and took my laptop to the parlor. Another person from the Fort Bragg area of California was using the table. There was a small writing desk. I sat there this time and wrote postcards and then the blog. Soon, another guest joined, making a pair, and they, too, were waiting for breakfast, and they asked me about my driving and my home to pass the time. I took a few moments to answer and be friendly. It was nice this time to have folks who knew how to address strangers and be good guests. Excellent. Other guests, looking well-heeled, were less friendly and rude to the staff.

Aside: I always try to play the role of an older, well-traveled, friendly, and innocuous guest when traveling alone. Deborah is likely eye-rolling as she reads that. I did say ‘try.’ But it is always the innocuous side character in the murder mystery who is actually the culprit.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs with some cheese, goat again, over toast. Rather light, but I had a lot of driving to do, and it worked for me. With my key returned, I headed out and thanked the manager. I did, not sure she cared, covered how I made the EV work if she has another customer (unlikely) to show up with one. And with that, I headed into where nothing is found in California’s northeast corner.

No cell service, and even the EV lost contact with its mothership, and I was happy for the overcast to keep the glare down. It was lovely, and I did climb to over 5,000 feet again. I have never done a 7% decline before, and I suspect it was 7.4% as it was steep. There were only a few towns and no EV charging services anywhere, let alone cell service.

The landscape was pine trees, most burned and dead, and volcanic boulders filling the fields, with some piled into little hills. Patches of the trees had survived the fire. The area was filled with burned tree trucks from salvage lumbering of the burned and charred trees. I would climb up in the EV and then descend, regenerating some of the energy used. This happened over and over. I passed an observatory in Hat Creek and thought there was no light pollution in that valley for their observations, but I later learned that it was SETI, and they are listening. I suspect there is little electronic noise there either (here).

I finally came down to 1,000 feet and then connected with Highway 5. I then tried to find the correct charge station with 18%, and there were some mistakes, horns from indignant California drivers, but the local Arco station just off of Highway 5 worked, and after 45 minutes, 100% was reached.

(Yes, that blurry picture is the Oregon sign)

I did not reach the Oregon border until after 2, and that meant about a 7:20 arrival time at home. The endless passes followed and sharp curves for hours. The trees started to return to familiar shapes (no fire damage) after an hour in Oregon, and it rained.

My only charge in Oregon was at the familiar Seven Feathers Truck Stop, and after 45 minutes, I was again at 100%, which was enough to reach home (though at 19% on arrival). It was raining there, and I put on the felt hat and my Columbia jacket and truly felt like I was home. Deborah commented in a text that Michael had returned to his natural environment when seeing a photo of me in the rain near the EV.

The traffic was light, and there were no events or much construction for the rest of the trip. I have driven it many times and found it quite easy for the next four hours. Nothing like driving in LA! I was soon home.

I will leave out a bit (it is someone else’s story to tell), but eventually I was in bed, after unpacking and mopping the floor, and soon was asleep.

Thanks for reading.