Saturday, June 3, 2017

Driving I-80 to California

Thursday, June 1, 2017
  
This morning we left Winnemucca traveling ever further on I-80.   We left around 9 and thought we would arrive in Auburn, CA around 1 even with a couple of short stops for breaks and gas, but that was not to be the case.  Just after we left Reno, NV there was a sign for a work area with the right lane closed.  We thought nothing of it since we had passed many such places on this trip so far.  However,  shortly after we passed the sign, the traffic came to a snail pace and stop as some cars and semis started moving over to the left which we had already done.  CB radio said there had been a rock slide ahead and traffic was now backed up four miles.  We knew we were at the end of that four miles.  Oh, well.  Sit back and relax.  We are in no hurry.  After nearly an hour we finally reached the area where the right lane was closed and shortly after found work crews clearing the entire side of a mountain with small bulldozers, etc.  After that we moved on over and things progressed like normal. 

We crossed over into California

and reached the top of Donner Summit with a 5 percent grade down into the lower mountain areas of the Sierras.  Donner Summit is the area near where the Donner Party of the 1847 year spent the winter in starvation and cannibalism.  Gruesome story but true.  Too bad they took the “short cut” with nearly half of their original party dying.  Short is not necessarily the right way to go. 

We did see more beautiful snow covered mountains along the way with large pine trees.  This is the gold mine area of 1849. 


Our campground for the week is the Gold Country Fairgrounds located in Auburn, CA and is an old fairgrounds with hills, trees and a number of buildings.


Our original site was occupied by another RV so we were assigned to an area near the stage where we have full hook ups, afternoon shade and restrooms close by.  Who needs the restrooms when we have our own?  We are also sharing the large space with another RV for the weekend and as someone in the family is getting married in the close by grove on Saturday.  We plan to be gone for the day while this takes place.

Ron’s high school friend, Larry lives here in Auburn and stopped by for a chat late in the day.  He told us about a local restaurant named Mel’s so we ventured there for dinner.  What a cute place.



Remember these on the tables?
If you remember Mel’s Drive In from the movie American Graffiti then you have seen Mel’s here in Auburn except it is not a drive in.  The inside was filled with pictures from American Graffiti and music playing was from the 1950’s.  What a nostalgia trip complete with the table jut box where for a quarter you could select the song of your choice.   We met the owner as we left telling him how much we enjoyed the atmosphere and the meal. 




More from Auburn tomorrow.

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