Oregon: The Medford Pilot Experience

May 25, 2026: Medford is rather nice and green. It has a glorious food co-op with healthy foods. Unfortunately, there are not many options for overnight parking. I stayed at a Petro truckstop along Interstate 5 which was a noisy nightmare. In addition, there is a forest fire somewhere and the smoke makes it difficult to breathe. It was a harsh night on top of all the stress and worry of dealing with another dealership.

I vowed I'd never go to another dealership after all the problems I've had with too many of them, but at the independent shop last week after they had me wait a week for an appointment then told me they couldn't work on the van, I didn't have a choice. They didn't have the equipment to hoist it in the air. They couldn't have told me that a week ago?? 

So Ford...this service agent knew exactly what I was saying, understood the issues without staring at me like an idiot deer caught in headlights, and agreed with me on all my mechanical theories! Even my theory on the all-terrain tires screwing with the transmission. He looked on the computer, checked my tire size, agreed with me, and gave me a quote for better tires! OMG! He didn't once try to gaslight me or tell me "that isn't possible," "that wouldn't do any good," or "that wouldn't cause that". I was very surprised and once again hopeful.

After the initial diagnoses to figure out why I am losing coolant and overheating, he came back and said the mechanic couldn't find a leak! My dreams were dashed. But they were now going to take it a level higher and add dye, do all kinds of things to find the leak warning me I may have to take it, drive it for a few days and then bring it back. Didn't have to! They found the leak hidden in the gills of the radiator. UGH. Another $2,000! And I was warned, it would be a whole second day to get it done AND they may need to keep it overnight. Oh god, no, please, no! Where would I go?

I scouted a nearby 24-hour Pilot Truck Stop that had a restaurant sitting area and my plan was to sit up all night. Oh, god, please no! I spent my second night in Medford at a freeway rest stop that limits stays to 12 hours. One minute over 12 hours and an AI system will call a tow truck and haul your ass away! The place was filled to the max with every space and even every non-space taken probably because there are so few places in town to stay the night. I actually felt really safe! And it was raining all afternoon. I tried several times to head up to a mountain BLM spot where people paraglide, but every time I tried the rain was pounding so hard I couldn't see. I'm not going to go up a twisty turning one lane dirt road up a mountain in a thunderstorm!

GORGEOUS!

Ford employees gave me an empty office to work and I spent the next day all day at Ford. At one point I needed to go for a walk to stretch out my very stiff butt. There was a trail along the edge of the dealership...filled with CATS!! At least thirty cats just laying around in the grass with some sitting on the walkway. Most were not frightening, looked healthy, and someone told me later they are well-fed by kind, cat-loving people.

And a turkey!! It was surreal! Thirty cats and a turkey! The turkey was just wandering in and out of the cats that were looking like they wanted to pounce, but since the turkey was twice as big, they were thinking twice about it. I am certainly easily entertained these days!

At almost 5pm, the service agent tells me the mechanic won't finish and their driver can take me to the truck stop. I inform him I can't get in a vehicle with air fresheners. He says all the cars here have air fresheners in them. I start to cry and I ask, "No one here has a car without air fresheners?" He isn't very good at thinking out of the box. He says let me check something, comes back and asks if I can test their shuttle car as it hasn't been detailed in a long time. Sticking my nose into a toxic space is always a risk, but I say "Yes!" for lack of options. It was fine. As I'm getting my backpack and supplies from my van, the service agent tells me the manager has approved a $200 voucher to a nearby hotel. I thank him kindly, but tell him I cannot go to a hotel as they use air fresheners. This is why I live in a van. Welcome to my world! I packed planning if the truck stop is too toxic, I may have to walk the streets of Medford all night. Good, god! How did this become my life?

I sat up all night at a the nearby 24-hour Pilot Truck Stop in the area where there are tables for Taco Bell and Subway. Initially I was scared. There is an app somewhere I saw once where you can check to see which are the most dangerous truck stops. I did not check to see if this truck stop was dangerous. I don't have a choice and I don't want to know. However, the employees were really nice. The woman who was working until 11pm took a break, sat in the restaurant, and talked to me. It was kind of interesting watching the people come and go at all hours of the night. I wondered if they worked late night shifts or early morning hours? Why are teenagers here at midnight on a school night? Why are people bringing toddlers in at 2am? To kill twelve hours of nothing, I took photos almost every hour documenting my experience. They had one high table with stools and outlets for phone charging.

6pm

7pm

8pm

9pm

10pm

Midnight

2am The table in the corner is where I sat most of the night.

3am

5am

6:30am

At 6:30am I was so ready to leave! I was stiff and cold from sitting. The shuttle doesn't start until 8am, but I realized that trail behind Ford  with all the cats - it goes all the way to the front door of Pilot! I walked back, incredibly tired and incredibly hungry, it was more like stumbling and trying really hard not to fall.

Van was fixed around 11am (2 1/2 days!) and I couldn't wait to get out of there! It never ceases to be an adventure!

I headed back to Klamath Falls in the rain. The first campsite I attempted was in the woods next to a creek. I arrived when it was sprinkling, but within an hour it turned into downpour. The down-hill dirt road became a waterfall and the little puddle in front of my parked van a lake. I saw on the weather app this downpour would last 24 hours. I'm outta there! Beautiful or not, and so exhausted from lack of sleep I can hardly move, I have no desire to get stuck in mud!

Beautiful but deadly!

I quickly left and drove fifteen miles up the highway to a Snow Park: flat, paved, huge! Safety! I never slept so good in my life! In the morning there was a camper trailer behind me about 20 feet and a Sprinter van in front of me 20 feet. I didn't even hear them come in!

The next night I stayed at another Snow Park on Quartz Mountain east of Klamath Falls. Paved and quiet, but I woke to 37 degrees! Too cold. I headed to Lakeside to warm up the van and make breakfast.

On to Nevada!

Oregon: Klamath Falls and Crater Lake

May 18, 2026: I was eager to get to Oregon. My plan is to spend most of the summer here, starting in the east and progressing west as the temperatures rise. I don't know if this plan will work since the coast of Oregon tends to be very popular in the summer, but I'm flexible. I might make some trips to Nevada and California to check out weather patterns and properties.

Yeah, I know Mt. Shasta (in the above photo) is not in Oregon, but it can be seen from Oregon! I loved looking at it every morning!

Klamath Falls is a real feel-good town with lots of everything: Walmart, Natural Grocers, Goodwill, library, shops, parks, auto mechanics, and a whole lot of very nice people. It doesn't have that creepy feeling like Eureka did. The downtown area is small, not overly crowded or traffic-congested. Too many shops have rental signs in the windows and there are an overabundance of bars and taverns, but it's not yet deserted like some. The weather was beautiful around 68 degrees during the day, but getting a bit chilly at night around 39 degrees. I made an appointment with the local, well-liked mechanic in hopes of getting Big Blue road-worthy and I ordered a rice cooker that will be delivered to Staples so I needed to hang out for several days.

May 19, 2026: I could have gone back to the Indian Tom Lake camping location on the California-Oregon, but I thought I'd try a few more sites, hopefully, without as many bugs. The first option was about to take me straight up a mountain dirt road for seven miles and I decided while looking at the turn-off that would not work. It's only been two weeks and I'm already tired of dirt! With my coolant leak and constant overheating, I avoid hills! One learns to adjust to the circumstances for survival!

The second option was another twenty minutes, but was right next to the Sprague River. Located in the woods right off a paved highway, the driveway in was short, but rough dirt with potholes and ruts about a foot deep. However, it was dry enough for me to negotiate with my 2-wheel, all-terrain tires going slowly and watching for the flat areas to keep the van balanced so it doesn't fall into a hole. Note: There are driving skills one must master while driving a van in the woods!

By looking around it was clear the locals use it with campfire rings, some garbage, and an amateur building site. I'm sure it's a good fishing location. Upon my arrival it was quiet and peaceful, but this is always a risk. I'd worry more if it was the weekend, but it's Tuesday. I switched sites for some unknown, instinctual reason and not an hour later a pick-up comes barreling down the dirt road, right over where I was parked and out the overgrown dirt road on the other side. I've learned to trust my instincts. The truck never made another appearance, but the next morning another van was parked in that first site.

I washed a bucket of dirty rags. I love these microfiber rags and use them for everything including waxing Big Blue every time I wash her. I'm loving Turtle Wax Spray & Dry because it tends to repel dirt! I've used other waxes that attract the dirt and make it stick. I don't like putting the chemically- soaked rags in with my dirty clothes so I keep them separate then handwash them as clean as possible before deep cleaning them at the laundromat. I like a campsite with trees so I can hang them to dry. This is hard to find in the desert. 

So the site was wonderful until it wasn't. At 2am I awoke to the smell of smoke. Hmmm...I wondered if someone built a fire in the other spot? Or a house nearby was using their fireplace, but there were no houses in the area? OMG! I hope it's not a forest fire? Maybe it's my imagination? During covid I had all kinds of phantom smells and one of them was smoke.

I woke up at 5am and the smoke was thick. I vaguely remember a "Smoke on Roadway" warning sign coming in, but never encountered smoke or I would have never stopped for the night. I decided to leave. Down the highway another sign "Prescribed Burning. Don't Report". So they burn and contaminate the air on purpose. Great. Isn't this how the British Columbia fire started last year which destroyed millions of acres? Just where I'd want to live! I know this is done to manage future forest fires, but it still stunk. It took driving twenty miles east to get out of the smoke. The van and my hair stunk for too long.

See the line of white smoke beyond the trees?

Back in Klamath Falls, I hiked the birding trail at Moore Park, and of course, got lost up in the suburbs. I took the first downhill right and ended up in someone's backyard. Yeah, well, that's nothing new. Went back to Indian Tom Lake for the next two nights. Each night RVs, campers or vans pulled in behind me.

The auto shop was a waste of time. Instead of telling me they couldn't do what I needed after I painstakingly and in great detail explained what I wanted, he just made the appointment, made me sit around waiting for days. He seemed like a bit of an idiot, very nice, nodding his head, and smiling too much which made me think he had no idea what I was saying, but I felt confident they could do something. It ends up the only thing they could do is an oil change and a very expensive tire rotation. I've sworn off dealerships because I think they are sleazy, but that seems to be my only option now. What a waste of time and money! I made an appointment for the Ford dealership in Medford. The dealership in Klamath Falls' first opening was in JULY!

But I did get my new rice cooker! Oh, I love it! The brand is Narcissus. I hope it lasts longer than the last two (Dash and Aroma), but this one doesn't have that cheap button-lever and instead has a digital menu. I made my first cooked meal in about two weeks with rice, chicken and vegetables. It was delightfully delicious! I think getting away from the invection cooktop will be healthier as I did too much sauteeing in olive oil. Olive oil has gotten really expensive!

May 23, 2026: Early the next morning I hiked Moore Park birding trail again. This time I didn't get lost. I met some dog-walking women who suggested I go to Crater Lake. I've heard of it and have seen photos, but couldn't remember why I knew the name. OK! Why not? It's on the way to Medford and I have several days until my next dealership appointment. Crater Lake was gorgeous. Reminds me of the Grand Canyon only a lake:

The blue is so vibrant and still it looks like one could walk on it.

I camped just outside the national park in the national forest. It's hotter here and the yellow pine pollen all over everything is suffocating. I kept waking up in the middle of the night not breathing. It must be the pollen. It's all over my van. Lots of mosquitoes.

Visited the Natural Bridge on the Rogue River. I wasn't sure what it was, but it was quite fascinating. The river runs through lava tubes so when the river is low enough you can see the tube hole openings in the rocks and the rock goes over the flow of the river through the tubes like a bridge. You can't walk on it since it's all fenced off. The cement path is nice and there are hiking trails around. There is a cross with the name "Sam" at the site. I tried looking up "Sam" at "Natural Bridge at Crater Lake" and found the story on an eight year old autistic child who was hiking with his father, ran ahead, and disappeared! Can you imagine the horror. I don't know if the cross is referencing the same Sam. How sad.

When I pulled into the Natural Bridge parking lot at 7am there was a van that had stayed the night so I thought that would be a good idea, on cement, bathroom nearby, no pine pollen everywhere. I planned to hike one of the trails the next morning. I parked for a couple hours then an RV pulled in. Right next to me. Of course. With the loudest generator on the planet! Ankle-biting rat dogs yapping out the window. The driver kept smoking walking away from his RV to not inconvenience his passengers with his stink, but strolled around my van. So absolutely thoughtless! I was hoping they were just stopping for a moment, but after a half hour I'd had it with the rude noise and air pollution. I drove about three miles up the highway back out into the woods. I always try to find spaces for one vehicle so I don't have to suffer the bad behaviors of others especially when they pull in late at night. This spot was nice, quiet, private, secluded and beautiful until the next day when the ATVs started racing up and down the dirt road. I really hate dust!

See Big Blue at the far end of the road?

The next morning, on to Medford for my van repair appointment!

California!!

May 8, 2026: I continuted through the pines and snow-covered mountains making my way northwest into California.

I found a very nice laundromat in the gorgeous town of Truckee. It had top loaders! It costs $6.00 per wash! Wow! That is the most expensive I've encountered in two countries! Wow!! Online I checked some other laundromats in other Californian towns and they are all about the same between $5.00 and $6.00 per load. Wow! I can't stop saying, "Wow!" The dryers were .25 cents for TWO MINUTES! As a comparison, in Arizona it's .25 cents for six minutes.

On that note, the highest gas prices so far are $6.39 per gallon. Oh, update: $7.00 per gallon!. About two to three dollars more than Nevada or Arizona.

I continued driving south through Lake Tahoe which is like a dream world! I don't even need to check to know I could never afford to live here! Followed Highway 89 north through the mountains which then opened up to the most beautiful countryside I've ever seen! Gorgeous mountains, green fields, tall pine trees, crystal blue lakes and rivers, and emerald green foliage. The most fragrant wildflowers all over the sides of the roads. California poppies, too! The landscape was dotted with pretty towns and idyllic farms. Lots of national forests, campgrounds (most are closed right now), and pull-outs for dispersal camping along the highway. May is always a great time of the year to road trip. It's spring and still "off" season. I'm sure I'll keep saying this, but after eight months in dreary, beige desert dust, this green is mesmerizing! The smell of the wildflowers and the pine trees is intoxicating. I forgot the smell of freshly cut grass still exists somewhere! I forgot how glorious real country is. I sure missed this!

I camped in a burnt-out forest west of Chester. Destruction as far as the eye can see. It's very discouraging. This area would have been spectacular to camp in when the trees were still healthy and alive. Now it's just desolate. This is by no means the only burn-out. They are all over. One must get permits for anything that has a flame: campfires, propane stoves, etc.

Why did I stay here when I'm sure there are better locations ahead? It was private, off the highway, and I was exhausted. I just needed to stop for the day. The weather is warm yet mild, the breeze is cool. It's a  perfect place to be, well, except for the blackened trees. It's definitly quiet and peaceful. Also, often it's difficult to find a free place to park overnight in the forest on weekends due to recreational visitors. May is not so bad, but as summer rolls around it will become more difficult. There is wide open sky and sunshine so everything in the van is working. This is a great place and it's my goal this adventure to slow down and stay put if it's great. So I stayed an extra day!

I watch a lot of van life videos, most are positive to a fault, unrealistic, and irritating. Some are warnings on how difficult van life is, aspects few people really discuss. Recently I saw a video produced by a young woman who had been living in her van for four years. She compared her old life paying rent, bills, working three jobs, meetings, dates, appointments, time demands and then emphasized how peaceful living in a van is not having to constantly be somewhere and worry about money, but to just relax and enjoy the time one has on this earth. I found this to be very inspiring. Aside from my constant worrying about potential mechanical worries, it is relaxing. It's only when I'm in Tucson for the winter subjecting myself to appointments, spending money, and constantly running errands that it gets stressful, but once I leave Tucson, I don't have to be anywhere! I'm just killing time, watching the scenery change everyday, and living my life.

Anyway. Here is a symbol of hope...hope for my current surroundings and hope for my future life:

These little seedlings are sprouting up all over!  A lot of these burn-outs are being forested since only the bark is often burnt leaving the wood underneath white. Wonderful wood! Why let it go to waste?

This is the life and death cycle of nature. Even after we are dead and gone, nature persists! Life continues. Too bad we can't be more responsible with her.

Continued to Redding to get water at Walmart and visit the Orchard Co-op. Disappointed in the co-op, I headed to Sprouts. Gas is $6.59 a gallon here. I stepped out of my van and was hit by the most glorious scent of WATER! There is moisture in the air finally!

I left Redding heading southwest with an idea to find a beach and warm-ish weather. I find if I select "avoid highways" Google Maps will take me on an off-the-beat-and-track adventure through the country giving me a chance to see something besides the sides of freeways which are quite boring. Today didn't disappoint. A16 was a twisty turning route through green-treed hills opening to gorgeous valleys of fields covered with green grass. Green, green, green! Unfortunately, these smaller country roads don't have tourist pull-outs so you can't stop and look. Also, you don't dare slow down to catch a glance with drop-offs on one side and farm trucks hauling horse trailers in the other lane driving twice as fast as they should. I drive these little roads really slowly not only because they are bumpy, but I don't want to take those twists too fast!

One problem with the twisty turning mountain roads besides the drop off is as one is negotiating those turns, back and forth, back and forth, one tends to get sleepy from the rocking motion! I nearly fall asleep at the wheel. I have to really concentrate to pay attention. This is not safe at all!

I continued along highway 36 which also winded its way through tall pines, high mountains, and deep valleys. Love the babbling rivers and creeks. I camped next to Rattlesnake Creek. The downside to camping under the trees is I wake up the next morning with very little solar power!

Into the Woods...

View from Big Blue of Rattlesnake Creek...yes, I'm watching for snakes.

The next morning I headed west on Highway 36 - such a gorgeous highway and this section of it twisted and turned magnificently through the mountains. I turned south onto Van Duzen Road. OMG! Narrow country road through the mountains and down into the incredibly deep valleys! I was driving the lane closest to the hill and the other lane, the drop-off, cliff-hanging lane, well, it was dropping off! At least every mile there was a stop sign right before most of the lane had fallen into the abyss! It was frightening! There was one part that looked like a mini-sinkhole! I didn't think to take photos until I was nearly off this highway so this one makes it look like I am exaggerating! In most cases the whole lane was gone!

Even though the road was narrow, potholed, broken, cracked and falling into the abyss, the views of the valleys miles below were stunning! Beautiful farms! Wildflowers covering the fields. Majestic pine trees. Green, green, green. All my allergies went away! Again, I couldn't take a lot of the photos I wanted to for fear of falling into the abyss myself...

I drove through Alderpoint and found my way to Garberville, cute little town with the spectacular Chatauquah Natural Foods Co-op including a restaurant that has been in business over forty years. Drove to Miranda along the Avenue of the Giants.

I scanned iOverlander for a place to camp. There isn't much along Highway 101 and I did not want to sleep at a highway turn-out so I headed to the beach. I suffered another twisty, narrow road with a drop off until I realized Google Maps didn't know where I was nor where I was supposed to go, and erroneously sent me seven miles up a mountain. I cussed my way down the mountain to the beach through beautiful farmland. Seeing a west coast beach nearly made me cry!  I walked a long the shore a bit and into the ice cold waves. This is Ferndale Beach:

Early the next morning with clouds. Sun was shining by 10am.

Stayed an extra night. Every morning around 6am the surfers showed up. Now I know I'm in California! Oddly enough they didn't park down by the beach, but up by me surrounding my van bumper to bumper. I felt a little bad taking what is obviously their space. It was fun watching them surf, but I know how cold that water is and I questioned their sanity. The second morning I said, "Good morning." and chatted them up a bit asking about surfing. One left, and the other came over to talk about surfing. He also told me about the real estate in the area and since he was a former nomad told me where NOT to camp on the coast: Eureka.

I drove through Ferndale and walked the main street, breathing deeply the pungent aroma of cow manure from the surrounding ranches. The architecture is wonderful! Old Victorian-style buildings maintained lovingly and painted in brightly decorative color schemes. The houses off main street and in the neighborhoods were the same with so much decorative variety!

This last photo is the miniature playhouse in the Hadley Park - beautiful garden with native plants, lots of flowers. Across the street was a laundromat with top loaders so I did a load of laundry at $5.00 per load.

I drove to Fortuna. My invection cooktop stopped working! The wire has pulled out of the unit. Damn! How do I cook anything? Sorry to say there aren't very many organic or gluten-free options out in the country. I attempted to visit an appliance store and they could fix it...minimum $30 just for the assessment then $90 per hour thereafter. Well, the cooktop only cost $99! I've started shopping around to see what to do. In the meantime, I'm limited to foods I don't have to cook. At first I was at a loss for how to do this since most foods one doesn't have to cook are high histamine and those make be miserable. However, I LOVE not having to cook! I love not using all my solar power for one meal then worrying how I'm going to keep everything running!

I've been casually looking for real estate as I travel, but in this area although there is a lot of cheap acreage, the reasons it's cheap is it has no access until one owns a monster ATV. Very disappointing especially since the landscape is so gorgeous. I did find a real estate agent who is fragrance free and scents make her sick!! Hooray! It's like a miracle! I wanted to cry with relief!

I attempted to look at property in Shelter Cove over on the coast with beautiful views of the ocean. Getting there was a nightmare with another narrow mountain highway, drop off on one side, and serious switchbacks! I was doing 10-20mph in a 45mph with big trucks constantly coming at me and coming up behind. It was terrifying. Big Blue at times did not want to go up hill and I feared she would stop working in the middle of a mountain. Before I even got to the properties, I turned around and went back! Still, it's gorgeous landscape and some of the giant redwoods were on route jutting up from the drop-offs.

I drove to Eureka to check out their health food store and go to Walmart. Surfer guy was right. There was something really creepy about Eureka. Most of the people looked homeless. Not that I have issues with the homeless since I am considered legally homeless, but they all seemed to have that crazed desperate look in their eyes. The Walmart was in a mall and I did not feel safe parking my van in the parking lot. I got water (which was free!) and didn't stay long.

That night I stayed at the Bear River Casino. One must check in at the "cage", get a Player's Club Card, sign some forms, and they give you a $10 credit to gamble! I've read some nomads win $50! Unfortunately, they allow smoking in most of the casino which drifts all over even into the non-smoking section so that's not going to happen. They have a whole page of rules to follow, but it's all basic etiquette and thoughtfulness that everyone should be following and so often people [in RVs] rarely do. I can use their bathroom! It's very quiet parked in the back parking lot once the employees with their loud car stereo systems leave. I walked around the casino every morning and every night.

View from the Bear River Casino with Ferndale in the distance.

The casino which is the property of the The Bear River Band of the Rohnerville Rancheria (tribe) has the cheapest gas in SoHum (South Humboldt - the county) at $6.15 a gallon. There is a line up at the pumps everytime I drive by. I got up really early one morning and got in line before anyone else. I also dumped my garbage and my pee bucket in their bathroom. It's a great one-stop service.

May 16, 2026: It rained the last night and I had an overwhelming desire to leave the next morning. I headed up Highway 101 to Arcata then Highway 299 to Redding. The scenery was stunning and from about Big Bar to Weaverville the highway followed a gorgeous river. In Big Bar there was a kayaking event happening. On the way I passed quite a few adorable towns, but the most spectacular was Weaverville! Lots of art studios, art centers, art galleries, little stores, a Buddhist temple, museum. On the way in I saw a group of people on one of the corners who were about to protest! My people! I joined them for about twenty minutes. I kept thinking, I want to live here! And...there is a health food store for sale!! That is tempting! 

I stopped in Redding for no-cook foods then continued along Highway 299 turning off on Highway 89 northwest to a little camping spot in the woods on the way to Burney Falls National Park. Another van pulled in late at night and parked about 500 feet away, but left the next morning. Awesome hiking roads all interweaving and intersecting throughout the forest. Cool in the 60s, but windy and the windy caused a lot of dust.

Drove to Klamath Falls, Oregon, for some errands. Got everything done including making an appointment for an oil change and other van stressors that should have been done properly by other mechanics who failed miserably.  This is a neverending battle. This auto shop has the best reviews in town so I hope they can finally fix all the issues. Drove back to California and stayed at Indian Tom Lake which is right on the state border. I'm still amazed by all the water here in the north: beautiful lakes, pristine rivers and babbling creeks all around me. The dry dusty deserts of Arizona was really damaging to my psyche OR maybe it just made me appreciate the northwest.

Indian Tom Lake

Indian Tom Lake in the morning

Mt. Shasta in the morning

Nevada: Berlin-Ichythaurus State Park and Reno

I thought I should see The Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park so I headed south on a highway that was clearly imported from Arizona, turning off on another highway that was definitely Arizonan with horrible potholes, cracks, and general disrepair which continued onto a dirt road. Disappointing. I thought Nevada had standards.

I was met at the payment sign by a park ranger although it's a self-service situation. She watched me pay and after I slipped the envelope with money into the locked box she told me the Ichthyosaur fossil exhibit was closed. Really? So sleazy and dishonest to wait to tell me this after I already paid. I considered demanding my money back, but I figured it does go toward state parks and I can look at the ghost town.

Berlin is the "ghost town." A bunch of old buildings that were locked. I could see the inside of the buildings looking in the windows, but every building was filled with a bunch of old trash and a whole lot of dust. Not much upkeep there. I was so disgusted and disappointed by the whole visit, I didn't even take any photos.

I continued back to America's Loneliest Highway to Reno for some supplies. Reno is very nice. Reminds me a little of Bozeman, Montana, only it has a lot of casinos. Nice neighborhoods, clean streets, lots of stores. I visited the Great Basin Co-op and when they failed at necessities, including a bathroom, I went to Whole Foods. At least Whole Foods is consistent and, therefore, dependable.

By this time it was almost 4pm, but I didn't want to stay in Reno where it was nearly 90 degrees so I headed north to the Humboldt National Forest. It didn't disappoint! Straight up a twisty mountain road, surrounded by 200 foot tall pine trees and SNOW! The temperature dropped to 75 degrees and the air smelled wonderfully clean. By the time I got up to Mt. Rose Ski Resort I realized there were campsites along the highway populated by small trailers and vans. I pulled off onto what looked like a gravel parking lot back in the trees across from the ski resort. It has glowing reviews on iOverlander. I'm so happy to be surrounded by green!  It's absolutely stunning here!

California, here I come!

Nevada: The Loneliest Highway in America

May 6, 2026: Got up early, drove the washboard, and headed to Ely, Nevada. I was going to go to the Ward Charcoal Ovens that are giant stone hives once used to burn wood to create charcoal for the smelting process, but it's a state park so there is a fee (only $10 for out-of-state license plates) AND, more importantly, there are ten miles of dirt roads to get there. Ah, no! That seven miles of washboard to the Lunar Craters was bad enough. Big BLue would like to keep her new windshield shiny and absent of chips and cracks!

I went to Ely, excited to see their murals. The air was cool and smelled so clean and fresh! I walked around the old cemetery looking at baby graves. Unfortunately the whole main street was being re-constructed. I couldn't even walk down the sidewalks! It was all chopped up with large dirt-moving trucks and cats milling about. The murals are on the sides of the buildings so no access other than gazing from far away.

I left heading west toward Reno on "The Loneliest Highway in America" or Highway 50 that cuts across the center of Nevada. Beautiful, peaceful drive. Not completely lonely as I passed a few vehicles, but wonderfully quiet with interesting, yet calming scenery. The temperature was a perfect 65 degrees and the highway was curvy with ups and downs over the various passes and summits.

I only heard about Stokes Castle from looking for free camping on the app iOverlander. Many people had such good things to say about parking overnight next to castle ruins. Castle ruins? In Nevada? I was curious. They all said they enjoyed an incredibly peaceful and quiet night with the exception of an occasional tourist until the sun went down. So that's where I headed.

On the way I passed through Eureka. Cute, old town with lots of Wild-West-looking buildings. I stopped in to see their Opera House. The friendly office-working woman invited me in to wander at will. Gorgeous! Very well maintained. I love the old-style balconies on the outside and the inside. Straight out of the Wild West.

The castle ruins are in a little town along the loneliest highway called Austin. My initial impression was it's a quaint, adorable town with nice, clean well-maintained houses. The downtown was intact, but some of the businesses were in serious need of new signage or dilapitated. It was odd I was there on a Wednesday, but everything was closed! It has three gorgeous churches on the very short main street and the smallest laundromat I've ever seen located in one of those prefabricated sheds. Top loaders and the cost was only $1.50 per load!! Unfortunately one person was in there doing laundry with stinky detergent and the washers looked dirty. Nope.

For a moment I thought I could live in such a cute town with all the green pine trees and beautiful valley scenery until I took a walk down the main street and encountered reminders I'm in Trumpland with racist, hateful, anti-Muslim, pro-Christian propaganda hanging in business windows. No wonder everything is closed. They probably can't get any customers with their nasty attitudes. I can do a night in Austin, but I won't be living there!

Stokes Castle was only 1/2 mile from town up smooth dirt road. I was excited to see through the trees a real castle-looking structure! OH! Did I mention there are trees here!? So nice to see greenery for a change after months of desert living. I think they are Ponderosa Pines and they smell so good.

OK. With the exception of its "ruined" state, I think this is my dream house! The historical placard says it was built in the 1897 by a guy named Stokes to be used as a summer home for his sons. The architectural plan was based on a castle he saw outside Rome. It seems the sons lived in it for two months that first summer and it was never inhabited again! Maybe the boys were bored with nothing to do in such a small town? What a shame!!! So sad no one kept it maintained, but that seems to be common in a lot of these old Wild West towns. Three not-so-big stories, with balconies, and a fireplace.  Just my size. It's definitely my dream house!

I love the view it has too! The blue skies, sunshine, and cool temperatures make this a perfect setting!

I parked and prepared for my free overnight. As warned, vehicles with tourists showed up every half hour or so, but with not much to look at they quickly left. Around 11pm a vehicle pulled in and shined its lights on me parking right behind me! WTH??  There is plenty of space on the other side of the castle! This is common practice for RVers...they will cuddle right up close, but not usually a car. I guesssed it was a man as men never seem to consider anyone around them. The next morning around 6am their car alarm went off. People are so rude and thoughtless!! Yep, it was a man.

Good-bye, dream house...