nevada continues

We've been bouncing between Ca. & NV since our last post. One omission from our last was a tour of the Jelly Belly candy factory near Sacromento. Neither of us knew all that goes into that magical little jellybean. It was very interesting, and we had many samples along the way.
On the way south from Tahoe, the landscape changed much with the lower elevations. The mountains got smaller and balder. Still beautiful, but in a different way.
We went from Carson City ( named for Kit C. ), and headed for Yosemite NP. Sadly, it closed because of an early snow. Those that know me even a bit know my aversion to the white stuff and the accompanying cold temps. So we didn't hang around long. We'll do there & Sequoia on trip B in the future.
On the way again, we promptly got a flat on the van, seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. But, after a short delay, our roadside assistance co. came and changed it out. We got it repaired & remounted in a little mining town called Tonopah. It was still cold & windy there, but we spent my b-day evening in a neat casino from which we left $13.75 richer. But we enjoyed Mn. nite football, some good eats, and warmth! So, all was well with the world again. Therein proves that it doesn't take much to make us happy now...
We got to visit Death Valley and it was amazing. That land , tho mostly desolate, has its own unique asthetic scenes. And again, we both tried to envision trekking thru in a covered wagon for days & days & days. It's a very humbling thought and give us great respect for those
hearty pioneers. And what a change from the forested mountains we'd just left. Wow.....

We're now in the best ever camping resort we've experienced yet. It's in the town of Pahrump, maybe an hour out of Veagas. Amenities are xllent, the people are all nice, and the weather has been near perfect. The photo here is a small example of some of the beauty around us.
This morning, we had a bingo experience that humbled me. I mean, there were 80 yr. old ladies nearby that were keeping up better than I was. The #'s were flying, mentally draining my previously fractured, concussion pounded brain. I guess it was the Big Guy's way of tellin' me to stay away from gambling. Message received ( for now, anyway )
We'll be heading for a weeklong Vegas timeshare stop around the end of the month, so the next message we post should include our Sin City sojurn. We're hoping to hookup with our friend Dave Connor there, so that should be fun. Later !

california dreamin'

This post will be on the brief side. We'll try to make it up soon....... Upon entering Cal., we were carefully checked for gypsy moths, then cleared to proceed. The first visit was to Redwoods Park. Those trees are something else indeed, beautiful and stately. From there, we toured the wine country in Sonoma Valley. The scenery was great, with vineyards everywhere, even on the hillsides. The winery mansions and gardens appealed to all our senses. Of course, the wine itself helped accent those senses.
From there, we proceeded up the mountains towards Tahoe, with a stop at Donner Pass. The land is rugged and primitive, and helped envision the tribulations of that group in trying to get over the range. Very moving...( there was a point that Joannie looked at me with hunger in her eyes which made me move away a bit )
Tahoe is magnificent, though suffered an unusual cold snap upon our arrival. Go figure....
When we got to the condo, we had to park the rig across the road for a time, and on one of my trips over, I encountered 2 rather large bears up front & personal. They were going thru some nearby dumpsters, and I managed to avoid being their buffet. Will expand on that saga at a later date.
We found a great sitter for Conrad at a nearby wildlife shelter. Her name is Connie Stevens, and even tho she had a resemblance, it was not THE C.S.
We had a problem with one of the brakes on the trailer that has since been repaired, so we're thankful for heathy binders for the trip down the mountain & beyond . We leave tomorrow for Yosemite, so we'll check in soon. Take care ya'll !