Day 60 – Bridgeport to South Lake Tahoe, by way of Nevada
Yet another wonky drive, but we had a lot more signal a lot more often on this one. We also had some pretty views.
We also drove through Topaz, CA and past the gorgeous Topaz Lake. There wasn’t really a place to stop, so we don’t have pics but this one on reddit is like what we saw. The road did take us into Nevada and then back into California.
Our “KOA” campground is new to the brand (but not a new campground) and under a lot of construction. Our spot was the weirdest we’ve had and our view is of their construction debris. There is a pool, but typical of KOA, it’s closed. We are paying too much here for what we are getting.
After 4:20, I crashed and was asleep for nearly three hours. And that was with half a “daytime” gummy.
Later in the evening, he found us a couple of bars. It was a slow night, so we closed them both down and were back at the rig by 11pm. After getting lost in the darkness, our little “neon” window light guided us to our wonky spot in this wonky place. Actually, the bars were also hard to see enough to get to. I’m glad they aren’t using more lights and creating more of that pollution, but some reflectors at driveway entrances would go a long way.
Day 61 – Fallen Leaf Lake, Lake Tahoe
We went for brunch at a local deli. Our breakfast sandwiches were amazing. They baked bacon and cheese into the bagel.
Our day was slated for sightseeing. We went to Fallen Leaf Lake and found the neighborhood to be a lot like Lake Austin, but more rustic and with mountains. The road in and out was rough, but the little marina/store/beach there was nice. They also have a pretty waterfall. It was more of a trickle at this time of the year, but it was still very pretty.
Next, we drove around Lake Tahoe. The water is almost as blue as Topaz Lake. The lake is so high up that the water level of the lake is higher than that of Carson City, NV. It’s also about 20 miles long and quite deep at 1644′, so it’s a vast body of water. The water in the lake could cover the entire state of California in 14″ of water. It has a tiny island in the south end in Emerald Bay. Atop the island is a 16×16 stone cottage tea house. The woman who built it would bring guests over on her boat so they could have tea in the little cottage. It was there where we saw an adolescent bald eagle.
For dinner, we went to the On The Hook food truck for some fish and chips. We took our boxes to a nearby park to eat…and there were others there doing the same thing.
On the way home, he noticed a sign that said something about putting the “sin in cuisine.” By pure luck, one of the YouTubers I watch posted a video about the chef and each of his restaurants in Vegas. And yes, I’ve heard of Gordon Ramsey, but don’t watch food tv and had never heard his taglines. There is a Hell’s Kitchen here, so that is where we are having dinner tomorrow night. I have never seen the show and I’m not a fan of “angry” celebrities. But I have heard great things about his food and seen beautiful ambiance in the restaurants. So, here goes.
And then, at about 1am, we heard the campground bear they warned us about. She’s was trying to get into the bear boxes. She almost did it with one of them. I know she got the lid or door open because I heard it slam shut.
Day 62 – lost keys, found assholes, but Hell’s Kitchen
Well, the hungry bear made me lose my $$$ fob for the Jeep. I grabbed it the night before looking for the attached flashlight, so I knew it was in the rig. We looked everywhere: under all the seats, in every bag and cubby, everywhere. 🙁 At least we had those yummy breakfast sammiches, first (but only half this time)! Hunting for an important lost item is one thing; hunting for an important item while hungry is a whole other thing. And then, when I sat down and looked up, I found them. Hanging on a new hook safe and sound. I guess the moral of the story is to be lazy. LOL!
We hung out in the rig for the early afternoon. We wanted to go to a beautiful cove with a beach but the hike (easy) and climb down (not easy) to it just sounded too intense for us. Neither of us is here to break an ankle or worse.
We headed out for our date night in the casino-town side of the lake (across the state line into Nevada). Casinos are always confusing. I get that they are designed to keep you in and difficult to get out of, but why are they difficult to get into? After we drove around it an extra time, parked, and found our way, we took a lap to see the space and went to the sports bar for a drink. We had an entertaining chat with our bartender Johnny Mac who lived on South Beach as a kid and used to visit my college town of Coral Gables. He’s really good at his job and so much fun.
We got a text about 15 minutes early that our table was ready, so we walked by the roulette and blackjack tables to the entrance. The ambiance was exactly what we expected but just a tiny bit less in-your-face than the Vegas one I saw on the video. We were seated among three birthdays with subtle and classy celebrations. We had wonderful food and drinks, terrific service, and a fabulous time. We both got the pre fixe menu. I got the scallops option for the appetizer; he got the caesar salad that came with fried parmesan crisps. We both had the beef wellington and the toffee pudding. I also opted for the wine pairings and they were great, especially the one with the toffee pudding. I couldn’t quite finish my dessert, but I indulged the perfect amount.
The only bad part was the screaming toddler at the other end of the restaurant. Jesus! Parents suck. Even when you drop $300 on dinner and go to a smoke-filled, 21-and-up casino, you still have to eat with people who won’t take their fussy kid outside. Money talks, though, they were at an 8-top. I was too irritated to be embarrassed for them. (At least we weren’t at Uchi and not getting proper portions.)
After our meal, we headed up to the steakhouse on the 19th floor. The views were pretty good even with the severe sun (at this angle and altitude and also reflecting on the water). My drinks were great.
The only bad part was a very rude couple. She was too drunk to sit on the high-backed barstool. He harassed us over their very ill-informed racist politics that he brought up; she chimed in too when she could form words. I literally raised my voice so that all could hear and said, “stop talking to me,” more than once at him. I didn’t yell, but that section heard me. She made a rubber-glue remark that didn’t even make sense. I didn’t really know how to “zing” him. I almost never do.
 if I could, I would Name and Shame them | “What should I have said, for example, to a bottom dweller who recently belittled my existence?” |
In hind sight, I wish that in the moment, I had asked the bartender to call security. Afterward, I asked for their room number or names so I could file a complaint, but they are locals. The bartender was apologetic, but he didn’t handle it well; he should have called security on his own. It’s a casino, there are cameras-with-sound every 69 inches. When the rude couple left, the guy tried to make a joke about twins, but he didn’t make any sense. His ultra-dumb and very over-served wife giggled. I’m sure that her inebriation (and the tips from that many drinks, plus their repeat business) is why the bartender didn’t call security. Once again, money talks.
A few minutes later, a group of three men who had been sitting behind the asshole stopped on their way out to tell me how much of a jerk he was and that they were sorry it all happened. They called him stupid. I very much appreciated them saying something.
I’m not going to lie, the whole incident kinda ruined my night after what was an otherwise wonderful experience.
To get back to the Jeep, we had to walk through the casino, and by that point, it reeked of smoke. I literally hung my nice dress out of the window for most of the way home so it could air out.
- 5* for Hell’s Kitchen
- +1* for legit acoustic panels to keep the dining room nicer
- -1* for allowing children in the door
- 1* for Harvey’s Casino for not empowering their staff, including contractors, to do the right thing
- -1* for allowing anyone, especially a regular to be over served to that state
- -1* for all the smoke (and no, that teeny-tiny smoke free area is not anything more than a joke)
Day 63 – South Lake Tahoe to Reno NV
Fair warning: Things really slow down from here.
We love easy drive days. We love 50amps when it’s hot. After a lot of wonky in California, we like easy. We had a “marina” campground this time, but there isn’t really a marina. We were just near a tiny lake with that word in the name.
For a late lunch, we found Blaze Pizza. We hadn’t had it since “the before times” so it was nice to see that it’s still around. (I think we have Mod Pizza in Denver, but I don’t think we have Blaze. But we have really good local pizza right by us, so we don’t see out these two much.) The other thing is that I left my purse there. We went back and it was quickly returned (and a reward given), but I’m getting tired of losing stuff. Dammit, I’m just not that old.
After an afternoon of catching up on our media stuffs, we did find a cool place to hang out for the night.
Day 64 – Reno not 911
Our little “marina” campground is near a very small lake and canal. We grabbed our scooters and rode around part of it.
Along the way, he tripped on a curb, fell, and sprained a big toe badly. He’s fine, but dammit, we aren’t this old yet.
Another night out was the perfect remedy to our silly woes. We played darts for the first time in years.
Day 65 – downtown Reno
After sleeping in and lunch, we went see the downtown. They have a cute little island in the middle of the Reno Riverwalk. It’s a park, at least two event/concert spaces, and you can get in the water. It’s nothing like the Riverwalk in San Antonio. Also at this time of year, there were hanging baskets everywhere.
Day 66 – Reno to Wells
We’ve hit the long-and-boring parts of the drive. And just when it started to get really hot, our engine AC went out again. We ran the generator so we could run both house ACs.
At least the west-bound traffic had a few Burners heading out to the desert. They are fun to see on the road.