Day 30 - Indian Hills, Nevada
Silver RV Resort

Last night we decided our Ultimate goal is to head to the Black Hills and Custer State Park. From there we will head towards Forest City, Iowa to tour the Winnebago Factory. We were there during the week of Independence Day back in 2002. The factory production was closed but they gave a Cliff Notes version of their tour. Our children told us we were not allowed to go on that tour until we were gray. Well I assure you I am totally gray without being dyed. DH sports his gray to make him appear wiser. That actually backfired when someone thought that DH and MIL were married and I was their daughter. I thought that was amusing. One of my friends was also insulted when someone different thought I was my friend's daughter. My friend asked the women if she had cataracts? I of course thought it was hilarious! So we are taking the tour!

We headed toward Carson City, NV. The Gremlin I think thought we were a car today even though I saw DH, program it for a 42 foot motorhome + tow bar and tow car. The first part of our journey took us through a gorge with breathtaking scenery. The road had an 8% downgrade which was a winding switchback style road which leveled off into a valley. On the way down in a hole on a rock face there were three Beanie Babies peering out!

We then crossed a bridge that had a cattle chute that DH has to maneuver through. From there DH said he needed diesel. I looked on my Gas Buddy App and noticed there was only three stations with diesel and then there would be some 128 miles with no amenities. So we got diesel which was $2.85 a gallon. We kept seeing signs that the Sonoran Pass was closed. As we were driving there was a road construction crew, which I asked if the road was closed ahead. They said no, it was open. So upward and onward we went about 75 miles.

So we get to a point in the road and a sign says, vehicles over 25 feet not recommend for the continuation of the road. Now why wasn't that sign in the beginning of the road? No place to turn around!!!!! So DH took our trusted steed through the most white knuckled ride of our lives. The road had a 25% upgrade and four stages of different downgrades in intervals of 25%, 16%, 8% and 15%. No guard rails, many turns with no shoulder, sheer rock cliffs and thankfully giant Sequoias that gave me the security that they would protect us from going to the bottom, even though in reality it might not have been true. Along that road there was light snow that had fallen yesterday in the shady areas.
The National Forest personnel were getting ready for heavy snows. They had the plow markers on the side of the road as tall as our motorhome. Frankly, I wouldn't bother plowing that road. Finally we made it to the bottom and out into a flat desert like terrain.

We drove North on State Highway 385 to Silver RV Park in Indian Hills, Nevada. While DH was setting up outside, our neighbor had a Monaco motorhome too. They were talking and he asked where we were headed and I said New Jersey. DH said we were only in this area for one night. We arrived around 2:30 pm and our neighbor suggested we drive over the closest mountain range over to Lake Tahoe. We went over, saw the lake, took a photo, went to an outfitter and MIL bought a Colombia Polartec jacket, checked out the Harrah's Casino, I gambled $1 in a slot machine and lost it. Then I bought a Lake Tahoe zippered hooded Sweat Shirt. Mainly because my NAVY sweatshirt really needs to be washed. And our washer & dryer is a combo unit and it doesn't dry that well with regular clothing let alone a heavy sweatshirt. DH wanted to see if the casino was just as glitzy as the ones in Las Vegas. The actual casino part was but the hotel was not. All I cared about was using the restroom there. DH routed us toward a car wash but decided he would rather drive back over the mountain before it got dark.

So far in our travels we have seen 1-doe deer, numerous ravens, numerous squirrels, crows, 1-coyote tail, blue jays, 1-rabbit tail, 1-rooster, hens, horses, cows, chipmunks, numerous Seagulls, wild turkeys, turkey buzzards, hawk, catfish, hummingbirds, 1-Northern Cardinal, 1-salamander, Black Billed Magpie.

The campground is paved and crushed stone. It's clean looking although we didn't use any of the amenities. It has a pool(closed), hot tub & sauna. Sells propane, gasoline and diesel. It also has a lake.

Tonight the temps here are to go to 30 degrees F, with a high of 61 degrees tomorrow.