Just One of Those Road Trip Days
There are some days you just have to look back and laugh - that was yesterday.
We got an early start on the day and went to Death Valley National Park. From our internet research, we knew there was a slim chance we could get a camping space with electric and the temperatures could be in the high 70s. Iris would need AC. Our Plan B was to drive through the park, seeing what we could see, and ending on the west side in Owens Valley again. Driving into the park was beautiful.
We stopped at the visitor’s center and learned the high temperature at the campground was actually going to be in the high 90s, making AC critical, and the road through the park wasn’t open all the way. So, if we didn’t get camping, we’d have to turn around and return the way we came. We didn’t get camping. Unfortunately, our visit to Death Valley was short. We’d like to return in the future but should bring just a car and not plan to camp.
Our Plan C was Tahoe but further research showed Tahoe was going to get rain and freezing weather the night we planned to stay there. As the truck and Casita aren’t equipped to deal with slick roads, we had to pass. On this side of Nevada, there really isn’t much else. The landscape is beautiful but arid and empty.
“It” happened on our way to Tonopah, NV. On every road trip we’ve ever taken, there’s been an occasion where we have the real fear of running out of gas. Despite best efforts, it happened again. We made it though the gas gauge was on Empty. Phew. We had BBQ for lunch, which was quite good.
Our plan was to stay in a campground just north of Tonopah, which received the best reviews in the area. The campground was really just a parking lot. Ultimately, it didn’t matter what we thought of the campground because there was no availability so we had to go to the camping spaces in Tonopah that received poor reviews. Those spaces were just parking spaces behind an old casino. When I checked on availability, I was told two spots were open but the guy behind the counter didn’t know if the hookups worked so we should check and then let him know if we wanted to stay. The entire place was sketchy. It was 4:00 pm, we had been on the road all day, and there weren’t any other close options but it we decided to continue on.
Nevada has very nice rest stops. As we passed one north of Tonopah and saw another RV parking there in a large lot, we briefly considered doing the same. We’re not that brave. We continued north for an hour to a private campground that we called and learned had availability. Sunrise Valley RV Park (in Mina, NV) is a cute, little, arid and old park. The reservation lady was very nice and we have a small space with a picnic table and full hook-ups for a great rate. Who could ask for anything more?
Really, the day kind of sucked but we expect some of those days on a road trip.
