Going North, Nevada and Idaho (11th to 20st
May)
On Monday, 11th May we took a scenic drive from
South Tahoe to Reno, NV. Our initial plan was to go for a hike in the sierra,
but it was soooo cold outside, that we decided to continue on west and ended up
in Reno, NV. We went for a walk to the downtown Casino area and were a bit
disappointed by the lack of atmosphere in the casinos. Well, first we were
witnessing some kind of bomb thread and several streets were blocked of but we
think it was only a backpack someone forgot. In the casinos there were mainly
older people and families, but we did not see them having fun. It was more a
dark depressing atmosphere… so we enjoyed the happy our in one of the casinos
and went back to our RV park/ casino. So far we were not able to find a casino
in a major town which allowed you to camp for free as mentioned on a lot of
internet forum. Also I should mention that mainly women were playing in the
casinos…. Wonder why ?
From Lake Tahoe to Reno, NV and Reno:
On Tuesday, 12th May we headed north to an Indian
Reservation, Lake Pyramid, http://www.pyramidlake.us/.
This beautiful lake which is a natural lake (not a Stausee as most of the lakes
we had seen recently). The Rules and regulations were kind of strange ( Indians
could do anything but the rest of us needed a permit or things like making a
fire were forbidden ), but we could camp for 9 USD/ night right on the sandy
beach next to the lake. We stayed there until Thursday, 14th enjoying
the nice views and the loneliness, but as well hiding from the wind gusts in
the area these days.
Lake Pyramid, NV:
After relaxing at lake Pyramid on the 14th May we
went further east to Winnemucca, NV. There we found a nice campground (again
run by a casino http://newfrontierrvpark.com/)
where we decided to wait until the rain went by.
So really we had a lazy week, as mentioned the weather did
not allow for a lot of fun activities with rain and/or gusty winds every day
and temperatures from 45 - 55F (5-12C) most of the days and nearly freezing
temperature at night. We had sometimes our doubts if the trip to Wyoming to see
the famous Gyshers at Yellowstone are worth the trip. So we looked at each
other and decided to make the best out of it, regardless of the weather the
next 2 weeks.
On Saturday, 16th May we continued our trip to
Elko NV. Robert had a déjà vue, as he was there on business at the Liebherr
subsidiary about 5 years ago. We got a campsite at “another” casino http://www.rvparking.com/nv/elko/gold-country-inn-casino-rv-park
which was the best we could find around there. Our initial plan was to go up to
Lamoille Canyon at the Ruby Mountains, but it was still so cold that we did not
want to camp at 6900f (2300m). So we took a walk through the old mining town
(really not a lot to see). On our campground we were surrounded by a lot of
workers who work at a mine site and just have a trailer at a RV park. We met a
couple from Vegas where he had lost his job and now is living in an old (really
old) truck camper since 6 years!!! They
wanted to go to the Lamoille Canyon as well the next day… snowshoeing…. We were
wondering how much snow was going to be up there…..
On Sunday, 17th May the weather changed and it
was like a spring day in Germany. Kind of cold but the sun was warming us up.
So we went up the 3000f (1000m) to the Lamoille Canyon/ Thomas Canyon
Campground http://travelnevada.com/discover/climbing/lamoille-canyon
. The further we got up there the more snow we saw. The camp host lady told us
that the day before it had snowed 3” (8cm) in the campground. By the time we
arrived there on Sunday it was sunny and around 58C (14C), maybe even warmer in
the sun. The snow had melted at the campground http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/htnf/recarea/?recid=65570.
We took a hike up to the end of the Thomas Canyon (about 8000f, 2700m) where we walked through
a lot of snow. The sun had started to melt part of the snow, but you could
still see the layers of old snow and the recent snow. We had a good time. By
the time we got back to the campground it was already cloudy and 1 hour later
it started to rain again. It was like fog coming down in the Alps… One moment
you have sunshine, an hour later you can’t see the mountains in front of you.
Impression of Lamoille/ Thomas Canyon – Ruby Mountains:
On Monday. 18th May we woke up with rain, snow
nearly down to the campground and decided to skip our next stop at Lake Angel
(which was going to be at 10000f/ 3200m) and continue north to Idaho. We made
good progress and after lunch at a nice Mexican restaurant in Twin Falls, ID,
we took the Canyon rim trail at the Shoeshone Park. The views were amazing,
even though one of the twin falls, the bridal fall, was not running at full
power due to maintenance at the dam. We did a short 4 mile hike on the rim and
on the way back it got dark and a storm was on the way. Steffi walked so fast
that she almost stepped on a snake twice !! First time she got so scared that
she grabbed my hand and almost broke it and the next time the snake was happy
so survive because she didn’t see it J. Afterwards
we decided to skip the thunderstorm and enjoy a nice happy hour at a restaurant
over viewing the Canyon and the famous old bridge. We met Charley who gave us
some tips on Idaho including some hot springs with a campground nearby http://www.mhsprings.com/domes.html
were we went and enjoyed a nice hot bath in their pools. Afterwards
we ate clams with pasta and fell in bed like dead :)
Impressions from the trip to Idaho and Twin Falls ID.:
Passing Liebherr in Elko NV...
On Tuesday, 19th May we continued our journey to
the Craters of the moon National Monument http://www.nps.gov/crmo/planyourvisit/things2do.htm
were we got a nice campground surrounded
by many lava stones. Unfortunately if was cold and campfire was prohibited so
we ate our first frozen pizza in the camper. Afterwards between rain and rain
we went for a short walk.
On Wednesday, 20th May we explored the park but
the weather was still not on our site so we had to hike in rain which was not
so nice. Craters of the moon National Monument:
After being soaked and cold it was time to get to a warmer
place so we continued to Idaho Falls. We parked next to the river, went to the
visitor center to get some information about the way to Yellowstone and found a
nice campground http://freecampsites.net/#!1139&query=sitedetails
next to the Snake River with ducks and beavers that was for free. They came out
once the afternoon thunderstorm had passed… Lately we got a little slack on
free camping but we will work on that J.
Idaho Falls, ID/ South Tourist Park:
