J and K Adventures: A Tale of Two Adventures

After Christmas, J and I decided to take advantage of the chance to escape. Max was home to watch the pets and didn't mind having the house to himself, so we loaded up the truck with a couple of straw bales for ballast and headed to Reno to celebrate New Year's for the 4th year in a row. The weather was cold and the roads were snowy and icy all the way. We found our room at the Western Village in Sparks and looked forward to some gambling and football watching and excursions.

Snowy hills and icy roads on the way to Reno

Jeff concentrates as he drives over the snowy pass

On day two, we took a side trip to Virginia City....it's 2000 ft higher and 150 years in the past. We barely slipped and slided the truck up there, and it was about 9 degrees. Made it nice to step into a shop or two.

The Truckee River on the way to Virginia City

Forever Christmas in Virginia City

The local sheriff

Impressive icicles!

On New Year's Eve we decided to drive up to Truckee. It's home to the place the Donner party was stranded and only 20 miles from North Lake Tahoe and some of the best ski areas in the world. The snow was deep but everything was well plowed. Truckee is a cute touristy town with a nice walking area. It kind of reminded me of Sisters, only it was about 6 degrees.

In the parking lot

Cuppa coffee in downtown Truckee

We found an amazing store with all kinds of glass objects d'arte

Amazing Lake Tahoe

We drove around the lake to Stateline/South Lake Tahoe. Each turn brought fresh vistas of breathtaking beauty.

At a rest stop

Sunset

Finding South Tahoe a little expensive for our taste ($25 blackjack??) we greeted the New Year amid the drunken chaos of the Nugget back in Sparks. What an eventful year 2012 was. We can only hope that 2013 continues the trend. We can't wait to see what new Adventures are around the corner.

But now, the second tale. It was the 2nd week of January and we were living in the deep fog and biting cold of the kind of weather that drove Meriweather Lewis into a deep depression. Me and old Meri were not too far apart in mood. Jeff, being the kind and understanding husband that he is (self-preservation is part of being a good husband), decided we needed a road trip. Max agreed to "watch the kids" and keep the home fires burning and we took off after work for Portland. The goal was to spend the night downtown, hit Powells and a couple of pool halls/bars and come home via a rural route.

We were on the road at 5:00, but fate intervened. It was foggy and darkening, and there was a brick size rock in the road. Tire found rock and into the ditch we went, high centered with a flat. Ouch! No I don't mean us....I mean our pride and the car! Sheesh! Anyway, here comes Mr. Good Samaritan with a big 4 wheel drive truck, a tow chain and the gumption to crawl under the Altima and hook us up. He pulls, we are out of the ditch, we change the tire (without killing each other) and trade cars. Up the road we go. Again. Only now its 6:00. But no minor setback will stop intrepid J and K from a weekend getaway!

Up I-5 as far as Wilsonville, energy flags and weariness sets in. Jeff scans the phone for available food and finds Roses Deli....as near to Cleveland style deli as you can get in Oregon. It's only a few miles off the freeway in Sherwood (wherever that is) and it's wonderful. We both agree we are too tired to continue and the phone shows us to the Phoenix Inn in Tigard. Huge room, huge bed and free breakfast. Ok, we are set.

The next morning, all of a sudden, I get a wild thought. Lets head for the beach. Maybe we can outrun this low cold sullen fog and find the sun again. Jeff's up for it, and off we go. And sure enough, after 70 slippery foggy miles, there it is: A wonderful sight....the sun, the sea, no wind, cold but bearable. Thanking our fate and intuition, we went south of Cannon Beach to a little village called Manzanita and found a motel room on the beach. We spent the day walking on the beach, basking on the balcony, reading, watching football, doing a puzzle and crosswords and were rewarded with an amazing sunset. The next day we hustled down Hwy 101 and over to the foggy valley again. But that sunshine invigorated and illuminated me, at least for awhile.