Day Three on the Road to DF

It’s hard to believe we’ve already been on the road 2 days! This morning we are waking up in Willows, CA in the northern part of the state, about 100 miles north of San Francisco.

We got a slow start on Wednesday and left Duvall at 1:00. But who cares?! We finished packing the trailer and truck and were thankful that everything fit! The truck is running like a charm and the trailer has not been a problem at all. I’m sure glad we changed to the low-end tires…the ride is much smoother without those giant, over-sized tires. Sitka has settled in and when she’s not sleeping, she is butting her head up against us asking for some attention.

We got to Mickey's & Ginnie's (Mike’s bro and sis-in-law) house (just outside of Portland) around 6:00 on Wednesday. Mike’s youngest brother, Monty, and his family joined us over there. It's something to see the Nickell brothers together - and there are two more of them too! It was Tillie’s (Mickey’s new dog) first time with an overnight guest and after a bit she warmed up to Sitka, but it was funny to watch them do the “alpha female dance.”

Before we knew it, it was time to get dressed and hit the road on Thursday morning. The weather was great all the way through Oregon. I remember thinking how lush and green the I-5 corridor is. And the rest stop restrooms – I had always appreciated how clean and tidy the Washington State restrooms are, but I was VERY impressed with the Oregon rest stop restrooms too! Sitka has been just a princess, with minimal barking, and actively pulling me around the rest stop pet areas. That girl never runs out of energy.

Mike got a couple of great pics of Mount Shasta, just north of here. And the scenery has changed from the varied greens to the scrub brush with a noticeable lack of trees.

We’re staying at a Motel 6 because it allows dogs – and big dogs like Sitka! It is clean and has a strong air conditioner. It was probably around 95F when we pulled in here last night and we needed that blast of cold air.

Our goal today is Indio, CA, but that might be a little aggressive…we’ll see. ¡Adios! p.s. I'm unable to upload any pics, but I will try again later.