Texas to Tahoe

March 14-April 10, 2020

TL;DR: When it was clear that Covid was going to be a thing, we re-routed from Dallas and stayed at Cedar Hills State Park for a week to make sure we were healthy before heading to Austin for about 10 days to see Bri’s family. Then decided we’d make our way up to Tahoe to hole up for a while.

Got to stop at way more parks than we thought, which was really such a treat in the current climate. Loving the Southwest vibes, and got Death Valley basically to ourselves for a moment. Staying distanced from Jess’s parents, which feels hard but important. Happy to be in Tahoe!

The sights

Dallas, TX

The city was in the midst of shutting down, some parts more than others. Saw a lot of people wearing green in Greenville for St. Paddy’s Day. Found out that all of the museums were closed so we swung by Fair Park and walked around. Had the entire place to ourselves, which was very eery.

Cedar Hills State Park

Decided to hunker down in Cedar Hills State Park for a week to see how the country was going to react to Covid, and also to give us some time to quarantine before seeing Brian’s family. Was a little rainy so we mostly stayed in the RV and worked, played some dominoes, watched movies, and tried to figure out a new plan.

Austin, TX

We ended up staying with Brian’s parents for two weeks after just about everything in the country shut down and we needed to figure out a new plan. When it was clear that Covid was not going away anytime soon, we decided we would drive to Jess’s parents’ place in Tahoe to bunker down. Figured we could stop where we could along the way. Interestingly, Arizona state parks were still open while New Mexico shut down very quickly.

The upside of our extended stay was that we got to celebrate Bri’s mom’s birthday and also did lots of cooking, drinking, and some hectic grocery shopping.

Drive from Austin West

On the 390-mile drive from Austin to a rest stop off I-10 past Fort Stockton, we saw:

Longhorn
Ostriches
Sheep
Goats
Llamas
Cows
Horses
Dik diks

Picacho Peak State Park

Right next to the road, but so beautiful. Saguaro cacti everywhere and beautiful majestic mountains to boot. The sky at night was particularly clear and it was so lovely to watch the moon.

The 8.85-mile, 2,285-foot elevation hike: Sunset Vista Trail to Hunter Trail

So we walked to this trailhead the day before we did it, and Bri heard a man say, “That was the hardest hike I’ve ever done.” But we didn’t really think it would be …HA.

To start, we hiked the aforementioned 1.2 miles from the campground to the Sunset Vista Trailhead. Then we walked 2.6 miles to the “hard part.” Walking through the desert is awesome. Saguaro cacti everywhere and in all these different funny positions. Mountains to the left. We started to see more people as we got to the steeper part, and they were all being really cavalier about staying six feet away. Jess almost broke her neck a few times trying to scramble to safety.

So it starts getting gradually steeper … then comes the part with gloves. We were basically scaling rock! It was insane. That and trying to social distance was a little nuts and stressful but super pretty at the top (again, too many people).

The last three miles were tough. We got lost at one point but thankfully made it back to the trail (there was actually one of those piles of rocks (cairns?) that Jess saw!).

Slowest mile: Mile 5 at 54:41
Fastest mile: Mile 9 at 19:37

Lost Dutchman State Park

Beautiful park outside Phoenix at the base of the Superstitious Mountains. Saw lots of rabbits and birds and a little woodpecker that was pecking his little beak on the power unit right next to our RV! We also heard them at the other park. Funny that they like that sound.

The weather was very nice and we were spoiled with gorgeous sunsets.

It was also a full moon, and we got to see it both rise and set.

The Drive

Left behind the cacti and picked up pine trees as we headed into the mountains, with higher elevation and lower temperature at Dead Horse Ranch.
Sedona looked really beautiful; can’t wait to come back!
Crossed through Flagstaff and the crazy mountain there—12,000 feet high! Felt like a more commercial town, and is apparently 7x bigger than Sedona.
Passed Kingman Wash Access Road and Lake Mead Park and Hoover Dam (which Bri has never seen!). Lots of land… we’re not sure who owns it.
Drove down the Vegas strip which was eerily empty. Everything’s closed. All the signs had notices that they were shut/we’d get through it together/we’ll party when it’s over. Let’s hope so.

Death Valley National Park

The park was closed except for the highway through it. We passed about three other cars here, so we basically had the valley all to ourselves. Had to go super slow on the way in/out because it was so steep (9% grade).

Got to watch the moon set over the mountains, which was incredibly magical.

TAHOE!

Pulled up and waved at Mom and Frankie from the seat!

Had “dinner” outside on the far end of the table. So good to be in Tahoe!

Details, details, details

Thankful for Mama Sara’s cookies, which we slowly ate on the road. So delicious!

Saw one of the most beautiful moon rises ever at the Lost Dutchman Park over the Superstition Mountains.

We had beautiful spring desert weather most of the drive over.

Stopped in Phoenix and saw Chloe and Brennan for about 20 minutes. Sort of weird to have a socially distanced hello with your best friend, but Jess was being paranoid about seeing her parents soon.

Jess learned from her friend Shawn that in Marin they’re doing an 8 pm “howl” as a thank you to essential workers <3

Drove on 395 along the Sierras, and it was super pretty to see the snow on the treeline. Drove through to Bishop and Mammoth. Passed some good boondocking spots at Inyo National Forest.

And then this happened…

Bill thinks there will be a vaccine by summer. We’re not so sure…

We realized mid-route that we could actually stay at a few parks along the way, which really made all the difference. Props to Bri, per usual, for figuring it all out!

Jess mis-heard Bri and thought he said they were going on a one-mile hike, so she wore the wrong shoes and no socks and was definitely paying for it in blisters. Not great since the big 9-miler was the next day.

Sink faucet fell off.

Now we know

When you’re in a funk during the pandemic, it helps to get dressed and have a drink, even if you’re only FaceTiming.

Post-hike Lacroix and oatmeal raisin cookies are an excellent combination. A nap, too.

Road Food

The highlight of Pecan Lodge was the Hot Mess: A salt-crusted baked potato with South Texas barbacoa, chipotle cream, cheese, butter and green onions.