GRASS VALLEY - California
- WILLIRoad Trip
- Feb 26, 2020
- 7 min read
Monday, February 17, 2020 - Day 1
A smooth trip from Paris Charles de Gaulle to San Francisco. We are traveling for the first time with Norvegian and are delighted with the trip. We arrived at our destination a little ahead of schedule.
To our great surprise, the customs formalities are done very easily and this, probably thanks to Gauthier, our youngest son who accompanies us for the beginning of the trip. A little rusty in our mastery of the language (especially me!), we appreciate letting him play the role of translator. We will be entitled to good wishes for a good stay from the customs officer! An arrival much simpler than in our memories (more than 10 years ago in New York), without search nor control of the suitcases and we would have almost ended up regretting the drastic preparation of our luggage at the beginning.
To US the AMERICA!
Always well piloted by Gauthier who knows San Francisco well to have stayed there several weeks, the recovery of our rented vehicle passes with as much facility.
We discover San Francisco by night. Superb view on the Golden Gate Bridge.
The tiredness of the trip, the jet lag incite us to join quickly our hotel for this first American night.
Night in NAPA VALLEY after a quick meal in the rare open restaurant of the area. We are the only customers, not really an atmosphere but it doesn't matter!
Tuesday, February 18 - Day 2
Drive to Grass Valley to pick up WILLIRoad, our truck and the dinghy that will allow us to undertake this Road Trip made in USA.
We have to make the last steps before leaving and equip our truck for the trip.
We meet Tim and his family team (the DeMartini Team) and discover WILLIRoad.
The day goes by quickly with a lot of points to validate and check.
Everything is ok ... or almost. It's comforting.
The showroom is empty, almost without visitors, but the park is full of RVs of all models (RV = Recrational Vehicle, also called Motor Home).
End of the day fast, still in time difference, we join our hotel near our RV dealer.
In spite of the 3 stars announced, our choice is really not top. The cottages are being renovated and no luck for us: ours has not yet been transformed, it is old and rather "dirty".
Gauthier and Vincent spend the evening validating our orders for equipment and we soon become "old bones".
Wednesday, February 19 - Day 3
We meet up with the DeMartini Team and get to know Barns who will be driving us to RENO in the WILLIRoad.
Let's go for the adventure.
The landscapes are sublime. We cross forests, mountains. Everything seems immense to us.
The snow is still very present on the place. It is magic.
After a 1.5 hour drive we arrive in RENO where the last formalities related to WILLIRoad are completed.
Lunch break in a place chosen by our pilot.
Back to GRASS VALLEY at the end of the day with our new driver Vincent.
First filling of Diesel. Quite a program for the one who has never done it: the truck is equipped with two tanks with right and left side accesses. The operation is thus easy to carry out when we find pumps "truck", much more sporting when we do not find any!
There are still many points to validate on WILLIRoad, so we work on them until lunch.
Discovery of the Steak House of Nevada City strongly recommended by Barn in the morning.
We are still alone. Very friendly welcome as in all the places we discover. Here the TIP (tip) motivates very certainly the waiters who are not stingy of kindness and are very pleasant. We are a little surprised but it is very pleasant.
We find our hotel in Nevada City.
Thursday, February 20th - Day 4
This morning we have an appointment with Karen for the driving lesson of the RV.
adjustment of the mirrors
check of the lights
front/rear maneuvers
location of the parking side axis of rotation
slots
There is enough to occupy the day on the empty parking lot of the RV Park of Grass Valley.
At the end of the afternoon, Gauthier and Annick attack their first miles on the road and highway under the watchful eye of Karen and ... Vincent's stress.
No matter, we are now 3 drivers to discover America but only Vincent has the C and CE license, essential in Europe but not required in the USA (well, depending on the states!)
A new day ends again with the preparation of WILLIRoad, discovery of the technical parts.
Tonight we choose to spend the evening in Grass Valley, a very nice little town even if we only meet a few people.
Italian meal at Cirino's.
Back to our cottage for the last night.
Gauthier is still waiting for a job offer. Africa seems to be confirmed between Gabon or Madagascar.
Friday, February 21st - Day 5
New day at the Tim Team for the continuation of the work in the RV, more particularly the adjustments of the devices.
Then we left for Sacramento to look for the equipment.
Ikea, we find our marks, even if the most difficult is not to make a mistake in the dimensions. It is necessary to learn to juggle in centimeters, meters, inches or feet, a real gymnastics!
Back to our camp of Grass Valley where we settle down quietly a little apart but connected to the essential electricity and water terminals to test the truck.
7pm: we go shopping again, favorite activity of these last days. On the program of the evening: washing. Essential to wash all the sheets, towels, bathroom linen before use and at the same time our last days clothes.
Nice evening at the lavorama of Grass Valley around pizzas tasted to the sound of the humming of the washing machines.
Installation for our first night in the truck under the magnificently starry sky of California.
Saturday, February 22 - Day 6
Another busy day of business.
We go again to RENO to return our rental car.
Opportunity for us to test our "dinghy" our Honda CRV that we will tow during our trip. Not very fun according to Gauthier who would have preferred an American 4x4 to brave the off-roads but the top according to the parents that we are anxious to go off-road as much as the city... The future will tell us if this choice was relevant.
We cross again the National Park of TAHOE and remain amazed by the landscapes and the smells of the pines.
Lunch in a very American restaurant where we are again welcomed with great kindness and sympathy by the staff. This time we are not alone.
The question of the day: the garbage cans: how to get rid of our bulky packaging of the equipment bought the day before?
The question will remain unanswered for the day!
Back to Grass Valley at the camp to continue the preparations.
This day in particular, the layout: to each thing its place.
We adjust the sleeping arrangements for the night.
Sunday, February 23rd - Day 7
In spite of our organization, we need a lot of additional elements for the WILLIRoad layout.
Back to Ikea to complete the first list. Nothing exciting but a necessary step.
We spend the rest of the day discovering the stores on our way. Their layouts, well known by Vincent is a discovery for me. Everything is huge, the concepts very different from those we know at home. Here the leisure stores in particular are real living spaces organized around a theme.
Return to the camp. End of the day around a home made omelet.
Monday, February 24 - Day 8
Still in GRASS VALLEY. It is time to think about leaving but the experience encourages us to validate all the points before launching out in our journey.
On the agenda of the day, listing of the points to be settled by the Team DeMartini: heating, sliding door...
We take advantage of a splendid sun to inaugurate our BBQ.
Our nomadic life gets organized little by little.
Afternoon tidying up, organization...
Evening Italian restaurant at Tofonellis Gold Country in Grass Valley and a small night visit of the very quiet city.
Return to the camp for our 4th night in WILLIRoad. We get used to it.
We find very quickly our marks of the life in boat.
Tuesday, February 25th - Day 9
We postpone our departure planned this day to leave to Vincent an additional day to recover from a blow of cold which puts him well knocked out.
The opportunity to test and organize our Trip a little more precisely.
Tidying up, itinerary calculation versus truck: all the roads are not accessible to us, we have to remain vigilant to avoid bad surprises and sometimes perilous U-turns.
Last evening in beauty at Friar Tuck's, bar in Grass Valley. Meal on bottom of music Country.
Singer, sax player, guitar, harmonica, dancer.
An air of America.
Last night at our base camp.
Wednesday, February 26th - Day 10
It is time to say goodbye to our hosts and thank them for their welcome.
9:45 am - Departure to LAKE TAHOE.
Everything is put away, hooked up, vehicles checked, we set off towards LAKE TAHOE, some 70 miles (+/- 112kms) for this first trip.
Gauthier is at the wheel, Vincent assumes the role of co-pilot (a little stressed) and I the role of "passenger". Hanging on the bench of the Kitchenette, I don't see much of the road and I am therefore busy with the "administrative" work and keeping the logbook up to date.
We take again a road already taken 2 times, that allows us to concentrate on the RV.
Road always so magnificent through the forest of TAHOE.
Under the shade of the sequoias, two hours of road to arrive at LAKE TAHOE
View here our route around GRASS VALLEY for 10 days.
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