Have you ever had one of those weekends where, after you come home, you keep playing the events back in your mind over and over? And it’s hard to believe the things that happened actually did and you can’t stop thinking about them?

That was the kind of weekend I just had.

On Saturday night when Yum got home from work the two of us drove up to the cabin in Truckee. We left at midnight on the dot and arrived at the cabin at 3am. Three hours door to door? Just under 200 miles? That’s making good time, kids.

We took highway 4 across the levees and out to Stockton, where we merged on to Interstate 5 north. Yum was already fast asleep. I set the cruise control on the Jeep to 73 MPH. Through Sacramento and on to Interstate 80 east all the way to Truckee I never once had to speed up, slow down, stop, or use the brakes. 73 MPH the entire way. No traffic. It was awesome.

So Sunday morning we woke up and I made breakfast. The smell of cooking bacon wafted out the kitchen window and soon we’ve got all the dogs in the neighborhood on the front deck looking for a handout. Miriam promptly gave away all of our food for the trip. Not really, but anyway…

We went for a little drive up some dirt roads and past some reservoirs just past Truckee along highway 80. We stopped for a little hike along the Truckee river. We stopped and looked at available real estate and dreamt of owning some land up here. We stopped to throw rocks at frozen water on the side of the road. And then it was back to Truckee.

Back at the cabin we had a quick bite to eat and were asleep by 5pm. Yes, 5pm. Five hours later we were awake from the best nap I’ve had in I don’t remember how long. We spent a few hours by the fire talking, and went back to bed around 2am.

Monday morning we had breakfast and fed the neighborhood dogs again. We then went for a nice, long drive.

Over highway 267 to North Shore for a little gambling, then down highway 28 along the northeastern shore of Lake Tahoe.

We stopped at a couple places to explore the shoreline and take pictures, then followed highway 28 south to the highway 50 junction.

We then took highway 50 east to highway 395 north. We stopped for lunch in Anderson, Nevada at Johnny Carino’s, the worst Italian food I’ve ever had. Never go there, it’s awful.

And then the highlight of the day: the pilgrimmage to the new Cabela’s outfitter’s store in Reno! I’ve been a long-time patron of Cabela’s, but only ever bought their gear online. It was a real treat for a sportsman like me to finally get to go to a retail store. I was like a kid in a candy shop.

There was a supercoolawesomehuge aquarium full of rather large rainbow trout and bass and other freshwater gamefish.

The wild animal displays throughout the store were neatokeencoolbeans.

Their gun collection was outstanding. PLENTY of evil black rifles. I held a real .50 Desert Eagle. I stared down the barrel of a real Colt M4 carbine rifle. I asked to check out a real HK MP5, and was allowed to do the “HK slap”. I got to handle a real M1 Garand, right out of World War II. I was allowed to dry-fire a real AK-47.

Did you know that there are no waiting periods for guns in Nevada? In California you have to wait 10 days to pick up your new firearm. In Nevada they walk you and your new gun out of the front door and hand it to you in the parking lot.

I need to more to Nevada. Seriously.

Back at the cabin it was well after dark. We spent the rest of the evening on the couch next to a blazing fire, watching Heroes and old Johnny Carson reruns.

And then Tuesday morning we woke up from our dream and drove home =(

You know what to do.

I’ve got this big map of California thumb-tacked to our bedroom wall. Every time we drive somewhere we trace out the roads on the map in red ink. It’s an exciting moment for the both of us, and we’re always giggling and smiling as we draw in our latest adventure.

In the last six months we’ve been on highways 99, 80, 50, 88, 4, 108, 120, 580, 680, 880, 89, 32, 5, and 205 together. We’ve been to Truckee, Yosemite, Chico, Yuba City, San Francisco, Fresno, Hayward, Minden, Carson City, Reno, Sacramento, and countless other places.

We’ve driven the entire lengths of highways 4 and 88. We’ve driven 99 from Chico to Fresno, 80 from San Francisco to Reno, 120 from Manteca to Tuolumne Meadows, and 50 from Stateline to Sacramento.

And this is just the beginning. One day I’d like to see this old map tattered and torn and completely filled with spider webs of red ink, all over California and Nevada and Oregon.

So anway.

It’s Sunday October 28th. I’m starting a new shift and we won’t have the same days off anymore. What should we do on our last day off together?

I know! Let’s drive the entire length of highway 4 today for no reason! Well, other than to have a new adventure and put some new red ink on our map =)

The original plan was to drive up highway 88 so we could look at the Aspen tree groves just past Kirkwood. But we’ve been up that road before. Let’s do something different. Let’s go somewhere we haven’t been before.

Spur of the moment, the decision was made. We drove all the way up highway 4, through Copperopolis and Murphys and Arnold and Bear Valley and Mosquito Lake, up and over Ebbetts Pass, down the eastern side of the Sierras through Hermit Valley until we got to highway 89. Then it was 89 through Markleeville to 88, then we went east on 88 until we got to Minden. Up and over 207 to Stateline. Then it was all the way down highway 50 to Sacramento, 5 to Stockton, and finally 4 to home.

The entire trip was about 400 miles. That’s about 9 hours in the car. We stopped for lunch at Showshoe Brewery in Arnold, many times in the high country to breathe the fresh air and enjoy the scenery, once for ice cream in Markleeville, and coffee in South Lake Tahoe. I finally got sleepy half way down highway 50 and Yum had to drive the rest of the way home.

Whew! What a nice trip.

Highway 4 is my new favorite road in California. Above Bear Valley the road gets very narrow, steep, and winding. There are less people and less traffic. The going is very slow. At this point it no longer feels like a highway. The road is well-maintained, but it is clearly meant for cars. Some of the larger RVs wouldn’t make it.

It’s beautiful up there. Absolutely beautiful. Peace. Solitude. Alpine lakes scattered along the road, and even more within hiking distance. Plenty of places to camp and fish and hike and just… be. Pine trees and oak trees and aspen trees and dogwood trees and cottonwood trees and just… ahhh… Rugged terrain. Jagged, rocky, high mountain peaks. There was even a little snow.

I wish we had gotten out of the Jeep to take more pictures, but the sun was setting fast and we still wanted to try to see those Aspens on highway 88. But alas, we wouldn’t make it.

Oh well. We’ll be back. And highway 4 will be waiting for us.

Some pics here!