April 1, 2015

    I left Lone Pine on Friday, Mar 27 and drove to Bishop, CA where I stayed at the primitive but very enjoyable Pleasant Valley CG (BLM) which has an electronic "Iron Ranger" that accepts Credit Cards, only.  First time I've seen that!  But still, it's only $10 to stay overnight in a natural setting by a pleasant stream.
    Next day I drove on to Jackson, CA where I stayed at the Elks Lodge with water and electric for about $15 per night.  The purpose of visiting Jackson was to see Dwayne and Toni Dark, good boondocking friends who are currently off the road for a while.  While there, I was delighted to meet their son, Dean and his wife, Eva.  And I got a tour of their home that they built, mostly DIY, over a period of several years.  I was seriously impressed!
    And, I got to meet their new little dog, Minnie.  What a sweetheart she is!

    From there, I next went to Reno, NV to get new tires for my truck, and this went without a hitch.  I stayed at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino RV Park, which was quite reasonable (with discount for retired military).  However, the evening of my second and last day there, I went outside my rig to look at some serious clouds that were coming over the mountains from the west, and when I walked behind my rig, it struck me - "What the'..."  My bike was gone - missing - STOLEN!
    It had been secured with a rubber covered cable composed of twisted steel fibers, and the cable had been cut like butter.  I assume it was stolen my first night there, but I hadn't heard a thing all night.  And yes, insurance will cover a bit of the expense - about 25% of original cost.

    The thieves can't ride the bike, because I have the seat.  I always removed it while traveling to reduce solar UV damage to the nylon seat.  And it is rather distinctive in form - 8 feet long.  So it shouldn't be hard to identify.
    I called the Reno Police Department, and a very pleasant Officer Duke Jeffers responded, took all the information and my statement, and said that they have a pretty decent recovery, especially if one has the serial number of the bike, and I was able to provide that and a picture of the bike.
    So now, it's just a matter of waiting a while to see if it turns up anywhere.
    I left Reno the next morning, and relocated back to Ridgecrest, CA where it's still warm, and will just "hang" here for a while.

    I'm OK, and I hope everyone is having a good day,

         - Bill -