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We got to sleep in today. The tires for Testie were scheduled to arrive at 9am. Walt received the call around 9:15am that the tires arrived and to bring Testie to the shop. We waited at the park until we got the call from Barb that they were ready to be picked up to go to breakfast. Walt thought it would only take John, the mechanic, an hour to replace all four tires.
We picked up the Skinners from the Tire Shack and headed to the Red Rooster Café, on the recommendation of John, a local, who stopped by the Tire Shack to visit along with his dog, Jenny.
There was a gas station next to the Red Rooster so Bob took this opportunity to fill up. He got really close to the gas pump again. Walt got out to help clean the windows and help Bob navigate out of the bay. Barb and I watched this guy get out of the drivers side of his truck parked in front of the store. He had a cast on his left foot. Mind you, this was at 9:30am. He came out with a six pack of beer smoking a cigarette. Walt was standing to the right of our RV directly in back of the guy's truck. The guy backed up without even looking in his rearview mirror and almost hit Walt. Thank goodness Walt had good reflexes. Bob pulled out without incident. Whew on both counts.
The Red Rooster was like stepping back in time to the 50's. There was a old Chrysler station wagon parked out front. Several old pickup trucks were among the cars parked in the restaurant's parking lot. Inside, we were waved to sit wherever we wanted. Three gentlemen dressed in overalls and suspenders where hugging their cups of coffee at the counter. The waitress was the only clue that we were in the 21st century with her tattoos and nose ring. The food was down home cookin'. Walt is a big Chicken Fried Steak fan, but he opted for the ham and eggs. The ham was a slice off the bone about a half-inch thick. Walt said that was the best ham breakfast he has ever had. The Red Rooster gets five clucks from us!
We drove back to the Tire Shack. Testie was only sporting one new tire. Walt was too optimistic. While Walt supervised John, the mechanic, Bob was enjoying talking with John, the local. Bob discovered that John, the local, went to the same high school as his friend, Dale. What a small world. At 11:30am, Testie was ready to hit the road.
We took HWY 178 towards Bakersfield out of Lake Isabella. It was a heebie jeebie ride. It was downhill all the way to Bakersfield following the natural curves of the Kern River. In other words, it was a very winding narrow road with no guardrails most of the way. Again, Bob handled it well, but has no desire to ever go that way again in an RV. The roads, even though, two lanes, were wide and well-maintained rest of the way...…until we got to Three Rivers.
The RV Park, Sequoia RV Ranch, was to be our first destination when we started our adventure. However, they were totally booked. We wanted to see what was so special about it and it happened to be very convenient for our planned stop to see Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on our final leg home. We arrived in Three Rivers and were following Siri's instructions. After we turned left on N Fork Road, onto a narrow two lane road that meandered through a residential area, we were getting concerned that Siri, once again, got it wrong. There was no place for Walt and Barb to turn around if she did. When she uttered, "You have arrived at your destination", and there was only a dirt road…..I was about to utter "uh oh" when I saw the sign for the Sequoia RV Ranch and a paved road just a few feet ahead. Whew.
The Sequoia RV Ranch is a hidden gem. The park is right next to the North Fork of the Kaweah River. You can get a site that backs up to the rock studded river and listen to the gentle sounds of running water. There is even a swimming hole. The sites are all nestled under huge oak trees. In the evening, deer come through the park to graze on the patches of grass throughout the park.
We arrived early enough to be able to take a short walk around the park and shower before getting together for a game of cards. For dinner, Walt worked his magic and came up with a blueberry based sauce over pork loin cutlets, grilled squash strips, scalloped potatoes, and a refreshing green salad that we ate while watching the final game of the World Series.
We went back to our rig to finish watching the game, but when the rain delay occurred, we just couldn't stay awake any longer…we had to find out in the morning the results…hopefully, the Cubs were the victors.
Tomorrow, we are visiting Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
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