The SNR club enjoyed a fun drive to Graeagle, followed by a delicious barbecue, hosted by Blake & Terry Martelle at their home in Graeagle, on Saturday, July 15, 2023. This was the third consecutive year the club has held this event and it has quickly become one of our most popular summer events. As always, there was no charge to club members for the barbecue (hamburgers, hot dogs, coleslaw, & beans) and drinks (beer, wine & water), funded by the club. Also as always, the Martelle’s old English bulldog Wilson was on hand, attired in his finest aloha shirt, to greet and entertain us (I must confess it was I who let him out of the house). Wilson loves and is loved by everyone (Danny might be the one exception) and is well-known as the nemesis of all full or partially full plastic water bottles … he just gets thirsty. I still haven’t found out why Blake named him after a volleyball (Castaway fans want to know!). This year the Martelle’s added cupcakes in 3 different flavors to the menu and they were a huge hit. Some of us were forced to have thirds.
We took a different route to Graeagle this year, starting from the Shell Station on Red Rock Road, then North on US 395 to Hallelujah Junction, CA 70 to Vinton, CA 49 to Sattley, then CA 89 to Graeagle. In previous years we had started from McDonald’s on Mt Rose Hwy and wound our way over Mt Rose, around North Lake Tahoe to CA 237, then followed CA 237 to CA 89. Our new route avoided the motor homes, 5th-wheel trailers and general congestion on Mt Rose Hwy and around the lake. It also avoided the lady who ran out in the road last year, to inform Barry we were not allowed to use her private (not) street to circumvent the backup from CA-237 on CA-28. There was some downside to the new route: it was much faster and we got to the Martelle’s too early (we’ll start later next year); and, some complained that their Porsches missed following CA-89 from CA-80 to Sierraville (some fun curves and pretty scenery along there). Nobody seemed to miss last year’s loop through the Graeagle mobile home park, however😉
