18 May 2010

I’ve never even come close to the length of time in-between blogs as I’ve done this time.  Sooo, were do I start…

Our journey coming out of California was partially on California Highway 1.  We drove that winding, narrow, slow highway from just outside of Los Angeles to Santa Cruz.  After leaving the Morro Bay area we headed up to see if we could get a tour into the Hurst Castle.  Just about 5 miles south of the castle, California has another state park that we were able to get into.  This worked out great as we were able to get an 8:30am tour at the castle the next morning and this would give us a quick and close run up in the morning.  The afternoon prior to our tour we got our tickets and took the opportunity to see the I-Max movie of the Hurst Castle.  There is no doubt this is a great story and a good piece of history for the state and the country.  If he was to have tried to live the life-style today with all the women in his life and the way that he treated his family, he would have gone into seclusion I’m sure, but that was a different time and he did build quite a monument to himself that draws a huge crowd year after year.  Louise

and I totally agreed on one thing, the “castle” it’s self was a disappointment.  It was really “cold” inside and made you feel very uncomfortable.  The outside of the castle left a lot to be desired too, but the landscaping

 and the pools…amazing. 

God, with all that money and all the property equaled quite a dream come true for him. 

Continuing on our coast drive we made one more stop for a nights rest. 

We knew that we were getting close to Los Gatos and the home of Laurie and Bob so with a quick phone call we got ourselves invited to stay a day or two.  Our kayaking buddies are great hosts and friends and we were made to feel right at home in their driveway.  We’re hoping to join them on the water again when they make it up north.  From Los Gatos we headed over to take I-5 and made our next stop at the Casino in Redding.  Our last time there we left with just under $150 and this time we (Louise) left with another $100.  Now as we leave Redding, we’re heading into the snow and rain and we’ll carry that with us all the way to Salem, Oregon.  I have a 94 year old aunt that lives here and I just wanted to stop by and see how she’s doing.  Aunt Neola has been a tough lady all her life and being 94 hasn’t slowed her down much.  Then a stop up I-5 to Charbonneau and have lunch with Leroy before ending up our day with a stop in Gresham.  We’ll stay in Gresham with Ricardo and Suzie for a couple of nights, pick up our car that we left with them over the last 6 months, and then head up to the Tall Chief resort. 

24 April 2010

After leaving Indio we headed over to Los Angeles to check out a manufacturer of RV furniture.  I found them online over a year ago and kept them in mind to “someday check them out”.  Their website looks really good and their prices…pretty darn good.  Now let us see just what is what.  We’ve kicked around the idea of either reupholstering or replacing the couch, but with their prices it almost makes sense to look at replacing everything.  Just before noon after pulling into their parking lot and meeting one of the owners, we were given the “grand tour”…  Rick and his partner started this business about 15 years ago and is doing quite well.  There biggest part of their business is home theater seating and then it breaks down to the RV and boat furniture end.  They ship all over the world from this one manufacturing plant and all of their business is done out of a catalog, although they will do custom manufacturing as well.  I will admit I went with a negative mind set but came away quite the opposite…very impressive. 

Now it was time to get the hell out of Los Angeles before the traffic comes to life and we’re caught right in the middle of it…we’re off to the coast, where I had no idea, just drive until we have to stop for the night.  Well we got as far as Lompoc and immediately headed off to find the local Wal-mart for a night of dry camping.  A surprise awaited us as we pulled in and found out that they don’t allow over-night camping in their parking lot like most others…  Well as it happened, we looked across the street and noticed that there was a large group of trucks and 5^th wheel trailers parked together…the carnival was just arriving.  With our little motor home in-between 2 of their big rigs we got away with a free nights lodging.  Early the next morning we headed off for our next stop along the California coast…Montaña de Oro State Park.  We’ve heard how the state parks fill up in California so we weren’t too sure we’d get a spot.  As luck would have it, we found we’re still traveling in the early part of the season and their campgrounds aren’t full yet, but that will be changing soon.

  We had a lot of young families camping around us, and they brought all their “little ones” with them…what a good time for all of us.  For Louise and me, it gave us a chance to take a couple of nice long hikes along the beach. 

On one of the hikes we almost stepped on a rattlesnake !!!  The trail was wide enough for us to have seen it in plenty of time, but our attention was caught by a little lizard scampering away from us.  Fortunately it just wanted to get out of our way more than set up and fight.  It was so close that I could almost count its rattles.  We knew that there were these critters all around us but that was a little “all too close”.  Other than the short lived scare, we had some wonderful sights and adventures along the beach.  From the white shale

to the unusual rock formations with pass-thruogh waterways...

  Life continues to be wonderful.

11 April 2010

Our Google Earth location is:  33.70596N, 116.21192W    Indian Waters RV Park, Indio, California

Once again our drive out of Yuma to Indio took us down California 8 to El Centro and north on 111.  We passed along side the Salton Sea passed by The Fountain Of Youth RV Resort

and then into Indo.   We arrived this last Friday afternoon after a quick stop by Algodones, Mexico.   We had to stop by Algodones once more because Louise lost her prescription sunglasses somewhere and she needed to replace them before we got too far away.  By “quick stop”, I mean that by the time we stopped outside border, crossed over,

walked to the optometrist who took an examination of her eyes, made the glasses (2 pair), had a great lunch, walked back across the border, and back on the road in 2 ½ hours…not bad.  Oh ya, it cost us $100 plus $10 for lunch. 

Two weeks ago we had driven into Yuma and immediately went over to see Mark and Susan (Louise’s brother).  We parked in their drive last November for a couple of days but this time we were offered a second option…some friends of theirs offered they’re place to us to pull into.  Jim and Nancy have a large lot that was set up for RV parking in 4 different locations around the property.

  Including the RV parking they have a small casita that we could use to watch TV, wash clothes, or stay in if we wanted. 

 Hell, we even had “Wi-Fi”…pretty nice digs from some great people.  We couldn’t thank them enough for their hospitality and generosity.  On Easter afternoon, after we were sitting around after a great barbeque, we were “treated?” to a 7.4 earthquake !!!  There were about 20 of us enjoying “our” patio and a great pot-luck when the ground started to shake and shake…  Some of us guessed that it lasted at least 2 minutes or more, but the reality of it was much less.  Less of not, it was one hell of a shake…  Even some of the “after” quakes came close to the size of the first and they continued for a few days after.  If you remember, I wanted to get the frontend aligned on the Winnie while in Yuma.  Well I got that taken care of…

it only cost me a set of upper ball-joints, 4 more items on the tie-rod, and the alignment, and all for $528.  Next it was new glasses for me in Algodones and a trip to the dentist for the both of us for a cleaning.  All in all, we had a great visit, met and made new friends, got a lot of our “must do’s” done, and once again continued on our way.

18 October ‘09

Some of the locals tell us it wasn’t quite that warm, but let me tell you something…these “locals” don’t know what they’re talking about.  As we pulled into Indio this afternoon the first sign we saw that was showing the temperature, indicated the temperature was 107 degrees and I BELIEVE IT !!!  Right or wrong, it was hot as hell.  We’re sitting here at Indian Waters (our campground for a couple of days), at 9pm and it’s still in the high 80’s.  Hell, we’re just not used to this heat all at once, we’re “Northwestern’ers”.  When we left Seattle it was getting into the low 50’s and when we pulled out of Portland, the winds were howling and the temperature was in the high 30’s, now…the 80’s at 9pm?        Well the drive down out of the Grapevine and onto Indio was hot but other than that, un-eventful.  After arriving here at Indian Waters, we hooked up, started up the roof-air, and headed for the pool.  Just after 6 we walked down to the local shopping area (about ½ mile each way) and split a very nice Italian dinner.  Now we’re sitting here reading and catching up on the blog, little by little.  I’m already missing not having the internet dish with us.  We’ve found a campground that wanted to charge us $8.95 a day to get our emails and now we’ve found one that was only $2 but it would only give us 60 megs per DAY (which is nothing)…I want my satellite dish back.  It’s either that or I’ll just have to stop up-loading my pictures.  We’ll see how things go down the road.

17 October ‘09

After being in a campground with all the hook-ups, tonight we are parked beneath the stars about 30 miles north of Los Angeles.  More specifically, we are dry camped at Pyramid Lake, just at the southern end of the “Grapevine”.  Our campsite sits on the side of the hills above the lake (no views from here) with no sounds but the crickets and the aroma of the steak on the BBQ.  The further we get into southern California the warmer…no HOTTER it gets.  Here we are, about 3500’ above sea-level at 6 pm and its 90 degrees.  Now much later (fact is, it’s now 7:30am) and its 52 degrees…we even had to pull up the comforter this morning.  Oh ya, I forgot to mention the bugs.  We’re back into those damn little flies that bite, suck blood, and leave a deep red mark that itches like hell for a week…damn those little critters. 

Boy gas prices have sure been running the gambit.   Since arriving in California, we’ve paid anywhere from $2.74 to $3.39 a gallon. 

16 October ‘09

Who doesn’t like a drive through the California wine fields (especially now with all the foliage changing colors), filled with all those beautiful tasting rooms (huge buildings that look more like personal mansions), and all this bathed in perpetual sunshine.  There is no doubt about it, northern California is beautiful.  From the Pacific beaches that are dotted with “sea stacks”,

to the incredible Redwood forests, and as I mentioned above, the wine fields.  Our drive continued to take us down Hwy 101 until we hit Hwy 12, and then a drive through Sonoma and onto our campground alongside the Sacramento Delta.  This is our 4^th time to stay at one of two campgrounds along the Delta and into this area.  Each and every time we have passed by the Jelly Belly plant and have said “we’ve got to stop and take the tour someday”…well today was that day.  We pulled in about 2:30 and in another 15 minutes we were offered samples and guided throughout the plant.  The history leading up to the “Jelly Belly” was really fascinating.  It’s the familiar immigrant story that came about by brothers bringing a candy receipt to the states in the late 1800’s, going broke, and then finally a couple of the “family” members brought it to what we all enjoy today.  Another part of the success of the company came about when “Governor Reagan” brought them into the Capital building then into the White House as President. 

15 October ‘09

This “tin roof” is amazing…  I’m not sure whether we had a slight rain fall last night or more than likely, we were the target of falling foliage from the tall trees above us.  Anyway, it was like living in a water torture chamber all night.  Prior to leaving this morning I grabbed my tire gauge and proceeded to check the tires for departure.  When we had the tires installed in Portland, I made sure that the installer knew that I checked the tires regularly, so “Please” make sure that I can get at all the valve stems to get an accurate check…”no problem”…  Ya right.  When we arrived to pick up the coach they had a valve stem so short that I couldn’t even find it…”Oh, well I had better get an extension on there for you”…  Ya right.  This morning I went to check the tire pressure and guess what???  One of the rear tires, with an extension, didn’t show any pressure…Thank God it was one of the outside duels because I could see that it did have plenty of air, and besides that, ALL of the tires were about 20lbs over inflated !!!  I was NOT a happy camper this morning.  Well there wasn’t anything that I can do now about the incompetence of this installer and his company, but I could do something…  We drove directly to Les Schwab in Brookings and told them of our dilemma.  It didn’t take but 10 minutes and they were out there at the coach and “fixed” everything….”NO CHARGE” !!!  What could I say but “Thanks Les Schwab”.  We finished off the Oregon coast and continued down Hwy 101 with more stops for pictures, a late breakfast, and lunch…all sitting beside the heavy surf crashing at our wheels.  Another “detour” was driving the 26 miles through “The Avenue Of The Giants”.  It was a slow ride because of the narrow two lane road, but the views of the great Redwoods made it well worth the time.  We had planned to camp in one of their state campgrounds in The Giants, but when we pulled up to register, we were blown away by the $35 a night charge WITHOUT hook-ups.  Well the Giants are very nice, but the price for the stay just didn’t warrant our staying with them…cheap, Yep…  Sooo, further down 101 we found an abandoned restaurant parking lot that sits right next to a gold course that said to us…COME-ON IN, THE WEATHER IS GREAT AND THE COST IS FREE… 

29 November ‘08

Saturday

Our time at Disney was just long enough and with our reservation set for Ramona, we set sail down I-5.  I must admit, it was just like sailing…that is, on the back of a snail.  We really thought that the Thanksgiving Day traffic would be light, but we were sure wrong.  Heck, we only had 90 miles to go and it took us over 3 hours to get there.  I have to admit, if I was still driving my car instead of the motor home, my blood pressure would have been sky high.  I don’t know what it is but driving the coach has made a difference.  OK, we made it to Ramona Canyon RV Resort (one of our member campgrounds) and settled in.  We enjoyed our last visit here and are looking forward to enjoying this one too.  This afternoon we drove up to one of the many reservoirs around the area in hopes of doing a little kayaking only to find that it was closed.  Yep, closed…  out of water (well pretty low anyway)… and the sign said it would be closed until 2012-2014.  California is really hurting for water, there is no doubt and every reservoir we saw was so low on water it wasn’t even funny.  Well with no water and not a chance of kayaking today, we decided to check out a couple of hiking trails. 

One of those trails we will be going back to in the morning and the other, we hiked today.  Because of the time of day, we chose the shorter trail of 3 miles and climbed an additional 1330 feet from were we left the car.  Now all we have to do take a deep breath and finish the day with a little shopping trip to Trader Joe’s and Costco.  Once we leave here we are not going to have their stores available to us for quite some time so stocking up with our “favorite” things from their stores was important.  Well another subject…the weather.  The sun was out today and the temp was hovering around 72 with the promise of 75 tomorrow and beyond for a few more days.  Now that is something I can get used too.

26 November ‘08

Wednesday

Our day started just as it did yesterday by heading directly into Disneyland and enjoying a couple more rides before California Adventures opened.  Our first ride was in Adventure Land.  We jumped into the Jeep of Indiana Jones Adventure and traveled a wild and crazy ride through the jungle and tunnels of Adventure Land.  Next it was over to Frontier Land and the exciting train ride of Big Thunder Mountain.

  This is one ride that we all loved the last time we were here and rode it a number of times before we left.  We thought about riding Splash Mountain but the additional thought of getting wet just didn’t give us the idea of fun, so we now have a reason to come back some day…when it’s a little warmer.  Then it was time to head over to California Adventure.  Our first ride there was one that we ended up doing twice.  It was Soaring Over California.  On this ride it takes you high into the air and you take this “virtual” glider ride over some of the wonderful locations throughout California.  It is amazing how real the “virtual” feels…hang on…  We followed that with another ride that we did twice.  This one is known as Maliboomer. 

On this ride, you sit on a seat that is attached to a 180 foot tower.  At the end of a 10 count you are blasted straight up to the top of the tower and then “yo-yo’d” back down…WHAT A RUSH!  Next door is another incredible ride.  California Screamin… 

 This is one fast and long rollercoaster.  First, you are LAUNCHED to an amazing speed and then launched directly upward.  After reaching the top (and it doesn’t take much time) you are heading into a nose dive, a twist right and then left, jetted into a complete flip so that you are now upside-down and then some more of the same…AMAZING !!! 

A little more timid ride was our next.  The Orange Stinger, and then the Mulhalland Madness, and and and…  What a day !!!  Our last ride for the day was one that I really thought was a very old hotel.  Well it turned out that this ride was one for the books.  We took this “freight elevator” up 4 floors only to have the door open up in front of us and, showing us just how far up we were, and then the bottom drops out from under us plunging us up and down 2 to 3 floors each way.  Of course each time we came to the 2 top floors the door would fly open and we would see the height we had obtained and lost.  Quite a ride!!!  Like yesterday, we pulled up stakes about 3 and headed back to the coach to re-group.  One further location that our bus would take us was one that I’ve always wanted to visit…The Crystal Cathedral.  We arrived at the Cathedral just before 7 and were amazed at what we found.  First, I was disappointed that they don’t light the exterior of the building and tower, but that disappointment was short lived.  They just happened to be having a dress rehearsal for “The Glory of Christmas”

and they just happened to have a couple of free tickets for us….WOW !!!  This was a pageant that you just have to see and we were blessed to have had that opportunity.  The story, music, dancing, costumes, animals and the set…WONDERFUL, absolutely wonderful.  Now it’s time to hurry back to Disneyland.  Unfortunately we just missed our bus heading back so we had to wait another hour.  By the time the next bus arrived and by the time we hit the gates at Disneyland, we heard the loud blast of the first aerial fireworks going off over the Fantasyland Castle.  This is why the rush to get back…the magic fireworks of Disney. 

 They say that Disney spends over $40,000 each night during this season for the fireworks display, and I believe it…it is beautiful.  Just as the last rocket is blasted into its multi-colored spectical high over our heads, the castle covered in sparkling ice

and you find yourself being layered in SNOW…  Yep, they even have their own snow fall… pretty good huh?  Ok, let’s get for home, it’s been a full day and we’re underway in the morning.

25 November ‘08

Tuesday

So where are you going after Madera ????  “DISNEYLAND” !!!! 

We followed HWY 99 as far as it went and then joined I-5 just as we were driving into Los Angeles.  It was just after noon as we were driving through the city and fortunately found the traffic to be pretty light. 

 The rest of the way to Anaheim and our campground were just the same.  After setting-up and having lunch, we settled in for the night and getting some rest before our full day tomorrow at the park.  By 8:30 the next morning we were out front and waiting for the Disney tram to pick us up.  Our first morning was spent strictly in Disneyland (that is, we didn’t get over to California Adventure…).  Our first ride was a quick circle around and around in the King Arthur Carrousel

to be quickly followed by a ride in a cup in the Mad Tea Party.  

Now, for those who really know me know I just can’t go too long before I have to find a great cup of coffee closely followed by a “treat”, and that’s just what we did.  We found the Blue Ribbon Bakery and Coffee House on Main Street USA.  The rest of the morning and into the early afternoon was followed by one ride after another…like The Matterhorn Bobsleds

 where you travel up and down, inside the dark mountain, on a very fast rollercoaster, Space Mountain,

 which is again, a very fast rollercoaster that runs inside a dark building, Astro Orbiter, Autopia,

Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, and the Sailing Ship Columbia.

  The crowds were moderate, so the lines to most of the rides were small to a max of 20 minutes or less so it made the day very comfortable.  The weather forecast showed that we might be in for some pretty heavy rain but, luck was with us…it held off until well after we were in bed.  We did head back to the coach about 3 with thoughts of letting our feet rest before going back for more after dinner.  At 6:30 the Christmas Lights Parade started and we were there early enough to find “the perfect” seat…on the HARD concrete curb.  We did have a great spot to enjoy the parade

but the butt sure got numb…  the rain did start, and we thought it was about ready to down-pour, so we opted to cut our first night short and head home. 

24 November ‘08

Monday

Wouldn’t you know it, we had beautiful weather the whole time we were at Delta Shores, but this morning as we were ready to leave…thick fog awaited us.  We pulled the plug and headed down Hwy. 99, fog and all.  Our destination today was a long awaited visit with some good friends Herman and Toni.  Taking our time driving through the fog presented no problems, but as we were passing through one 3 mile section of the valley, someone had decided that burning the fields was a good idea…BULL SH--.  Man, when the smoke mixes with the fog and sits right on top of the highway, it gets mighty difficult to drive.  Anyway, we made it without any problems but were a little disappointed that we couldn’t see much of the sights as we passed through.  Pulling off of 99 and into Madera all we had to do was stay on Cleveland until we saw Herman waiting at the sidewalk in front of their clubhouse.  Herman helped us get parked and then led us over to their beautiful home.  Before we had a chance to see Toni we saw some of her talent…some absolutely beautiful roses that adorned their front gardens.  Cindy, their little lady dog, met us at the front porch and made sure that “all” were aware that we had finally made it.  Herman and Toni had just gotten back from a visit to Holland and of course, we wanted to hear about every minute.  After enjoying a glass of wine and looking at some of their travel pictures, we headed over to Sal’s Mexican Restaurant.  Herman and Tony told us it would be good and it was….really good.  About 10:30 and we had to say our good-bye’s and “Thanks for your hospitality” before heading over to the coach for the night.  When we opened the curtains in the morning we found we were basking in the sun again…”Love that sun”… 

21 November ‘08

Friday

It was a quick drive up to Benicia this morning to get together with Bob and Laurie.  We met them this morning at Lindsay Art Glass & Blowing Company.  The last time we were with Bob and Laurie was in St. David, Utah and now getting to see them again was great.  They have traveled the states extensively and it is always good to talk with them and get some insight as to where we should consider going and what sites that we might see.  Well back to Lindsey Art…  The showroom was filled with some wonderful art glass from which most of it came out of the back room.  They had some great looking table lamps, along with vases of all size and description, and of course jewelry…  The prices seemed quite good although we didn’t find anything that we couldn’t live without.   A stroll to the backroom took us to a couple of chairs located just safe of the furnaces and in the company of a couple of artists. 

They were blowing a small series of vase with a design that matched throughout the group.   We were all very impressed with the ease and ability of which they worked with this molten glass.  After being so impressed with the glass work, we wondered across the street to see if we could be marveled with a great meal.  Being a little lucky, we found that the Mexican restaurant we heard about was really quite good as well.  Maybe the reason it seemed so good was because we were so engrossed with our conversations that no matter how good or bad the food was we most likely wouldn’t have noticed it….all kidding aside, we all thought the food was very good.  Laurie took upon herself to “entertain” us with things to do in Benicia…  Lindsay Art Glass was the first place and then it was a quick tour by the original “State Capital” building as we were on our way to lunch.  Laurie had heard some great things about the Benicia Historical Museum so that was our next stop.  The Camel Barns Complex is where the museum is located as well as a collection of artifacts and a workshop.  This was a great stop for us to get a look at what the early town of Benicia was and the military history of the 1850’s and after.  The military history included a time of experimenting with the use of camels, imported from the Mideast, as pack animals.  After the Civil War, the experiment was abandoned with the remaining camels being shipped to the Benicia Arsenal and auctioned off to the public.  Well this was a full day that just seemed to fly by…again, it was really good to see Bob and Laurie and we look forward to doing it again, although it will be quite awhile due to both their and our travels into different directions for a couple of years.  After saying our “good-bye”, Louise and I found ourselves thinking about “what’s for dinner?”…  It wasn’t until we came to the corner that heads off to Isleton that we made up our mind… “What do you say about hitting Isleton for crawdads?” 

This was going to be different, as neither one of us have had the “experience” of Crawfish or Crawdads…  Well, it was an interesting experience, tasty, but “interesting”.  We had 3 pounds of these Crawdads between us

and if they were to take and weigh the skins and un-eatables I think there might be 2.8 pounds left in the “skin-bowl”…  Oh well, we did and we enjoyed…would we do it again?  Probably, but just to try a different presentation, such as in New Orleans. 

19 November ‘08

Wednesday

Yesterday we finally made contact with Bob and Laurie (we’ve done a lot of great kayaking with them).  They have arrived at their home just outside of San Francisco after being on the road for quite a long time.  We’ll be getting together with them Friday afternoon.  I was hoping that we could get some kayaking time with them but it will have to wait.  After breakfast this morning, Louise and I went for a hike.  We followed the roadway along the top of the dike for a couple of miles and then returned an hour later.  Looking for a little more, we took the car to one of the boat launches close by and launched the kayak.  Finally, after 10 days walking and driving that dike road, we finally get into the water.  The water was like glass in the beginning but a little later into the paddle the wind came up and was hitting us from the left/front.  It wasn’t by any means a gale, but by the time we had paddled into it for over an hour, we were ready for nourishment.  Not wanting to be pushed deeper into the reeds (Louise thought there might be bugs in there..) we found a dock that some fishermen were using. 

We paddled around to the far side so that the wind would keep us in the slip.  Settling down into the calm of the dock, we enjoyed our lunch and conversation with the fishermen.  Fishing wasn’t great, but they did have 2 very nice Stripers to take home for dinner.  With the weather being so great since we arrived, we’ve barbequed just about every night.  Last night was Salmon and tonight…great hamburgers…

18 November ‘08

Tuesday

This last weekend we took a drive around a couple of the many dikes that dot this area.  We drove right out of the campground.  This dike roadway is extremely narrow with a drop of about 30 feet on the “dry” side of the levy and 5 feet to the water on the other.  On the water side we could see a few of the many birds that live in the reeds or the fields that line these dike roads. 

We drove past a couple of homes that were built on the “dry” side.  They rose straight up over 30 feet on a pedestal so that the first floor could take advantage of a water view.   There are islands out there as well and on some of them they have built homes that are only accessible only by boat.   Later we came upon the little town of Isleton.  The town proper was really old with little single and two story buildings that have rusting steel sheets that make up the exterior siding.  It’s also “locally” advertized that Isleton is the “Crawdad of Crawfish Capital” of the World !!!  We all know that it’s just the locals that believe this, but it’s going to get us back to have a feast on Crawdad’s.  In the last couple of days we have run into Lodi to hit Lowes and pick up some groceries, and once back here we spent time washing clothes and the coach from top to bottom.  I took the bikes off the back of the car and we’ve even been riding them a little.  Louise read about this 13 mile bike ride that takes you to a couple of wine tastings as well as a great ride along one of the dike roads.  Now let’s see if we will do it…after all, we’ve been talking about getting the kayak into the water and so far…well let’s see what’s going to happen between now and Sunday, when we travel to Madera.

14 November ‘08

Friday

I was up and out early yesterday.  The sun was shining and they promised it to be at least 75 degrees before the day was out.  As I sat in my lawn chair, coffee in hand, it was almost hard to imagine the many days of wet that we had been through the last couple of weeks, that was until I looked up and saw how terribly dirty the car and motor home were.  It was then that I knew what direction my day was going to take.  Unfortunately it all had to be done with a “bucket only wash”…  Having worked my way through the “wash”, taken a short nap in the sun, I tackled setting up the HughsNet Internet dish.  I must have had a lucky 4 leaf clover in my hand…the signal was obtained in about 3 minutes, a record for me.  I had planned to run over to Benicia to see the crew at Advanced Elements Kayaks but that will have to wait until tomorrow now.  For the second day in a row, I was out early in my lawn chair, having my coffee and enjoying the warmth of the early sun on my body….mmmm good !!! 

 Today we did make it to Benicia and we did see the crew at Advanced Elements.  I’ve now got a re-stock on catalogs and a dozen new hats to offer as gifts to those that just happen to ask (did you hear that Bruce ????).  I really enjoy going to the warehouse/office, but I enjoy hitting the water more, but that will have to wait one more day.  The rest of the day was a stop at Costco in Concord and then a run to the Napa/Sonoma wine country to do a little exploring.  The last time we were in this part of the wine country, was when our youngest daughter was 8 years old…today she’s (well let’s just say she’s over 38).  Our first stop was to visit the “Visitor Information Center” in Napa.  We were able to pick-up a map of all the wineries and get a couple of passes at the Lunde Winery for free tastings and a tour of their wine cave. 

 It was a short tour of the cave but the tasting was more than expected and of some very good wines. 

 The drive through the wine country was really pretty.  The leaves of the grape vines ran from light yellow to gold, pink, and dark burgundy, and with the contrasting hills…it was spectacular. 

 Our drive home was a little bit unusual for us.  We had become entangled in “rush hour” traffic…  Our life-style normally keeps us out of this phenomenon, but there was no way out of this one.  It took us 2 hours to go approximately 25 miles and that was done mostly in the dark, thanks to daylight savings time…  I really don’t like losing the daylight so early.  

12 November ‘08

Wednesday

Well this morning we are hoping that all will be finished with the coach.  It was supposed to be done Friday, but just as I was digging deep into my wallet, another tech walked up to say that he had another idea as to what might be our amperage draw (they couldn’t seem to find the problem over the last two days) but it would have to wait until Monday.  This gave us our weekend here which was totally filled with fun things, but it also gave us the opportunity to test the leaky slide and to test this new techs idea as well.  Unfortunately Saturday morning gave us one of the answers…our slide still leaks, not nearly as bad (which I must say wasn’t a nasty leak in the first place) but it was still wet after last night’s rain.  Now Monday and we’re back in the shop for one more day.  The topper on the slide is off and new tape is being applied as well as a small adjustment on the slide.  The electrical…well they have now definitely found what the draw is… It was found to be 2 of the 4 heating pads that sit under our holding tanks.  The answer is either to take the tanks out and replace the pads or just do without.  We are choosing to do without so if it ever gets to the point that the holding tanks could freeze, we are staying in the wrong place.  Ok, all is done… it’s still raining but not a leak in sight and now we are without a couple of heating pads but we’re all right with that as well.  Tuesday morning and still raining, we finally pulled away from Monaco Service and headed south.  A few hours later and we had crossed into California and low and behold the rain started to lighten up and then come to a stop…  It sure must be true, California needs rain and it’s shown by the lack of water in Lake Shasta.  We were by here just a year ago and the difference now is amazing.  The sloping red banks that seem to go down forever, used to be the normal lake level.  It sure looks bleak for the water needs of California.  Our first stop was Redding, California.  Just as we approached the city limits of Redding, Louise saw a road sign telling her that there was a casino in town.  Ok, you know we just had to go and after all, they have free RV parking too.  Louise really enjoys her time in the casinos so I enjoy taking her (at least most of the time…).  We walked over to the casino after setting up and made sure we signed up for our “promotion dollars ($10 each) and then took advantage of their $12 T-bone steak dinner.  I immediately lost my $10 and went home, but as usual, Louise stayed longer and merged her $10 into $32.  We were also given an additional coupon if we were to come back this morning.  It was for an additional $20ea.  And then, on top of that, the young lady that runs the shuttle gave us both one more coupon…this one for $10 each.  We decided to make short work out of these new gifts and quickly turned our new found wealth of $60 into $132 and quickly left town.  We are now sitting in our new campground beside one of the many dikes of the Sacramento River Delta. 

27 February ‘08

Wednesday

Well I mentioned our “caravan” of 37 motor homes in my last post, but upon arriving here I was shocked to see another arriving just behind us that totaled 115 !!!  Gawd, can you imagine…  We are just one of over 2800 motor homes that are here now to partake in the semi-annual FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Rally.  There are about 300 vendors here that are displaying their products that fit the needs or wants of those of us that have motor homes.  Also the motor home factories have all of their new models here at “the best prices available” whether they’re priced at $2,750,000

or $69,000. 

There is something here for just about everyone that wants a “new” motor home.  Louise and I have been jumping out of bed every morning since we arrived here at 7am to run, or fast walk, to our selected seminars.  There are about 6 seminars each day lasting 2 to 3 hours.  These are covering just about any and all subjects relating to RVing.  I’ve been attending more of the tech/mechanical side and Louise has chosen those from microwave/convection cooking, traveling by RV to Alaska and other exciting places. She also took a great seminar on fire and safety in the RV which was really appropriate after having our exciting ??? fire in the last coach.  We also have another opportunity to have the factory “Techs” come out to our coach again.  Today we had the Goodyear techs out to examine our tires.  It seems in the industry, RV tires should be completely changed out after 5^th to 6^th year, no matter how good they look, and ours looked real good.  Unfortunately we had to make the tire change…  Tonight we are the proud owners of 6 new tires but, had to write a check for $2,800.  Thank God we don’t have to do this very often…  On the other side we took the car (toad) in to have the auxiliary  braking system checked out.  This is the braking system that we put into action when we are pulling it behind the coach.  When we apply braking pressure to the coach brake the “auxiliary” system applies the same pressure to the car brakes.  Well anyway, the company that we purchase this system from 2 years ago decided that we should have a NEW system installed…ON THEM…NO CHARGE…I was a very happy camper with that decision.  When the days are finished (about 5) we find our way slowly (feet hurting) back to the coach.    FMCA has entertainment (50’s, 60’s bands and some other “Headliners”) on 3 different stages throughout the day but unfortunately we pass on the late show.  We are so tired that all we really want to do is head back “home” for a glass of wine and reflect on the day and get ready for the next.

19 February ‘08

Tuesday

The “Rally” day starts with coffee and juice (where are the donuts?) at 7:30am and breakfast a half hour later.  The educational seminars start at 9.  Attending these we learn more about our motor homes (and there’s a lot to learn) and how to take care of them.  This rally comes complete with 3 meals a day followed with “ice cream socials”, and wine and cheese appetizers…hell, this could be a lot of fun… 

 This morning I met with one of the “Tech” reps that the Holiday Rambler Corporation sent.  They are here to meet with those of us that have problems or questions about our coaches and in a lot of the cases take a hands-on approach by fixing them.  There are only two of them, so if they can’t get to everyone now they’ll have the opportunity next week in Pomona.  Just before our “social” we got a knock at the door.  It was the Tech’s.  I gave them a tour of what I wanted them to look at and asked the questions of operation that I had wanted to know about.  Unfortunately I didn’t get a lot resolved but on the other hand, I got a lot more information than I had before.  On Friday, there will be 37 motor homes gathering out in front of the campground and will travel as a group to Pomona. 

 Now can you see this…37 motor homes that range from 38 to 45 feet in length and all of us towing a “toad” heading down Hwy 10 for 100 miles.  I would be one of those “happy commuters” that would love this….ya right…  Anyway, I’ll let you know how this goes.

17 February ‘08

Sunday

We left the snow behind and headed off to Indio this morning.  Well the truth is, the snow was almost totally melted the day after it fell.  The aftermath of the storm left one of the main roadways badly damaged by slides and second main road was very slow to open because of wash-outs.  In taking all that into consideration we opted for the freeway system for a lot of today’s driving.  Indio is about 125-130 miles north northeast from Ramona so we headed for California 515.  About 75 miles later we were at Temecula, turning right and heading east to Indio.  What we didn’t expect was that we were just about ready to head down the “Pines to Palms”…  The Pine to Palms is the two lane roadway that drops from 4,400 feet to -50 in an almost totally vertical drop that is one hair-pin turn after another. 

 I really didn’t want to venture onto such a drop in altitude because I’ve always got to keep my eye (or should I say “my foot”) on our speed or breaking power as we are going down the hill with our “toad” (our car) pushing behind.  To be honest I really enjoyed the ride and challenge while my partner, she who rides in the seat to my right, had other thoughts of “enjoyment or terror” at the time.  We’re heading here to Indio for our first “Rally” although this is actually called a “Pre-Rally”.  Pre-Rally because we (us being one Holiday Rambler motor home out of 72) are all going to travel together 75 miles to Pomona, California to attend The FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Rally.  Almost the moment we pulled into town we picked up the cell phone and called Leroy and Claudia to see if they were “home”.  They have decided that Indio is their new home away from home, or winter home area.  Louise and I were lucky to be here now as their daughter Carrie and her two sons and daughter are here visiting.  We haven’t seen her for a very long time and as far as her kids, this was our first time.  What a great family…  Yesterday we checked into our new campground and this morning we joined other “Holiday Ramblers” (the brand name of our motor home) to start the rally. 

14 February ‘08

Thursday

Two days ago we drove up to Oceanside and took a left…yep; we wanted to drive the coastline all the way to the border.  The weather was wonderful, with 75 degree bright sunny day and a slight breeze that kept the wave action great for surfing.

  It is amazing how many surfers are out there catching the waves.  Heck, I thought surfing was big but the amount of surfers that we saw in just this one day was amazing.  We really enjoyed the drive, with stops at just about every little village, town, or city that we came to, just to get out and walk some of the piers and beaches.

  We even made a stop at Torrey Pines Golf and Country Club and the glider port next door.

  We weren’t too sure what a “glider port” was but we soon found out.  It couldn’t have been a glider port at an airport as we were at the edge of a huge cliff overlooking the ocean.  What it turned out to be was a jumping off place for those that want to don a parachute and run off the cliff.  As it turns out, this cliff has almost perfect currents so that those that want to jump off can have a very long flight and then come right back to where they initially left the ground.  Driving by San Marcos on our way to Oceanside, we saw Campersworld.  Wednesday morning we drove over there to see if I could pick-up a piece I’ve been looking for.  As it turned out, we didn’t find what I wanted but we were able to spend some money anyway…we always seem to find a way at this store.  Today (Thursday) was one of those days that we decided to stay around home and maybe make a quick trip into the grocery store.  Just before we were to take off for Ramona, we were “shocked” to see it start to SNOW !!!  As they’re telling us over the TV tonight, it was a “surprise” storm that caught everyone off guard.  We must have had at least 2 inches drop this afternoon.  Our neighbors George and Sharon Langton were out all day and got caught it all this mess.  Fact is, they even got caught in a “Road Closed” situation because of a large mud slide.  Fortunately they were able to make it home before dark and all was well. 

9 February '08

Saturday

After breakfast, we took the winding road out in front of the campground to Julian.  Julian is one way and the road to Ramona is the other so we decided to follow the "locals" and visit Julian.  There was a very short "gold rush" around Julian and at that time the population was about 600, today it's about half of that.  The draw is the distance from the larger towns, driving through some beautiful landscaping, it's up in the mountains (just over 4000 feet), and they are supposed to make the best apple pies in California.  Well we joined the mass of motorcycles, antique cars and trucks, and those that just wanted to get out of the house on a great sunny day and head up to Julian for some apple pie.  We got there just before noon and walked the town.  Now walking through Julian and taking in some of the local stores doesn't take too long.  Very soon we found ourselves looking for lunch, and with lunch some of that famous "APPLE PIE".  Once the time came to order I saw the "Apple/Cherry Crunch" and knew right then and there that I had just found "my pie".   All I've got to say about that is, you've just got to take the ride to Julian, the pie's "that" good.   

8 February '08

Friday

Louise must be feeling a lot better...she wanted to spend the day at the beach.  One things for sure, San Diego has some great beaches to chose from.  One that stands out in our memory is the beach resort of Coronado.  It has been a very long time since we were here last and we were excited to see it again.  First on our list was to walk the boardwalk in front of the Coronado Resort.  The "Del" (Hotel Del Coronado) has been "The" resort to visit and enjoy since 1888.  With it's Victorian turrets and cupolas it is a very special place to see and be a part of, even if it is just for a "Latte".    Sitting just inside of the door was a great looking espresso bar...well for those who know me, know that I've just got to try one.  Ordering my Double Latte and a "treat", Louise joined me by the pool to "enjoy" my new find. 

I think I have finally found the "Best" Latte and Treat to have ever been made, and it was mine...  Saying it was good is an under-statement.  Well we hadn't come all this way just for me and my coffee so I turned to Louise and told her it was her time.  She led the way to the sand and surf while I grabbed the sand chairs and lunch she had packed earlier.  What a day, it was one of the best "beach" days we have had since last year when we spent 4 months in the Baja.   As the day started to fade away, we decided to take a drive across the bay and take in the Cliffs, Tidepools,

Lighthouses, and Military Cemetary of Point Loma and Cabrillo National Monument. 

In 1520, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first European to set foot on the west coast of what is now the United States.  He is recognized as the founder of what is now San Diego.  We did enjoy this park very much and would like to return for a hike of two a little later. 

7 February '08

Thursday

Lou was feeling much better today so we decided to take a drive into San Diego and take in the Mission Basilica San Diego De Alcala.

  This was the first of California's missions ("The Mother" of California's missions), and was founded in July of 1769.  It has to be moved once and rebuilt totally 3 times because of different wars (Indian and Mexican).  At one time it also was even a military post and then President Lincoln signed it back over to the Catholic Church.

  We didn't want to stay out too long because of it being Lou's first day out so we headed back.  On the way we took time to do some shopping at Costco and Trader Joe's...love them both. 

6 February '08

Wednesday

I had a slight cold that lasted about 3 or 4 days and now Louise has caught it and unfortunately has made it much stronger.  She is really suffering with it.  This morning we drove into Ramona (about 5 miles south) and picked up some "medicine" in hopes of getting her some relief. 

6 February '08

Wednesday

Well it was time to say "Goodbye" to Mark, Susan (see their new home???), Yuma, and Pilot Knob again for another year.  I also had a wonderful birthday celebration to be thankful for this last Saturday...number 68 and it's going to be great to have the rest of them going backwards in the future (I'll look forward to seeing 67 again).  As we pulled out of Pilot Knob the weather was getting better and we were heading into the California mountains were it was to be getting cooler...what is this????    We traveled west on  Hwy 8 until we were about 20 miles east of San Diego and then we turned north and headed another 25 onto Ramona.  The mountain pass topped out at 4200 feet and there still was some snow up there.  Ramona is still up in the high hills east of San Diego and is supposed to be a little cooler but fortunately it hasn't proven to be.  This whole area was hit hard by one of those tragic range fires that was driven by the 100+ Santa Anna wind storms.

  All around us is evidence of huge losses, even here in the campground.  Then to top off the fire damage, the following rains have swept in and caused a lot of damage as well.  There is a small river that flows into a small lake here in the campground and the color of both is "dirt brown"...not too pretty.  On top of that the trees have all been touched by the fires and have left the leaves dead on the branches and the trunks blackened and still smelling a little bit of a wet fire pit.  There are many homes around here that were lost in the fires and even some cars and pickups are scattered here and there looking like they were caught in a war. 

13 December '07

Thursday

We really enjoyed ourselves in Indio and look forward to returning for a much longer stay in the future.

  Now we are just about 100 miles east of Indio and sitting on the banks of the Colorado river.  We checked into the Western Horizons campground, Colorado River Oasis Resort, on Monday.  Our site is right above the banks of the Colorado and we hope to slip the kayak in soon.  Tuesday we drove the 15 miles into Quartzsite to check things out and see if we could find "the water filter" man.  We would like to re-stock our filters before we leave here, they are much less expensive here than anywhere else we have been.  Unfortunately we came back without any.  Much of "Quartzsite has yet arrived and it seems that "the water filter" man is running later than last year...I hope he shows up before we leave in another week.  Yesterday I spent the best part of the day pulling out everything we have from out of the basement area of the coach.  Everything was taken out to the patio area so that we could do a little inventory and then put back in in a more organized fashion.  Today (Thursday) I found it a real joy to open the basement doors to look for something and immediately find it....who would have thought that a little organization would make such a difference???  The rest of the day was spent just hanging out and meeting and talking with some of the other campers here.  At noon we were all asked to go up to the club house as we were going to be entertained with Christmas songs from the elementary school down the street.  It kind of reminded me of the times when we were invited to the school and our kids class choir would sing for us, it's always very entertaining. 

 Louise started decorating the coach for Christmas.   She found some beautiful electric candles that sit at the windshield and tomorrow we will go shopping to finish her project.  Tonight we sit watching "Survivor"...

7 December '07

Friday

We've had soooo many opportunities to go and enjoy a Pow Wow but we waited "just for this one" here in Indio.  This was going to be a 3 day event but we only had one night to enjoy it, and that one was tonight.  It was held at one of the casinos here in Indio with the "Grand Parade" coming into the pavilion at 6:30. 

It was headed by the "Elder" of the local tribe and a guest from a tribe in Alberta, Canada.  Following them was the flags of the 2 countries and about 250 Native Americans from Nations across the Americas.  This was the 11th Annual Winter Gathering and presented by Twenty Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians.  The ceremonial dress of the men, women, and children was absolutely amazingly beautiful.  We took in some of the contests that were to last the whole 3 days.  Now we didn't see the finals, but we really enjoyed the Druming contest, the singing contests, and my favorites, the Ancestorial dancing.  After the Druming and singing competion we saw the Elder men and women (65 +), and the youngest children dance. 

When we left we left with a bounce in our step and an amazement of the stamina of those that were before us tonight. 

4 December '07

Tuesday

The Salton Sea is California's largest lake and it just happens to be more than twice as salty as the Pacific Ocean and, it sits 220 feet below sea level.  Pretty amazing...  It sits just a few miles south of Palm Springs and a few miles north of El Centro.  Right now the water level of the lake is dropping, but if it were to continue raining here in the Palm Springs area like it did last week, it would sure help.  At one time the "Salton Sink" was the site of a major salt mining operation as early as 1815.  the Salton Sea exists today because of a man made environmental disaster in the early 1900's.  Irrigation routes from the Colorado River caused the river to flow unchecked into the Salton Sink for better than 2 years.  Well now you've got a new lake, and it's very salty...  The lake is 35 miles long, and at the widest, 22 miles.  It is also pretty shallow...approx 50 feet at the deepest point.  With the weather being almost perfect, we decided to take the kayak out of the car and paddle the Salton.

  Each time you get into the water you take in totally different sights, and this one wasn't any different.  We had mountains across the lake and desert and farming fields on the other.  Sea birds were plentiful because of the fish in the sea.  We were really taken with the huge white Pelicans.  I would guess that we saw well over 200 of them in our 2 hour paddle. 

3 December '07

Monday

As we pulled into the Joshua Tree National Park we found immediately that this park was going to be an adventure.  From our first stop at the Visitor Center on the south entrance to the Visitor Center at the North entrance some 70 miles away.  We did our first hike around an oasis. 

 Now you've got to remember that this is desert area, but we did find were water has been sought for centuries from the Indians to the early and late "gold seeking" settlers of California. 

 (Do you see the elephant above?) We also had fun climbing the most interesting twisted rock and exposed granite monoliths we've ever seen. 

 This park is gigantic...  As we drove over the first pass and looked down into the valley below we were stunned.  As far a we could see wasn't even close to the boundry.  All we could see were walls of mountains with more mountains on the other side...mountains of deserts.  The Joshua Tree National Park is composed of 2 deserts, the Mojave and Sonoran...it is immense.  Our next hike was into the "Cholla Cactus Garden".

  They call the Cholla the "Jumping Cholla" because all you have to do is get close and it seems that you've got yourself a mass of cactus quills.  We've been around the Cholla for a lot of years but this natural garden is really something special.  You would think that we would have seen the reason they called this park the Joshua Tree National Park but we flat ran out of time...now we have a reason to return some day, to see the famous Joshua. 

2 December 2007

Sunday

Today was another first for me.  The day we checked in here, we were handed a schedule of events for the week and listed for this Sunday was a "Vendor Day".  This ment that any person or couple that had a product to market or sell could set up a booth an "SELL, SELL, SELL.  Well I wanted to "test" the market with my kayaks...  2 in the afternoon we were ready...table, chair, literature, price sheet, and of course..."The Kayak".  I had no idea of the response that I would get but as it was, I was blown away...  I did't get any sales this time around but the reception was overwelming.  They will sell for me and they will sell well...I'm excited !

Now finishing our 3rd day here in Indio, I've got to say that we've been busy...Did I say busy?  Well that may not be exactly true.  Thursday we decided to find all the local stores and just see the area that we are now living in for the next two weeks.  There is no doubt that this area of California's desert is nothing but beautiful.  Those of us that haven't been around Palm Springs, Indio, and the other towns tghat make up this area only had the pictures and words of others to tell us how nice it is.  Now it's my turn...don't miss it !!!  It does seem that just about everything is brand-spankin new and lying in the shadows of some outstanding mountains.  The weather has really been great since we got here, but yesterday we were entertained with rain...a down pour.  The news told us that this was the wettest day that they've had in the last 2 years.  There were a couple of areas around us that got as much as an inch of rain and created flooding and power outages from one area of the valley to the other.  We were without power for about 2 hours ourselves.  There was a silver lining to being without power, we had a chance to run the generator and get it up to "load".  They tell us that we should run the generator at "load" once a month so thaty gave us our opportunity.  No sooner had the rain stopped that we received high winds across the desert.  Unfortunately today, Saturday, is the day they celebrate the tamale.  The Tamale Festival" is celebrated in Old Town Indio every year.  This is a BIG DEAL !!!  Last year they had 120,000 visitors.  It started off with a parade through town at 10am, opening of the booths and fhe fairas the last person clears the end of the route.  Now the "tasting" of the tamales begins.  There is this one tamale stand that you might say is "the" place to eat tamales.  As we were walking around looking at the different booths and having aq tamale or two, we came upon this one booth called "Grandma Lupes Tamales". 

I kid you not, the line for their tamales was about 150  yards long and each person that was lucky enough to get to the head of the loine was buying "quantities" of those tamales.  It was amazing... Nope, we didn't get into the line but we heard from some of those that did...."the best you can buy" !  Later in the evening, after washing the coach, we walked over to the club house and had a dinner of chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, gravey, corn, salad, and or course...desert.  We ate well today...

27 November ‘07

Tuesday

Last night was a “first”…  We “camped” at a Wal-Mart.  Yep, after all this time on the road, visiting all those different campsites from resorts to dry desert and ocean beach fronts, we finally drove into a Wal-Mart and camped the whole night long.  Not that it’s such a big thing but we were just never in the right place or the right time.  After a long drive from Kettleman to San Bernardino on some typical California freeways (which are some of the worst roads we have ever encountered), and not having found a campground close by, we pulled into the first Wal-Mart we saw as we came into San Bernardino.  To our surprise it wasn’t one of the “Super Stores” so we weren’t able to do any grocery shopping.  First thing this morning we awoke with a lot of “big rigs” moving around and finding their way back to the freeways.  We continued on Highway 215 to 10 until we got to our next campsite at Desert Hot Springs about 1:30.  Tomorrow we will again have a long drive of about 20 miles to Indian Waters RV Resort in Indio.  We are going to be there for 2 weeks.  This is the longest stop since leaving Fall City a little over a month ago and I’m looking forward to it.  This will give us a little time to do some fixing, cleaning, and a little more time for reading a good book. 

25 November ‘07

Sunday

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family.  Unfortunately Friday morning came too fast and we had to say “Good-bye” and take our new “toad” and head south.  We drove our “Turkey Day – Birthday Girl (Granddaughter Amy) to the airport on our way out of town and boogied… 

The weather the whole time was cool and sunny and our drive back turned out to be the same.  We made it as far as Grants Pass and found a motel for the night before heading out again by 9 in the morning.  Just after noon on Saturday we were moving back into the coach and getting ready to move out again on Sunday morning.  Our LP Gas tank was getting a little low so we filled it before leaving the campground and headed south for I-5 and our next destination Indio.  The holiday traffic was a little heavy, especially the closer we got to LA.  Tonight we stopped at a little campground in Kettleman City and will get a late morning start to Bakersfield and beyond tomorrow.  The drive from Stockton to here on I-5 was nothing but tiring and absolutely nothing to write home about.  Soooo…

23 November ‘07

Saturday

Boy, a lot can happen in a week…  Louise and I woke up last Sunday morning and decided to “surprise” our daughters for Thanksgiving.  This was going to be the first time that all 3 of our daughters were going to be able to get together for Thanksgiving in years and we wanted to be a part of it too.  Sooo, off we went.  It took a little time and effort to get the coach put into “storage” but once it was done we saw nothing but the roadway disappearing out our back window.  884 miles later and we were pulling into Woodinville (Seattle area) and getting ourselves all ready to “eat turkey”.  Now some of you may remember that we have been giving some thought about picking up a new “toad”, and now that we have a few days without a schedule to keep we decided to go looking in earnest.  We did find a couple that really fit our needs…looks in good shape in and out…priced reasonably…not too heavy to be pulled…and had all the camping needs for us when and if we were to take a side trip in it.  Well before we signed on the bottom line we went to talk with “the expert” in towing.  I had heard about this thing called “a drive line drop” but really didn’t know a great deal about it. “ Yep, they work, no I don’t recommend it”…  A little more discussion and I was convinced that this wasn’t going to work for us.  Well now back to step one.  We really wanted a campervan but now we would have to go with our second choice.  It wasn’t that we were unhappy with our 4X4 Chev Tracker, it’s just that we wanted a little more room.  An SUV that had always come up in conversation between us was the Suzuki Grand Vitara 4X4 so we went to see what we could find and besides, we knew that this would tow 4 down without any modifications.  Hell, in town for two days and we’ve bought ourselves a new “toad”… 

Now all we have to put our minds to is having a great few days and a Thanksgiving dinner with our family…Happy Thanksgiving !!!

17 November ‘07

Saturday

After enjoying our time in Vallejo and San Francisco we turned northeast and headed to a new campground about 15 miles from Lodi.  But first, let me tell you about a side trip that I made…I drove over to Benicia and met with the people from Advanced Elements.  Just over a year ago Louise and I purchased our Advanced Elements “Convertible” kayak.  We have had so many incredible side trips with it, and have introduced our kayak to so many people that have turned around and purchased one for themselves, that we decided to try to become a dealer.  I spoke with their National Sales manager and laid out my business plan.  The whole thing came together for both of us, so as of now, I am a dealer for Advanced Elements Kayaks….”If there is anyone out there who would want to buy the best kayak they can get their hands on”,  I would look forward to helping you find one of the best times of your life in owning a kayak… 

OK, now back to our drive to the Sacramento Delta Area and our new campground.  After leaving I-80 at Fairfield we headed across the “Delta” area on one of the roughest and narrowest 2 lane roads we could find.  This delta area was nothing but flat rich farm fields that are laced with rivers and ponds, all held in place with dikes.  On top of some of the dikes were the roads that we were to travel in finding our new campsite.  It was a little un-nerving to drive down a steep drive from the dike road and leave the river waters, about 3 feet below the road surface on one side, to find our new “home” about 20 feet below on the other side…I sure hope the dike holds while we are there…  This campground, which is called “The Lighthouse RV Resort”, was really quite nice and run by some great people.  This was also a site that was chosen for shooting a movie.  The crew was staying in some of the cabins and some others brought in their RV’s during the shot.  The name of the movie hasn’t been “written in stone” yet, but they think it will be “In The Eyes Of The Beholder”…lots of blood and guts so they tell us. 

15 November ‘07

Thursday

We were at the Vallejo ferry parking lot an hour before our 10am departure to San Francisco.  This also gives us time for picking up our day passes and have a much needed cup of coffee before hitting “The City By The Bay”.  The ride across the bay from Vallejo takes just over an hour and at this time of the morning we were fortunate not to have a full ferry.  Louise and I sat at one of those long bench seats with a long table between them, which has room enough for at least 6 to sit comfortably.  We did have a young lady join us.  I’ve found while traveling, that I enjoy listening for accents and trying to determine where their home land might have been or is today.  Well Petula was from Ireland and for the hour that we were crossing the bay, I’m afraid that we dominated her “quiet time”.  We thoroughly enjoyed having met her and exchanging stories and remembrances of Ireland.  Fact is we met and talked with other tourists that were visiting from places like Turkey, Great Britain, Greece, Italy and Denmark…we really enjoyed talking with everyone and again, it reminds us just how small the world is.  San Francisco is known for their cable car systems, dining/bars, shopping, the financial district with the Transamerica Pyramid, and entertainment (we enjoyed the “street entertainers”).  I’m sure there are many more things that the Bay City is known for but that’s what we were in town for today.

  We rode every route the cable cars took and we jumped off often to visit places like China Town,

Fisherman’s Wharf,

the Maritime Historical Park, Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the world), and a couple of beautiful cathedrals.  We also saw while riding the ferry, the Golden Gate Bridge,

 the Bay Street Bridge, Alcatraz, an island Bed and Breakfast, and a lot more…it was a full day of sightseeing this great city, and thank God we had perfect weather for it. 

11 November ‘07

Sunday

After yesterday being a very wet stay at home day and today being our last full day here, we headed for the car.  From the day we arrived here, we had been reading about the Rosso & Bianco Winery.  This winery is owned by Francis Ford Coppola and has quite a lot of the movie awards he has received over the years.  I counted 6 Golden Oscars and at least a dozen golden plates and plaques.  Along with the Oscars and plates were pictures of Francis and many of the famous stars that worked with him over the years.  His winery, Rosso & Bianco, produces the same wines that were produced by his grandfather as the “family” wines.  These were made in the basement of his New York home in the early to mid 1900’s.  They weren’t fancy wines (I thought they were darn good…), but everyday wines, wines that were on the dinner table each night.  We went there for lunch and a little sampling.  In one of the many pieces of literature that we’ve been reading, we read about the restaurant at Rosso & Bianco.  Now needing (well maybe not “needing”) lunch this afternoon, we decided that this was the perfect spot.

It was a warm sunny afternoon and the patio overlooking the vineyards couldn’t have been a better location.  Let me tell you, it was the perfect spot and a wonderful lunch to boot.  The restaurant, surrounded by the multicolored vines of the winery, is located inside an architectural marvel known as Rosso & Bianco.  You might say we really enjoyed our day….

November 10, ‘07

Saturday

Our campground is 4 miles north of Cloverdale, and right beside the Russian River.  Some great tasting wines come from all over this area of California, and I’m sure the water from the Russian River has something to do with it.  We had no more than checked in to this campground and we were underway to visit the Chamber of Commerce.  We met with this lady at the Chamber that had the personality of a slug…it was pretty bad, but we did get enough information out of her to get a good start on the area.  So over the next 4 days we were out “cruising” for towns of the area, wineries, lakes, rivers, and more of the Pacific Ocean.   It doesn’t make any difference what state or country you are in there are towns and villages that are worth taking the time to visit, and then there are those that you just pass through.  In visiting Healdsburg we found ourselves out of the car and going from one store front to the next…it was a great little “burg” (Healdsburg).  The Chamber of Commerce here was 100% more enjoyable and informative than our last experience.  This would be a great choice for our next home if we were looking…AND WE’RE NOT !!!            We’ve been graced with great weather since we’ve been here so we’ve been looking for a good place to do some kayaking.  

Lake Sonoma  was suggested to us many times over and for good reasons.'  The drive to the best kayaking area took us on a VERY narrow, WINDING and TWISTING, ride up and over some very high hills and ending at the edge of Lake Sonoma.  The lake was made by damming and in doing so, it left a ton of inlets to go into and explore.  We only covered one of the many legs of in our 2 hour paddle, but for the first time out in months, that was definitely enough.  We also took the time to visit another casino…The River Rock Casino.  High on the hill above Healdsburg we found a casino that busses people in from as far away as San Francisco.  For the second time in as many visits to a casino, I came out money ahead.  This time I left the machines with $100…notice I said “I” ???  Let’s just say Louise had a great time.   Yesterday we took the Tracker and headed out for the day.  Our route took us along the banks of the Russian River, winding through miles of wineries and vineyards, small villages, and cattle country before coming out at Bodega Bay and a place to have a picnic lunch. 

We’ve also had a chance to shop at Costco and Trader Joes in Santa Rosa, and I’ve taken time to put a coat of polish on the coach when we get back in the early evenings. 

3 November ‘07

Saturday

Yesterday we drove Hwy 101 from Eureka to Ukiah.  Not having a prior thought of what campground we would be staying at in Ukiah, we pulled off the highway about 20 miles north of Ukiah, in Willits.  I noticed this RV Campground sign coming up on the left side of the road and told Lou that “this one looks good”.  It did look good until I hit the first pot hole that just about turned the coach over, and then once inside the gate, we quickly noticed that we really didn’t want to camp there…it was terrible !!!  We even had people coming out of their “campers” checking us out  It was quite obvious that they were taking bets that we were trying to find the quickest way out, and they were right.  The roads inside of the campground were sooo bad with pot holes that Louise had to go back in the coach and try to hold everything in place while I was trying to get back on the highway.  I think we have learned a lesson…”look before you leap”.  We continued our drive down to Ukiah and our quest for a campground.  We saw a couple of signs and chose the one at the Ukiah Fairgrounds.  After all, we had a pretty good campground at the fairgrounds in Eureka and this one looked even better.  Fortunately it is good.  This morning we awoke to a beautiful day and decided to make the most of it.  We grabbed the map, a tour book, and headed out.  Yesterday we didn’t have a look at Ukiah so this morning was it.  It didn’t give us anything that said we must stop, so we continued on.  At the end of town we found a road sign that told us that we could reach Hwy 1 and we decided that this would be a good ride for the day.  The ride took us through the Coast Mountains with some of the curviest we have been on.  Thank goodness we weren’t driving the coach.   About 10am we pulled into Boonville.  It is never surprising to find places like Boonville…very quaint and welcoming.  It is located about half way through the redwood forest areas on our way to Hwy 1 and the Pacific Ocean.  Well as you know, I am one that loves to stop at coffee houses and especially those that are tied to bakeries…  Now we found a good one here in Boonville.  Not only were the coffee and bakery goods “really good”, the service was outstanding…nice gals.  They also recommended that we continue out the road to Mendocino…”it is one of those perfect little towns on the coast that you’ve got to visit”.  We knew that we were in “wine country” but had no idea that we would come across Roederer Estate Winery.  The Roederer Sparkling Wine is one of our favorites, and we were excited to find them.  Of course they were offering a “tasting”….  Now that we had found the Roederer Estate Winery, we could have said that the “day is complete”, but no we’ve got to find Mendocino.  Mendocino is one of those picture perfect California coast towns that you’ve just got to visit.  We’re glad we did.  Now we had one more town along the coast that we wanted to see today…Fort Bragg.  We thought that we would find the remains of the original fort, but we found out that it had disappeared years ago.  We did find something unusual in Fort Bragg…

a tour of old “rail or track cars” were arriving in town just as we were.  I’m not sure that they are called “rail or track cars”, but it is those little cars that used to ride on the railroad tracks and check to make sure that the rails were still in good shape.  Anyway, there were 25 little cars that rode the rail from Willits, over the mountains and into Fort Bragg.  There are a number of “rail car” clubs in the country and they get together to travel the rails all over.  They will be riding the rails in Alaska for 7 days this next spring…it sounds like a blast !!!  I want one…  I did meet this couple that had one for sale. 

They want $4,000 for it and tell me it is in perfect condition…it looks just like the orange one above.     

31 October ‘07

Wednesday

Here we sit at the fairgrounds in Eureka and watching the little “witches and goblins” head around the corner to one of the buildings that has been set up for “Trick or Treating”.  It has been a real “treat” for Louise and me.  Today we drove into town and walked the “Old Town” of Eureka.  They have some absolutely incredible Victorian homes and especially one that was built for a lumber magnate in the late 1880’s.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take my camera with us…NUTS !!!  I hope that I can go back in the morning and get a couple of shots.

  Our stop for lunch today was really a treat.  We drove out to Samoa Island to have lunch at the Cookhouse Restaurant and Museum.  This is the same “cookhouse” that was used in the late 1800’s to feed the loggers that worked the redwood forests of the area.  They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner but offer only one main course.   Today it was fried chicken (all you can eat) and served family style.  For $10 each, we were served meatball soup, salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, 7 bean salad, corn, coffee, and a great spice cake.  I’m wondering if we shouldn’t go back again tomorrow…

30 October ‘07

Tuesday

What do you do when traveling through Redwood country?  Well Louise and I took a hike.  It has been quite awhile since we’ve been to the Redwood’s and getting back was well worth the wait.  These TREES are amazing, not only in size, but in age as well.  As we see pictures showing the logging during the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s showing the cutting of these mammoth trees I get a little sad.  I know that the times were different, but these giants in the world are lost now forever…  Ok, let’s get back to our hike.  I had no longer parked our car, headed up the trail, and we came upon a beautiful stream.  The hills all around us gave it the natural drop to form one waterfall after another.  Not only were the falls beautiful, the sounds were magnificent.  The large rocks and downed branches were all covered with moss and new fallen leaves of the forests to show us some of Natures most beautiful.  Our hike was rated as moderate (which gave us a nice workout) and covered just over 2 miles.  We’ll look forward to more of these as we head down the California coast.  We drove down to Crescent City on Tuesday to see what was available for us to do.  The Redwood forests were still all around us to enjoy, but we opted to take a walk out to see their most prominent and oldest lighthouse.  The Battery Street Lighthouse was built in1856 on a point that separates from the mainland at mid to high tides.  Just adjacent to the lighthouse is the north breakwater for Crescent City.  It was made in the early 1940’s and extends out into the bay over ¾ of a mile.  To continue getting the huge rocks out that far, they concreted a drive so that the trucks could go out the full distance to deliver their loads, and thus created a great area to walk.  At the end of the breakwater we found these large concrete “anchors”.  They were called Dolo’s.  With a shape like a large “T” and an opposing cross member, they were able to hold the huge wave action that the seas would throw at them. 

20 May ‘07

Sunday

Talk about being “wiped out”…  After today I can write a book about it.  Like I told you yesterday we are at Lava Beds National Monument and what do they have here, lots of lava “tubes”, cinder cones, shield volcanoes, stratovolcanoes, and spatter cones.  Yesterday afternoon we did see a number of spatter cones, cinder cones and chimneys before taking our hike up to see the fire lookout and taking in the Petroglyph Interpretive area.  Well today we set out to explore as many lava tubes as we could.  There have been over 500 caves discovered so far and every year the total climbs even higher.  The tubes are the result of very hot fluid lava “issuing” from a cracks or fissures.  As the lava flowed it began to cool and solidify on the sides and eventually on the top.  The confining crust insulated the molten lava as it continued to flow.  When the eruption ceased, the remaining lava drained away leaving the “lava tubes”.  Somewhere along the way a portion of the tube would fall in and leave some kind of entry into the interior of the tube.  The entry into these caves ran from walking into a huge cavern to those that you had to get down on all four and squeeze in.  I could lead you around the block with the thought that we had what it takes to “squeeze into a very dark hole in the earth”, but we opted out on those.  We did however visit and explore 9 different lava tubes today after borrowing 2 flashlights from the visitor center.  We duck-walked, slid on our butt, stooped, and walked on some very rough floors.  Fortunately we bought ourselves hardhats that kept us from loosing our scalps as we came in contact with the tops of these tubes.  As you can imagine, with the coal black interiors of these caves, it was so dark that if you were to shut off your flashlight you couldn’t see your hand in front of you face.  A couple of these tubes were open at both ends, although you couldn’t see one from the other.  Another seemed to be large enough to hold a 747 inside of if while another was so small it was like walking into a huge mouth that didn’t have a throat.  The longest cave we walked through was over 2900 feet and the shortest…just 300.  Now back to being “wiped out”.  We climbed over and under so many rocks, walked on uneven ground, and stooped so much that I thought I had a new way of walking straight.  We came home T-I-R-E-D. 

19 May ‘07

Saturday

Last night we met a great couple and will look forward to staying in touch with them as we travel.  This morning we are once again underway.  Back onto Hwy 139 and heading towards Klamath Falls Oregon.  One thing that is nice about not having a schedule to keep, we were able to divert our first route and take another.  This one will take us off 139 and deep into the Lava Beds National Park.  We almost went passed the turn off, but Louise was quick to call my attention to it just in time.  The road off of 139 turned out to be much narrower and filled with a heck of a lot of pot holes.  None the less we were on our way (hell we couldn’t have turned around if we had wanted to…).  We traveled this “roadway” for about 15 miles and then, just out of nowhere, the road turned to a very nice and wide 2 lane.  As it turned out, this nice new and wide 2 lane was the “rear” entrance to the Lave Beds National Park…we had come in the back door.  After finding the Visitors Center, checking in to their campground, and having lunch, we were on our way to see some of the many sites they have here.  The first site was a 2 mile hike that took us up to Schonchin Butte.  The Butte was made of a lava push that extended up to 5302 feet or about 400 feet above the valley below and housed the fire lookout for the area.  From there we headed onto Black Crater (which also spurt lava over a huge area), and the Thomas-Wright Battlefield (this is a very important battle area between the Modoc Indians and the U.S.Army in 1872).  Next we were off to see the petroglyphs at Petroglyph Point.  We have been very fortunate in seeing some wonderful petroglyphs in Arizona so we were a little disappointed in these here in the Tule Lake area.  I guess I have to take into consideration that these petroglyphs date back much farther than any we have seen before.  These petroglyphs have been dated by “wave cut analysis back to a period between 2500 to 4500 years ago.    One thing that was unusual about these, they were scribed into the soft rock of a large and tall “island” that sat in the middle of a large lake (Tule Lake).  At that time Tule Lake was more than 5 time larger and deeper than it is today.  We were able to drive to the base of this “island” and observe the carvings high on the walls. 

It sometimes becomes a mess trying to keep up with our journal.  If we have internet access at our campgrounds, I am able to keep up but if we don’t and I don’t write each night…well let’s just say that sometimes I just miss writing about something that we really enjoyed.  While we were in Lee Vining we were within ¾ mile to the Tioga Pass turn off from 395.  Also, the morning that we arrived in Lee Vining was the morning that they opened Tioga Pass.  Tioga Pass is the pass that takes you across the Sierra Nevada Mountains and into Yosemite National Park.  We didn’t think we would be here when it opened but with the light snow pack they had this last winter, they were able to open a month early.  The scenery was just what you would expect…absolutely stunning.  Fortunately we were driving our “toad” as we traveled from as low as 200 feet above sea-level to as high as 13,014 when we went across the summit of Mount Lyell.  Yosemite is covered with Granite Domes that look as smooth as a bowling ball from the distance but when you stop and walk out onto them, you have a smooth surface.  Because of it being granite, you have great traction so we took advantage of it and tracked all over the sides of these huge mountain tops.  Our destination for the day was to cross the pass and then onto the visitor center at Yosemite Village, which was about 70 plus miles away and took us over 3 hours to get there.  The whole route was filled with beautiful scenery and look outs to even more, but when we arrived down at the village…WOW…  We had seen “Half Dome” from the distance, just after we crossed over Tioga Pass, but now we were right underneath it.  We also were right at the base of Bridal Vail Falls, Yosemite Falls, and El Capitan to name a few.  To think we saw it all…no possible way…but to say we had a great time and would come back…without a doubt. 

13 May ‘07

Sunday

Happy Mothers Day !!!

After breakfast of Sausage and Pancakes we were off to travel the June Lake Loop Road.  This loop took us a few miles up into the Lee Vining Canyon with snow and waterfalls on each side of the road.  On one side we passed 3 separate lakes including June Lake itself.  All of them were fed by small streams that wound their way through a mass of tall trees.  It was sure evident that fishing season was open.  Again as I had mentioned before, this must be a fishing Mecca.  On our drive along the “Loop” we were taken by the amount and size of the homes that surrounded June Lake.  It was just like we had seen at Whistler Mountain the last time we were there.  From there we went back to Mono Lake and visited the Visitor Center.  It sits high on a hill over looking the lake and the surrounding mountains.  About 5 miles south are two volcanic craters (Mono Crater) that stand out majestically from there as well.  We were going to hike up to the top of the Mono Crater but we advised not to because of the “no-see-ums” that have just hatched out.  Hiking up there now was out for now so we opted for a hike down to the river that feeds Mono Lake.  The big advantage for doing that hike was we passed an soft ice cream outlet.  Well tomorrow we are again going north…

Our second location was just off the shoreline of Mono Lake and right at the back door of Lee Vining.  Mono Lake has dozens of volcanic islands scattered across the southern end of the lake.  These “islands” or “tufa” are formed by hot springs and steam vents that slowly spout calcium carbonate.  When it is exposed as the lake’s water level drops over years, the tufa formations are developed.  90 percent of the California Sea Gulls migrate to Mono Lake each year.  They come to lay their eggs and start their families along with getting the “feast” of their season.  Each year a certain type of fly comes to Mono Lake and lays its eggs in these heavy alkaline waters.  As soon as Spring arrives the flies hatch and come to the surface and fly off to the delight of the gulls.  Over all the salt content of Mono Lake is 250 times the salt content of the Pacific Ocean, so to have something like this fly go under this “water’ and lay its eggs…Nature is wonderful isn’t it ???

11 May ‘07

Friday

One thing about traveling is that you see places that you had no idea existed and today we experienced two of them after checking into our new campground in Lee Vining.  Bodie State Historic Park was a bustling mining town with an estimated population of 10,000 and was second to none for its “wickedness”.  It was notorious for its saloons, brothels, gambling halls and opium dens, but after a major fire in the early 1900’s and gold almost completely vanishing from the hills...well the rest is history.  Today there are about 170 buildings that are preserved in a state of “arrested decay”.  They won’t be restored but are prevented from decaying further.  The drive out there was a joy in its self.  After a drive of 12 miles of winding road you continue another 4 miles on a graded dirt road.  Then out in front of you sitting on the side of a hill is Bodie… 

10 May ‘07

Thursday

After having a good nights sleep in Lone Pine we awoke to another sunny day to start the next leg or our journey to Carson City.  Driving along side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains has been an on-going beautiful site.  Those mountains run as high as 14000 feet, which are Mt Whitney and a lot of the others tower above us at 12000.  Between us and the Sierra Nevada Mountains are the light brown foot hills called the “Alabama Hills”.  All the towns that we pass through have an old time western story to tell.  The first people to inhabit this area were the Paiute and the Shoshone, but it wasn’t long before the settlers started to come in and start their search for all that gold. Well today the gold is not a thing that you find much of around here, but for a lot of years following the gold this area was real big in the western movies.  Today that big draw is Mammoth Mountain (Elev 8,000 ft.) and all that goes with it summer to winter.  Just a few days ago fishing season opened in California and the lakes and streams on this side of the mountains are seeing a lot of anglers catching a lot of fish.  The Diaz Lake we camped beside on Tuesday showed a lot of fishermen catching a lot of fish.  This morning Louise and I went for a 3 ½ mile hike around Convict Lake and the same was happening there. Convict Lake, which is at the base of Morrison Mountain (10,045 feet) got it’s name because of a team of 4 convicts broke out of a state prison and found their way to a cave in a mountain above a lake.  A State Marshal by the name of Morrison took 6 deputized men as a posse and went looking for these “convicts”.  Well they found them in that cave but in the process of taking them in to custody State Marshal Morrison was killed.  Now you see how the mountain got its name of Morrison Mountain and the lake at the bottom…Convict Lake.  Our second hike of 4 miles took us to Mary’s Lake that sat high up in Mammoth Mountain.  Then we had a third hike as well.  It wasn’t but a half mile and took us to see a series of hot springs that spilled into a small river.  These springs were so hot that they wouldn’t let you get closer than 75 yards to any one of them.  Up until last June it was possible to get right down to the river, but after a couple of deaths from being “Boiled Alive”, they shut it down to those 75 yards.  After 3 hikes we thought we would end the day with just one more…did I say “We” decided ???  Well I can’t let my little wifey go on a 4 mile hike alone in the big ole woods, even if I had already hiked about 8 miles with her, now can I ???  Just kidding, we did have another hike but it was another half mile hike in and out of the woods.  This time we explored a “fissure” that was as deep as 20 feet and as long as a mile or more.  You could see were one side of the fissure split away from the other and left almost identical markings on each.  If they were to come back together it would almost be a perfect fit all along the way.  Now our day isn’t over yet…Mammoth Mountain is a PRIME ski area so we went up to the slopes to watch some of the skiers.  Times have really changed on the hills because most (90 per cent) were snowboarders.  Mammoth has a huge jump for them as well as a long “half pipe”.  Both of these attractions were getting a ton of use.   We really enjoyed the show.  How do you cap off a day like this???  Louise gathered a couple of arm loads of wood and lots of Pine cones for a campfire so that we could roast hot dogs and treat ourselves to SMORES … that’s how you cap off a busy day of hiking and exploring.    

8 May ‘07

Tuesday

Our last thing to do before leaving Pahrump was to fill both the coach and toad with gas.  Yesterday Louise went shopping at Smiths (one of the big chain grocery stores in this area) and when she checked out, she received a 15 cent a gallon discount for gas.  They are tied to the Kroger chain and have their own gas stations.  We were able to get gas from them for $2.92 a gallon.  It’s still high at that price but a heck of a lot cheaper than anywhere else around here.  Our route will take us back to Death Valley and then once we get there we will continue to cross it completely from east to west.  Death Valley still excites me with all its beauty.  I had no idea how absolutely beautiful it is here prior to this last October/November. Of course the difference between last winter and now is of course the temperature.  Back then we were enjoying low to mid 80’s but this afternoon we were in the high 90’s to just over the triple digit…otherwise it was HOT !   We had a long climb from Pahrump to Death Valley, but once there it was all down hill into the valley.  At one point on the way there, we were as high as 4,500 feet and then, as low as 120 feet below sea-level once we reached the valley floor.  It was just after noon when we reached Stove Pipe Wells so we decided to pull over and make some lunch for us.  The break was short but good, but then just as soon as we pulled away from our lunch spot we were heading up some mighty steep hills.  It was so steep, that we just couldn’t get up any speed.  I think the max that I was able to achieve was just over 30 mpg.  They had posted a sign that said “TURN OFF AIRCONDITIONING FOR THE NEXT 25 MILES”, but in this heat it could be really warm real quick. I was constantly watching the gages (I have 3 different heat gages) so that I would be aware of any problems as we climbed higher and higher.  I’m not sure but I think we passed 4 or 5 large barrels that were filled with radiator water before coming to the first summit.  Thank God we were just approaching one of those turn-off areas for the last “radiator water” when all of a sudden we both started to smell something very hot…  “Are we getting hot ???”  “ No, but I do smell something that smells very hot !!!”  I quickly turned into the turn off and stopped.  I had double checked my gages, but I wanted to make a walk around and see if I could see or smell anything out side.  I had no sooner made it back to the door and Louise said…”The smoke detector is sounding off !!!”  As I walked into the coach it was very obvious that we had a problem as the whole interior was filling with smoke.  I jumped back outside and looked under the coach and there it was…”FIRE”  “GRAB THE SECOND FIRE EXTINQUISHER (as I grabbed the first one)”  Fortunately the extinguisher did the trick, but we still had a problem.  The fire was started by the new exhaust pipe.  It was sitting too close to one of the storage areas under the coach.  The storage area floor is a heavy gage plastic material and with the very hot pipe (especially when it was under such an intense climb) sitting just below it, it started to melt.  Once it started to melt and come in contact with the extremely hot pipe, it burst into flames.  Of course we had other flammable things inside the storage area as well.  Some of that was paper…yep, it was on fire.  In one regard, you might say we were lucky…we got it out in time and we and the coach are still in good health.  A little scare, but still able to continue on.  We’ve emptied the storage area and now we even have the door to the storage tied open.  The floor and some of the back of the storage bin are gone.  We also had a LP gas line that was scorched as well…Yep, we were lucky. 

8 May ‘07

Tuesday

Page 2

We finally were able to make it to the final summit and then continue our way to our stop for the night.  Lone Pine, California.  Oh yes I forgot to mention, the first little town that we came into as we passed from Nevada to California was showing $4.14 a gallon for gas.  The station in the valley of Death Valley was showing $4.54 and all this is for Regular.  Here in Lone Pine and on Highway 395 we are looking at $3.68…this could be a tough summer for us “travelers”.  On the first corner coming into Lone Pine stands a “Visitors Center”.  We pulled into it to see just what might lay ahead of us on the route we have chosen along 395 to Reno.  The young man and another young lady that were there to help us did one of the best jobs of making sure we had what we wanted.  It’s not that we haven’t had wonderful people working in those positions that we’ve encountered all over Europe and here, it’s just that they really went the extra mile.  Tonight we are camped in Lone Pine and sitting at the edge of the water of Diaz Lake.  When we pulled in, we were the only RV here, but just as we were firing up the barbecue, another RVer pulled in beside us.  This is a state park without any hook-ups, but for tonight, it’s just great. 

19 November ‘06

The Imperial Sand Dunes and Felicity, the center of the World, are located just west of Yuma.  Having some time this Sunday, we headed out to see what they are all about.  As we arrived in Felicity, we were taken back as to how sparse this area was, but also fascinating.  It is the “Official center of the World”.  There is this attractive pyramid that you step into and stand on a bronze plaque that marks the precise Center of the World.  Also available at the “Official” location, are the granite walls of the World commemorative Center.  Included among other commemorative, the “Histoire de I’Aeronautique Francaise” (History of French Aviation) which we found very interesting. 

Now we head to the dunes.  As the dunes came into view at Buttercup Valley, so did the motor homes, travel trailers, cars, trucks, and flatbed trailers carrying all modes of 4 wheel off-road vehicles.  The dunes were like looking onto a ski hill, those little specks on the hill running (skiing) from one side to the other and eventually making it to the bottom.  After finding a parking spot in the soft sand (tough to do with everyone roping off these large camping areas for their clubs), we joined the crowd of about 100,000 in the big sandbox.  As we walked the base of the dunes, we were awestruck with the variety of sand machines and those that drove them.  We watched little girls and boys from 3 to teen throwing sand high into the air as they hit the throttle, and then it was the adult that took the big engine sand buggy screaming up the dunes at unbelievable speeds, throwing sand high into the air.  It was like the big unlimited hydros leaving the rooster tail in their wake.  From what I’ve heard, “Duners” are a really big thing for Yuma’s economy spending about $30 million annually in the area…not too bad for the economy here in the desert.

19 November ‘06

The Imperial Sand Dunes and Felicity, the center of the World, are located just west of Yuma.  Having some time this Sunday, we headed out to see what they are all about.  As we arrived in Felicity, we were taken back as to how sparse this area was, but also fascinating.  It is the “Official center of the World”.  There is this attractive pyramid that you step into and stand on a bronze plaque that marks the precise Center of the World.  Also available at the “Official” location, are the granite walls of the World commemorative Center.  Included among other commemorative, the “Histoire de I’Aeronautique Francaise” (History of French Aviation) which we found very interesting. 

Now we head to the dunes.  As the dunes came into view at Buttercup Valley, so did the motor homes, travel trailers, cars, trucks, and flatbed trailers carrying all modes of 4 wheel off-road vehicles.  The dunes were like looking onto a ski hill, those little specks on the hill running (skiing) from one side to the other and eventually making it to the bottom.  After finding a parking spot in the soft sand (tough to do with everyone roping off these large camping areas for their clubs), we joined the crowd of about 100,000 in the big sandbox.  As we walked the base of the dunes, we were awestruck with the variety of sand machines and those that drove them.  We watched little girls and boys from 3 to teen throwing sand high into the air as they hit the throttle, and then it was the adult that took the big engine sand buggy screaming up the dunes at unbelievable speeds, throwing sand high into the air.  It was like the big unlimited hydros leaving the rooster tail in their wake.  From what I’ve heard, “Duners” are a really big thing for Yuma’s economy spending about $30 million annually in the area…not too bad for the economy here in the desert.

16 November ’06 (2)

Continuing on from Blythe Intaglios, we headed back up towards Lake Havasu City.  After our stay at the state campground, we were heading down here to Ehrenberg, when we passed this beautiful spot to put the kayak into.  It would have been great to put in right then, but we thought we had better continue on to Ehrenberg.  Today we decided to go back that 65 miles and enjoy some “water” time.  We put in at the Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge which was made by the damming up the Colorado River, and in particular for this refuge, behind Parker Dam.  Not only was the weather perfect, the water like glass, the waterfowl absolutely beautiful, the grasses and the mountains were stunning.  The only negative was that we just didn’t have a whole day to enjoy this special place. 

16 November ‘06

Well, I have to “eat my words”… I said Ehrenberg didn’t have anything to offer other than being close to Quartzsite…well I was wrong.  Wednesday I was talking with our neighbor and he told us of this ancient site up in the hills to the north.  In 1931, a local pilot discovered 2 huge figures outstretched across the desert, on the terraces above the Colorado River.  The archaeologists called these figures “geoglyphs”.  After a 12 mile drive out California 95 from Blythe, we came to a dirt road that took us another ½ mile to the first design.  These “designs” are separated by 200 hundred yards from each other.  The first design is a man, 105.6 feet from head to tow.  With his arms outstretched we’re looking at 92 feet…now that is a “man”.  The other figure was “either a lion or a horse”, but the archaeologists just aren’t sure.  Amazing designs and also amazing that they are still here.  They were just made by scraping away the desert gravels or tramped into the desert pavement forming an indented image. 

Blythe Intaglios

10 November ‘06

Wednesday we said our goodbyes to Herman and Tony and then pulled out of the 49ers encampment heading back to Pahrump.  We had decided to go back there for a night to catch up on some laundry and then move on the next morning.  Thursday we passed through Las Vegas again (and got lost before we got through town) and headed onto Laughlin and Bullhead Az. (across the Colorado River from each other).  After getting the coach all set up in Bullhead, we headed into Laughlin for dinner and a “look see” at the casinos.  Dinner was enjoyed on a deck over looking the Colorado River and the gaming at a few casinos we found along the boardwalk…Finally, I came out $50+ dollars ahead for a change.  Today it was Lake Havasu City, the home of “The London Bridge”.  Our campground is out side of Lake Havasu in a state park  After setting up, we walked down to the lake for a look see, met a couple campers and then drove into Lake Havasu for a close-up of that “Bridge” from England. 

7 November ‘06

This morning  Herman and Tony joined us as we headed out for a day of “canyon-ing”…  After another evening of listening to the entertainment at the band stand (western, gospel, and bluegrass music), we were ready to go exploring.  Our destination for the day is 4 wheeling through 27 miles of one way, winding/twisting/ undulating /dirt/gravel, big rocks Talis Canyon.  It was recommended by the rangers that we don’t make the drive unless we have a “high clearance, 4 wheel drive vehicle” in better than good condition (does that fit our little Chevy Tracker???).  The weather couldn’t have been better (high 80’s to low 90’s) and with very few other cars on the drive.  About half way through we pulled off to the side and had our lunch.  Imagine how little we felt, the walls of this canyon climbing as high as 300 feet above us, and as close as 10 feet on each side of the car, it was humbling...  Overall our drive through the canyon took us about 4 hours so when we got back to our motor homes we were ready for a cool one and a chance to totally relax.  Seeing as how Herman and Tony have traveled to Holland many times over the years after they themselves first arrived, we had many tales to exchange.  We also had a chance to learn much more about their personal experiences during World War II, again a very sobering experience.  I have read many books, letters from the soldiers from all sides of the war, watched newsreels, and visited many war museums while traveling through Europe, and yet to hear their personal stories…let’s not have any more wars, please!!!      

6 November ‘06

After another night of being entertained at the stage and getting an early start, we headed out to see some more of the sights of Death Valley.  About 25 miles north of Furnace Creek is the other Visitor Center for Death Valley, Stovepipe Wells.  About ½ mile past the complex we turned left onto a dirt road.  Just over 2 miles later we arrived at Mosaic Canyon.  Mosaic Canyon is a very narrow canyon, were the walls are covered with polished rock, very much like marble of varying colors.  The best part of this valley is but ½ mile long and very narrow.  So narrow in fact you could touch both sides of the walls at the same time in some areas.  We also had to climb over some of the rock barriers in places, but then on the way back out of the canyon, we sat on our butts and slid down the polished rocks to the return path below.  Throughout our time here in Death Valley we have met individuals, couples, or families from all over Europe and here at Mosaic Canyon it was no different.  This family was from Budapest, Hungary and would travel through some of the national parks over the next 3 weeks.  Next it was off to see the “kilns”… My thoughts of Death Valley prior to arriving, would have the Valley running for miles from one mountain range to the other, totally flat, filled with sagebrush, sand, snakes, lizards, and absolutely no water and…HOT.  I would have been totally wrong.  In driving through Death Valley you are either gaining altitude or losing altitude.  We were as high as 5400 feet to as low as 200 feet below sea level.  Well back to the Charcoal Kilns…They only date back to 1877 but look like remnants of an ancient civilization.  The kilns (10) are about 30 feet high and 30 feet in diameter and shaped like a beehive with a small door at the bottom and a vent at the top.   They were built to produce charcoal from the surrounding pinon pine forest for the Modoc Mine smelter 25 miles away.  Unfortunately this whole project didn’t last more than a very few years…it turned out to be too expensive.  Now they are used as a perfect sounding chamber for those who want to set themselves in the center of one of them and sing with the most beautiful echo chamber you ever heard.    

5 November ‘06

Today’s Death Valley Days took us to “The Artist Drive”, Badwater, and Dante’s View.

Dante’s View gave us a spectacular view over the valley of the Badwater area and miles of salt flats.  Across the valley is the Panamint Mountains that tower above the floor below over 11,000 feet below.  Dante’s View altitude is just over 5000 feet and the ride up was beautiful.  It was a long gradual rise from the valley until we got to the last mile and then it was straight up with lots of turns and a very narrow paved road.  Once there the view below was as advertised…awesome.  Then it was back down to were we started, a left turn and out the valley following the salt flats.  The park has developed a boardwalk that took us out into the salt so that we could get that “up close” look at this massive salt lick.  There were areas of ponds where the water was about 2 feet deep with a salt floor and little salt “islands” coming up from the bottom.  There are also fish living there.  These little 1 inch long fish that have survived from centuries in this very heavy salt water...again amazing little creatures that live here.  Then it was off to The Artist Drive.  This drive took us to a 4 mile circular dirt road.  Leaving the salt flats behind, we headed towards the base of the mountain.  The road was like riding on a roller coaster, lots of mounds, twists, and curves and then we were into the area that gave this ride its name.  The lower mountain was full of color made up from the different chemicals and minerals found here.  Pink, purple, orange, yellow and red were but a few of the hues that were in front of us.  It was like some one had come through with a large sack of colors and spilled them all over the mountain. 

4 November ‘06

Death Valley became a National Monument in 1933 and a National Park in 1994.  We have been thinking about the possibility if it hadn’t become either one and become something like a wide open ATV course.  We’ve been able to hike some of the canyons that had been made by the awesome power of rushing floodwaters.  As they flowed they eroded and destroyed rock walls and as this was happening they created some of the most beautiful natural hiking areas we have ever been on.  Today we are off to hike the Golden Canyon.  This is a hike of about 2+ miles each way.  The whole area was at one time the bottom of a massive lake and now it is made up of large hills and mounds of a yellow/gold russet sand, mud, and rock.  There were lots of little trails that we could take from the main hike, but after following them for a distance we found they would just bring us back to the beginning.  A place called the Red Cathedral was at the end of our hike so after seeing that, having a bite and drink from our pack, we headed back for another great adventure.  The Natural Bridge of Death Valley.  After driving another one of those wonderful dirt “spur” roads for 2 miles we hiked the remaining ¾ mile into the “Natural Bridge”.  This “Bridge” is another creation that came about from rushing water through cracks in weaker rock and cutting it into its present form.  It now looms abut 60 feet above the current floor. 

3 November ‘06

When our Dutch/American friends Herman and Antonia “Tony” Kophoff heard that we were coming to Furnace Creek here in Death Valley, they told us about this group called “The 49ers”.  Well we had no idea as to what we were getting into…what a great party and all for a wonderful cause.  On top of all that the 49ers are bringing to the Death Valley, we still have the Valley and all it has to explore.  After checking into the campground and getting set up, we headed off to our first exploration.  Zabriskie Point.  This spot provides a beautiful view over the Furnace Creek Badlands, a vast area of uplifted, eroded yellow hills.  These contours are the remains of a lake bed over 5 to 10 million years ago.  It is unbelievable what the yellow tones and the contrasting shadows, as the day closes, bring to the canvas.  Then it was off to “Twenty Mule Team Canyon”.  It too was a part of the lake bottom and contained the same yellow hills with heavy texturing were the rain has streaked and pot marked the surfacing.  The hills were also found to contain “Borax” so there are mines dotted throughout.  This was another off road experience that took us on another circus ride through the hills, even as we traveled at 5 to 10 miles per hour.