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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. 

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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.

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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. 

_9 November ‘08 Sunday

After yesterday it would seem to be almost impossible to expect a second day of as much entertainment but I was wrong.  One of our neighbors here at “Camp Monaco” had mentioned one of their favorite locations to visit around here… Winchester Bay.  Winchester Bay is located about 4 miles south of Reedsport and is home to the Umpqua Coast Guard Station and Lighthouse.  The drive took us from Harrisburg (were the service / campground is located) to Florence, then down the coast to Reedsport and Winchester.  We arrived in Florence just before noon and with Louise and me leaving the coach without having breakfast, we stopped at Starbucks for a snack.  The morning drive took us on “one twisting and winding” road…oh yes, also very narrow and with not a chance of a shoulder to fall off on if need be.  With this being late Fall and raining off and on, we were pleased to see such a beautiful area that was preparing for Winter.  The falling leaves of golden colors, the deep green grasses, and the clear and flowing rivers heading out to the ocean really made this drive enjoyable.  Once at Winchester Bay we found a couple of great looking campgrounds that sat right out on the peninsula.  One in particular was very nice, and for $24 you could find yourself camping on a concrete pad that is surrounded by beautifully cut grass and sitting about 20 feet higher than the passing surf from the Pacific Ocean.  Just around the corner and up a hill, we found the Umpqua Lighthouse and viewpoint.

_While we were sitting in the car, binoculars in hand, we heard a voice telling of life around this lighthouse in the late 1800’s.  Curious, we stuck our heads out the door and were asked if we wanted to join them for a tour of the lighthouse and grounds.  Heck yes…this is just what we were looking for.  In 1881, the lighthouse was constructed with over 340,000 bricks that were made in the San Francisco area.  The glass of the reflector was not only highly polished but it was also very fragile.

_You could chip it so easily that the caretaker had to wear special clothing, something like a large “night-shirt”.  The possibility of a belt buckle could chip a chunk of glass very easily.  Back then, the keeper of the lighthouse had to sit in an area just below the beacon, looking out over the ocean with his spotting glass.  As each ship would pass he would read the flags that were flying from the masts.  The flags would tell him the name of the ship, cargo, and the destination of the shipment.  He had to immediately post this information in a journal.  At the time when he and his family were appointed to this job, it was a not one that offered a full social life…unfortunately it was just the opposite.  After leaving the lighthouse we drove by a little “floating” seafood restaurant that looked too good to pass. 

_Not only was it too good to pass, it was “totally good” food as well…we highly recommend stopping by if you’re in the area.  Our first plan was to get back to the coach before dark but that didn’t work.  Now we had to drive back on that narrow, winding and twisting road in the dark while it is still raining hard and unfortunately just as hard to see.