Monday, April 29, '14
My pictures of Meteor Crater have still not made it to my email inbox! So I'll wait to talk about it until they do--should be this afternoon. I had about a dozen pictures, and got greedy and emailed three at a time. Usually I send two because they come through faster.
I forgot to tell you about an interesting event Sunday morning. I had taken a shower, had my french toast, and was starting to wash dishes when my smoke alarm went off. (It is in the ceiling above the kitchen area, and has gone off before when I was cooking.) I opened windows and turned on the house fan, but it kept buzzing. I took the battery out, it kept buzzing. Opened the door, waved it back and forth, walked around to see if I could smell smoke, it kept buzzing. Finally I called Forest River (Manufacturer) Roadside Assistance. The nice guy walked me through everything I'd done one more time, then asked whether I had a carbon monoxide alarm. I said yes--and remembered how loud the alarm had sounded standing by my bed. The CO alarm is located near the floor in the base of the bed--sure enough, that was what was buzzing. I hit the reset button and got blessed silence! Felt dumb and very relieved at the same time. I meekly thanked the guy and turned off the fan, closed windows, and started to faintly smell gas. Stove was fine, fridge was running fine on electricity. But I had turned the water heater on to take a shower and left it on to wash dishes. The strong winds must have blown the pilot light out, because as soon as I turned the water heater off the smell disappeared. Another valuable lesson learned!
I'm off to the painted desert and the petrified forest this morning. I'll make a stop in Winslow (hmmm with me) on the way back.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Monday, April 28, 2014
Monday April 28, '14
First, catch up from the weekend. As I mentioned in my last post, driving Friday afternoon got rather hairy. By the time I got to Meteor Crater RV Park I was really glad to stop, even though I had kind of gotten a feel and an ear for the onset of the next gust as I was driving.
I booked a space for a week (Good Sam Park) because there are so many things I want to see in the area.
Saturday morning my shoulders were a bit stiff from fighting the wind, but the arthritic neck was great! The weather, however, was not great. I got up at sunrise as the wind picked up and Myrtle began to rock and roll with some real enthusiasm. It started to rain--really fine mist, going sideways. I went back to bed--its sort of like sleeping on a rocking boat. We went from rain, to heavy rain, to snow, to watery sun, back to snow, to hail, to rain. All of this is going sideways, with really interesting swirl patterns because of the strong wind and stronger gusts. I went for a short walk once--that was enough!
We watched a couple of movies, I read, and had fun concocting a stir-fry for dinner. First avacado oil, with dried onion and garlic flakes, then a chopped up beef patty, and zucchini, celery, carrots, broccoli, pea pods, and a squirt of Soy Vey Island Teriaki to finish off. Should have done some rice too, but I didn't miss it.
We rocked all night, and Sunday morning didn't look much better. So I started the day off with french toast and did mostly indoor stuff again. I have to admit that I just have fun in Myrtle. I took several walks, two with Livy. She doesn't know what to think of the wind. She jumps and spins, looks like she'd like to swat back at whatever is swatting her, but can't figure out who is to blame. She prefers the wind at her butt, and a strong gust gets her running like mad--I can't keep up!
I read quite a bit Sunday, enjoying Laurie R King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes novels on my Kindle. Did I mention that I have this weird problem with real books? I keep tapping the page, expecting it to turn on its own. I went to sleep pretty late, between the reading and the rocking.
First, catch up from the weekend. As I mentioned in my last post, driving Friday afternoon got rather hairy. By the time I got to Meteor Crater RV Park I was really glad to stop, even though I had kind of gotten a feel and an ear for the onset of the next gust as I was driving.
I booked a space for a week (Good Sam Park) because there are so many things I want to see in the area.
Saturday morning my shoulders were a bit stiff from fighting the wind, but the arthritic neck was great! The weather, however, was not great. I got up at sunrise as the wind picked up and Myrtle began to rock and roll with some real enthusiasm. It started to rain--really fine mist, going sideways. I went back to bed--its sort of like sleeping on a rocking boat. We went from rain, to heavy rain, to snow, to watery sun, back to snow, to hail, to rain. All of this is going sideways, with really interesting swirl patterns because of the strong wind and stronger gusts. I went for a short walk once--that was enough!
We watched a couple of movies, I read, and had fun concocting a stir-fry for dinner. First avacado oil, with dried onion and garlic flakes, then a chopped up beef patty, and zucchini, celery, carrots, broccoli, pea pods, and a squirt of Soy Vey Island Teriaki to finish off. Should have done some rice too, but I didn't miss it.
We rocked all night, and Sunday morning didn't look much better. So I started the day off with french toast and did mostly indoor stuff again. I have to admit that I just have fun in Myrtle. I took several walks, two with Livy. She doesn't know what to think of the wind. She jumps and spins, looks like she'd like to swat back at whatever is swatting her, but can't figure out who is to blame. She prefers the wind at her butt, and a strong gust gets her running like mad--I can't keep up!
I read quite a bit Sunday, enjoying Laurie R King's Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes novels on my Kindle. Did I mention that I have this weird problem with real books? I keep tapping the page, expecting it to turn on its own. I went to sleep pretty late, between the reading and the rocking.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Sunday April 27, '14
All right! Some big-time catch-up info due to all of you! Wednesday night my wifi Jetpack did a software update. Thursday morning it was quirky but settled down enough for me to get a brief post out to you. But Thursday night I couldn't get it to stay turned on or to charge up, so I figured I would have to replace it. Today I gave it one last chance--it charged and seems to be running just fine. This is a perfect example of my interactions with today's technology--totally in the dark about why and how it functions!
So--to catch up, starting with last Thursday, the 24th--
I folded up Myrtle and double checked my campsite (new plan: pull out, then go back and check to make sure I didn't leave anything). I got to the Visitor's Center shortly after they opened. Had a long chat with the volunteers running it. Because I was the only visitor so early, I got my pick of videos to watch in their theater. I had seen one the previous afternoon on the various environments in the park, and opted for one on the changes through the four seasons. I talked to the volunteers again, saying that I was really interested in volunteering (the California Parks are running on minimal budget and depend on volunteers for almost everything). They told me to stay right where I was, and ran to get the ranger. She told me about the 90 hours of training the full volunteers go through, and the requirement of 48 hours volunteer work for three years following the training. I'm in love with the idea of being able to learn that much, and the required hours seem pretty minimal to me. In addition, you can volunteer to work in assortment of fields with no training--geology, paleontology, archeology, or biology. Since I love and have experience in all of the above, I'm excited and can't wait! The full training is usually offered every other year and would not be this year, but if we get an el Nino winter with an end to the drought they will have an incredible spring flower bloom (next March). People come from all over for that, and they try to have at least 80 volunteers working through that big rush. So they may do an extra training session. You can't see, but I'm grinning ear to ear.
I took some pictures around the Visitor Center before I left--The cell phone images aren't the greatest, but it gives you an idea of the vegetation.
All right! Some big-time catch-up info due to all of you! Wednesday night my wifi Jetpack did a software update. Thursday morning it was quirky but settled down enough for me to get a brief post out to you. But Thursday night I couldn't get it to stay turned on or to charge up, so I figured I would have to replace it. Today I gave it one last chance--it charged and seems to be running just fine. This is a perfect example of my interactions with today's technology--totally in the dark about why and how it functions!
So--to catch up, starting with last Thursday, the 24th--
I folded up Myrtle and double checked my campsite (new plan: pull out, then go back and check to make sure I didn't leave anything). I got to the Visitor's Center shortly after they opened. Had a long chat with the volunteers running it. Because I was the only visitor so early, I got my pick of videos to watch in their theater. I had seen one the previous afternoon on the various environments in the park, and opted for one on the changes through the four seasons. I talked to the volunteers again, saying that I was really interested in volunteering (the California Parks are running on minimal budget and depend on volunteers for almost everything). They told me to stay right where I was, and ran to get the ranger. She told me about the 90 hours of training the full volunteers go through, and the requirement of 48 hours volunteer work for three years following the training. I'm in love with the idea of being able to learn that much, and the required hours seem pretty minimal to me. In addition, you can volunteer to work in assortment of fields with no training--geology, paleontology, archeology, or biology. Since I love and have experience in all of the above, I'm excited and can't wait! The full training is usually offered every other year and would not be this year, but if we get an el Nino winter with an end to the drought they will have an incredible spring flower bloom (next March). People come from all over for that, and they try to have at least 80 volunteers working through that big rush. So they may do an extra training session. You can't see, but I'm grinning ear to ear.
I took some pictures around the Visitor Center before I left--The cell phone images aren't the greatest, but it gives you an idea of the vegetation.
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| Great cactus and an Ocotillo bush |
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| Super spiny and barrel |
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| Ocotillo-grows leaves, flowers whenever it rains |
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| Palo Verde--even the trunk is green |
I left the visitor center before noon--well into the 90s, although one of the volunteers said that it would cool off Saturday. I headed east on one of the county roads, S22, past some incredible geology. This area is the edge of what they call the northern badlands, I think. Wish I could have gotten pictures, but there was no way to stop Myrtle. All of the roads in the southeastern part of California, county and state, have signs that say "soft shoulders" and they mean it! Just sand, no gravel beyond the edge of the pavement. I tried sneaking one tire off the edge, and quickly decided that was a very bad idea! So check out Anza Borrego's website for pictures.
I drove to the western edge of the Salton Sea, then followed a state road north along the edge. Lots of little communities that are shut down for the season. They looked to be almost totally snowbirds when I drove through one--single wides, double wides, and yards with hookups and no RVs. I tried to find a public beach, but no luck.
At the north end of the sea I filled my gas tank at a truck stop, then wandered around checking out several unlabeled roads trying to find one that Good Sam's atlas said was there. I finally decided which one I thought it had to be--I had 450 miles worth of gas and gallons of water in my tanks, so I figured I could take the chance. Turned out to be the right road, and I popped onto Highway 10 eastbound, the big LA to Phoenix route, drove for about half an hour, and jumped off again to head north up state route 95 along the west side of the Colorado River. Miserable signs labeling roads continued, but I arrived in Needles before 5 pm. My childhood memories of Needles being the hottest place in the US summer after summer were what enticed me there! The town was a bit sad, with everything closed and dusty looking as I travelled Broadway through town to an RV park on the west end of town.
I had an interesting bunch of fellow campers--motorcyclists with some very fancy (and noisy) bikes. I met several the next morning--turned out to be a very nice bunch of guys.
Friday, April 25th, I headed east on I-40 into Arizona. I took a side-trip south to Havasu City and Lake Havasu to see London Bridge. I followed London Bridge Drive along the lake shore around the edge of town and was driving across London Bridge before I realized that was where I was! I doubled back through town to see if I could find a spot to park Myrtle so that I could take some pictures--absolutely no luck! I crossed the bridge again, pulled into the parking lot on the far side. It was swarming with cars from all over the continent trying to squeeze into way too few spaces. I was happy to just get Myrtle back out of the lot! So I drove across London Bridge one more time just because I couldn't take pictures. I didn't think until later--all that traffic and I was never even uptight about Myrtle's size or fitting into lanes and turns. Brother David is right--I'm getting comfortable driving her!
Back up to I-40, and heading east. I went passed a highway sign to the town of Shinarump. I'm sure that's pronounced "shin," not "shine," but still! I stopped in Kingman because I saw an In'n Out Hamburger sign and decided that was going to be lunch--had to get that obligatory In 'n Out burger for this trip. By the time I came back out the stiff breeze with gusts that had been with me all morning had become much stronger and the gusts were bouncing Myrtle around. Freeways in Arizona have a speed limit of 75--for everybody! The semis seem to love that. I saw a sign for "Historic Route 66" and took it--partly to get off the freeway and slow down and partly to see the old route. I spent a wonderful hour or two driving the old two-lane road (in better condition than the freeway) with very little company. Great little towns like Peach Springs, closed up old gas stations with antique pumps and the Pegasus winged horse gas signs. And Burma Shave signs! New ones, but just like the old ones. I'll wrack my brain to see if I can remember any of the messages--I'll probably remember as I'm dropping off to sleep tonight.
I got back onto I-40 a bit west of Flagstaff, and kept my eye peeled for the Camping World freeway exit. After the fun of wandering around to find the road I wanted the day before, I was determined to get a new GPS (mine had died the previous summer and I had looked at them in Washington and hadn't liked the prices). I found the usual helpful informed people at this Camping World. Not only were the GPS units on sale, I got a $50.00 rebate on the old one I had bought at Camping World Burlington several years ago, and had a $10.00 coupon thrown in to top it off. Now it is just a matter of learning the ins and outs to get all the neat stuff working for me.
I called ahead to Meteor Crater RV Park about reserving a spot for that (still Friday) night and several following nights--they said just come on in! I drove along the southern border of Flagstaff on I-40, past Walnut Canyon National Monument (I will see it later) and arrived at Meteor Crater Road around 5:30 pm. This is a big deal--I've been wanting to see the crater for years, and when I first got my little Aliner camping trailer my brother Chuck and I had said that we would come, stay in this RV park, see the crater. He has "unretired" and is a pastor in Marysville, so here I am for us both!
I'll leave the exciting story of the weekend of crazy weather for tomorrow--I'm crashing for the night!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Thursday April 24, '14
I have between one and two bars one my cell phone (Verizon) and my wifi Jetpack depends on my Verizon connection so I will make this short with the hope that it uploads. I am in the campground at Borrego Springs in Anza Borrego State Park (and there is no spring). It is creosote bush desert here, but the park is large and has a lot of different kinds of environments. The visitor center has some interesting displays and I will get back there this morning.
I drove "hiway" 78--parts of the road were 25 mph, only open to RVs and trucks under 30 ft with less than three axels. Very fun twisty turny road! But no signs for the park! I kept looking at the map and guessing.
It was above 90 degrees when I got to the park--with no shade the heat was brutal on my poor Washingtonian body. By 6:15 it was nice and cool--82 degrees. At 9 pm 71 degrees felt very cool. I am traveling on today, heading north on hiway 78 beside the Salton Sea toward hiway 10 and then hiway 40, which heads east to Flagstaff and beyond. I'm a wimp--heading for cooler country.
I stopped in some picturesque little towns along the way yesterday. I especially liked Julian, founded by Austrian miners in the 1880s. I found a great straw hat and some fresh veggies and yogurt.
One picture so that this might upload--
I have between one and two bars one my cell phone (Verizon) and my wifi Jetpack depends on my Verizon connection so I will make this short with the hope that it uploads. I am in the campground at Borrego Springs in Anza Borrego State Park (and there is no spring). It is creosote bush desert here, but the park is large and has a lot of different kinds of environments. The visitor center has some interesting displays and I will get back there this morning.
I drove "hiway" 78--parts of the road were 25 mph, only open to RVs and trucks under 30 ft with less than three axels. Very fun twisty turny road! But no signs for the park! I kept looking at the map and guessing.
It was above 90 degrees when I got to the park--with no shade the heat was brutal on my poor Washingtonian body. By 6:15 it was nice and cool--82 degrees. At 9 pm 71 degrees felt very cool. I am traveling on today, heading north on hiway 78 beside the Salton Sea toward hiway 10 and then hiway 40, which heads east to Flagstaff and beyond. I'm a wimp--heading for cooler country.
I stopped in some picturesque little towns along the way yesterday. I especially liked Julian, founded by Austrian miners in the 1880s. I found a great straw hat and some fresh veggies and yogurt.
One picture so that this might upload--
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| Julian was about 4000 ft elevation. |
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tuesday April 22, '14
I've been having a great time in San Diego--so good that I just went to sleep last night without posting a thing! For my worrier, I will try to remember to post an "I'm going to bed--ttl" when I do that.
Sunday we had a nice Easter celebration with Karen's daughter Chris and grandson Quin. Quin hunted Easter eggs and we had a bunny cake for dessert at dinner. Quin spent the night, I slept in Myrtle with Livy (who rubbed and purred a lot). I love sleeping up on that bunk! I can't sit up straight because the ceiling is so low--you'd think it would give me claustrophobia.
Monday Karen, Quin and I spent the day at the Birch Aquarium in San Diego. It is a Scripps aquarium, and is a gem. Not big, but the displays are excellent and they are doing some very interesting research on corals, CO2 effects in the ocean, and a host of other topics. We wrapped up our visit in the outdoor hands-on area with interactive water learn/fun exhibits. My favorite was a big water table with water streaming in one side and out the other. There was a grid of posts with groves on all sides that you could slide plastic panels into that changed the direction of the water flow. And a dozen little plastic boats that you could start down a channel you created, then watch to see where your current took them. Why didn't I take a picture? I was having too much fun to think of it!
We dropped Quinn off at his home, and Chris gave us a tour. They have a lovely house near the top of a ridge, and have a gorgeous territorial view. We got outside just in time for Chris to rescue what we think was a tiny baby 'possum from the swimming pool. Karen and I headed back to her home, and had her neighbor Leah join us for Easter-dinner-leftovers last night. We had a delightful time talking and laughing. A great way to end a fun day.
This morning Karen has a quick dentist's appointment so I am catching up with all of you and taking advantage of her electrical outlets to do that! We are talking about going to Bernardo Winery today. This is the oldest winery in southern California and has an assortment of craft shops on the grounds, including glass blowing!
I sure am enjoying Myrtle's batteries, water pump, and propane fridge while I am living at Karen's curb. And I don't have to worry about running out of power because I have that great display where I can check levels on all tanks and power sources.
I talked to an old friend last night--Margaret Bissell. She was delighted to hear that I am going to Anza Borrego tomorrow, and recommended a campground. So I'll be off into the desert east of here in the morning!
I've been having a great time in San Diego--so good that I just went to sleep last night without posting a thing! For my worrier, I will try to remember to post an "I'm going to bed--ttl" when I do that.
Sunday we had a nice Easter celebration with Karen's daughter Chris and grandson Quin. Quin hunted Easter eggs and we had a bunny cake for dessert at dinner. Quin spent the night, I slept in Myrtle with Livy (who rubbed and purred a lot). I love sleeping up on that bunk! I can't sit up straight because the ceiling is so low--you'd think it would give me claustrophobia.
Monday Karen, Quin and I spent the day at the Birch Aquarium in San Diego. It is a Scripps aquarium, and is a gem. Not big, but the displays are excellent and they are doing some very interesting research on corals, CO2 effects in the ocean, and a host of other topics. We wrapped up our visit in the outdoor hands-on area with interactive water learn/fun exhibits. My favorite was a big water table with water streaming in one side and out the other. There was a grid of posts with groves on all sides that you could slide plastic panels into that changed the direction of the water flow. And a dozen little plastic boats that you could start down a channel you created, then watch to see where your current took them. Why didn't I take a picture? I was having too much fun to think of it!
We dropped Quinn off at his home, and Chris gave us a tour. They have a lovely house near the top of a ridge, and have a gorgeous territorial view. We got outside just in time for Chris to rescue what we think was a tiny baby 'possum from the swimming pool. Karen and I headed back to her home, and had her neighbor Leah join us for Easter-dinner-leftovers last night. We had a delightful time talking and laughing. A great way to end a fun day.
This morning Karen has a quick dentist's appointment so I am catching up with all of you and taking advantage of her electrical outlets to do that! We are talking about going to Bernardo Winery today. This is the oldest winery in southern California and has an assortment of craft shops on the grounds, including glass blowing!
I sure am enjoying Myrtle's batteries, water pump, and propane fridge while I am living at Karen's curb. And I don't have to worry about running out of power because I have that great display where I can check levels on all tanks and power sources.
I talked to an old friend last night--Margaret Bissell. She was delighted to hear that I am going to Anza Borrego tomorrow, and recommended a campground. So I'll be off into the desert east of here in the morning!
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| Karen's backyard view. Note the large eves. |
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| Karen and Quin at the aquarium. |
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| Bronze grey whales in a fountain at the aquarium. |
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Sunday April 20, '14
Happy Easter everyone! Sure wish every one of you had the sun and nice breeze that I have here on the inland side of San Diego.
To catch up, cell phone reception went from bad to worse, and Bill had no idea how to hook me into their wifi system, so you heard zip for a few days. On Thursday we went out to dinner at a Goleta tavern whose name I have forgotten. I had a great turkey burger with a nice BBQ tang to it. I spent the night on Marge and Bill's wonderful couch, and was able to spend some time with Marge's neighbor Pat. She's been a good friend for years, and it was nice to catch up on events in both our lives.
I hate to sound like all we did was eat, but Marge and Bill took me up the mountain to Rancho Oso and Myrtle and Livy, and we stopped at a fantastic spot for late lunch/early dinner. The Cold Springs Tavern, on the east side of San Marcos Pass, was a stagecoach stop from 1861 to 1901. There are several old buildings, but I took Marge and Bill's picture in front of the original tavern. You can tell that it was a bit breezy and cool, but they smiled anyway. Very dark inside--I couldn't get a picture with my phone. They had little LED lights up around the edges of the ceiling, and I think that the bar had water piped in. The food is fantastic, and well worth the half hour or more wait!
I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on laundry and cleaning the dust bunnies off Myrtle's floor and the dashboard! I don't know what Paulso RV used to spiff up the truck cab area, but it is magnetic to cat hair!
Saturday morning I folded up camp and headed down hill to Goleta and Marge's, Bill's, Susan's, and Rick's. Susan had a tour of Myrtle and took me to lunch. We walked over to Fresco's--and why is California's food so good?
I went over to have a last visit with Marge and Bill (and to pick up my computer cable) and then settled in for an early evening as an uninvited parking lot camper. Susan showed me an Encino Royale (retirement community) parking lot that is pretty empty at night. I settled in, left the window shades open, didn't turn any lights on or put my bedroom slide out. And I slept in my clothes in case someone wanted to throw me out of the parking lot. I slept like a log in the upper bunk, after reading a very little on my Kindle.
I woke up shortly before 7 am and headed south down highway 101. I had a nice smooth transfer onto 405 south in Beverly Hills (early on a holiday helped, I'm sure), and 405 turns into I-5 without even telling you. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been watching the exit numbers count down. Jumped from 1 to 91!
I stopped at a beautiful rest area shortly before I left I-5 for 78. It was breezy, cool, and there was some fog off shore, but skies were so blue! I made a few calls, took a couple pictures and got back on the road. On highway 78 I found gas ($4.35 per gallon for 87 octane) and a cup of Starbuck's iced tea, then continued east to highway 15 and Karen Sharkey's exit. Such a calm, quiet neighborhood--and I'm in love with her house! She has a farm-style kitchen with more storage than she has items to fill it up. And she has a "California sun room" that reminds me of our old family room/office--sliding doors on two sides. AND she has a gorgeous back yard of rock landscaping with a tangerine tree!
You are now up to date! I am going to have a shower, then hunt Easter eggs and have dinner with Karen's daughter's family. Here are a few pictures from the last couple days.
Happy Easter everyone! Sure wish every one of you had the sun and nice breeze that I have here on the inland side of San Diego.
To catch up, cell phone reception went from bad to worse, and Bill had no idea how to hook me into their wifi system, so you heard zip for a few days. On Thursday we went out to dinner at a Goleta tavern whose name I have forgotten. I had a great turkey burger with a nice BBQ tang to it. I spent the night on Marge and Bill's wonderful couch, and was able to spend some time with Marge's neighbor Pat. She's been a good friend for years, and it was nice to catch up on events in both our lives.
I hate to sound like all we did was eat, but Marge and Bill took me up the mountain to Rancho Oso and Myrtle and Livy, and we stopped at a fantastic spot for late lunch/early dinner. The Cold Springs Tavern, on the east side of San Marcos Pass, was a stagecoach stop from 1861 to 1901. There are several old buildings, but I took Marge and Bill's picture in front of the original tavern. You can tell that it was a bit breezy and cool, but they smiled anyway. Very dark inside--I couldn't get a picture with my phone. They had little LED lights up around the edges of the ceiling, and I think that the bar had water piped in. The food is fantastic, and well worth the half hour or more wait!
I spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on laundry and cleaning the dust bunnies off Myrtle's floor and the dashboard! I don't know what Paulso RV used to spiff up the truck cab area, but it is magnetic to cat hair!
Saturday morning I folded up camp and headed down hill to Goleta and Marge's, Bill's, Susan's, and Rick's. Susan had a tour of Myrtle and took me to lunch. We walked over to Fresco's--and why is California's food so good?
I went over to have a last visit with Marge and Bill (and to pick up my computer cable) and then settled in for an early evening as an uninvited parking lot camper. Susan showed me an Encino Royale (retirement community) parking lot that is pretty empty at night. I settled in, left the window shades open, didn't turn any lights on or put my bedroom slide out. And I slept in my clothes in case someone wanted to throw me out of the parking lot. I slept like a log in the upper bunk, after reading a very little on my Kindle.
I woke up shortly before 7 am and headed south down highway 101. I had a nice smooth transfer onto 405 south in Beverly Hills (early on a holiday helped, I'm sure), and 405 turns into I-5 without even telling you. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't been watching the exit numbers count down. Jumped from 1 to 91!
I stopped at a beautiful rest area shortly before I left I-5 for 78. It was breezy, cool, and there was some fog off shore, but skies were so blue! I made a few calls, took a couple pictures and got back on the road. On highway 78 I found gas ($4.35 per gallon for 87 octane) and a cup of Starbuck's iced tea, then continued east to highway 15 and Karen Sharkey's exit. Such a calm, quiet neighborhood--and I'm in love with her house! She has a farm-style kitchen with more storage than she has items to fill it up. And she has a "California sun room" that reminds me of our old family room/office--sliding doors on two sides. AND she has a gorgeous back yard of rock landscaping with a tangerine tree!
You are now up to date! I am going to have a shower, then hunt Easter eggs and have dinner with Karen's daughter's family. Here are a few pictures from the last couple days.
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| Bill and Marge at Cold Springs. |
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| Rest area on the beach |
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| The retro Spanish rest area. |
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Thursday April 17, '14
I received the pictures I emailed from my phone to myself this morning, so you will see them at the end of today's post.
Marge, Bill, and I had dinner with Marge's daughter Susan and her husband Rick yesterday evening--absolutely fantastic homemade pizza with a wonderful thin crust, and an orange pound cake for dessert. Wonderful company, and some great suggestions for places to see in Arizona. Those included museums in Flagstaff and Page. I thought I might leave my credit cards with Marge here in Goleta before I go to the museums--museums down here are such dangerous places because they always have amazing local native jewelry and fetishes and other treasures. As bad as the trading posts!
I'm building a list of places to see, and trying to work out a route that fits them all in. When I leave here Saturday morning I am driving down to the east side of San Diego to spend a couple of days with old friend and U W office mate Karen Sharkey. We had hoped to spend a couple of weeks together seeing Arizona and New Mexico, but her work schedule has gotten too tight. So I'll start out from Karen's in southern California and southwest Arizona and work my way across the state from there.
Marge and I are going to a friend's for coffee this afternoon. I think dinner is going to be at In 'n Out tonight, so we'll have to munch lightly this afternoon.
Yesterday's pictures follow--I'll try to take some people pictures today, but you won't see them until tomorrow.
I received the pictures I emailed from my phone to myself this morning, so you will see them at the end of today's post.
Marge, Bill, and I had dinner with Marge's daughter Susan and her husband Rick yesterday evening--absolutely fantastic homemade pizza with a wonderful thin crust, and an orange pound cake for dessert. Wonderful company, and some great suggestions for places to see in Arizona. Those included museums in Flagstaff and Page. I thought I might leave my credit cards with Marge here in Goleta before I go to the museums--museums down here are such dangerous places because they always have amazing local native jewelry and fetishes and other treasures. As bad as the trading posts!
I'm building a list of places to see, and trying to work out a route that fits them all in. When I leave here Saturday morning I am driving down to the east side of San Diego to spend a couple of days with old friend and U W office mate Karen Sharkey. We had hoped to spend a couple of weeks together seeing Arizona and New Mexico, but her work schedule has gotten too tight. So I'll start out from Karen's in southern California and southwest Arizona and work my way across the state from there.
Marge and I are going to a friend's for coffee this afternoon. I think dinner is going to be at In 'n Out tonight, so we'll have to munch lightly this afternoon.
Yesterday's pictures follow--I'll try to take some people pictures today, but you won't see them until tomorrow.
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| Looking uphill from campsite. |
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| Looking downhill past Liv's cabin. |
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| A walkway near Marge''s condo. |
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| Marge and Bill's front gate. |
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| Another walkway. |
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| Third green on the "course |
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| Marge & Bill's Chimney and patio. |
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Wednesday, April 16, '14
First, my apologies for not proofreading my previous post. Nothing like having your errors hang out in public to reming you to check every time.
Yesterday went very quickly. I went with Bill and Marge to their writing class yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed listening to member's writings and the class discussions. We stopped for a bit of grocery shopping on the way home and picked up mini cupcakes for today's celebration of the life of one of Marge's long-time neighbors. I was loaned Marge's car, and headed up into the hills to see what Livy had been up to in Myrtle.
Liv was pretty nonchalant when I arrived, except for the demand for canned food IMMEDIATELY. Myrtle was nice and cool inside--we're tucked under a tree as you will see if my pictures come through. I opened windows and started a couple of tasks, wasn't keeping an eye on Livy, and suddenly realized that the scree door was open (and yes, I was very careful to latch it when I came in). So I leaped out, started calling her, got down on my knees to look under Myrtle, under Marge's car, and under the RV next to us. At that point Liv casually sauntered around the cabin at the end of our row of campsites. When I tried to grab her harness she hopped away and strolled under the neighbor's RV. I followed, kept talking to her about coming home (and she kept talking back) as she moved under Myrtle, walked by the steps to inside, looked at them, looked at me, and I swear she was laughing! She dithered around a bit more and finally climbed inside while I kept my distance. Smart aleck!
Had a nice quiet evening with Livy and a book, went for a bit of a stroll and turned in early.
This morning we were up early, turned on the furnace and hot water heater, and fed Livy breakfast. I climbed back under the warm covers for a half an hour before showering and having breakfast. I dumped the black and gray water tanks because the gray water tank was about full. I had put on kaki pants for the day and had to change when I was done--dust all over them!
I got down to Goleta in time to help set up tables and food for the celebration of Helen Dowd's life. I have fond memories of her singing in the chorus and playing golf. But I especially remember her laughing! We had more that 50 people come to share stories and good memories--a wonderful time for everyone, especially her family and long-time friends.
Marge, Bill, and I are getting together at Susan and Rick's this afternoon for a pizza dinner. Susan and Rick rent a condo on the other side of the community--third floor, with a great view of the mountains. They rent out their house in Santa Barbara and enjoy living here--close to work, a golf course, and a swimming pool.
Well, the pictures I sent myself have not arrived yet, so I'm posting this and will post pictures a bit later, with any luck!
First, my apologies for not proofreading my previous post. Nothing like having your errors hang out in public to reming you to check every time.
Yesterday went very quickly. I went with Bill and Marge to their writing class yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed listening to member's writings and the class discussions. We stopped for a bit of grocery shopping on the way home and picked up mini cupcakes for today's celebration of the life of one of Marge's long-time neighbors. I was loaned Marge's car, and headed up into the hills to see what Livy had been up to in Myrtle.
Liv was pretty nonchalant when I arrived, except for the demand for canned food IMMEDIATELY. Myrtle was nice and cool inside--we're tucked under a tree as you will see if my pictures come through. I opened windows and started a couple of tasks, wasn't keeping an eye on Livy, and suddenly realized that the scree door was open (and yes, I was very careful to latch it when I came in). So I leaped out, started calling her, got down on my knees to look under Myrtle, under Marge's car, and under the RV next to us. At that point Liv casually sauntered around the cabin at the end of our row of campsites. When I tried to grab her harness she hopped away and strolled under the neighbor's RV. I followed, kept talking to her about coming home (and she kept talking back) as she moved under Myrtle, walked by the steps to inside, looked at them, looked at me, and I swear she was laughing! She dithered around a bit more and finally climbed inside while I kept my distance. Smart aleck!
Had a nice quiet evening with Livy and a book, went for a bit of a stroll and turned in early.
This morning we were up early, turned on the furnace and hot water heater, and fed Livy breakfast. I climbed back under the warm covers for a half an hour before showering and having breakfast. I dumped the black and gray water tanks because the gray water tank was about full. I had put on kaki pants for the day and had to change when I was done--dust all over them!
I got down to Goleta in time to help set up tables and food for the celebration of Helen Dowd's life. I have fond memories of her singing in the chorus and playing golf. But I especially remember her laughing! We had more that 50 people come to share stories and good memories--a wonderful time for everyone, especially her family and long-time friends.
Marge, Bill, and I are getting together at Susan and Rick's this afternoon for a pizza dinner. Susan and Rick rent a condo on the other side of the community--third floor, with a great view of the mountains. They rent out their house in Santa Barbara and enjoy living here--close to work, a golf course, and a swimming pool.
Well, the pictures I sent myself have not arrived yet, so I'm posting this and will post pictures a bit later, with any luck!
Monday, April 14, 2014
Monday, April 14, '14
Yesterday I had a good drive down California's Highway 101 to the turnoff to Solvang. I took the back way toward Santa Barbara through part of Los Padre National Forest. Rancho Oso is tucked into a fold in the hills and is surrounded by the national forest. This time of year everything is green and the fire danger is moderate. I'm always shocked by how intensely green California is in the spring.
Rancho Oso has horses to rent (or you can bring your own and board them), trails to ride with a guide or on your own, barns and farm animals for petting, tipis, covered wagons, or cabins to stay in, a tent campground, RV campgrounds, swimming pools, adult and family activity centers, a general store . . .
I walked a bit yesterday afternoon and only saw part of it. Cell phone coverage is bad and using my
Verizon wifi hotspot isn't working. I have been able to text a bit on the phone, but even that is slow to go.
I'm currently at Marge and Bill's in Goleta, which also has iffy cell phone reception! I've tried several times to email my cell phone pictures to myself with no result, so no pictures at this time either! You will be inundated when I'm finally able to post them.
I'm staying here for the night--I left Livy lots of food and water, and I'm guessing that she'll be so happy not to drive anywhere that she'll happily survive being left on her own. Marge is going to loan me her car to get back and forth.
This afternoon I went to the organizing meeting for Marge and Bill's trip to've finally Washington DC that begins on April 23rd. They are going to see the capitol, monuments, museums, Mount Vernon--they are going to be very busy for six days!
We had dinner down at the Beachside with Susan, Marge's daughter, and Rick, her husband. A beautiful view out across the channel, great company, and wonderful food. I''ll spend the night here and got to Marge and Bill's writing class with them in the morning.
I finally got yesterday's pictures onto my computer, so here they are.
Yesterday I had a good drive down California's Highway 101 to the turnoff to Solvang. I took the back way toward Santa Barbara through part of Los Padre National Forest. Rancho Oso is tucked into a fold in the hills and is surrounded by the national forest. This time of year everything is green and the fire danger is moderate. I'm always shocked by how intensely green California is in the spring.
Rancho Oso has horses to rent (or you can bring your own and board them), trails to ride with a guide or on your own, barns and farm animals for petting, tipis, covered wagons, or cabins to stay in, a tent campground, RV campgrounds, swimming pools, adult and family activity centers, a general store . . .
I walked a bit yesterday afternoon and only saw part of it. Cell phone coverage is bad and using my
Verizon wifi hotspot isn't working. I have been able to text a bit on the phone, but even that is slow to go.
I'm currently at Marge and Bill's in Goleta, which also has iffy cell phone reception! I've tried several times to email my cell phone pictures to myself with no result, so no pictures at this time either! You will be inundated when I'm finally able to post them.
I'm staying here for the night--I left Livy lots of food and water, and I'm guessing that she'll be so happy not to drive anywhere that she'll happily survive being left on her own. Marge is going to loan me her car to get back and forth.
This afternoon I went to the organizing meeting for Marge and Bill's trip to've finally Washington DC that begins on April 23rd. They are going to see the capitol, monuments, museums, Mount Vernon--they are going to be very busy for six days!
We had dinner down at the Beachside with Susan, Marge's daughter, and Rick, her husband. A beautiful view out across the channel, great company, and wonderful food. I''ll spend the night here and got to Marge and Bill's writing class with them in the morning.
I finally got yesterday's pictures onto my computer, so here they are.
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| Casa de Wine. |
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| Bela, Paula's Aussie Shepard |
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| Paula's Orcas Heart. |
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| Lovely Garden Roses. |
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| Iris in a Pot! |
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| Boy loves Bela. |
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Sunday April 13, '14
I'm in Salinas, staying with John's sister Paula. Yesterday I left Santa Nella headed into a west wind that wasn't too bad--I think that it blew itself out over night. Pacheco Pass is a pretty smooth freeway these days, with an extra slow truck lane at all of the places I wanted to trudge along at a slow 45 to 50 mph. I cleared my Fuel "Economy " meter for the climb and found that I averaged between 7 and 8 mpg going uphill, so I'm not sure that going extra slow made much difference.
I did stop at Casa de Fruita--it is now a major tourist spot. I first remember stopping at a little dried fruit stand probably 40 years ago when Pacheco Pass was a two-lane terrifying crawl through the mountains. But it has grown to the point that there is a big fruit/nuts/oils/jams/artichoke/and whatever store. There is also a Casa de Pizza, Casa de Wine, Casa de Restaurant . . . And buses full of foreign tourists. It reminded me of Dole Plantation in Hawaii.
I made it to Paula's by noon--got to explore the beautiful yard and visit with Boy, Paula's cat, and Bela, the dog, named after Bela Fleck. They are both getting on in age, but are clearly enjoying life. Boy is a bit stiff in the joints and Bela has cataracts.
We met Maria, an old friend who has worked as a designer in Paula's flower shop for years. We all had dinner at Gino's, a fantastic Italian place. We toured Salinas's old town area--it is looking very prosperous and well kept, with new construction being tucked in here and there.
It is a bit grey but comfortably warm. I'm headed south down 101 today, driving to the hills above Santa Barbara to stay for five days at Rancho Oso while I visit with my step-mom and her husband, Marge and Bill.
I'll post some pictures from yesterday and this morning this evening--sorry to be slow for the picture lovers!
I'm in Salinas, staying with John's sister Paula. Yesterday I left Santa Nella headed into a west wind that wasn't too bad--I think that it blew itself out over night. Pacheco Pass is a pretty smooth freeway these days, with an extra slow truck lane at all of the places I wanted to trudge along at a slow 45 to 50 mph. I cleared my Fuel "Economy " meter for the climb and found that I averaged between 7 and 8 mpg going uphill, so I'm not sure that going extra slow made much difference.
I did stop at Casa de Fruita--it is now a major tourist spot. I first remember stopping at a little dried fruit stand probably 40 years ago when Pacheco Pass was a two-lane terrifying crawl through the mountains. But it has grown to the point that there is a big fruit/nuts/oils/jams/artichoke/and whatever store. There is also a Casa de Pizza, Casa de Wine, Casa de Restaurant . . . And buses full of foreign tourists. It reminded me of Dole Plantation in Hawaii.
I made it to Paula's by noon--got to explore the beautiful yard and visit with Boy, Paula's cat, and Bela, the dog, named after Bela Fleck. They are both getting on in age, but are clearly enjoying life. Boy is a bit stiff in the joints and Bela has cataracts.
We met Maria, an old friend who has worked as a designer in Paula's flower shop for years. We all had dinner at Gino's, a fantastic Italian place. We toured Salinas's old town area--it is looking very prosperous and well kept, with new construction being tucked in here and there.
It is a bit grey but comfortably warm. I'm headed south down 101 today, driving to the hills above Santa Barbara to stay for five days at Rancho Oso while I visit with my step-mom and her husband, Marge and Bill.
I'll post some pictures from yesterday and this morning this evening--sorry to be slow for the picture lovers!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Friday April 11, '14
We woke up to a beautiful warm morning in Red Bluff. I hadn't been on the road long when I spotted a giant "Truck Wash" sign. Because Myrtle was now covered with Oregon and California bugs in addition to the Washington dirt, I remembered brother David's advice and decided to give it a try. There was no office, just a road around the back of the building where two lines of semis (with trailers) waited their turn. So I got in line, feeling kind of silly given Myrtle's size in the company of these trucks.
When I came to the front of my line I got to watch the performance. Four, sometimes five, guys ran all around the semi in front of me with about four kinds of very long-handled washers. Lots of shouting to encourage each other as they did front, sides, wheel wells--everywhere. As they were getting toward the end of the job one guy grabbed a flashlight and ran around and checked everything. They did some touch-up here and there, and then it was my turn.
It turned out that you go into the office to pay after the job is done. They checked to see what I wanted done, guided me into the building, had me roll my window up, and went at it. Very cool to watch from the inside--sprays of foam, fuzzy scrubbers, soft brushes, and lots of high pressure water. I checked to make sure that Livy wasn't freaked out--she was sitting on the bunk very calmly watching out the window. Her eyes were the size of saucers, but she has evidently decided that Myrtle is home, and a good safe place!
The whole process took a good 10 minutes and only cost $30.50! Great entertainment and a clean RV--not bad at all!
We continued on south down I-5. From north of Sacramento down to our stop for the night at Santa Nella, I-5's concrete pavement is a nightmare. It is in terrible condition, which I suppose is a reflection of the state of California's finances. I just got in the next-to-inside lane, tucked in behind a semi, and gritted my teeth. The asphalt is somewhat smoother south of Stockton, although the concrete bridges and overpasses continue to be rough.
We are now in Santa Nella RV Park, just off I-5 on highway 33 (you'll see my view of 33 in a picture below). We are just a skip from highway 152, which will us take over Pacheco Pass through the coast range and onto highway 101 tomorrow.
It was sunny and warm when we got here, but it has cooled down to 73 degrees at 8:45 and is quite windy. I'd just as soon get the windy over tonight, so I don't have to deal with wind AND curvy mountain roads at the same time. Oh! My gas "economy" got back up to 11 mpg this afternoon. I have to say, cruising along at 60 mph is pretty nice too!
We woke up to a beautiful warm morning in Red Bluff. I hadn't been on the road long when I spotted a giant "Truck Wash" sign. Because Myrtle was now covered with Oregon and California bugs in addition to the Washington dirt, I remembered brother David's advice and decided to give it a try. There was no office, just a road around the back of the building where two lines of semis (with trailers) waited their turn. So I got in line, feeling kind of silly given Myrtle's size in the company of these trucks.
When I came to the front of my line I got to watch the performance. Four, sometimes five, guys ran all around the semi in front of me with about four kinds of very long-handled washers. Lots of shouting to encourage each other as they did front, sides, wheel wells--everywhere. As they were getting toward the end of the job one guy grabbed a flashlight and ran around and checked everything. They did some touch-up here and there, and then it was my turn.
It turned out that you go into the office to pay after the job is done. They checked to see what I wanted done, guided me into the building, had me roll my window up, and went at it. Very cool to watch from the inside--sprays of foam, fuzzy scrubbers, soft brushes, and lots of high pressure water. I checked to make sure that Livy wasn't freaked out--she was sitting on the bunk very calmly watching out the window. Her eyes were the size of saucers, but she has evidently decided that Myrtle is home, and a good safe place!
The whole process took a good 10 minutes and only cost $30.50! Great entertainment and a clean RV--not bad at all!
We continued on south down I-5. From north of Sacramento down to our stop for the night at Santa Nella, I-5's concrete pavement is a nightmare. It is in terrible condition, which I suppose is a reflection of the state of California's finances. I just got in the next-to-inside lane, tucked in behind a semi, and gritted my teeth. The asphalt is somewhat smoother south of Stockton, although the concrete bridges and overpasses continue to be rough.
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| RV park view from bed. |
We are now in Santa Nella RV Park, just off I-5 on highway 33 (you'll see my view of 33 in a picture below). We are just a skip from highway 152, which will us take over Pacheco Pass through the coast range and onto highway 101 tomorrow.
It was sunny and warm when we got here, but it has cooled down to 73 degrees at 8:45 and is quite windy. I'd just as soon get the windy over tonight, so I don't have to deal with wind AND curvy mountain roads at the same time. Oh! My gas "economy" got back up to 11 mpg this afternoon. I have to say, cruising along at 60 mph is pretty nice too!
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| Livy is birdwatching. |
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| That's a Walmart truck on hiway 33. |
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| New bugs since the truck wash! |
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| My personal palm tree. |
Thursday, April 10, 2014
April 10, '14
I managed to get all my pre-launch tasks done a bit faster than the last time I camped in an RV campground--dumping gray and black water (waste water to the non RVers) was more organized, and that task takes me the most time. I did my pre-launch walk-around-and-check twice. Good thing! The second time I noticed my fresh water hose laying on the pavement where I put it to warm up so it would coil and store more easily. Maybe I need to do that check a third time--I go around looking at Myrtle's various openings and don't look at the ground.
Another beautiful morning--a bit nippy, but not bad. Sutherlin turns out to be north of Roseburg, not Grants Pass, so I had an hour longer drive than I thought I did. But I made it into California before noon. The gas economy (HA!) has been fascinating to me--skip it if its boring. From Vancouver WA to Sutherlin I averaged 11.3 mpg. I did not reset it, so I watched the average drop as I went up over the Siskiyous--down to 10.4 at one point. I think that means I was probably getting something like 8 mpg going up the hills. I ended up here in Red Bluff with an average for the two days of 10.8 mpg--that is a lot better than I expected.
I had an invaluable learning experience this afternoon. I stopped at a rest area to check the correct exit number for the Red Bluff RV park, and thought I'd open the gallon jug of Arizona iced tea for something cold. So here is the lesson:
JUST BECAUSE NOTHING SHIFTED AROUND IN THE FRIDGE YESTERDAY DOES NOT MEAN IT WON'T TODAY.
I opened the fridge without my spare hand in place to catch whatever. Of course it had to be the unopened gallon jug of Arizona iced tea. That jug hit the floor and exploded! I had an iced tea river heading for the truck cab and I just stood there saying "What? Towels? Towels, you idiot!" The tea, which of course has sugar in it, is not cooperatively running down the steps so I can just open the door. Or pooling up in the rug. I did manage to get a towel dam built before much of it ran into the cab, and it turns out there is this little hole in the floor just under the back of the passenger's seat. I don't want to know where it goes because whatever is down there is now sugar coated. When I pulled into my space in the RV park I picked up my lawn chair and Livy, and we went out and sat and meditated on the great treetops around us. Or at least I did.
Eventually I got us hooked up, washed down the walls, cupboard fronts, floor, and one of Livy's paws, changed into some non-sticky shorts, and trekked off to the laundry room to wash everything. Hint: I want more of those back-packing towels for Christmas. They are awesome.
So I'm sending you some pictures of the gorgeous flowers near the laundry room. And I hope you are all done laughing, because at 8 pm it was 80 degrees. So there.
I managed to get all my pre-launch tasks done a bit faster than the last time I camped in an RV campground--dumping gray and black water (waste water to the non RVers) was more organized, and that task takes me the most time. I did my pre-launch walk-around-and-check twice. Good thing! The second time I noticed my fresh water hose laying on the pavement where I put it to warm up so it would coil and store more easily. Maybe I need to do that check a third time--I go around looking at Myrtle's various openings and don't look at the ground.
Another beautiful morning--a bit nippy, but not bad. Sutherlin turns out to be north of Roseburg, not Grants Pass, so I had an hour longer drive than I thought I did. But I made it into California before noon. The gas economy (HA!) has been fascinating to me--skip it if its boring. From Vancouver WA to Sutherlin I averaged 11.3 mpg. I did not reset it, so I watched the average drop as I went up over the Siskiyous--down to 10.4 at one point. I think that means I was probably getting something like 8 mpg going up the hills. I ended up here in Red Bluff with an average for the two days of 10.8 mpg--that is a lot better than I expected.
I had an invaluable learning experience this afternoon. I stopped at a rest area to check the correct exit number for the Red Bluff RV park, and thought I'd open the gallon jug of Arizona iced tea for something cold. So here is the lesson:
JUST BECAUSE NOTHING SHIFTED AROUND IN THE FRIDGE YESTERDAY DOES NOT MEAN IT WON'T TODAY.
I opened the fridge without my spare hand in place to catch whatever. Of course it had to be the unopened gallon jug of Arizona iced tea. That jug hit the floor and exploded! I had an iced tea river heading for the truck cab and I just stood there saying "What? Towels? Towels, you idiot!" The tea, which of course has sugar in it, is not cooperatively running down the steps so I can just open the door. Or pooling up in the rug. I did manage to get a towel dam built before much of it ran into the cab, and it turns out there is this little hole in the floor just under the back of the passenger's seat. I don't want to know where it goes because whatever is down there is now sugar coated. When I pulled into my space in the RV park I picked up my lawn chair and Livy, and we went out and sat and meditated on the great treetops around us. Or at least I did.
Eventually I got us hooked up, washed down the walls, cupboard fronts, floor, and one of Livy's paws, changed into some non-sticky shorts, and trekked off to the laundry room to wash everything. Hint: I want more of those back-packing towels for Christmas. They are awesome.
So I'm sending you some pictures of the gorgeous flowers near the laundry room. And I hope you are all done laughing, because at 8 pm it was 80 degrees. So there.
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| Love the old-fashioned roses! |
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| Absolutely perfect. |
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| First rose in full bloom I saw. |
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| The sticky culprit! |
April 9, '14
One question to clear up. Katherine and Alan Murphy are long-time friends. Alan worked with my John on a project years ago, and Katherine and I did our Master's degrees together. Her favorite story is from an introduction to statistics course we took together. I kept driving myself crazy trying to figure out what the math formulas said and why they worked. She kept telling me to just memorize them. During one study session I got so upset that I hit her over the head with our text book. In self defense I have to point out that it was spiral-bound paperback, about 75 pages. But that friendship has lasted through good times and bad, more than 25 years.
This evening we're in Sutherlin, Oregon at the Umqua RV Resort--about a half an hour north of Grants Pass (or Grass Pants, as we called it as kids). The resort has a beautiful golf course (pictures below). The RV park is up on the ridge looking down at the golf course in one direction and down the valley toward toward the coast in another direction. I took a look around town before we settled in--a pretty and friendly town.
I had thought this might be a bad stopping place in the winter, but one of the RVers told me that it mostly rains, and only about 35 inches per year. I bet the summer is pretty warm though!
I got Myrtle all hooked up to electricity and water, put out my awning, and went for an amble with Livy. Because we do these walks at her speed, there is no speed. She sniffs everything and chews the grass as we go. We have been doing this daily, partly because I want her to be able to recognize Myrtle and know where the door is.
I should add that Livy had her best travel day yet. She didn't even swear or complain--and those of you with cats know what I mean!
I just sat under my awning and soaked up the beautiful day. As we came south down I-5 the land just kept getting greener and greener. Even the Oak trees are leafing out down here. I saw a field of sheep with a crop of brand new baby lambs. Tracy and Gina (my son and daughter) would get so exited about the lambs when we came through here in the spring--they knew there would be lambs on their grandparents' ranch when we got to Marina on Monterey Bay.
The breeze started kicking up about 4 pm, so I reeled in the awning (I have to admit that it was 60 degrees and I really hadn't needed the shade. I went for an actual walk on my own. We're getting into the hills of southern Oregon here and the country is so beautiful!
Katherine gave me a Myrtle-warming gift this morning that is amazingly perfect--she knows how close I came to giving up on my dream of traveling. This is a magnet with a Lewis Carroll quote:
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." "I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
April 10
I emailed yesterday's pictures from my phone to my computer last night, but they didn't come through until this morning! So here they are . . . Over the mountains and into California today!
One question to clear up. Katherine and Alan Murphy are long-time friends. Alan worked with my John on a project years ago, and Katherine and I did our Master's degrees together. Her favorite story is from an introduction to statistics course we took together. I kept driving myself crazy trying to figure out what the math formulas said and why they worked. She kept telling me to just memorize them. During one study session I got so upset that I hit her over the head with our text book. In self defense I have to point out that it was spiral-bound paperback, about 75 pages. But that friendship has lasted through good times and bad, more than 25 years.
This evening we're in Sutherlin, Oregon at the Umqua RV Resort--about a half an hour north of Grants Pass (or Grass Pants, as we called it as kids). The resort has a beautiful golf course (pictures below). The RV park is up on the ridge looking down at the golf course in one direction and down the valley toward toward the coast in another direction. I took a look around town before we settled in--a pretty and friendly town.
I had thought this might be a bad stopping place in the winter, but one of the RVers told me that it mostly rains, and only about 35 inches per year. I bet the summer is pretty warm though!
I got Myrtle all hooked up to electricity and water, put out my awning, and went for an amble with Livy. Because we do these walks at her speed, there is no speed. She sniffs everything and chews the grass as we go. We have been doing this daily, partly because I want her to be able to recognize Myrtle and know where the door is.
I should add that Livy had her best travel day yet. She didn't even swear or complain--and those of you with cats know what I mean!
I just sat under my awning and soaked up the beautiful day. As we came south down I-5 the land just kept getting greener and greener. Even the Oak trees are leafing out down here. I saw a field of sheep with a crop of brand new baby lambs. Tracy and Gina (my son and daughter) would get so exited about the lambs when we came through here in the spring--they knew there would be lambs on their grandparents' ranch when we got to Marina on Monterey Bay.
The breeze started kicking up about 4 pm, so I reeled in the awning (I have to admit that it was 60 degrees and I really hadn't needed the shade. I went for an actual walk on my own. We're getting into the hills of southern Oregon here and the country is so beautiful!
Katherine gave me a Myrtle-warming gift this morning that is amazingly perfect--she knows how close I came to giving up on my dream of traveling. This is a magnet with a Lewis Carroll quote:
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things." "I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
April 10
I emailed yesterday's pictures from my phone to my computer last night, but they didn't come through until this morning! So here they are . . . Over the mountains and into California today!
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| Golf course, looking east |
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| Golf course, looking west |
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| Walking with Livy |
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| View toward the coast |
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
April 8, '14
We are in Vancouver WA this evening, with rain pattering on the roof. The drive down from Kirkland was nice and calm. The only excitement was on Mill Plain, the exit off 205. The left turn lanes from Mill Plain to Katherine and Alan Murphy's neighborhood were exactly one foot wider than Myrtle! Kind of like threading a needle. Katherine and I talked each other's ears off, then tried out the Murphy's new tandem bike. Alan and Katherine looked a lot more stable than I felt on my turn! Katherine wants a new seat--the perennial quest of the woman bike rider.
We had dinner at McMinamin's (Okay, no idea how to spell that) on the Columbia River in Vancouver. The food was great and we got to watch canoe teams (I think eight paddlers) on the river. I especially admired the team paddling up stream--Alan said the current is 8 or 9 knots at that point, but they were making good progress. The water was a bit choppy, but they had outriggers on the canoes.
Livy did well today. She ate breakfast, had no anti nausea medication, and had no problems. She did accept that my lap is not available when we are moving!
Oh! I put on my license plates this morning! I picked them up at Valley Mail on my way through Duvall yesterday. We are now legal.
We head into Oregon tomorrow. I'm hoping for a bit of sun. Night All!
We are in Vancouver WA this evening, with rain pattering on the roof. The drive down from Kirkland was nice and calm. The only excitement was on Mill Plain, the exit off 205. The left turn lanes from Mill Plain to Katherine and Alan Murphy's neighborhood were exactly one foot wider than Myrtle! Kind of like threading a needle. Katherine and I talked each other's ears off, then tried out the Murphy's new tandem bike. Alan and Katherine looked a lot more stable than I felt on my turn! Katherine wants a new seat--the perennial quest of the woman bike rider.
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| Go Team Murphy! |
We had dinner at McMinamin's (Okay, no idea how to spell that) on the Columbia River in Vancouver. The food was great and we got to watch canoe teams (I think eight paddlers) on the river. I especially admired the team paddling up stream--Alan said the current is 8 or 9 knots at that point, but they were making good progress. The water was a bit choppy, but they had outriggers on the canoes.
Livy did well today. She ate breakfast, had no anti nausea medication, and had no problems. She did accept that my lap is not available when we are moving!
Oh! I put on my license plates this morning! I picked them up at Valley Mail on my way through Duvall yesterday. We are now legal.
We head into Oregon tomorrow. I'm hoping for a bit of sun. Night All!
Monday, April 7, 2014
April 7, '14
Myrtle has her awning reattached! Chris is an excellent technician and did a great job of merging the old rail that attaches the awning fabric to the RV and the new awning and hardware. It works perfectly--out and in, and the light strip at the top (inside) works too. Take a look at the pictures--look at the blue sky!
While Chris was working on Myrtle I was in the customer's lounge madly making reservations for the next two weeks. I'm set with places to stay as I head down I-5, clear through my visit with Marge and Bill in Santa Barbara April 13 through 18.
Once Myrtle was ready to go I headed to Fred Meyers for gas and food for the freezer. Then topped off the propane, headed home to grab the clean clothes and some food from the fridge. I headed to Gina's about 5 pm to visit her cat Wheedle and spend the night in her driveway. Wheedle and I watched some TV, and we'll watch some more TV at breakfast time tomorrow. Livy complained all the way over, but is very happily settled on my bed. I'm headed to the same place!
Myrtle has her awning reattached! Chris is an excellent technician and did a great job of merging the old rail that attaches the awning fabric to the RV and the new awning and hardware. It works perfectly--out and in, and the light strip at the top (inside) works too. Take a look at the pictures--look at the blue sky!
While Chris was working on Myrtle I was in the customer's lounge madly making reservations for the next two weeks. I'm set with places to stay as I head down I-5, clear through my visit with Marge and Bill in Santa Barbara April 13 through 18.
Once Myrtle was ready to go I headed to Fred Meyers for gas and food for the freezer. Then topped off the propane, headed home to grab the clean clothes and some food from the fridge. I headed to Gina's about 5 pm to visit her cat Wheedle and spend the night in her driveway. Wheedle and I watched some TV, and we'll watch some more TV at breakfast time tomorrow. Livy complained all the way over, but is very happily settled on my bed. I'm headed to the same place!
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| Chris did a great job |
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| This is the driver's side, for comparison |
Saturday, April 5, 2014
April 5, '14
Its Saturday, and I've come home for a couple of days. I am hoping that I will be able to have Myrtle's awning replaced on Monday. Why, you ask? Here is the sad story.
Myrtle is my one and only vehicle so I drive her everywhere. I was driving home from a haircut in Monroe, carefully pulling into our driveway and watching that my rear wheels were far enough from the ditch on the driver's side. I totally forgot to watch the massive maple tree on the passenger side and side-swiped the tree with the awning. I had only had Myrtle six days! The next morning I took her into Open Road RV in Monroe. They carefully removed the badly damaged awning so that Myrtle was drivable while I waited for the parts they ordered to arrive.
I checked today as I came through Monroe--some parts are in (from Dometic, the awning maker) and some are not (from Forest River, Myrtle's manufacturer). So I will find out Monday whether the awning can be temporarily put in place. I am trying to leave Washington to head south--through Oregon and California and into Arizona and New Mexico. The trip is waiting for the awning!
Its Saturday, and I've come home for a couple of days. I am hoping that I will be able to have Myrtle's awning replaced on Monday. Why, you ask? Here is the sad story.
Myrtle is my one and only vehicle so I drive her everywhere. I was driving home from a haircut in Monroe, carefully pulling into our driveway and watching that my rear wheels were far enough from the ditch on the driver's side. I totally forgot to watch the massive maple tree on the passenger side and side-swiped the tree with the awning. I had only had Myrtle six days! The next morning I took her into Open Road RV in Monroe. They carefully removed the badly damaged awning so that Myrtle was drivable while I waited for the parts they ordered to arrive.
I checked today as I came through Monroe--some parts are in (from Dometic, the awning maker) and some are not (from Forest River, Myrtle's manufacturer). So I will find out Monday whether the awning can be temporarily put in place. I am trying to leave Washington to head south--through Oregon and California and into Arizona and New Mexico. The trip is waiting for the awning!
Friday, April 4, 2014
Friday, Apr 4, '14
Hooray! The first post from an actual campground! Myrtle is sitting in our spot at Beachwood campground overlooking Birch Bay, in Washington. The weather was gorgeous on Wednesday afternoon, and you can see in the picture below that Canada is right across the bay. It took me a while to find out that you need to come to the center of the grounds to get a good wifi signal so I'm finally at the activity center, where swimming pools, spas, exercise room, activity room, and sports fields are located.
Yesterday, Thursday, was gray, cold, with a threat of rain that never materialized. I did some walking, just exploring, then did a grand tour in an electric cart with Dave, one of the sales people. I met Leslie, a fellow solo woman camper about my age, and had a good time getting acquainted. She took a picture of me next to Myrtle and is making me some business type cards. Apparently that is a good way to keep track of people you meet as you move from one place to another.
Today is cool, with fast-travelling puffy clouds zipping by. It is breezy and very pretty. I'm walking again, and enjoying getting out and talking to people.
Livy is settling in. She loves Myrtle when we are stopped, but is not so pleased with the driving. When I left home Wednesday morning I had her leash tied to a seatbelt and her crate seatbelted in right next to her on the dinette bench. I started hearing her voice from what sounded like an impossible location, over my right shoulder, instead of from directly behind me. Driving on the freeway, I didn't dare look around. When I stopped at Poulsbo RV in Mt Vernon to get some work done on Myrtle, Livy's harness was empty and she was settled in up on the bunk over the cab. So leaving Mt Vernon, I put her (in her harness) up on the bunk. By the next stop she was sitting right behind the driver's seat on the closest dinette bench. I tried the passenger seat next--she actually stayed there, watched out the window, and took a nap. But by the time I got to Beachwood she had settled on the bed and seemed quite happy. I think that I'm giving up on trying to keep her safely anchored and will let her use her own claws to anchor herself. This is a trade-off. My cats have always travelled in their crates, seatbelted down. But Livy began vomiting on a trip last summer--I was driving hilly roads on the way to Long Beach--and has continued vomiting on every trip. Not fun for either of us. I have anti-vomit medication from the vet, and it does help, but she is still miserable. That was the point at which I decided to try leaving her out of the crate, tied to a seatbelt. And look where that led us!
Hooray! The first post from an actual campground! Myrtle is sitting in our spot at Beachwood campground overlooking Birch Bay, in Washington. The weather was gorgeous on Wednesday afternoon, and you can see in the picture below that Canada is right across the bay. It took me a while to find out that you need to come to the center of the grounds to get a good wifi signal so I'm finally at the activity center, where swimming pools, spas, exercise room, activity room, and sports fields are located.
Yesterday, Thursday, was gray, cold, with a threat of rain that never materialized. I did some walking, just exploring, then did a grand tour in an electric cart with Dave, one of the sales people. I met Leslie, a fellow solo woman camper about my age, and had a good time getting acquainted. She took a picture of me next to Myrtle and is making me some business type cards. Apparently that is a good way to keep track of people you meet as you move from one place to another.
Today is cool, with fast-travelling puffy clouds zipping by. It is breezy and very pretty. I'm walking again, and enjoying getting out and talking to people.
Livy is settling in. She loves Myrtle when we are stopped, but is not so pleased with the driving. When I left home Wednesday morning I had her leash tied to a seatbelt and her crate seatbelted in right next to her on the dinette bench. I started hearing her voice from what sounded like an impossible location, over my right shoulder, instead of from directly behind me. Driving on the freeway, I didn't dare look around. When I stopped at Poulsbo RV in Mt Vernon to get some work done on Myrtle, Livy's harness was empty and she was settled in up on the bunk over the cab. So leaving Mt Vernon, I put her (in her harness) up on the bunk. By the next stop she was sitting right behind the driver's seat on the closest dinette bench. I tried the passenger seat next--she actually stayed there, watched out the window, and took a nap. But by the time I got to Beachwood she had settled on the bed and seemed quite happy. I think that I'm giving up on trying to keep her safely anchored and will let her use her own claws to anchor herself. This is a trade-off. My cats have always travelled in their crates, seatbelted down. But Livy began vomiting on a trip last summer--I was driving hilly roads on the way to Long Beach--and has continued vomiting on every trip. Not fun for either of us. I have anti-vomit medication from the vet, and it does help, but she is still miserable. That was the point at which I decided to try leaving her out of the crate, tied to a seatbelt. And look where that led us!
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| Livy has taken over the bunk |
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| Myrtle at Beachwood |
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