Location, Home, CA
We drove home yesterday, Monday, from Tehachapi and arrived about 2 PM. We unloaded some things and Clyda got the laundry started.
Sunday in Tehachapi we went to the Mountain Festival which was held in a park and on several streets. The park had craft and food booths along with entertainment. After looking at the craft booths and having an Indian Taco, the ladies went home while Budd and I cruised the streets filled with old cars. It was quit a show as we guessed the number of cars at 500 with even parking lots filled. We heard that some late arrivals were turned away due to lack of space.
Sunday afternoon Ron and Becky arrived from Merced. They are on their way to Mammoth for a few weeks of camping. Most years we go also but had stopped there on our way North in June so will pass this time.
Monday morning after a nice breakfast by Budd and Brenda, we got Ron and Becky ready to travel and we left also. It was a great weekend with friends and we thank Budd and Brenda for the great hospitality.
I haven't totaled up the miles yet but hope to do so in the next few days. We were gone exactly 90 days.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Hot August nights.
Location, Tehachapi, CA
Hot August Nights is over. After 5 days of fun and sun, we have moved on to visit Budd and Brenda in Tehachapi before going home.
Last Sunday we left Dunnigan fairly early to avoid traffic on I-80 and I-680 on our way to the Elks Club at Walnut Creek. I-80 was BAD. The lanes are being resurfaced but only the 2 inside lanes are done. That leaves the 2 slow lanes a bumpy chopped up mess. At times 45 MPH was too fast as the truck and trailer were all over the road. I-680 is not much better as it has lots of dips and broken cement and makes for a bad ride. We were really glad to get off the road.
The Elks club has only one RV site which was occupied when we got there. We were offered a site across the parking lot with no hookups for $10 a night. That’s not a problem as the solar panels will keep the batteries charged and the refer runs on propane. We packed what we needed for 5 days and drove to our friends Cindy and Gary’s house.
The temperature had increased to the upper 90’s so Cindy and Gary were already in the pool when we arrived. Needless to say, we soon joined them . Don and Bev arrived later to complete the group for this year. Budd and Brenda couldn’t make it this year.
We spent the next 4 days lounging around, drinking, and eating with an occasional dip in the pool. At night we would take a dip and end up in the spa before going to bed.
On Monday morning we drove to Oakland and took the ferry across the bay to San Francisco and walked through the old ferry building which now houses shops and eateries. We had lunch at The Slanted Door a Vietnamese restaurant which normally requires reservations well in advance even for lunch. However, due to the slow economy, we were seated immediately. We tried several dishes and the food was good for a lite lunch. We returned to the pool by early afternoon.
Waiting for the ferry.
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Snacks, anyone?
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On Tuesday we drove to Treasure Island which was created from mud dredged from the bay and checked out the old terminal building which was built for an exposition in 1939. Later it became the headquarters for the Navy and only recently was turned over to the city of San Francisco. We drove around the island which eventually will be host to some high rise buildings, shopping and housing.
San Francisco skyline from Treasure Island.
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A little chilly on Treasure Island.
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On leaving the island we drove to Golden Gate Park and parked under the De Young Museum where we went to the ninth story observation deck. It is a great place to get spectacular views of San Francisco for free. We had a bite of lunch next door at the Academy of Sciences building before heading back for more pool time.
On Wednesday the ladies shopped and the guys went to Costco and Fry’s. Pool time followed.
After breakfast out on Thursday, Don and Bev left for home. The rest of us laid around the pool most of the day and played games on the Wii.
Friday morning after breakfast, Clyda and I went back to the Elks Club and picked up the RV. We drove south on I-680 to I-580 and eventually to I-5. We traveled south to Hwy 46 which took us to Hwy 99 and Bakersfield and to Hwy 58 to Tehachapi. We arrived about 4 PM at Budd and Brenda’s. Their daughter Kori is with them since she had baby Jessica and their daughter Julie from Mesa, AZ was visiting for the week. We had not seen either girls in about 9 years.
Saturday the ladies and baby Jessica drove Julie to Burbank to catch a flight home. Budd and I checked out the Mountain Festival in Tehachapi which we will visit again tomorrow. Our mutual friends Ron and Becky will arrive tomorrow for one night on their way to Mammoth for a few weeks. We will drive home on Sunday.
Now for all those readers who wondered why there was no blog, I hope this explains what we have been doing.
Hot August Nights is over. After 5 days of fun and sun, we have moved on to visit Budd and Brenda in Tehachapi before going home.
Last Sunday we left Dunnigan fairly early to avoid traffic on I-80 and I-680 on our way to the Elks Club at Walnut Creek. I-80 was BAD. The lanes are being resurfaced but only the 2 inside lanes are done. That leaves the 2 slow lanes a bumpy chopped up mess. At times 45 MPH was too fast as the truck and trailer were all over the road. I-680 is not much better as it has lots of dips and broken cement and makes for a bad ride. We were really glad to get off the road.
The Elks club has only one RV site which was occupied when we got there. We were offered a site across the parking lot with no hookups for $10 a night. That’s not a problem as the solar panels will keep the batteries charged and the refer runs on propane. We packed what we needed for 5 days and drove to our friends Cindy and Gary’s house.
The temperature had increased to the upper 90’s so Cindy and Gary were already in the pool when we arrived. Needless to say, we soon joined them . Don and Bev arrived later to complete the group for this year. Budd and Brenda couldn’t make it this year.
We spent the next 4 days lounging around, drinking, and eating with an occasional dip in the pool. At night we would take a dip and end up in the spa before going to bed.
On Monday morning we drove to Oakland and took the ferry across the bay to San Francisco and walked through the old ferry building which now houses shops and eateries. We had lunch at The Slanted Door a Vietnamese restaurant which normally requires reservations well in advance even for lunch. However, due to the slow economy, we were seated immediately. We tried several dishes and the food was good for a lite lunch. We returned to the pool by early afternoon.
Waiting for the ferry.
.jpg)
Snacks, anyone?
.jpg)
On Tuesday we drove to Treasure Island which was created from mud dredged from the bay and checked out the old terminal building which was built for an exposition in 1939. Later it became the headquarters for the Navy and only recently was turned over to the city of San Francisco. We drove around the island which eventually will be host to some high rise buildings, shopping and housing.
San Francisco skyline from Treasure Island.
.jpg)
A little chilly on Treasure Island.
.jpg)
On leaving the island we drove to Golden Gate Park and parked under the De Young Museum where we went to the ninth story observation deck. It is a great place to get spectacular views of San Francisco for free. We had a bite of lunch next door at the Academy of Sciences building before heading back for more pool time.
On Wednesday the ladies shopped and the guys went to Costco and Fry’s. Pool time followed.
After breakfast out on Thursday, Don and Bev left for home. The rest of us laid around the pool most of the day and played games on the Wii.
Friday morning after breakfast, Clyda and I went back to the Elks Club and picked up the RV. We drove south on I-680 to I-580 and eventually to I-5. We traveled south to Hwy 46 which took us to Hwy 99 and Bakersfield and to Hwy 58 to Tehachapi. We arrived about 4 PM at Budd and Brenda’s. Their daughter Kori is with them since she had baby Jessica and their daughter Julie from Mesa, AZ was visiting for the week. We had not seen either girls in about 9 years.
Saturday the ladies and baby Jessica drove Julie to Burbank to catch a flight home. Budd and I checked out the Mountain Festival in Tehachapi which we will visit again tomorrow. Our mutual friends Ron and Becky will arrive tomorrow for one night on their way to Mammoth for a few weeks. We will drive home on Sunday.
Now for all those readers who wondered why there was no blog, I hope this explains what we have been doing.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Getting close.
Location, Dunnigan, CA
We again had an easy drive from Yreka to Corning, CA. The weather also warmed up to the low 80’s. Our stop last night was Woodson Bridge RV Park east of Corning about 6 miles and on the banks of the Sacramento River. Sounds good, right? Well, not quit. It is one of those RV parks that reminds me of places you see in the south. Lots of big trees, old trailers, dilapidated buildings. No TV service but they did have WiFi for a fee. First hour free then $5 for all day. The kicker is that it is Use Net which is so slow as to be unusable. I declined.
A nice view of Mt. Shasta south of Yreka.
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To top it off, the oak trees dropped sap all night on the truck and RV which looked like a speckled shiny paint job this morning.
We drove to Dunnigan to day and stopped at Happy Time RV Park which was another of those parks with a lot of old trailers around the edges, a poor driveway, but it did have green grass between sites so I picked one with lots of grass and shade. Temperatures got into the 90’s today but the AC made it ok. Oh, and they have free WiFi. Good signal but slow. I sat in my chair outside until it got dark. Very pleasant.
A comment: I have been dreading the drive down I-5 as the road in the past has been in very poor condition. To my surprise, it has been a pleasant drive with a very good road bed most of which is new blacktop. We just rolled along.
We again had an easy drive from Yreka to Corning, CA. The weather also warmed up to the low 80’s. Our stop last night was Woodson Bridge RV Park east of Corning about 6 miles and on the banks of the Sacramento River. Sounds good, right? Well, not quit. It is one of those RV parks that reminds me of places you see in the south. Lots of big trees, old trailers, dilapidated buildings. No TV service but they did have WiFi for a fee. First hour free then $5 for all day. The kicker is that it is Use Net which is so slow as to be unusable. I declined.
A nice view of Mt. Shasta south of Yreka.
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To top it off, the oak trees dropped sap all night on the truck and RV which looked like a speckled shiny paint job this morning.
We drove to Dunnigan to day and stopped at Happy Time RV Park which was another of those parks with a lot of old trailers around the edges, a poor driveway, but it did have green grass between sites so I picked one with lots of grass and shade. Temperatures got into the 90’s today but the AC made it ok. Oh, and they have free WiFi. Good signal but slow. I sat in my chair outside until it got dark. Very pleasant.
A comment: I have been dreading the drive down I-5 as the road in the past has been in very poor condition. To my surprise, it has been a pleasant drive with a very good road bed most of which is new blacktop. We just rolled along.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Moving south.
Location, Yreka, CA
We had a fairly easy trip to Roseburg, OR even with the heavy traffic. We checked in to Twin Rivers RV Park west of Roseburg. Twin Rivers is a very nice secluded park with lots of trees which actually make it a little dark during the day.
After lunch we decided to check out a few wineries in the area. We headed west intending to make a loop back to the RV park. The two wineries we stopped at were surprisingly large and had been in business for many years. The second one was Melrose Winery which was a converted barn with awesome landscaping. They also have a new large outdoor facility for weddings, and other events. A really nice place.
Melrose Winery large event facility.
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Clyda had called an old high school friend who lives in Roseburg with her husband who I had served in the Navy with. (Short story, 4 Navy swabs married 4 girls who went to high school together. Two of us couples have been married for 47 years while the other two had divorced).
Anyway, we got together last night for Mexican food and later for a few hours of catching up on families and acquaintances. This morning Gary came by the RV park with some frozen salmon filets he had caught. It was a great short stop with old friends.
Thanks Gary and Judy.
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This morning we drove to Yreka, CA and stopped at Yreka RV Park. It is probably the most expensive RV Park we have stayed at. Because it is fairly new I guess they figure they need to pay for it in a few years. Oh, well, on southward tomorrow.
It is cool and spitting rain with more to come tonight they say. Warmer weather to the south I hope.
We had a fairly easy trip to Roseburg, OR even with the heavy traffic. We checked in to Twin Rivers RV Park west of Roseburg. Twin Rivers is a very nice secluded park with lots of trees which actually make it a little dark during the day.
After lunch we decided to check out a few wineries in the area. We headed west intending to make a loop back to the RV park. The two wineries we stopped at were surprisingly large and had been in business for many years. The second one was Melrose Winery which was a converted barn with awesome landscaping. They also have a new large outdoor facility for weddings, and other events. A really nice place.
Melrose Winery large event facility.
.jpg)
Clyda had called an old high school friend who lives in Roseburg with her husband who I had served in the Navy with. (Short story, 4 Navy swabs married 4 girls who went to high school together. Two of us couples have been married for 47 years while the other two had divorced).
Anyway, we got together last night for Mexican food and later for a few hours of catching up on families and acquaintances. This morning Gary came by the RV park with some frozen salmon filets he had caught. It was a great short stop with old friends.
Thanks Gary and Judy.
.jpg)
This morning we drove to Yreka, CA and stopped at Yreka RV Park. It is probably the most expensive RV Park we have stayed at. Because it is fairly new I guess they figure they need to pay for it in a few years. Oh, well, on southward tomorrow.
It is cool and spitting rain with more to come tonight they say. Warmer weather to the south I hope.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Meeting friends in Portland.
Location, Wilsonville, OR
A quick update on the past two days. We arrived at Pheasant Ridge RV Park in Wilsonville south of Portland about 11 AM on Monday. After lunch we drove west towards Newburg and the wine country. We did take a round about way which took us over Parrot Mtn with all of its large ranch’s and big, big houses.
Eventually we reached Newburg and stopped at the visitor center to pick up some maps of the wineries in the area. They gave us free tickets for wine tasting at a small winery south of town call The Four Graces. It is named after the four family daughters. Very nice place but very pricey wine.
We continued up the road which turned to gravel and climbed another mountain to reach a winery called Torii Mor. Very nice place decorated in the Japanese style. Continuing up the road we eventually completed the circle and ended up back in Newburg. By now afternoon traffic was building so we found the river road back to Wilsonville. This is a very country winding road with lots of sharp corners. Slow, but a nice drive.
We met our friends Thomas and Debbie for dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s Grill for dinner. We closed the restaurant I think. Thanks Thomas.
On Tuesday, an old friend from our Boy Scout days came to lunch at the RV. We had a nice few hours of conversation. Later in the day Thomas and Debbie came for a camping dinner at the RV.
Today we are off to Roseburg, OR.
A quick update on the past two days. We arrived at Pheasant Ridge RV Park in Wilsonville south of Portland about 11 AM on Monday. After lunch we drove west towards Newburg and the wine country. We did take a round about way which took us over Parrot Mtn with all of its large ranch’s and big, big houses.
Eventually we reached Newburg and stopped at the visitor center to pick up some maps of the wineries in the area. They gave us free tickets for wine tasting at a small winery south of town call The Four Graces. It is named after the four family daughters. Very nice place but very pricey wine.
We continued up the road which turned to gravel and climbed another mountain to reach a winery called Torii Mor. Very nice place decorated in the Japanese style. Continuing up the road we eventually completed the circle and ended up back in Newburg. By now afternoon traffic was building so we found the river road back to Wilsonville. This is a very country winding road with lots of sharp corners. Slow, but a nice drive.
We met our friends Thomas and Debbie for dinner at McCormick and Schmick’s Grill for dinner. We closed the restaurant I think. Thanks Thomas.
On Tuesday, an old friend from our Boy Scout days came to lunch at the RV. We had a nice few hours of conversation. Later in the day Thomas and Debbie came for a camping dinner at the RV.
Today we are off to Roseburg, OR.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
No sweat travel day.
Location, Kelso, WA
We got an early start today and drove through Seattle without any problems. The goal was to get through before they closed the I-90 bridge for the Blue Angels which would cause traffic to back up on I-5.
We did get on the road by 7 AM as I had hoped to and the traffic was light all the way to Kelso. We arrived at Brookhollow RV Park before noon which was at least 2 hours earlier than I had planned. So much for my planning. I usually am right on about travel times. Not today.
We stayed in all afternoon as it warmed up enough to put the AC on. After dinner we filled the truck with fuel and took a walk along the dike which surrounds one side of the RV park. It is a great hiking trail and used by people in the RV park as well as locals.
We are in no hurry to leave tomorrow as we only have about 75 miles to go.
We got an early start today and drove through Seattle without any problems. The goal was to get through before they closed the I-90 bridge for the Blue Angels which would cause traffic to back up on I-5.
We did get on the road by 7 AM as I had hoped to and the traffic was light all the way to Kelso. We arrived at Brookhollow RV Park before noon which was at least 2 hours earlier than I had planned. So much for my planning. I usually am right on about travel times. Not today.
We stayed in all afternoon as it warmed up enough to put the AC on. After dinner we filled the truck with fuel and took a walk along the dike which surrounds one side of the RV park. It is a great hiking trail and used by people in the RV park as well as locals.
We are in no hurry to leave tomorrow as we only have about 75 miles to go.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Heading South.
Location, Lynden, WA
Another warm day but the temperature has really moderated the last 2 days. I spent part of the day getting the rig ready for the road. All the jacks are up, tripod stowed, tanks dumped, and big items inside stowed.
We plan on a 7ish AM departure tomorrow. I would like to be through Seattle before traffic builds up. This weekend is Seafair, with Hydrofoil races on Lake Washington and the Blue Angels above it . The floating bridge across the lake is closed while the Blue Angels perform. I want to be long gone by the time that happens.
We have been in Washington for more than 7 weeks. Actually the time has gone quickly. We did lots of tourist things which only happens if you spend some time in one area.
Our goal tomorrow night is Kelso, WA
Another warm day but the temperature has really moderated the last 2 days. I spent part of the day getting the rig ready for the road. All the jacks are up, tripod stowed, tanks dumped, and big items inside stowed.
We plan on a 7ish AM departure tomorrow. I would like to be through Seattle before traffic builds up. This weekend is Seafair, with Hydrofoil races on Lake Washington and the Blue Angels above it . The floating bridge across the lake is closed while the Blue Angels perform. I want to be long gone by the time that happens.
We have been in Washington for more than 7 weeks. Actually the time has gone quickly. We did lots of tourist things which only happens if you spend some time in one area.
Our goal tomorrow night is Kelso, WA
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