Our travels Friday took us just 40 miles north - but directly through downtown Santa Cruz. A bit tricky, but we made it onto the famous California coastal highway 1. Our destination is a new KOA that is in the process of converting to a KOA. The camp has been around for years - also known as Costanoa Lodge & Spa. We arrived to find a new manager of only 3 weeks in place and a lot of construction in process, as they work to add camper amenities to the property. Their 'claim to fame' is being the first 'totally green' KOA. Nothing is wasted here for their water is recycled, their sewage is treated and processed and used to water the lawns. Everything in their camp store is organic - and I mean everything! Which, of course, means pricey! We found it to be a lovely property, with a unique charm of its own, but still some work to do to make it truly. . . KOA. A very nice upscale restaurant on site, and we were treated to dinner 'on the house'. We both chose the Braised Pot Roast and finished the meal by splitting a Chocolate Lava dessert! It was superb!
Some of the most beautiful landscaping we have ever found on a park. The shrubbery and flowers were all blue & lavender - and, wow, was it striking!
Plans are in the works to actually plant gardens on the property to grow the vegetables for the restaurant and the store. BUT in spite of their 'totally green theme' (we call it organic to the extreme) - I couldn't help but note that all their 'souvenirs' where still "Made in China'!
An added treat was finding the Pigeon Point lighthouse just a mile or so up the road. We took time to drive up and explore it, but had to break out our coats for the outing. The sun was shining, but it was COLD and windy - but oh, so beautiful! It's the first California lighthouse we've discovered so far this season. Roger always does such a great job of snapping picture perfect postcard snapshots for me.
We decided on an early departure this morning, for we had about 4 hours north to drive and Roger wanted to catch as much of the basketball games as he could. We had deliberately planned our trip through San Francisco for Sunday morning, to avoid as much traffic as possible. Our trusty (somewhat) "Sylvia" guided us through without a hitch, although she took us clear through the city on Highway 1 - complete with the curving roads along the coastal cliffs.
It also took us through a portion of the actual city of San Francisco, and Roger and I both expected to see Steve McQueen come barreling through each intersection as we approached. The streets & scenery were right out of the early 70's action movie "Bullet". We even crossed paths with a streetcar! No time - or place - to stop for pictures, but perhaps one of these seasons we'll stop in the area long enough to take a tour of the city. 
Of course, traveling Highway 1 through San Francisco takes us right across the Golden Gate Bridge. Again, no place to park for a yellow truck towing a 38 ft. fifth wheel, so I snapped this shot as we drove. And sure enough, there sat Alcatraz right out in the middle of the bay.
We arrived in Willits right about noon, to find it windy and very chilly. A bit chillier than it has been, for today the heater ran all day long.
We have cell phone service and internet here, so I spent the afternoon catching up on paperwork, while Roger caught up on his basketball.
Tuesday morning (3/25) found us headed to breakfast at the Red Rooster Cafe in Lake Isabella. One great place for breakfast and we filled our 'tanks' for the day of driving ahead.
As we were breaking camp, Roger discovered that we had not made the drive through the canyons without a scratch (as we had first thought). Sure enough, way up high, we have our first 'oops' ! Just a minor blemish, and if you have ever traveled that road, we are lucky it wasn't worse. The trip 'out' is much less scary and treacherous and most of our day was spent on flat land driving through miles and miles of farm land. Almond and pistachio trees, orange trees, grape vines; then when we crossed over the mountains headed west towards Santa Cruz, there were garlic, strawberries, artichokes and brussel sprouts.
I don't mind going up the mountains . . . it's the going down that makes my insides turn to jelly! Roger keeps telling me 'just take a nap', but that just doesn't work for me. The beautiful scenery helps, though. As we drove, I mentioned that the hills had a 'glow' about them. As we got to them, we discovered that part of the 'glow' was the reddish dirt showing through the sparse grass, but the real 'glow' came from large patches of vivid orange California poppies in full bloom. Just gorgeous!
We were greeted like 'family' when we arrived at the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay KOA. We had worked with the manager, Sally, when she was at Niagara Falls, NY - and it was good to see her. We'll be here 3 days, using this as a base as we do a small neighboring park just 15 miles south in Moss Landing. After we finished up at the Moss Landing KOA, we headed to Gilroy to the one and only Super Wal Mart in the area. Had no problem getting there, but when we headed back to the campground, Roger programmed 'Sylvia' (the GPS) to guide us home. Well, I'm here to tell you, he doesn't follow her directions any better than mine - and we had a very scenic route home. (At least he couldn't blame me for it!) :>)
Moss Landing - home of Phil's Fish Market & Restaurant. It's 'the' place to go and we enjoyed a relaxing dinner with Sally. Luckily we went for an early dinner, for by the time we left the line was out the door, and it is not even a weekend. A bit too chilly to eat outside with the live music, but a pleasant - and delicious - evening.
Tomorrow we'll do the review here and then head north about 40 miles on Friday to Pescadero (Santa Cruz N/Costanoa), where we will be camping with just Highway 1 between us and the Pacific Ocean.
We sure couldn't have asked for nicer weather for the Easter weekend. But we're still running the heater every night.
Saturday evening Roger's uncle & wife came over & we 'caught up' over a great meal that Larry & Linda prepared. Was sure good to see him. We e-mailed photos back to Oklahoma so they could 'share' in our visit.
Sunday we started the day with bacon, biscuits and some farm fresh eggs that Larry & Linda's son, Alex, brought over. He even brought an extra '18' to send on the road with us. There is DEFINITELY a difference - between store bought and farm fresh - all for the better. Linda's folks and brother joined us for a traditional Easter lunch with ham and all the trimmings, and we even had an egg hunt. Couldn't help but wish we could have watched our kiddos look for eggs back in Oklahoma (if only for a couple of hours).
Then it was time to hook up and head out to Lake Isabella. What a beautiful drive, but some of the rock croppings were so close to the road, I feared that the fifth wheel would 'scrape' them. Thankfully we navigated without a mishap, but it did take us two hours to go 60 miles.
Four loads of laundry waited for me at the end of the road and I finished up just in time to hit the bed. At least that's done for a while.
We headed east from Pomona (LA), thankful to get out of the traffic. Arrived in Banning about an hour later, and found this area much more to our taste. Situated at the base of the mountains (is there anything else around here?) it was a nice respite to the 'big city' parks of the last two days.
Visiting with the managers and talking about our favorite place to shop (Sam's Club) - and she mentioned, "Oh, you'll go right by one as you go back on I-10 on your way to Santa Margarita!" I went back and checked my maps closer, and sure enough, we have to back track. Should have come to Banning first, then Pomona and we would have saved ourselves some travel time. (Will tuck that info away for next year).
Didn't get to Sam's, but we did navigate through the traffic again and found ourselves climbing mountains once again. Then, of course, we were in the 'valley' and agriculture is 'king' here. It would be interesting to know what all is growing - we're guessing lots of grapes & almonds. We spotted a few orange trees, but found out later that the trees are mostly almonds and pistachios.
A long day (325 miles) from Banning to Santa Margarita, but at the end of the day we were camping on top of the world. This park has literally been carved out of a mountain. Had our first 'frustrated words' of the season when Roger decided to take Highway 41 to cut off some miles. As we made a turn there was a very large sign that advised vehicles towing trailers to turn back. Rather than stop and back up a bit, Roger kept going (of course). Just when I was picturing us 'stuck' on some hairpin curve, he found a place to make a U-turn and we headed back to the 'road most traveled.' It added about 25 miles to our day, but I felt much better. It did make for a pretty 'silent' 25 extra miles though! By the time we arrived at the park, we were ready to park and crash. Our site was right on the top of the hill overlooking the park, with a nice cool breeze blowing.
Our neighbors were the nicest couple (Bob & Joan) from Visalia and we had enjoyed chatting with them. Their 3 grandkids were coming to go fishing with Grandpa. We even got our 'dog' fix by scratching the ears of their blue tick coon hound.
The next day we opted to use the truck, for the park was too vertical and too spread out for our liking. Roger was having a ball with all the twisty roads; meanwhile I was getting green around the gills. That's as close to 'off roading' as I care to go, thank you very much! This park has had poor reviews the past few years, but it is always a delight to find it much improved. Makes our job so much easier. Very nice manager in place and hopefully it will only improve.
We had allowed two nights there after our long drive, and I think we relaxed a bit too much, for when we pulled out of the park Thursday morning, neither one of us could remember just how to get back to Highway 101. Took a wrong turn, realized we didn't recognize anything after about 5-6 miles, turned around and finally discovered we had to go south, before we could go north.
Traveled only state highways to get to Visalia, and, as always, Roger gets behind the slowest vehicle on the road. He finally got clearance to pass 'grandpa', and was trucking along at the legal limit of 55 for our rig . . . and then I mentioned that I could sure use a rest stop! Of course, he just had to remind me, "I just got past that guy, and now you have to have to stop! You're killing me!" (There are days when a motor home would be so much more convenient!)
As we pulled in to the Visalia KOA, red and yellow flowers were in bloom everywhere! It just made one smile. Very nice, well cared for park here - and we spent quite a bit of time visiting with the owner and managers . . . so much that it was about 5:30 before we wrapped up our walk-about.
I have been trying to wear out a bothersome urinary tract infection since Sunday that just wasn't going away, so I gave up and we found the local Urgent Care Center that was open until 8:00 p.m.
This is one of the 'challenges' of the road that can be a real pain (no pun intended). However, we caught them on a slow evening and I walked right in. Was out in 30 minutes, but then it took us over an hour waiting at Walgreens to get my scripts filled. Course, all this cost Roger time away from the NCAA basketball, but as always, he was a good sport about it. I rewarded him by making his favorite supper when we got back - nachos.
When the nurse practitioner learned what we did for a living, she shared that I needed to take the meds for only 3 days, but she wrote the script for 9 days, so I would have extra for the next time, without having to hassle with finding a clinic. Wise woman with a head on her shoulders.
Friday morning we got a call from Roger's cousin, Larry, inviting us to 'camp' in their driveway so we wouldn't have to drive back and forth the 40+ miles from Lake Isabella over the weekend. We called the park to alert them of the change of plans - and headed to Bakersfield. We have a lovely spot; our doorway opens right to their backyard gate, and our rig fits right in with their fifth wheel and the inlaws motor home (they have a big place, with 2 driveways).
When supper time rolled around, they took us over to . . . the Bakersfield RV Resort . . . where the restaurant serves up a fish fry on Friday nights. Now I'm not a fish lover, but my rule of thumb is to 'go with the locals' - and I have to admit it was delicious! Very nice rv park - wish it was a KOA! And, needless to say, we felt right at home.
Roger & Larry are off to the Quick Lube this morning to have the fuel filter changed in the truck. Who knows what the weekend will bring. Stay tuned.
What a change!
I've only ever traveled in southern California once in my life and I had forgotten just how mountainous it is! Now the Northeast has mountains, but they are all green - or anyways - when we saw them! But as we traveled to Needles, then south to Blythe, then west & south to Niland, winding our way to San Diego and then Pomona . . . we've had mountains as our constant companion.
We took a 'scenic route' to Niland (Glamis North KOA) via "Mecca". It had us winding through rock covered hills and bluffs. With the wildflowers in bloom, it had a beauty all its own. I kept thinking we should stop and snap a picture of the KOA rig among the rocky landscape, but I didn't think Roger would agree to climb up a hill just to take a picture. Of course, I'm also imaging all the 'critters' lurking among those rocks in this warm desert climate - like snakes, scorpions, & spiders. Yuck!
The Glamis North KOA is still under massive reconstruction, but it is going to be awesome when it is completed. The owners here bought the old, run down Imperial Hot Mineral Spa and are redoing it all. When completed, this 'desert oasis' will have 4 swimming pools, 5 hot tubs, and 4 Roman tubs! Right in the middle of the park is a huge natural hot mineral spring that pours out 300 gallons a day. The water is used to fill some of the pools with the mineral water, and the excess runs to the Salton Sea.
We are still amazed that people choose to spend their winter months out here in the middle of nowhere! Of course, the weather is warm - but it is MILES to the nearest town/civilization! It seemed so odd to see these little 'grannies' running around on four-wheelers, but that is the primary mode of transportation there. Forget golf carts . . . Grandma & Grandpa spend their days four-wheeling in the desert! I don't think that would be 'my cup of tea', but it obviously is for a lot of people.
Roger was really enjoying the lack of traffic and the wide open spaces, but then we hit San Diego and Pomona (LA). We 'thought' we chose a good day to arrive in the suburbs of LA (Sunday) - but if that was a 'slow' day, I dread today. At least we won't roll until about 11:30 this morning and we are headed east a bit - AWAY from LA.
We've completed 5 campground reviews so far, with 3 more to do before we take the Easter weekend off. We'll spend it camped in Lake Isabella, CA, which is about 40 miles east of Bakersfield. We've already made contact with Roger's cousins there and plan to get together and catch up. We haven't seen them in about 10 years - so it should be an enjoyable weekend.
I'm so confused! I've given up on trying to keep up with the time! When we left, Oklahoma was on Central Standard Time. Then we crossed over into Mountain Time. Then Daylight Savings Time went into effect. But Arizona doesn't do Daylight Savings Time. Now we are in the West Coast time zone IN California, and they do Daylight Savings. . .
So today we get an e-mail from our boss about a conference call on Friday morning at 9:30 Mountain Time. Roger assures me that means 8:30 California time; I'll just have to take his word for it! The only 'clock' I trust is our cell phone, for it is smart enough to change time without my assistance!
I know one thing for sure. My body is still on Oklahoma time.
We have our first 2008 campground review behind us. What a beautiful park here in Needles, CA - a true desert oasis. Stopped to visit with some friendly snowbirds from Seatlle, WA as we did our walk-about. They are originally from Ireland, but have been in the U.S. since 1965. According to them, we're 'flatlanders'.
Tomorrow it is south to Blythe, CA - right on the western edge of the Colorado River. It's a huge park, with over 300 sites. We'll definitely earn our cookies tomorrow!
Finally! We've made it to warm weather! After two nights in Gallup in the mid-20's (with frozen water), we reached Kingman, Arizona today and it is warm and sunny! We've got the door open and the ceiling fan spinning and it is. . . oh, so nice!
Hopefully we've seen the last of the stomach bug, for Roger requested - and got - homemade pizza for supper tonight. Think I was just so glad to be in warm weather I would have agreed to cook him anything! Part of it may have been because he treated me to breakfast at Cracker Barrel this morning after three days of cold cereal and Progresso soup!
Think Roger & I need a refresher course as to why we 'have the best job in the world!'
Although we grumbled at the delayed departure, it did give us the opportunity to take in the Carl Albert Middle School Pom Squad tryouts. Now I know that this may not make the list of "most important things in life", but it does if your granddaughter is trying out! Not sure who was most nervous - her Dad or me! It sure wasn't Hunter, for she performed like a pro - and was only one of three incoming 6th graders to make the squad! Oh, are we proud of her and happy for her. I told her Dad that I had never seen anyone more 'anxious' to spend money, as he paced the floor waiting to hear who had 'made it'.
This should make her transition into middle school a lot easier. She told us one day - after the 5th graders went for a tour of the middle school - that she was going to be "an ant among the giants!" She's still going to be an 'ant' - weighing in at all of 55 lbs. - but now she will be acquainted and comfortable with girls in all grades. Another good thing is all the adult eyes (teachers, sponsors, administrators) that will be watching to make sure her grades, etc. are where they are supposed to be.
Grandson Nick snapped back from his flu & strep to make the Scout sleepover at the Omniplex before we left. Before we left Randy made a skateboard ramp for Wesley. My one request is that he not kill himself on it!
SO, back to our departure. Within an hour after getting home Friday (after the pom tryouts) I was hit with the stomach flu, making for a very rough night, and leaving me weak as a kitten. But Roger was determined we were going to get on the road Saturday! So he goes out to finish loading the trailer, only to find the heat wasn't working! We still had propane, so he heads over to Leisure Time RV to see if they can locate the problem, since they had just (supposedly) 'fixed it!'
He had to come back and get the trailer, but - thankfully - they did agree to look at it and found that their repairman had installed the propane regulater backwards, and kinked the line in the process. So, with that problem solved, we threw the last items in the trailer and pulled out about 1:00 p.m.
Lots of new 'learning curves' this year, with settling in to a new trailer and being deemed a 'commercial rig' - just like a semi! We made it to Amarillo and Roger was a trooper and did most of the settling in, for I was exhausted and still not feeling well. Roger made do with a bowl of soup, for my stomach wasn't up to anything stronger.
Much better this morning (Sunday), but with the time change it was 9:45 before we managed to get our act together and get on the road.
Just crossed the border in to New Mexico and hit our first 'weigh station'! They motioned for us to pull over to the parking area, and Roger took his 'log' book and headed over to the building, only to find he needed the truck registration papers. I handed him the notebook I thought they were in - and, of course, they weren't. So it only took three trips back and forth (and standing in line) to find out that all they wanted was him to pay an additional 'fuel tax'. Ok. So he hands him our company P-card to pay, and they tell him there is a $7.95 charge for using plastic! He had no choice, as we are required to pay all expenses on the P-card, but that does seem like a true case of highway robbery!
The timing was good though, for right about that time, the stomach bug hit Roger! We made it on to Gallup, but it made for a rough day for Roger . . . and a lot of stops.
SO, tell us again how great our job is!?!? Not at times like this, for sure.
The country is sure different from the East and we were reminded just how beautiful the difference can be. The weather is still chilly; we even hit a snow shower west of Albuquerque. Driving through the lava beds around Grants, New Mexico reminds us that this area once had volcanic activity. Pulled into Gallup for the night. It was soup again for supper tonight, as this time Roger's tummy couldn't handle anything more. At least we're suffering together!
Can't believe February is gone! Once I started physical therapy the days settled in to a routine and before I knew it, a month has passed!
Saw my doctor on the 28th and he has released me to travel, as long as I keep up the work rehabbing my shoulder. It's really slow progress, but seeing the other folks at rehab is encouraging, as they tell me they were where I am now. I just want to get my strength back - yesterday!
I keep wondering where my winter went, but then have to remind myself that going through two surgeries pretty well takes it up!
Spent some long days planning and fine-tuning our route. Going in to a new region is WORK! So much to learn about the area and the campgrounds. I'm sure we'll enjoy the new scenery and know that the west coast is beautiful. We tried to work out our time so our forced days off (holidays and holiday weekends) are in places where we want to do some sight seeing.
Just got our trailer back from the shop - and I was NOT A HAPPY CAMPER! We took it in for a couple of items of warranty work almost 3 weeks ago (the TV and propane regulator). Roger went in one day last week to check on it, and was told that it had been broken in to 'a few days ago' and the TV, DVD player were gone, and the lock was messed up. Since Roger had already packed some of his tools in the storage areas before he took it to the shop, he went out to check on it. Thankfully, the tools were still there, and the only thing he found missing was the TV. There was no evidence it had been burglarized and we were a bit 'suspicious' to say the least. A bit too convenient that the TV was missing. Then they informed him that their insurance wouldn't cover it, since they have no liability on trailers 'stored' in their lot!
Ok, at this point, we just want our trailer so we can start packing and hit the road. Told we would have it Tuesday (I'm thinking morning . . .!) and it was 1:00 p.m. Wednesday before Roger finally got it. So Wednesday evening I head out to get started packing - only to find red mud tracked on to my spotless carpet! When I asked Roger for heat, he informed me we were out of propane! We had just filled the bottles before we had taken it in, and Roger had turned off the valves, since the propane regulator wasn't working. Now both tanks were empty and it's 6:30 p.m.! If we weren't so pressed for time, I would have had Roger taken it right back and made them clean carpets and fill propane bottles.
I had a 'moment of melt-down' and then suggested he make a trek out to the KOA, and maybe he could get some propane there. He did, and they graciously 'opened up' to fill our bottles. Needless to say, this will be the LAST TIME that Leisure Time RV gets our business! This is the second time they have been less than professional in their dealings with us. If I have my way, there won't be a third time, even though their location is extremely convenient for us. I've a mind to write one of 'my letters' to let them know how unhappy I am with them!
We worked until about 9:00 p.m. moving KOA supplies out of our closets and in to the trailer. Of course, we had to take our supper break at 7:00 - to coincide with American Idol.
To further complicate things, now they are predicting SNOW for today! At this point, we are going to be lucky to hit the road by Monday (3/7). We will definitely have to 'make tracks' once we get rolling.
A bit of added blessing to these last days at home, is our time with Hayden. His regular babysitter, Great Grandma Hughes, finally succumbed to the 'crud' that's been going around, and we had to step in to help out yesterday. What a joy that baby boy is! So happy, and he kept me smiling all day with his shenanigans. He loves his KOA jacket, but I think it is mostly because it is the same color as SpongeBob Squarepants!
He is definitely 'addicted' to Grandpa's Chex Mix. Roger keeps a large container by his recliner and every time Hayden (or for that matter ANY of the grandkids) comes over, he heads straight for it. He does his best to lug it to one of us and waits impatiently until we open it and hand him a piece.
As I mentioned, the 'crud' has been making the rounds of our family. Randy's youngest, Nick, managed to catch the worst of it when the full blown flu hit him and then, not 24 hours later when he wasn't responding to the medicine, they discovered he also had strep. One sick young man! It sure creates a 'Catch 22' when everyone is trying not to spread this stuff, but Shelly has been pulling her hair out trying to keep up with her job, school and a sick one at home. I know we'll all be glad when this winter is behind us!
I know I have been remiss in keeping this blog updated, but promise to do better as we travel. I'm off now to my last physical therapy session for a while. The therapist promises to load me down with sheets of exercises so I can keep working while we roll.
Our travels Friday took us just 40 miles north - but directly through downtown Santa Cruz. A bit tricky, but we made it onto the famous California coastal highway 1. Our destination is a new KOA that is in the process of converting to a KOA. The camp has been around for years - also known as Costanoa Lodge & Spa. We arrived to find a new manager of only 3 weeks in place and a lot of construction in process, as they work to add camper amenities to the property. Their 'claim to fame' is being the first 'totally green' KOA. Nothing is wasted here for their water is recycled, their sewage is treated and processed and used to water the lawns. Everything in their camp store is organic - and I mean everything! Which, of course, means pricey! We found it to be a lovely property, with a unique charm of its own, but still some work to do to make it truly. . . KOA. A very nice upscale restaurant on site, and we were treated to dinner 'on the house'. We both chose the Braised Pot Roast and finished the meal by splitting a Chocolate Lava dessert! It was superb!
