The Sierra Nevadas - First Stop

24 March

Ran into the notorious California freeway traffic  as we came through San Bernardino.  MUCH construction everywhere and no one seems to slow down for it.  We followed the 55 MPH signs and we were a hazard to everyone else who  blew past us at 70 or 80.  Fortunately this was only 20-30 minutes of our day but it was fairly hair-raising.  One doesn't stop our rig in the space you can stop a car.  The new Garmin GPS performed perfectly and is both nicer and faster than the old one.  In the past month, we've been in Phoenix, Los Angeles, and San Diego.  I am looking forward to smaller towns with less traffic for a while.

As we were driving north of San Bernardino, I happened to look west.  There were seven skydivers floating gently to earth.  I still don't understand why people want to jump out of perfectly good airplanes but apparently this is a big area for it.

We are at Hesperia,  CA and have a lovely view of the snow on the mountains southwest (?) of us.  Weather is absolutely beautiful but it does get cold here at night.  Altitude is 3,500 feet more or less.
Spring is beginning here in the high desert.  Beautiful wild flowers.  The park has been here since '88 so the landscaping is mature and beautiful.  Lots of things I am unfamiliar with.  (I think the tree below is a Joshua tree.)  There is a sizable bank of solar panels to the left and behind the park.  I don't know whether they belong to the park or some other entity.

The earthquake in Orange County Friday actually rocked our rig here in Hesperia.  I couldn't figure it out but Mike lived in CA years ago and knew what it was.  I think we are happy to be out of the Los Angeles basin.

Mike went out to get burgers for us.  I keep forgetting about altitude changes, with messy results.  The last time the ketchup bottle was open we were almost at sea level.  When I opened it here, ketchup everywhere.  Doh.

We are packing up today/tomorrow to head for Death Valley so I will close this post and open a new one there.

San Diego - Part 2

23 March, Sunday

Santee Lake 7

I am sure this park must be overrun during the summer months.  This weekend is busier than last weekend.  Kids on skateboards, scooters, bikes, etc. with parents and dogs as well, charging around.  You can rent a paddle boat (see one in the background of the photo) and fish or just meander.  There was some sort of big party at the north end of Lake 5 last night.  Dogs aren't permitted in the areas around Lakes 1-5 so we couldn't go down to see what was happening.  

I had an interesting conversation in the laundry room with a young woman who was doing wash and getting a break from her 9 year old and her 2 year old.  She's an orthopedic trauma surgeon at Loma Linda Hospital in LA.  She was very distressed that of the probably 500 patients she's cared for in the past couple of years, two have sued her in the last year.  I told her that there will always be people who will sue, no matter how perfect her work is.  An interesting assortment of people are RV'ers, some full-time, some weekenders, some part-time.  You just never know who you will meet next.

My KU Jayhawks bowed out of the NCAA tournament early.  With Joel Embiid on the bench, the team just wasn't the same.  And Andrew Wiggins had a very, very bad day.  Then Wichita State lost in a heart-breaker. K-State lost earlier.  It just isn't Kansas' year for the NCAA.

24 March, Monday

Off to San Diego!  Mike wanted to eat at Hodad's, a burger joint in Ocean Beach which has become famous.  He ate there when he came to SD to visit family while he was stationed at Edwards AFB.  Doesn't look like it has changed a bit in 40 years.  The owner walked across the parking lot where we were sitting to eat our burgers.  He said he wished he had a picnic table there for us.  Mike recognized him from Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Food Network show.

A lady seated at the counter inside (which opens to the sidewalk) fell in love with the dogs.  She wanted a photo so we passed them to her and her son-in-law took the picture.  So the dogs are now famous.

For someone who likes flowers, California is intoxicating.  See photos below.  These were all just growing on the parking or in yards around Hodad's. 

And it wouldn't be Southern California without a photo of surfers.  The statue is dedicated to the beach lifeguards.

We are starting to pack up in preparation for our departure for Hesperia CA on Thursday.  We'll be there five days and then on into the Sierras to Inyokern.  After that, Death Valley.  

Santee Lakes - the poor man's San Diego

We are now parked for two weeks at Santee Lakes Recreation Area, 20 miles NE of San Diego.  Parks in San Diego are $$$$$$$ so we are here which is only $$$$$.  These lakes (7 of them) were originally created as water reclamation facilities 50 years ago.  The town of Santee looks like it sort of grew up around the lakes.

Lake 7

The park lakes are full of waterfowl, most of which I can't identify.  See below.

White heron?

The birds are so accustomed to humans (and dogs), they don't move when you approach.  Mike said he had seven ducks following him with Muppet and Lola this morning.  The dogs and I got within a couple of feet of a BIG blue or grey heron yesterday before he decided to fly.  

Monday was St. Patrick's Day so we went to a local diner and had reuben sandwiches.  Well, it's corned beef and cabbage, sort of.  See Mike with a green beer on my Facebook page.

Lucky me...I spent all afternoon yesterday in a dentist's chair getting a broken crown replaced.  Cool technology, though.  They use CAD/CAM and can do a crown in a couple of hours instead of the old way that takes weeks.  So I am now ready to continue down the road.

There is an electric trolley system one line of which ends in Santee.  Goes into downtown SD...quick, quiet, wish we could try it but NO dogs.  Rats.

We are planning a trip to the beach next week to eat at Hodad's, a famous hamburger joint.  Watch for new post/pictures next week.

Into the Golden State

March 7
We left Phoenix behind (and won't stay here again).  Mike said the traffic at the airport was like O'Hare in Chicago.  Had enough of that.

We are now west and a big south of El Centro CA.  The Navy flying team, the Blue Angels, is based here at El Centro Naval Air Station and we got a free airshow yesterday as they practiced.  My pathetic little camera just couldn't get decent pictures.  Finally they flew right over us in the RV park.

March 10-13 Long Beach, CA

We met my cousins today for lunch.  Poor Mike Duggan must have been bored to death as Mike and Bob Cornner and I chatted about things and people from years ago.  They both look great.  Mike is retired but Bob is still serving as a pastor at the Episcopal church in Redondo Beach.  Mike's wife, Susan, was with us but Bob's wife was not up to coming.  Bob thoughtfully picked a dog-friendly restaurant so Lola and Muppet could sit under the table and people watch.  The weather is gorgeous here, the traffic not so much.  We are at a park which fronts on the Los Angeles River and is a short walk from the beach.  We may do a little sight-seeing tomorrow and then Thursday we are going back south to Santee Lakes Park outside San Diego for two weeks of down time. 

California poppies

Yeah!  It's a lighthouse!

Mike, the pups, and the Queen Mary 

The Queen Mary is permanently docked at Long Beach, right next to the cruise ship terminal.  Look left of Mike and you will see The Queen and a Carnival cruise ship.

Onward to Tombstone!....and points west

(You might want to go back to the 2/19 post, as I added some more photos and scintillating verbiage.)

One last story and we leave New Mexico behind.  Mike and I were at the Deming Walmart buying groceries.  Mike went down to the liquor aisle to get wine.  Some distance down the aisle was a gentleman who carefully selected a bottle of tequila, broke the seal, removed the cap, took a big swig, replaced the cap, and put the bottle back on the shelf.  Then he selected another bottle from a different shelf, same process.  And then another bottle.  The moral to the story is if you are buying anything in a bottle with a screw-off cap, look closely at the seal.  

3/1, Saturday

We left Hidden Valley Ranch RV Park this morning.  Took us almost an hour to get from the park to Hwy 180, about eight miles.  The last 6.5 miles to the park is gravel county road.  More than 10 mph and you shake the rig, its contents, and yourself to pieces.  Fortunately we were only a couple of miles from I-10 west when we finally got to Hwy 180.

When you see a highway sign on the Interstate that says “No visibility conditions occur -  Use extreme caution” you can figure on a slow day.  There’s a stretch on I-10 where high winds and desert combine for “white-out;” that is, you can’t see $hit.  I've driven through snow storms with better visibility.  By the time we got into that area, we got….wait for it….RAIN!   The enormous Pacific storm that hit the coast several days ago is working its way east.  This area has been in extreme drought conditions for years.  I know the locals must have been running around in the rain naked, celebrating.

3-2, Monday

Spent Sunday at old Tombstone, doing the touristy things.  We took the dogs into a Western melodrama, complete with pistol shots.  Muppet freaked so I took him out, and then Lola freaked because Muppet was gone.  We did, however, get a few photos.  To add to my annoyance, my camera battery died.  Tried taking some photos with the phones but they were not particularly successful.  After the show, we took a trolley ride all around town (about 4 blocks by 5 blocks), seeing all the famous sights:  Tombstone Epitaph office, OK Corral, the Bird Cage Theater, the silver mine, the old Courthouse, etc.  (BTW, the gunfight took place ½ block east of the OK Corral.  Guide said the area is so small that it’s amazing more weren't killed….at least 35 shots fired.) 

It was only 175 miles to the next stop, Mesa AZ, a suburb of Phoenix.  Mike will fly tomorrow to KC to see the eye surgeon and then back on Wednesday.  RV sites in Phoenix tend to be very pricey.  I found a deal on a park that has almost 1800 spaces.  See photos.  This is how I envision hell….  You don’t have room to swing a cat.  We will stay through Thursday and then Friday head out to El Centro CA on the way to Long Beach CA.   After having spent the past three months in the middle of a 7000 acre ranch, this park feels claustrophobic.   However, the site next to us has orange trees and they are blooming.  The perfume is drop-dead wonderful.

View down the street ...

A couple of photos left from NM

Michelle and Wyatt

Taylor