Catching up

I guess it's about time I updated the photos on the blog.  I have been posting words only (I know, right? BORING.) Anyway, I will try to catch you up visually on the happenings of the last few days.

Our first stop after San Diego was the RV Ranch in Paso Robles.  

Here are Topper and Red Ryder parked in our cozy little space, C-7. 

You gotta watch her every minute. 

This is the only photo I got at the Golden Rule RV Park in 

Willits.  The stream bed right behind our space was dry. 

Thank you, California drought.  I would have taken more photos, 

but there were a lot of yellow jackets at this park, and 

It wasn't too pleasant being outside. Otherwise, the park

was quite nice.

 

The next day (yesterday) we arrived at the Beachfront RV Park in Brookings, OR. 

It is beautiful here.  The parking area is kind of like a parking lot, but the views are

spectacular.  The beach is about 20 yards from our "front" door. 

There must be some good feeding going on. There were dozens of brown pelicans 

flying and swimming about. This photo doesn't do them justice, but not bad

for an older iPhone!

There was other fauna about as well.  Here I was able to capture the 

elusive rock hugging chickadee.  Ain't she pretty? 

What would a photo gallery be without the obligatory artsy-fartsy

shot?  Ignore the photographer's finger in the upper left corner

The sun was out when we got up this morning. I took this sitting in our dinette

Later in the morning we met this fellow, while we were walking down the sidewalk that borders the beach. He was totally unconcerned. This is not a telephoto shot. 

When Jill's blood sugar gets low, watch out!  (Just kidding, honey!) 

We stopped for a seafood lunch at a local diner. 

It was very fresh and reasonably priced. 

. 

That's all for now. I'll update you as more photos come in over the wire service. We are enjoying a laid back day without traveling.  Tomorrow, alas, we must go home.

To Willits...and beyond!

OK. I know, I know. I promised to update you on the trip around the San Francisco Bay area, which I was more or less dreading.  OK. So, I didn't have a wi-fi connection last night, so sue me. 

After consulting Google Maps, Mapquest and the guys on the RV forum, we decided to avoid SF and head up the east side of the bay on I880, through Oakland and across the Richmond bridge.  It was a good choice.

We left Paso Robles, where we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and the lovely RV Ranch park, and headed up the 101 (do you like my use of SoCal freeway lingo?).  At San Jose, we stopped for fuel around 11:30 AM. Then we got back on the 101 and found that the very next exit was for the 880.  I have to say that driving this route was pretty much a non-event. The traffic moved along at a steady clip on pavement that must be 75% better than the 680. 

Well, as is always the case, nothing is free.  We arrived at the Richmond toll bridge after a lovely cruise up the east bay shore, paid our toll and headed across the estuary to Marin County.  I remarked to Jill as we were crossing the bridge, "OK. We made it through the bay area unscathed."

And then we got to the other end of the bridge, where we discovered that virtually every inch of the freeway in Marin County is under construction. The traffic was awful, and finally we decided to get off and have some lunch; a reasonable idea, right?

WRONG

We saw a sign for Jack in the Box and Burger King.  I exited the freeway and turned LEFT. No, you dummy, not left.  After winding around and driving through Denny's parking lot, we got headed the other way. We found Jack in the Box...no parking. We found Burger King...no access to the driveway on the left side of the street.  In my inimitable, only-Tom-could-be-this-patient style, I got back on the freeway.  Gerty announced, "Continue on US 101 for 89 miles."  I replied, "I'm tempted to do just that." 

I was brought back to reality by Jill's quietly saying, "No. I have to have something to eat."  We continued on to Santa Rosa. The helpful motorist information sign before the exit indicated "food, lodging, fuel."  OK, I thought, we are home free.

WRONG

We wandered through the Tattoo parlor district, the adult book/video district, the auto row district.  Finally, just as I was about to get back on the freeway, Jill cried, "McDonald's!"  There they were, the golden arches, just off the NEXT freeway exit and very accessible with a driveway on my right and plenty of parking.

We were elated.  We got in line behind a young man who was waiting patiently for the lady ahead of him to complete her order.  I don't think I am exaggerating by saying she took 15 minutes to place her order.  For some reason, although there were three cash registers, only one person was taking orders for the lunch crowd. 

At long last we placed our order, found a table and proceeded to rectify our sagging blood sugar.  Ah! That's better. We can both be civil again! 

We headed back up the 101, and things settled into a nice pace.  A couple of hours later, we arrived at the Golden Rule RV Park in (well actually about 7 miles before) Willits.  We turned off the highway. We crossed a cattle guard.  We drove down a steep, winding road. At least the lanes were really narrow! Finally we crossed another cattle guard and arrived at the park.  It is a lovely, well-maintained park with a residential section filled with nicely maintained manufactured homes, and pretty little RV section at the bottom of the canyon.

The park is nicely treed. The spaces are reasonably level and covered with gravel.  There is a swimming pool and a nice restroom/shower facility.  We got Topper set up and went for a little walk around the park.  As we headed up the hill to stroll through the residential section, we encountered a huge congregation of yellow jackets flying madly about.  We quickly changed our plan and strolled around the pool instead.

Today's drive was spectacular.  We fueled up in Willits and then headed into the famed Redwood Forest.  There was very little traffic, the sun was out, the trees were big, the road was winding and fun to drive.  Eventually we arrived at Eureka on the North California coast.  We stopped for some supplies and then continued on up the coast, through more redwoods, and finally arrived at Brookings, OR, where we are parked with our rear windows about 20 yards from the beach.

Today was a good day.

Galloping Gerty

We had a wonderful week with our two grandsons...oh, yes, and their parents.  We celebrated both of the boys' birthdays...more than once each.  I don't know about Josiah and Judah, but I certainly feel older. 

Now we are on the road heading back home. Today was the day I dread most when driving this route.  The reason, of course, is Los Angeles.  There is no way I know of to avoid going through the Los Angeles Metro area, when traveling from San Diego to Oregon, except to go north on 395.  We opted not to do that, because of the heat inland.  Consequently, we spent the better part of the day wending our way through the maze of (ironically named) freeways  until we came out on the north end headed for Ventura.

Now, the trip could have been easier, except that I angered our Gerty (the Garmin Nuvi GPS). She wanted to route me over a toll road from south of L.A. to Long Beach.  When I refused to take the ramp for the toll road. Gerty was fuming.  She decided to get even and directed us up I5.  When we came to the exit for I405, which I knew I should take, she kept directing us up I5.  Like a chump, I fell for it.

After a few miles, though, I decided, with the help of my navigator and beautiful bride, to take the 91 across to the 405, which got us back on track, but added about 40 miles to our trip.  Gerty pouted and sniveled a bit, but in the end, I got my way, and we made our way up the 101 along the coast through vineyards and oceanfronts until we arrived at the RV Ranch in Paso Robles. This is a lovely park with grass and trees and reasonably level gravel sites, full hook-ups and a very friendly and helpful hostess.

So, I sat down to blog, while my lovely bride and I enjoy a cold brew.  Tomorrow is my second nightmare about this route, transiting the San Francisco Bay area.  I'll let you know how that all turns out!!

White Knuckles anyone?

I hope no one is trying to keep track of the date by following this blog.  This post was written yesterday (8/13/14) but I had no wi-fi connection at the park where we stayed, so I am posting it today.  So, anything that refers to "today" was actually yesterday...what??

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Today was an education for the Old Blogger:

Lesson 1: Don't assume because a road is on a google map that it is the road you should be taking. As we left the Calistoga County Fairgrounds this morning, Gerty, our faithful (and sometimes helpful) GPS, directed me to turn onto highway 128 going south from Calistoga. Now, yesterday, when we came to Calistoga, we found highway 128 to the north to be beautiful, but in very bad repair. The thought of driving some 50 miles or so on bad road sounded quite repugnant to me. And although the map showed that to be the shortest route to our next destination, I had some prior knowledge to which Gerty was not privy: i.e., this road is not fun to drive with a camper due to the potholes and sundry other irritations.

Lesson 2: On the other hand, Gerty may have had some information to which I was not privy: i.e., the road that I found on Google Maps, was perhaps, even worse. Oh, the pavement was smoother and all, but what I didn't know (and Gerty may have a leg up on me here) is that the road is exceedingly winding and steep, as in 16% grade in places and 11% in others. If you are not familiar with the rating of road grades, 16% means that the road rises 16' for every 100' of horizontal distance it covers. Think of the steepest slope you have ever climbed on an interstate highway. If memory serves, the interstate highway system is limited to a maximum of 6% grade. So, now picture that steepest slope and imagine it two and two thirds times as steep. Now you have a 16% grade.

Thank God, I had the steering on Red Ryder fixed before this trip. I would no doubt be writing this post from a ditch, high above Calistoga. I also had the front brakes rebuilt a while back, hallelujah! Bottom line: we made it over the hill from Calistoga to Santa Rosa. The drive, what I saw of it, was beautiful. Mostly I saw the centerline and the non-existent shoulders of Petrified Forest Road. Hmmm...petrified...perhaps, there is a reason for that name!

Once we got to Santa Rosa, the fun was only beginning. We found US 101, our highway of choice for the day and headed south toward Walnut Creek. I must explain that when we were packing up for the trip, we packed a computer bag with the following: 2 MacBook Air computers (his and hers), an iPad (hers), a Kindle Fire (his) and an iPod (hers). Or rather I should say I packed those things in the bag (including chargers), minus her MacBook.

Later, Jill packed her MacBook in the bag, as any helpful wife would do. Since I virtually always pack up the hi-tech stuff, she naturally assumed that I would make sure everything was in the bag. When it was time to put the bag in the camper, I looked and found Jill's MacBook, so naturally, since I had packed everything else in the bag I was grateful that she had put her computer in. I naturally assumed that when she packed the computer, she also packed the charger. Jill naturally assumed that since I always pack the bag, I packed the charger. Well, you know the old adage about what happens when you A$$ U ME.

Did I mention we stopped in Walnut Creek to pick up a charger for Jill's computer?

Lesson 3: But before we got there, we discovered that almost all Californians are driving south on Hwy 101 into San Francisco at 9AM everyday. We also discovered that virtually all California drivers were dozing in driver's ed class when the lesson about how to merge onto a freeway was presented. The standard Californian way to merge is drive up the ramp at 35-40 mph, confident in the assumption (there's that word again) that the oncoming traffic will happily change lanes, or perhaps, slow down graciously, or even maybe someone will stop and get out and sweep off the ramp for you and allow you to enter the flow of traffic in your own good time. After all, you are a Californian entering the freeway traffic. It is your right to do it in your own unique way. Certainly, you have no responsibility in this matter. (I believe the ninth circuit has already ruled on this point.) I am reminded of the line of someone very near and dear to me who was heard to say in similar circumstances as she laid on the horn to avoid a collision, “It's called MERGE. Look it up!!”

Lesson 4: Once the highway widened to three lanes in each direction, I was able to stay in the middle lane and avoid the hapless “mergers.” That didn't fix the pavement, however. I think the last time any of the highways in the bay area was paved may have been during the Hoover administration. I swear every bridge, overpass, or change of paving material that involves the interface of two pieces of highway gear is made with about a four inch change in elevation. Thus, when you encounter said interface at or below the posted speed limit, the pavement drops out from under your vehicle just long enough for it to land in the lowest point in the depression. Then the tires climb up out of the depression at the other side of the interface and are launched into thin air. Believe me, at 65 mph with a 5 ton vehicle, this adds excitement to your life that you may not be able to imagine.

At this point, I would like to offer kudos to the Apple Store in Walnut Creek. Having loped and galloped over the various 101s and 37s and 80s and 780s and 680s, we arrived at the store just as Gerty said we would. We found a parking spot across the street, plugged the meter, and we were back in the car with power supply in hand in (I kid you not) 10 minutes! Maybe we could get the Apple people to work on the highways some.

Once we got to Morgan Hill, we stopped for lunch and to let the heeby jeebies wear off a bit. From then on the drive was a bit better. Most of the bad road was in construction zones, where you expect it to be. The scenery was beautiful, and Red Ryder purred along quite contentedly. There was, of course the occasional California Merger to contend with (one of whom nearly drove off the road when I honked my horn as he was about to side swipe me, having not even looked to see if there was traffic in the lane he intended to enter.) But all things considered, the second half of the trip was a breeze.

And speaking of breeze. We are now parked at the LeSage Riviera RV Park in Grover Beach. The breeze is wafting the smell of salt water over the dunes and into Topper. We had a nice stroll on the board walk that borders the beach. A lovely lady named Carolyn offered to take our picture with our camera when she saw me using it to get some scenery shots. It turns out that she is a fellow Christ follower, from Bakersfield, CA. She is familiar with some of Jill's ancestors who came from Bakersfield. She also knows where Dallas, OR is, because she is Mennonite and is aware of the history of Dallas having been at one time a nearly exclusively Mennonite community. I wonder if Carolyn knows how to merge.

Yesterday's news today...

If you read my previous post, you will know that this one is out of order.   The battery on the camera is charged now, so I can post again.  Don't be expecting two posts a day forever. This is a first. 

We left home from Dallas, OR yesterday and headed down I5 toward California. Our destination is San Diego.  We visit our middle daughter and her family every year at this time to celebrate the birthdays of our two grandsons. Their birthdays are four days apart, but there are four years between them. So, this year we will be celebrating a ninth and a fifth birthday. 

The weather yesterday was beautiful, as long as we stayed in the truck...with the air conditioner on. Although we left at 8:00 AM, we learned that Dallas later enjoyed temperatures in the mid-90s.  It was no cooler down the I5 corridor.

At Grants Pass, we turned off the interstate and followed US 199 through the northernmost part of the famed California redwoods, arriving in Crescent City about 3:00PM. 

 Here we are driving along US 199 from Grants Pass, OR to Crescent City, CA. 

Jill got another shot from the co-pilot's seat as we cruised through the forest

The weather in Crescent City, on the California coast, was overcast, foggy and breezy, with temperatures in the mid 60s.  Our home for the night was in the city RV park on Sunset Circle.  The park is a bit run down, but our space was right on the bay, with a panoramic view from the lighthouse on the north to the boat basin on the South. We took a long walk on the beach just before sundown. The salt air was refreshing.  We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

 The Old Blogger takes a stroll on the beach at Crescent City

In addition to the family time that we always enjoy in San Diego, I have been looking forward to this trip for other reasons. If you have read the blurb on this blog about Topper, you will know that we originally got into RVing, because we had a daughter in San Diego and one in Denver.  We thought it would be nice, once we were retired, to take leisurely trips to visit them and see some of these great United States along the way.  Well, for one reason or another, that has not happened until now. 

So, number one reason for anticipating the trip (other than family time) is to prove that we really did buy an RV so we could take leisurely trips to visit the kids/grandkids! The number two reason I was excited about this trip is that Red Ryder has had a problem with the steering linkage being rather loosey-goosey.  On our last outing, I was a bit white-knuckled on occasion as we negotiated the McKenzie River highway. 

After that trip, I took Red to the shop, where we discovered that the ball joints on the right side needed replacing.  The steering linkage was also tightened up and the front end aligned. WOW! What a difference. It is actually fun to drive Red Ryder now, even when hauling Topper. 

So far this trip has been a dream. Nice places to stay; we left the dogs at home with Auntie Tara; and the rig is performing very well. Look for another post tomorrow, provided the wi-fi works as well at the next park, which will be LeSage Riviera RV Park (pretty fancy name, huh?) in Grover Beach. Until then...

The power and majesty of our Lord!

Today's post is mainly pictures. We are on our way to San Diego to celebrate our grandsons' birthdays.  Born on the 15th and the 19th of August, they will be 9 and 5 respectively.  But I digress...(they are great kids, though)... We left Dallas yesterday and drove to Crescent City, CA.  I would have posted pictures from yesterday's drive, but we forgot to charge the camera battery. That process is underway, as I write.  Look for yesterday's post as the next one. Who says I am a bit backward??

Today we traveled from Crescent City to Calistoga. We are parked at the Calistoga RV Park. It got great reviews on RVParkReviews.com (a great place to get consumer reviews of RV parks, BTW), but so far, the best thing about the park was the drive to get here. But I digress again.

My beautiful bride, Jill, does amazing things with a camera in a moving vehicle.  The following photos bear witness:

Here's a shot from the navigator's seat in Red Ryder. That's fog and not rain collecting on the windshield as we left Crescent City.

 The North California coast between Crescent City and Eureka. 

It was foggy last night, and the fog persisted into this morning, 

but it was lifting when this was snapped.

And further down the coast.

 Here's a shot going through the redwoods.  

Obviously, the fog had lifted by now.

 As we got closer to Laytonville, the smoke from a large forest fire began to thicken. 

 Here's another shot of the smoke coming from the fires.

 And another as we began to get past the fire zone.

 

 Near Laytonville, there is a base camp for firefighters battling this blaze. 

Here are a couple of the helicopters they have been using.

 ...and the main camp...

 ...and I presume this is where the "grunts" call home, when 

they are not immediately involved risking their lives.

 All supplies have to be hauled in. This truck was labeled "Potable Water." 

Our hats are off, and our hearts go out to the brave men who take on such risky jobs. We were glad to see several fire trucks from surrounding areas leaving Laytonville as we passed through, although we don't know that that means the fire is more under control. Maybe the trucks were just needed at their home towns.  I choose to believe the former explanation.

 On a cheerier note. Once we were past Laytonville (and in fact, past Ukiah) the skies cleared up and we saw acre after acre and mile after mile of vineyards.  The wine industry in Sonoma County is not going to die any time soon.

 We turned off of US 101 about 45 miles south of Ukiah onto CA 128. This road took us to our destination in Calistoga.  The entire drive on 128 was gorgeous, as we passed among vineyards, wineries and some very charming private residences.  Jill's iPhone was beginning to overheat by then, so we don't have photos.  

And finally, a photo of the Old Blogger on the beach in 

Crescent City yesterday afternoon. But more about that later.

The title of this post came from the awe I felt as we drove through the majestic redwoods and saw the incredible mountains, the seashore, and finally the power of a lightning-caused fire that will leave a scar on the mountains for years to come.