Valparaiso, IN to Home!

Sunday March 31st

Got the trailer ready to roll; pumped up the leaky tire.  Then headed to Jim and Michelle's house for their annual Easter Feast.  We stayed until about 2:30; when I realized what time it was I hustled Cathey out just as the Easter Egg Hunt was commencing.  We got the truck gassed up, got the trailer hitched and then hit the road. 

Traffic around Chicago was not bad but had a hard time finding trailer parking at the Oasis on the tollway.  Got home about 9pm.  End of this year's trip!!!!

Casey, IL to Valparaiso, IN

Wednesday March 27th

Today was the day to get the trailer re-winterized, since we will be staying in a Motel in Valparaiso for the next several nights.  Winterizing didn't take long but getting everything packed in suitcases for the motel stay seemed to take all morning.  We finally gat on the road about noon and then stopped when we got to Terre Haute for lunch.  

There is a state highway, IN-63, that goes N and eventually joins US-41.  It was 4 lane all the way and turned out to be a pretty good choice.  When we got far enough N, we made the short jaunt over to I-65 and then exited on IN-2, which is the back door into Valparaiso.  Arrived about 6pm.

West Memphis to Casey, IL

Tuesday March 26th

We found out yesterday that Eve has her spring break this week, so now we are in a hurry to get to Chesterton, IN, to spend some time with her while she is not in school.  Got a fairly early start today and made a gas stop just outside the KOA (in Arkansas).  Gas was only $3.29/gal - cheapest since last December.  

The whole trip through AR and MO today was all pretty flat.  A lot of the fields still have cotton stalks with a little fluff still hanging on - the only way that I would know it was cotton.  We only traveled N as far as Sikeston, MO where I-55 junctions with I-57, where we headed E to cross the Mississippi River and then headed NE toward Effingham, IL.  

Cathey is not looking forward to another night in the trailer because we know it will be colder than it was last night and that seemed pretty chilly.  I had to stop in Effingham to get more RV anti-freeze, since tonight will be the last night in the trailer.  We will stay in a motel while we are at Jim and Michelle's.  

I had planned to stay at an RV Park near Effingham and then continue up I-57 but we couldn't get hold of either of the campgrounds near Effingham so Cathey found one E of Effingham on I-70.  It was a KOA and they were open but did not have their water turned on yet.  That's not a problem for us since we travel with our fresh water tank full.  We will have to change our route though.

The KOA was about 20 miles E of Effingham, near Casey, IL.  They still had a lot of snow and ice on the ground there.

Texarkana to West Memphis

Monday March 25th

Got on the road by 10:00 and made it to Little Rock by about noon.  Stopped and had lunch just E of Little Rock at a truck stop.  Arkansas is pretty flat and swampy, a lot like Louisiana, just less interesting.  We got to West Memphis about 5:30 and the temperature was only 41 and it felt colder.  

Off Day

Sunday March 24th

The wind was gusting to 30mph today and more to the E, so we decided to stay in Texarkana and wait  for a better day.  It rained a little last night and was overcast most of the day today.  We slept in and debated if we needed to unhook the trailer to go anywhere; cabin fever was the deciding factor and we unhooked the Suburban and went out to explore both Texarkana's; there is one on each side of the state line.  Not much to see and it didn't take long.  Ended up at an Olive Garden for an early supper; then back to the trailer.

Denton to Texarkana

Saturday March 23rd

We had planned to leave and head north to Oklahoma City or Tulsa today, but the weather forecast for Tulsa was rain and sleet overnight; I wasn't ready for that!  We decided to head East and go through Arkansas.  Rather than go into Dallas to hit I-30, we went N to US-380 which took us E and eventually joined with I-30.  

We got a late start so we only made it as far as Texarkana, on the border of TX and AR.

Lunch was an interesting stop today.  We were in Greenville, TX and had not a restaurant in sight so we saw a Mexican supermarket that said Taqueria, and we thought we could at least get some tacos.  

The only thing we recognized was chicken and vegetables.  The soup of the day was Menudo, but I wasn't ready for that.  The lady behind the counter had to call someone over to interpret for us; she couldn't speak English.  The lunch was pretty good and later we bought some bakery stuff, also good and probably with less sugar than a regular bakery.

BBQ Lunch With the Reeves'

Friday March 22nd

Got up late and sat for awhile before attempting to shower, but I think the sleeping bag experiment did some good.

Dan and Patricia came over about noon and we visited for awhile and then went to the Spring Creek BBQ in Lewisville.  Texas BBQ is great stuff and this one is one of the better ones we have ever eaten at.  After lunch we went to the nearest Starbucks and I found the mug I was looking for, but the lady at the Starbucks told me that there is also a "Fort Worth" mug.  We drove quite a ways towards Fort Worth and stopped at a couple of Starbuck's stores but didn't find any of the mugs.  Cathey did find a shoe store that she wanted to visit and actually found a pair of shoes that she was looking for.  

For supper we stopped at a Chili's and just had a bowl of chili.  Filled the Suburban up with gas before we came home so that we would be ready to go in the morning.  Gas here is in the $3.60 to $3.70/gal range.

Breakfast With Dan

Thursday March 21st

Dan and I met at an IHOP about a mile from the RV Park about 9:30.  We spent about an hour and a half over breakfast talking over Point Beach stuff and then adjourned to the Suburban and talked for another hour.  Dan said he would call if Patricia got home early enough to go out for supper, but as it turned out she was pretty late and we arranged to meet for lunch tomorrow instead.  

I drove to a couple of Starbuck's stores looking for a "Texas" mug but all of them were out of them or didn't handle them.  Actually here, they are Dallas mugs, rather than Texas mugs.  Then I found a Penney's and bought a couple of short sleeved shirts that I probably won't get to wear until June or July.  

For supper we went to the nearest Albertson's and just got a rotisserie chicken and had that with salad.

I decided to give up sleeping in the trailer bed.  Every morning my hip hurts worse so I will try sleeping on the heavy mattress pad stuffed inside a sleeping bag and laid on the floor.  

Abilene, TX to Lewisville, TX

Wednesday March 20th

We never unhooked the trailer the last two nights so that makes it easier to get going in the morning but that means we are restricted to eating what we have in the refrigerator or leftovers from lunch.  We stopped for lunch at a Dairy Queen about half way to Fort Worth.  Dairy Queens are big in Texas and there aren't many towns without one.  I studied the atlas book for details on how to get from the out skirts of Fort Worth to Lewisville area.  The way Dan told me to go when we left there last year was to use the loop road around Fort Worth and then take I-35W to the junction with I-35E and then south to the RV Park in Denton where we stayed last time we were here.  We made it without any major traffic tie-ups although we saw a lot of backed up traffic N of Fort Worth where they are widening the road.  We called Dan and Patricia at about 6pm when we were setup but we weren't up for doing anything tonight.  Patricia was going to her daughter's house tomorrow, so Dan and I made a date for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Clovis, NM to Abilene, TX

Tuesday March 19th

Got on the road by 11.  The leaky tire was still at 75 psi, so I didn't fill it until we stopped for gas after we had got on I-20 near Abilene.  I was amazed at all the agriculture in this part of Texas.  Lots of pivot irrigation systems growing cotton and other crops.  Lots of grain elevators along the RR tracks so they must grow some corn or wheat as well.  Also many large dairy operations with thousands of cows - so some of those irrigated crops must be alfalfa.  At some point around Lubbock you come off the plateau and drop into the "cap rock" country.  There are fewer crops here and most of the land is just grazing land with a lot of ups and downs.  This is also where the oil wells became more dense and there are a lot of oil service companies but nothing like it is around Midland and Odessa.

We made it to Abilene about 7 and stayed at the same RV Park that we stayed at last year on our way out west.  The lady that runs the office has a little bakery where she sells home made bread and other bakery products.  She starts by grinding the wheat berries to make her own flour and uses honey in the recipe to make yummy bread.  She only had one frozen loaf, but I bought it and ate a slice when it thawed, about bedtime.

Bernalillo to Clovis, NM

Monday March 18th

Leaving today was questionable because the original forecast was for wind gusts to 30mph.  So I looked at several weather forecasts between Albuquerque and Amarillo but the forecast looked better today with gusts no greater than 20mph.  So we got going about noon.  First stop was a service station with a compressor but the tire was only about 5psi down from where it should be so I don't feel any great urgency about getting it fixed.  I didn't want to get off the freeway in the city of Albuquerque to look for a tire store.  Instead of following I-40 to Amarillo, we decided to take US-84 S and SE to Clovis, then Lubbock, and then Abilene, which will put us on I-20 pointed toward Dallas.  Next stop will be to visit Dan and Patricia Reeves in Lewisville, TX on the N side of Dallas.  

I was surprised that the altitude for much of the way from Albuquerque to Clovis was over 6000 feet.  Most of the country in that area is grazing land with a little more grass than they have in the desert between Las Cruces and Albuquerque.  As you approach Clovis you start to see pivot irrigation systems where crops are grown - mostly cotton.

We found an RV park - one of the few that were not next to a busy highway or railroad.  The place was being converted from a mobile home park to an RV park so half of it was dug up where they were installing new water lines and upgrading the electrical facilities.

Quiet Sunday

Sunday March 17th

Very windy today and not very warm (60's).  Cathey did laundry and I did some cleaning in the trailer and got caught up on some record keeping.

Trip to Tijerus Canyon and Sandia Peak

Saturday March 16th

I went looking for a grocery store nearby but my GPS led me about ten miles away to an Albertson's.  I got what I needed but later in the day I found the Albertson's that I was looking for about 3 miles away, apparently that one is too new for the GPS.  Around noon we went out to lunch at the Range Cafe in Bernalillo.  The Range Cafe is one of our favorites in this area.  It's mostly Mexeican food but they have their own touches like whole pinto beans instead of refried beans.

Later Cathey had a few places to go, one was a tile store and the other was a mall.  The mall was half torn down and the JC Penney that she was looking for was no longer there.  Then we drove over to Tijerus Canyon where she lived back in the 70's.  We drove up the back side of the Sandia peaks to about 10,000 ft altitude, then on the way down we located the back road that would take us to Bernalillo.   We followed it for a mile or two but it was pretty muddy and had snow in places so we retreated and came down the same way that we went up.  

Las Cruces to Bernalillo, NM

Friday March 15th

Adios to Las Cruces; on to Albuquerque area.  Las Cruces to Albuquerque is a straight shot up I-25.  We stopped at a rest area about noon and I noticed that one of my NEW tires was low.  I checked it and it only had about 35psi as opposed to 80 psi in the others.  I have a 12v Compressor for such an event but the 12v cord is not long enough for the 3ft hose to reach the tire while the truck is hooked to the trailer hitch.  That meant unhooking the trailer and backing up the truck to the tire and then adding air.  Must have picked up a nail or something in that tire.  While the 12v compressor was huffing and puffing I walked over to a monument commemorating the El Camino Real, that was the road form Santa Fe to Mexico City when New Mexico was still part of Mexico.  It took that 12v pump about 30 minutes to get the pressure up to 80 psi, but it did it, and once we were hooked up again we were on our way.  The leak appears to be pretty slow since the next day it was still between 75 and 80 psi.

We got to Albuquerque about rush hour but traffic was moving pretty well and we got to Bernalillo (on the N side) about 6pm.

Day Trip to Silver City Area

Thursday March 14th

We planned a day-trip to Silver City today.  That meant an early start (for us); we were on the road before 9.  Stopped at the Denny's in Deming for breakfast and then drove the remaining 50 miles to Silver City.  Silver City is an old mining town and the county seat of Grant county.  The altitude in Silver City is over 6000 ft. so the temps here don't stay as warm as in Las Cruces, although it was warm enough today.  We looked over the town and then drove up NM-15 north into the Gila National Forest.  The only town on this road is Pinos Altos; which is mostly a ghost town, although there is some population there, probably supported by the tourist industry in the summer.  There are many Forest Service Campgrounds and hiking trails along NM-15, and I imagine that it has lots of visitors in the summer.  

We drove N as far as the junction with NM-35.  NM-35 gradually turns S and eventually connects with the highway that goes into Silver City.  The NM-35 section of the trip was perhaps not as scenic but the road was much straighter and more level.  Before heading back to Deming, we stopped at a roadside viewing area at the Chino open pit mine near Hannover.   The Chino mine is the longest continuously operating mine in the US; since 1799.  The typical ore at this mine is only .6% copper.  They grind the ore into small particles and use acid to leach out the copper.  Then they use an electroplate method to extract the copper from the acid solution.  It's common to see flatbed trucks with bundles of copper plates, on the roads in AZ and NM.  

Trip to Hatch

Wednesday March 13th

We decided to drive up to Hatch today.  Hatch claims to be the chile capitol of the world.  We have a favorite restaurant there called the Pepper Pot; it's a breakfast and lunch place so we were lucky to get there before they closed for the day.  Had an excellent lunch and then shopped a little at the chile market across the street and bought a small bag of green chile powder.  The ride to Hatch follows the Rio Grande, but there is nothing too Grande about it now, there is no water flowing and only a puddle here and there.  I don't know if it's that dry here or if all the water is pulled off for irrigation up stream.  I think there was water in it last time we were here.  I imagine there will be more water when the snow in Colorado starts to melt.

Familiar Places in One of My Favorite Towns

Tuesday March 12th

Made a trip to my favorite TSC store to get some quick connect hose fittings.  I bought some there last year and really liked them.  Checked in with Cathey but she wasn't up for going anywhere; I went to the Barnes & Noble store on the NMSU campus.  Looked at a lot of books but only bought one about the old west.  

We went out for supper to a Mexican restaurant named Los Mariachis, they were slow (or I was hungry) but the food was very good.  I have never had a bad meal in a restaurant in the Las Cruces area.

Pearce, AZ to Las Cruces, NM

Monday March 11th

I was up and showered in time for breakfast with Wehrli's and a fine breakfast it was too; eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, OJ, and coffee.  Visited for awhile and then went out to get the trailer ready for the road.  We had some old carrots in the fridge in the trailer that we tried to feed to the horses and Henry but only one of the horses was interested; Henry was being shy of us strangers and wouldn't even come over to see us.  

We got on the road about noon and then stopped in Wilcox for lunch and gasoline.  Then onto New Mexico.  Because of the daylight saving time change over the weekend we lost an hour when we crossed the state line.  Arizona keeps Mountain Standard Time all year, which means they are the same as California in the summer and the same as New Mexico in the winter.  There is not much between the Arizona state line and Las Cruces; Lordsburg is pretty small and Deming is a flat uninviting place, which despite its flatness seems to be growing.  

Got to Las Cruces shortly before 6pm and got setup before dark.  The temps were in the low 70's and it was very pleasant outdoors.

Agenda: Lunch and Dinner

Sunday March 10th

Awakened this morning to the sound of Henry's braying and the sounds of feeding time at the Wehrli Ranchito.  I was up in time for breakfast with Wehrli's but couldn't get myself in the shower quick enough, and missed the meal.  Later went over to the house and had coffee and watched some of the CBS Sunday Morning show with them.  Then we laid out the plan for the day:  Lunch at TJ's in Pearce and supper at the Triangle T Ranch near Dragoon, AZ.    

We went to TJ's shortly before noon and just had hamburgers; TJ's is just a bar and grill, although they do have menu specials on week-days.

Afternoon we had nap time, most of which I used for looking at the mail that we had forwarded to Wehrli's.  Evening feeding time was a little early so we could head out for supper.  Liz drove because Larry was having an episode of low blood sugar.  He was recently diagnosed with diabetes and is still trying to adjust his medications and eating habits to the new reality.  

The Triangle T Ranch is a local institution that was the scene of several movies and a place frequented by movie stars of the past.  Currently it has a bar and restaurant, RV Park, rental cabins and facilities for horseback riders.  The bar/restaurant has the swinging doors of the old west - and Larry says they never use the large doors to close off the restaurant to the outdoors while the place is open for business.  The most unique feature of the bar was a giant boulder sticking up out of the ground behind the bar; the back bar is built around it.  We had a very nice dinner (chicken entree for me) and then back to the ranchito.  

Tucson to Pearce, AZ

Saturday March 9th

The sun was back this morning, but there is still a lot of clouds passing by which makes for a great light show on the mountains.  

I went to the grocery store for a few things and got the Suburban filled up; gas in this area is around $3.50/gal.  Then back to the never-ending job of getting everything stowed and secured for the next leg of the journey.  We got on the road a few minutes before noon.  

The next stop is Larry & Liz's Ranchito near Pearce, AZ, which is less than a hundred miles from Tucson and about 25 miles S of Wilcox, AZ.  Their menagerie is down one since they lost Larry's roping horse in the past year; he was over 30 years old.  But they still have two horses and Henry the donkey, and LJ the cat, and Mad Max and Emma, the two standard poodles.  Liz is retired now so they have a little more freedom than they have had up until now.  They have a trailer hookup near the barn because they used to come and stay there in their travel trailer before they built the house. We visited for awhile and then setup the trailer.  They had a dutch oven cooking outside with pork ribs, then when the ribs were ready Liz made some cornbread which went into another dutch oven.  It was a great meal topped off with some cabernet  from a friend of Larry's who retired to the Napa valley and started his own winery.  

Cathey Visits with Eileen Fitzpatrick

Friday March 8th

It was overcast this morning and rain showers began about 11am.  Cathey did the laundry in the morning and then took the Suburban to meet Eileen Fitzpatrick (Terye's mom) at the DeGrazia museum and gallery.  They got turned out at 4pm, when they closed, then they went to a Starbucks for coffee.  

Cold and rainy by evening and temps are supposed to be down in the 30s tonight.

The DeGrazia Gallery/Museum

Thursday March 7th

I wanted to go to the DeGrazia Museum and Gallery today but Cathey was waiting to get a phone call, so told me to go by myself.  The museum is on the N side of Tucson, about 20 miles from where we are setup.  I toured the gallery and store but didn't spend much time outdoors, but there are extensive grounds with desert plants and shelters which simulate those constructed by various Indian tribes.  DeGrazia was a famous Southwestern artist who resided in Tucson for much of his life; he died in 1976.  

After the gallery I adjourned to AJ's grocery store and deli a few miles away; one of my favorite places in Tucson.  Had a nice lunch with a WSJ, but it was a little breezy outdoors to read the paper.  Bought a few groceries and then headed home via surface streets.  Tucson is much less laced with freeways than Phoenix.  That makes getting from one side to the other much more laborious but more normal from my perspective.

A Visit to Mt. Lemmon

Wednesday March 6th

We decided to drive up to Mount Lemmon today; Mount Lemmon is the big mountain N of Tucson that is high enough to have a ski area and other attractions.  It's about 28 miles to the area known as Summerhaven, which is a small town with a few stores and a couple of restaurants.  It's an interesting ride watching the plants change from desert to alpine.  The road is of course very curvy and without much traffic it was very enjoyable because I could drive at my own speed and enjoy some of the scenery.  We had lunch at one of the restaurants on top; I knew it would be pricey but even I was surprised at the cost of a meal!

Coming back I offered Cathey the option of going down the north side, which is unpaved but she declined.  That route would take you to Oracle on the NW side of Tucson.  

Day of Rest

Tuesday March 5th

Quiet day today, sat outside and read for quite awhile.

Apache Junction to Tucson

Monday March 4th

Left Apache Junction today to go to Tucson.  I had called my cousin, John Elias, in Casa Grande, yesterday and we met at the Cracker Barrel Restaurant for lunch.  He has been retired for about ten years; when he retired, they bought a motorhome and toured all 48 states and since have gone to Alaska and Hawaii on cruises.  They also made a trip to China but John said that that was the last long flight for him.  Joanne is going to London and then cruising to St. Petersberg this May, but she will travel with a friend.  

They took us to see their trailer park/resort; it has over 2000 sites so it is like a small town (bigger than Cleveland!) with its own golf course - which is why John selected the place.

We got to the Cactus Country RV Park by a little after 4pm, got setup and then went to the grocery store for a few items.  

Laundry Day

Sunday March 3rd

Laundry day this morning and a pretty quiet day after that.  Highlight of the day was supper at a restaurant named Los Gringos.

Day Trip to Superior and Globe

Saturday March 2nd

The warm weather finally got here today; it got up to 82.  We went for a drive to Superior and Globe and all the little towns in between.  They are all old copper mining towns with some mining still going on.  Superior was pretty interesting; it was a pretty good sized town yet after WWII but gradually diminished as the underground mines closed and the technology of copper mining changed.  Most of the downtown buildings are still in fair condition but empty.  Globe is in better shape because they still have an active open pit operation there, but there are still a lot of old buildings standing empty.  But the town is still a lot busier than it was when I drove through while I was living in Safford, in 1977.

We Visit Bob Larson

Friday March 1st

Back is better today, but I should be able to turn that around if I try hard enough…..   Installed the electrical hatch cover and the old one came off cleanly enough so that I didn't have to put a new batch of sealant around it, so it didn't take very long.  Made a quick run to Harbor Freight for a socket adapter; returned to tighten the Ubolt clamp that is supposed to eliminate play in the hitch receiver.  So once I got my ratchet on the u-bolt and gave it some Polish torque, I pulled the u-bolt in two.  Now I don't have to worry about the damn thing falling off…….

In the afternoon we drove up to the N side of Phoenix (about 40 miles) to visit with Bob Larson.  We met him at a Culver's near his home and had a good old fashioned Friday Fish Fry for supper.  We visited for sometime and by the time we left it was dark already.    No problem getting around Phoenix, they have a lot of freeways going in all directions and as long as traffic isn't backed up, it's easy to get around.

Quiet Day

Thursday February 28th

Went over to the office and paid up through Monday.  My back is not too good today; I don't know what brought that on, there was no low pressure system.  I drove W on Apache Trail to an RV Parts Place and bought the electrical hatch cover that I had failed to replace in Loomis.  Then made a stop at Harbor Freight for a set of deep well sockets.  

Spent an hour or so reading the WSJ at Starbuck's.  

The weather people keep saying the temp will get to 80 but they keep pushing it off day by day.  I think it got just over 70 today - warm enough to have the air on for awhile in the sun heated truck.

The Trip is Over?

Wednesday February 27th

I went exploring RV Parks about noon; Cathey didn't want to go.  I looked at a small place in Mesa that had a nice rate but it was so small that I would not want to maneuver my trailer into their sites.  Glad I looked at that one before renting.  The other one I looked at was supposed to be near stores and restaurants but it didn't look like walking distance to me, so I came back to the computer to do more research.  About 4 I went and looked at two likely candidates, both very large parks with 600 -800 sites.  The offices at both were already closed so I will call them in the morning.  We went to Pizza Hut for supper and decided the trip is over.  We will stay here until Monday but all of our other stops will be incidental to visiting friends or sites to see.  Too bad ti took so long to get somewhere warm……

Blythe, CA to Apache Junction, AZ

Tuesday February 26th

We got going by 11, but as soon as we crossed the river it was 12 because we entered Mountain Time Zone.  I had hoped to get to Phoenix early enough to avoid any traffic tie-ups but we still had several slow downs.  Arrived at the Apache Junction KOA about 4:20 and got setup quickly.  Then went out for Mexican at a place called Tres Banderas about a mile away.  I ordered a burrito that turned out to be a whopper; I ate all I could and still have enough for lunch tomorrow.  After supper we hit the Fry's grocery store and bought some groceries.

I only paid for two days here so we can look around and find a better place with a better weekly rate.  

Banning, CA to Blythe, CA

Monday February 25th

Checked the weather forecast for today to see if the winds would allow us to move on towards AZ.  Yesterday the winds here in Banning were pretty active with gusts to 40mph.  I guess that's why there are hundreds of wind turbines between Banning and Palm Springs.  The forecast for today was much better so we left as planned.  Got rolling about noon and only intended to go as far as Blythe, CA which has a nice KOA that we stayed at last spring.  There is a large new powerline being built along I-10; it passed very near the RV Park in Banning but we could see it all the way to Blythe as well as two major switchyards.  When we got to Blythe, I talked to an electrician that was working at the largest solar electricity plant in the US, just a few miles out of Blythe.  He said Par Electric was building the line and the switchyards and Neutron Electric is building the solar facility.  

The trailer park in Blythe is no longer a KOA but still in business; it's right on the bank of the Colorado River and the river seems pretty swift here but not very big.  I guess after southern CA and AZ have taken their shares, the Mexicans don't get much……

Oscar Party

Sunday February 24th

We got a call from Thompson's after they got back from Church to see if we were up for doing anything.  They had mentioned the art museum in Palm Springs, so we opted for that.  We met them at their condo and visited for a while and then went to the art museum.  There was an exhibit by two brothers from Brazil that will be closing in the near future.  A lot of their work was examples of stuff that they had seen in the poorer districts of Sao Paulo.  Items made of cardboard, chairs made from packing materials, etc.  They also had a lot of western art, including bronze works by Remington.  Another section was Indian pottery (many from New Mexico) and Indian baskets made by the local Palm Springs Indians and by the tribe that lives near Lake Havasu City.  We spent several hours there and then adjourned to Jack in the Box for a quick supper. 

When we got back to their condo the Oscar Party commenced.  Cathey missed the red carpet viewing but we saw most of the awards.  Gary supplied the popcorn and kept it coming all evening; a great time was had by all!

Visit to Snow Country, Again

Saturday February 23rd

The plan today was to go to the Joshua Tree National Park with Thompson's, but Cathey was not feeling good today so we called and cancelled out.  I got the empty LP tank filled - it is getting pretty chilly at night (30s).  Banning is about 2000 feet higher than Palm Springs so it is considerably cooler here.  

Also went to a Auto Parts store to pick up a 5/8 deep well socket; the fitting that is supposed to keep the hitch receptacle from rattling when the trailer is attached, keeps getting loose and all I have to tighten it is an open end wrench without much leverage.

While Cathey was napping, I decided to go for a drive up the mountain to Idylwild, which is a town on the back side of Mt. Jacinto at about 6000 feet.  It was a nice drive since there was very little traffic and I could travel at a very leisurely pace.  In Idylwild there was about 8 inches of snow on the ground and the town park was full of people playing in the snow.  I suspect most were from down the hill (greater Los Angeles).  The area from San Bernardino west, is all metro Los Angeles, about 90 miles worth!  

Cathey was feeling better by evening, but we spent a quiet night watching TV and catching up on my blog.

Palm Springs Tramway Ride

Friday February 22nd

We got over to Gary and Jane's condo about 11 and sat outside near the pool for long enough to make my scalp pink.  We decided to take the tram ride up the mountain just outside of Palm Springs.  First we did a tour of the downtown area and stopped for lunch at a Mexican Restaurant by the name of Consuela' s.  We had a good lunch and I thought the prices were pretty reasonable considering we were in downtown Palm Springs.

The Palm Springs tramway is outside of town a couple miles, mostly uphill since the base station is at 2600 feet and the valley floor is less than 600 feet.  The Tram rises almost 6000 feet to near the top of San Jacinto Mountain.  The actual peak of San Jacinto Mountain is a couple of miles away and is over 10,800 feet.  The area at the top of the tram is part of a State Park.  The view is pretty terrific and according to the guides, on a clear day you can see Mt. Charleston, over 200 miles away on the N side of Las Vegas.  I may have seen it but I would not have been able to identify it.  Gary and Cathey and I went up, but heights make Jane nervous so she stayed at the base station and read a book.  We stayed up there a couple of hours, looking at the views and watching movies about the construction of the tram.  It was dark by the time we got off the mountain and we returned to Gary and Jane's condo.  They fixed a nice supper of grilled chicken and Johnsonville brats!  

Bakersfield to Banning, CA

Thursday February 21st

One more trip to the Post Office this morning to return a phone to Verizon - I hope that's the last time.  Then a little grocery shopping and then back to the trailer.  Cathey had the slide outs pulled in already when I got back.  I hurried and got the hook-ups un-hooked and trailer hooked to the truck.  We got on the road about Noon; and then promptly made a stop to buy some oranges and dates.  Shortly after you leave Bakersfield, you start climbing toward the pass at Tehachapi which is a little over 4000 feet; plenty of snow up there but the temp was in the 40s so it won't last long.  We had lunch at Burger King in Tehachapi and then got back on the road.

I had looked at the map and determined that I wanted to take US-395 S from its junction with CA-58 but I didn't look at where US-395 took me.  I thought we would end up on I-10 E of Palm Springs but when US-395 junctioned with I-15, I followed I-15 and pretty soon I was in San Bernardino - too close to Los Angeles for me.  But I followed I-215 when it split off and then I-210 which took me to I-10 and only about 20 miles of backtrack to the KOA in Banning, CA.  Banning is about 23 miles from where Gary and Jane are in Palm Springs, but we couldn't find vacancy in Palm Springs so this is close enough and the price is much better than it would be in Palm Springs.

Gary and Jane texted us when we were in San Bernardino; they came to see us at the KOA and we weren't there yet.  They went to have supper while we were setting up and then returned and we visited for awhile and made plans to meet tomorrow.

The Crystal Palace

Wednesday February 20th

The TV weather reported that the pass E of Bakersfield was still closed this morning; also winds gusting to 70 mph in the desert.  We won't try to go any further today.  By tomorrow the ice and or snow should be cleared from the pass and we can proceed to Palm Springs to visit Gary and Jane Thompson who are spending a couple of weeks there.

About noon I ventured forth to visit Buck Owens' honky tonk, called the Crystal Palace.  They have an exhibit there of various items from Buck's life and thousands of pictures of Buck and various Country Music stars.  The two best items are the outrageous Cadillac Convertible mounted behind the bar and a pair of cowboy boots equipped with golf spikes!  The Cadillac was supposedly decked out by a Hollywood designer for Elvis Presley and won in a poker game by Buck Owens in 1976. 

Did some driving around and didn't get lost; I think Bakersfield is laid out more on a grid than most of the towns we have been in lately - that's comforting to person of Midwestern experience!  Later in the afternoon I took Cathey to the nearest Verizon store to get the contacts downloaded to her new phone. After all the circus with Verizon, I think we finally have a replacement phone that works!

Fresno to Bakersfield

Tuesday February 19th

Greeted by overcast skies this morning but no rain until much later.  I talked to our neighbors who pulled in last night; they are from Whidbey Island, WA.  They are on their way back; they said they have been on the road for about six weeks and are tired of living in the trailer.

We got everything stowed and got the trailer hooked up and got rolling shortly after 11am.  First stop was the nearest Les Schwab tire center to have the pressure checked and torque checked on the new tires and wheels.  The tech that worked on it actually used to work at the store in Rocklin where I had the tires installed.  They guys in Rocklin told me that one of their compadres worked in Fresno, but what are the chances that I would pick the one of four stores where he worked?

Once we did get on the road, we didn't go far when we saw a sign for Selma, CA - "Raison Capital of the World."  Next I saw a sign for the Sunmaid Raison gift shop and store - so I had to stop for that.   Raisons and dried fruit were reasonable but the gift items were outrageous; it was a short stop.

We stopped for lunch at about the half way point.  Then a little later we saw a sign for a CA Welcome Station which was an opportunity to get a new CA map - also a relatively short stop.  So it was a pretty relaxed trip and only about 110 miles today.  We returned to the same RV Park along the Kern River; maybe there will be some water in the river tomorrow, they had a half inch of rain this evening.  The pass going E from here is closed tonight due to snow and ice and may still be closed for part of the day tomorrow, we might be here longer than one night…..

JC Penney Teaches Me How to Stand In Line

Monday February 18th

Today was the day the replacement iphone was supposed to catchup with us.  I called Verizon for the tracking number for the package; they were supposed to email us the tracking number as soon as it was shipped, but we never got it so we were unsure if it had been shipped.  Yes, it had been shipped and yes it was received at the Fedex address that I had given them.  So I drove over and picked it up.  That part was easy, but now we have to figure out how to download all of Cathey's contact information onto the new phone from the icloud; that could take awhile.

Next stop was to return some stuff to JCPenney that I had purchased in Roseville last week.  That turned into a problem because when I went to the Customer Service Desk, I was always standing in the wrong place.  They had little signs that said "Customer Service Line Begins Here" and I never saw the sign until I was at the third desk.  The store was extra busy because it was a holiday and the kids were off from school.  

There is a cold front moving in tomorrow which will bring snow to the mountains.  I think we will leave here tomorrow and go to Bakersfield.

Antique Tractors in CA

Sunday February 17th

We were invited over to have brunch with Cathey's brother Phil and his wife Liz this morning.  Phil is suffering from the onset of alzheimer's disease but was very lucid today.  He told us some old Oshkosh stories about swimming across Lake Winnebago and fishing in various places in WI.  Later he brought out some of the knives that he has made.  I was amazed at the finely detailed craftsmanship that was apparent in his work.  He talked about the equipment that he built to grind the knife blanks into the shape he wanted and how many failures there were before he made a good one.  He primarily made hunting knives but also made some ornamental replicas of medieval weapons.  He also made jewelry but we did not get to see any of that.

When we left their house we did a few errands and then returned to home sweet trailer.  The weather was beautiful, 68 degrees with sunny skies and we sat outside for awhile.

Later I went to a local produce seller named Simonian Farms.  The oranges and produce were very reasonable but the processed nuts and dried fruits were as expensive as in a grocery store.  The really great thing  about this stop was that they have a display of antique tractors around the outside of the store!

California State Mineral and Mining Museum

Saturday February 16th

One of the spots I wanted to see in this area was the CA State Mineral and Mining Museum in Mariposa, CA.  We got going shortly before noon and then stopped for lunch and gas before we actually got on the road.  I had a discrepancy between the route that I picked out on the Google map on the computer and the route that the GPS picked out, so I ended up going N on CA-99 to Merced and then heading E on CA-140.  It doesn't take long and you are in the foothills and then it starts looking like mountain driving.  In the foothills is an area and a town named Cathey's Valley; exact spelling of my Cathey's name.  So we had to stop there and take pictures and then stopped at a county park dedicated to the Cathey family who settled here before the Goldrush.  They eventually became major landowners in the area and the valley became known as Cathey's valley.  It's far enough in the foothills that most of the agriculture is grazing.

When we got to Mariposa I had a hard time locating the Mining Museum; it turned out to be just out of town at the County Fair Grounds.  They had nice examples of various rock formations from all over the world.  I was surprised at how many examples there were from Upper Michigan.  The first item I looked at was a natural shaped piece of copper from the White Pine Copper Mine in White Pine, Michigan.  That was the last operating underground copper mine in Upper Michigan; I believe it was still running when I first went to work in the UP in 1981.

The rocks were especially interesting because I just started re-reading John McPhee's compilation of books about the geology of the US along I-80.  I identified the green rocks that we had seen earlier at the Cathey Family Monument.  It is 'Serpentine' and is the State Rock of California! 

While I was in the museum, Cathey was talking to the Lion's group that were setting up a large grill to do some cooking in the parking lot.  They were preparing dinner for their wives and sweethearts (not sure if it was associated with Valentines Day, but it was an annual event).  The Lion's group was from three counties; Mariposa, Tulare, and  Calaveras.  Most of them were also "Clampers" which we later found out was a Western Heritage Preservation group that primarily exists in gold mining areas.  

After we left Mariposa we followed CA-49 S to CA-41 which took us back to Fresno.

Loomis to Fresno

Friday February 15th

Got the trailer ready to go and rolling by about 10:30 and then drove over to the Les Schwab store in Rocklin.  They didn't make us un-hitch the trailer, so we just walked over to a pizza place for lunch while they were working on it.  Half way through lunch I got a call saying that the trailer wheels were cracked in several places and they should be replaced (for another $180).  And when I looked at the wheels, I had to agree, they were definitely cracked and in more than one place on each wheel.  

We didn't get out of the tire store until after 1pm and headed South; we decided to try driving on CA-99 instead of I-5.  CA-99 has a few rough spots but overall is better than I-5 and much easier to get on and off for gas or potty stops.  Arrived in Fresno RV park about 5:20 and got setup before dark.

Getting Ready to Move-on

Thursday February 14th

I took my Valentine out for breakfast this morning to a little restaurant in Loomis called the Ugly Mug.  It seems to be a popular place, the food is good but the prices were outrageous.  Cathey noticed that the Old Fart Coffee Group (analogous to the Hub City Old Fart Coffee Group) all had the same kinds of red coffee mugs.  She said that the Hub City group should request a similar perk, but I replied that for the price, we would continue to drink from our anonymous mugs.  

After breakfast we went to the downtown Loomis drug store.  We could tell that it was an old fashioned place but lo and behold it had a soda fountain straight out of the 1950's.  I don't think that it will be there much longer since it has to compete with the drug departments at the Raley's grocery store less than a mile away and two others about 2 miles away, but I am glad I got to see it.  The drug store was started in 1945 by 'Doc' Yakamoto, and I think he and his family still run it.  Although, if I identified him correctly, he is very elderly and walks with a walker and only works a couple of hours per day.

I called the Les Schwab tire store in Rocklin to confirm that they had the tires and would be able to mount them on the trailer tomorrow - yep they're ready with not a question about torque specs!

We were going to get moving toward Fresno today but I decided that tomorrow would be better since we had a lot of straightening up to do in the trailer before we would be ready to travel.  I went and paid for the extra day and then did a little shopping for pants.  Stopped in at Milo's in the mall to see Rose; it's not easy to communicate with her since she lost her tracfone charger in the move.  She said she would be off early today and would come over to see us.  She came about 6 and we had a very nice evening telling her stories about the changes in American life in the past 50 years.  I made some brownies and we had warm brownies and frozen yogurt to finish off the evening.

Pre-Valentine's Dinner

Wednesday February 13th

Rose was off work today  so she invited us over to the new apartment to see it taking shape as they were getting settled in.  It really is a nice place with a swimming pool and hot tub just a short ways from their door.  The rent is steep but there are three roommates to share the load,  so Rose will actually be paying less than the last place she was at.  

Later I stopped at Costco to confirm that they had received  the fax from Keystone; they had not.  I guess I will be buying the tires at Les Schwab instead, for a few bucks more.

Next stop was Lincoln to get the data transferred to the new iphone that Cathey got in the mail the other day.  The Verizon techs could not make the new phone work, so we have another defective device to return to Verizon.  Fortunately they make it easy because you can use the same box and packing with prepaid label.

When we got done with the Verizon folks we returned to the trailer to meet Rose and go out to dinner.  We went to the Olive Garden in Roseville.  We had a great waiter who told us about himself.  Besides working at Olive Garden, he also goes to school part time and works at a vineyard near his home in Foresthill, CA, on an as-needed basis.  He plans to attend the Culinary Institute of America in San Jose to become a sommelier.  

Both of my Valentines seemed pleased with their dinner.

Contact Keystone 2n time

Tuesday February 12th

My other half was complaining about how cold it was in the trailer this morning, so I lit the pilot light on the oven and made some homemade mac and cheese.  Unfortunately, I didn't have all the ingredients on hand and the result turned out a little dry.  We did make a few other alterations to the recipe so who knows how it will turn out next time.

I called the Keystone Manufacturing Customer Service number again today and actually got to talk to someone.  Requested that they send a torque specification for the trailer lug-nuts to the Costco Store in Rocklin, CA.  They said they would.   

Monday Chores

Monday February 11th

Very chilly this morning; the weather app on my Kindle said it was 28 degrees but the water didn't freeze, so it must not have stayed at 28 for long.  Even though this area seems much less dry than AZ, the temperature still swings 30 degrees or more each day.  Typically it gets to low 60's and cools to low 30's each day, although this is considered a cold spell.  I could definitely spend the winter here but my other half still thinks it's too cold.

Sent off an email to Keystone Manufacturing, requesting the specifications for the lug-nut torque be faxed to Costco in Rocklin.  I tried to call their customer support number but the answering machine said it was not a work day(?).  Then continued making entries in the spreadsheet to catch up on the trip expense record; that will take awhile.  

Had some leftover chicken for lunch, thereabout 2pm I drove over to Starbucks and had coffee and a WSJ to read.  Later I stopped at Camping World and bought a pliers with round grippers for removing the lug-nut covers on the trailer wheels.

Sunday Ride in Gold Country

Sunday February 10th

We both agreed that we need to re-orient ourselves to Sundays without football.  We planned to take a ride up to Auburn and environs to see the area.  Auburn is only 10 miles E on I-80 but between here and there the terrain changes from the gentle hills around here to real mountain scenery with only an increase in altitude of 600 ft. (we are at about 400ft and Auburn is 1000ft).  Cathey decided to take a nap shortly after noon, so I drove over to Harbor Freight for amusement.  I bought a 1/2 inch drive torque wrench for $20 and a couple of handy-dandy little items.  Being at Harbor Freight was nice enough but what was really great was that I figured out how to get to the shopping district in the Harbor Freight area without getting on the freeways!  That has been a puzzle to me for some time; I knew where the Harbor Freight store was but could not figure out how to get there without getting on I-80 and CA-65.  The street that HF is on is not shown on our closeup map of the area but today I figured out my approximate location and plotted a course via surface streets to hook up with Taylor Avenue, which runs right past the RV park and into downtown Loomis.  I am trying to use the GPS less because it can get you where you want to go, but because you are watching the screen, you don't watch landmarks and street names and you still don't know how to get to the same place the next time.

When I got back to the trailer, Cathey was just getting up, but was not interested in going for a ride, so I decided to go myself.  I took Sierra College Blvd north to CA-193 which took me almost to Auburn.  I did have to get on I-80 for a mile or two but then got off on CA-49 which cuts across the foothills to junction with US-50 that runs from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento.  We were contemplating taking CA-49 S when we leave here but that will not happen, now that I have seen the road.  The first six miles out of Auburn are a series of hairpin curves where the road descends down to the North Fork of the American River.  Then you cross the river and start climbing up a ridge, over the ridge and then down to the South Fork of the American River.  Somewhere in there, is the State Park where they have created a replica of Sutter's Mill where gold was first discovered in 1848.  It didn't seem very far from Auburn to Placerville but when I got on US-50, the signs said it was 42 miles to Sacramento!  By that time it was almost dark, so I told the GPS that I wanted to go home and it found me a shortcut between US-50 and I-80 so that I didn't have to go all the way to downtown Sacramento.  Stopped at a Pizza Guys Restaurant and got a Pizza for supper and then went back to the trailer.  

Early Valentine's Supper

Saturday February 9th

Once all my joints were bending and muscles were working, I replaced all the stuff that normally rides in the Suburban and even consolidated some of it.  I put the tool box in a new place, next to a seat anchor so that I can tie the toolbox down when I am not using it.  I always worry about where that toolbox might go in case of an accident where we would come to a sudden stop.  Now I can tie it down and quit worrying about it.

The only outing today was a trip to the Walgreens in Rocklin where Cathey arranged to pickup a prescription that the pharmacist in Howard's Grove faxed.  Then drove to Lincoln and visited the Verizon Store.  Before leaving Lincoln we stopped at the Mimi's Restaurant for supper.  We had a Valentine's Day special, but the service was not as good as what we were used to at the Mimi's in Roseville.

We Help Rose Move

Friday February 8th

I drove over to the Costco store in Rocklin and confirmed that they would have tires for the trailer when we get the trailer over there.  Apparently the trailer tires are something that they usually have on hand despite the fact that they are not listed on their web page.  The tire man at Costco told me that if there was not a specification plate on the trailer stating the torque requirements for tightening the lug-nuts, I would have to get the manufacturer to fax a spec sheet to Costco (I could not just print out a web page and take it to them) before they could mount the tires.  A liability issue, he said.  By the time I remembered to look for the plate and confirm that there were no torque values given there, I looked up Keystone Manufacturing on the Internet but it was too late to call them today.

At 2:30 I had an appointment to get the emergency brake fixed on the Suburban.  It broke several weeks ago when we were near Monterey.  Unfortunately it was not a simple fix; the cable had rusted through in the area of the middle of the truck.  They replaced the pedal and the cable assembly back to the point that it splits to go to the individual wheels in the back.  

The shop where I took it to be fixed was an interesting place; they had a two bay garage with all the equipment but a lot of work got done outside on the space between the garage and the street.  Kind of a "shade tree" establishment but thus far I don't have any complaints as to their work - if they didn't tighten something, I probably won't find out about it until we are many miles from here.  While the truck was getting worked on, I went across the street and had lunch; I stretched that out to about an hour but they still weren't done so I walked down the street to a barber shop and got a haircut.

Shortly after I got back to the trailer we were getting ready to go to the Walgreens in Rocklin to pickup a prescription, when we got a call from Rose saying that she was moving tonight.  Cathey decided that the move was more important than the pills so I unloaded all the junk from the back of the Suburban and put it into the trailer and we were off on a moving adventure!  The main job for the Suburban was getting the sectional couch moved.  Fortunately it came apart into four chair sized pieces.  With some high level space engineering and some young muscle power we were able to get all four pieces into the Suburban AND get the tailgate closed.  There was even a little room left for some boxes and bags.  By the time we got unloaded, and I could break Cathey away from Rose, it was 11pm.  We stopped and picked up a small pizza and went home.

Loomis, CA

Thursday February 7th

Corey and Nick were to arrive in San Francisco today, and we had planned to go and meet them there for coffee.  But Rose had to work and Cathey wasn't feeling well so I let them know that we would not be coming.  Maybe we will be able to go and see them on Sunday.

Went 'Uptown' in Loomis and stopped at a semi-outdoor auto repair place and made an appointment to get my emergency brake fixed on the Suburban.  Loomis is a nice little town, although it is about to get swallowed up by the creeping suburbanization of greater Sacramento.  There are already some big housing developments on either side of the town but the downtown area is still predominantly small mom and pop businesses.  They are building a large Walmart store on the other side of I-80 from Loomis so most of the one horse businesses will probably be gone in a year or two.

A Rosalie Laundry Day

Wednesday February 6th

Rose came over in the evening to use the laundromat here at the RV Park.  We had a little laundry too, so Cathey went over with her.  

More Exchanges At Camper World

Tuesday February 5th

Laundry day and other minor tasks, like getting one of the LP tanks filled.  Returned the non conforming parts to Camping World and got the right color of electrical entrance fitting but when I tried to put it on, I found it was for the wrong size opening, so that one goes back too…….

Busy Monday

Monday February 4th

We knew Greg and the girls would be getting paperwork done this morning so we didn't expect to hear from them until noon or later, and we didn't.  Greg texted us an address to meet them for a late lunch and we set off.  That's when I discovered that the GPS reverts to its previous destination after it thinks you have arrived at the current entered location.  I have noticed in the past that once you get near an address the directions don't make sense any more and now I know why.  Once the GPS thinks that you have arrived at the current destination, its next directions take you to the last entered destination.  Anyway we had a hard time finding the place but did finally catch up with them and had lunch at a fast food Mexican restaurant.  They still had to do more paperwork and Greg and Catie didn't leave until late in the afternoon.  I think Catie got home to Medford about 9pm (5 Hour trip) and Greg continued on from there to Vancouver, WA (another 7 Hours), where he has a work appointment tomorrow morning.

Cathey Has a Day-Off From Tony

Sunday February 3rd

Cathey didn't want to go out for breakfast, so I had Greg pick me up and I went with him and Catie to a waffle place in Roseville.  Rose had to work today so she skipped breakfast to get a little extra sleep.  We hung out at Greg's hotel room, did some reading, and ended up watching the Super Bowl, although it didn't turn out to my liking - but the outage was exciting!  After supper Greg brought me back to the trailer and we visited for a little while.

Family time

Saturday February 2nd

We met Greg, Rose and Catie at Mimi's Cafe for breakfast.  Rose had to leave before the rest of us because she had to get to work.  Cathey went with Greg and Catie to do some errands and some exploring while I went to Safeway to buy some paper products to keep our little household going.  I did a few things on the computer and got some extra rest before I headed out to return the items to Camping World.  

At about 3:30 we all met up at Milos' Greek food place in the mall, because that's where Rose works and that is her break time.  We had lunch there and then before long Rose was done with work for the day because traffic in the mall drops off on Saturday evening.  We went to a game and puzzle store and Greg bought a couple of new games.  Then we went our separate ways again intending to meet at Greg's hotel room for games a little later.  Cathey and I came back to the trailer and fixed a cheese and sausage tray to take with us, as well as some beverages.  On the way to Greg's I missed the exit and had to spend about 15 minutes going around in circles on various on & off ramps to get turned around and back to the Rocklin exit; nothing is easy when all the main roads are freeways with limited access and divided lanes.  

We played two games of 'Scattergories" and had a fun time doing it.

Happy Eleventh Anniversary to Jim and Michelle!

Getting Together With The Family

Friday February 1st

We kind of slept in to catch up on rest.  We arrived after the office was closed last night so I went over and checked in and paid for a week.  This is a pretty nice park with almost every site shaded at some time of the day.  Once I was sure what the address was I emailed Roeh's to let them know where the mail should be sent.  Next, let Verizon know where to send the new mifi device.  Ordered some books from Amazon and a new air hose for my CPAP machine.  That should all arrive before the week is up.

In the late afternoon I went to the nearby Camping World Store and bought a new aerator for the kitchen sink faucet and a new entrance fitting for the electrical cord; when I got home I found that I had the wrong color entrance fitting and the incorrect screw-on part for the faucet.  They will both have to go back tomorrow.

Greg and Catie got to town about 2pm.  They met Rose and they all went out for a late lunch and then Catie went with Rose, to Davis, to get the locks changed on her car.  

Later we all met at Greg's hotel room and played a couple of rounds of Mad-Libs, but mostly just visited.

Bakersfield to Loomis, CA

Thursday January 31st

Got going before 9 but getting to I-5 took much longer than I thought it would.  What I should have done was go N on CA-99 until we were closer to I-5, but our neighbor at the RV Park advised against Hwy 99, so I followed C'A-58 to I-5.  He was from Leavenworth, WA and was headed for a tour of Baja California with several other RVers; he said they would go all the way to Cabo San Lucas which would be about a two thousand mile round trip in Mexico.

I-5 was not in very good condition.  For some reason every over-pass and bridge had a rough joint to the roadway.  In places it looked like the roadway had been re-paved but the area under the overpass had not been re-paved (probably to maintain the clearance from the roadway to the overpass.)  There were also several broken places in the pavement every mile that added to the rough, trailer jolting experience.  If we go back to AZ, I think we will go over the Sierras and down US-95.  It's colder over there but US-95 is a great road and quite scenic, not that I minded seeing all the agriculture along I-5.  I am really amazed by the extent and variety of agriculture here; I guess I knew that it was that way but seeing it is amazing.  In the three hundred miles from Bakersfield to Sacramento we were never out of sight of a vineyard, orchard or cultivated field, unless we were going through a city.  There are many signs along I-5 making references to the cuts in water allotments since 2008.  I do not know the background of that issue but the signs call it a Congressionally caused 'Dust Bowl.'  We did see numerous abandoned orchards that I concluded were due to lack of water but for the most part agriculture in CA looks pretty healthy.

We didn't get to the Sacramento area until about 4pm, so we had to spend a lot of time in slow traffic before we got through Sacramento to the N suburbs.  this time we are setting up in Loomis, a small town on the edge of the Sacramento urbanization.  It's along I-80 and is only 7 miles from Roseville so should be much more convenient than West Sacramento, which is about 20 miles away.  By the time we were set-up it was dark.  Rose was going to come over to visit but Cathey was sick with an upset stomach, so I met Rose at the California Pizza Kitchen.  We both ordered a pasta dish and it was very good.  Rose had to grab a to-go carton and go back to her apartment to let her roommate in, so we didn't get to spend much time together.

Lake Havasu City to Bakersfield, CA

Wednesday January 30th

Finished stowing stuff this morning and got on the road by 9:10 - I was proud of us!  Then forty miles later we crossed into CA and it was an hour earlier and I felt even better.  There is a lot of desert on this route from Needles to Bakersfield.  Stopped at a truckstop in Barstow for lunch and gas ($3.69/gal).  Probably the two or three sights along this route are the 20 Mule Team Borax works near Boron, CA, Edwards AFB near Mojave, CA and the mountains just west of Tehachapi where the hills turn green and have cattle grazing on them.  Then when you get down the mountain, you see the air become a brownish yellow and you know you are too close to LA!  (And we were still over a hundred miles away.)  

We stayed in the River Run RV Park, which advertises that it is adjacent to the Kern River.  Unfortunately there is no water in the Kern River; one of the locals told us that the water is captured upriver in a reservoir.  That must have happened before Environmental Impact Statements were required.  Water only flows here if the reservoir is full and apparently that doesn't happen every year.  

It's a pretty nice park with real grass by our front door!  We went to a nearby 'Black Angus' Restaurant and had a prime rib that was so small, I could still eat dessert!  

Another Unsuccessful Encounter With Verizon

Tuesday January 29th

Met Dave Schaeffer for coffee at the McDonald's across the street from his condo.  After coffee I got a tour of the building that they are staying in and then a tour of the apartment.  Pretty nice digs with king beds in each bedroom two baths and an outdoor deck.  I let them know that we will be leaving tomorrow to go back to Sacramento.  Rose is having some trouble so us grandparents will go to see if there is anything that we can help with.

Got the oil changed and fluids checked on the truck, then did some light grocery shopping.  When I got back to the trailer we had lunch and I wanted to take a nap but I knew that there was a replacement mifi device supposed to show up today via Fedex.  It was there but then I spent the next two hours on the phone with various Verizon techs trying to get it to work, they finally gave up and said they would send another one - but I had to tell them to hold it for two days until we have a new address.

The rest of the day was more moving prep chores, the longer you stay in one place the longer it takes to get the ship ready to cruise again.  

Desert Expedition

Monday January 28th

Did a few chores around the trailer, went for a short walk and then headed into town for lunch.  I was going to the "Chicago Grill" in the nearby mall but turned the wrong way out of the driveway and before I got turned around I decided that Basha's deli was a better choice.  They have a Starbuck's in the store and a pretty nice seating area.  I had a leisurely lunch, and then looked over my AZ map book and found a road that looked like it would take me around the back side of Lake Havasu and up to Yucca on I-40.  So I texted Cathey with my plans and gave her road names so she would know where to send the searchers in case I didn't return.  

I headed S to Parker and then NE on Shea Road.  The road was paved, which surprised me, but I think there is a large mine off in this direction, so there is probably commuter traffic as well as supply trucks going in and out.  There were a lot of RVs parked along the road in various areas.  These are the folks who are very self contained and don't need all the amenities of an RV park - like water, sewer, electricity and cable TV.  All have their ATVs for exploring the desert and I met several of them on the road.  The pavement ends at the point where the road crosses the Central Arizona Canal, which carries water from Lake Havasu to Phoenix.  From there the road was pretty well maintained gravel and then dwindled to a single lane which wasn't so well maintained.  I noticed that Sahuaro cacti grow in this area, which is different than around Lake Havasu City.  They have them in town in Lake Havasu City, but not out in the desert.  I thought I might see some wild burros but I didn't although I did see a lot of evidence that they had been there.

The map book showed the road crossing the Williams River (a river with actual water in it) and continuing N.  But in reality there is a locked gate just before you get to the river and that was as far as I got.  Close to the gate was an old building; I'm not sure what it was but there were several old mines in the area, so I assume it was living quarters for miners.  I rummaged through the garbage dump where there were many old tin cans and other metal scraps but the only thing I found of interest was a spent rifle shell.  

I would have liked to taken the road to Bouse on the way back but it was too late and I didn't want any surprises on the road after dark, so I returned the same way that I had gone.  It gets dark about 6pm ; I got to Parker about 6:15 and 'home' by 7:30.  

Little Delbert Rodeo

Sunday January 27th

I was looking forward to football but never found any, just people talking about it.  We went to the rodeo S of town and there was quite a crowd there.  It was supposed to be professional but the contestants didn't do as well as the  Montana State High School Rodeo that we saw in Big Timber, MT a few years ago.  Cathey enjoyed it a lot even though we did not get to see the kids' events which took place in the morning.  I checked out the food vendors; nothing special there.  I waited about twenty minutes for some homemade potato chips but I can't say they were worth the wait.  They had an old fire truck on display, probably 1950s vintage; it was from the town of Chloride NE of here and N of Kingman.  

They certainly did a good job of having things for the kids to do: an area with several dozen hula hoops, a dirt hill to climb on, a bungee swing, pony rides and other stuff that I didn't see but Cathey told me about.  Of course the real cowboys were in the rodeo audience!

We were going to stop somewhere to eat but were both so pooped from walking around that we went home and crashed.

Rain Day

Saturday January 26th

Intermittent rain today and didn't clear up until about 3pm.  Cathey wanted to go to the rodeo today but it was raining.  We drove down to the rodeo grounds; t it was a muddy mess and there weren't very many people there.  Later we stopped at the Basha's Grocery store on the S side of town and had a deli sandwich and coffee for a late lunch.  There was supposed to be a big barbecue event in town this weekend; but we didn't find it driving around and didn't need another meal anyway.  

Baked Beans by "The Seat of My Pants"

Friday January 25th

Mostly cloudy again today, although the temperature is still in the 60s; by evening there was light rain.  I bought some Great Northern Beans yesterday, so got out the crock pot this morning and started to make "baked" beans.  I had to do it from memory since I lost my recipe when the computer crashed, but I would have gotten pretty close if I would not have forgotten the brown sugar.  Maybe that was a Freudian effort to reduce caloric intake…..   I used Dijon Mustard instead of ground mustard but whatever difference it made was not noticeable; didn't have any molasses and couldn't think of a reasonable substitute, so I ended up going to the store after breakfast.

After doing the dishes and a few other clean-up details, I headed to Starbucks for coffee and the New York Times.  i would prefer the WSJ but they are all gone by the time I get there.  I was sitting in a different place today and it seemed a lot noisier; I don't know if that was because of where I was sitting or because it seemed busier today than yesterday.

Got back to the trailer in time to finish the laundry for Cathey as she had an appointment for a pedicure at 4pm.

Beans were pretty good despite the lack of sugar; also could have used a little more molasses.

Another Box of Mail from Home

Thursday January 24th

It was sprinkling outside when I got up although whenever the sun comes out everything dries up pretty quick.  Mostly cloudy today.

Got a box of mail from home and took way more time to attend to that than I wanted to.  With such a small space, you have to take care of the stuff that requires a reply right away, otherwise it gets put somewhere where you won't see it again.  By the time I got done with that I was pretty crabby so I drove into town to spare Cathey my presence.  I went to Starbucks and had a Mocha and bought a New York Times and spent a couple of hours reading and people watching.  

Later went to Albertson's to get a few groceries.  They were running a special on shrimp so we had shrimp salads for supper.