March 28, 2012 ~ Wednesday

Judy got up before I did so Lucy got into bed with me, Bailey and Ruby.  Judy found the camera and snapped this photo of her sleeping girls.

Can you spot all three of the girls and I don't count.

Our neighbor in the park was feeding the birds and we were able to enjoy the cutest quail.  It would have been even better had they had babies with them but it's still too early for that.  I love quail!

We drove to Quartzsite, AZ today and it was a much easier drive.  California has the worst roads we've been on.........they REALLY need to invest in some road work but the roads we were on today were better than most.  Also, there wasn't any mountains or white knuckle areas to go over.

Quartzsite, AZ is a BUSY place in Jan and Feb but a lot of the town literally shuts down the end of March.

http://www.desertusa.com/Cities/az/quartzite.html

  A lot of  people do what's called "Boondocking" in the desert on BLM land.  It's totally DRY camping...no water or electric hook-ups and they have to go somewhere to dump their tanks.  The price is right though, FREE.  Judy and I have decided we are more "electronic" campers.

There is an area here in Quartzsite that IS BLM land and does have a dump station and water you can fill your tank with.  On the other end of town, there is another BLM site without those services.

March 27, 2012 ~ Tuesday

We left around 3 pm to drive into LA to meet Casey. 

Waiting for Casey outside the mall in Burbank.

We left our truck at a mall in Burbank and rode with Casey to his new loft apartment.  They just had it painted in shades of grey and have new furniture for it.  They will move in soon.  I can't wait to see it again when they have it all decorated and are living in it.  They have a HUGE wall of windows that their two cats are going to love!  The view is amazing and at night, it's beautiful!

We went to eat at one of their favorite restaurants.  http://la.eater.com/archives/2012/03/02/grand_reveal_inside_umamicatessen_5_restaurants_in_1.php

Maya and I each had the Truffle Burger (we should have shared it as we each could only eat half...who knew??)  Judy and Casey each had the Manly Burger.  Honestly, IF a burger can melt in your mouth, the Truffle burger did.  YUM!  We also shared fries, sweet  potato fries (they were over done and cold) cheese stuffed tots, and onion rings.  We were all SO FULL, unfortunately, we couldn't try their desserts.  Oh well, maybe next time!

http://www.umami.com/umami-burger/eats/umami-urban/

Casey pointed this out to me on the side of a building.  A "street artist" had painted over the "ing" in PARKING and added the little girl on the swing in the remaining "park"  I asked him if he would be embarrassed if I took a picture of it and he said "Not at all, I take pictures of things like that all the time.  I think it's cool."  Me too~

March 26, 2012 ~ Monday

We stayed in camp all day and just relaxed.  I did some laundry and was disappointed to discover I couldn't get on my farm on Facebook, even though the wifi signal was supposed to be "excellent" 

Our Direct TV is having trouble keeping a signal.  There was only one place left open with 50 amp service and there is a tree that gets in the way of the signal.  At least we both have some "pre-recorded" TV to watch.

We took the girls for a long walk and even Ruby got down and walked a little.  We found a little stream.....delightful sound.

The air smelled so fresh and clean and you could tell you were in a wooded area with a little stream, rushing over small rocks. That is on my bucket list, living in a house near a small stream that WOULDN'T flood us in the winter!

Sweet little signs of   Spring!

One of our views; the girls LOVE the grass here!  It was just mowed the day we arrived and it was perfect!  They have learned they have to go potty where we land, often on dirt or gravel but they STILL prefer the grass!

March 25, 2012 ~ Sunday

Since we stayed hooked to the truck and didn't hook up the sewer last night, we were out on the road bright and early.  That would be around 9 am for us!


We decided to stay in the Thousand Trails at Soledad Canyon because we want to see Casey and Maya and there isn't a RV place closer to them in LA.  It had some pretty low ratings on Judy's RV review site but we decided to chance it anyway because the price was right.....FREE!


Coming over the mountains, we hit snow briefly at the top and then thought we were in the clear as we decended only to drive into really thick fog.  I got between two trucks that had their flashers on and just white knuckled it for about 10 miles.  I was able to go a speed that was comfortable for me as they were both going slow too.  I was SO GLAD to drop out of the fog.........


We thought about seeing Casey and Maya tonight but after we got to camp, I was exhaused and the ONLY thing that looked good to me was my bed.  We called them and set up the meeting for Tuesday night.  We are so excited to see them and their new loft they are renting in downtown LA.

On our way here, we stopped for a potty break and there was a lot of bread in the parking lot, evidently to feed the critters and birds.

Some of the rolls that were in the parking lot.

I heard Judy call my name; I turned around so I could see her and she said "Look at me, I'm on a roll!"

I've always loved her sense of humor!

March 24, 2012 ~ Saturday

I forgot to mention that we saw a really cute business in Laytonville that we would have loved to stop at but they didn't have RV parking.  It was called "Pour Girls Coffee"  How cute is that!

The other thing that I would LOVE to see made into a national law....I think ANY crops, Orchards, big business complexes, etc. should have a sign by the road that identifies what it is.  I'm finding one of my most used phrases is "I wonder what that is?"

Saturday we went by a very small water area that was FILLED with Egrets.  Later on, we pulled over for a break and there were a few Egrets in the field with cows.  One evidently got too close to a cow and the cow chased it off.

The only interesting road name we saw was: Sandy Mush Road

We drove south through Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, Merced, stopping at Chowchilla.  (Do you remember when the school bus, it's driver and kids on board were kidnapped and buried underground in Chowchilla?)  I think it was made into a TV movie.

http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/gangsters_outlaws/outlaws/chowchilla_kidnap/index.html

We spent the night at The Lakes RV & Golf Resort.  WOW...pretty darn nice. 

www.thelakesrv.com

If you want to buy a spot there, the "Lakeside" sites have been reduced from 115,000 to JUST 75,000
The Pull Thru sites are 65,000 from 98,000.  That is the site we RENTED for the night only!  :)

That would be us in the center with the truck and the 5th wheel.

March 23, 2012 ~ Friday

It's so easy to forget what day it is.  I'm not sure how it got to be Friday so quickly.


We got up to a little sunshine today which was a promising start to our day.  We talked about staying in Bandon another day (I'm sure another Crab dinner was the basis for our discussion although that didn't come up)  We decided to hit the road.  We want to go to Cottonwood, AZ and stay another two weeks (for free at the Thousand Trails there).  We loved it when we were there in September.


We drove though some beautiful wooded scenery today.  We went through an area where the redwoods had branched over the highway, making a canopy overhead.  Occasionally, sunshine was able to break though, leaving a dappled pattern on the highway in front of us.  It was so AMAZINGLY peaceful driving though that area; I felt like we were in church.  Judy commented it was a privilege to be able to drive though such a serene, beautiful place.  I can't imagine living in that area.  (We were in Richardson Grove State Park, just south of Benbow, CA) Unfortunately, no place to pull off the road for pictures but I'm not sure a picture could capture the magic of the place!


One thing I don't like about driving on this route is no truck stops for easy access to the diesel pumps.  I will be glad when we hit the major truck routes for that reason plus getting a subway sandwich for lunch will be much easier.


I had to bypass a Dairy Queen today because there wasn't any place near it to get off the road and park.  Judy quit crying about about 15 minutes....she does love her ice cream.  AND blizzards ARE on sale you know!  (She didn't really cry but I did PROMISE to try to find her a DQ tomorrow......I almost had to pinkie swear so you know how serious it is)

This is the largest "natural" fresh water lake in CA.  We drove FOREVER along the shoreline, totally enjoying it's beauty!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clear_Lake_(California)

I can't find the info I read right now but it said that at one time, it was a BIG tourist area but the Gnats killed tourism......so, they imported some little fish that fed on the same thing at the gnats and before long, the gnats were gone. (They had tried toxic spraying before the fish but that was killing more things than just the gnats)  The little fish turned out to be prime food for Bass and they returned in great numbers and the lake is now one of the BEST in the country for Bass fishing.

We enjoyed some pretty signs of spring; we saw California Poppies  too but I couldn't stop and get photos.....maybe tomorrow.

This is where we stayed tonight; the manger couldn't be nicer!



http://www.robinsonrancheria.org/aurora.htm

March 22, 2012 ~ Thursday

I'm glad we didn't find an ARK to buy yesterday.  We woke up today to the peaceful sound of NOTHING.....it had FINALLY, after 2 SOLID DAYS, quit raining and it was so so QUIET!

We decided look for shells on the beach before we left Bandon since we hadn't been able to get onto the beach the last two days due to the weather!

Judy found our 1 and ONLY shell.......BUT we did enjoy the walk on the beach.  It was mild with no wind.....a perfect spring morning on the beach!

The little brown pebble is stuck tight in the rock...it's a pretty cool rock~

A cute little neighbor at the RV park.  He (?) was so cute; I would talk to him and he'd duck his head down like he wasn't supposed to talk to strangers....when I quit talking, he would look up at me again and wag his tail......adorable!!

Getting ready to leave...an easier process with our new 5th wheel

Me at one of the many places we pulled over to see the ocean while driving south on Hwy 101.  Our GPS made us laugh several times today.  I call the lady that lives inside the GPS "Sybil" because she sometimes forgets who she is and what her job is.  Today, I think she must have been drinking.....again......she kept telling us we were driving down "Virgil Street"

Where the heck did she come up with THAT?????

We crossed the Thomas Creek Bridge today which the sign said was the highest bridge in OR. (who knew)  I couldn't see to the bottom over the side of the bridge but the glimpse I had made me queasy.

We saw some AMAZING redwood trees today but there wasn't any place to pull over and get pictures which is a shame.  They really need a couple pull-outs where you can get some photos.  Those giants are so special!

When I was a kid, we usually just visited family for our "vacations" but once, when I was in grade school we took a trip from Florence, OR to Northern CA, going down HYW 101. 

We  drove past The Prehistoric Gardens just outside Port Orford, OR

http://www.oregonbeautiful.com/coast/the-prehistoric-gardens-port-orford-oregon.html

I'm kicking myself because I didn't pull over and have Judy take a picture of me in front of the dinosaur out front.  My brother and I posed in front of it on our trip.  *sigh*  Maybe next time through.....

Later, we drove past Trees of Mystery and didn't stop but we visited there on that trip.

http://www.treesofmystery.net/

The girls have been excellent traveling the last few days.  They seem to enjoy traveling in the truck with us.  We have plastic dog crates for them to ride in and Judy used cords to secure them to the seat so they won't be flying objects in case of a mishap.  We haven't heard "are we there yet?" once!

I almost forgot to add the street names we've seen the last few days.......some are OMG!!

Bruce's Bones Creek

Tom Cat Hill

Wonder Stump Road

and the all time worst road name we've seen yet.....

Suicide Creek Road

We had seen signs to watch for Elk serveral times but other than a few deer, no critters sighted. We also saw a sign that gave a radio station to tune to for information on elk herds.  I'd never seen THAT before.  After seeing yet another sign, I said "I wish we would see some elk but not on the road"  I no sooner had those words out of mouth when we saw a herd of probably 30 elk....in the grass in front of an RV park, across from Humboldt Lagoon....they were free to come and go......some were laying down, others were munching on grass.

I wish I had the same results when I say "gee, I wish I would win the lotto this week"

March 21, 2012 ~ Wednesday

We left Eugene just in time!  The day we left they were hit with a huge snow storm and ended up with 8-11 inches, depending where you were in the city.  I can't imagine that much snow while staying outside the RV shop.......so glad we got out of there when we did.

We drove down I-5 to Roseburg and then drove over to the coast.  Most of the road was fine but the last 12 miles turned into a "secondary" road and it was white knuckle time for me.  There wasn't an edge to the road at all....no fog line, no guard rail, just a narrow lane to drive on in each direction and then on our side, a straight drop off the road.  If you made it though the small trees on the bank, you would have ended up about 8 feet below the road in a very flooded pasture so it would have been like driving into a lake.  I was SO GLAD when we got off that road and into town.

It rained so much while we were in Bandon, I was thinking of checking Craig's List for a "gently used ARK" 

We drove into town and ate at a restaurant my neice, Gretchen and her husband, Justin, liked and posted on FB.  We both had FRESH crab at Tony's Crab Shack.  OH MY GOSH, it was just awesome.  It was so fresh, tender and mild........oh yummy!!  And we also loved the cole slaw...it was creamy, had a tiny hint of horseradish, and went perfectly with the fresh crab.....and then there was the hot bread...............We WILL go back if we are in the area again! 

We took the "scenic route" back to the RV park, we were nearly at the end of it when we came to water over the road....I wish I'd taken a picture.....I wasn't even TEMPTED in the slightest to drive through it.....fortunately, there was a driveway right by the overflow so I turned around and went back into town and back to the RV park on the main highway.

When we got up this am, it wasn't raining so we decided to hit the local beach before we left town.  I called the RV manager to ask them were the best place was to get onto the beach.  He told us and then he told me NOT to take the "scenic drive because it's flooded and they loose cars trying to cross it every year"  I told him we saw that and weren't tempted to cross it!

More Catching up from last week.....March 20, 2012 ~ Tuesday

Tammy's bf, Brandon made these tops for our dog crates.  One of them is between the two chairs in the living room and the dogs love to lay on it and look out the window.  (When we travel, they are safely in their travel crates in the truck)

The other one is on top of Lucy's crate, by Judy's chair so she can have her things by her and easy to reach.  I can also set a cup of coffee on it when I'm sitting there, watching TV with her.  The tops of the crates are un-even so the toppers are just awesome.  THANK-YOU Brandon!

Saturday, one of my HS friends went with me to a near-by town to Camping World.  The town had a "daffodil festival" going on so we stopped by.  It was VERY small and the weather was pretty miserable but we did find some AWESOME Kettle Corn!

*Above is the extent of the daffodil display*

They had some VERY country entertainers....

a car show.......

and they sell "Naked Farmers" calendars........no, I didn't buy one and NO, I didn't even go look at one!  I did hear that they are selling very well though.....

Judy fell in love with Chicken Bonz...they have the best chicken and fries!

Me and Judy and my second daughter, Tammy

They wrapped up the left overs to look like a chicken.....how cute is THAT!!!!