California – Page 15 – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

Traveling south to Desert Hot Springs

Rain in the desert is often lovely, except when I have dreamed of blue skies and warm sun and planned a major MoHo run south to find it. We have had snow and dark skies in Klamath for several weeks now, and my week in Florida was challenged by 20 degree weather. A long trek to the Coachella Valley should be the remedy. I think the weather forecasts show a bit of a break next Thursday. Last night, however, the skies were beautiful, with soft shades of pink and rose among the gray, cream, and yellow lit clouds.

A quick run south, leaving behind the cold and snow of Rocky Point, is only possible because we decided to store the MoHo in Redding this winter. Enclosed, insulated storage isn’t cheap, and we tried for the smallest unit possible. We also decided to forego winterizing thinking that the temperatures in Redding rarely drop below freezing. The water tanks were all empty and the lines emptied out, but we didn’t do anything else before parking in mid November. It was with a bit of trepidation that we opened up the big sliding door. Everything turned out just fine, with the trickle charger keeping the battery charged up and the house batteries were still even on 12.6. We brought along a couple of gallons of water to fill the tank and everything worked just fine. Although next time when we pull into the storage spot we will have some pink stuff in the drains, at least.

See that gorgeous sun in the photo above? The trip over Mt Shasta on I-5 to Redding was gorgeous once we left the icy freezing fog behind in the Klamath Basin and Highway 97. Little did we know that was the last time we would see brilliant sunshine for a long time. I am still waiting. By the time we got to our stop over point in Lodi, the rain was coming down hard. We hoped to get to the desert with only one overnight stop, requiring 400 mile driving days. By the time we reached the Flag City RV Resort in Lodi we were worn out. We shared the driving duties, but it still is a very long haul. Flag City is really nothing more than a reasonably comfortable stopover, with perfectly level cement pull through sites, and full hookups including fast Wi-Fi and cable. I have no idea what else the park offers because we didn’t care in the least. The MoHo was stopped, and everything we needed was right inside our cozy home.

On Friday we thought our trip to the desert would be about 8 hours of driving so thought leaving at 9 would be just fine for a 5 pm arrival. We didn’t factor in the hard, driving rain, or the plan to take HWY 58 through Tehachapi rather than brave LA traffic. As dark fell on the desert we still had 90 minutes to go before reaching our camp. We took 247 south from Barstow rather than drive through Victorville and all the traffic there as well. It’s a narrow road with lots off ups and downs, but oh soooo beautiful. It looked like a lot of BLM land, open and free, and in the coming desert twilight it was all I could do to keep from begging Mo to just head out into the desert and boondock.

When we finally arrived at the Desert Pools RV Park, I remembered again why we try to never, never, never land after dark. Everything was strange, the night person didn’t have our reservation, and offered to let us stay for one night only “off the road”. Somehow I had messed up the reservation (they don’t take them) and instead I opted for the “just come in and talk to the hosts and you can stay for two days”. Dumb. Of course, the fact that the park had recently disconnected their cable service wasn’t exactly a good thing either. After a long day on the road we at least wanted Wi-Fi and TV. Otherwise I would be back boondocking in that gorgeous desert! Mo is a little bit easier about these kinds of things than I am, and I wasn’t much fun to be around that night I am sure.

In the light off day, the park was every bit as ugly as it appeared the night before. The pool was small and brown as were the three spas. We took the dog for a walk and everyone was just so dang friendly! The night host came up to us and urged us to stay, saying the park was “so much fun with a lot going on”. I guess we aren’t very social, because that actually sounded just awful to me. Although the hot cinnamon rolls in the dining room were pretty good.

Our original plan was to spend six days at the Catalina RV Park and Spa, so we called them hoping for a chance to come in a day early. Success! With great relief, we packed up and didn’t even bother to hook up to drive the half mile back to the Catalina. Through the gate and immediately we could see the difference. Even though this is a very large park, with spaces fairly close together, there are trees and shrubs between sites, and while our site is on packed sandy dirt, it isn’t so bad that we couldn’t level the rig without blocks. The cloudy, threatening skies were breaking here and there with a bit of lightness, so that helped my mood a lot as well. Thank goodness! Our plan now is to spend the day adjusting to the local area, do some driving around, and just try to catch up a bit. Wi-Fi is still an issue, but hopefully I can find a spot somewhere around to actually get on the internet.

Sharing time with friends in Oroville

Our time on the water, on rivers and beaches, came to an end on Thursday with the beginning of our inland route to Redding. Garmin Girl really wanted us to travel south on 101, cross the Bay Area near Vallejo, and then go north again on I-5. Ugh. We turned her off, and headed north again and over the mountains toward the northern part of the great wide Sacramento Valley.

Sonoma County was beautiful, and in the slanting fall sunlight, the vineyards were many shades of red and gold. I tried for photos, but traveling was the order of the day and I can’t seem to manage much from the windshield. We stayed on 101 to Ukiah, a town I repeatedly get mixed up with Yreka and Eureka, although now I should have them straight in my head. Arcata is another one in the mix, that I now have some experience with so should remember.

Ukiah was a pleasant small town along the freeway, with a bit of a rural feeling to it except for the big shopping center with a Target and an Applebee’s. Mo and I both had the thought of a big juicy hamburger at about the same time. It’s amazing how we can drive in companionable silence for a long time and suddenly we’re both saying, “Gee, what do you think of a burger?” We got to Applebee’s just in time, about half an hour before lunch, before the crowds started filling up all available seats. To our delight, it was Veteran’s Day and they were giving free meals to all veterans. Mo pulled out her military ID and we had the best burgers we have had in a long time.

The afternoon was sunny and pleasant, and in no time we pulled into my friend’s driveway in Oroville. Maryruth has been my friend since 1963, (that is 47 years if anyone is counting!) and she and her husband of the last 23 years or so have a nice spread on the hills above town with plenty of space for us to park for a couple of nights and enjoy some visiting time before we continue north.

Maryruth and I met across the fence one day back in Arcadia, California where I lived as a very young mother. Maryruth also was a young mother of three, and we discovered over that back fence on an October afternoon, that her youngest and my oldest were just three days apart. Some friendships are so integral to your soul that they withstand all that life and time can bring. We shared births, and deaths, divorces, incredible tragedies, and delightful adventures. We shared a home for more than a year when we each had three children, yes, that was six children in our home, ages 1,2 3, and 3, 4, and 5. We were welfare mom’s for a short time, husbandless, hard working, and incredibly poor. Life brought a lot to us, but most of all it brought our love and support of each other through it all. I am incredibly lucky to have her as my lifetime friend.

Gerald, her husband, is a sweet man, who totally adores Maryruth and is generous and kind. While he worked outside on his gardens, and Mo washed the MoHo and caught upon the news, Maryruth and I played Hand and Foot and enjoyed just hanging out together. Maryruth is also an incredible cook, and she had breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all planned for the entire time we were there. I had to beg for mercy, and talked her out of the lunch. Two big meals a day is all we can manage, and we had to give up one or the other. The marinated salmon won out and we had a great dinner, played more cards, and slept through a movie on the big comfy sofas. It was a nice way to end our trip.

On Saturday morning we packed up and headed north to Redding to settle in to the Redding RV Park, right next to I-5. We didn’t want to try to find the RV storage, empty out the rig, and then still drive home that night. Camp Club USA made the stay worthwhile, even if there was Interstate noise all night and the WiFi didn’t work for beans. Mo settled in for a bit while I drove back south to visit my ex mom in law in Red Bluff before returning to Redding for supper and a very early bedtime.

The Sunday morning sunrise out the back window was gorgeous, and the noise didn’t penetrate our little haven. It was a bit laughable trying to get all our “stuff” that we normally just carry in the MoHo to fit into the baby car for the trip home. We didn’t want to leave any kind of food, even dry packaged food seems to be a haven for mice, and we also had all our clothes, kayak paddles and PFD’s, books, bathroom stuff, and the ever present cords, batteries, computers, and phones. Of course, we also had the dog and cat. The baby car is just a little Tracker, lightweight and small, great for pulling, but a bit tight for traveling 150 miles back over the pass to home.

We found the RV storage without any trouble, but once there had a few moments of worry, wondering if we could actually fit into that tight space. Mo backed her in, carefully, and with only a few inches on either side of the rig, it was a bit dicey. Once inside, however, everything was fine. She hooked up the battery keeper and we pulled down the big door and breathed a sigh of relief.

I’m not sure when we will get back out again. I have to catch up on work, and Thanksgiving is coming along as well, with plans for a big family dinner. But it’s good to know that when the whim strikes, we can jump in the baby car and go get our rig and find a warm, sunny escape from the snow. The deserts are calling me, especially when I keep reading Al’s blog about the dark skies of the southwest. I would imagine that will be the next adventure.

The Sonoma Coast and the Russian River

We wakened to a bit of fog this morning, but the rain had stopped and by 9 most of the fog was gone as well. Once again the weather was with us. Today we planned to kayak the Russian River, starting at Jenner on the ocean and paddling upstream with the tide until noon or so before turning with the tide and going back down to the ocean.

The route to Jenner along Highway 118 follows the river and passes the eclectic town of Guerneville along the way. The road is narrow and thick with trees, so dark that the street lights were still on at ten in the morning. We didn’t stop at Guerneville, in spite of the cute little shops there, the river was calling. Once at the launch site at the Sonoma Coast State Information Center our plans came to a screeching halt. The wind coming upriver from the ocean was cold and stiff, and I really didn’t want to spend my day cold and stiff as well.

Instead, we drove on north through Jenner, toward Fort Ross, a Russian settlement with an amazing history, and the magnificent views of the ocean along this part of Highway 1. The skies were clear and the ocean was gorgeous. We stopped for a hot cappuccino and a decadent muffin at the Timber Cove Lodge overlooking the bluffs. At Salt Point State Park we walked the trails out to the surf with Abby. Continuing north we checked out the state park campgrounds along the way. They were completely empty, and no wonder since there are no amenities except wild ocean, and the charge is a flat 35 dollars per night. Gerstle Cove campground was beautiful, with sites that were level enough to be manageable, but we would have to really want a view of the ocean to maneuver Highway 1 for all those miles to end up with something close to boondocking for 35 bucks. I don’t remember State Park fees in California being this high before. Maybe they have raised the rates to help out the bankrupt state, but if no one is in them, it isn’t going to help much. More photos of the Sonoma Coast are linked here.

When we got back to Jenner and the Russian River, the skies were still clear, and once inland at the Highway 1 bridge south, the winds seemed much calmer. We took the old dirt road on the south side of the river leading to Willow Creek State Park, closed to camping, but with a path leading to a wide rocky beach perfect for a river launch.

By the time we got on the river it was nearly 3, but that gave us enough time to paddle upriver about 2 miles before we turned back. The high tide was supposed to max out at 12:00 or so today, but it seems that sometimes the river mouth closes off and slows the outgoing tide. Paddling upstream was effortless, with calm still water and very little wind. Again, we saw cormorants and several kinds of ducks, and I watched a great egret fishing intently along a gravel bar.

The reflections of the surrounding hills on the silky water were mesmerizing. It turned out to be a perfect day of ocean and river and we got to do it all. More photos of the Russian River are linked here.

Traveling from Fort Bragg to the Russian River

When we left Fort Bragg yesterday, it was raining hard. Our route followed Highway 1 along the coast for several miles before we turned inland at the Navarre River on Highway 128. Gasoline was just 2.99 a gallon on the south end of Fort Bragg, so we put another 75 in the MoHo and hooked up the baby car right there in the gas station. We are both amazed at how quickly we can hook up that car. The Stow Master hitch works great if we hit it every now and then with a bit of silicone. I can just slide it onto the ball without any effort at all.

I checked our route on Google Maps, on the iPhone, and with Garmin Girl, all set for the fastest, not the shortest route. I didn’t say anything about avoiding highways. All three of them sent us over 128, but not a single one gave us a clue what we were in for. The first part of the road was narrow, following the Navarre River through huge old redwood forests, damp and dark in the misty rain. After a few miles we emerged into the Anderson Valley, and official wine country. Picturesque small towns dotted the landscape every few miles and even in the rain the vineyards were beautiful in their fall colors.

Once we began ascending the mountains of the coast range however, the road got more and more narrow, and more winding even than Highway 1 was a few days ago. The last five miles before we reached 101 were probably the most harrowing so far on this trip. Mo handled it with aplomb, I wore my wristbands, and Jeremy only got sick once.

If we had known the route was this bad, we would have taken the more direct route straight south on Highway 1 along the coastline all the way to Jenner. Ah well, neither of us had been on this route before, so it was ok. Of course, Garmin Girl was still programmed for “shortest route”, so she took us along the even rougher “Westside Road” to get us into Forestville rather than going farther south on 101 and taking a major road back west. By the time we got to the campground in the dark pouring rain, Mo’s opinion of Garmin Girl was diminishing.

This trip was an opportunity for us to check out as many Camp Club USA parks as possible, and we only came this far south to try out this park. The web site looks great, but if you look at Street View on Google, it’s another story entirely. When we arrived at the River Bend RV Resort, the office was closed (it was barely 2 in the afternoon) and there were some very vague instructions about “finding a site”. We had a reservation, and had no clue where to go because the park is very tight, convoluted, and completely full of old trailers, rv’s, campers, all surrounded by old cars and trucks.

While I stood around looking helpless, the owner showed up saying, “Oh, I was just making a map for you”. He charged me the half price fee of 24 bucks a day, and then said, “Wi-Fi is free for one hour a day, otherwise there is a 6.00 charge” . What?? It didn’t say THAT on the internet. He proceeded to give me a huge spiel about the high cost of real estate in Sonoma County and how he didn’t let anyone else stay in his park for a measly 24.00, and didn’t I realize that there were 150 wineries within a fifteen minute drive and he wasn’t about to pay for free Wi-Fi for people who just abused it by downloading movies. Hmmm. It was also interesting reading the “rules”. My favorite was the one warning about going in the river intoxicated, and another one referred to no loud partying after 10PM. Interesting clientele, I think.

Our site was right on the river, a bit away from all the permanent residents, so that was a relief. I think we are the only people in the park who aren’t permanent. I decided to do some laundry, going back and forth in the rain, dealing with the dryers that quit when the power went out from all the rain, but of course the timers didn’t quit and I lost 4 bucks. Froggi Donna, another blogger, asked recently what we love and what we hate about RV’ing and last night I through that what I dislike most is the dang laundry thing.

I decided to read the “101 Things to Do Sonoma” for some ideas about the area. Unlike the Mendocino publication which was full of great information, this one had page after page of wineries and restaurants. I guess if you are in Sonoma, you are supposed to go wine tasting and then eat. Ha. Mo and I both love wine, but the wine tasting thing sometimes just seems way too expensive and pretentious for either of us. I’d rather go kayaking and buy my wine at Trader Joe’s or Costco. Maybe a nice wine tour would be a fun thing to do another time, but not this time.

We settled in after supper and listened to the hard rain, drowning out most of the heavy traffic noise from the highway nearby.

Perfect Day on Big River

It was a perfect day to go kayaking. Once again there was an eight foot high tide predicted for just after noon, giving us a good two hours before to paddle upstream, and another two hours to paddle back down with the ebbing tide. The launch site at Big River just east of the Mendocino Bay Bridge on Highway 1 is huge, with a boat ramp, but also with a broad sandy gentle beach perfect for us.

The weather was clear and crisp, if a bit cool. The current on the river was negligible, and with the incoming tide paddling upstream was easy. It was Abby’s first time out in the new kayak, and it was a perfect place for Mo to adjust to paddling with Abby while she learned to settle in to the bigger cockpit.

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On a Monday morning in November, we very nearly had the entire river to ourselves, with a single rower passing us going downstream, a lone kayaker going back downstream toward the beach, and a young couple paddling a large wooden outrigger canoe. The rest of the trip we were completely alone in the silence of the river and the surrounding redwood forest.

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We saw ducks, herons, cormorants, and on our way back to the mouth of the river, a group of seals. Reading about the trip in the Sea Kayaking book suggested a nice sandy beach about 3.5 miles upriver where we could take a break and get out of the boats. I think the combination of high river water and a very high tide completely obscured the beach, however, because we never found it. After a couple hours on the river, a bathroom break became somewhat of a necessity, so we improvised. In an area that looked just a bit less abrupt than the rest of the banks, we tied both boats up to a small stump and managed to crawl out of them from the deep water. Abby was glad for the break as well before we saw the tide turning and decided it was time to head back downstream.

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Paddling downriver at about 4mph was effortless until we were within less than a mile from the launch site where the winds picked up considerably. I didn’t get any photos of the big wind generated waves because I was busy paddling hard, and that last half mile was the hardest of the day. We had been warned of this, so it wasn’t unexpected and I’m glad it didn’t last any longer than it did.

On the beach once again, we easily loaded up the boats, but by then the wind was darn cold and we were definitely ready for a break. The tiny, incredibly picturesque town of Mendocino was just a stone’s throw from the launch, and we thought a good dose of fish and chips would be perfect. Many shops were open on this slow Monday afternoon,but open restaurants weren’t easy to find. A shopkeeper told us about Patterson’s Pub, suggesting they had the best food in town. She was right The pub was perfect, with an Irish theme, small warm and cozy, great beers on tap and truly wonderful food. I had a Bass from the tap, and Mo’s house Chardonnay was crisp and dry. Lobster bisque drizzled with very green virgin olive oil was a perfect beginning to fresh cod and sweet potato cross cut fries. Yum!!

Since daylight savings time ended it seems that it is way too dark at 6pm and settling in to a warm MoHo, cruising the blogs, and watching TV was a perfect way to end a great day.

More photos of our trip on the river are linked here.