California – Page 8 – The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales

Driving the Five to visit Laurie and Odel

Shingle Springs, CA low tonight 52, high tomorrow 90, 74 degrees at 9pm

On Saturday, Grants Pass Oregon was clear and sunny and warm. Even though we had only been away for a week, the oaks were all leafed out, and the dogwoods were in their full rosy glory. Lilacs are blooming everywhere and even the iris are starting to bud. We arrived in early afternoon, in time to bring the MoHo out and pack up, and then do a few minor easy chores around the cottage property. I carefully watered the fruit trees and the long line of shrubs, and with 2.5 gallons per minute, I had to be especially careful. Testing a hose and a five gallon bucket showed that at full blast I could run 10 GPM and with no reservoir cistern, could run the well dry in no time.

It was a very warm evening, and we opened up all the windows to the cottage. I sat in the twilight reading and catching up on computer stuff while Mo patiently mudded all the tape she put up on the kitchen drywall. She was shocked when she finally sat down in the living room to relax with a glass of wine to discover that it was 9pm. We were even more shocked when we both discovered we were wide awake at 4am. With an expected leaving hour of 8, we didn’t know quite what to do. What the heck, let’s just leave. Can you tell we were ready to be on the road?!

Thinking breakfast might be a nice way to kill some time, we decided to try Elmers’ but they didn’t open until 6 so we ended up at Shari’s while waiting for Freddy’s to open the gas islands. Breakfast was OK, but not as great as our favorite Elmer’s place, and we had food in our tummy’s and gas in the rigs by 7am and were heading south on the 5 by ten after.

Somehow the road seemed new today, and as many times as both of us have driven the five, together and apart, it was as fresh and interesting as if we had never done it. Most anyone who has traveled out west has been on this road, it is the easiest and fastest way to get from anywhere north to anywhere south in Washington, Oregon, and California. Everyone complains about how boring it can be, but the stretch between Grants Pass and Redding is as gorgeous as any interstate in the country. Especially when the sun shines over Mt Shasta.

There as a bit of smoke and haze in the spring air near the mountain today, but it only served to make it even more mystical. “The Mountain” dominates the skyline for a hundred miles in almost all directions, but the view comes and goes between the volcanic landscape surrounding Medford and Yreka. Rounding a curve you get a glimpse here and there before she explodes in her full glory as the road passes through the Scott Valley. Well, explodes maybe isn’t a good word, although she has been quiet for a few centuries now.

We took our time, stopping at the vista points, then again at a beautiful rest area near Red Bluff that neither of us remembered seeing before. I think it was there, but has been reworked significantly. The roses were in full bloom and the area was lovely and green with beautiful shade trees and a nice pet area. By mid day the temperatures were in the mid 80’s and I felt myself open up and expand with the warmth just like those roses.

We drove as far as Costco in Woodland before stopping for fuel and then Mo drove through downtown Sacramento and around the complex ramps to get on the 50 going east to South Lake Tahoe. I lived in Sacramento back in the 70’s, visited Maryruth there many times since when she lived there, and still that turn onto 50 east is disquieting. Today it was a piece of cake, though, a great reason to travel on a Sunday through the cities.

Our destination this afternoon was Shingle Springs and the Elks Campground just about 5 miles away from where Laurie and Odel have settled in to homestead. They met us at the campground with some instructions about where to dump if we needed (we did!) and maps of how to get to their house. Mo keeps asking if Laurie was a teacher. She gave me three maps, a distance google map, a close-up google map with bulleted pop-outs, and a page of written instructions. It was all detailed, specific, and perfect. We still managed to turn the wrong way for a moment before correcting. This part of the California foothills is lovely, and full of narrow, winding roads that just wander off willy-nilly in almost any direction. Beautiful.

We found their home, marveled at their incredibly good luck in finding such a perfect place to live, and then went for a walk around the pretty little lake that is the focal point of their extended home park. As Laurie has said, it is a bit like living in a really nice RV Resort, only with more room in the kitchen. The lake was charming, and filled with adorable goose families and one half of a pair of beautiful black swans. The walk felt good after a day in the rig and by 6 we were all ready for dinner.

A short drive to a Taqueria nearby led us to a nice cool patio and some good Mexican food. Laurie’s ceviche was fresh and delightful, Mo had a chimichanga that was spicy and flavorful, and my flautas were like cardboard filled with chicken leather. ah well, most of it was really good!

It is so great to have some time with friends we enjoy so much. Laurie and Odel are both fun to be around, easy to talk with, and always entertaining. One of the lucky finds of the RV life for us. Tomorrow there is more socializing on the agenda with a great drive north on the famous Highway 49 to Nevada City.

Right now the night is dark and quiet and the air is still warm and soft. For a few minutes this afternoon things were less than lovely, with a bit of black tank dumping fiascos, but now it is all good. Isn’t it amazing how that can happen? While walking around with L and O we found ourselves talking about dog poop, cat boxes, black water tanks, and being sick on a ship. Geez….Maybe we can find something better to talk about tomorrow!

Ships Passing in the Night…errr….Evening

If some of these photos look a bit familiar to you, it might be because Mo and I decided to end our Desert Hot Springs trip with a visit to the Palm Springs Thursday Night Street Fair. Today while catching up on blogs as we drove north on I-5, I saw Rick’s post about attending the same street fair. In fact, he even took a photo of the restaurant where we were having dinner! Unlike Rick, I was too overwhelmed with the crowds and the shops and the booths and the smells to remember to take many photos. I can’t believe we didn’t run into each other there, but then again, there were a LOT of people, and lots of doggies as well.

Our trip was a whirlwind, spent mostly driving back desert roads, and we didn’t decide until yesterday that it might be a good idea to eat Mexican one more time before packing up the rig for our early morning departure today. I also wanted to see the Marilyn Monroe statue that has been highlighted on more than a few blogs lately. We parked and walked and finally found it, right downtown in the very middle of the street fair.

In the past, we have had great meals at two Mexican Restaurants on this main drag, so decided to try Macarena’s for something new. Even though we were told it would be a half hour wait, within minutes my phone rang and our outside table was ready. It was great having good food, a happy hour marguerita, and a good people watching spot in the middle of all the action.

In addition to all our desert drives, we managed a bit of relaxation while in the desert, and I swam and soaked in the pools every single day but one. Love those pools. We also walked the park, walked the surrounding desert a bit, and drove to La Quinta so that I could spend some time in a great quilt store, Monica’s Quilt. Of course, I came out with a bag of gorgeous fabric and some new patterns. I also got directions to the Quilter’s Faire in Palm Desert, hidden in an industrial area behind Wal-Mart and came away with another bag of fabric and a couple of good looking patterns. Ah, Stash! gotta love it.

We decided to just make a beeline for home with only a one night stay in Lodi at the Flag City RV Resort. This meant leaving this morning at 6:30 so that we could travel the lovely sunrise route north on Highway 247 to Barstow before turning east to cross the Tehachapis on Highway 58 to Bakersfield.

I was a bit bummed about not having time to stay one more night at the Orange Grove RV Park because I finished the last of my tree ripened oranges a few days ago. I decided to take a chance and call the park, and sure enough the owners were friendly and wonderful and said, “Sure, just come on in and get a picker and pick yourself a bag. No Charge”. How is that for good advertising! We pulled into the park and spent just half an hour picking another big bag of the incredibly sweet juicy oranges to take home with us. Ahhhh.

Driving into Bakersfield was dramatic as usual. Looking down on the smog line from the elevation of the pass was intense, and once down in the valley the smog didn’t let up, ever. We drove a good 250 miles through dingy smoggy air, all the way from Bakersfield to Lodi. I had to go digging for eye drops. I drove the first half of the trip through gorgeous, empty, clear desert, and Mo got the second half up the Five. I think I got the better end of that deal! We covered 496 miles today and settled into our spot here in Lodi just after five pm, in plenty of time to warm up the leftovers from last night’s great dinner at Macarena’s.

Tomorrow just under 400 miles and we will spend the night back in the Grants Pass Cottage. Both of us are excited to see the new roof that was completed while we were gone, but neither of us is particularly excited about returning to cold weather. It has been a great reprieve, and a wonderful two weeks of mostly warmth and sunshine. Lucky Us!

City Camping

Mission Bay RV Park, San Diego, California; High 68F Low 57F, light rain.

I can hear rain on the roof now, after a day of warm air and clouds over the ocean. The predictions have changed over the last few days, with only one thing in common. Tuesday was to be our best sunny day, and it was. The last two days have been cloudy, but still warm, at least to us. I noticed that many of the comments for these days in San Diego are affirmations of what a great place it is to visit. Hard to imagine that in so many years of living in California I visited San Diego so rarely, and remember almost nothing about it at all. I must have been a young teenager the last time I was here.

We have enjoyed ourselves, but haven’t done so much that we are exhausted and overwhelmed. I could see how that could happen here. It is a big city with a great deal of art and entertainment, and a lot of outdoor space to do outdoor things. If we had our bikes and kayaks with us, we would no doubt be exhausted by now, but we decided on this trip to leave them behind. No matter the destination, it is hard to dig the kayaks out of the snow and load up the bikes. It is a bit like grocery shopping when you aren’t hungry, sometimes hard to imagine what you want to eat. In the same way, it is hard to get excited about biking and kayaking when the temperatures are single digits. If we come back here, you can bet we will be sure to bring both bikes and kayaks.

The last two days are still a bit of a blur. Some things stand out, especially the neighborhoods. We did some of the normal sightseeing things expected of San Diego visitors, but we also wandered down unknown streets discovering lovely surprises along the way. One of the best was the area called Mission Hills, a neighborhood west of the more talked about Hillcrest area, and just up the hill from the famous Old Town San Diego. A web site that I later found when searching for information called it “the neighborhood you dreamed of before the world changed”. There were broad sidewalks, and beautiful old bungalows from the 20’s, small and tidy and lovingly refurbished, and not a for sale sign in sight.

We spent the afternoon yesterday exploring Balboa Park, home of the San Diego Zoo, but also home to 14 world class museums, countless manicured gardens, fountains, and pathways meandering through the wooded hills just minutes from the central part of the city. We had Abby along, and decided against trying to see the museums, but one could easily spend a long day just exploring this beautiful park.

Later in the afternoon we drove through Hillcrest and Mission Hills to arrive in Old Town San Diego at just the right time for an amazing Mexican dinner at Fiesta de Reyes, with gas lit fires scattered around the patio to keep us cozy in the cool evening.

The morning rain was light today, and the skies lightened enough mid day to make our trek to Coronado quite lovely. We drove across the Coronado Bridge and I searched for the small home where I lived as a four year old. I can remember what it felt like, and remember the policemen bringing me back when I “ran away” to the beach just two blocks away. I think I found the street. It will be fun to go home and search for the old letters that just might have the address of that little house on them.

We drove south to Imperial Beach, within view of Tijuana, and on this gray day, I could find very little about it that was appealing. We drove back north to find another well known Dog Beach, where Abby could play ball and I could just sit and listen to the ocean. The Dog Beach is adjacent to the Naval Base and is actually on military property. It was a bit confusing trying to figure out exactly where to go, and the signs were not very clear at all. The military gate guard was helpful though, and pointed us in the right direction.

Later we parked closer to the Hotel Del Coronado, an amazing landmark on the southwest perimeter of the island. The hotel has the distinction of being the largest wooden building still standing in the US. Since it was a cool afternoon, we left Abby for a bit while exploring the lobby and grounds of this famous site. The woodwork was impressive, and everything was lustrous and beautiful, but the interior of the main part of the hotel was really dark! All that gorgeous dark wood from the late nineteenth century can be a bit oppressive. Much has been written about this wonderful old hotel, and the gift shop was amazing with a special emphasis on Marilyn Monroe, who stayed here during the filming of “Some Like It Hot”. The hotel was well featured in the movie.

We opted for an ice cream cone from the hotel sweet shop and were a bit aghast that two single cones cost us $12.65. Sheesh. Then as we explored the sun deck overlooking the beach, we saw the burgers went for merely 15.95 each, and even came with a pack of potato chips. At least they were Kettle Chips. It was lovely when the sun came out, and for a short time the beach lit up a bit. I still would much rather be camped in my MoHo than staying at this beautiful old hotel.

We drove back into downtown San Diego to explore the much touted Gaslamp District, only to discover that much of what makes this area fun to visit are the restaurants and the night life. The restaurants lining the street were busy with folks eating outdoors, and the sidewalks were lined with folks from the nearby convention center, identified by their matching dangling name badges. We walked a few blocks but since we weren’t ready for more restaurant eating, there wasn’t that much to keep us there.

Instead we drove a few more blocks to search for another well known area called “Little Italy”. Once again, the restaurants and eateries seemed to be the major form of entertainment. In spite of the descriptions of “boutiques and shopping”, there wasn’t much to entice us to park and walk again. It might have been because it was a cool winter day, but there didn’t seem to be much going on in this area either.

It is surprising how close all of this is to our little spot in Mission Bay, with the Pacific Highway leading right from downtown, past Old Town and Sea World, past the turn to Fiesta Island and once again home at the RV park. Almost anything of interest in the main part of the city is within fifteen minutes or so of the park.

I can see how San Diego would be a nice place to live if you liked cities and all that they have to offer. It is a nice place to visit, for sure. But I do notice that I am feeling the pressure of people and the lack of open space. I am ready for the next stage of our little getaway to begin, starting tomorrow morning when we hook up the Tracker and head east for the desert.

The rain has stopped for now, and I am finished with my latest book. How long has it been since you read a book that was amazing for its language? I found myself wanting to reread and highlight passages just for their eloquence, and for the feeling they gave me. When so many books lately are quick reads that are simple entertainment, it was wonderful to slip into the magic of prose that lifted me from everyday life. Remember Margaret Atwood? I read “The Handmaid’s Tale” a very long time ago, but just found another old novel of hers, “Cat’s Eye”. It was a haunting story of a difficult time in a girl’s youth, but the writing itself is what made the book sing.

Tonight, rain on the roof. Tomorrow, rain in the desert. But still, it isn’t snowing and it isn’t freezing, and rain or shine, the desert hot springs pools are waiting.

Whatever it takes…

to get South outta the cold and snow…

Mission Bay RV Resort, San Diego, CA Clear, High 79F Low 61F

It doesn’t matter a bit that we have to drive several hundred miles, almost the full length of the state of California. Doesn’t matter a bit that for much of that drive we are traveling through the hazy warmed up fog/smog that blankets the Central Valley for much of the winter. Doesn’t matter a bit that we must drive over the Grapevine with bumper to bumper semi’s jockeying for position. Doesn’t matter one whit that we decided to drive straight through LA on I-5 to get south to San Diego. Whatever it takes, it is worth it to get south to the sunshine and blue skies that were waiting.

We left Lodi after a leisurely breakfast, knowing we had only 250 miles or so to reach our destination at the Orange Grove RV Park just east of Bakersfield. We were really happy to see that much of the surface of I-5 has been redone since our last trip south and even with the smog, oops, I mean haze, it was wonderful to soak up the sunshine pouring in through the windshield. Before 2:30 in the afternoon we pulled into the park and settled into space 177 at the far end of the row near the back. We were also delighted to discover that there was a free RV washing area. With a huge bag of oranges that would cost as least five bucks and a free RV/car wash that would cost another ten bucks in quarters, our “real” cost of spending the night at this non Passport America park came to about 18.00.

With the orchard fruit picker provided at the camp office, I managed to fill a giant cloth grocery bag in just a few minutes. Yum. The smaller oranges on the outside perimeters of the trees were sweeter, and for the last couple of days I have made some delicious fresh orange juice for breakfast. With the MoHo and Tracker all shiny and a simple spaghetti supper we were ready to settle in for a great night.

Of course, fate just had to mess with us a little bit to keep us from taking too much for granted. After supper I popped in the 3rd disc for the first season of Homeland and was greeted by a strange message on the fancy dvd player/home theater system installed in the MoHo. It has worked fine now for five years, but tonight it decided to jam with the dvd in the drive. We went online to check for a solution, and discovered in the process that the unit is permanently wired into the rig with no sign of a place to unplug it. Mo turned off the breaker and we spent close to a couple of hours taking the whole thing apart while it was still hanging from the cubby hole in the MoHo. We finally gave up and broke the dang thing completely apart to get out the Netflix dvd. That wasn’t much fun at all, and we still have no clue how we are going to replace the unit, or what to replace it with. Thank goodness the TV still works.

After a good night’s sleep, we both decided to not talk about the ruined player and went on to have a great day driving south once more. Bakersfield was a smoggy oops hazy, as ever but as we drove up over the Grapevine the haze receded and even going into LA the smog wasn’t bad at all. Even the traffic was bearable going right through downtown. (Mo is listening to me as I proof this, and she just said “That is because you weren’t driving!) There were a few sections of the 5 between the San Fernando Valley and downtown where the lanes were so narrow it seemed impossible for two big rigs to pass, but we managed with only a couple of rather scary moments as big rigs took up 1/4 of our lane and someone was right next to us on honking because we had to drift to avoid the truck. Whew! It looked as though the engineers had made six lanes out of five to make room for more traffic without widening anything to fit .

Once we passed Disneyland and Buena Park the traffic thinned out, the lanes widened, and the pavement was again smooth as silk as we rolled on south. A rest stop near Oceanside was interesting, with huge buildings that looked just like beautiful California missions, but were only big bathrooms made to look like missions.

We used the iPad maps (I refuse to download the iOS 6 so I still have google maps on my iPad) to go directly to the RV park without a hitch. We knew that using our Passport America card for a discount meant that we would only be able to stay through Friday morning for the half price cost of $25 per day. We also knew that we couldn’t make a reservation using the card, but Nina’s assertation that this was the low season here proved true and the park was only about half full. In no time at all, we were settled in.

Although the park itself is basically a big asphalt parking lot, the sites are big, there are shade trees all around, and there is great security. The best part of this park, however, is the location. Right on a peninsula that juts out into Mission Bay, there are miles of beautiful parks and trails all round the bay for walking, and the incredible dog park at Fiesta Island just a few minutes away by car.

It’s a Dog’s Life here in this part of San Diego, and today was all about Abby. We took her around the Bay Walk here by the park, and then drove over the Fiesta Island to find the dog park. The island is mostly brown and scrubby, with a somewhat muddy beach, but the dog park is huge, really huge, and is all green and grassy, and the beach that is within the dog park was much cleaner.

After some time on Fiesta Island, we drove around the Bay and crossed one of the more than 300 bridges in San Diego to discover the Dog Beach at the funky old hippie town of Ocean Beach. Even though dogs are restricted to the evening hours on the main beach, the Dog Beach is open and leash free all the time. What an amazing place, with soft white sand and lots of space and waves. I spread out a big towel and sat in the sunshine while Mo and Abby played ball for a long time before I took a turn. I had as much fun watching all the other dogs as I did playing with Abby.

Later in the afternoon we explored Ocean Beach in the car, but didn’t see much that made us want to get out and wander. Driving north to Mission Beach had much the same result, but finally farther north at Pacific Beach we found a parking spot and got out and walked the Beach Walk.

So far, San Diego has been a winner, at least this part has been. We are reading about the various neighborhoods throughout the city and are planning a day at Balboa Park tomorrow. Rumor says it is a great dog friendly place, and should be fun even without a visit to the famous San Diego Zoo. The goal is to stay loose, enjoy our sunny stay here in this new to us city, and not try to fit in so much that we end up feeling rushed and overloaded instead of relaxed.

Escape

Lodi, California; 7PM; clear and 60 degrees F
The snow started way back in early December, gave us a beautiful white Christmas, and didn’t let up. When it did finally stop, the temperatures plummeted to morning lows near zero for days in a row and clear sunny skies that warmed up to all of 12 degrees. It has been great fun. Mo and I did a lot of shoveling and plowing, managed to move almost 6 cords of free wood that we inherited from a neighbor, and kept the fires burning and the house cozy and warm.
I love winter. For awhile. I have had some knitting and quilting time, and truly enjoyed the ability to telecommute for work when the roads were icy and treacherous. I finished the queen sized quilt I have been working on for a few months and took it to the quilter. I almost finished a soft luscious shawl for Melody, just waiting for the hand dyed silk to arrive for the fringe. I almost finished a baby quilt that I will deliver next month to a beloved friend about to have a little boy.
But enough is enough! Every night when we go to the hot tub, the bare feet freeze on the porch and the entire ten feet of distance from the back door until we are in the hot water is a challenge. No matter how beautiful the pristine cold snow looks outside my window, and no matter how warm and cozy we are with our wood stove, I am tired of it. I am ready to be somewhere warm. I am a bit tired of the thick fence of icicles between me and the view out the bedroom window.
Yesterday we loaded up the dog and the cat and and supplies for our escape and drove the two hours over the mountain to the cottage and the waiting MoHo. Instead of temperatures in the teens with clear skies, we drove into temperatures in the 30’s with icy fog shrouding everything. It is one of the famous temperature inversions that make the cold winter fogs of the Rogue Valley legendary. At the cottage, there wasn’t a speck of snow on the ground, but that icy fog is COLD! Mo said, “Are you complaining about the weather here too?”. Well, yeah, I guess I am. I am envisioning warm sunshine, not icy roads and steely gray skies.
We had most of the afternoon at the cottage to fiddle around a bit, and Mo decided to tackle the moldy cupboard wall that she wanted out of the kitchen. It kind of reminded me of those shows on HGTV where they take a sledge hammer to the walls. It is sort of fun tearing a house apart. While we were demolishing the kitchen wall, the roofer was outside tearing off the 4 different layers of roofing down to the rafters. The cottage was built in 1926, and wasn’t a high end build even then, but underneath all that stuff, we found what looks to be solid, beautiful redwood beams. Kinda nice.
We enjoyed a simple supper, a game of cards, and some evening reading before turning down the heat for the night. Saturday morning would come soon enough.
This morning, the icy fog was still thick as we hooked up the MoHo and headed south of the Five. First, however, we decided to stop for a good breakfast at Elmer’s, close to the interstate onramp. It is the second time we have had breakfast there and it wasn’t a fluke. The restaurant is wonderful, with really great food. Again we split a breakfast of potato pancakes with applesauce, bacon and green onions, applewood bacon and great coffee. We were on the road by 9:30 with an estimated time of arrival at Flag City in Lodi around 4:30. I think we pulled in here at about 4:15.
The drive was lovely. Traffic was light, the I-5 surface has been redone since our last trip south, and once we were out of the Rogue Valley, the temperature inversions were behind us. By the time we got to Redding it was 65 gorgeous, sunny, luscious degrees. As we rolled down the road, both of us realized that the destination is almost irrelevant, it is just that desire to get rolling that makes it what it is. The Journey, not so much the Destination. Although I think the destination is nice, and we are looking forward to it, it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun to just fly south. It is the road. I may have said this before, but the realization always seems to come to me anew when we get back on the road. I love the movement, the changing scenery, the companionable silence of rolling down the road.
We covered an easy 375 miles today, rolling right through downtown Sacramento without a hitch. We took a chance without a reservation for Flag City, and when we arrived, in spite of a big group being here, there was a nice, level pull through waiting for us for $27. (half price) with our Passport America card. Tomorrow another day on the road, an easy 250 miles or so before we pull into the Orange Grove RV Park near Bakersfield. I am looking forward to those sweet oranges everyone keeps talking about. I really hope the cold snap hasn’t wiped them out!