For the other prettiest place in the world. Or maybe there are others, but do you remember ever saying “That was the best ever”, and knowing that the next one would definitely be the “best ever”? Leaving Rocky Point on a clear summer morning seems a bit silly, unless of course you are heading north toward Sisters and a quilt show that probably rivals one of the best ever. Although I have never been to Paducah, Kentucky or to the Sisters show before either.
The MoHo is all loaded up and we are ahead of schedule. Just enough time to write a bit about what has been and what is yet to come.
Best little trip recently was a quickie north to Collier State Park where I met up with Jerry and Suzy, a couple of RV bloggers I have followed for some time now. To say they are a delightful couple is an understatement, and as usual, a couple hours of visiting time at their sweet comfy rig in the shade flew by. We didn’t even have to go out to eat! You know how you set that one up sometimes….just in case something or another is awkward and you need a table between you and a waitress to mediate. I am so glad I got to meet the two of them, and look forward to their next trip our way so they can come out to Rocky Point for a visit as well. Don’t you just love their traditional matching tee shirts?
The delphiniums finally bloomed in front of the cabin, just in time for the wind and the sprinklers to knock them over. Soooo glad I got a photo of them the morning before that happened. Then I decided it was time to entertain some local Rocky Point folks for a nice dinner. I think the last time I had Wes and Gayle (our next door neighbors who winter in Tucson) over I fed them hot dogs cooked on a pitchfork. This time I went all the way with a French Country dinner including appetizers and an Apple Galette for dessert. It was great fun to have someone to cook for, but once a ye
ar might be enough for that kind of dinner!
I invited another local Rocky Point couple to join us, Jim and Mata have lived here for decades. Jim was the contractor who built Mo’s house and Mata is one of the first members of the local quilt guild of which I am the newest member. I even had fun! Isn’t that the point? Although most women know how hard it is to have fun when you are doing a dinner party with the timing thing always in the back of your mind.
Tomorrow is the quilt show, and we will be meeting up with Roger and Nancy in Lapine for an evening of fun before taking their car to Sisters. (The MoHo will wait safely back in uncrowded territory!) Nancy and I get to play why Mo and Roger hang out in the park. That way we can look and shop to our hearts content without worrying about them getting bored with the whole thing.
The next day we will all travel east toward Newberry Crater and Paulina Lake for some high mountain forest service camping. Did you notice no car on the back of the MoHo! Kind of fun to load the kayaks on that trailer, nice and low! Hopefully we will get a spot close enough to the lake to make up for the fact that I have yet to order those little wheelie thingies that Sherry and David have. Oh boy! camping, kayaking, family, and quilts!!! Does it get any better anywhere?? 
Tag: friends
Shingle Springs to Nevada City, and Friends!
There is nothing quite like a morning in the Mother Lode, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, on a warm spring day. Waking to sunshine and temps in the mid 70’s with an expected high of 84 or so is just about perfect. Light breezes and low humidity make it even better. This time of year, the grasses are still somewhat green, and on a Tuesday morning the traffic was even minimal.
Our site at the Elk’s Lodge in Shingle Springs is just a jump off Highway 50, and there are several ways to get north to Nevada City, but we wanted to take the most scenic route, following North Shingle Road to intersect with the famous gold road, Highway 49 near Coloma. The destination was Nevada City and meeting our new and old friends, (well most of us aren’t exactly new), at Nickie and Jimmie’s home there.
We hadn’t yet met in person, but I wasn’t the least bit concerned about it. I am not sure why this is, but somehow the essence of people comes through in their blogs in ways that always seem to be just right. Most of the time, I know if I will “click” with someone, and it amazes me that people turn out to be exactly as I thought they would. Nickie and Jimmie were no exception, except I think they were even nicer than I imagined. What truly lovely people!
The route north was wonderful, and winding through the hills on the curvy roads reminded me so much of the years I lived in Sonora and drove these roads for work. I also marveled at how lovely the landscape looked when I didn’t have to imagine slogging up those hot, brushy slopes with a pack and shovels! I could once again see the charm of the foothills and why people love it so.
We left early enough to take a short side trip to Coloma, but it was too early to visit the visitor center and once again my visit was just an overview. This is the site of gold discovery on the American River, and there are interpretive signs everywhere and old buildings that have a story to tell. We stopped long enough for a walk along the river with Abby, but returned to the road north fairly quickly so we wouldn’t miss our meet and greet time with Laurie and Odel at Nickie and Jimmie’s place.
The American River is a story itself, and we saw lots of hikers and raft companies that ply the wild waters of that river. It is a great place for recreation, with an old bridge walk that crosses the river in the canyon just below Auburn. We thought we might walk it on our way back, but by late afternoon when we drove the return route, the parking area was packed and it was hot and there were way too many people for us to attempt it. As beautiful as it is, there seems to be a lot of people pressure on the beautiful places around the Mother Lode.
Once we were through the old town portion of Auburn, Highway 49 is a 4 lane freeway all the way to Grass Valley and in no time we were exiting the road to Nevada City. We were a bit early, so decided to amble through town before finding Nickie and Jimmie’s home up the hill. I hadn’t been to Nevada City in years, but I was reminded on this sunny morning of just why it is such a popular place for so many. My eldest daughter dreamed of living here, as I once did. It is nestled into the pine covered hills, with steep winding streets filled with gorgeous restored Victorians and a Craftsman or two here and there, and lush spring flowers. The dogwoods were in full bloom and magnificent! We decided that after our little meeting we would come back and walk the town. Of course, at that time we didn’t know we would have the perfect guides who provided ice cream!
Up the hill to their home was a beautiful drive as well, winding up through Sierran Mixed Conifer forest, thick and lush with Ponderosa Pine, Incense Cedar, and White Fir. At over 3200 feet on deep old soils, the trees are growing beautifully, and the homes lining the road were quite lush as well. It was beautiful.
Our welcome was as delightful as expected, but their home was even more lovely than I imagined, and Nickie’s warm and open southern California personality warmed and mellowed even more by her time in the South and her sweet Southern husband combined to make a truly amazing combination. I loved both of them almost instantly. We laughed and talked as if we actually knew each other (which we did!!) and enjoyed seeing all their work on the yard, the new hot tub, and their beautiful home. Laurie and Odel arrived just after we did, and since the four of them were already acquainted, the talking and laughter was ongoing.
A special treat was seeing a special quilt made from some of the great collection of runner’s tee shirts that Nickie and Jimmie had collected over the years of short runs and long ones, including marathons! Gorgeous!
Of course we had to do the RV Blogger get together thing and go find someplace wonderful to eat. Our Nevada City hosts recommended a great spot in town, Lefty’s Grill, and we dined on the sheltered patio to the sounds of the bubbling creek. Wonderful food, and a sweet waiter who told me that definitely dogs were not allowed on the patio, but that if he didn’t know it, I could probably bring Abby. This was the perfect solution, since it was warm and even in the shade, it would have been worrisome to leave Abby in the car. Of course, the waiter smiled and said, “Please don ‘t bring your dog if you come back again, but she can stay for now”. Abby helped by being her quiet sweet and calm self, lying under the table quietly while we ate.
Laurie and Odel had lots of remodeling to continue, so declined to walk the town with us, but we were really happy to have Nickie and Jimmie lead us to good parking (.25 cents for two hours) and show us some of the finer spots in the lovely tiny historic city. Nickie said later that we only saw a tiny bit of it, but after a couple of hours we didn’t mind leaving and saving the rest for later. Something tells me we will return to this great little place again.
There is so much to do around here, lots of parades, and art, and festivals, good weather, beautiful mountains, rivers, so much to do and all sorts of recreational activities in abundance. It is a nice place. However, as we drove home, we remembered again that nice places usually attract lots and lots of people. Once again we drove the winding roads with lots of company. Mo used to love her little sports cars, and as she pushed the Tracker up the steep hills she wished for a clutch and some gears! As fast as she was going, however, there were often many cars right behind her trying to push her up the hill. A surprising number of turnouts along the route at least made it tolerable. Most people waved when she pulled over. Except for all the folks on cell phones, including one woman in a big SUV who almost obliterated us in Auburn, people in California are pretty good drivers.
It was such a great day! Thanks to the internet, and blogging, and RV’ing, we discovered some new friends and explored a place we might not have done without that little extra push of having someone who lived there.
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!
A Tribute to Bel
I am adjusting to the thought of Bel being gone, little by little. Al said to talk about my feelings, Nina said the same, and others have echoed that sentiment. Many suggested that I write some stories about Bel, and I am doing that. I have so many years of photos, a digitizing project I had hoped to tackle when I retired. Yeah, right, who has any time after retirement anyway. I think that is somewhat of a fantasy. Still, I pulled out the old boxes, the old journals from the early 90’s when Bel and I first met, and eventually I’ll get out all those VHS videos that I want to put on DVD’s.
I look at the photos and remember just what a very different kind of human Bel was, and I remember just how crazy-making she could be. It was that very difference that made her life so hard and yet was such an amazing blessing to so many people. When she went to work for me she had six cats, and was nearly homeless. She worked in my flower shop, then she had nowhere to go so she moved in with me, and in the process brought all her stuff and all her cats and all her craziness. I was a neat freak, healthy food, new-agey kind of person and she was a hoarder, wildly disordered and incredibly creative. She smoked and drank Mountain Dew and talked in rambling circles that never seemed to stop or start in the same place.
There was a lot of ambivalence in our friendship. When she left for Florida, I was incredibly relieved, I could finally clean my house and have two cats instead of dozens. But because we shared so much of life and work and silly stuff I missed her terribly. Somehow she became someone I knew I was supposed to take care of, and yet she took care of me too. I wrote a eulogy for her that we passed out at her memorial, and thought maybe it would be OK to put it here, as a start at least, just a way to share a tiny bit of Bel with the bigger world.
born on February 1, 1947 died on February 25, 2013
Bel came into the world in a Wisconsin snowstorm and left us on a warm Florida day. Her life was a blessing to anyone who came in contact with her. You may not have understood her, but if you were in her line of vision, you usually became a recipient of her care. She cared about people, especially those that others might have never noticed. Stray cats by the dozens have felt that love. Homeless people have felt her generosity, and we all have listened to her rambling conversations filled with tidbits of wisdom and counsel. If you were lucky enough to be on the receiving end, over the years you probably received what my entire family refers to as “a Bel Box”, random collections of small things wrapped lovingly and creatively in ways that could bring a smile to your face no matter how gray the day. Monthly Bel Boxes were sent to my grandsons in Iraq to bring a little bit of joy as they fought for our country.
Bel never had children of her own, but she knew how to get right down with kids on their level and communicate with them, and play with them, and say things to them that would pump up their self-esteem, and make them laugh. My grandchildren all knew this loving, funny, caring, wonderful side of Bel and treasure their memories of her presence in their lives, even though they are now adults.
All of us have remnants of Bel around to remind us of her creativity, her caring, her eccentricities. We all know Bel was eccentric in the way the most beautiful souls can be. There are bird houses in yards, little cat and dog steps for elderly animals that could no longer reach the bed, little packages of talking stuffed animals sent to ailing hearts that would say “I Love You’. My family has been the recipient of untold dozens of home baked tiny cookies wrapped individually in perfect little papers. After long, long days working long hard jobs, my feet have felt the kindness of her touch as she rubbed out the knots and pain.
People she has cared for will never forget her. If you never felt the full force of her love and care, you might only think of the crazy cat woman down the street who was maybe difficult now and then, or maybe you didn’t understand her. If you never got close enough, maybe you didn’t get it. But those of us who did, will forever be touched by this incredible, loving, creative, magical, and yes…very different human being who touched our lives. There has never been and will never be another one like Bel in this world. We were blessed with her for far too short a time. All the humans and cats that she nurtured into old age I am sure met her when she crossed to the other side, and I can’t help wondering if the angels will take some lessons from her. 
Desert Love
Catalina Spa and RV Resort Desert Hot Springs, CA Clear and Sunny, Breezy, High 61F Lo 41F
Sometimes for no reason at all, I miss the desert. Most often, it is during the winter, when much of the desert near us is also in the throes of winter; high desert sage covered with snow and hunkering down under biting winds. When we arrived at Desert Hot Springs on Friday afternoon, the skies were cloudy and it was raining lightly. It wasn’t the desert that I envisioned, except perhaps for the pungent scent of creosote bush in the rain dampened air. All desert dwellers and visitors know this smell, and most of us love it.
We left San Diego in the rain that morning, choosing to drive through Julian and down highway 78 into Borrego Springs. The drive is steep and winding, but nothing too difficult to handle. Jeremy wasn’t too happy about it, though, and kept trying to figure out how to get comfortable on his dash perch while Mo negotiated the curves.
We had an especially good reason for taking this route through Anza Borrego to DHS. Laurie and Odel were camped in the state park and on this soft rainy day were hanging around at home so we could visit. What a treat it was to share some of Laurie’s great carnitas tacos and a glass of wine while we caught up a bit. It was wonderful to see old friends on the road before we continued north to our destination.
On Saturday we relaxed a bit and drove west on the freeway to check out the Premium Outlets, something I haven’t had a chance to do in the past. I am glad I didn’t think I was going to do any great shopping there. It seems that the only thing around are clothes, clothes, and more clothes, interspersed with shoes and more shoes. It was spectacularly boring. Even Chico’s was sad. It seems that the Chico’s outlet stores don’t sell overstocks of their regular stuff and have made a bunch of cheap ugly stuff for the outlet (cheaper) stores. Ugh. I got away from the mall without buying anything but a nice red silicone scraper for the kitchen. I won’t need to do that again.
Even though we come to Desert Hot Springs to stay, it isn’t particularly this part of the desert that I miss. There is traffic, there are lots of people, and there is desert garbage. There are telephone poles and windmills, cell towers camouflaged poorly as palm trees, and of course actual palm trees. There are all kinds of desert dwellers, with chain link fences around properties filled with old furniture and cars, and estates that look like something from another planet surrounded by iron fences and huge gates.
Still, this isn’t the desert I miss. But yesterday, once again, I found the desert that calls to me when I am far away in the high precipitation zone of the Cascades. With the promise of a mostly clear day ahead, we drove east to the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. From the southern entrance of the park, not far from Interstate 10, there are many miles of narrow road winding through the warmer, drier Colorado Desert before you reach the more well known areas with weathered granite boulders and the huge yucca plants that are Joshua Trees on the higher, moister Mojave Desert zone.
We were in the baby car, a nice change from our previous visits to the park in the MoHo, giving us the chance to meander, and to explore the roads designated for 4-wheelers. A stop at the Cottonwood Spring visitor center was rewarded with a printout of things to do in the park if you have a dog. That was so refreshing, since we are used to the usual restrictions against taking dogs just about anywhere in a national park except the parking lot.
We could walk our dog on any road, including the dirt roads that are in many areas of the park that are rarely frequented by everyday visitors. We decided on the Old Dale Road, exiting from the main park road about a third of the way in, and leading off into an endless vista of desert. Not a car in sight, not a telephone pole or a fence that I could see for at least 50 miles distant toward the Coxcomb and Sheep Hole Mountains. We crossed the Pinto Basin, speeding up for deeper sand, negotiating the washboards and just soaking up the open skies. This is it. This is the desert that I miss. Open space, silence, a road ahead with no cars in sight.
Mo and I both have memories of the deserts around Lancaster and Victorville, east toward Antelope Valley, and up toward Barstow when they looked as wild and empty and fresh as this desert before us. Memories of a single pair of car lights at twilight, visible at least 20 miles away as you drive down a long grade to nowhere. No More. That part of the Mojave now is filled with traffic and cars and smog and trash everywhere you look. It takes the foresight of a government willing to set aside National Parks and wilderness to keep landscapes looking like this one. Always. My children’s children can come here and see the desert as it once was. If they are lucky, it will be a clear day like this one where the smog from the south hasn’t permeated even into the wild lands of Joshua Tree.
We made it about twelve miles in before we were stopped by some serious rocks and ruts that required a bit more 4 wheel drive than we wanted to do in the tracker. Parking at the base of the Pinto Mountains, we hiked up to the park boundary. The Old Dale Road continued over these mountains and down the other side to 29 Palms, but we wouldn’t be making the round trip as originally planned.
Back to the main road to continue north toward the campgrounds, we passed Ocotillo Flats, with ocotillos looking like dead empty sticks of nothing in this time before spring bloom. A few more miles led us past the brilliantly backlit Cholla Gardens. Do you know a single photographer in the desert who can resist photographing these “teddy bear cactus” when they are backlit by the sun?? Not me!
We drove through the campgrounds, deciding that there would be plenty of room for a dry camp stay in Jumbo Rocks. We saw many more little nooks and crannies and places that we could hike and play in the rocks on a cool winter day. Even in what should be high winter season, the campgrounds were less than half full. Next time we will plan for a few nights here when we come south.
The afternoon was waning, and we decided to save our other chosen 4 wheel drive route for a later day. Instead we drove the short 20 minutes out to Keys View for a breathtaking vista of the Coachella Valley and the magnificently rugged mountain ranges all around us. The San Andreas Fault stretched below us to the west, one of the more dramatic views of this great creator of the California landscape. The sign at the the viewpoint had a photograph of the usual smog that covers the area, and a photo of what it might look like on a clear day. We had the smogless day, and even with the clouds that hid Mt San Jacinto from view, the wild ranges that we could see stretching in all directions were stunning.
Traveling the northwestern route out of the park toward Yucca Valley, we realized that it would be dark when we got home. Mo said, “How about a pizza?” I liked that idea and as we reached Joshua Tree I fired up the iPad to search for pizza. The town of Joshua Tree yielded up only one place, Sams Pizza, and Yucca Valley had only a Domino’s. We haven’t had any luck with Domino’s so Sam’s it was to be.
We drove back and forth a couple of times along the 29 Palms Highway and could only find Sam’s Market and Indian Food. Finally in the fine print, in a sign in front of a tiny strip mall we saw it, Sam’s Indian Food with pizza and subs in the fine print. Hmmmm. Indian food is great but be wanted pizza. The tiny restaurant turned out to be delightful, and the pizza was great, with a crust that was a bit more like naan than pizza crust but completely delicious.
The drive back home was short and sweet, and coming down that long grade into Desert Hot Springs was much less daunting than the first time we drove in the big rig. The twinkling lights of Palm Springs welcomed us home after a truly perfect day in the desert.
The MoHo and Other Traveling Tales 