The End

Came down off the mountain this morning and began unloading the 5th wheel and putting stuff away. After I loaded the washing machine I started looking for the coin slot. Ha...habits. We have the barbque and patio furniture outside again,my truck is up and running and sitting in Dick and Sue's driveway for the time being...

It was a great Summer. We saw so many beautiful places and interesting things. This is a huge country.  In the past,I loved visiting Europe and Fiji but there are so many places in our own country I have not been and would like to see. Next year Jack and I have talked about heading East perhaps.

Things I learned:

1.People are generally helpful and friendly
2.Jack and I can still travel together for an extended period without killing each other
3.You are never more than 10 minutes from a McDonalds or Starbucks
4.Our ancestors were insane for crossing the country and setting up their homestead anywhere in Southern California where Summers reach 115.

Hope you enjoyed following us on Road Trip 2010.

Kathy and Jack

It's Official!

Santa Rosa Country Club

We're going down the mountain in the morning with the 5th wheel. Our AC is still not working and even though we had a nice few hours at the pool today we decided to just head home instead of waiting until Saturday.
We took our books down to the pool this morning and there was a huge raccoon making himself at home on a bench next to the pool. He wandered over to the pool (salt water not chlorine) and took a few sips then sat down and watched us for a few minutes. He was kind of cute but we were wary of him knowing how unpredicitable raccoons can be. Ive had a few cats come home beaten up and wrecked after tangling with them. I think he may have been waiting for us to leave so he could get back to the garbage can near our table.
Even though the predicted temperature for tomorrow is 106 we can take a break now and then in the air conditioned house.

Home Again But Not For Long

Okay but it's a dry heat.haha

Giant squirrels

Another night without AC in the 5th wheel but again it cooled down enough to shut off the fans in the early hours. We packed up some clothes and stuff to take down to the house. Everything looks good except my potato vine that I've had for at least 10 years died...it was gone anyway...the planter was empty. Turned on the air and water,did some laundry and Jack made a trip to Home Depot for a part to fix the leaky toilet. Uncovered the furniture and cleaned the kitchen countertops etc. It was 104 degrees when we left to come back up to the campsite and the 5th wheel. 

It was great to see neighbors Dan,Terri and Kelli-dog! Tomorrow our plan is to hang around the pool up here at Silent Valley and then.....??

Silent Valley RV Park near Banning CA

We have a nice shade tree and a big camping spot

Restaurant,bar and store in RV Park

Catfish Pond at Silent Valley RV Park

We spent a rather restless night in Coalinga last night without airconditioning. Something wrong with it. It's the first time I can remember sleeping with the door open all night. It finally cooled off enough by 4AM to turn the fan off and pull up the sheets. Got an early 7AM start just as the sun was coming up and pointed south.... first I-5 through a most dismal area of California...miles and miles of dried brown grass interupped occasionally by rows of almonds or walnuts and every mile a sign stating "stop the Congress created dust bowl!"  then onto the NASCAR Expressway..oh wait that was I -215 skirting around L.A. through Pasadena.... to our current RV park up in the hills above Banning..about 10 miles from Idllywild and 40 miles from home.

This park is huge. There are two sections...family and adult. We are near the adult rec center which has a pool,hot tub,pool tables, big screen TV's and snack bar...The property also has a full blown restaurant,bar and store. We snagged a pull through spot with a giant shade tree overhead. It turned out to be a plus as our AC is still on the fritz. In addition,there are gi-normous squirrels here...at least 3 feet long...I'm sure they are up to no good..I spotted a couple of feral cats which I hope will patrol our campsite tonight as we will be sleeping with the door open again..

Tomorrow we will make a trip to Ivey Ranch and turn on the gas and water...make sure the AC is working (!) uncover the furniture and unload all of our winter clothing that we will not need again for awhile. I want to check my garden and maybe put out the feeder for The Dude (Hummingbird) to see if he has returned from his vacation yet. We are scheduled to stay in this RV park until Saturday but I'm guessing we won't last that long. The lure of a king bed,50" big screen, A/C  and our shaded patio may just win out over extra days of camping.

Coalinga #2

Toys..Don't leave home without them

The pool felt great after driving all day

Sommerville RV Park

We left Yosemite this morning and arrived in Coalinga around 2PM. Coalinga is NW of Bakersfield but other than that it is just a  convenient spot off I-5 to spend a night. I found out it is home to Pleasant Valley State Prison where Sirhan Sirhan (asassin of RFK) and Erik Menendez (parent killer) are housed. Good place for them...in the middle of the scorching desert.

We took a dip in the pool,walked over to Baja Fresh to get some dinner to go...and found out since we are at the back of the RV park  (at the end of the electric line) our AC is not working...   :(     It is 94 degrees currently.

Jack wants to put in a long day tomorrow and set up in the Silent Valley RV park in Banning...above Idllywild.  I hope it cools off a bit tonight..just put ice in my beer and I'm headed back outside in the shade to eat some Baja Fresh chips.

Yosemite Part 2

Water Level from 1997 flood

Cool and shady through the trees

Beautiful Scenery

On the tram in Yosemite starting our tour

Drove back to Yosemite Valley this morning and caught an open air tram for a 2 hour guided tour through the park. It was very informative and fun. There were climbers on El Capitan that looked as tiny as ants and if it had not been for the flash in the sunlight of their climbing gear we probably would not have spotted them without binoculars.

After the tour we pulled into a picnic area for a bite of lunch.

This is our last day at Yosemite. We'll leave in the morning over the road we scouted yesterday....still a mountain road and somewhat steep but not like Hwy 4! We'll hook up to I-5 which will be a relief for Jack I'm sure, and spend one night in Coalinga. Tuesday we'll be back on the road and spend one night in Adelante.....then Wednesday we'll be in the Silent Valley RV Park just outside of Banning (and not far from home)  
A few nights at this park and then down the hill and back to Ivey Ranch and I guess  then it will be the end of road trip 2010

Yosemite National Park

Coyote just strollin'in the parking lot. He crossed at the crosswalk.

El Capitan in Yosemite National Park


We drove up to Yosemite Village today. It is actually a little village with a post office,medical center,market and fire department. There is  a  free shuttle bus which will drop you off at various spots in the park so you don't have to drive and try to park.El Capitan....a popular climbing monolith is spectacular. The park itself is beautiful with jagged rocks,rivers and nature trails throughout.We plan on going back on Sunday and taking a 2 hour tram ride so we can get some history from a park ranger.We saw this coyote in a couple spots during our visit to the village. He was not afraid of people and just walked along the path....crossed at the crosswalk and went on his way between cars in a parking lot. Literature warned us that an average of 15 bears a year are killed by cars in the park and there are red signs marking the "kill" spots.

Tomorrow we are scouting out another route out of here toward Merced or Modesto so we don't repeat our disastrous trip from yesterday (see yesterday's blog) We will probably eventually head toward a park in Banning which will be about 70 miles from home. We may sneak home and turn the water and gas on before we actually unload the 5th wheel for the end of Summer. Dan and Terri keep a lookout for us and we'll give you a shout if we're in the neighborhood.