We left Sutter Creek on Saturday for a leisurely drive up to Eugene to get our stuff which is still in the old unit in a salvage yard. We had planned to be there on Tuesday.
When we got to Coloma, CA, we took a wrong turn. Now that normally shouldn't be a problem...we've taken lots of them. But this one went up a big hill. This will be important later.
Trying to turn around, we got stuck. Fortunately, some nice guys, a father and son, managed to get us unstuck, but for some unknown reason, our power steering took that moment to fail. As in all the power steering fluid leaked out in a gush. Is that still a leak? The guys put some power steering fluid in and we headed back to make camp.
Remember that hill? Well, apparently power steering has something to do with power brakes. By the bottom of the hill we had neither. Jenny used brute strength to stop us and then managed to make the turn to get us to the campground. She truly is an amazing woman.
So there we are, at the entrance to the campground, no brakes, no steering, unable to move. The guy who was checking us in identified a place we could safely pull into and Jenny (who is gaining butch cred as we speak) managed to manhandle the dang thing into a space out of the way, but with no hookups. Since it's cold up here, we wanted both water and electricity.
Now this was Saturday. Today is Wednesday. Try to keep up.
We called AAA and our membership more than paid for itself on this one. The guy arrived, realized we were stuck in a bad place, and went back to get a truck with a fifth wheel hitch. Did I mention we have the AAA RV policy? A lifesaver and worth every penny.
First, Andy (AAA guy) hooked up our RV and put it in a very nice space that even has some WIFI. Then he also hooked everything up (water, electricity, etc.)
Then he went and got our truck and brought it to our site so we could get some things out of it that we had forgotten to grab. Finally he hauled it off to a repair shop in Placerville, about 20 miles away. We love Andy and want to keep him.
Since it was Saturday night by now, we had to hunker down because, obviously, nothing was going to happen to our truck until Monday at the earliest. And this is where our Thousand Trails membership becomes invaluable. RV sites cost anywhere from $20 to $50 a night. In fact, the site we're in is $40 a night for those who aren't members. But, because we pay our $500 a year dues, we stay here for between $0 and $3 a night. We're still just paying $0 a night and we've been staying all over the place for that price.
On Monday, we learned that our truck needed new rack and pinion steering. $866 worth. Today, the day we hoped to pick up the truck, we found out we also need new brakes. The place the truck is now wants $1500 for that. Fortunately, there is a Les Schwab in Placerville, not far from the repair shop. We have an account with Les Schwab. So here we are, waiting for a cab (yes, a cab) to take us to Placerville. Then we will fork over the $866, get the truck, and take it to Les Schwab for brakes.
Remember, this is Wednesday. If you follow the weather (or have the weather) you know that a potential hurricane is coming in this afternoon. Gusts up to 60 mph, between 3 to 9 inches of rain. Everywhere we want to be. Our plan now is to hunker down (doing a lot of that lately) and ride it out here in Coloma.
However, we are out of clean clothes (remember, we have limited cold weather gear with us) so we are off to do laundry. We are also out of food. In fact, I've had to get really creative with the cooking the last few days. But my creativity goes out the window when all I have is a can of refried beans, some marshmallows, a couple of Kind bars, and some brandy. Oh, and some cereal, but no milk. A grocery trip is in order.
Now, did I mention fibromyalgia. No, we don't need to get that. I already have it, and cold, damp weather makes my back knot up like a washboard, And my ribs. And my hips. I can walk around a bit, almost bend over, and, naturally, I can groan. If I had my sewing machine, I'd make one of those flax pillows you can heat in the microwave. But since it is in Eugene, I plan to look for a heating pad. I also will buy some rubbing alcohol so I can make an ice pack or two.
We'll ride it out, and then, maybe by Monday, be in Eugene. In the meantime, I'm grateful for our fireplace, comfortable bed, full propane tanks, and a free place to stay. If only we also had TV. Ah well, at least we have some WIFI.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Sunday, December 7, 2014
35 Things We Learned Between September and November: A Mad Dash Across No-Man's Land
As you may know, on September 11, 2014, our Dutchman Denali 330RLS self-destructed on the big hill into Prineville. There were flames, there was smoke, there were lots and lots of police, state police, and firemen. And the whole town turned out. Another town that needs a bowling alley.
We had it towed to an RV joint, and began the long wait. It took two weeks just for the insurance guy to get there and decide it was totaled. It took several more weeks for them to find a replacement. Meanwhile, we lived on our usual income, the $700 the insurance company gave us, and our available savings. Most of our money is in an IRA-type thing and takes 30-60 days to arrive so that was a non-starter. Which is probably good.
The insurance company found a comparable rig, only one year newer, in Council Bluffs, IA. It would take six weeks to be delivered, or they would give us $3000 if we wanted to go get it ourselves. We took the money, after even more delays, and finally lit out for Iowa.
We did leave the cats (who hate the car) with our friends Paula and Rosemary in The Dalles. We suspect there is some alienation of affection going on, but we won't sue.
Things we learned:
1. In Pendleton, OR, they play high school football on the rodeo grounds. I guess they don't get enough shit-kicking in during rodeo season.
2. Nampa, ID has a high school team called the Bulldogs. Jenny went to high school there, so we went to the reunion. We didn't shock as many people as we did 20 years ago at her 30th reunion.
3. Pocatello, ID is where her aunt and uncle live.
4. Jackson Hole is not a city. The city is Jackson, WY, the hole is the basin it sits in.
5. You can ski right into the town of Jackson when there is snow. The runs begin and end in the town.
6. The city arches are made of elk and moose antlers.
7. A diesel truck is not a good choice for spotting animals in Grand Teton National Park. Probably not anywhere else either.
8. If you cross the Continental Divide by driving through Grand Teton National Park, the landscape changes dramatically when you get to the other side.
9. Wyoming is mostly empty. But there is Casper, which is where we stayed. There were no friendly ghosts. Not that we looked.
10. Just outside Rapid City, SD there is an old town with lots of casinos. We had a pretty good steak dinner at a place that lots of famous people have visited.
11. We spent several days in Rapid City and visited several National Parks. Devil's Monument is back in Wyoming, but not too far. According to legend, the monument was formed by a giant bear trying to get some Native Americans who were on top of the giant rock.
12. To get to Devil's Monument, we passed through the geographical center of the continental United States. How cool is that?
13. Custer State Park is amazing. We saw lots of buffaloes just outside our car. Of course, we didn't want them inside our car.
14. The monument to Crazy Horse is huge, about 10 times the size of Mount Rushmore. It is also unfinished.
15. Mount Rushmore was a disappointment. Much smaller than I anticipated, and hard to see because of all the gift shops, restaurants, etc. We got there late so the light was lousy for photos, and we didn't have time or energy to run the gauntlet to get closer.
16. There are statues of all the Presidents on the street corners of downtown Rapid City. Obama will be added when he leaves office. These things are supposedly life size. If true, they were all very short men.
17. Wall Drug is big, sort of weird, and is pretty much the whole town of Wall, SD.
18. The Badlands are BAD. I sure wouldn't want to live there. but they were beautiful in a weird. moon landscape sort of way. Interesting geology.
19. Prairie dogs have PLAGUE. They also share their holes (not sure it's willingly) with black widow spiders and rattlesnakes. Avoid them.
20. The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD has murals made out of corn. They change the murals every year, probably because the corn rots.
21. Mitchell, SD also has lots of pheasant hunters and signs like this at the motels.
22. There's a real cool museum in Sioux Falls. It was closed the day we were there, although the Internet said it was open. Another time.
23. To get to Omaha, NE you have to cross the Missouri River and drive through Iowa.
24. Omaha was the first place we encountered that had a Trader Joe's. What's wrong with these people in the mid-West, anyway.
25. If you decide to buy an RV with slides, put them in and out several times before you leave the lot. On our second attempt the kitchen slide got stuck in the out position. It took a week to fix it. They had to order parts from Omaha. Omaha and Council Bluffs might as well be the same city. I offered to drive to Omaha (about five miles) to pick up parts, but that's not the way it works.
26. If you just don't leave the RV sales lot, and you camp out in your new RV, you might get away with it for a day or two. When you get caught, suddenly they are more than willing to pay for a motel for you. And they will make your rig their top priority. The general manager will become your contact person. I highly recommend this tactic.
27. Kansas City is actually mostly in Missouri. My best friend from high school lives there. We had coffee with them because we were trying to outrun the big storm headed our way and didn't have time to stay.
28. If the salesman tells you both propane tanks are filled, don't believe it. You will find this out in Guymon, OK which is pretty much nowhere in the panhandle and it's below freezing with a wind chill factor of 2 degrees. All of your warm clothes are back in Oregon. But you have to get the truck unhitched because if you have no propane you will freeze to death. It takes two frozen people to do this.
29. Tucumcari, NM is a sleepy town with light snow. Maybe not all the time, but while we were there.
30. Albuquerque, NM has a great mobile RV guy. Ask us how we know. Okay, turns out the factory and the sales lot both missed the loose connection between the kitchen faucet and the line. Our drawers under the sink were filling up with water. Which we didn't notice until the water started leaking onto the floor.
31. Arizona is not necessarily warm.
32. Jenny's mom died while we were traveling. This was not unexpected, but it was still hard. We decided to haul ass for Palm Desert where there is a 1000 Trails campground. She flew to Portland, I stayed with the dog. And no propane, no gas in the truck and no money.We survived. But it does get cold here at night.
33. The entire Palm Springs area makes no sense. It's about twenty miles long, four miles wide, Roads don't necessarily run in directions that make sense. And I suspect telling the AAA people that you are out of gas near the corner of Famous Person and Famous Person, they'll think you're nuts. Fortunately, I finally found a station that had diesel. All the Famous Person's are Republicans. So it goes.
34. La Perlita has the best Mexican food in all of this area. The chili rellenos are to die for. We went there twice.
35. If you are going to swim here in November, get to the pool before 2 pm. At 3:30 the sun goes down and so does the heat.
We had it towed to an RV joint, and began the long wait. It took two weeks just for the insurance guy to get there and decide it was totaled. It took several more weeks for them to find a replacement. Meanwhile, we lived on our usual income, the $700 the insurance company gave us, and our available savings. Most of our money is in an IRA-type thing and takes 30-60 days to arrive so that was a non-starter. Which is probably good.
The insurance company found a comparable rig, only one year newer, in Council Bluffs, IA. It would take six weeks to be delivered, or they would give us $3000 if we wanted to go get it ourselves. We took the money, after even more delays, and finally lit out for Iowa.
We did leave the cats (who hate the car) with our friends Paula and Rosemary in The Dalles. We suspect there is some alienation of affection going on, but we won't sue.
Things we learned:
1. In Pendleton, OR, they play high school football on the rodeo grounds. I guess they don't get enough shit-kicking in during rodeo season.
2. Nampa, ID has a high school team called the Bulldogs. Jenny went to high school there, so we went to the reunion. We didn't shock as many people as we did 20 years ago at her 30th reunion.
3. Pocatello, ID is where her aunt and uncle live.
4. Jackson Hole is not a city. The city is Jackson, WY, the hole is the basin it sits in.
5. You can ski right into the town of Jackson when there is snow. The runs begin and end in the town.
6. The city arches are made of elk and moose antlers.
7. A diesel truck is not a good choice for spotting animals in Grand Teton National Park. Probably not anywhere else either.
8. If you cross the Continental Divide by driving through Grand Teton National Park, the landscape changes dramatically when you get to the other side.
9. Wyoming is mostly empty. But there is Casper, which is where we stayed. There were no friendly ghosts. Not that we looked.
10. Just outside Rapid City, SD there is an old town with lots of casinos. We had a pretty good steak dinner at a place that lots of famous people have visited.
11. We spent several days in Rapid City and visited several National Parks. Devil's Monument is back in Wyoming, but not too far. According to legend, the monument was formed by a giant bear trying to get some Native Americans who were on top of the giant rock.
12. To get to Devil's Monument, we passed through the geographical center of the continental United States. How cool is that?
13. Custer State Park is amazing. We saw lots of buffaloes just outside our car. Of course, we didn't want them inside our car.
14. The monument to Crazy Horse is huge, about 10 times the size of Mount Rushmore. It is also unfinished.
15. Mount Rushmore was a disappointment. Much smaller than I anticipated, and hard to see because of all the gift shops, restaurants, etc. We got there late so the light was lousy for photos, and we didn't have time or energy to run the gauntlet to get closer.
16. There are statues of all the Presidents on the street corners of downtown Rapid City. Obama will be added when he leaves office. These things are supposedly life size. If true, they were all very short men.
17. Wall Drug is big, sort of weird, and is pretty much the whole town of Wall, SD.
18. The Badlands are BAD. I sure wouldn't want to live there. but they were beautiful in a weird. moon landscape sort of way. Interesting geology.
19. Prairie dogs have PLAGUE. They also share their holes (not sure it's willingly) with black widow spiders and rattlesnakes. Avoid them.
20. The Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD has murals made out of corn. They change the murals every year, probably because the corn rots.
21. Mitchell, SD also has lots of pheasant hunters and signs like this at the motels.
22. There's a real cool museum in Sioux Falls. It was closed the day we were there, although the Internet said it was open. Another time.
23. To get to Omaha, NE you have to cross the Missouri River and drive through Iowa.
24. Omaha was the first place we encountered that had a Trader Joe's. What's wrong with these people in the mid-West, anyway.
25. If you decide to buy an RV with slides, put them in and out several times before you leave the lot. On our second attempt the kitchen slide got stuck in the out position. It took a week to fix it. They had to order parts from Omaha. Omaha and Council Bluffs might as well be the same city. I offered to drive to Omaha (about five miles) to pick up parts, but that's not the way it works.
26. If you just don't leave the RV sales lot, and you camp out in your new RV, you might get away with it for a day or two. When you get caught, suddenly they are more than willing to pay for a motel for you. And they will make your rig their top priority. The general manager will become your contact person. I highly recommend this tactic.
27. Kansas City is actually mostly in Missouri. My best friend from high school lives there. We had coffee with them because we were trying to outrun the big storm headed our way and didn't have time to stay.
28. If the salesman tells you both propane tanks are filled, don't believe it. You will find this out in Guymon, OK which is pretty much nowhere in the panhandle and it's below freezing with a wind chill factor of 2 degrees. All of your warm clothes are back in Oregon. But you have to get the truck unhitched because if you have no propane you will freeze to death. It takes two frozen people to do this.
29. Tucumcari, NM is a sleepy town with light snow. Maybe not all the time, but while we were there.
30. Albuquerque, NM has a great mobile RV guy. Ask us how we know. Okay, turns out the factory and the sales lot both missed the loose connection between the kitchen faucet and the line. Our drawers under the sink were filling up with water. Which we didn't notice until the water started leaking onto the floor.
31. Arizona is not necessarily warm.
32. Jenny's mom died while we were traveling. This was not unexpected, but it was still hard. We decided to haul ass for Palm Desert where there is a 1000 Trails campground. She flew to Portland, I stayed with the dog. And no propane, no gas in the truck and no money.We survived. But it does get cold here at night.
33. The entire Palm Springs area makes no sense. It's about twenty miles long, four miles wide, Roads don't necessarily run in directions that make sense. And I suspect telling the AAA people that you are out of gas near the corner of Famous Person and Famous Person, they'll think you're nuts. Fortunately, I finally found a station that had diesel. All the Famous Person's are Republicans. So it goes.
34. La Perlita has the best Mexican food in all of this area. The chili rellenos are to die for. We went there twice.
35. If you are going to swim here in November, get to the pool before 2 pm. At 3:30 the sun goes down and so does the heat.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
There are buffalos in the room....
....but they're not free. Weirdest thing I've heard today.
We spent some time with Jenny's aunt and uncle in Pocatello and are now in Jackson Hole, WY on our way to the Grand Teton National Park. First, though, we went to Starbucks which is right next to the obligatory Sally Beauty.
Twas a gorgeous drive, a beautiful day, clouded only by the fact that I took a muscle relaxer last night, proving once again that the brain is a muscle. Those things turn me into Jabba the Hutt only dumber. Time for a nap.
Pulled off at Blackfoot to see this:
Yes, there was a Sally Beauty, too.
No snowplows between 9 pm and 5 am
What? These people have personal snowplows? Isn't plowing something done by city or county folks? Why would they need a sign telling them when not to plow? I'm baffled. Maybe out here in the land of the Marlboro man they all have snowplows.
We spent the day at Grand Teton national park. Amazingly beautiful. I took photos but will have to add them later when I have access to a real computer instead of a tablet. We saw NO wildlife although we tried. Well, there were mallards and geese and one lone coot.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
The Pendelton Roundup
No, we're not at the rodeo. It's cold and wet here so that would be wrong. No, right now the rodeo grounds is being used for football which just proves that people like to enjoy America's so-called favorite pastime in horse shit.
After a free breakfast at the Oxford Suites and a brisk swim, we are headed for Idaho on our way to Iowa. I feel like Columbus without the rape, contagion, and abuse of indigenous peoples. While I've flown over the flyover states many times, I've only driven there once and that was in Canada.
Infants and toddlers were involved so it was not fun. Although my ex-husband will tell you it was his best vacation ever. He fished. I washed babies in buckets and tried to keep kids from drowning and being eaten by indigenous wildlife. Tents were also involved.
Note to fathers: if it's your child it's called parenting, not babysitting. Learn this or you may find your wife divorcing you and leaving to hang out with lesbians.
So we left Pendleton after Jenny lost her keys. I found them. In the car, which she also left unlocked. I did beg, for the million twelfth time, that she become methodical and thus keep track of the keys. I've been begging for the past 23 years. Yes, I am insane. Thank you for noticing.
Several Hours Later
We are now in Mountain Home, Idaho which is east of Boise and has no mountains. It does have an Air Force base and a Sally Beauty store. I believe the latter is obligatory in any Idaho town. However, I'm pretty sure the sun should not be shining in our eyes at 5 pm if we are truly headed east. Are we directionally challenged? Time to rethink this.
Middle of the Night
It's now after 9 pm. I am in pain, have pumped myself full of MMJ and Vicodin, and just want to go to bed. But someone (you know who you are) told Jenny to take this "better" road, the scenic route. Scenic doesn't work in the dark. We have missed many sights and I'm approaching meltdown. We're still an hour out of Pocatello, which that idiot SIRI mispronounces differently each time. I hate SIRI.
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Family Reunion
While in Morgan Hill, we got to attend the 24th annual Walker-Tallmon reunion. That's Jenny's family. It was small this year, with only about 180 people in attendance.
This time around, people seemed glad to see me. Last time we went, they whited me and my kids out of the family tree. We had a fun time, eating food, talking, watching old people be weird. We also celebrated the 100th birthday of one of the original family members. The last one, if I'm correct.
The reunion was held in Swanton which is close to Santa Cruz. Jenny turned on Siri (I hate Siri) and asked it to direct us to Davenport which is not where the family reunion was. Swanton is north of Davenport. So every time we drove past Davenport, Siri told us what to do. Which was turn around and go back to Davenport.
Using skills developed after years of investigative reporting and child abuse investigations, I finally figured out that Jenny had not changed Siri's destination and we were doomed to circle around this tiny town. I turned Siri off, and Jenny drove right to the reunion. She has been to Swanton many times, and knows exactly where the place is.
Of those 180 or so people, most of them were Jenny's cousins. Some were also double cousins. Those happen when siblings from one family marry siblings from another. Don't even try to understand this. This is a family with 12 kids, each of whom had a passel of kids of their own, Jenny is the oldest of her generation, but there are members of the previous generation who are younger than she is. This is why I just call them all Uncle Benny.
Random photo of the day:
This time around, people seemed glad to see me. Last time we went, they whited me and my kids out of the family tree. We had a fun time, eating food, talking, watching old people be weird. We also celebrated the 100th birthday of one of the original family members. The last one, if I'm correct.
The reunion was held in Swanton which is close to Santa Cruz. Jenny turned on Siri (I hate Siri) and asked it to direct us to Davenport which is not where the family reunion was. Swanton is north of Davenport. So every time we drove past Davenport, Siri told us what to do. Which was turn around and go back to Davenport.
Using skills developed after years of investigative reporting and child abuse investigations, I finally figured out that Jenny had not changed Siri's destination and we were doomed to circle around this tiny town. I turned Siri off, and Jenny drove right to the reunion. She has been to Swanton many times, and knows exactly where the place is.
Of those 180 or so people, most of them were Jenny's cousins. Some were also double cousins. Those happen when siblings from one family marry siblings from another. Don't even try to understand this. This is a family with 12 kids, each of whom had a passel of kids of their own, Jenny is the oldest of her generation, but there are members of the previous generation who are younger than she is. This is why I just call them all Uncle Benny.
Random photo of the day:
This is oleander. It grows everywhere. It is deadly poisonous. (Think Arsenic and Old Lace..the old ladies used oleander in the tea they used to murder some guy.) Do Californians have a death wish?
Morgan Hill, California
We spent a week in the Thousand Trails property in Morgan Hill. This town is significant because a whole bunch of Jenny's relatives lived, died, and were buried here. Trader Joe's is right where her great-grandmother's house stood.
While the wifi is non-existent, the pool more than made up for it. The fact that the pool is right next to the laundry room is genius. Put in the wash, swim, switch to the dryer, swim some more. Ache like crazy the next day because you spent an hour and a half in the pool.
The wifi is also right by the pool, but doesn't work worth crap.
Random photo of the day:
This was on the wall at a little Mexican restaurant in Los Pinos, population 500, home to four fabulous restaurants. We only ate at two of them, because one was outrageously expensive and the other was only open three days a week and had a wait list that when on for all three days. I think people just lined up in their pajamas and slept until their name was called.
Yes, that is a picture of a real firing squad. Sort of unnerving to have that sitting above your plate of chili rellenos. Which were fabulous.
And now, having used a word starting with un-, I feel compelled to tell you that we owe William Shakespeare for those two little words that undo everything.
While the wifi is non-existent, the pool more than made up for it. The fact that the pool is right next to the laundry room is genius. Put in the wash, swim, switch to the dryer, swim some more. Ache like crazy the next day because you spent an hour and a half in the pool.
The wifi is also right by the pool, but doesn't work worth crap.
Random photo of the day:
This was on the wall at a little Mexican restaurant in Los Pinos, population 500, home to four fabulous restaurants. We only ate at two of them, because one was outrageously expensive and the other was only open three days a week and had a wait list that when on for all three days. I think people just lined up in their pajamas and slept until their name was called.
Yes, that is a picture of a real firing squad. Sort of unnerving to have that sitting above your plate of chili rellenos. Which were fabulous.
And now, having used a word starting with un-, I feel compelled to tell you that we owe William Shakespeare for those two little words that undo everything.
The Cutest Damn Dim Sum
The Ginger Cafe in Gilroy serves these little beauties. Too adorable to eat, too tasty not to. We managed to have these little porcupine balls TWICE while trapped in Motel 6.
No real porcupines were harmed.
Dope is the thing with feathers.....
When you are living in Motel 6 with two cats and a dog, you need the medicine. But if you put the medicine in the bag with the cat toys, you just might get this. My apologies and eternal gratefulness to Emily Dickinson.
Drought
Did I mention that California (and Oregon and Washington, and just about everywhere else) has a drought. California is the state with the road signs that won't tell you where the next rest area is, but every few miles they tell you that there is a Severe Drought and to Conserve Water.
Well, here's proof.
Well, here's proof.
The thing in back of the boat houses is an island. Or used to be. I was just glad I couldn't see dead fish flapping on the lake bottom.
If I Only Had a Thumb.....
Well, aside from almost three weeks in various Motel 6 locations, we spent a month living in our friends MaryJean and Rick's basement apartment. Why? Because one of our slides broke loose and instead of the "few days" we were promised, it took Leale's RV in San Diego from June 6th to July 17th to fix the dang thing. And they still aren't finished. We are currently waiting for a window and they forgot to fix our porch light.
I'm guessing it will be weeks before the window gets here. Since we have places to go, I suspect it will be October before the window gets installed. This has been a nightmare. We had to stay at Motel 6 because they are the only motels in California that will allow three pets AND not charge us $25 per night per pet. Of course, for that boon we got to listen to screaming babies, domestic violence, and every high school soccer player from Arizona yelling in the halls and parking lot. We also got to watch an endless parade of pimps, prostitutes, and johns, not to mention several police officers visiting at all hours of the day and night. Such a life! Oh, and the washing machines were broken thanks to a tweaker who tried to jimmy the coin boxes.
Did I mention the cats?
Zeebie looking content. It's not true though.
The cats, the dog, and Jenny all had diarrhea on the way back. In the Motel 6. Zee and Abby wanted out and tried fanatically to open windows and doors, and to slip by us. Zee, wonder cat that he is, understands the concept of door knobs and is trying to grow an opposable thumb and is working on his upper body strength. I got in the habit of throwing things as soon as I cracked the door to drive the hordes back into the room. Fortunately, the diarrhea slowed them all down just enough to contain them.
Just south of Mt. Shasta City, Zee managed to get the huge dog crate they traveled in open. I turned around just in time to see a front leg, shoulder, and head emerging. Sort of like watching a big plastic and metal cage give birth to a raptor. I was the one doing the pushing, though, as I shoved the door back in place and held it there until Jenny could pull off on that exit that goes nowhere. If you drive down I-5 much, you know the one. NO SERVICES. Nothing. Just a random off ramp. We pulled over and then we had to get the dog in the front seat so I could get in the back seat, all the while being the immovable object against which Zee, the irresistible force, was fighting with all his might. Cats don't get physics. Neither do I but I did get a courtesy C because I was the only person in class who could understand the instructor's thickly-accented English and provided interpretation services. Anyway, physics or not, bungee cords to the rescue. The big, thick, wide, super strong one.
Jenny and I argued over the bungee cords when we were getting ready for this adventure. She didn't think they were necessary. I thought they were essential. I win. She thinks a can of WD-40 and some duct tape will handle everything. Well, I think Zee had some WD-40 to help him get the dang thing open, and I hate to imagine cats all wound up in duct tape. Bumgees to the rescue.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Carmel By-the-Sea and Salinas
Yesterday, we drove down to Carmel so Jenny could take a trip down memory lane (she lived there one summer). We had a lovely breakfast and a woman we chatted with ended up paying our bill. Good karma for the strawberry fairy, I guess.
Here's my favorite sight in Carmel:
Driving by quickly, I thought it was an elephant crossing. Looking closer, I discovered that it's actually a boar crossing. The boar's name is, I suspect, Rudolph.
After our tour, we headed to Salinas which is where Jenny was born. This is her grandparents' old house in Salinas:
This is the house John Steinbeck grew up in in Salinas:
The people of Salinas didn't like him because he wrote about the marginalized. Then he became famous and they all wanted him to come to their parties. I like him because when he was twelve, he was a crucifer at the local Episcopal church. While carrying the cross, which is what a crucifer does, he managed to drop the cross on the bishop's head and knock the guy unconscious. Steinbeck left the church as a result, never to return.
Yes, I did eat this. It was okay.
Here's my favorite sight in Carmel:
Driving by quickly, I thought it was an elephant crossing. Looking closer, I discovered that it's actually a boar crossing. The boar's name is, I suspect, Rudolph.
After our tour, we headed to Salinas which is where Jenny was born. This is her grandparents' old house in Salinas:
This is the house John Steinbeck grew up in in Salinas:
The people of Salinas didn't like him because he wrote about the marginalized. Then he became famous and they all wanted him to come to their parties. I like him because when he was twelve, he was a crucifer at the local Episcopal church. While carrying the cross, which is what a crucifer does, he managed to drop the cross on the bishop's head and knock the guy unconscious. Steinbeck left the church as a result, never to return.
Yes, I did eat this. It was okay.
Strawberrues
There's an organic strawberry stand on the way home from Gilroy (garlic capital of the world) and we had been trying for days to get there in time and with cash. Nothing but cash accepted.
Finally, we got there just as they were closing. Jenny asked for a half flat and the woman gave her a full one for the price of a half.
Huge, juicy, delicious. And way too many for us to eat. So Jenny drove around giving half the flat away, one box at a time. We must have looked questionable because some people wouldn't take them.
We finally finished the half flat today. Time to get more.
Finally, we got there just as they were closing. Jenny asked for a half flat and the woman gave her a full one for the price of a half.
Huge, juicy, delicious. And way too many for us to eat. So Jenny drove around giving half the flat away, one box at a time. We must have looked questionable because some people wouldn't take them.
We finally finished the half flat today. Time to get more.
More Beach Sights
Pelicans.
All that's left of the See Vue in Yachats
What there is now at the old See Vue site.
A sign on a toad. Says "Be Patient, I'm Pushing a Big Motorhome
Jenny made me take this.
Blessings and Beer
Above is the Reverend Patti Hale, of St. Mattress Church in Eugene (damn you, spellchecker). She came over while we were trapped in Junction City and exorcised our RV. She then cast aspersions on it.
At the Rogue Gallery in Newport, I asked what exactly a Dead Guy Growler was. This is it.
One of these is the men's room. The other is the women's. You have to guess.
San Juan Bautista
Those of you who know Jenny know that she would be fascinated by old California missions. We spent one morning wandering around San Juan Bautista. Here's pictures:
This is the holy water thing. I love the colors and folk art.
On the way home, we drove through a local park and saw this sign:
There was a huge barbecue spit nearby. Coincidence? I don't think so.
We also met this guy:
His name is Dan and he and his wife are the caretakers of the park. Apparently, the boars come down from wherever they come from up in the hills and root around in the ground when it's wet. Since there is a drought here, we didn't see any. But we did see this sign while in San Juan Bautista.
As you can see, boars are among the things not allowed. Nor are dogs. Or people.
Back in camp, I took this picture. These woodpeckers are all over the place.
So, onward.
I'm pretty sure this guy is doing a sun salutation.
This is the holy water thing. I love the colors and folk art.
This is the BVM, Mary to those of you who don't speak Catholic. She's wearing a prom dress. In some churches, they change her dress every day.
On the way home, we drove through a local park and saw this sign:
There was a huge barbecue spit nearby. Coincidence? I don't think so.
We also met this guy:
His name is Dan and he and his wife are the caretakers of the park. Apparently, the boars come down from wherever they come from up in the hills and root around in the ground when it's wet. Since there is a drought here, we didn't see any. But we did see this sign while in San Juan Bautista.
As you can see, boars are among the things not allowed. Nor are dogs. Or people.
Back in camp, I took this picture. These woodpeckers are all over the place.
So, onward.
Adventures In and Around Monterey
With not much else to do except wait for repairs, we've spent our time exploring.
Our first day out, we went to Monterey for lunch. Naturally, with all the great seafood around, we went to an English pub, sort of like the Highland Still House back home. We chose this place because of the view.
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Jenny got totally absorbed in this thing:
This is a thing used to lower sailboats from the dock into the water. The sailboat is suspended in a sling of sorts, this boom thing, then swings and lowers it into the bay. We watched them lower a boat, then the guy who owned the boat made a bad jump from the boat to the dock and embarrassed himself. We did not laugh. I am becoming better behaved.
Then we went to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
Our first day out, we went to Monterey for lunch. Naturally, with all the great seafood around, we went to an English pub, sort of like the Highland Still House back home. We chose this place because of the view.
Jenny got totally absorbed in this thing:
This is a thing used to lower sailboats from the dock into the water. The sailboat is suspended in a sling of sorts, this boom thing, then swings and lowers it into the bay. We watched them lower a boat, then the guy who owned the boat made a bad jump from the boat to the dock and embarrassed himself. We did not laugh. I am becoming better behaved.
Then we went to Trader Joe's and Whole Foods.
Stuck In Hollister, Maybe Forever
We are currently at the Thousand Trails property in Paicines (pop. 240) which is near Tres Pinos (pop. 500 plus three excellent restaurants) which is also near Hollister (pop. 40,000) which has a laundromat and lots of the usual city stuff like Starbucks and fast food.
We've been here almost two weeks, and will be here a couple more most likely because, as usual, we are learning IMPORTANT lessons.
New Lesson: Only get gas at truck stops when hauling a fifth wheel.
We made the mistake of trying to go to a regular gas station in Sacramento. Sacramento has long been considered my nemesis so this story is not that amazing. They planted landscaping trees in this gas station. We hit one. Although we didn't know it at that time.
When we got to camp (here in the lovely San Benito Valley) we discovered this.
We've been here almost two weeks, and will be here a couple more most likely because, as usual, we are learning IMPORTANT lessons.
New Lesson: Only get gas at truck stops when hauling a fifth wheel.
We made the mistake of trying to go to a regular gas station in Sacramento. Sacramento has long been considered my nemesis so this story is not that amazing. They planted landscaping trees in this gas station. We hit one. Although we didn't know it at that time.
When we got to camp (here in the lovely San Benito Valley) we discovered this.
Yes, that is a broken window. There was glass all over the place, inside the RV, which took forever to clean up and we are still finding little shards in odd places.
We were able to set up, spent several days, and were ready to move on when we discovered our kitchen slide would not close. It opened just fine, but putting the dang thing back in was not going to happen. Here is why:
Do not ask me how this happened. I don't know. What I do know is that we called the insurance company last Saturday. They couldn't take our claim because it was Saturday. We called again on Monday. The adjuster finally called on Wednesday, and can be here next Tuesday. And of course, we can't a) take it to a repair shop until he approves and b) take it anywhere until it's somehow back in the RV where it belongs and c) can't make an appointment until he tells us we can.
Just for kicks, we called a shop and found out that as of last Monday, their next available appointment is in June. This could be a very long sojourn in Hollister.
Spanish word of the day: Joyeria. No, after my mistake thinking a ferreteria is a place to eat ferrets, I've learned not to jump to conclusions. So I figured this probably was not a place to eat joy. I looked this one up and it's a jewelry store.
Ha! I bet my 3-year-old granddaughter doesn't know that one. However, I'm pretty sure that after some time in a Peruvian pre-school, she can probably form a good sentence. I can say "Donde es los banos," a profoundly useful sentence, but not what I'd call great conversation.
More later.
Friday, May 9, 2014
Playing Catch Up
So, this may be a series of random posts. We've made it as far as Hollister (earthquake capitol of the world, if Jenny is to be believed) and tomorrow we plan to head down to the LA area. I've got photos, and stuff, and things to say.
We've been here for four days, visiting Monterey, Gilroy (garlic capitol of the world), Castroville (artichoke capitol of the world...either there is a theme here or California (8th largest economy in the world) is out to take over the entire world one vegetable and one economy at a time).
So, first some good news. Jenny and I have lost a combined total of 29 pounds. That's fifteen for her, fourteen for me, but who's keeping score. We're already discussing the need for new clothes. In case you want to know how, we're doing the Whole30, sort of, and living in a fifth wheel involves lots of physical work.
We spent a couple days in a Thousand Trails outside of Oregon House (which is in California), north of Sacramento. Driving from Ashland to Oregon House, we noticed that Lake Shasta is REALLY low. The lowest we've ever seen it, and we've done this drive many times. We're used to seeing the sides of the lake bare, but this time we saw the lake bottom in spots.
And just in case we didn't get that California is experiencing a severe drought, there are electronic highway signs every few miles reminding of us this fact and telling us to conserve water. Now, can you find a rest area in California? Of course not. (Maybe they got rid of them so they could save water?) But if you need drought reminders, they are everywhere.
Lots of empty, and by empty I mean NO water, creek and river beds. The eucalyptus trees are dying, apparently due to lack of water although it could be some plague, and NO rest areas. (We did find one just across the border, and another south of Sacramento, but that's a long way between toilets.) And just try to get a glass of water in San Juan Bautista. We did. You can't.
Anyway, I digress. I'll post this, download some photos from the camera, and get on with the story.
And, yes, we've had adventures. See you round the bend.
We've been here for four days, visiting Monterey, Gilroy (garlic capitol of the world), Castroville (artichoke capitol of the world...either there is a theme here or California (8th largest economy in the world) is out to take over the entire world one vegetable and one economy at a time).
So, first some good news. Jenny and I have lost a combined total of 29 pounds. That's fifteen for her, fourteen for me, but who's keeping score. We're already discussing the need for new clothes. In case you want to know how, we're doing the Whole30, sort of, and living in a fifth wheel involves lots of physical work.
We spent a couple days in a Thousand Trails outside of Oregon House (which is in California), north of Sacramento. Driving from Ashland to Oregon House, we noticed that Lake Shasta is REALLY low. The lowest we've ever seen it, and we've done this drive many times. We're used to seeing the sides of the lake bare, but this time we saw the lake bottom in spots.
And just in case we didn't get that California is experiencing a severe drought, there are electronic highway signs every few miles reminding of us this fact and telling us to conserve water. Now, can you find a rest area in California? Of course not. (Maybe they got rid of them so they could save water?) But if you need drought reminders, they are everywhere.
Lots of empty, and by empty I mean NO water, creek and river beds. The eucalyptus trees are dying, apparently due to lack of water although it could be some plague, and NO rest areas. (We did find one just across the border, and another south of Sacramento, but that's a long way between toilets.) And just try to get a glass of water in San Juan Bautista. We did. You can't.
Anyway, I digress. I'll post this, download some photos from the camera, and get on with the story.
And, yes, we've had adventures. See you round the bend.
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