Final Days at Buck Hall

We just took our final bike ride on the Palmetto Trail in the Francis Marion National Forest.  The rains have gone and the forest actually seems to be drying up a bit.  We need more rain already.  But tomorrow it will no longer be our home.  It has been the most fantastic two weeks walking and biking the trail, walking along the Intracoastal Waterway and watching the spring migration of the boats that spent the winter in Florida and the Bahamas.  Jake, our yellow dog, has become quite proficient at chasing the squirrels up trees.  We have become good friends with our camp host, Pat Crawford. You can read his blog HERE.

I am trying to remember what all has kept us so busy.  I had a nice Sunday Brunch with my daughter, Christie.  We went to Mosaic, a small place in Mount Pleasant, and had great food.  I was able to have Shrimp and Grits – Yea!!  It was wonderful!

Linda and I ate lunch.

 I also had lunch with my old high school friend, Linda.  Linda and I re-found each other on Facebook about five or six years ago and have developed a wonderful friendship outside Facebook!  Would you believe that she moved to Mount Pleasant a few months after we left.  Timing is everything isn’t it?

Me on the left and Lucy on the right.

 We met friends Ray and Lucy at Smoky Oak Taproom in James Island and had lunch.  Now talk about food!  Oh, my but that food was incredible.  Kirby and I shared a platter of pulled pork and the best ribs I have ever had in my life!

That is the owner/founder on the right.

We managed to get to Coast Brewing in North Charleston.  They make such great brews and we have been fans for years.  It was fun to see how much they have grown.

We were so pleased to see so many people at Coast enjoying the awesome brews.  Kirby's favorite is Hopart and I like the stout.

Brendan, Carey, Christie, Michael and Kirby (leaning in to get in the picture per my instructions!)

We were invited to have dinner with the family at Brendan and Carey’s new apartment.  Wow, they sure didn’t build apartments like that when I was living in them!  Granite countertops, stainless appliances, trak lighting!  Small but incredibly beautiful.  We had our dinner in the common area, using the grill provided.  The weather was perfect for outdoor eating.

On Sunday we traveled back to the old neighborhood and visited with a few folks.  Arlene, who used to be our next door neighbor provided lots of yummy eats and some fruity sangria.  It was fun seeing everyone after a year on the road.

Ray, Lucy, Jack and Juanita managed to get spaces here at Buck Hall for one night so of course we had to have a small party and dinner together.  We sat in Jack and Juanita’s yard and they had an incredible view of the boats going by.

Yesterday my friend, Linda, came out for a walk in the woods and dinner.  It was so wonderful to get to spend more time together.  Hopefully we will meet up again at our Fifty Year HS Reunion in August!

Sunrise

As I write, Kirby is outside breaking camp.  It is sad.  Jake is probably going to go into a funk for a few days.  He really believes that we live here now.  I think this has been his favorite place too.  Next stop – Lake Hartwell State Park! 

West Ashley Bikeway

This morning we loaded up our bikes and drove into West Ashley (an area of Charleston).  I had read about the West Ashley Bikeway and wanted to give it a try.  Ah, but I do love being retired and being able to do these things during the week.

We parked the truck near Wappoo Road and found the little bit of paved road that headed east.  The trail is short - just two and a half miles but it is beautiful.   Parts of the trail are very rough where big tree roots have taken over and crumpled the asphalt.  I didn't want to go too fast!  But we road along a small creek for a bit, saw lovely ponds and bridges and ended up at the Ashley River.  What we didn't see were other bikers.  Only 2 walkers the whole way and back.

I only carried my pocket camera so the photos aren't what they should be.

No, Kirby is not falling off his bike.  He spotted lots of turtles and stopped to enjoy them.

Red Bluff, CA

Red Bluff, CA has been such an unexpectedly delightful stop for us.  The location was chosen because of the driving distance and campground vs. private RV park.  When I selected it I had no idea that the Sierra Nevada Brewing Company was nearby in Chico or that Red Bluff was so cute or that we would love this campground so much.

The biking/walking trails here at Red Bluff Recreational Area are the best we have found.  They are paved!  And it is about 4 miles long and you can just keep riding in circles if you want.  There is a dam to fascinate Kirby and grass for Jake.  I love the big old sycamore and oak trees.

Kirby on the biking/walking trail

Jake loved his "yard". This was our view.

The sycamore trees were majestic!

Each town we visit has a unique charm of its own and we like to shop where the locals shop so going to the grocery, drug store, hardware are a fun outing for us.  We did our shopping and then headed downtown to walk Main Street and look for a lunch spot.  What a cute little town Red Bluff is with interesting shops full of handmade items and a few antique shops too.  We found Countryside Café on the next street over and had a great lunch there.  It was very busy and I think it must be the favorite place for the locals.

I thought this was a nice touch to a very plain wall.

First Baptist Church

Tehama County Court House

Lunch at the Countryside Cafe - you can see us in the mirrors.

Mount Lassen is an active volcano which sits at 10,462 feet and has annual snowfall of over 600 inches. The last major eruption was in 1915.  As seen from the streets of Red Bluff.

Today we are moving to a private park that will have a sewer hook-up and a laundry - things we need every once in a while.  Tomorrow it is off to Oregon!

L.A. - Oh, No!!

View from the Back of the RV

Smack dab in the middle of Los Angeles County – that is where we are today!  I never would have believed it!  The name of this place is East Shore RV Park in San Dimas.  It is in the middle of a county park with rolling hills, a lake, big trees, paved roads and lots and lots of bright green grass for Jake!

We sat under the shade of a Jacaranda tree this afternoon after our bike ride and played cards for an hour or so.  It was perfectly warm with only a little breeze passing by us.  Jake is in heaven with all this grass.  He even went running around with excitement! (Jake is fairly old and doesn’t run very often!)

We moved the picnic table under the tree to have lunch and then to play cards.  Nice not having howling wind!

I certainly didn’t expect to find this wonderful place.  The wind forecast for today up on the Grapevine where we were headed was high so we decided to take two days to make the short 186 mile trip from Indio to Gorman.  Today’s trip was 101 miles – such a short easy day that we almost feel guilty – but not really!  When we decided not to travel all the way, I went searching for something in the middle of LA Basin near the I-10 Freeway.  I didn’t think I would find anything at all, certainly not someplace as lovely as this.  If we were staying longer, I would have hoped for a space with a view but for just one night, this is just wonderful!  I am sure it will fill up tomorrow with people coming in for the 3-day weekend but right now all around us are empty spaces.

When we toured on our bikes we noticed that most of the park is filled with permanent residents.  We have seen so much of this on our trip.  It really mystifies me.  I love my RV and love living in it but I didn’t think there were so many others who felt the same way.  (You can tell that they are permanent residents when there is a huge barbeque or lots of potted plants and children’s toys lying about or a skirt on the RV to keep the cold out.)  So, what do you think the deal is?  I know there are a lot of people who move around the country often as contract workers (the park in Meridian, MS was full of these people) but I also think there may be many people who have been really hurt in this depression and maybe lost their homes and are living in their RV.  You have to wonder……

Blossoms on the Jacaranda tree - Incredible!

Tomorrow we will drive our hour and a half to Pyramid Lake RV Park and have a reunion with Jim and Heather!  Can’t wait to see those guys!!