Final Florida Stops

Florida really is about family.  First we visited with my aunt and her family and then on Sunday we visited my great-nephew and his family.  Derek and Nichole live on 17 acres out in the country where they have two beautiful children, two dogs, a cat and three horses.  We had such a great afternoon visiting and getting to know the little ones.  I even got to play dress-up with Heidi!  They fed the horses while we were there and it was so fun watching them come in from the pasture and run to their stalls in the barn looking for their oats.  One got so excited about his oats that he ran into the wrong stall and came out looking rather embarrassed as he found his way to his own stall. 

Florida is lush and beautiful but we still don’t like it here and it is lot like Texas when in the panhandle – a long way across.  I think it reminds us too much of California and we certainly don’t like being there.  Funny isn’t it?  I lived in California for over 30 years!  We are now back on Eastern Time and for some reason this change was not hard on us at all.  Maybe it is the full circle.  We left just over a year ago.  We rolled past the Two Thousand Mile mark this week.  That does not count the side trips and U-Turns!

We are in a small town called Yulee, FL and waiting out some weather.  We decided to stop here because it is so close to Fernandina Beach.  We stopped at Fernandina Beach going down the Intracoastal Waterway in our sailboat back in 2007 and then again coming back up it.  We enjoyed our visit both times and want to explore again.  Besides, there is an awesome pub there called the Palace Saloon that we remember had some great brews on tap.

This park we are in is just the strangest place.  Called Bows and Arrows, it is worn out and falling apart.  But the people here, the permanent ones, appear to all be one big happy family.  I don’t think any of them chose to live in broken down old RV’s but here they are and life is not easy for them.  But they help each other.  One woman was taking dinner to an old blind man last night.  I saw a man in an electric wheelchair walking his dog and visiting with his neighbors along the way.  There are absolutely beautiful old oak trees draped in Spanish moss.  But there is no grass, just weeds and dirt and the paving is almost gone.  There is a laundry room that I am using.  The machines work but the floor is so dirty…Heaven forbid I drop any of my clean clothes.

So, this afternoon it is off to Fernandina Beach! Rain or Shine!

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!

Success Lake Campground

We are really enjoying our visit to Success Lake (COE Campground) near Porterville, CA.  We continue to be the only campers on this side of the park.  There are about 4 or five on the other side which is newer and has more highway noise.  We are in Site 94 which is a pull-thru with plenty of space, a picnic table and a fire ring.  The showers are nearby and I used one yesterday because it looked so nice.  I was not wrong!  It was the best shower I have had since I left my house behind the first of December.  I will be heading up there in just a few minutes to enjoy it once again.  Lots and lots of hot water in a very clean and private space.

This is the view out our window.  We spend each afternoon sitting in the shade of the pear tree.  There was a hose and sprinkler going when we arrived.  No one came to move it or turn it off so we moved it around to green up our little area.  It ran all night too.  Finally someone took it away.

Just look at that long shadow.  I took a walk with Jake when the sun was just coming up.  Awesome time here!

This is the view across the lake.  There are boaters out all the time fishing mostly.  I love all the vistas! And we haven't had much wind which seemed to have plagued us the past couple of months.  I guess the windy season has passed.

At each stop it seems that Kirby has to fix something.  This time it was the hitch.  Brand new this past October.  I personally believe that the problem was a result of all the bad roads we have traveled that just shake the livin' bejeebers out of everything.  Fortunately for me and for Kirby and Jake, Kirby is very capable of fixing things.  But that doesn't mean that is how he wants to spend his time.  But just think if we had had to try to find someone to repair this before we could leave.  We might have been literally pushed out of our space as there is someone coming in the day we leave!  I guess this is the way RV life is but I sure hope all of our bad luck ends soon.

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!!

Land of the Shopping Mall

Yea!   We have actually left Yuma, AZ and are in California – land of the shopping mall!  When we went to San Diego last weekend we left our home – at home in Yuma.  Now we have hitched up and gone and left Arizona behind us.  We are sitting in a Carefree RV Resort in Indio, CA.  One of Indio's claims to fame is 350 sunny days a year.  I don’t know about the rest of the year but today is sunny and hot – just like Yuma.  Big difference is that there is major shopping everywhere!

View from the Back

 We had a very uneventful 3 hour drive getting here this morning and since we were up at the crack of dawn, we got here at 10:30 am!  My kind of day!  I had mapped this place out and even drew myself a little map….I am the navigator, you see.  So, I said to Kirby, “I think this next turn might be ours” and by the time I said it and it all registered, we had missed it.  Not such a big deal in a car…bigger deal with a fifth wheel.  So we went past it and made a right turn to just go around the block and come back.  Kirby asked me if Shields Street went through and I said, yes, I had seen it on the main street so he turned and WAM!  It was not a through street.  Dead END!  There was a wash in front of us with barricades and we could see the street continue after the wash.  Only thing we could do was turn into a medical building parking lot and hope for the best.  Well, we only ran over a couple of curbs as we (Kirby really) negotiated the parking lot and got back out on the street we started on! He did not hit one care!!  Way to go, Kirby!

We checked into the RV park and I took Jake for a walk to check the place out.  There are not too many regular spaces.  Most of the spaces are filled with permanent little old mobile homes or “Park Models”.  But there was grass and a dog run so Jake was delighted!  “GRASS!” he exclaimed! There are two pools and on the board in the office they list about 200 winter activities - something for everyone!  A busy place filled with old people - that's us!

Then we headed out for fuel and just a little exploring – of the malls!   Really, all I wanted was some fresh lettuce but with all the traffic lights and a couple of wrong turns, it took a lot of time.  To my delight we happened upon a “Sprouts” store.  I had never heard of it but knew by the name that I wanted to check it out.  I was so surprised when I walked in and recognized the old “Henry’s” that we used to shop at in San Diego.  Loved that store.  Good prices on all things fresh and many bulk items too.  We had fun and bought just a little more besides the lettuce….like the Ginger Snaps we had been remembering a few days ago, and - there they were – same ones!

On the way around the block I had seen a Date Shake store and just had to go have myself a Date Shake.  We used to get them from a little shack on Coast Highway in Newport Beach years and years ago.  This store was full of dates of all kinds and the usual souvenirs and junk and the shake was delicious!!  I am on a sugar high right now!

 So now we are back home in our RV and settled in to enjoy the remainder of our day.  Tomorrow we will head off across the LA Basin and up over the Grapevine (for those of you who have been to Southern California and know where that is).  We will stop near the top and meet up with our friends, Heather and Jim, from Ventura.   Then the party will begin!

Yuma, Arizona

This is the view out my front door here in Yuma.  I love all the shades of brown and the textures.  The neighborhood is very interesting.  All of the lots allow a home, a mobile home or up to 2 RV’s.  I have never seen zoning like this before and it is quite interesting.  Each morning I ride my bike around the many streets and enjoy the beautiful homes and the desert landscaping.  Each one is unique.  Some of the homes fill the lots.  Some lots have simply an RV parked on them.  Some have an RV and a small casita with a washer/dryer and storage.  Most have awesome views of the mountains.  My sister’s lot has a gazebo in the middle, a storage unit with a spare refrigerator and another building that has a washer/dryer, a bathroom with shower and a futon for guests.

Yuma has a population of about 100,000 until the snowbirds arrive in the winter.  Then it doubles.  I think most of them are gone now so we are seeing the better part.  I think it will feel much different in the winter.  (We will be here again in the fall and may stay the winter with all the other snowbirds.)  We have been visiting here for years and years.  Sometimes we would stop and spend the night at a motel on our way to or from Mexico when our boat was there.  We even owned a rental home here for a few years. We have seen the growth and the change.  There is a new fantastic hospital downtown which with all the old people probably gets a lot of business.  They built a big mall after we headed east.  Our grocery store is probably the largest, most well stocked store I have ever seen.  I could spend hours in there (and all my money) – if you can think it, they probably have it.  I had forgotten that the produce in the west is better than on the east coast.  (I don’t know about the mid-west)  It is less expensive and fresher.  I am loving that!

So, for now we are here in Yuma and enjoying family!

Contrasts

I lived for almost 40 years in the deserts of the southwest.  Southern California may look like a tropical paradise to some but without irrigation it would look like the desert it really is.  I have spent the past 7 or 8 years on the eastern seaboard where it really is a paradise of green and vibrant color.  Heading into Arizona yesterday was almost like coming home and created so many conflicting emotions in me.  I miss my family that I left behind me and yet I am looking forward to seeing the rest of my family out here in the west.  I miss all the lush greenery but am enjoying this dry air.  I do not miss the bugs and the humidity.  The skies in South Carolina never get the same rich blue that they do here.

We love this RV park where we are staying just one night.  Lazydays RV Park in Tucson is the nicest place we have stayed yet.  Not necessarily the prettiest - Canyon Lake takes that prize - but there are paved streets, cement patios with nice tables and chairs, a gorgeous laundry facility and even a fitness center.  The swimming pool was calling to me, there is a large fenced dog playground and a nice restaurant on premises.  AND - there is a Camping World adjacent. We have paid more for less so we love this place!

We forgot that Arizona does not go on Daylight Savings like the rest of the world so we jumped to California time when we arrived.  2 hours in 2 days.  And we were feeling quite smug about adjusting to the one hour.  Two is not quite so easy and so we were up about 4:30 this morning.  Ah, the trials of travel!

So, today we will head on to Yuma where my sister lives.  My little grandsons live in the San Diego area and we will be heading there next.  I can't wait to see them.  They are growing so fast!

This is the view from the back this morning.