Back on the road

Posted on May 6, 2015 by Jim Melvin

Left Oceanside

I saw my eye doctor for the last time for a while and got my medical for my new job so now I was ready to get out of Dodge. I decided to wait until Sunday Apr 26 to leave. I will be driving up the 5 so wanted to keep traffic to a minimum (HA!!) going thru LA. It was still a rat race and only made it to Castaic where I called it quits. I was tired, the wind was blowing and it was getting late so I pulled into the Valencia Village RV Park for the night.

I got up the next day with hopes of moving on but the wind was really blowing with gusts up to 35 mph. I don’t know about you, but I hate driving in the wind, so I paid for another night. Then I realized there is a Camping World not far away. I had a rear vent cover blow off some where in my travels and was trying to replace the cover. But on a 1992 rig that is just about impossible. I couldn’t find anything on line. Many of the components used on my rig are no longer being made. I headed to Camping World to see what I could do. While there I found out they could replace my rear bathroom vent with a fantastic fan. They had one in stock so I paid for it and scheduled it to be replaced the following day. That meant I would have to stay another day at the park as they couldn’t replace it until 3:00.

Chica was a hit at Camping World

The following day I drove the rig to Camping World and checked in. I asked them if I could bring Chica into the customer waiting room. Camping World is very dog friendly so she came in with me. Immediately she was a big hit. Many of the staff came in to see here. At first she was a bit overwhelmed, but she finally got used to everyone. Sorry but I didn’t think of taking pics.

It took a bit longer then I expected as they were very busy, but finally finished and now I have a really nice rear fan. We headed back to the park and spent our last night there. By the way this is a great park if anyone wants to visit Magic Mountain. It is only a couple of miles away.

Elks Lodges

The next night we stopped at the Visalia Elks Lodge. For $10 I had a great rib dinner and met lots of nice people. Then it was on to the Lodi Elks. I was invited to their Happy Hour and met a lot of fellow RV’ers.

My next stop was the Red Bluff Elks Lodge where I only spent one night. I love the Elks Lodges since they usually have full hookups and only cost $15 – $20 per night. They all have a nice bar and many nights I get a great dinner.

HELP!!

I was going to cross into Oregon and stay at the Ashland Elks Lodge. Forget it! They only offer parking in a parking lot with very little space. I did see a red/white 24′ LD but there was no place to park. I checked Allstays (great APP for locating campgrounds) and there wasn’t much around the Ashland area so it headed north to Medford.

I found the Medford Elks Lodge and parked in front as I couldn’t see any RV’s. They had a sign on the door that said the lodge had been closed down. Not sure what that was all about but I needed a place to stay as it was getting late. I decided to keep heading north and stop at the first RV park I could find. I landed in Rogue River and the first park was full, but they suggested another park next door to them. I really landed a gem. It was $35 per night which is more then I usually like to pay, but she put me right on the Rogue River.

Didn’t want to leave

It is a really clean park with great showers. We walked right out our door and the river was only ten feet away. Chica loved looking at the Canadian geese that lived on the river.

The next morning I got up and paid for another day. I needed to relax a bit as we had been driving every day. The owner suggested going into town for breakfast and that sounded like a good idea. I had a great breakfast at the Cottage Cafe and it was really good.

Chica guards our home

Since we were right on the river we saw many Canadian geese. In the evening they would come out of the water and feed on the grass around our rig. Of course Chica had to let them know who was boss.

Salem, OR

Our last stop before my summer home was an Elks Lodge in Salem, OR. I stayed there for 2 nights to get organized before heading to the campground at Lake Harriet. I called my employer to get last minute info about the next few days and instructions on getting to the campground.

Then it was honey do stuff. I took Chica to PetSmart to get bathed and groomed and have her nails trimmed and I got a haircut. Then I did a some major shopping for groceries.

Off to the campground

Today I am heading out to my new campground at Lake Harriet. I will be passing through a small town called Estacada which will probably be where I will be doing my weekly shopping. I am not sure what kind of cell phone or Internet service I will get at Lake Harriet so here’s hoping with my booster I can get connected.

Das ist Gut, Ja?

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Almost my last leg of journey north

I was tempted to spend another night at the beautiful Yakima Elks Lodge and Country Club but decided I need to hit the road and stick with my schedule. So I packed up and headed for the last stop before I landed at the campground where I will be camp host. My destination was Mount Vernon, WA. The map showed about 225 miles thru the mountains. I had to get gas so wound up going back to Yakima to fill up. The Elks Lodge is actually in Selah, WA a small town next to Yakima. The interstates going north are confusing and I got on the wrong one and had to back track. Thus the total mileage for the trip north turned out to be 252 miles. It was a long day as it was raining almost continuously and it was a lot of mountain driving. I am glad that is over.

Stopped in Leavenworth

When I had posted my route many people mentioned that I should stop in Leavenworth, WA. It is right on highway 2 which is the road I take to Mount Vernon, WA. I was able to find public parking for my RV right at the end of town. Fortunately it was not raining when I got there, so parked the rig next to a sports shop and walked a few blocks back into town.

This is a really unique little town that is modeled on a Bavarian Village. What a trip!

Good Mood Food

I thought this was a cool name for a restaurant.

They even had a small par three golf course.

These guys kept the golf course well manicured.

Beautiful Mountains

This is a ski town and the mountains still had snow.

Lots of very neat shops

This is the downtown portion. Lots and lots of small shops.

Here is one of the many hotels with a beautiful mural painted on the wall next to it.

I loved the many murals painted right on the walls of the buildings.

Another view of the town and local mountains.

Pizza anyone?

I thought this was a really neat name for the local pizza joint.

Great stop

I loved this town. I really didn’t go into any of the shops as it was getting late and also started to rain. On my next trip up here I would like to spend a day walking thru the many shops.

Lots of rain and traffic

I took highway 2 over to I5 and then headed north to Mount Vernon. It was raining so hard I could not see much of the local scenery. On top of that I hit Everett, WA and headed north during rush hour. The gas tank was very low, but I knew I could make it to my destination. I had called the camp host at the Mount Vernon Elks in the morning and he stated they had room. He greeted me when I got there and showed me where to park. WHEW! This was a tough day of traveling. Lots of mountain driving in the rain.

Pip Pip Ole Boy. I’m off to MY country club today.

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Yakima Elks Golf and Country Club

The Yakima Elks Lodge is right off 97. My GPS took me to this road and I thought The GPS had guided me down the wrong road. But the sign reads Yakima Elks so it had to be right.

The entrance and down a long road to the lodge.

What a place. This has to be the most fantastic Elks Lodge I have ever stayed at. There was no camp host to tell me where to go so I just pulled over, went inside, showed my card and paid. Then I could pick any site that was available. I grabbed the one closest to the driving range. I never in my wildest dreams ever thought I would have golf course property. At least for two nights. Whoopee!!!

View out my window

I took these pics out my window so they are a bit dark. The first one looks out to the driving range.

This guy pulled up in a real fancy golf cart with sides and chrome wheels. HA!

This is a view of the course and the practice putting green. The course is highly manicured.

This shows where I am parked for 2 nights. They park the rigs right on the edge of the golf course. It was $25 per night and well worth it with water, electricity and dump station. I’m the little guy on the end.

They serve dinners here from 5 to 8 pm Wednesday thru Saturday. I got here on Tuesday so heated up some frozen Trader Joe’s pizza and scarfed. It was good, but plan on going into the lodge tonight for dinner.

I have stayed at many Elks Lodges since joining, but never anything like this. I feel like I just joined the rich and the famous. Even Chica is strutting her stuff on her walks!

Rainy day in Bend, OR

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Weather

The weather had been great up until the day I left the casino. It didn’t really rain but sprinkled all the way to Bend, OR. While in Bend I stopped at the Walmart to fill my prescriptions for the next 3 months and picked up some groceries.

I plan on spending 2 nights at the Bend Elks Lodge where they have electricity for $15 per night. Time to get everything charged up. I usually charge up IPhone, IPod, my computer, and my Bose speaker system. That just leaves my Kindle Fire, toothbrush and battery charger which recharges my rechargeable AA, AAA, and D batteries. I take advantage of electricity now as I will only have solar power when I reach Panorama Point (where I will be camphosting for the summer) and then I will have to juggle things to keep them charged.

Bend Elks Lodge

I signed up for two nights and got one of the 8 sites available with electricity. There were three other campers when I arrived but one of them left this morning. It has been very overcast and rained off and on during the day. Chica and I went for a walk but she got a burr in here foot. I helped her get it out and she is OK. This is a view of our spot at the Elks Lodge taken with my IPhone. It was just before it started really pouring.

Elks Lodge Membership

Becoming a member of the Elks had to be one of the best things I have done since starting to fulltime. Many of the Elks Lodges have low cost RV camping facilities and most of them have electricity, water and dump. They do not accept reservations but most have sites available when you pull in. After my experience trying to camp at a National Forest Service campground that was not yet open I made a change of plans and decided to stick with available Elks Lodges along my route.

My next stop will be the Elks Lodge in Yakima, WA where I will spend another 2 nights. Elks Lodges are a very convenient place to stay during off season camping while traveling. Plus they also have full bars and very reasonable dinners as well. Not too shabby!!!

One more day

Posted on May 3, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Still at the casino

Well 2 nights is going to turn into 3 at the Kla Mo Ya Casino. Not because I love to gamble (I haven’t even been inside) but because the LA Kings face the Anaheim Ducks in their first game of the series tonight. I am an avid LA Kings fan, although never get to any games. I have been a fan for many years and hope they can beat the Ducks and continue in their quest for another Stanley Cup.

Perfect weather

The sun is shining and the temps will be 63 high 37 low. It gets a bit chilly around 4:00am but nothing that requires heat, just warm blankets. Great sleeping weather. I turn on the Wave 3 in the morning to warm everything up including Chica.

Slow down mode

Ever since I arrived here I have been in a slow down mode as opposed to my hurry up mode in getting here. Between here and my destination at Panorama Point Campground in Northern Washington it is only about 600 miles. So I have plenty of time to get their by May 10th.

My route north

I am trying to bypass all of the large cities on my way north. I didn’t want to go through either Portland or Seattle if I don’t have to so I got out my atlas and I came up with the following route. Since I am already on 97 I plan to just continue heading north on it until I reach 2 in Washington. Then I will go west on 2 to Everett, WA where I will get on the 5 heading north. Then I will go east on 20 which will put me right in Concrete, WA about 20 miles from my campground. This route will take me thru all small towns until I get to Everett. Has anyone ever taken any of these roads? If so I would love to hear your comments on the roads and my route.

Elks Lodge in Bend

Tomorrow I plan to head to Bend. I need to do some shopping at Walmart and they also have an Elks lodge with RV parking available. Only about 115 miles so won’t be much driving.

New Curtains and back on the road again!!!

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Finally got rig back

It was 2 weeks since I dropped off my rig at the Ford Dealer but finally got it back on Friday. I had booked one night at O’Neill Park. I was also able to reserve 2 nights at the Elks. It took the dealer a good bit of time to complete the necessary repairs. The dealer that repaired my rig only works on heavy stuff like RV’s ambulances and big trucks.

The whole time my rig was at the dealer I spent over at my sister Bev’s and her husband Bob. Chica also really enjoyed Lando as shown from my previous post.

It sure was nice getting back to sleeping in my home once again.

New custom made drapes

Bev and I measured all the windows and she offered to make me new curtains. We must have made a dozen trips to Hobby Lobby for all the material needed as well as a few other neat items.

Bev was very busy cutting fabric and sewing it to the specs of the windows. We went to the rig several times while it was parked in the dealer’s lot, but waited until last Sunday to install them. What a fabulous job she did. I can’t begin to thank her enough.

This is the rear drape. Mind you I was able to remove that horrible pull down blind that was in the rig since it was made by Lazy Daze.

The door window. The old LD blind broke earlier in the year. Bob just happened to be walking outside of the door as this pic was taken.

She also made curtains for the kitchen windows but the pic did not turn out well.

Celebrated at the Elks

Since I was parked at the Elks when everything was done and installed we all went in to celebrate with a drink at the bar. It was a wonderful ending for a great day and my last down in So CA. It is always fun seeing Bob and Bev. Thank you so much for everything you both have done for me!!!

Early call Monday morning

At 7:45am Bev called. She had gotten up early and wanted to finish off a valance for the drapes. I hadn’t planned on leaving until 10:00 so she came over and installed the new valances. What a big difference. That was the finishing touch she really wanted. It looks FANTASTIC!!!!!

This is the back window.

The door.

The Kitchen.

I am so excited over the new look.

Stopped at Inyokern, CA

I got on 395 and made my first stop at a small RV park in Inyokern, CA. I have stayed at this same park 3 out of the 4 years I have been on the road. Just like going back to your old neighbor. It has hookups so I get get water and dump tanks on my way up to Mono Lake where I will boondock for a night.

I have not driven any distance since I came over to SO CA from Yuma. That is not much driving at all. It is so great getting back on the road again. Chica is very happy too as you can see from this photo.

I am slowly making my way up north to the Cascades in WA where I will be a camphost all summer. I should be up there by May 10th.

Spring Training Weekend – Part 1

Posted on March 17, 2014 by Jim Melvin

Lucky to land a space at the Elks Lodge

I left Hot Springs LTVA Wednesday and traveled to Tempe, AZ. I used the Allstays App on my IPhone and found an Elks Lodge in close proximity to Sky Harbor Airport where I will be picking up my son Curt. He is flying in late Thursday (actually Friday) and leaving late Sunday (actually Monday). He will be staying with me as we attend a couple of Spring Training Baseball games.

The Elks Lodge is also close to the Tempe Diablo Stadium where we will see the Angles on Sunday. I was sure lucky to get a space as I got the last space available when I checked in. I plan to stay here for 7 days before heading back to Yuma to have Chica’s teeth cleaned.

I am in the last row. It is a fairly large park with 26 full hook-up sites.

The only bummer is the Animal Hospital and Kennel that is located on the other side of the block fence surrounding the park. The dogs start barking at 6:00 in the morning and hardly ever let up all day and late into the night. However we have gotten used to it and it hardly phases Chica anymore.

Here is Chica basking in the sun on our new flooring as a hundred dogs are barking only 50 feet away.

Goodyear Ball Park

We hung out on Friday and did some shopping and a lot of catching up since we last saw each other. It was sure great to see my son again and spend some time with him. Friday evening we saw the Texas Rangers vs. Cincinnati Reds ball game. It took place in Goodyear, AZ which is on the other side of Phoenix. We left early as it was Friday during rush hour traffic.

Here is a selfie I took of us at the ball game.

We were lucky that they had $1 beer night except it was a bit chilly so we only had one each.

Angels Batting Practice

While out shopping on Friday I decided to head over to the Tempe Diablo stadium where the Angels would be playing on Sunday. We were able to get into the stadium since there was no game and the guy in the Team Shop told us to return tomorrow about 10:30am and we could see the Angels practice out in the field.

We got up early (sure can’t sleep with all the noise from the dog kennel next door) and headed to the park. It was very cool. You can get very close up to all the players and some of them would even sign autographs.

Albert Pujols catching a ground ball.

Everyone was yelling for Mike Trouts autograph.

But Josh Hamilton did stop to sign autographs.

Curt (on the right holding up the ball) tried to get his autograph but just missed since there were so many people.

It was a very fun day seeing all the players practicing. I will have more to post tomorrow about our exciting weekend

Too HOT…Gotta Go

Posted on July 2, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Wifi at library

The other day I was looking for the post office to check that I could have my mail sent there by General Delivery. I found it on Main St. (which is not even a main street) and they confirmed that I could have it sent there. I then contacted Escapees Mail Service to have them send it out.

But right across the street from the post office was the library. Great!! I can now use the library’s Wifi to send and receive email and publish my posts. I have been using McDonald’s, but I felt compelled to buy lunch and their Wifi was not very fast.

I used the library to publish my last two posts and found it to be quite fast. I need a fast Internet in order to upload my pics. Plus the library also has a nice picnic table out front that I can use for my phone calls.

Libby Dam Tour

I returned to the Libby Dam for a free tour. What an amazing tour that was. You are able to walk across the top of the dam and peer over both of the sides. One side you are looking down about 20 feet to the water of Lake Koocanusa, while on the other side you are looking down about 300 feet to the bottom of the dam and the Kootenai River.

Then they take you about 300 feet down to the bottom of the dam where they showed the generators that produce the electricity. The tour guides took us into one of the rooms that housed a generator that was a backup and not on line. There they explained how they work and we could be right in the same room as the generator.

Next they let us peek into a room that housed a generator that was on line. It was extremely loud and we could only remain there for a very short time.

They also showed us the large crane inside the dam that could move the huge parts that make up a generator. It could lift 300 million tons. Some of the parts of the generator weighed 250 million tons. The company that sold them the generators they learned was going out of business so they decided to buy up as many spare parts as their budget would allow, so there were many spare parts in huge boxes around.

We then ventured out to look at the spillway. We could actually get right up to the edge of the spillway but you got very wet. It was very exciting seeing so much water coming through the gate up top of the spillway. We were just to the left of the spillway at the very bottom of the dam, behind the cement wall you see in the next pic.

Need Propane

I have a 5 gallon propane container hooked up to my rig using an “Extend-A-Stay”. I run all my propane off this tank and when it runs out I switch it over to the propane tank on my rig. Then I take the external tank into town and get it refilled. This way I always have propane and don’t have to drive my rig into town to refill it. Well I had to find propane for my tank and just happened to be driving past an RV park that sold it.

Tanks are full

My tanks need to be dumped and the ladies I had met a few days ago told me about an RV park about 1-½ miles from here that would let me dump my tanks for $5. That may sound like a lot to just dump your tank, but they are in the forest and aren’t connected to a sewer system. Plus driving into town will cost me more then double the $5.

I will have to button down all the hatches and put everything away in order to drive down there. The last time I dumped my tanks was 13 days ago at the Fish Creek campground in Glacier National Park. I could probably go one more day making it 2 weeks since the last dump, but I don’t want to be going down there on the busy weekend.

Hot…Hot… and Hotter…

Yesterday it was extremely hot. Not sure what the temp was but heard on the radio they were getting temps in Phoenix of 115-120. That is too hot for my blood. We sat outside in the shade but to no avail. Outside the flies would drive you crazy. Even Chica noticed how hot it was so I put her in the sink and dribbled water on her to cool her off. She really loved that. Sorry no pic.

It was even hot into the night so I had the vent over my bed in the loft wide open and still couldn’t cool off. Hopefully tomorrow will be much cooler.

I discovered a local that lives about ½ mile from my campsite that sells fresh eggs for $2 per dozen. I have gone from eating eggs and bacon daily to just eating Eggbeaters and no bacon. I know eggs aren’t the best things to eat on a daily basis, but I will only be here a short time so decided to try their fresh eggs. There is nothing like them. They taste so much better then store bought. I first started eating fresh eggs last year when I was camp hosting in Oregon. YUM YUM!!

Chica hates dumpsters…

Every morning I would take Chica for a walk around the park. I would also take my trash with me and throw it away in the dumpster at the other side of the park. When I would get anywhere near the dumpster Chica would freak out and refuse to go near it.

When I found Chica in Mesa, AZ (or should I say when Chica found me) I talked to several people around me to see if they knew her owner. Joe and Jane who also worked with me at the ballpark said they had seen several Chihuahuas always hanging around the dumpster. I guess they were looking for anything that didn’t make it into the dumpster. I don’t know what scares Chica so much about the dumpster but there must be some reason why she is so afraid of them. So now I will take the trash down there myself and not have to submit her to that awful reminder. How could anyone hurt this little girl?

Moving into Libby

There is a 14-day limit on staying here and I it also applies to all COE parks in the area so I have decided to move into Libby and stay at the Fireman and Memorial Municipal Park in town for $10 per night. I will be able to avoid the holiday madness, plus I would have great cell phone/Internet service.

There are no hookups but they have a dump and water available, plus the park is really nice and located right in the heart of the town. I can walk to everything here. After driving back and forth into town I think I will like the fact I will have cell phone/Internet access and get a chance to catch up on the blogs I enjoy reading.

So I am only going to be at Blackwell Flats through July 2 then moving on July 3 to Libby.

Change of plans

We decided to move in to Libby today and for now I am staying at the Woodland RV Park in town. We both needed the A/C. Today the high was going up to 102 degrees and with no A/C running it makes the inside of an RV like a hot box. We just need to get cooled off. It sure is nice with the A/C running.

I still am planning on moving to the Fireman’s Municipal Memorial Park once I think it is cool enough. There are lots of trees there and should keep us cool.

Winery tour from Colorado through Idaho

Posted on May 19, 2013 by Jim Melvin

Wineries and Farms

When we were at the RV Show in Quartzsite Linda, John and I had met with Don and Kim of Harvest Hosts and told them we were making a trip to Canada. They had suggested we stop at some wineries along the way and had mentioned several that we might enjoy. Linda did the planning including contacting them along the way to make sure they knew we were coming.

Our first stop was at St. Kathryn’s Winery in Palisade, CO which I mentioned in the last post. Now we were headed into Utah where we spent the night at a farm in a little farm community south of Salt Lake City called Santaquin, UT. On the way we saw some fabulous Utah scenery.

We stayed at South Ridge Farms. They had a fabulous store that included all kinds of preserves, great apples and cherries, apple cider and even ice cream sodas. After we ate dinner in our rigs we went in and had an Ice cream soda. Yum!

Stopped at the Elks Club

The next day we had to drive through the Salt Lake City area. Lots and lots of cars. But we made it through all the traffic without a snag.

We stopped at the Elks Club in Roy, UT. We did some shopping at the Walmart in the area. Sorry but I forgot to take any pics of our spots. That ended our trip through Utah.

Off to Idaho

Our first stop in Idaho was Snyder’s Winery located in Buhl, ID. They weren’t open for wine tasting, but they did let us spend the night there. Again I forgot my camera, so no pics.

Then it was a short 57 miles to our next winery and overnight stop. This one was in Hammett, ID at the Cold Springs Winery.

Our favorite winery

Bill was the owner of Cold Springs Winery and he introduced himself and showed us where we could park. After we got all set up we went over to the tasting room, which he had opened up just for us. Bill was a very friendly guy and told us all about the history of the winery as well as the local area.

We really had a great time there. There was a big lawn where the dogs could check out all the wonderful grass smells and romp off leash and they loved it. Here is Sadie enjoying all the smells.

Here are a couple of pics of Chica racing around on the lawn.

We also enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

Another whopping 83 miles to the next winery

We only had a short distance to travel to the Woodriver Winery in Eagle, ID. We had to travel through Boise, ID and the traffic was horrible. We couldn’t believe it even though it was Saturday. It was very nice here but a bit more commercial then some of the smaller wineries we have enjoyed.

Heading for Baker City, OR

Today we are heading for Baker City, OR to meet up with the Northwest Lazy Daze GTG. This is where we will also meet all the folks going to Canada. I am really looking forward to this rally and see friends I haven’t seen in quite a while. Fortunately we don’t have to travel very far.

Our travels to the wineries

I really enjoyed all my travels to the many different wineries and farms while heading to Baker City. We did a lot of wine tasting and met a lot of really nice people. It also helped to restock my wine supply with some very good wines. We were really treated well by each winery/farm and I would highly recommend this to others in making their travel plans.

I would also like to thank Linda for making all the plans and calling ahead to verify that we were coming. It was well planned and we had a great time. Now for the rally and then into Canada.

2nd Year on the Road

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Jim Melvin

On July 12, 2012 I just completed my second year of fulltime RVing. I can’t believe I have been on the road so long. So once again, as I did last year, I will summarized this fantastic year with some of the highlights.

Remember you can click on any pic then click again to enlarge.

Working in Texas

To start I was in Texas and decided to work for a month to help defray costs of traveling to Texas to see my family. What a mistake that was. It was 106 degrees and higher the entire month I worked. Oh well I will definitely know better next time to stay away from there during the summer.

Grand Canyon of Texas

After my work duties were over I headed to Palo Dura State Park in northwestern Texas. It is know as the Grand Canyon of Texas and a very beautiful place. While there I hiked the Lighthouse Trail and took this pic of myself standing on the plateau in front of the lighthouse.

Taking advantage of my NM state pass

Then it was off to New Mexico where I wanted to take advantage of the last few months of my New Mexico State Pass. My first stop was Clayton SP.

Then on to Sugarite SP, just south of the NM/CO border. This next pic shows Lake Dorothy just north of Sugarite SP.

My next stop was Cimmaron SP and the town of Cimmaron.

Fulfilling a boy scout dream

I also visited Philmont Scout Ranch, which had always been a dream of mine ever since I was a Boy Scout.

More of beautiful new mexico

After that it was Eagle Nest SP, Coyote Creek SP (where I saw a bear), Storie Lake SP and then on to Villanueva SP where I got my semi-annual haircut. Finally it was off to Hyde Memorial SP.

Then in October I met up with all my good friends at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta where I stayed and partied for 10 days. Even had a balloon land on top of my rig. HA!

After the Balloon Fiesta I drove south to Poncho Villa SP to enjoy a Escapees Chapter 21 Rally. Of course that also included a trip to Palomas, Mexico where I had to have some dental work done and make sure the margaritas still tasted as good as always.

A visit to the Whitehouse

Next stop on my route was Canyon de Chelly (pronunced d’Shay). Located on an Indian Reservation it is a beautiful place and a must see for anyone in that area of Arizona. Of course I had to hike the Whitehouse Trail, which is so beautiful.

Monument Valley

From there it was to Monument Valley, UT. Talk about a fabulous area, don’t miss out on seeing this.

On my way to Amazon

Then I drove north to Interstate 50. It is known as the loneliest highway in America. And believe me it really is. You could drive for miles and miles and never see a car or truck in either direction. You would not want to break down on this road.

My destination was Fernley, NV, where I worked for Amazon for 8 weeks. By the way it was probably the hardest job I have ever had. Thankfully the 8 weeks went by fairly fast, although it took a couple of months to get healed from the aches and pains I suffered at that job. OUCH!!! On top of that it was very cold as well. Four degrees when I left there.

I then drove to Reno, NV and parked my rig and flew to SO CA to spend a week with my family over the holidays. It was really great seeing everyone and getting caught up. I even played some golf. Actually I tried to play some golf. HA! What a joke!

Time to warm up

Then I hit the road to get out of that cold weather up north and drove down to Quartzsite, AZ. There I met up with a whole bunch of Lazy Dazers (about 20 rigs at different times) and relaxed in the wonderful Arizona sunshine. Of course I also saw the crazy RV show and even saw a concert by Paul Winer (the Naked Book Seller) although he was fully clothed. Great show by the way with SRO.

With the help of all my friends I was able to upgrade my rig with new LED lighting, another 12v receptacle and an outdoor motion sensor light.

Next stop – Imperial Dam

In February I left Quartzsite and headed to Imperial Dam just outside of Yuma, AZ I really enjoyed my stay there with more friends. Got to do a lot of hiking in the desert. Plus don’t forget the wild donkeys. HA!

Heading south of the border senor!

Then it was south of the border to Mexico with the Harvest Host Wine and Whale Watching Tour. What a fabulous trip that turned out to be. Visited 5 wineries, with great wine tasting at each. The wineries were located in the Valley of Gaudelope with very beautiful scenery around. Also stopped in Ensenada for a day, where we had a great lunch down at the fish market and an opportunity to stock up on lots of great seafood. Of course we also had to have some cervasa’s (brewskies) at Hussong’s Cantina.

Later visited La Bufadora (the blow hole). Another very scenic spot.

The wineries were great plus the wine was even greater! Even got to see a colt that was born that very day. How exciting!

I am NOT an illegal alien!

After crossing back into the US I drove to Tamarisk LTVA where I stayed for a week and met some really wonderful people. We hiked ever day in the desert and one day we were surrounded by Border Patrol cars who thought we were illegal aliens. No comprende Senor! What a trip that was!

One of my very favorite spots

After spending so much time with so many wonderful people, I needed a break and decided to head for one of my most favorite spots in the Clark Dry Lake bed of the Anza Borrego desert in southern California. It is 7 miles outside of Borrego Springs. This place is so peaceful and always gives me a chance to reflect on my future plans. It was here where I made my resume on workamper.com and emailed it to various people. Within 10 minutes I had a call for the job I would be working at this summer. More on that later.

Back to the coast

Then it was off to the west coast to Oceanside, where I parked my rig at the Elks Club and took the train up to Orange County to see family. It was back and forth visiting different members of my family and it was great seeing my Mom. Love you Mom!

Heading up north

Then it was time to hit the road and head up north. My first stop was the Trona Pinnacles outside of Ridgecrest, CA. It is like a trip to another planet.

From there it was off to the Alabama Hills just outside of Lone Pine, CA. This has been one place I always dreamed of venturing to even before I had an RV. An absolute MUST SEE.

From there it was off to Mona Lake, where I stayed for about 5 days and ventured around the area seeing the tufa’s at the edge of the lake and the weird cloud formations.

I also took a side trip to the old ghost town of Bodie, CA. Much of the town is still intact as it was a hundred years ago. Really neat and another MUST SEE.

Then I finally made it to Oregon where I stayed at Goose Lake SP, La Pine SP and finally Crooked River Ranch.

My workplace for the summer

I met up with my area managers who I would be working for the summer in Prineville, OR. I am the camp host at the Ochoco Divide, a NFS campground. It is on the summit (4,726′ elevation) of Hwy 26. This campground is nestled among giant (200′) Ponderosa Pines among other pine trees as well. I have now been here 2 months and love this job. I get to meet a lot of interesting people and have lots of areas to hike in.

Well that about wraps up another fabulous year of my fulltime RV lifestyle. There were some tough times (truck breaking down) and some great times (caravan trip to Mexico) as well as taking time out to see my family, which is very important to me. I had lots of times spent with great friends and even some time to myself to ponder how lucky I am.

I almost can’t believe it has been two years since I have set out on the road. I would also like to thank all my wonderful followers who have been with me as I experienced each and every day. Every day is a new adventure.