We are touring all around the area (delta). There are “draw” bridges and ferries connecting the various levee roads of the Delta. The bridges come in a number of versions – real draw bridges with counterweights, “lift” bridges that raised a section of bridge, and the most interesting one is the “turn” bridge which rotates 90 degrees. Most of these bridges were built in the early 40’s which makes them about a little older than us. We plan on coming back again for 2 weeks so that we can continue the Delta tour and the get into Sacramento some, too.
There is also Locke - that reflects the remains of the Chinese laborers community. We only had time to check out the food at "Al the Wops" - really that's the name of the place. According to local lore, Al saved one of the Chinese's life and the grateful family gave him their resturant.
There are lots of road side produce stands: avocados –yummy, strawberries – soft and sweet, and our favorite – asparagus. So, Boots has a lot of kitchen time to prepare these riches of the earth.
More interesting shop names:
Animal grooming at Tidy Tails
Or, shopping at the Tourist Trap
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Isleton, CA
This has got to be the smallest town we have been camped near. It is a sad place – closed store fronts on what would be their main street, a housing development stopped mid-way, just a look of decay and forlornness (is that a word?).
For those of you who do not (or haven’t ever) owned a dog, you might want to skip this snippet of dog owner life. Karma has a predictable pattern to her behavior when she is about to poop. If she’s on a long leash she will circle, much like a horse tethered in a corral. She varies her gait from a slow walk, gallop, trot, walk, lope, etc. over and over again until it’s time. When she’s ready she spins on her hind legs and approaches her squat flinging poop out from her spin. Centrifugal force sends the items straight out at sometimes long distances. So, to ensure that we get each piece picked up it is necessary to watch very carefully as her circles get smaller and smaller and turn into spins. When she’s on a short leash, she starts with a figure 8 before she gets to her spinning and throwing of poop. Eventually she stops spinning but continues to poop and travels away from the original spot. So, it’s more like geo-caching than walking the dog.
For those of you who do not (or haven’t ever) owned a dog, you might want to skip this snippet of dog owner life. Karma has a predictable pattern to her behavior when she is about to poop. If she’s on a long leash she will circle, much like a horse tethered in a corral. She varies her gait from a slow walk, gallop, trot, walk, lope, etc. over and over again until it’s time. When she’s ready she spins on her hind legs and approaches her squat flinging poop out from her spin. Centrifugal force sends the items straight out at sometimes long distances. So, to ensure that we get each piece picked up it is necessary to watch very carefully as her circles get smaller and smaller and turn into spins. When she’s on a short leash, she starts with a figure 8 before she gets to her spinning and throwing of poop. Eventually she stops spinning but continues to poop and travels away from the original spot. So, it’s more like geo-caching than walking the dog.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
San Luis Obispo, CA
It rained early this morning. The snails were out BIG time. Some of them are the size ready for escargot – really really big! Also, now that the sun is shining again there seem to be a lot of humming birds at this particular park. There is also a rather unique flower. When in full bloom it looks like one of those brushes used to clean baby bottles; you know long twisted rod with bristles at right angles to the twists going around the center. These strange blossom are magenta in color – very vibrant and different!
This particular park only has the laundry open Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Very strange – we have not experienced that limitation before.
This particular park only has the laundry open Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Very strange – we have not experienced that limitation before.
Sunday, April 18, 2010
San Luis Obispo, CA
Now, that we are moving, we have more to write about. Sitting in Santee Lakes for 5 months slowed down the "pen"!
Well, here we are at another RV park on the central coast of California. This was our original destination but there weren’t any spaces until today (Sunday). There are many RV parks: regional, local and commercial. This is a hot recreational section of the coast. There are ATV, RV, Kayak rentals/sales all along CA Highway 1. The coast drive is beautiful – sometimes high cliffs, then beautiful beaches or golden dunes to be driven over.
As mentioned before, there are sections of beach that seem to be more dog focused than others. Karma loves chasing the ball into the waves and swimming for it. Then she lets the surf carry her back towards shore. She does it again and again so either she loves it or loves the ball!
Well, here we are at another RV park on the central coast of California. This was our original destination but there weren’t any spaces until today (Sunday). There are many RV parks: regional, local and commercial. This is a hot recreational section of the coast. There are ATV, RV, Kayak rentals/sales all along CA Highway 1. The coast drive is beautiful – sometimes high cliffs, then beautiful beaches or golden dunes to be driven over.
As mentioned before, there are sections of beach that seem to be more dog focused than others. Karma loves chasing the ball into the waves and swimming for it. Then she lets the surf carry her back towards shore. She does it again and again so either she loves it or loves the ball!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Oceano, CA
One of our neighbors is a Class A RV (http://rv.org/class_A.htm) towing a Class B van (http://rv.org/class_B.htm) like a mother-in-law OR grandchildren’s apartment for their travels.
We took Karma to a beach again. There were only a few dogs and she had a great time chasing the ball into the surf. There was even a very young lab puppy who continually ran between the other dog’s feet crashing into everyone and then flopping over on her back as if to say, “Sorry, my bad!”.
And, yes Karma pooped in the Pacific again. This time, Ruthi was able to get it all as the waves brought it closer and closer to dry sand. We don’t know what it is about pooping in the ocean but she does it every time now. We know that the running activity causes her to have the need but when it’s in a grass or dirt park she searches for the “perfect” spot. At the beach, she thinks the waves are the “perfect” spot.
We took Karma to a beach again. There were only a few dogs and she had a great time chasing the ball into the surf. There was even a very young lab puppy who continually ran between the other dog’s feet crashing into everyone and then flopping over on her back as if to say, “Sorry, my bad!”.
And, yes Karma pooped in the Pacific again. This time, Ruthi was able to get it all as the waves brought it closer and closer to dry sand. We don’t know what it is about pooping in the ocean but she does it every time now. We know that the running activity causes her to have the need but when it’s in a grass or dirt park she searches for the “perfect” spot. At the beach, she thinks the waves are the “perfect” spot.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Oceano, CA
Our drive up from Ventura on CA 101 was great – mostly coastal views from the road for the one not driving. We are on a hillside within the park but still below the surrounding hills and sand dunes. We haven’t checked out exactly how far we are from the beach yet. We think the dunes are up some hills and then down to the Pacific. We’ll see tomorrow or Saturday.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Acton, CA
As we have travelled across America we have observed a lot of wind farms and solar panel fields. We know there are 2 sides to the issue with respect to the obstruction of a view with these alternate energy sources. What we see is a ballet of wind with the blades of the wind farm. It really can be very serene and beautiful to see the rhythm of the spinning! With the solar panels there are blinding sparkles reflected off the panels to the surrounding landscape. So, in our opinion, the beauty is an extra to the renewable resource!
Our posts frequency has improved but don't get used to it!!!
Our posts frequency has improved but don't get used to it!!!
Acton, CA
As we have travelled across America we have observed a lot of wind farms and solar panel fields. We know there are 2 sides to the issue with respect to the obstruction of a view with these alternate energy sources. What we see is a ballet of wind with the blades of the wind farm. It really can be very serene and beautiful to see the rhythm of the spinning! With the solar panels there are blinding sparkles reflected off the panels to the surrounding landscape. So, in our opinion, the beauty is an extra to the renewable resource!
Our posts frequency has improved but don't get used to it!!!
Our posts frequency has improved but don't get used to it!!!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
Acton, CA
OK, it finally happened! Someone is so un-observant or un-aware of their surrounding that they took us for a mother-daughter pair. Like there couldn’t be any other possible relationship between two women travelling together! We both laughed – it’s not our responsibility to educate the world of the ignorant.
We had a problem with our electricity and called camp maintenance. They came out and solved our problem while leaving our neighbor unhooked. Supposedly they left him a note about the “why.” He came home and found no note but his rig had NO electricity. So, he came over here to see if we knew anything – hence the mother-daughter comment.
As some of you know, Boots has a full head of white hair and Ruthi has only 12-18 gray hairs on her entire head! But if you were to really look at our faces you’d see not only the aging process but the vast differences in tone and look. Really, come on do we look like a mother and daughter team???
We had a problem with our electricity and called camp maintenance. They came out and solved our problem while leaving our neighbor unhooked. Supposedly they left him a note about the “why.” He came home and found no note but his rig had NO electricity. So, he came over here to see if we knew anything – hence the mother-daughter comment.
As some of you know, Boots has a full head of white hair and Ruthi has only 12-18 gray hairs on her entire head! But if you were to really look at our faces you’d see not only the aging process but the vast differences in tone and look. Really, come on do we look like a mother and daughter team???
Friday, April 9, 2010
Acton, CA
We had our first experience with “Wily” coyote when we arrived in the LA area in June 2008. Karma doesn’t even bat an eye or even roll over when they are baying at night or worse yet enjoying their kill. Like the ducks at Santee Lakes, Karma is intrigued by birds but has come to accept that she isn’t able to fly and they are.
But in Indio we had our first encounter with the elusive Road Runner. They aren’t as tall as I had imagined. But the crew cut and long tail gives them away. With gentle reminders, Karma is fairly passive with birds. Given her breed (Labradoodle), we are surprised because for cats and rabbits nothing stops her charging off for the chase - with us in hot pursuit trying to rope her to a stop like she’s a wild mustang.
Here in Acton, there are very large ravens that fly around like vultures looking for fresh kill to feast upon. They stand up pretty tall almost as big as those we remember from Alaska. Karma is keeping her distance and dis-interest!
But in Indio we had our first encounter with the elusive Road Runner. They aren’t as tall as I had imagined. But the crew cut and long tail gives them away. With gentle reminders, Karma is fairly passive with birds. Given her breed (Labradoodle), we are surprised because for cats and rabbits nothing stops her charging off for the chase - with us in hot pursuit trying to rope her to a stop like she’s a wild mustang.
Here in Acton, there are very large ravens that fly around like vultures looking for fresh kill to feast upon. They stand up pretty tall almost as big as those we remember from Alaska. Karma is keeping her distance and dis-interest!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Acton, CA
We are hop-scotching up to see Boots’ son and his family. RV Park rents vary from $300 monthly rate to $650+ monthly rate. Day rates are the most expensive with weekly’s providing some savings but monthlys provide the best discount. We joined a RV membership club that has campgrounds across America and relationships with other similar organizations. For this year’s tour from now to when we are back in San Diego for winter (or at least November), we are using these membership campgrounds to check them out and see if we really can save money. Once disadvantage is that we can’t stay longer than 2 weeks at a time. This makes it work very well when we are “touring”.
For the 5 weeks we are taking to get to Reno the total camping fees are $93. At this rate our daily average cost of our life style goes down down down!
For the 5 weeks we are taking to get to Reno the total camping fees are $93. At this rate our daily average cost of our life style goes down down down!
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Indio, CA
If you have been following the blog, you will recall that our RV park/campground choices have turned out to be very close to railroad lines. The clickety-clack and whistles were “romantic” or at least not offensive or irritating.
This park just happens to be across the street from a local Fire Station. There are sirens going off and fire engines roaring out of the place all day and night. Since we aren’t seeing much in the local paper about fires, we think it might be more rescue/ambulance work. This area has a very high average age of the residents (local and snow birds). We, of course, do bring that average down quite a bit. The busiest time of day is around dinner time (6 or 7pm). We haven’t figured that out yet.
Early Saturday evening, we began hearing voices (or one voice, really) rev’ing up a crowd to ask for “more air!” “more air!”. It took us a while to figure out something else must be going on close to our park. Off to the internet to see what are the events in the Palm Springs area. We are within 3 miles of the Fair Grounds. And, Saturday was a “Monster Truck” event. We could hear the announcer clearly across the desert. On the other hand, we couldn’t hear the trucks – so maybe they weren’t so very monstrous after all.
This park just happens to be across the street from a local Fire Station. There are sirens going off and fire engines roaring out of the place all day and night. Since we aren’t seeing much in the local paper about fires, we think it might be more rescue/ambulance work. This area has a very high average age of the residents (local and snow birds). We, of course, do bring that average down quite a bit. The busiest time of day is around dinner time (6 or 7pm). We haven’t figured that out yet.
Early Saturday evening, we began hearing voices (or one voice, really) rev’ing up a crowd to ask for “more air!” “more air!”. It took us a while to figure out something else must be going on close to our park. Off to the internet to see what are the events in the Palm Springs area. We are within 3 miles of the Fair Grounds. And, Saturday was a “Monster Truck” event. We could hear the announcer clearly across the desert. On the other hand, we couldn’t hear the trucks – so maybe they weren’t so very monstrous after all.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Indio, CA
This is our first experience using our Coast-2-Coast membership to get very cheap ($10 max/night) spaces that we can use for up to 2-weeks. Our plans for this trip North to the kids is to try our 5 different parks/resorts. At this particular camp (Indian Wells Resort) we do not have sewer but the “Honey Bucket” can empty us for $8. We had forgotten that we wouldn’t be having sewer (See Memory loss below), so we hadn’t planned very well. But we’ll see how it goes.
This camp ground really isn’t worth more than the $10 for amenities but we’ve paid more for even less. So, we’ll keep you updated – If we remember.
This camp ground really isn’t worth more than the $10 for amenities but we’ve paid more for even less. So, we’ll keep you updated – If we remember.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Indio, CA
We finally left San Diego. The 5 months there were slow and restful. We didn’t do much but we accumulated more stuff and it took much longer to pack/hitch and leave. We were so out of practice we needed to refer to our original check lists to make sure everything was in order. We had lots of questions about where some things got stored.
Aging and your memory loss is such a fun activity. We get to have discussions over and over again; discover new ways of storing things we have no idea how we carried them to San Diego. Ruthi put the bikes up and arranged the bungee cords to secure them. This morning she realized that the un-used cords are on the highway between here and SD as she left them just hanging on the bike.
Aging and your memory loss is such a fun activity. We get to have discussions over and over again; discover new ways of storing things we have no idea how we carried them to San Diego. Ruthi put the bikes up and arranged the bungee cords to secure them. This morning she realized that the un-used cords are on the highway between here and SD as she left them just hanging on the bike.
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