Year End Lists – Dickinson, TX

At the end of each year, there are always “best” and “worst” lists for movies, books, etc. So, now 3 ½ years into this adventure we have decided to do our own lists. People keep asking us - Are we looking for a place to settle? How long will we keep traveling? Etc. etc. etc. We are still seeing America or as we say “eating our way across America”. We haven’t been looking for an area to land on but enjoying the adventure day by day!

Back to our “best” and “worst” lists which may provide insight as to our preferences. Who knows it may be how we finally decide on a place to “land”.

BEST
Drivers-Michigan
Weather–Oregon coast/Oceano, CA
RV Park–Santee, CA/Foley, AL
Dog Daycare–McHenry, IL
RV Dog Park–Baton Rouge, LA
RV Bike Riding–Santee, CA
Dog Off Leash Park–Fresno, CA
Restaurant Options–Foley & Gulf Shores, AL

WORST
Drivers–Minneapolis, MN
Weather–San Marcos, TX/Damariscotta, ME
RV Park–Kettleman City, CA/Hammond, LA
RV Park–Minneapolis, MN
RV Dog Park–San Marcos, TX
RV Bike Riding–St Paul, MN/Littleton, MA
Dog Off Leash Park–La Mesa, Ca
Restaurant Options–Two Rivers, WI/Quartzsite, AZ

And other categories:
SMALLEST RV Park–Two Rivers,WI
LARGEST RV Park–Mesa, AZ
HOTTEST RV Park–Tapo Canyon, CA
COLDEST RV Park–Quartzsite, AZ
MOST Scenic Drive–Hwy 101 in CA, OR, WA/Hwy 90 in MS/LA
WORST Scenic Drive–Highway 99 in CA

Comments - Dickinson, TX

On the drive to this RV Park, we crossed a “golden” bridge over one of the many bays, bayous, inlets, etc. in this Gulf Coast area. The support cables were encased in yellow tubing with the sun’s reflection it really looked “golden”!

Something we have noticed here in the Houston area is the abundance of donut shops. Few franchises (like Krispy Kremes) but a lot of local shops specializing in donuts! A real booming business here!!

"Winter" - Dickinson, TX

We thought yesterday was “Winter”. The temperatures were in the mid to low 50’s and of course the constant Texan wind was whipping around our legs, bodies, arms and heads. So, who knows what the wind chill was. Boots was in long pants but still in flip flops. Ruthi, the winter hold out with her head in the sand, was still in her shorts and shivering. Ruthi believes that if she has to resort to wearing her long pants it is truly Winter – no matter the temperatures or location!

Today, the temperature at 9am was 42⁰. That’s right 42⁰ with the ever present wind. It’s very cloudy so the hope for some sunlight to warm us is gone. Boots is using the stove to prepare dinner early. She was hoping the extra warmth would fool us into thinking we were really in Gulf Coast Texas. Climate Change is not doing so well for our retirement. We have even heard from friends in San Diego (where we were the last 3 winters) that it has been chilly there, too. So far, our experiment of trying Texas for the Winter is not going as well as we had hoped!

We know we can’t drive to Hawaii but how about Costa Rica???? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Flies/Spiders - Dickinson, TX

As you know, our living space is limited. Karma’s natural instinct to hunt, point and attack prey has been modified to include bugs, flies and spiders that dare to enter our house. With respect to the spiders, Ruthi greatly appreciates Karma’s attention and Boots capture. With the errant fly that opts to enter our space,

Karma is very focused. After she does her point, we attempt to slap/kill the fly and then let her eat it (gross – but Karma really likes them!!!).
Today, we had the toaster on the table with the plug stretched across open space to an outlet. Karma’s attempt to point/attack the fly (before we could slap/kill) ended up with her pulling the cord down and the toaster with it. Loud noises ensued as the toaster crashed to the floor.

Now, Karma walks across the living/kitchen area on the far side of the road from the “crash” site. She is terrified of the toaster, cord, and table side. Karma now wants to lie down in the narrow hallway from the living area through the bathroom to the bedroom. To Karma, it seems to be the only safe area – poor baby.

Movie Theaters – Dickinson, TX

We usually go to the movies during Friday’s matinees. The special price for those early shows matches the Senior discount we would get for later shows. Also, the timing matches with Karma’s daycare hours. The closest Camp Bow Wow daycare (in Kemah) has a Monday price bargain of $15 for the day. So, we now get our movie/popcorn fix on Mondays. Since it’s not like we have to see the movies before everyone else (we probably will anyway ‘cause we go to the cinema so often!!!), it works for us.

This last Monday we saw “Crazy, Stupid Love” at the Dollar Cinema for $1.50 each. We know, we know if it’s called Dollar Cinema why is it $1.50. We don’t know but that’s besides the point of this particular entry. The fact that this movie has been at the theaters for ages and we are only just now seeing it is also not the point of this entry!

So, what is the point you may well ask???? We usually sit in the farthest back row on the right but we are flexible and can/do sit on the left side occasionally or when the right is already taken. We were a little early for the showing and had the choice of any seat in the house. We were guessing that it might end up being a private showing (i.e., no one else comes to see it during this particular showing). We selected 2 seats on the aisle of the back left row and proceeded to wait for the previews to roll.

Before the previews began 2 other women came to watch the show. Remember, there is still an entire theater from which to select seats - like up front, in the middle or the row across from us. After they looked around the theater, they selected the 2 seats directly in front of us. We asked ourselves why would anyone sit directly in front of the only other movie goers in the auditorium. Were they afraid it might be a scary film and they didn’t want to be alone? Were they hoping for physical assistance in case of an emergency at the theater, . . . ?

We are usually 2 of only a few people watching the film on any given day at the movies. We have noticed that most times people try to separate themselves from the other viewers by a few seats/rows at least.

But not these 2 women??????

We ARE in Texas - Dickinson, TX

OK, we know we are in Texas - one of the first indication was a sign for “Midget Wrestling".

On another note - the frontage roads run on each side of the interstates (at 50mph, no less). This makes for easy access to the businesses lining the interstate and provides an alternative to the highway during rush hour.

Fall Colors - Dickinson, TX

You know how everyone goes North for the Fall colors – Vermont, Wisconsin, etc. We don’t get it! The colors here are really amazing. Maybe they should advertise that the South has colors too and is much much warmer in early November!

Hemmingway as a Blogger - Dickinson, TX

We just finished reading Ernest Hemmingway’s A Movable Feast. It’s about his time after World War I while he, his wife and child were mostly in Paris. He was still doing journalism and working on his writing of short stories and a novel. It really reads well and puts you in the flavor of Paris at the time. We both thought it read like a modern day blog!

More creative store names:
Bumper To Bumper – Auto Parts Store
San Leon Liquors & Defensive Driving School in the same building
Junk and Disorderly - Used Stuff Store
Little Bo-Tique – Clothing Store

"Poop" 2 - Winnie, TX

Before taking off this morning Ruthi walked Karma. This time she was ready for the “poop” location and avoid it successfully. Then Ruthi saw more “piles” that looked exactly the same. Upon closer inspection, she identified that it wasn’t dog poop but the underside of a large mushroom. So, Karma had been “tripping” last night and passed out not just asleep. She was into “srooms”.

"Poop" 1 - Winnie, TX

Tonight, Karma found something interesting to eat while on her walk. Ruthi caught her, as quickly as possible, and assumed, from a cursory look, it was another dog’s poop. Sometimes that is very tasty for female dogs – UGH! Anyway, Karma had chased the Frisbee a bit before we started our drive to Winnie. She had been awake all day in the truck as we drove. Karma was fairly exhausted and fell asleep on the living room floor and didn’t move for about 4 hours. While she has slept on the floor before, usually she’ll change position or move to her crate and then back again. But tonight she didn’t move except to breathe - unusual but not worrisome.

LSU vs. Alabama - Denham Springs, LA

Leaving Foley, AL for Denham Springs, LA this morning, we had wondered if the LSU fans coming back from Tuscaloosa, AL after beating ‘Bama (University of Alabama OR The Crimson Tide) 9-6 in overtime yesterday would make the traffic heavy. Ruthi thought they would all be sleeping in from a night of celebration/libations. Boots having a more Southern sensibility knew they would drive drunk if need be to get home for the NFL games or to brag about seeing the game!!! Boots was right!!

We identified at least 4 dozen marked LSU fan vehicles with a lot more that probably belonged to them. The last 90 miles of our trip coincided with their path from Tuscaloosa to Baton Rouge. So, we were passed by a lot of college students, proud parents, and drunk fans!!!

French - Baton Rouge, LA

When Ruthi went to take Karma to the park’s fenced dog park, she met a little boy (6 or 7 YO) and let him pet Karma. Trying to have a conversation with him proved challenging until he was able to tell Ruthi that he only spoke French. He and his family were visiting from Quebec and while the parents were bilingual neither he nor his older sister (who came to play with Karma later) spoke any English. Ruthi talked with the parents about dogs and where they were headed (New Orleans) before returning to the cold north and snow. Then the kids and Ruthi (a big kid herself) went to the dog park and took turns throwing the Frisbee for Karma. A dog can be a common language for all ages.

RV Park - Foley, AL

We are in a large RV Park with a strong presence of “Snow Birds” come January. Lucky for us, it’s a quiet season in October (except for 2 Halloween week-end events). Lots of pull-thru’s with long, level and sometimes paved sites. All sites have paved patio/lanai areas. While the office help is efficient they are prone to NOT volunteer information. After our arrival and reading the park flyer, we had questions about visitor parking, internet access, and propane. If you don’t ask all of the questions you will need to return/recall a number of times. They seem to be willing to only answer what is asked of them and not offer any other information that might be helpful to the questioner. As long as you don’t have to deal with the office, the other staff members are friendly and personable.

They have a large pool area with water slides, spray circles, and a canal surrounding the main pool with inner tubes for riding around. Another unique benefit is that they pick up garbage (that you bag and leave at the end of your site) daily by 10am. Though the down side to that is they do not have any recycling options within the park.

There is a small fenced area for dogs - which worked very well for Karma and her Frisbee. Even with that space, the park staff (as a whole) isn’t really into dogs. Karma thinks that all golf carts have treats since her first exposure to golf carts back in 2008 proved that out. That’s not true here. Karma could probably deal with her disappointment better if they would at least acknowledge her when they whiz by.

Carpenter’s RVs – Pensacola, FL

We didn’t send a SPOT® email because we were only here for the night. We wanted to ensure we were on site and ready for the fender repair at 8am. Since Carpenter’s is about 40 miles from the RV Park we got here last night. They have about 50 water and electricity sites in their facility for just this reason. They parked us in the first space across from the shop. The ordered fender was on the premises and they were able to complete the work in 1 day where the RV was parked. It is such a load off our minds to finally have all of the repairs completed from the “tread leaving the tire” episode in Broadus, MT.

Dogs - Stockton, AL

Yesterday while at the river, Ruthi was throwing the ball for both Karma and Athena. She was using the “chucker” so she was able to do it most of the afternoon much to the dogs’ delight. At first, the dogs would alternate throws and chasing - which made it very easy for Ruthi to keep up with them. Both Karma and Athena went into the river to cool off. Athena would go in for a swim with the ball in her mouth. Karma only went up to her shoulders, dropped the ball, and then lapped up a drink. When the ball got away from her (which was every time since this is a river with a good current), she’d whine and beg Ruthi to rescue the ball for her. But that wasn’t going to happen. Finally, Karma figured out that she could walk along the retaining wall in 5-6 inches of water and get as close to the ball as possible before she needed to swim.

Karma (almost 6YO) has played “ball” indoors/outdoors since we got her. In order, for us to throw the ball again it must be delivered within 12 inches of the thrower’s feet. Athena on the other hand is only 2YO and seems to think that if she has chased the ball down/found it in the weeds and headed back to the thrower anytime she drops the ball on her trip back is ok. She will be heading to Ruthi at full speed and just drops the ball between her front feet whenever it occurs to her. Ruthi sends her back and luckily Athena has an excellent nose (unlike Karma who can sometimes be standing on top of the ball and not sense it’s there). Athena finds the ball and tries again to get it closer to Ruthi.

Finally, Ruthi tired out and picked up both of the balls and stored them in the truck. Neither Karma nor Athena were willing to give up; so, off they went in search of the 2 balls that had earlier in the afternoon be lost. Sure enough they found both balls and a 3rd one that someone else had lost. All balls and the “chucker” went into the truck to end the game.

Annie, Boots’ sister Linda’s old, old, old Jack Russell, wasn’t into chasing balls but she did attack the waves made by the pleasure boats’ travelling on the river. She thinks that fish will be coming up on the shore from the waves. Since they don’t; she barks at the waves in disappointment.

THE River - Stockton, AL

Two of Boots’ brothers have 2nd homes built on stilts on the Tensaw River tributary. They’re about 40 miles north of our campground. We went up there for a barbeque. Boots’ sister Linda and her husband, daughter, son-in-law, 9-month old son and yellow lab (Athena) came, too. Karma and Athena were free to roam, wade in the river, chase balls, and practice with the Frisbee. We were a little worried about alligators in the water but neither dog seemed interested in really getting into deep water. Mostly they wanted to cool off and drink. Jack, the grandson, reminded us how much we miss seeing Gaven (Kassie’s son who is 4 days younger than Jack).

The ribs that her oldest brother prepared for us had what’s called a dry “butt rub” on them. Really, you can buy this in grocery stores but the aisle location varies from store to store. When you ask for it, you need to be careful how you request the product! I didn’t add any liquid BBQ sauce and really like just the dry rub. The coleslaw, creamed corn, butter beans, corn bread and rolls were all delicious!!!!! AND then we had home-made ice cream and blue berry crunch for desert! Boots’ relatives sure know how to feed us!!!!! Even without shrimp it was a great meal!

Shrimp - Foley, AL

Here we are in South Alabama. Really that is what they call it. We are minutes from the Gulf of Mexico - all that sand and shrimp. We have eaten it deep fried, grilled and pan-grilled. Probably the only version we have missed so far would be Ebi (sushi shrimp) and raw. The restaurants almost all have shrimp on the menus no matter what type of food is the mainstay – Mexican, Italian, BBQ, etc. etc. etc. Our favorite restaurants are “Shrimp Basket” [everywhere in this area], “Mickie’s” [Gulf Shores – same owner as Shrimp Basket)] and “Bahama Bob’s” [on the beach in Gulf Shores]!!! There are a lot of others but these 3 are the best and our favorites!

Interstate 65 - Montgomery, AL

A sorority sister of Ruthi’s had commented that their trips South in the winter are always challenged by the “bumper-to-bumper” traffic on Interstate 65. We though she was referring to the section in Indiana. We had originally planned on going through Indiana to see the varied architecture in Columbus, Indiana at the time of the discussion. Our plans changed due to the Interstate 64 bridge closure in Louisville, KY. With double the traffic on another old bridge we decided it was more prudent (read safe here) to cross the Ohio river from Illinois to Kentucky – which we did.

But back to the “bumper-to-bumper” comment - we thought initially it was the flow over from Chicago, we began to notice all of the semis going both ways hauling who knows what in which direction. Then, more and more automobile traffic on the road began to pass us (of course the only drivers near the posted speed limit). Surprising enough here it is the start of October and there were more RVs going North than South most of the way to our destination in South Alabama.

Lynda had hit it on the head it was “bumper-to-bumper” on Interstate 65 North and South. This is interesting to us. We have been on a lot of the interstates across the 43 states we have hit so far. While around cities the traffic does pick up, mostly there aren’t any situations that would reflect the “bumper-to-bumper” label until we did Interstate 65. Also, we had a hawk/falcon/eagle following us down the road. Honestly, it was probably a number of them but it did appear to be our own bird of the trip.

Dinner - Huntsville, AL

We stayed in Huntsville long enough to meet Ruthi’s friends from work in Anchorage for a Mexican dinner. The wife got transferred down. The husband works for a national company and can work from home. Additionally, it saves his company money now that his travel costs are from Huntsville instead of Anchorage.

On the Road - Huntsville, AL

With Kentucky and Tennessee on this trip South, that makes it 43 states we have been to – only missing North Dakota, Indiana (we seem to keep circling but not landing there), Delaware, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. We may pick up the last two next Spring when we leave Texas. We might try to go through Grand Junction, Colorado and see the oldest grandson (Erik) and his new twin girls born a few weeks ago.

All the way through Kentucky on Interstate 24 south after each exit there were mileage signs for the distance to Nashville, Tennessee. So, finally (90 miles later) we cross over into Tennessee and there isn’t another mileage sign until we are 17 miles outside of Nashville. Nashville, TN is about 60 miles into Tennessee via Interstate 24. Hmm.

At the first rest stop within Alabama, there is a NASA rocket on display since this is so close to Huntsville, AL. We were camped at 1 Tranquility Base in Huntsville at the Space and Rocket Center. That’s where all of those kids used to attend Space Camp. Or, at least it looks like “used to”. The play ground facility and rocket launch pad (for the kids’ own rocket shots) look like they have seen better days. But there are 2 huge rockets towering above us on display at the center.

On the Road - Paducah, KY

We were driving down Interstate 57 from Champaign (Illinois) on our way to Paducah (Kentucky), when Ruthi got a text from one of her sorority sisters who was driving down from Chicago to her 2nd home in Tennessee for the week-end. Betty Holcomb wondered exactly where we were on the road (Interstate 57), while she was up the road on Interstate 57 (Effingham, Illinois). The miracle of modern communications – we almost had the chance to be in the same place at the same time today. Alas, they were headed to Interstate 55 (SW) to Henning, TN and we were headed to Interstate 24 (SE) to Paducah, KY.

So close yet, so far away!

Ain’t texting great!!!!

RV Park - Woodstock, IL

We were in a nice little RV park. There was one hitch - exiting through the grass field. The entrance and sites are gravel. To exit, you pull through your site onto a grass field around the back of other sites to the gravel road out. Unfortunately, it RAINED and RAINED the 3 days before we left. That made the field very soggy. We and the owner determined that to drive across the field was not the best route out. Luckily, we had an empty site directly across and behind our rig that we could back into and then drive forward onto the gravel roadway. The owners’ staff assisted us with our exit so that any damage to the grass was minimal.

Observations - Woodstock, IL

Twisted Stem Flower Shop

Sign at local church – "Don’t let worries get you down; remember Moses started out as a basket case."

Camping in Woodstock (Illinois) we got a lot of “Aquarius”/1960’s rock festival references and jokes. Just want to remember those who didn’t send jokes about our destinations that while this town is older than the township in New York where the festival was, it (Illinois version) was the movie locale for “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray.

The setting sun was "blood Orange" tonight. It looked a bit like a Sci-Fi movie scene when the sun sets on MARS. Beautiful to watch it light up the clouds.

Family Visits - Northern Illinois

Ruthi’s older brother/wife (Bill/Blanche) gave us Common Bonds [a game with cards like Trivia that give 3 word/things (Jesus, 1st man in space, and RinTinTin) for which you have to identify the Common Bond between them (answer is below). They are as much fun as the Trivia cards just in a different way! Anything so we don’t have to talk with each other (just kidding).

Our time in Ruthi’s brother’s {in early August] and her sister’s (Betty) [the past 2 weeks] areas was really fun and tiring – how tired can a person get from laughing and laughing and laughing about their common or not so common history. When we left Alaska one of the clean-up tasks was to ship a couple of Ruthi’s “scrap” (more like “trash”) books down to the family Pack Rat (her brother, Bill, though Betty is a close second   ). Ruthi made the mistake of mentioning how their parents pictures might be scan into a pc and cataloged for viewing. She has to admit that it wasn’t her original idea, as two of her cousins (Beth and Lynnie) had done as much in preparation for the 75th Codo family reunion (remember the whole reason for our trip into the INFERNO known by others as the MidWest in summer).

Anyway, Bill took that as an opening to return Ruthi’s “scrap” back to her!!! He also brought along the case (11x24x18 cardboard box) filled with our parents pictures. So, now Ruthi is scanning in pictures from her high school and college days. One of the books reflects quotes, saying and advertisements that caught her eye when she was in high school and college - so, more scanning to do. What a nice winter project for her.

Common Bond answer: All are shepherds!

Last Words - Two Rivers, WI

About our stay in Northern Wisconsin – There were a lot of houses fro sale in Two Rivers/Manitowoc area. Interesting that most, if not all, had great curb appeal. We think that some are homes for Milwaukites and Chicagoans coming North to cool in the summers. The houses were 1950-60’s construction with basically 2 plans – dormer windows on the attics or flat roofs on 1 story square houses. There were a lot of examples of intricate brick work on the houses and churches.

To end on a funny bumper sticker – “Don’t believe everything you think”

Trivia Pursuit - Two Rivers, WI

We troll thrift store for used books. In the process, we have come across Trivia games with their boxes of cards with 6 questions in categories dependent on the Trivia focus. We bought the “Boomer” and “Genius” editions each with 2 boxes (with a lot of cards-really we are only halfway through one box). We threw away the boards, marker, etc and kept the cards only. We take the cards into restaurants, medical offices, Ford dealers, etc. etc. etc. (any place that looks like we will be sitting for a while). We ask each other the questions. It’s great fun and sometimes surprises us by what we do and don’t know. On a number of occasions, we have brought the card back to check the internet for more details.

Like today, the National News category question was “How many people did Lee Harvey Oswald shoot on November 22, 1963?” We knew for sure there were 2 (Kennedy and Connelly) but were there more? We didn’t think the wives were shot but how about the driver or any secret service personnel. We didn’t know and so off to the internet to discover that he shot 3 people – President Kennedy, Texas Governor Connelly and a bystander (James Tague). Though the Wikipedia entry on Tague makes it sound more like he was hit by debris not a bullet. Now you know the answer, too!!!

Just sharing one of the ways that we keep our brains sharp (or not)!!!

Lambeau Field - Green Bay WI

Went into Green Bay for the day and to get Packers presents for grand-daughter (hair scrunchy, GB Packer M&M, GB Packer Lip gloss), her boyfriend (cheese head) and their son (onesie). Lambeau Field’s parking lot was jammed!!! We had planned the trip being sure not to go in on a game day. What we didn’t know was the Packers’ Appreciate Lunch for their fans had been postponed due to the NFL contract negotiations. The plaza in front of the stadium was peppered with players and kids getting autographs. In our football ignorance, we didn’t identify that activity until it was pointed out by a clerk in the Pro Shop.

Ruthi was in the shop looking at doll replicas of Clay Matthews and Aaron Rogers when a 2 year old came by also interested in the dolls. Ruthi tried to have a conversation with the little boy but he seemed a bit awe-struck. His mother explained that he had just gotten Clay Matthews autograph and was a bit Ga Ga still.

There are about 100,000 residents in Green Bay with everyone being Packer fans. There might be a lone Bear fan or two in the crowd but we aren’t sure if they are at all vocal about it. We tried to eat at Bret Farve’s Steak House but it didn’t open for lunch. Overall we were not very impressed with Green Bay. The Bay and River front is almost totally commercial with little restaurant access to the views.

Door County - Fish Creek, WI

Today after much harassment, haranguing and basic hectoring from a former co-worker of Ruthi’s, we finally drove up to Door County. You know how Michigan is sort of shaped like a mitten with the thumb extending out into the Lake Huron. Well, Wisconsin has a similar thumb shape extends into Lake Michigan. Wisconsin’s thumb is much thinner and looks more like it’s from a witch’s hand.

Anyway, we drove the exact course prescribed by Maryann (up WI Route 42 to WI 57; back down WI 57 to Interstate 43). This made for a lovely view of the lake and some very large farms as we headed North. Some of the farms had 2 or 3 silos which indicate a great deal of acreage and large harvests. We even saw one with 6 silos. If you buy “Lands of Lakes” dairy products, we saw from whence they came. The farms have signs that indicate their crops are sold to “Land of Lakes”. We saw a lot of corn and soy bean fields but not very many actual cows. Though there were the accoutrements for a dairy farm (milking barns, calving areas, etc.), just the cows were far afield.

We passed through Sturgeon Bay where the bay connects Green Bay and Lake Michigan, with the assistance of a canal on the east side of the peninsula. The bridge is a draw bridge and was up upon our return to let a boat get into Green Bay. We slowly drove through Egg Harbor – lots of tourists walking around. Then we stopped for lunch at the White Gull Inn (approved by Maryann) in Fish Creek. The Boiled Fish dish was not offered for lunch or Mondays, so we settled on breakfast dishes. Really we were just thankful that we could do a pass on the Boiled Fish. No matter how much people praise it and Maryann pushes it, we just couldn’t get our heads around boiled fish. We know, we know, we’ll eat a lot of raw fish (sushi) but boiling it with potatoes and vegetables doesn’t work for us.

We had to park our 22 foot long truck in a parallel spot. Luckily there were 2 spaces which we could slip into (yeah, it was that easy ha ha ha), leaving the possibility of a nasty note upon our return OR someone parking in the remaining space so that we’d be locked in for the afternoon. When we got back a vehicle from Illinois (a good state, if Ruthi does say so) had taken the front spot and, THANK GOODNESS, left a good 3 feet for us to maneuver out. The town/streets were full of tourists again but of a more mature variety.

On the way back we stopped at The Cherry Hut, which has everything imaginable made from cherries, then a cheese “factory” and a cheese shop that offered samples. We brought home our favorite kind of souvenirs – food! (Including some Fat Louie’s balsamic vinegar – there were lots in the guide books about Fat Louie’s olive oil at 3 locations in Door County. At the Cherry Hut, you could taste a variety of their oils and balsamic vinegars. On the front label it says “Fish Creek”. Once home, Boots discovered it’s made in California!!!) Oh, well, it’s tasty anyway!)

Central Bark - Manitowoc, WI

Karma went to a “new” (for her) doggie day care, Central Bark, today. Like Camp Bow Wow they are a franchise. There are a lot of Central Barks in Wisconsin. There are others spread across America, so we might be able to try another one in our travels. The orientation / assessment procedure requires that Karma be at the facility by 7am for the day (until 5pm). That was a challenge to get up early enough to get her there at 7 am.

When we picked her up there was a written assessment, pictures, and report card. She had a great time and will probably sleep through the week-end. After this orientation/assessment we can drop her anytime for any number of hours Monday-Friday.

Settling In – Two Rivers, WI

IF YOU ARE SQUIMISH ABOUT PLUMBING AND BODY FUNCTIONS, YOU MIGHT WANT TO SKIP THIS POSING!

When we first arrived here, we plugged in the electric and then proceeded to unhook, level etc. Usually Ruthi attaches the sewer later but it was cool and it seemed like a great idea to do it in the shade of the RV before the living room slide was moved out into place. Usually, she wears plastic gloves just in case it gets messy – which it hasn’t since our first time in Simi Valley, CA. So, gloveless you can imagine the results. As Ruthi took the cap off the drain pipe to attach the hose - out gushed waste water. Luckily, there were no solids; but it was definitely “black” water (from the sewer) and not “gray” water from the bathroom or kitchen sinks.

We had drained the tanks just before we left Illini Park in Marseilles, IL on Tuesday (09 August). Then we spent an overnight in Caledonia, WI. Somehow/someone had pulled the “black” lever and filled the exit piping (about 3-4 feet of 3-inch sewer piping) with waste. So, the total “spill” was less than a quart but messy none the less. We talked with the RV Park owners and discussed how to remedy the spill. Ruthi used fresh water to wash the “spill” site and ensured that no waste/smell was left.

Toll Roads - Illinois

As soon as we got into Illinois from Wisconsin on our way to the reunion and then from Marseilles to Wisconsin we encountered Toll Roads. It was very clear that tolls improve the surface of the roads. All of the roads in states from the West (Idaho, Montana, South Dakota) and North (Minnesota and Wisconsin), while doing road work this summer, were not of the quality of Illinois' toll roads. Maybe those states could learn from the 4 corrupt govenors of Illinois.

Waldo - Wisconsin

SPOILER ALERT - If you are a child, grandchild or even great grandchild reading this - 1st we are proud of your technical/reading skills but if you really like those "Where's Waldo" puzzles you might want to bypass this posting.





We have found Waldo!!! It's a town in Wisconsin, just off Interstate 43 (exit 120 just North of Sheboygan). There are also a lot of streets named Waldo around this area (Two Rivers, WI) too.

RVing - Two Rivers, WI

“Think of the long trip home. Should we have stayed at home and thought of here? Where should we be today?” Elizabeth Bishop in “Questions of Travel”

RVing eliminates this dilemma - we are always “home” - and, loving it by the way. It was pointed out by one of us that we have been a little more on the problems/challenges side of this traveling equation. So, moving forward we’ll try for some balance (yeah, right what happens - happens). It seems that the problems/challenges are the interesting part of this adventure; while the everyday boring events are just that boring.

Interesting company names:
Bark, Bath and Beyond -Dog Groomers
Shade Shifters – Tree Trimmers

Codo 75th Annual Reunion – Marseilles, IL

Ruthi’s mother’s family emigrated from Northern Italy in the very early 1900’s. Agnes (Generation 2) and her siblings (8) started bringing their own families together back at their parent’s (Generation 1) (Antonio/Maria or Nonno/Nonna) house on the 1st Sunday of August 75 years ago (1936). As the event evolved, the Saturday night before the picnic siblings/spouses that lived in Marseilles (or chose to come from the Chicago area to the picnic early) met at the home of Leonia (Generation 2) (oldest daughter)/John Malosti for the adult party of drinking, cards, chat, etc.

This year was the 75th time the Codos met in Marseilles (usually at an Illini Park Shelter) for the picnic. Ruthi’s mother (who, had she lived, would have been 100 in September) and all of her siblings have passed away. In keeping with traditions, Beth Malosti-Gerber (Generation 4) and Lynn Malosti-Coyle (Generation 4) (granddaughters of Leonia/John Malosti) (and great-granddaughters of Nonno/Nonna) hosted the grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great grandchildren of Nonno/Nonna at the Leonia/John Malosti home. The oldest and youngest grandchild ( (Generation 3) present were 80 and 57 YO respectively. The oldest and youngest great-grandchild (Generation 4) present were 69 and 22 YO respectively. And finally, the oldest great-great-grandchild (Generation 5) present was 34 and the youngest had just recently turned 2 YO.

Here are some pictures of Ruthi’s Nonno/Nonna, her mother and siblings.

1st Cousins – Marseilles, IL

Tonight when we came back from dinner out with Bill/Blanche (Ruthi’s brother and sister-in-law), our neighbor came over to let us know that one of Ruthi’s cousins had come by and knocked on the door. He said that Karma barked then but otherwise had been quiet while we were gone.

The Sunday picnic is for Ruthi’s mother’s side of the family. We had been told that Ruthi’s cousin Anthony would be camping in the park too. So, naturally we were expecting that he might drop by. As the neighbor relayed the message from Ruthi’s cousin, it became clear that it had been Carolyn not Anthony. Carolyn is a cousin on Ruthi’s father’s side of the family (exactly 2 years younger than Ruthi having been born on Ruthi’s birthday (January 17)). Knowing Carolyn (from Michigan now) was in town was a nice surprise.

Ruthi had exchanged email with Carolyn about our being in Marseilles for the picnic. So, Carolyn scheduled her trip back to pick up more of her stuff to take back to Michigan around the picnic dates. When she got to town (after major problems with her RV – seems to be the season for challenges), she went out to the ice cream parlor at the Illini Park. That’s where she heard that we were indeed in town and camped just steps away from the ice cream parlor. Carolyn walked around the campground checking the license plates on every 5th wheel until she located the Alaskan plates on our rig.

Hence – the message from our neighbor.

Illini Park – Marseilles, IL

We have been visiting with Ruthi’s Brother (Bill) and wife (Blanche) who live in Seneca. They have a summer home (Park Model) at Wood Smoke where we stayed the last time we came through. They have also bought a trailer and are still looking for a “warm” winter location to park it. The site we have at Illini Park is right on the Illinois River. There is a lot of space between sites but we have hot afternoon sun on one side.

These are electric only sites; so, we have the much needed air conditioner working full-time. We conserve our fresh water supply and limit the waste tank space as we do not have access to shore water nor sewer. Lucky for us the bathrooms/showers are just across the street. If we need to add fresh water there is a “clean” faucet relatively close by. There is a “dump station that we can access on the morning of our departure so that we have empty waste tanks for trailing purposes (lighter).

Check out our blog entry from August 2009 when we stayed at Glenwood RV Resort (a misnomer if ever there was one)! So, you can see how this is a much better location.

Trials Continue - Crystal Lake to Marseilles, IL

Originally, we planned to spend 2 nights at Ruthi’s sister’s (Betty) large parking lot in front of her Nursery School (Thunderbird). Upon arrival, Ruthi got Karma out of the truck to acclimate her to the yard and Betty's lab, Sunshine. Meanwhile Boots proceded to maneuver the 5th wheel into position in front of the lower level 2 car garage - close to the outside plugs – Boots did an outstanding job! This just shows that she is much better at backing up the 5th wheel and does it better without the able assistance of Ruthi.

So, in the intense heat, Boots and Ruthi quickly un-hooked, leveled the rig, turned on propane (for refrigerator) and plugged into house power to start the AIR CONDITIONER. Then the circuit breaker blew. So, Ruthi and Betty tried to add an extension cord to another possible outlet – circuit breaker goes again. Looking at the fuse box; it becomes clear that there are no open 20 or 30 amp slots available. No way with the MidWest muggy high temperatures could we make it without air conditioning.

Having failed to get electricity to the rig, we went to plan B – go on to Marseilles Illini Park. Luckily, no one else was set to be in the spot we already had reserved at Illini Park starting on Wednesday (03 August). So, we left Betty’s and headed for Marseilles before it got dark. We arrived with just enough time to get set-up and plugged in. WHEW!

“Loose Meat” – Rochester, MN

Remember on the Rosanne (Barr) show, she and her sister had a restaurant named “Lunch Box” and their specialty was “loose meat” sandwiches. Well, we went to a “Made-Rite” fast food joint and had “loose meat” sandwiches. Basically, they are cooked hamburger free-form no patty just the ground beef. A little like “Sloppy Joe’s” but not so sloppy nor so spicy; in other words, bland bland bland. But we finally had one!

Parked - Rochester, MN

We are here for 2 nights then on eastward. The roads out of eastern South Dakota and most of Minnesota (so far) are a bit rough (bumpy, holely, etc.) Sometimes they pavement is a red/pink color both in South Dakota and Minnesota. Not all of Interstate 90 (nor both directions at the same time) - weird but true. All that federal money spent on the roads in Montana could have been useful here in Minnesota, too.

Another thing we keep forgetting to share is that South Dakota is mostly ranches / range areas in the Western side and farms on the eastern side. I know you all were waiting with baited breath for that tidbit of knowledge. You just never know when a Trivia or Jeopardy question needs this very bit of fact!

We are very glad that Minnesota state government is back in business because the rest stops would have been closed. We have never met a Rest Stop we didn’t like!!!

So Hot - Blackhawk SD

It is so hot here that when taking Karma for a walk she walks in our shadows.

Seashells Museum – Broadus, MT

The main reason for stopping in Broadus was Mac’s Museum, which houses, among other things, 20,000 seashells. Boots and Kassie share a love of and have quite a collection of seashells, so this was a must. Given the high temps and the museum not having AC, Boots rushed off to see the seashells after crawling out from under the RV and doing a quick shower. She parked the truck under a big shade tree and did a speedy tour, while keeping one eye on the temp.

“Mac” McCurdy, born 1888, collected, identified and catalogued the specimens. He left his collection to the town and it’s housed at the Powder River Museum, which is well worth several hours of attention (in cooler temps). Museum is free, run by volunteers, 2 of whom are 90+.

Broke Down – Broadus, MT

You know how when you are driving along the road you sometimes see strips of tire or even whole sections of tread. Well, now we know what happens next! After a short day (120 miles from Hardin, MT to Broadus, MT) in very hot weather (getting up to 100⁰), we pulled into our next RV Park. The interior roads were a bit rough. We got out of the truck and scoped out the site options. Picking the best (we think), Boots pulled to the outside of the pathway and turned right into the spot. While Ruthi directed and generally ensured she didn’t hit the water/electric/sewer connections.

Then all hell broke out – loud metallic noises, things flapping around the passenger side 5th wheel tires, and water is gushing out of the fresh water (? we are hoping – and finally proven correct) tank storage. We stop and look aghast stunned by the event. The very high temperatures sent us into speed mode to get set up and inside to the air conditioning where we begin to think out the situation. Realizing we need more information, we wait until it cools and do the look-see. Knowing we need to go under the rig, we finally agree that due to the high temperatures (and an excess of grasshopper and black flies) we need to wait until early in the morning to crawl under there.

So, we start looking at the area around the 2 tires. Look at the prior blog entry to see how it’s suppose to look. Here’s how it looks now.






This metal bar was originally horizontal with the ground, supporting the edge of the fender, and attaching the “fender” light between the tires. It is now detached from the “fender” and perpendicular to the ground with the electrical wires ripped from the side light.

To the left of the wheel the “fender” and its own bar are twisted and broken. The fender has been cut/split and bent out and up.






Now both Boots and Ruthi take turns crawling under the rig to see what is what – The fresh water sensor (and later identified as quick release flushing switch) is shown here.





Electrical wires are ripped out of the front tire braking mechanism.







And finally, something is hanging from the back tire brake. It’s kinda flat ribbony of unknown origin.







Now, we begin the serious discussions. We are in Broadus, Montana, population 500 very nice friendly people. We are 150+ miles from our next stop – Rapid City SD (population 67,000). We already have a repair guy waiting to do work on the fresh water tank while we are there. So, we call him concerned not only with the size of the required work but the safety of driving 150 mile with this type of damage (realizing that towing would be very expensive). We disagree on an approach – Boots wants to drive slowly to Rapid City and deal with the problem there. Ruthi is worried that the whole thing is unsafe and worth the money. Boots is more frugal and thinks driving is the best way – plus the fact that even our roadside service can’t tell us if there’s any place closer than 150 miles that does RV repair OR that can tow us. This means a tow truck has to come 150 to get the RV and then tow it back – yowsa!! Ruthi’s wondering just what her life is worth; while Boots worries about the money.

We call our Reno, NV handy woman Connie of “Connie Can”. Much to Ruthi’s disappointment Connie agrees with Boots. Of course, at this point, both of us have failed to see the tire damage (it’s the innermost 1 ½ in. of tread AND it’s dark under there. So when she asks if the tires are ok, we say yes! She says “What difference does it make whether you tow it or a company tows, except for the price?” Ruthi suggests liability. There is no swaying Boots or Connie. So, we start looking for a towing company in Broadus first – thinking it would be faster (no need to wait for them to get here from Rapid City) and maybe cheaper – no luck.

We then think we need an expert opinion – somebody locally that could assess the situation and advise a solution. So, we ask a tow guy in Miles City (about 65 mi. north of Broadus) and he says it’s either Billings or Rapid City (well, Billings if 150 or so miles back west). We call a tire place in Broadus and ask who might we get to help us assess the safety of towing it ourselves to Rapid City. He suggests Grant Trucking & Repair in Broadus. Elwin (the owner) very fortunately has time available and comes right out with one of his team and they crawl under the rig.
Guess what? All of the damage was caused by the treads ripping off of the tires (yep both of them at approximately the same time). The treads pulled the front brake’s electrical connections, the cable for emptying the fresh water tank (hence the flooding), bent the “fender”, broke away from the side light’s wires, damaged the brake housing of one of the tires etc. etc. etc.

So, we need new tires, brake work, and minor body work (until we can get to a Camping World shop) at a minimum to get us to Rapid City. Elwin suggests we drive very slowly to his shop (3 miles) and then stop by Hi-Tech tires and see if they have replacement tires in stock - keep in mind this is Broadus, Montana – population 500 very nice people. We are in luck (maybe) they have 14-ply tires (better than what we had (10-ply) but a smart choice) in stock. Then we spend the rest of today hauling dead tires back to be mounted and staying cool in the air conditioned truck while Elwin and his team make repairs.

Fortunately, Elwin was very accommodating and we were able to stay plugged into land power and could keep the AC on and sleep in the RV that night. We are able to leave for Rapid City (Blackhawk, technically) only about 3 hours behind schedule.

Exterior Pictures - Hardin, MT

HOT - Hardin, MT

We are heading East right into the HEAT WAVE attacking the Mid-West! We backed-in to our site for the night at 2:15pm, temperature was 85⁰ and rising. Luckily we have electricity and air conditioning. So far so good! We are positioned East to West. That means that the rig front-end and truck are getting hot western sun but no windows on that end of the 5th wheel except for a small one in the bedroom that has a reflective insert to stop the heat. By the time the Eastern Sun gets up tomorrow, the building and tree at that end of the RV will shade the large “picture” window on that end of the rig.

Sunny - Boseman, MT

“Big Sky” country - that’s what they call Montana. After the 2 days of rain showers cleared late yesterday afternoon, it was easy to see why! The view is vast - from the mountain ridges and BLUE BLUE BLUE! Bozeman isn’t very large (35,000 + university) but it has a movie theater, Sushi (according to Ruthi’s sorority sister – Barb) and lots of restaurants with outside seating downtown on Main Street. There’s even a café named Zydeco (New Orleans-Cajun menu). We ran out of time to stop there but there’s always next time!! Ruthi likes the feel and look of the place; too bad it has snow and cold for weather.

Just an aside, we forgot to put in the Bozeman, MT entries. Our GPS (built-in on the Ford) has a lot of challenges with the streets beyond the highway routes in Bozeman. Our RV Park and Ruthi's Sorority sisters house we on unknown "yellow" paths on the screen. But Gypsy (our GPS voice) was able to tell us when we had arrived at our destination.

Idaho to Montana

WOW, WOW, WOW – if you haven’t driven through Montana from Missoula to Butte, you are missing an amazingly beautiful drive. The climb from the Idaho-Washington border is long and gradual through Missoula to Butte. The Missoula to Butte is really beautiful. Then just after Butte (which probably explains the name), we climbed straight up to 6383 feet above sea level at the Continental Divide in the Rockies. And, then knowing about gravity it was straight down – 6 miles of 6% grade – so steep and curvy that semis were required to go 25mph – DOWN HILL! But as soon as the 6 miles were up it was back to nice relatively flat curvy driving.

Montana, like all cold weather state is doing a lot of road work. While we are slowed to 45 or 55 and one lane, the lack of traffic makes it much less problematic. At least, in Montana they lower the speed limit from 75 for cars/65 for semis to 45 or 55 depending upon the type of road work being down. Wyoming never lowers the 75 mph limit at all. Even sometimes there are sections with no speed limit at all.

Road Work - Missoula, MT

It was raining when we left Cheney. We thought that might be good news because there is a lot of road work between the campground and the Idaho border. Well, we were wrong – a little or a lot of rain didn’t keep them from working and slowing traffic to a single lane.

Up, up, and away – we started climbing as soon as we got into Idaho. And continued to the Montana border, where we crossed the top of the Rocky mountains (these are nowhere near as high or scary as the Canadian’s version – there were white lies, guard rails, and shoulders!) and headed down to Missoula. It didn’t take very long to get to the high valley that surrounds Missoula. If you want to read about the settling of this area, try any of Ivan Doig’s books. We both especially liked Whistling Season!! We must have crossed the Clark Fork- largest river by volume in Montana- most of its path runs parallel with Interstate 90, at least a dozen times.

There was road work again in Montana – Interstate 90 was reduced to 1 lane each way on the West-bound or East-bound depending upon which side of the bridge they were working on. That went on for about 60 miles total.

Visiting - Spokane, WA

On our way to Spokane, WA Tuesday, we noticed that the high desert growing valley extended quite a ways from Yakima, WA. We had thought that Eastern Washington would be more forested with fir and old growth oak, etc. But the desert extended to about 50 or so miles West of Spokane. Then the trees started to show. In one rolling field, there were just 2 fir trees standing alone on the hillside. Our campground is very treed and we are unable to get satellite even with our mobile dish setup.

We went into Spokane, WA today. It was a challenge to find an appropriate dog daycare that is large enough for the number of dogs and would take Karma for an evaluation after 9am (we called too late to get her in there by 9am). Also, we are finding out that off-leash dog parks are not even present in Spokane, WA but maybe in Coeur d'Alene, ID (30 miles East of here). We haven’t seen any recycling bins here at the campground or around Spokane, WA, either.

Seems we might be in “white” country. Looking at the demographics (460K population) , it doesn’t look too colorful or diverse overall – 89% white. They have a pretty standard looking “Bell” curve for the ages between “Under 5” and “75-84”.

The streets in Spokane, WA itself are very rough. We think they are the roughest we have seen in cities. We saw a couple of large parks. There are 7 bridges that cross the wide Spokane River. We had to cross a couple of times and found the traffic moved well back and forth. On Interstate 90 coming back West to the campground, the right lane is rutted down about 3-4 inches. They are working on sections of it to re-pay. It looks like overweight trucks/haulers are to blame. Going East into town the ruts were not very deep and we weren’t having trouble staying smooth.

Pet Peeves - Spokane, WA

One of the constant problems with RVing is that the parks have sets of rules that are enforced arbitrarily. For example, “all pets must be on leashes”; unless they aren’t! Even when informed of cats or dogs not leashed, the parks rarely follows through on enforcement. We asked our neighbors on the North side to leash their 2 smallish fluffy dogs (nicely, I might add). As we were heading out to tour Spokane, we called the office and asked them to enforce the rule. Upon our return, the neighbors had moved the dogs further away from our space but did not leash them. And, they had left small poop in our space.
Chris Matthews (of MSNBC) pronounces VP Cheney’s name the way it’s pronounced in Wyoming. So, we tried to figure out if Cheney, WA is pronounced like the VP does or like Matthews does. Well, some people did it each of the ways. So, we asked around and were told that they pronunciation was changed after he became VP but it didn’t stick – at least in Cheney, WA.

Ford F350 - Spokane, WA

As we drive across America, we often wonder what crops are being grown on the fields to our left/right. Sometimes, our history and childhoods helps us out – corn and wheat for Ruthi and cotton for Boots. Today on Interstate 90 from Yakima, WA to Cheney, WA at about miles 151 to 180, there are signs (like street signs size and lettering) on the fencing that separates the highway from the access/frontage roads. We are guessing that some local 4-H group did the work to make us travelers much more informed. We passed potato, grain corn, sweet corn, grass hay, and timothy hay fields.

Occasionally, we have a lot of traffic going our way but (as today) we have noticed that fewer cars are going our way. We like to think it’s because we are free thinkers on adventure but since we mostly are on interstates, it doesn’t seem likely. When we were going North on WA 97 to Yakima, WA everybody was going South. In fact we saw a 5th wheel with a very long parade behind them. There had to be at least 100 vehicles waiting to get around the slower moving 5th wheel.
Since this drive was a bit smoother (i.e. more level) we were watching our MPG. There was a 30+ mile part of the trip where the message was “Cleaning Exhaust Filter”. That seemed to make a difference and we slowly moved from 9.0 to 9.1, 9.2 and ended at the campsite with 9.4 MPG. So, we are hoping that it is finally back on track because our call into the Spokane, WA Ford dealer was less than helpful. We have had relatively good customer service and responses across America, with the exception of only a few (Bishop, CA; Gresham OR; and now seemingly Spokane, WA).

Leaving - Portland, OR

We got up as usual at 8-ish and got organized to leave our spot in Portland about 10am. We had gone about 25 miles when our display showed a WRENCH and the message “Engine Reduced Power”. Just prior to that Ruthi had heard a sort of “slap” sound. But pulling a 5th wheel there are a lot of sounds of things flying around hitting other things. But the truck definitely slowed and cruise control no longer worked. It didn’t die totally so Ruthi was able to get it off at the next exit and we called Ford Road Side Assistance.
We were sent back to Portland to the Ford dealer/service who had so recently replaced one of the many radiators. We stopped at the RV Park and dropped the rig in our old space we had so recently vacated. Then off to the Ford dealer. We told them we were heading to Yakima, WA and needed to get out of town as soon as possible. Their response was if it’s simple – ok but it might require an order for parts.

So, the three of us sat (or in Karma’s case lay down and went to sleep) in the customer waiting room. We finally were able to get them to shut off the TV - was on CNN constantly covering the Casey Anthony returned verdicts – so we could at least sit in somewhat of a peace. Then our service rep told us that it was just a new thermostat that was covered under warranty and we’d be off soon. Well, soon for them and soon for us isn’t exactly a match.

3pm - we get the truck and rig re-connected and ready once again to head to Yakima, WA (175 miles). Off we go, tired but energized to “get out of dodge”. Interstate 84 along the Columbia River Gorge is flat and picturesque but when we cross over to WA 97 it was very hilly (mountains maybe but nothing like the Rockies). We had filled up the tank (diesel at Safeway was 3.89 with customer savings) the day before we left but with errands and this 50 miles wasted trip out of town and back, we were less than full when we took off the second time. We notice that they reset the mileage indicator so it was pretty low. With the hills up and down it was to be expected to be low calculating from 0. But then we noticed it wasn’t getting past 8.9/9.0 MPG. EGADS – we can handle the pricing of diesel at 3.99 or so with MPG at 11.5 – 12.0 when towing and 12-5 – 13.0 when around town or on the highways (not towing). But this was BAD.!

We starting watching our gas gauge, miles-to-empty status and looking for diesel stations that are big enough for our rig. We finally pick the place to have both a potty-break and fill up diesel. About 6 miles out we see signs about some detour coming up. Well, Gypsy (our GPS) didn’t know about it, so we slowed down trying to figure out what it means to us – no gas station for us, the EXIT was closed. So, on we go to our camp ground. After signing in and getting assigned our space, Boots starts the car and gets a beeping with this message “45 miles to empty”. She parks and we talk with the RV Park about the closest diesel station in Yakima, WA near us.
Ruthi is out walking the dog and sees a diesel station about a block away. Both of us are concerned that we seem to be using diesel entirely too fast. Something has to be wrong. We also did not get the message “Cleaning Exhaust Filter”; which is a very frequent staple of towing 200 miles a day between stops. Tomorrow morning we’ll again fill up and track out mileage to the Spokane, WA area (190 miles).

Stores - Portland, OR

Beauty Salon - Ain't Ms B Haven
Another Beauty Salon - The Greatest Little Hair House in Gresham, OR
Animal Rescue - Chase Me Again
Thrift Shop - Bizarre Bazaar
Russian Mini-Mart - Babushka

Books - Portland, OR

Last year when we were in Portland, a cousin of Ruthi’s recommended that we check out Powell’s Bookstore in downtown Portland. With Boots' medical events we ran out of time before we had to cut short our stay and head back to Reno.

Now that we had a little car off we went. OMG!!! Ruthi spent an hour in just 2 rows on the first floor (Orange Room). We would need a month camped downtown to even begin to appreciate the immense selection!!! Luckily, Ruthi was able to review some options for a customer but not buy anything! SO, if you are ever in Portland, do go see Powell’s. With our modern age of email, tweets, texting, etc. etc. etc. it is amazing to find every imaginable genre and title just on the shelves for a look-see.

And, then we found a used book store - “Barely Read” in Gresham (NE suburb of Portland). While nowhere near as large as Powell’s, it is tightly packed with every possible genre for $0.60 each. They also took all of our books we’d finished - that rarely happens.

Ford Work - Portland, OR

The camels (Ford F350 truck) had to go to the shop today. While there were a couple of things (oil change, recall fix, etc.) and since we have had ongoing problems with our radiator we wanted them to check it. Bad news is that the truck needs one of the multiple radiators replaced. Good news is that it will take all day and we need to rent a car. Good news because then we can easily go to downtown Portland, OR. With a rental we can more easily find parking! So, off we went to Powell’s book store – really if you haven’t ever been there check it out – 5 floors of books, books, books, and used books too! Then check out the snack truck at Alder and 10th (that’s just one corner of the block of trucks).

Sigma Lambda Sigma - Downers Grove, IL

Ruthi was in Chicago for her college sorority (Sigma Lambda Sigma) reunion this past week-end. She had a great time and came back with a hoarse voice from talking almost the entire time. The schedule included dinner Friday night, get-together picnic all day Saturday and finally the “farewell” breakfast on Sunday morning – WHEW!

The invitees were from the pledge classes during the 1960’s; which means that all of them are at least in their 60’s. Conversations covered children, grand-babies, great-grand-babies, Pensions, Social Security, Medicare, golf, health, pastimes, activities, etc. etc. etc. And, then on Saturday they talked about . . . There were about 40+ out of 145 possible women. This is the 3rd reunion of the 60’s SigLambs and for some of the attendees this was their first time attending. Everyone looked great; though some like Ruthi had put on weight and/or still didn’t have any grey hair.

While Ruthi and two other sisters were having a snack at a local Panera’, they noted their server’s name was “Journey”. They asked how she got such a unique name. Her parents were “Dead Heads” (i.e. followers of the Grateful Dead Band’s concerts across America). Since they each had a favorite Grateful Dead song/title that they wanted to name the child, they made a bet – if she went into labor at a concert she would win and name the baby. The mother was into her 8th month at a concert when she went into labor – hence “Journey”.

Tires - Portland, OR

We have about 50,000+ miles on the truck and 20,000 on the RV. When we are driving around town/interstates visiting places we can get out MPG up to 13.0. But just towing 20 miles from Vancouver to Portland (on interstate) took it down to 12.9 mpg. Thank goodness the price per gallon has come down. Also, Safeway has diesel pumps that offer discounts depending upon your Safeway purchases over the past few months.

Leaving Anchorage in June 2008, we had 4 new tires on the RV and 4 relatively new (3,000 miles) tires on the 2008 Ford. When Boots was driving Ruthi to the airport last week, the trucks “Low Tire Pressure” came on. So, after dropping Ruthi, Boots went to the local Ford dealer. They could find no problem and put more air in the tire. Over the past 3 years of full-time RVing, tires have been our most challenging item. We had a slow leak on one of the RV tires that took 4 different stops to finally find the problem (weld in wheel was leaking).

So, now we thought we were in for the same challenge on the truck tires that had been replaces at 35,000 miles for front and 50,000 miles for back). After the visit to Ford, Boots continued to enjoy her alone time with Karma. Saturday, Boots went out to take Karma for a run in an off-leash park. Lo and behold another “low Tire Pressure” message. Since it was late Saturday afternoon, she quickly called the Ford dealer that had not found the leak yesterday to check when they close. So, off she went flying to their office to get there before they closed. With further review a screw was discovered in the tire.

Why do we have to revisit issues to get resolution. As has been said inour blog many times, customer service is sorely lacking across America. Our experiences with Ford had been particularly good until recently (Bishop, CA and Portland, OR). Now we need to get an oil change and a “recall” issue resolved. So, we are going to another Ford dealer in the area this week.

Visiting - Trout Lake, WA

Ruthi drove up to Trout Lake to visit the college sorority sister (Mary Barsotti Calahan) who had convinced her to move to Alaska back in 1971. Ruthi travelled up there via Interstate 84 to WA141 and returned via WA141 and 14. While the interstate was a bit faster WA14 felt like the “old” new Seward Highway (in AK) before they put the 4 lanes in – water on the left and granite on the right (heading North in AK and West in WA) – brought back a lot of memories!

Trout Lake is located in a valley below Mt Adams which again reminded Ruthi of how Denali towers at the end of the highway as you approach from the South. Mt Adams was still covered in snow and shining bright. Ruthi and her sorority sister reminisced about old times and enjoyed the bright sun and surrounding valley scenery. The valley is currently completely organic in the approach to the vegetation and livestock. They produce organic milk, as all of the dairies abide by the restrictions of “organic”. There is also an herb farm (Trout Lake Farms) which is also organic.

Then Mary took Ruthi by the ECETI Ranch (http://www.eceti.org/). Check out their website. They claim to have seen (and still are seeing) numerous UFOs above the ranch near Mt Adams. So besides the rafter/kayakers tourist come up to the ranch during the summer months – makes for a quaint town attraction.

Mountains - Roseburg, OR

Mountains on both sides of the high plains farm/ranch district of Northern California. Because we share the driving, Ruthi did indeed get to/have to drive the ups/downs. We could see that it was much different on south-bound Interstate 5. We remembered our rush through these same mountains when we left Anchorage and hurried to LA in June of 2008.

The temperatures are much more comfortable now that we have left the high Sierras snowy season. It’s still rainy a bit but definitely shorts and maybe tank tops in a couple of days. Everything is greening up and Ruthi is looking forward to road side cherry stands – as Bings are her favorite fruit.

Feather River Canyon - Quincy, CA to Chico, CA

Well, we finally did it - hauled the 5th wheel down CA route 70 from Quincy to Chico and beyond. Boots' son/daughter-in-law drive it all the time and poo-pooed our hesitancy. The right side of the road for most of the way down is granite walls that had been blown to put the road way it. Ruthi swears that on some of the many many curves she could reach out and touch the stone. And, part of the way down there is a guard rail and steep decline to the beautiful river below!

Lucky for us the rain stopped as we drove out of Quincy and didn’t start again until almost at the bottom. The sun wasn’t out but it was very clear with high clouds.
Also, the traffic in both directions was very sparse this Sunday morning. Just before we got onto Interstate 5 North, we ate lunch and traded drivers (Boots does mountains, Ruthi cities).

We are currently camped in the mountains surrounding Lake Shasta. It’s a bit rustic, think “Deliverance” but it has a camp store with ice cream. How much else do we need? Our drive-thru site is level, electric power is clean, and our Verizon reception for the phones and “air” card is great. Best of all, we get Direct TV via our rear roof mounted dish which isn’t always possible in some of the more expensive sites we have been.

Since we are in the mountains, Boots will be driving out and into the heights on Interstate 5 into Oregon tomorrow.

We forgot to mention, that coming down the canyon we saw a sheriff's emergency vehicle on the sid eof the road and one of their helicoptors hovering over the river. The power company (PE&G, we think) manages the flow of water in the river so that kayakers can have a class 4 or 5 run down the river. At first, we thought there was an accident but then noticed people with cameras/lawn chairs and figured it was either an established race or training for the Sheriff's staff.

Book Review - Quincy, CA

Ruthi's sister sent us the hard back copy of "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest" (the 3rd in the series) by Stieg Larsson. Ruthi finished it while the kids were at Yosemite for a school trip!!! Then boots dug into it. Again, these are books that cause the reader to shut out the rest of the world for he hours/days it takes to get form page 1 to the end.

Ruthi and Boots had mixed emotions getting into the book. Lisbeth seemed again to be in a position of great vulnerability and needed to be the only one to protect herself. Until page 129 (don't want to give away any of the great plot), Ruthi was reading with bated breath!! Then ruthi was able to charge forward with more hope of a better future for Lisbeth. When Lisbeth's brother was not found, Ruthi "thought what a great segue" into a 4th novel in the series. Though considering the angst of reading, maybe it’s just as well there isn’t a 4th. Both Boots and ruthi think reading the 3 books in a row would have been better. Waiting so long to get to this one (our own fault though) really made the terror high pitched!!

We still highly recommend the trilogy!!!!!

Rewind – Quincy, CA

We watch lots of taped TV and internet footage. As a result we rewind often: to catch what was really said or shown. Ruthi noticed when she attended “live” arena football back in Anchorage that she really missed that function – i.e., the ability to rewind/replay a particular action. In the truck, we have SiriusXM Radio and the rewind function isn’t available there either. Though, Boots did discover she can rewind (up to about 15 minutes) live radio on her IPOD. Of course all of her Podcasts are rewind-able.

So, where are we going with this? Ruthi was watching one of our neighbors load up his stuff in anticipation of leaving the campground. He was one of the loggers with a long term spot for the winter. He was gathering stuff and getting ready to drive his 4-wheeler up onto the truck bed on an angle with the front wheels on the built-in tool chest at the front of the bed. While a lot of people drive their ATVs up onto the trucks, this looked to be a little steeper that safe. Ruthi keep watching between surfing the net and wouldn’t you know it she missed the whole thing. DARN! Where’s the rewind function when you really need it!

Snow AGAIN – Quincy, CA

This is beginning to look a lot like Alaska! Rain turned to slush and then REAL snow. While Ruthi was out walking the dog, Karma got a bright trail of white on the top of her head and down her back. She kept shaking it off but it returned pretty quickly. It snowed off and on all night and we had a good inch on the truck this morning.

We definitely need to do this visiting in June!

Memories - Quincy, CA

The story below comes from a guy I worked with at CTG in Alaska, Mike Shea. I am including it here because it is really a good story about the USS San Diego Memorial and how it is related to him – enjoy!

“if you wanted to get a picture of the USS Midway in its full Glory, you would stand on the dock with the Memorial to the San Diego right behind you. My father was the person who pushed the USS San Diego Memorial project through to completion.
He was the Secretary for the USS San Diego Memorial Association (I built their membership database, by the way, in MS Access). As the youngest person on the Memorial Association “Committee” (he was 84 when the Memorial was completed and unveiled), and a Harvard Business School Graduate and former US Navy Captain, he ran the show behind the scenes (well – he raised the funds by putting out a monthly news letter to Association Members and other newsletter membership readers … which I also helped with. He pretty well designed the memorial with the Artists, got the City’s buy in on the location for the memorial site, filled out all the mountains of paperwork required, obtained required “official” signatures, paid the Association Bills, oversaw the Memorial construction, and finally, planned the memorial unveiling, and the big wing-ding of a reunion party afterwards. I actually think that’s why he did the entire thing – for the big wing-ding reunion party - as he got to meet his fellow USS San Diego Comrades one last time; my Father passed on to his next big Project later that same year.

The USS San Diego was the 2nd most decorated US Navy Ship in WWII (The Aircraft Carrier USS Enterprise having 19 battle stars, the USS San Diego had 18).

The day of the Memorial Unveiling, my Father was finally going to get to see everything in place for the very first time; others on the committee had seen it earlier that morning and stated it was great, but something had always seemed to pop up over the past couple of days – keeping dad from getting by the memorial to see its final touches being put in place – though he had seen pictures from several of the committee members of different parts of it he wanted to check on – everything except the statue.

The Statue of a Sailor he had ordered for the center piece of the memorial – to represent all the sailors and officers of the ship - with the pink granite walls in the back of the memorial shaped like a ship’s bow cutting through the waves – hadn’t been finished until the day before [supposedly], and had just been installed the night before, and though he’d seen it during different stages, he’d never seen the final product close up and complete.

Months before, the artists had asked him if he wanted to pose for the statue – my Father had told them then he didn’t want anything to do with “posing” for the statue; he just needed it to look like a life size, battle weary sailor of WWII. His Rhode Island - Roman Catholic “modesty” just wouldn’t conceive of his likeness being used for a statue representing all the sailors of that ship; I can envision him raising his hands in front of his face and turning away from them, and saying “No thank you” when asked by the artists if he wanted to pose.
However, the Memorial Sailor - standing in the middle / back wall of the memorial, life size and made of bronze – was, unbeknownst to my Father, posed for … by him.

You see, my Mother – being the sly she-devil she was when she had the opportunity - had passed on to the artists a WWII picture of my Father, as the artists had called the house around the same time they had talked with my Father about posing – and were still looking for a likeness to use. And on that particular phone call, they had got a hold of my Mother – not my Father.

The day arrived, and everybody that was somebody in San Diego was there for the unveiling of the memorial at a big wing-ding of a ceremony (the big wing-ding of a party being later in the evening); the Mayor was there, along with (as I recall) a bunch of US Navy Brass, a former Governor, several of San Diego’s extremely wealthy types, a bunch of the original ship’s crew and family who were still able to make the ceremony … and a particular State Senator that went to Jail a short time later for embezzling money (Sen. Charles “Duke” Cunningham – the first US Navy Aviator “Ace” of the Vietnam War). Finally, my father stepped up to the podium to give a short introduction speech – the podium being just a short distance from the now unveiled statue - and Dad saw the statue for the first time in its full, finished glory.

People in the audience kept looking at the statue, and then my Father, and then the Statue, and then my Father.

My Dad stumbled through his Memorial Presentation Speech – the first speech I ever heard him stumble through (they were normally very clear, direct and to the point), and then after stepping off the podium, started staring at the statue while others gave their short speeches at the podium. For a while, I thought he was going to collapse, or have a stroke or something. All the while, my mother had a smile on her face from ear to ear; I don’t think I ever saw her smile that much in one day … ever.

When I finally looked at what Dad was staring at - there was “Dad” in Bronze staring back – posed as a battle weary sailor – clad in a seaman’s Battle Stations outfit of WWII, helmet in hand (my father being a former Navy Officer would have been dressed just a bit different) – but that was definitely the face of a much younger Ensign LE Shea.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone turn white, then red, then paint a smile across their red face while they shook hands for the rest of the day. The Memorial artists, who were at the Ceremony, told him where they got the likeness from a short time later - just as soon as my Father could break free from the forth coming congratulations and get over to artists who were standing at the edge of the memorial celebration’s crowd obviously very pleased with themselves. And once he figured out how it had happened, and that there wasn’t a thing he could do about it (I mean, it was his wife who passed the artist’s the photo to use – and they had obviously got it dead on right), he must have said “I had no idea” a thousand times that day when many, many celebrants asked if he knew before hand that the Statue was going to look so much like him.

And by the way – I, too, almost dropped my “drink” when I finally got to see the Statue up close … as I look a lot like my father did … and while I was standing in front of it with my mouth wide open, I could hear my mother quietly mentioning to my embarrassed father (who was behind me at the time) … “Calm down - It really looks a lot more like Mike than you, Len…”.”

Snow in the Morning – Quincy, CA

Today, Karma woke us 8:30 for breakfast and her early walk. When she is very tired, we get lucky and she waits until at the latest 10:30 before rising. On the other side of the coin, when she’s “bored” or “rested”, she rises at 7:30 – UGH!!! Anyway, Karma and Ruthi set out for the designated dog run area. Karma with a quick step and Ruthi in shorts, flip-flops, and light jacket being dragged behind. Once at the park area, there were white flecks in the air. At first, Ruthi thought it was more blossom petals being blown off the plants already in bloom. But with closer looks it was identified as SNOW!

As the day is going on, there is more snow in the air and the temperature is dropping but nothing is sticking. More and more snow – really blinding, sideways, whiteout conditions prevail across Quincy. Since this happened last May here in Quincy, we need to move our visits out a bit more into summer.

"Swinging" Sams - Quincy, CA

Well, the RV season is in full swing now. The park we are in was wide open until yesterday. The permanent residents and the few of us that came up the mountain early, had lots of space. Starting yesterday, the first group of week-end RV clubs started coming. The welcome sign said “Swinging Sams”. We understand the “Sam” part reference to being members of the “Good Sam” RV club. But the “Swinging” part has us wondering??? Are they really “Swingers”? Or, is it just like the word “gay” having been converted to something else. They did hand out little flags, so the “Swinging Sams” are easily identified since not all of them are in one section of the park. We think they are really “Swingers”. Really, why not? Just cause they are more mature than others doesn’t mean they can’t have fun too!

Family - Quincy, CA

We got partially set up yesterday, then off to see the grandkids (Bodhi 6YO and Tara 2YO). He had been calling us for weeks for updates on our arrival. Even yesterday morning before we left Reno, he called to confirm we were coming. Tara was a bit shyer and took a few minutes to remember us after we got to the house. But when we suggested a walk downtown for lunch, she was all for it.

Karma and their dog, Sunny (beagle/hound mix), do play well together. Which means Karma constantly asks us to throw one of Sunny’s balls and Sunny ignores her so he can get long pets while Karma’s chasing the ball. If Karma ever gets distracted, Sunny finds the ball and literally hides it in the yard somewhere. He has even gone as far as digging a hole to hide it.

Tires - Reno NV

Our rig has had a slow leak in one of the 4 tires for the past year or so. We have had “Roadside Assistance” check it twice and Camping World twice. No one could find the leak but it continued to lose air over time. Originally, “over time” meant months. So, we would think “hey, they finally found the leak”. But now it happened in Sacramento and then again once we got to Reno (about 130 miles). In Sacramento we were down to 20 PSI (should be 80 PSI). We pumped up and then headed to Reno. A couple of days after we got here, the tire looked low (20 PSI) again. So, Roadside Assistance said “Take the rig to Mr Hubcap”. Because we needed to drive the rig to the shop, we arranged to have it fixed early today before we drove up to Quincy. So, we once again pumped it up and drove around the corner from the RV Park.

They found a rather fast leak around the wheel. So, since they had to order a replacement wheel, we had them put the original (1998) spare on the rig. While we there they noted that our back truck tires we worn beyond safety levels. We have about 50,000 miles on these two (having replaces the other pair previously at around 35-40,000). It wasn’t really a surprise that we needed to replace the back tires. So, in goes another order for 2 tires. We have to return to Reno mid-month for some appointments, movies, shopping, etc. so we will pick up the mounted tire and have the truck tires replaced then. We hope that John, Boots’ son, can exchange the spare for the new wheel on the RV when we get it back to Quincy. If not, we’ll stop at a Camping World or such to have it done. It takes a pretty powerful hydraulic lift to get the rig up to remove the tire.

Karma/Buddy - Reno, NV

Our aforementioned neighbor is friendly but not “pushy” like some we have encountered. On some occasions, it really isn’t safe to go outside at all because the “neighbor” will come around their rig or just happen to come by on the roadway to chat us up. This neighbor has a male lab mix, Buddy, that gets along very well with Karma. So, we have on occasion gone over to the fenced dog area together and let them chase each other. Karma got a little too friendly with Buddy this morning and was mounting him (a first for her, at least in our presence). The owner said, “You know dogs they’re all bi-sexual”.

Snow - Reno, NV

It’s a bit cooler here in Reno than we would like. Alas, we have no control over the weather. This morning, our neighbor was up very early (5am) and noticed some snow on their “porch”. EGADS – SNOW! We didn’t sign on for snow and cold. Boots is wearing long pants and Ruthi will not concede to the cooler weather yet. Remember, if Ruthi is wearing long pants (socks and shoes other than flip-flops are optional) she thinks it’s winter. Winter in April is totally unacceptable!

BRRR - Donner Pass

We travelled over the Donner Pass (about 5,000 ft) in the Sierras today driving from Sacramento, CA to Reno, NV. We arranged to get a later start as we thought there was a possibility of snow in the higher elevations. When we left it was a nice 56⁰ with a light breeze. The temperature kept dropping and finally settled on 34⁰ at the pass – BRRR. We did experience blowing snow crystals at the very top but nothing was sticking to the ground or even making the highway wet except for a few spots. Down the East side into Reno the temperature climbed back to mid-fiftys but the wind had picked up considerable – gale force to us but probably just blustery to others.

City Similarities - Sacramento, CA

Sacramento, CA is a lot like Minneapolis/St Paul MN. Both have lovely Springs and Falls – weather wise and horrible off-seasons (Summer for Sacramento and Winter for Minneapolis/St Paul). There is a lot of big trees and green belts throughout both city areas. Bike trails and a lot of bikeways on the side of the main roads.

Hot Flashes - Sacramento, CA

Today we experienced mid-spring in Sacramento, CA. It was like the city was going through menopause. Hot Flashes – first it was sunny and hot, heating more and more; then Cold Chills - abruptly it was cool with winds rocking the RV; then Hot Flashes again; and then back to the Cold Chills. Hard to determine just exactly what weather was happening around us and how to dress for it. Nothing drastic just really menopause in nature and humorous! Like when we went through it back in our late 40s/50s.

"Jacks" - San Martin, CA

We had a little catch in our giddy-up this morning. Yesterday, as Ruthi was preparing some of the items for leaving today, she discovered a problem with the rear right stabilizer “jack”. Jack is a misnomer as it is not designed nor built to “jack” up anything. The sole purpose is to steady the RV in the right rear corner. There is a twin mechanism on the rear left to secure that end. FYI: the front end is supported by REAL jacks that raises/lowers the front (left and right) for leveling and positioning for hitching up to the Ford.

Anyway, back to the problem, the mechanism is really a very long screw that draws or lowers the supporting shaft. At the end of the very long screw is a smaller screw that is positioned through a support and bolted with washers and a nut (no, not one of us, even though we qualify as nutty). Ruthi, in a moment of extra attention to this mechanism, had lubricated both sides to eliminate the irritating squeak. It seems that the only thing holding the nut and associated washers on that side was the road GUNK. Oiling that away caused the nut and washers to loosen and fall to the ground. In effect this made not only the mechanism non-workable it also made it difficult to store the long screw and associated shaft like they are normally (up under the rear of the RV).

So now what, we can’t drive with it hanging and if we don’t get it fixed we will be a little more jiggly than normal at our next campground. Of course, it’s too late to call someone locally. Besides we have discovered that while most local guys can be good there is no re-course if they are not and you are hundreds of miles down the road. We have started depending on the various Camping Worlds across America for things we can schedule or like the water leak fix they had caused that wasn’t discovered until a few days later. As soon as we could this morning, we called to see if they could fit us in. The service manager and Ruthi really thought it would be a simple fix/replace job. The location would only really add a few miles to the overall day. Our path would be adjusted but not by much.

We strapped up the screw/shaft with bungee cords and a Velcro strap to keep it from dragging on the pavement sending sparks up to our RV. We hook up and drive out of the park which happens to be on the West side of CA 101. We are heading North and need to get up on the overpass and merge into the flow of traffic, always tricky with 45 foot of rig. As we look North, we see billowing BLACK smoke. It takes us a while, but soon we discover it is a semi wrecked in the South-bound lane just slightly North of our exit. It that bad??? What does it mean for us getting to Camping World quickly??? Traffic is stopped in both directions but cars are exiting the North-bound lane at our exit and then re-entering the highway. Because of the long on-ramp provided it puts traffic well away from the fire, smoke and fumes. Whew, it won’t slow us down and we can see the driver with CHP officers watching the flames. There was only the cab and no load.

We finally get to Camping World at 9:30 and begin our sitting exercises until they can fit us in or someone cancels. At 11:30 we get lucky. Not only has the 11 appointment decided not to get the work done there (and he leaves) and the 11:30 has made a fueling mistake, like we have in the past, of putting gasoline into his diesel engine. OPPS! So, his bad fortune turns out to be our good fortune. The technician and Ruthi review what the problem is and in less than 30 minutes he has corrected the problem and advised us on a future choice if and when these “jacks” finally do cease to be functional/repairable.

Full Time RVer Community - San Juan Bautista, CA

We seem to be meeting other full-time RVers that were at Santee for this past winter, as were we. First, we met the giant Alaska malemute, Bruno, who weighed in at 180 pounds across the lane at Oceano, CA. They had been at Santee Lakes - both Karma and I rememeber meeting Bruno - hard not to rememeber 180 pounds of hair and dog.

Now, directly next door, are a couple originally from Ohio, who were also at Santee Lakes this past winter. Our world is getting smaller and smaller!

Satellite Access - San Juan Bautista, CA

We have a roof mounted satellite that can be automatically reset and positioned for access each time we park in a new location. This is very handy and speeds up the set up process. Sometimes, like yesterday, we are foiled by the surrounding area. I n this case there is a light pole that is exactly in line between the dish and satellite.

Therefore, we needed to bring out the manual dish and positioned it. For some reason the compass was having a hard time settling on due North. Since that is a key ingredient to successfully positioning the manual dish, it took a little time to finally fine the right spot both on the ground and in the sky. In the process, Ruthi accidently killed a black caterpillar. There are a lot of them both here in San Juan Bautista and Oceano. Guess we need to make amends and look up what type of butterfly/moth they become.

Alaskan Plates - San Juan Bautista, CA

You will notice that we are changing the naming convention from just location to a topic-location.

Today, we were driving North on California route 101 from Oceano to San Martin and were passed by an auto with Alaska plates. We flashed our brights and waved to the driver who responded in kind. In all of our travels over the past 2, almost 3 years, we have never seen an Alaskan plate on another vehicle on the road. We have seen RVs (like in Phoenix) from Alaska in the same campground but not this. Kinda brought a tear to our eyes (not really, just kidding).