Tuesday, Sept.29th
We arrived at Russian River Thousand Trails preserve in Cloverdale, CA (just north of Santa Rosa) after driving in and out of localized rain showers. It is so obvious that the Federal funds that have been distributed to the states are being used to improve highways in California. US-101 has construction all along its length and it is sorely needed! Last year when we drove on 101 it was a jar-rattling ride. Much of the highway has been over-paved and is much smoother now. The worst portion of the roadway was just north of Cloverdale around Ukiah. We still experienced some terrible roadway cracks that vibrated everything in the coach.
When we arrived we got checked in and found a site that had good satellite reception with electric and water hookups. This park is one of the prettier preserves with all the trees albeit hilly. The park isn’t even close to being full and there were plenty of choices for sites. There isn’t much in activities but we have enjoyed the peace and quiet of the park. Everything is brown in this part of the state and the drought is extremely obvious. Even the preserve is asking that everybody conserve water. We are parked adjacent to one of the restrooms, so we’re not using our shower facility in the coach.
We have been going down to Cloverdale to Ruth McGowan’s Brewpub in the afternoon for a “brew break” and enjoying their own brewed beers. They brew an IPA that has a wonderful grapefruit aftertaste, and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a small-town brewpub that has a lot of the locals coming in for their Happy Hour from 3-5PM. We’ve met several older couples that live in the area and drop by in the afternoon for a cool beer on the patio.
Thursday I went to town to attend the Cloverdale Rotary club luncheon. I really like this club - they serve wine for lunch! They are a small club that is growing slowly and had a terrific program about bicycles and the technology that has emerged in the serious bicycle community. It was a fascinating program describing the bicycles that can be purchased from$1000-$8000! Now, those are some serious bikers!!
On Friday morning, the 18th, we left Russian River and drove down to Santa Rosa for one night at my sister’s house. Both sisters were there and we discussed some of the changes that are coming with our Mother’s move to Santa Rosa. Our biggest surprise was sister Peg’s offer to stay until Monday and give her a hand sorting and tossing a lot of stuff she has accumulated. She is preparing for Mother’s move and making room for some of the things that Mother will bring with her. I was able to back the coach into her driveway and almost get leveled. We had an electric outlet so we could keep the batteries charged up.
We had a wonderful evening meal when sister Harriet and Skip arrived around 7. We all sat out on Peg’s back patio/kitchen, consumed some adult beverages, and relaxed. It was a terrific chance to talk about the changes that we’ll all experience with Mother’s move. Peg made some wonderful pizzas in her stone oven and we all just enjoyed the quiet of the back yard. We all had dogs so it was fun to watch the interaction of them and see Nancy avoid the large dogs.
Saturday morning Harriet and Skip left to go to a cabin on the Russian River. The rest of us tackled Peg’s garage and did some major cleaning. Peg seemed to appreciate our help in spite of our feeling that we really didn’t do that much. But we did get a lot of things sorted out and disposed.
On Monday, the 21st, we left Peg’s house after putting a nice gouge in her driveway from the hitch on the back of the coach. We drove south across the Golden Gate Bridge, into San Francisco, and to the Morgan Hill Thousand Trails preserve. We were hoping to see cousin Kate Nelson, but she was recovering from the H1N1 flu. We decided that we didn’t need exposure to that since we would be seeing Mother within a week. We were able to find a nice site with plenty of satellite exposure. Keith, Kate’s husband and an enjoyable guy to spend some time with, met us for lunch on Tuesday at a terrific Mexican restaurant. That afternoon we drove back in to Morgan Hill and the El Toro Brew Pub. We have been familiar with this microbrewery since they opened in 1994. Their original location was just around the corner from Kate’s house and I visited them each time we were in Morgan Hill. The father was the original brewer and passed the skill on to his son. The son now owns the business and has built a beautiful brewpub in downtown Morgan Hill. He still brews the beer at “the farm” and lives next door. He has brewed some very interesting combinations, including peach ale, raspberry wheat, blackberry ale, and his signature Poppy Jasper Ale. He also has a strong IPA that leaves a refreshing grapefruit aftertaste. We had a couple of beers and a stone-baked pizza. We had an enjoyable discussion with the son/owner and talked with him about the business of microbreweries.
On Wednesday morning we left Morgan Hill and drove almost 250 miles down the coast to the Rancho Oso Thousand Trails preserve. It’s located just over the hill from Santa Barbara on SR-154 in the Santa Ynez Recreation Area. Everything is brown and just ripe for wildfires. The road in to the preserve is a narrow, twisty road with a couple of interesting (almost hairpin) turns. It is slow going, but can be done with patience and time. The preserve is beautiful, well laid out, and has strong electric current. It gets warm enough to justify the air conditioner, but with only 30-amp electric we can run one of the A/Cs. We’re back in the woods far enough that we don’t want to drive out until we leave. However, there is a great laundry facility here and an inviting swimming pool that we’ll probably try out.
On Friday, the 25th, we had planned to go to Palmdale and stay at the Elks Lodge or the Soledad Canyon Thousand Trails preserve. However, in thinking about the high forecast temperatures, I decided to drive down 101 to I-405 and straight down through Los Angeles to San Diego. I really despise the LA traffic, but we managed through with only one delay north of the airport. We had a section of 405 that we were slowed to about 15-20MPH for almost six miles. We arrived at Palisades Presbyterian Church around 3PM and got settled in. It sure is nice to be back in San Diego, BUT the weather change has gotten to me with a head cold and stuffy nose. Dottie is doing fine, but the cold is my usual San Diego killer and makes me feel miserable.
We’re already getting phone calls from the realtor in Yuma about possible properties for our home base. We’re looking at a couple but will have to make a day trip over there to really look them over. In the mean time we’re preparing for the surgery on Oct. 21st and getting everything in order.
We arrived at Russian River Thousand Trails preserve in Cloverdale, CA (just north of Santa Rosa) after driving in and out of localized rain showers. It is so obvious that the Federal funds that have been distributed to the states are being used to improve highways in California. US-101 has construction all along its length and it is sorely needed! Last year when we drove on 101 it was a jar-rattling ride. Much of the highway has been over-paved and is much smoother now. The worst portion of the roadway was just north of Cloverdale around Ukiah. We still experienced some terrible roadway cracks that vibrated everything in the coach.
When we arrived we got checked in and found a site that had good satellite reception with electric and water hookups. This park is one of the prettier preserves with all the trees albeit hilly. The park isn’t even close to being full and there were plenty of choices for sites. There isn’t much in activities but we have enjoyed the peace and quiet of the park. Everything is brown in this part of the state and the drought is extremely obvious. Even the preserve is asking that everybody conserve water. We are parked adjacent to one of the restrooms, so we’re not using our shower facility in the coach.
We have been going down to Cloverdale to Ruth McGowan’s Brewpub in the afternoon for a “brew break” and enjoying their own brewed beers. They brew an IPA that has a wonderful grapefruit aftertaste, and I’ve really enjoyed it. It’s a small-town brewpub that has a lot of the locals coming in for their Happy Hour from 3-5PM. We’ve met several older couples that live in the area and drop by in the afternoon for a cool beer on the patio.
Thursday I went to town to attend the Cloverdale Rotary club luncheon. I really like this club - they serve wine for lunch! They are a small club that is growing slowly and had a terrific program about bicycles and the technology that has emerged in the serious bicycle community. It was a fascinating program describing the bicycles that can be purchased from$1000-$8000! Now, those are some serious bikers!!
On Friday morning, the 18th, we left Russian River and drove down to Santa Rosa for one night at my sister’s house. Both sisters were there and we discussed some of the changes that are coming with our Mother’s move to Santa Rosa. Our biggest surprise was sister Peg’s offer to stay until Monday and give her a hand sorting and tossing a lot of stuff she has accumulated. She is preparing for Mother’s move and making room for some of the things that Mother will bring with her. I was able to back the coach into her driveway and almost get leveled. We had an electric outlet so we could keep the batteries charged up.
We had a wonderful evening meal when sister Harriet and Skip arrived around 7. We all sat out on Peg’s back patio/kitchen, consumed some adult beverages, and relaxed. It was a terrific chance to talk about the changes that we’ll all experience with Mother’s move. Peg made some wonderful pizzas in her stone oven and we all just enjoyed the quiet of the back yard. We all had dogs so it was fun to watch the interaction of them and see Nancy avoid the large dogs.
Saturday morning Harriet and Skip left to go to a cabin on the Russian River. The rest of us tackled Peg’s garage and did some major cleaning. Peg seemed to appreciate our help in spite of our feeling that we really didn’t do that much. But we did get a lot of things sorted out and disposed.
On Monday, the 21st, we left Peg’s house after putting a nice gouge in her driveway from the hitch on the back of the coach. We drove south across the Golden Gate Bridge, into San Francisco, and to the Morgan Hill Thousand Trails preserve. We were hoping to see cousin Kate Nelson, but she was recovering from the H1N1 flu. We decided that we didn’t need exposure to that since we would be seeing Mother within a week. We were able to find a nice site with plenty of satellite exposure. Keith, Kate’s husband and an enjoyable guy to spend some time with, met us for lunch on Tuesday at a terrific Mexican restaurant. That afternoon we drove back in to Morgan Hill and the El Toro Brew Pub. We have been familiar with this microbrewery since they opened in 1994. Their original location was just around the corner from Kate’s house and I visited them each time we were in Morgan Hill. The father was the original brewer and passed the skill on to his son. The son now owns the business and has built a beautiful brewpub in downtown Morgan Hill. He still brews the beer at “the farm” and lives next door. He has brewed some very interesting combinations, including peach ale, raspberry wheat, blackberry ale, and his signature Poppy Jasper Ale. He also has a strong IPA that leaves a refreshing grapefruit aftertaste. We had a couple of beers and a stone-baked pizza. We had an enjoyable discussion with the son/owner and talked with him about the business of microbreweries.
On Wednesday morning we left Morgan Hill and drove almost 250 miles down the coast to the Rancho Oso Thousand Trails preserve. It’s located just over the hill from Santa Barbara on SR-154 in the Santa Ynez Recreation Area. Everything is brown and just ripe for wildfires. The road in to the preserve is a narrow, twisty road with a couple of interesting (almost hairpin) turns. It is slow going, but can be done with patience and time. The preserve is beautiful, well laid out, and has strong electric current. It gets warm enough to justify the air conditioner, but with only 30-amp electric we can run one of the A/Cs. We’re back in the woods far enough that we don’t want to drive out until we leave. However, there is a great laundry facility here and an inviting swimming pool that we’ll probably try out.
On Friday, the 25th, we had planned to go to Palmdale and stay at the Elks Lodge or the Soledad Canyon Thousand Trails preserve. However, in thinking about the high forecast temperatures, I decided to drive down 101 to I-405 and straight down through Los Angeles to San Diego. I really despise the LA traffic, but we managed through with only one delay north of the airport. We had a section of 405 that we were slowed to about 15-20MPH for almost six miles. We arrived at Palisades Presbyterian Church around 3PM and got settled in. It sure is nice to be back in San Diego, BUT the weather change has gotten to me with a head cold and stuffy nose. Dottie is doing fine, but the cold is my usual San Diego killer and makes me feel miserable.
We’re already getting phone calls from the realtor in Yuma about possible properties for our home base. We’re looking at a couple but will have to make a day trip over there to really look them over. In the mean time we’re preparing for the surgery on Oct. 21st and getting everything in order.
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