Westward HO !! – DAY 8

September 18, 2008

Gosh, it’s hard to start moving on the day when you need more energy than any other….we had actually started packing up last night – but all the time consuming stuff we left until today. So we woke about 6:30 had a cup of coffee and then outside for one of about 30 tasks that needed tending to.

….like draining the tanks – 2 grey and 1 dark….never an activity that endures anyone to RV’ing - did you see how Robin Williams handled draining the tanks in that RV movie ? Am sure it scared every RV-er whoever had a unexpected backwater flush ! I have already had my moments with uncooperative tubing….luckily today went rather smooth – no pun intended.

Then un-assemble the fresh water hoses, and un-do the electric [no leave until last – will want the refrig to run until the last possible moment]. And don’t forget to repack all the chairs, BBQ pit, tools, golf clubs, tubs of hoses, stabilizers for the slide-out and tire stabilizers all have to go back somewhere….i know they go somewhere – I brought the damn things, didn't I ? Anyway you get the picture.

So finally we are pulling out at 9:30am – our goal was 9:00 – so not too bad…

After that boring drive thru the southern reaches of New Mexico and Arizona, Debbie planned to take us home via the northern route. What’s that you ask ? with Jess’s help, she routed us around the larger metro areas, like LA….so in Southern California speak our route was ‘the South Coastal Hiway’ to 'the 78' to 'the 15' to 'the 215' to 'the 60' to 'the 10' and then east… We drove thru Palm Springs. And a gazillion Wind farms….

And then the desert thru California and into Arizona - go North at Phoenix…..headed for Flagstaff at 7000’ elevation. On the way we drove by Hiway 179 – our exit for Sedona when we meet the Robertson’s and Hall’s. Flagstaff just about 45 miles beyond….

The mountainous terrain was another good test for the truck and RV- both did fine. The scenery immediately changed from desert to pine forest about 30 miles outside flagstadd. The temps dropped also from about 95 to 62 – what a relief.

We did catch some sunset views on way up to Flagstaff.

It was dark by the time we arrived at Flagstaff.

It was a long day - the park was very nice - my bed was better :>)

Westward HO !! – DAY 7

September 17, 2008

Jess came back out yesterday evening after work, and with her bike loaded on her car carrier.

Last day in paradise started and ended with thick clouds hanging in the sky. Darn…. It added to the general malaise that we felt, so we just weren’t in any hurry to get anywhere today.
But it didn’t hinder our plans we had for the day. We all slept late, yea ! Debbie made her wonderful waffles, bacon and eggs [I never get this treatment unless Jess or Nik are around].

We got our printer out to print some pictures from earlier this week. Printed a test page after loading the config files, and found we didn’t have a black cartridge in the darn thing….. DA. No wonder I don’t use that printer…

We checked out our bikes [like are the seats on , brakes work ? pedals turn ? lots of air in the tires !] and headed off for the beach. As some of you know there are many considerations for bicycle riders in California. Bike lanes are marked on streets and makes it much easier to get around.

We tooled down the beach several miles to the Oceanside Pier and toured areas of development – New Condos and private homes are replacing the structures of the 50’s and 60’s… A great facelift ! Am wondering who has the bucks to buy-in, in light of recent stock market down turns ? Nonetheless, the streets facing the ocean are turning into a very cool place to stay and vacation. Debbie had an abundance of flowers to choose from for her picture collage. Here are just a few.

Once we got the pier we walked out to the end and checked out the surfers, the seagulls and the fishermen...are very interestings....

Debbie thought our feathers were seasoned similar :>)

Surfer Dude - from the Pier.

After the day at the beach we BBQ'd and said our farewells....have to head home tomorrow..

Westward HO !! – DAY 6

September 16, 2008

Not much happening today. Jess has gone back to work for today to take care of some business, leaving Debbie and I to figure out just what to do. We loaded up the golf clubs and found out the golf course we had planned to play at was only an executive course [par3’s] and located within a senior citizen community….we aren’t just ready for that pace of play….so we drove on to our next item on today list – Camping World.

At Camping World we walked up and down every aisle, trying to picture how this gadget or the next whatcha-ma-call-it can be used in our camping life or on somewhere on the 5th wheel…..come on – we already have way too much stuff [tms] on this trip – we look like Sanford and Son going down the highway – the only thing we’re missing is the Clampet rocking chair strapped to the roof :>)….So we settled for some chemicals and TP. Not very exciting…. On the way back home we stopped at the grocery store and picked up some fiddles…[Ol’ Jedd in my mind].

Before we got back to camp we drove to the Oceanside harbor and planned out tomorrow – a bike ride up and down the beach [told you we brought everything !] Jess will be coming back to the camper tonite so she can spend tomorrow with us.

Deb has taken some pictures of the park to share with you all today. The park is owned and managed by a family who once lived in Midland Texas – small world and had a daughter attend and graduate from Texas Tech !! Small Small World. The RV Location is a small area located in a retail area of Oceanside, but is only about 250 yards from the ocean…very unique.

Happy Camping - Leo & Debbie

Westward HO !! – DAY 5

September 15, 2008

Well what can I say… It’s awful easy to get used to this RV-CA lifestyle. In addition to the fabulous climate we are experiencing each day, Debbie has been creating some delicious meals !! Breakfast Burritos, Chicken Tetrazzini, BLT Salad and French toast to name a few. All were great !!

Today was to be the Jess’s tour day that she had planned for us. This morning we set out to visit the Birch Aquarium. It sits between the ocean and to UC at San Diego. The aquarium is just an excellent collection of ocean fish, as well as a documentary on global warming and its effects on fish, coral and other aspects of sea life.

Ater our visit at the Birch, we went down the road back towards Torrey Pines Golf club. Just adjacent to the golf property is the Torrey Pines Glider Port & School. The Glider port sits high on the cliffs facing the ocean and provides an obvious jumping off point for those who want to parasail – or just want to take the ‘leap’. ( Jess had met Uncle Ed and Aunt Kathy at the school property the weekend of the US Open, several weeks ago.) We had lunch on the cliffs and watched the students go through their routines practicing chute management and on-land take-offs.

After lunch we drove thru La Jolla - their many great parks and ocean views, and found their upscale shopping district. Very Nice. We then did a driving tour of San Diego’s downtown areas. Jess’s company, ESRI, hosts their User Conference in the Convention center each year, so she has firsthand knowledge of how to get around the town. Plus when Nicole comes to visit her sister, they always seem to make a visit to San Diego.

Thanks Jess,

Love Mom & Dad

Westward HO !! – DAY 4

September 14, 2008

It was a great day today. We drove 0 miles !! Weren’t even in the truck today – it was wonderful.
Jess spent the night with us – we all slept late this morning and goofed-off most of the day. Jess and Debbie decorated the patio, I did nothing :>)

About 1:30 we gathered our swimming bag , cooler, snacks and headed off to the beach. The temperatures today were just great, very pleasant. Sunny with a breeze off the ocean was the right recipe for an enjoyable afternoon.

Hundreds of folks were at the beach as you might imagine. We found a nice square of sand and pitched our blanket and chairs and relaxed. It never amazes me what the parents will allow their kids do at the beach. Now there is a ‘sun block’ option, save yourself eight bucks on coppertone –

Just before we left there was guy out in the ocean kite surfing’. Gnarly dude !!

Pics of Jess’s and Deb’s handiwork –

Lazybones - Leo

Westward HO !! – DAY 3

September 13, 2008

We awoke late for us, about 6:30. I think we were both tired from the previous day’s driving marathon. We managed to make coffee and grab a cup before a quick ride to Wal-Mart. What’s camping without a Wal-Mart trip ?

While we were out we stopped and got diesel as well. How easy it that – buying diesel without having to find the big-rig stations, or maneuvering the camper thru regular gas station’s perilous slender island-pump designs.

Nonetheless we got back to Shangri-la and packed up the camper, made more coffee and were on the road again by 9:00am – headed West out of Yuma seeking San Diego. At this point in the trip we are very close to the US-Mexico border. We passed thru several Border patrol checkpoints both in Arizona and in California. Parts of our route took us through very austere desert surroundings with more and more sand and sand dunes. It all looked like the TV exposés on illegal immigrants discreetly crossing our US Borders.

The desert finally gave way to the mountainous terrain of southern California. We started out at Sea level and worked our way up to 4000’+ several times in a roller coaster ride with Californians who drive way too fast for this old guy. [I hope Debbie’s reading this]. And more wind farms –green energy at work!!

There was even a border patrol checkpoint in the middle of the Cleveland National Forest at about 3000’ feet elevation and on a uphill grade. Which means everyone has to virtually stop to get the ‘wave’ to proceed, once they give you and the vehicle contents the ‘once-over’.

After 3 hours of desert and mountain driving, we finally entered San Diego city limits- Us and about 2 million other Saturday shoppers. I’ve always have prided myself in being to survive Dallas traffic, thinking nothing could be as challenging. Californians can give those Texans a race for their money – LITERALLY. We drove north from San Diego, to Oceanside CA. Oceanside is about ½ way between San Diego and Los Angeles.

We arrived at our destination, Paradise by the Sea - RV Resort, about 2:15 today. The ocean is about 250 yards by foot. The swimming area was full of kids and families enjoying Saturday afternoon.

The seagulls and I took easy, Debbie read her book as we waited for Jessica to show up this evening….and the fun will begin………..more tomorrow – Leo

Westward HO !! – DAY 2

September 12, 2008

WOW, what a day it has been. We been in 3 states today, driven some 700 miles in about 12 hours and found a great RV park at the end of a very, very long day.
We were up about 6:30 and were pulling out of the Eagles Nest at 8:00am and headed West.

The cloud remnants of the storms the day before still hung in the sky and painted beautiful hues of red as the sunrise touched the mountain ranges on either side of the highway.

First it was Eagle Mountain rising to the south that caught our attention as it reflects the sun’s glow.

Shortly after, the Sierra Blanca Mountains to the North with low hanging clouds proved the next piece of Mother Nature’s artwork.

We still had about an hour or so to complete our Texas leg of this trek. Through El Paso and into New Mexico we stopped at the Welcome Center and found some beautiful cacti, yucca and other flowering plants on the grounds.

We also noticed about this time that our gas mileage seemed to improve over the previous day’s performance. I must admit I checked all the trailer tires and added air to each – to just 5 lbs below maximum…..that additional inflation and the fact that Debbie started pushing us up hill, helped us start seeing about 13 Miles to the gallon !!! YEA !

I know I commented on how boring the West Texas drive can be…but it doesn’t hold a sobering candle to the west ward bound drive in New Mexico and Arizona. I think what makes it sooooooooo boring is that it’s a huge huge area without any living thing to break up the scenery….so you see this mountain range in the distance and you are still looking at it 30-60 minutes later……AND IT LOOKS NO DIFFERENT … only the trains hauling cargo trailers come and go thru the event-less scenery .

So have you ever seen a copy of ARIZONA LIVING or DESERT BEAUTY ? You know, a magazine of a desert- scape with an awesome looking Saguaro Cactus on the cover. There are best known for their human shaped appearance. Well, did you ever wonder what happens to those cacti that don’t make the cover of ARIZONA LIVING ? You know, the non-Paris Hilton cacti. I found them in southern Arizona on Hiway 8 between Casa Grande and Yuma. It’s along this highway that the ‘everyday’ el-natural Saguaro Cactus lives.

If the pics seem blurry, it’s because Debbie wouldn’t slow down.

Finally we pulled into Yuma Arizona and into the Shangri-La RV park. It took no time to set up and we were drinking a cold frosty one before the sun finally set beyond the horizon….


Tomorrow California and the Beach.