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Before we left the area, we made another trip up to Mt. St. Helens and took a couple of nice walks. It felt great to be out again, seeing sites and taking photos. There are lots of great hiking trails and photo-ops. It was good for our morale to be back in the woods again.
We finished up our quick visit to Washington with a short hop to a nice rv park on the Columbia River. We had a pull-in site that allowed us to sit in our front seats and watch the traffic on the river floating by. It was a bit jarring to see large, open-going vessels gliding by so far inland but we quickly got used to it. My neighbor turned me on to an app called Vessel Finder that I found to be pretty cool. I was able to identify the boats I was looking at or see when a big boy was going to come by easily on my phone for free. Fun. After a week or so I was actually recognizing the specific tugs shoving barges up and down the Columbia.
Southwest Washington is a beautiful part of the country. When some semblance of sanity and safety have returned to the world we will be back to more fully explore this region.
Coldwater Lake, WA. 6/14/20
Spring in Washington. 6/14/20
Hummocks created by the volcano. 6/14/20
Cedar Creek Grist Mill & Covered Bridge 6/19/20
Cedar Creek Grist Mill 6/19/20
Party at the river on a random weekday. 6/24/20
Watching the traffic go by. 6/17/20
Looking for a meal. 6/17/20
Up until now we have, by choice, travelled fairly slowly. This was primarily due to the fact that Nora, our late cat, did not care for travel days. She would be kinda stressed while moving, lightly sleeping but mostly just hanging out with her eyes closed. When the slides came out at the end of the drive, she knew we were done. She’d eat, and then pass out for the rest of the day. She was old enough to have earned some leeway, so we kept our preferred trip durations/mileages as short as possible and stayed several days, preferably a week or so, before moving on.
Now that we have a Nora-sized hole in our RV, we can be a bit more nimble. We still prefer to limit our road time on any given travel day to 3 to 4.5 hours and to stop for several days before moving on, but there are exceptions to every rule. Like last week. 1002 miles in 5 legs over 6 days. The reason? Temperatures of 104 degrees where we were, 60 degrees where we were going. So, Bakersfield to Mt. St. Helens in one swift movement. We were tuckered but happy when we were done. We were back on the road!
So here we are in the Pacific NW until September. As I type it’s raining, it’s been raining, it’s going to keep raining. But at least all 3 air conditioners aren’t running full bore all day. We are running the electric heaters pretty often, though. In my book, a fair trade.
Didn’t take many photos on the way up here, so I’ll toss a few of Mt. St. Helens that I got between downpours.
Stay safe, y’all.
A beautiful moon last week welcomed us back on the road for our West Coast Dash. 6/4/20
Mt. St. Helens in the morning. Overcast & rainy. 6/10/20
Mt. St. Helens that evening. Beautiful. 6/10/20
Mt. St. Helens 6/10/20
Mt. St. Helens 6/10/20
Mt. St. Helens 6/10/20
Momma told this critter to stay put. 5 days old. 6/9/20
Palm trees in our Palm Springs rv park 2/14/20
We’ll wrap up our hiatus from the road in this post since we’re finally about to cover some miles. After some health delays, we finally left the San Diego region in mid-February and headed to Palm Springs (again) followed by visits to the Salton Sea and the L.A. area, ending with what was to be a brief stop in Bakersfield. From Bakersfield, we were to wander north via the coast (Big Sur and some wine country) and then the lovely string of national parks (Yosemite, Sequoia, etc…), ultimately hitting the Pacific Coast near Tacoma, WA and sliding down the coast back to Northern California. Plans were laid with the highlight of hooking up with our good friends for almost 3 weeks in SW Oregon. A potentially great summer.
Yeah, well, the best laid plans.
View from our roof 5/25/20
We saw the writing on the wall and decided that Bakersfield was the place to isolate for awhile. Our rv park had great cell coverage (needed for internet), beautiful monthly sites with blooming orange trees inches from the coach, and good infrastructure for food, mail, etc. We’ve been here since March 6 and it worked out well. Now we’re ready to leave.
And so leave we shall.
We’ve decided that it was safest to not move too often, so we’re going to bolt up the west coast to southern Washington near Mt. St. Helen’s for 3 weeks or so, then to the Oregon coast in Tillamook for a couple of months. It will be very nice to see green again and get some relief from the heat this week. The forecast is over 100 degrees for 5 days running, with one day’s high expected to be 111 degrees. Yeah, we’ll be happy with the Oregon coolness after that.
Here are a bunch of photos from between San Diego and Bakersfield. Hopefully, I can get back to shooting regularly soon. Stay safe, y’all.
Bombay Beach on what’s left of the Salton Sea is an odd place full of odd art. We liked it. 2/18/20
Sitting in someone’s yard in Bombay Beach. 2/18/20
Near Slab City, itself an odd place, is Salvation Mountain. All built with found & donated supplies, it’s pretty much the work of one guy. 2/28/20
Salvation Mountain 2/28/20
Evening at the Salton Sea 2/28/20
Some of the oil fields in and around Bakersfield. These pumps are everywhere, including business parking lots. 5/20/20
We had orange groves and vineyards to walk in next to the rv. Here’s one of several active wells in these fields. 4/4/20
Drilling for oil in the vineyard. 4/29/20
Our home. 3/21/20
Here’s a handful of shots from one of our favorite spots near San Diego: Point Loma. We went there three times, including once at the end of our time in the area. It turned out to be the last “fun” thing we did in San Diego. The first couple of times, the tide was in so we weren’t able to enjoy the famed tidal pools since they were under water. We specifically timed our last visit near low tide and we’re totally happy we did. It’s a very cool place where you can be close to nature and still have views of San Diego and the Naval facilities.
The Point Loma Tidal Pools at high tide. 12/16/19
The Point Loma Tidal Pools at low tide. 1/23/20
Point Loma 1/23/20
Point Loma 1/23/20
Critter! Point Loma 1/23/20
Home! Point Loma 12/16/19
Final stop with a view Point Loma 12/16/19
Point Loma 12/16/19
Inbound. Point Loma 12/16/19
After Palm Springs we headed to our winter resting grounds, Santee, CA. Santee is adjacent to San Diego, a place I’ve been to once for work, and home to some of Patti’s relatives. It turned out to be a great place to land for a couple of months in order to ride out the winter and catch our breath. Lots to do, beautiful beaches (cliffs!), a vibrant downtown, and plenty of recreational activities. I liked it there so much that I’d consider moving to the area but only if you get rid of the state income tax. So there’s that.
I’ll just post a few random photos of the area over the next post or two. It was an interesting winter. Followed by an interesting spring. And probably an interesting summer, just not in the way we hoped.
Our social isolation spot. Quite comfy, all things considered.
Notes on the elephant in the room: As full-time RVers, we have some interesting challenges in this collective mess we are all going through. It became obvious to us early on that our carefully laid spring travel plans weren’t going to happen. We found ourselves in a very nice RV park outside Bakersfield in early March and, seeing the writing on the wall, decided that we’d ride it out here. Bakersfield is large enough that obtaining supplies shouldn’t be a problem and Kern County (besides being the #1 oil producing county in the country!) is small enough that crowds/maintaining social isolation isn’t an issue. Our site is level, nestled in an orange grove (really nestled … our RV has blossoming trees within inches of the coach on three sides), and has crazy good cell signal. So good that both Patti and I can stream our respective shows simultaneously. Since March 10 or so we have only left for groceries, prescriptions, and visits to the vet. Don’t ask. Bottom line: we are as safe as can be. We consider ourselves to be very fortunate.Â
So until at least June, we are here: walking the park and through the adjacent orange groves and vineyards with the occasional oil well dotting the fields, watching videos, reading lots of books, keeping healthy and (mostly) sane, and worrying about our friends and family. Much like the rest of the planet.
Stay safe.
The dam at Mission Trails Regional Park, just a few minutes from our winter site. Santee, CA. 11/26/19
Substitute “alligator” for “mountain lion” and this sign could be in Florida! Santee, CA. 11/26/19
The Botanical Building in Balboa Park. San Diego, CA. 12/3/19
The local artists area in Balboa Park. San Diego, CA. 12/3/19
The local artists area in Balboa Park. San Diego, CA. 12/3/19
Merry Christmas on the beach at Torrey Pines State Beach. Torrey Pines, CA, 12/16/19
Merry Christmas on the beach at Ocean Beach, CA. 12/28/19
Seals chilling at La Jolla Beach, CA. 12/28/19
Sunset at Silver Strand State Beach, CA. 12/29/19
The world’s largest outdoor organ located at the Spreckles Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park. We attended a recital there that was pretty cool. 12/27/19
Hanging at the San Diego Zoo. 12/27/19
Hanging at the San Diego Zoo. 12/27/19
As promised, here are some shots from our two trips to Joshua Tree National Park. What a weird, desolate place with a rugged beauty. Nice place to visit, but….
Cottonwood Spring, Joshua Tree NP 11/14/19
Cholla Cactus Garden, Joshua Tree NP 11/14/19
Cholla Cactus Garden, Joshua Tree NP 11/14/19
Joshua Trees, Joshua Tree NP 11/14/19
Joshua Tree NP 2/25/20
Joshua Tree NP 2/25/20
A really old Joshua Tree, Joshua Tree NP 2/25/20
Petroglyphs, Joshua Tree NP 2/25/20
Our last stop before heading to San Diego for the holidays was in the Palm Springs area. Our first stop after leaving San Diego was … Palm Springs. I’m combining both of these stops into this post because, quite frankly, I need to catch up!
We both liked the Palm Springs area. There was lots of natural beauty to enjoy, some good dining opportunities, and the people watching was fantastic. Among other things, we enjoyed a gondola ride to the top of Mt. San Jacinto, visited the Coachella Preserve a couple of times, and went to Joshua Tree National Park twice (more on that in the next post). The weather was mild and it was a nice place to wind down after a season on the road as well as to wind up a couple of months later to get back into the rhythm. When the chance presents itself we will be happy to return. Again.
The ride to the top of Mt. San Jacinto. The view below is of Palm Springs with some of the many wind farms to the left. Mt. San Jacinto SP, 11/11/19
The view from the top. Mt. San Jacinto SP, 11/11/19
The view from Mt. San Jacinto SP, 11/11/19
The view from Mt. San Jacinto SP, 11/11/19
The view from Mt. San Jacinto SP, 11/11/19
The Thousand Palms Oasis in the Coachella Preserve 11/21/19
The Thousand Palms Oasis in the Coachella Preserve 11/21/19
Palms lining the year-round spring in the Indian Canyons 2/21/20
A spring in the Indian Canyons 2/21/20
A Native American shelter in Indian Canyons 2/21/20
Moving on from Williams, we headed down to Prescott, AZ. Patti has an old friend who lives there now so we swung by for a visit and we’re glad we did. She was not only able to catch up with her friend, but we were able to enjoy this little piece of the historic west while staying in a great RV park amidst boulders and hiking trails. We enjoyed some excellent meals downtown, including one at a vintage, old-school saloon that had the best Caesar salad ever. A field trip to the old mining town of Jerome was very interesting. The town was certainly more vertical than horizontal!
(As an aside, my plan was to finish up our 2019 travels before we left our winter stay near San Diego for the 2020 season. Alas, this was not to be due to pesky life issues getting in the way. The hope now is to spit out several posts quickly in order to catch up. We’ll see.)
View of Wilson Lake. My morning walk straight out of our campground. 10/25/19
Wilson Lake. 10/25/19
Wilson Lake. 10/26/19
Wilson Lake. 10/26/19
The approach to Jerome, AZ 10/28/19
Jerome, AZ 10/28/19
The view from Jerome. 10/28/19
Riding in style. Grand Canyon Railway 10/19/19
When we were making our plans we had a couple of weeks to fill between our stays in Las Vegas. Looking at a map we realized we were within striking distance of the Grand Canyon so we said, “What the hell” (or words to that effect) and decided to shoot over there for a quick visit. We also decided to splurge a bit, so we made reservations in Williams, AZ, for a week, along with first class seats on the daily train from Williams to the South Rim. What a fun day that was. Riding in style with comfortable seats, morning and afternoon snacks, cash bar and access to the observation car and rear deck. Upon arrival we took a very interesting bus tour of the area, peered over the rim at several locations, and enjoyed a nice lunch at the lodge before re-boarding for the return trip. All in all, it was a nice leisurely day with beautiful sights. It’s hard to take a bad photo in that part of the world.
While in Williams, we made a quick jaunt to the east and visited Meteor Crater. I had wanted to visit this place since I was a small boy (jeez, that was a long time ago) so when I realized it was only an hour or so away it was a no-brainer. Privately owned, it has a very nice visitor center with tours included in the admission price. For obvious safety reasons, access is limited to a small area on the north side of the rim, but that was more than enough to appreciate the magnitude of this hole in the ground and to be thankful we weren’t around when that rock dropped from the sky. If you’re in the area I can recommend this for a quick stop.
Needless to say I took way more photos during our brief Grand Canyon stop then I can show here. It also goes without saying that we’ll be back to this area for a longer stay.
The Grand Canyon from the South Rim 10/19/19
The Grand Canyon from the South Rim 10/19/19
The Grand Canyon from the South Rim 10/19/19
The Grand Canyon from the South Rim 10/19/19
The Grand Canyon from the South Rim 10/19/19
Roughing it. 10/19/19
Meteor Crater Visitor Center 10/23/19
Meteor Crater Visitor Center 10/23/19
Meteor Crater 10/23/19
Meteor Crater 10/23/19
Our parking spot for 2 weeks. Nice. 10/4/19
After running down 395 in Eastern California, we spent a couple of nights in Barstow doing nothing much before heading on to 2 weeks near Las Vegas, right on Lake Mead. Our site was fantastic, a pull-in overlooking the lake. Beautiful and relaxing. We went to Vegas so Patti could catch a flight back to Baltimore for some family obligations. She was gone for 5 nights while the cat and I hung out. While Patti was gone, I took some nice walks and played some poker (successfully, I might add). Between her being out of town and our taking the cat to the vet (sucking up several days) we really couldn’t explore the area together to our satisfaction. So, we took the easy and obvious solution and made plans to return for a week later in our wanderings.
Flexibility is a wonderful thing.
Here are a few shots from Las Vegas and the surrounding area. We enjoyed an awesome full moon while we were there. As always, enjoy!
Really enjoying the view out the window. 10/11/19
Peeking over the ridge. 10/13/19
These guys fed every afternoon just off the main road into Boulder City. 10/7/19
Boulder City. 10/7/19
Nice view. Lake Mead, 10/8/19
The historic railway trail/tunnels that led from Boulder City to the dam. 10/8/19
Lake Mead. The RV park is in the middle-left. The lake’s water line used to come right up to the RV park. 10/7/19
Hoover Dam, just a few miles from campground. 10/7/19
Donny! Marie! Ya gotta love Vegas! 10/6/19
The World as We See It 