Camping at Usery Mountain Regional Park

We are enjoying being here at Buckhorn Campground in the Usery Mountain Regional Park. This is another park with the 'it' factor for us. In fact, we would rank this in the top 10 best parks we have ever stayed. Each site is large with a lot of privacy, and has electric and water hookups.

The park is located a few miles NE of Mesa and is on the edge of a mountain region. There are over 3,500 acres in the park that include the campground, a day use picnic area, and nearly 30 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.

It's also a bird watchers paradise. We set up our bird feeder pole when we arrived and we have had plenty of bird activity ever since. We love sitting outside watching them feed and listening to their constant chatter.

Mollie loves it here too. She enjoys sniffing around the campsite as well as walking with us around the campground. She also enjoys scrunching up the rug to make herself more comfortable.


Last night we were treated to a concert of coyotes. There were 2 groups so I guess it was in stereo. This morning on our way to our hike we spotted one of the performers but he was shy and didn't want to pose for pictures or give us his autograph.

This morning we hiked the short( about 1 mile) Merkle/Vista trail which took us up and over a small mountain. The desert is lush and green because of all the recent rain. In fact the desert flowers are just beginning to bloom and will be gorgeous before too long.


This is the desert, so of course there are cacti everywhere. Prickly pear, Cholla, Barrel, and Hedgehog cacti, are just a few that dot the landscape. Most notable however is the Saguaro, which doesn't begin growing arms until it is between 60-75 years old, and can live for 200 years.


It's also protected by the U.S. Government and the blossom of the Saguaro is the state flower of Arizona.

Water and Oil

This past week I experienced first hand just how dangerous working in the kitchen can be. We've all heard the dangers of cooking and frying. In fact, many years before I was born, my great-grandmother died as a result of a kitchen fire that happened while she was canning applesauce.

We don't usually fry fish( after all, we're suppose to be dieting!!) Instead we broil, using the convection oven or we use the small portable grill we carry with us. While staying at the fairgrounds in Casa Grande, we only had 15 amps electrical hookup so using the convection oven wasn't an option. The outdoor grill wasn't set up and we were hungry and impatient so frying the fish on the stove was our method of choice.

I heated up a little olive oil in the skillet ( very little oil, only about 2 tablespoons...really!!) and began placing the defrosted fish fillets into it.
First fillet in, no problem. Second fillet in and a mixture of oil and water splashed up on my arm. And yes, I did pat the fish with paper towel before I put it in the skillet but apparently there was still some moisture left.

Well the blisters broke the next morning, and I've been faithful about putting antibiotic ointment on and keeping the area covered with the biggest bandaids John could find at Walgreens.
Trust me, you don't want to see what's under the bandaid!

I've been cooking for over 40 years and this is the first time I've had a serious burn in the kitchen. The truth is, it doesn't matter if you are preparing a meal in a large space or a very small space like we have here on the motor home. I learned a valuable lesson. Hot oil and water don't mix.

Mud, Mud, and More Mud

It never rains in Arizona? Man, it pours!

With the forecasters predicting rain during the night, John stowed the patio mat, folding chairs and table before we went to bed. Are we ever glad he did. Let's just say...what a difference a day makes. What was dusty hard clay yesterday was gooey mud this morning and it was still raining.

Of course Mollie needed to go outside first thing so John carried her outside and let me tell you, she was not a happy camper. At least it didn't take her long to do her duty :)

We hadn't planned on leaving very early this morning since we were just driving up to Mesa. So we had breakfast and discussed our strategy for leaving. The rain had stopped so we decided to run into town and take care of a couple of errands, hoping that while we were gone some of the ground would dry a bit. But, the ground didn't look any different when we got back. We pulled the jeep up behind the rv and hooked up, got the hoses stowed, pulled in the slide and rolled out. What a muddy mess!!

The trip up to Mesa was safe and uneventful and took us about 2 hours. We'll be here at Desert Vista RV Park until Monday then we'll be moving a few miles over to Usery Mountain Park.

RALLY AT THE FAIRGROUNDS

Happy Valentines Day to all of our family and friends...we love you!

The weather here has been great this week while we've been attending the 2nd annual Western Gypsy Gathering Rally put on by the Gypsy Journal . There were over 250 rv's ( motorhomes and 5th wheel trailers of all types and sizes) here and almost 500 people attending.

We are in tight cozy rows in the middle of the Pinal County Fairgrounds. Most people here are fulltiming (this is their only home) while others live in their rv's part of the year.


We have had limited hookups here so we sort of feel like we're boondocking. We only have 15 amp power so we have to be careful with running small appliances but we are hooked up to water so that's been nice. Even though power is limited some people go to great lengths to stay connected. Note that this RV has 3 satellite dishes. The 2 large dishes are for internet and the small one for TV.

At most rallies there are good seminars and then there are some that are just ok. This rally was no exception. There were seminars on everything from the Frugal RVer to traveling to Alaska.


But it's the people we met here and friendships we made here this week that made coming here worthwhile.

One couple we spent time with are parked right next to us and are originally from Brooklyn, Michigan. Greg and Judy sold their home a year ago and began full-timing in their very nice Hitchhiker 5th wheel last April. They were very gracious and invited us over for a tour of the inside of their rv. It's very nice and spacious with it's 4 slides and has a very homey feel. We had lunch with them today at a nearby restaurant and we've enjoyed getting to know them this week.

And speaking of touring rv's. Yesterday two other couples we had met invited us to see inside their rv's. One being a new Allegro Bus and the other a new Allegro Pheaton. Both are beautiful and with 4 slides they have a lot of room inside. Love those slides!!

Tonight was the last night of the rally and tomorrow there will be a mass exodus of rv's. Some have already left. Tomorrow we are heading over to a rv park in nearby Mesa for a few days so we can get laundry done and do some shopping. We are also looking forward to enjoying longer showers instead of the 'navy' showers we have to take when we aren't hooked up to sewer connections.

Dateline: Dateland

We are enjoying this little oasis in the desert. Dateland is 65 miles east of Yuma and miles from anything else. But it has the 'it' factor for us. We're staying at the small Dateland Palms Village RV park. Situated between the expressway and the railroad tracks, It's far enough to not be noisy but close enough to watch the world go by in a constant stream of cars, trucks and RV's. We are only a couple hundred yards from the railroad tracks. That's ok with us; we enjoy watching trains go by, usually about every 30 minutes.

What you won't find here is hundreds of other RV's squeased in around us, constant commotion, and numerous activities going on around us. There are only a few other Rv's here -mostly extended stays. In the late afternoon, usually 2-3 rv's arrive, pull into sites and then leave the next morning.The weather has been nearly perfect since we arrived, sunny and warm. A wonderful tonic for the soul . We've enjoyed a daily walk, being outside, and having our windows open. Even Mollie loves the sun and has enjoyed being outside when she's not helping with Judy's knitting.

There's even a large strip of grass across from the RV so she is especially happy about that!

Across the street is a date farm. Tall, beautiful date palms are lined up in rows.

Date shakes are very popular in this area and "world famous date shakes" are served in the small restaurant that's across from the RV park. They are very good... we had to try one!!

Dateland also has a memorable past. We found what appeared to be an old military base and air field. Upon further investigation we found these plaques that explain a little of Dateland's past.

The Datelan Airfield encompassed over 3200 acres and was built in only 6 months. It started out as a gunnery training base and eventually converted to B-25 bomber training, logging a total of 11,000 hours of flight training during World War II. The airfield later was also used as an Italian interment camp.

The base was reduced to caretaker status in 1945 with one officer and 12 enlisted left to maintain the base.

In 1957 the main hanger and other flight line buildings mysteriously burned down. During the investigation, it was discovered that B-25 parts were missing. The officer in charge was court martialed, and the base was permanently closed in 1957.

Dateland was also the site for two of General Patton's desert training camps. The area south of Dateland is still being used to train troops for desert warfare before going to Iraq.

Camping in Slab City

Monday we drove down around the east side of the Salton Sea and arrived in Niland, Ca turning down a dirt road towards Slab City. 

Slab City is a former military base used during World War II, is still owned by the government, and all that remains of the buildings are concrete slabs. A community has formed here made up of......  sorry words fail me here.  As we drove closer we could see Salvation Mountain looming in the distance. Leonard Knight arrived here in the 1980's and felt led to construct Salvation Mountain.

It is built from clay, straw, tires and lots of colorful paint. Slab City is isolated, with wide open spaces and FREE. You simply find a spot that you like and claim it.We drove into the 'City', past much trash and less than desirable structures.


We found an area we liked and parked for the night. 

Mollie prefers grass and never adjusted to Slab City desert dirt. I guess she didn't like being watched by all the neighborhood dogs roaming free and all the strange smells.

As darkness approached and stars apeared Mollie decided she needed yet another walk. As I stood outside with her admiring the stars listening to the strains of electric guitars.... yes guitars, remember this is Slab City, I realized what a strange place this was.



With military and border patrol vehicles driving by morning and evening, we did not find this a particularly peaceful place. I guess you have to be here a while to understand the real ambiance of this desert hangout. Maybe some day we'll give it another try, but for now it's time to move on.

Oh What a Night!

What a wind storm we had during the night. The wind began to intensify around 2am. By 4am the wind was howling and the motorhome was rocking and shuddering and we couldn't sleep. We could hear the desert sand swirling around outside, at times it sounded like rain as it slapped the windows. The awning over the slide sounded like a sail slapping in a gale.   

After pulling the slide in and lowering the tv antennae, we lay in bed and listened to the wind, finally getting back to sleep as light was appearing on the horizon. Later we learned that the winds may have been as high as 60 mph.  Mollie stayed curled up on the bed throughout the night and seemed unfazed by the commotion. 

We were up again before 7:30, turned on the generator and decided we would have a quick breakfast and then pack up and leave. After 3 nights without hookups and limited generator use, we were ready to go south and to a lower elevation. 

We had a nice time at Joshua Tree, hiking and exploring, however the campground was a bit of a disappointment. First of all, it's 5 miles from the park entrance and secondly doesn't appear to be very well taken care of. And we both felt that the $15. per night charge for the priviledge of dry-camping (with lots of rules and very limited generator time ) was a bit steep. 

We drove about an hour down to the town of Indio where we had full hook-ups!! Although it was still quite windy, the sun was shining and the air was warm and pleasant. Judy did some laundry and vacuumed away the dust, and John got to watch the Super Bowl while we ate chicken tacos and homemade guacamole/mango salsa.

Joshua Tree National Park

Saturday- Feb 2

We woke shortly after 6am,in time to see a beautiful sunrise. We are only allowed to run our generator from 7-9am, 12-2pm, and 5-7pm, so right at 7am we turned the generator on and got the coffee pot started and oatmeal cooking. After breakfast, we grabbed our walking sticks, a bottle of water and headed for the High Mountain trailhead that starts at the edge of the campground.



Our campsite is at 4000 ft elevation and it was a steady climb of a 1 1/2 miles up to the trail summit. What a great view from the top. See if you can spot our MH.


After we got back to the MH, we packed a picnic lunch, grabbed Mollie and headed out in the car to explore the National Park itself. The actual park is about 5 miles from the campground with an admission fee of $15. (good for 7 days). The park is HUGE and we had a good time exploring some of what it has to offer. Of course there are plenty of Joshua trees as well as desert plants and cacti and incredible rock formations.



This is also a favorite place for rock climbers to do their 'thing'. We enjoyed watching some of them climb while we ate our lunch. On the park map, we saw a road named Geology Tour Road that was about 18 miles round trip. It also said the road was not maintained and only 4-wheel drive vehicles were recommended. So off we went to explore. We noticed on the map that this road branched off and would lead us to another main road that we could take back to the campground. The road was very bumpy, and literally washed out in spots but still passable until the road narrowed and became nothing but rock.


At this point, we decided that we weren't in the mood to risk getting stranded in this vast desert so we turned around and headed out the other way. The other way wasn't much better but eventually led us back to civilization.


We live to explore another day.

It's time to go

This morning we packed up and hit the road. We have finished the wine country phase of our trip and now it's time to head to the desert. Our original plan was a short road day to Tehatchapi, about 40 miles east of Bakersfield. What we didn't realize is that it sits at 4000 feet and there was snow there. Since we could see snow back in Michigan we decided to keep moving. Our next plan was to stop after a rest area lunch in the town of Boron. Well let's just say Boron was Boring!!! So back on the road to 4 corners and then a right turn to head south. We are staying at a campground in Adelanto. We will have a short driving day tomorrow to Joshua Tree National Park. We are going to stay in one of the primitive campgrounds there for a few days. Then it's on to Slab City.

MayBe Gourmet

We spent a few days in the Napa Valley area and of course visited a few wineries.  We like finding the small ones that don't have distributors back east.  Last year we found Andretti winery and joined their club.  This year we found Turnbull winery.  To top it off the owner is an avid photography collector.  They have 2 tasting rooms which are also galleries.  One had a large Ansel Adams collection, and the other, several contemporary landscape artists.  

This is what you think of when you think Napa Valley.  Wineries, little bistros, fancy little designer shops and of course the Napa Wine Train.

 

We however discovered a wonderful little place for lunch this time that probably wouldn't make any gourmet list.  About half way up the valley is the little town of Saint Helena.  On the south end of town is a little drive-in.  The kind of place that almost all small towns had at one time.  The name of this drive in was and is still Taylors Automatic Refresher.

 Taylors  has withstood the test of time and is thriving.  Of course it serves the old standbys like burgers , fries and shakes.  But how many drive ins do you know that serve sweet potato fries dusted in chili spice?  How about fish tacos and an Ahi Tuna burger.  And for Julie they even have a Garden Burger.  And if your thirst isn't quenched by a real cherry coke, or a hand made milk shake, you also have your choice of several Micro brews and even a glass, or bottle of local wine.  

On the day Judy and I were there, the lines were long but service was prompt.  Judy had the fish tacos  which were grilled Mahi Mahi in corn tortillas with slaw, salsa and jalapeno-cilantro sour cream.  I went for the Ahi Tuna burger.  It was a 6 ounce fillet of sushi grade Ahi tuna seared rare (the proper way to fix tuna), cover with ginger wasabi mayo and asian slaw and served on a toasted egg bun.  

If you would like to read more about this place, go to www.taylorsrefresher.com   You can read about the many awards they have won as well as view their menu.  

Bon Appetit

Hanging out in Paso Robles

We arrived in Paso Robles on Wednesday and will be here a week. The weather has been cool and of course rainy most of the time. We are learning to go with the flow.

Today we woke up to sunshine and 65, so immediately the windows were opened to air out our house. Judy still has her Portland cold and of course felt I needed to share in the experience. So far only Mollie shows no signs of a cold.

We went to Cambria today and to a little Seafood restaurant on the water we discovered on our last visit here. We sat outside, it was cool but the sunshine did both of us good. We could just feel our vitamin D levels being restored.
We also stopped at a avocado farm, so I think fresh guacamole will be on the dinner menu soon. Life is good and we are enjoying even the cloudy days.

I read a story on another blog that I'd like to share with you.

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired. During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives. Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups-porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite-telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate. When they all had a cup in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you are drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups. And then you began eyeing each other's cups. Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain life. The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life you have. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate the Creator has provided us. The Creator makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything they have. Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. And enjoy your hot chocolate."


In closing, I think somewhere along the way I started believing if I only had a different cup I'd be happy. So you go through life worrying about the cup and forget how good the hot chocolate tastes. And that a different cup will make our hot chocolate taste even better. It never does, but we keep trying different cups. I guess the answer for me needs to be to just enjoy the hot chocolate and quit worrying what cup it's in.

40 million bubbles

Saturday morning we awoke to a strange sight.  BLUE SKIES!!  This is great since we are off to the Russian River and the coast.  First though the Jeep needs a bath.  Our white Jeep looked more gray than white.  Our trusty Zumo GPS found us a car wash close by so we loaded up Mollie and headed out.  10 minutes later we had a clean shiny if old jeep.  20 minutes later we were at the Korbel Champagne Cellars.  Korbel is noted for champagne.  In fact it is the 3rd largest in the world.  We got there just in time to join a tour.   

And yes we learned that a bottle of champagne does contain 40 million bubbles.  I'd like to meet the guy who did the counting.  We were also able to take advantage of a sale, which came in handy since we have 2 children getting married this year.  By the way a case of champagne contains 15 bottles not 12 like a case of wine.  

We followed the Russian river west to the coast through little towns with strange names like Monte Rio , Camp Meeker, and Occidental.  Did you know that Monte Rio is a Hate Free Community?


Continuing west we soon reached the coast and the little town of Bodega Bay.  I have this thing for fish and chips, and we had heard about a little place there.  They were good but a little on the greasy side.  Are all fish and chips batter dipped?  I grew up eating lots of fresh water fish but Mom always breaded them before frying.  I think that's what I prefer.  Judy wants us to stay away from the fried food anyway.  

After lunch we headed back to Santa Rosa through the town of Sebastopol.  If you thought a hate free town was unique Sebastopol claims to be a Nuclear Free Zone. 

We still think this unique part of California is pretty special. 

On the Road Again

We left Portland Wednesday morning after spending nearly a month in the Northwest. We will try and publish a overview with a few pictures in the coming days.

We spent Wednesday night in Sutherlin, Oregon at an Escapees Park. We had our mail sent there and we needed to pick it up before moving on. After checking in at the park, we drove down to the post office and our package was there waiting for us.

Thursday morning we headed south on I-5 planning to spend the night between Sacramento and San Francisco. But a half an hour into our journey, we realized that we didn't need to rush through Northern California, and we made the decision to head to the coast instead. We picked up 199 at Grants Pass and it was a beautiful trip down through the coastal mountains to Crescent City, Ca. We continued south on 101 and spent the night at a little campground south of Garberville, Ca.

This morning we drove for 3 hours down to Santa Rosa. The weather is beautiful and we plan on staying here for a few days before moving on south to Paso Robles. We love the Napa Valley area and we're staying in a wonderful campground at the Santa Rosa Fairgrounds. And the price is great, only 10 dollars a night.

Christmas in Portland

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas yesterday. Our Christmas festivities began on Christmas Eve, when we got together with daughter Julie, future son-in-law Jeremy, daughter Michelle, son-in-law Ian, grandchildren Nemo and Mia, and Ian's Mom, Vivien. Julie and Michelle did a great job preparing a wonderful dinner and even had stockings for all of us. Then Christmas morning we went to Michelle and Ian's apartment to open Christmas presents. We had a great time with each other and it was fun watching everyone open their presents. Especially Nemo and Mia! Later we were able to talk by phone with our other daughter Melissa in Michigan and we made a Skype video call with son Jonathan in NYC. Portland even had a white Christmas this year. For the first time in over ten years it snowed on Christmas day. Nemo doesn't see snowflakes very often so he thought this was great and he quickly got his hat and coat on and ran outside. It didn't last long and later turned to rain. As we continue to hear of snow storms and bad weather along the route we traveled a few days ago, we continue to be so thankful for a safe and uneventful trip. Today we just hung out at the motorhome. Reading, relaxing, resting and adjusting to pacific standard time. That's all for now.
JJM

PORTLAND!!!!

We left Twin Falls at 6:30 this morning. Once again we were treated to a beautiful sunrise. The eastern Idaho mountains came alive in the early morning light. The roads were dry and we made good time. North of Boise we made a quick stop at a rest area for some hot tea and yummy treats, sister Diane had made for us. We crossed into Oregon and up over the Blue Mountains. There was lots of snow on the hills and ominous warnings to make sure you had chains. While we do have a set, we agreed that if chains are required, it's time to pull over and wait out the weather. Fortunately the roads remained dry and we soon dropped down into Pendleton. Soon after we ran into rain which would stay with us all the way to Portland. The drive along the Columbia River was a fitting end to our journey. It is one of my favorite drives. We are staying at the Jantzen Beach RV Park for several weeks while spending time with family during this Christmas season. We are so thankful for arriving safe and sound and on time. We realized when planning this trip that we might run into serious weather delays. For several days we did not see another RV making us wonder what we were doing. Being here however is the reward.

We wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A BLESSED NEW YEAR.

jjm

LET IT SNOW....LET IT SNOW.....NOT!!

Today was a study in contrasts. We were on the road early. After listening all night to the blaring PA at Flying J we were ready to leave. It was dark but the roads were dry. The sun rise chased us west and caught up with us west of Laramie. It was beautiful. The hills covered with snow glowed purple and gold. As the light filled in we saw a huge herd of Antelope. Could it get any better than this? Apparently not. We soon ran into a snow storm with high winds. It was near white out for several hours. The roads weren't covered, but visibility was non existent. We decided to push on taking our time and leaving plenty of room between us and the trucks. Around Green River the snow stopped but now the roads were slick. This continued into Utah. Coming down into Ogden the mountains were beautiful. Blue sky, snow covered red rock and dry pavement. This is the way it's suppose to be. We pushed on to Twin Falls Idaho where we are spending yet another evening at a Flying J Truck Stop. A little noisy but the price is right. If the weather cooperates we may even make it to Portland tomorrow. On a side note. We are enjoying our Internet access with our Verizon wireless card. So far it has worked flawlessly.

A little tired, a little weary, but safe and sound,

J,J,M

ON THE ROAD AGAIN....PART 2

After a early foggy start, we made good time today. But I must say Nebraska is a boring state to drive through. We were blessed once again with dry roads. We arrived in Cheyenne Wyoming after 10.5 hours on the road. We are half way to Portland and tonight are once again guests at a Flying J truck stop. And to tell you how tired we are, we got some takeout from Ronald's Place. I think this is the first in a long time. I have a feeling it may be a long time before we try it again. They are predicting snow tomorrow so we'll have to take it easy. Mollie continues to adjust and is a good traveler.

That's all for now

J,J,and M

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

We were on the road by 8:50 this morning. It's amazing how many last minute items we had to do. Turn the water off, turn the furnace down. Put out the trash, load the jeep. And of course Judy had some last minute cleaning to do. We headed to the storage unit to get out the RV. We had it already loaded, so we hooked up the jeep and hit the road. There was snow on the ground but the roads were dry. Going through Chicago was a breeze for a change. We are just west of Des Moines tonight at a flying J truck stop. 1700 more miles to Portland. Mollie is proving to be a good traveler. The only quandary was what wine to drink with a Lean Cuisine meal. We gain an hour so hope to hit the road early tomorrow.

John, Judy and Mollie