January 6th saw us waiting until the hazy fog lifted before heading south on I-5. About 3:15 p.m., the sky started to get dark. The fog was rolling in. Soon, flashing warning signs were over the road - DENSE FOG. We were going to try to continue toward Harris Ranch near Coalinga, but it was getting hard to see and night was descending. We were thankful that we found San Luis, an older RV park, in Santa Nella, CA. We settled in for the night. No WiFi, but good TV reception.
January 7th, the fog lifted enough by 1o:30 a.m., so we could see about 1 1/2 miles. Soon after we began traveling, I got a call from the Puyallup School District saying that after school activities were canceled and there would probably be no school on Thursday due to rain and flooding. I am still on their substitute list. The valley and the Puyallup River flood on occasion.
Phil had good momentum going as we began our climb up the "Grapevine", but in a short distance, we saw quite a sight. A large 18 wheel truck hauling portable potties on its flatbed had the front disconnect from the flatbed which scraped to a halt at an angle across at least the middle two and a half lanes. Everyone in the 5 lanes had to shift to the far left lane. (Not easy with an RV towing a car.). Needless to say, we lost some of our momentum. The rest of the pass was navigated ok and great joy came upon us at the sight of SUN and blue sky at the Tejon Pass summit. As we entered the LA area, our teeth were jarred with the horrible washboard roads. It was a hair raising experience driving in the narrow, narrow lanes and stop and go traffic, especially after dark as we tried to get on the correct freeways connecting us to Long Beach and Golden Shores RV Resort.
After registering, we disconnected the car from the RV to drive to our back-in spot. SURPRISE! The car had a dead battery. Fortunately, we carry a battery pack and Phil jumped it. We were relieved, when we finally got backed in and settled.
By then we were starving, so called our friends, the Herz, in Los Alamitos and together we went to a late dinner at Hof's Hut Restaurant. Ended the night by taking Hershee for a walk after returning to the park.
January 8th On our way down, I got a call from Dawn Arrowsmith, a friend from grade and high school, who lives in LA. We made arrangements to see the artist studio and living space she and her husband, Roland Reiss, have in the old Pabst Brewery that has been converted to an artist area. What a wonderful visit! We got to see the fabulous art created by each of them, had lunch together in the cafe in the building, and enjoyed talking about art, family, awards, and the future. Roland had just won a 2009 prestigious award connected to teaching and art.
In the evening, Rick, Lynnette (who formerly substituted in my kindergarten class) , and Courtney (one of my former kindergartners who is now in college) Herz picked us up at the RV Resort and we went together to The Old Spaghetti Factory in Newport Beach, CA. We ate a delicious meal punctuated by conversation and laughter. A most enjoyable evening!
January 9th Talked to Janeen briefly and discovered Tony and the crew were going to be interviewed by the media. We finally got WiFi, so stayed at Golden Shores long enough to see the interview and glow as we listened to our son-in-law answer questions. Took a picture of him on the computer on NASA TV.
Finally, started driving by 1 p.m. Going across I-10, Santa Ana winds convinced us to stop at our Thousand Trails Park in Indio, CA. Once again, we were glad we did. We had encountered fierce winds and blowing dust which buffeted the RV. Just before Palm Springs, the huge wind farm turbines (generate electricity) were whirling furiously. See picture.
January 10th Needed to head out because we had made reservations and a deposit in Tucson, AZ, even though there were warnings of high winds. They were right. 23 miles west of Blythe was the worst with wind, dust, and side winds which pushed the RV left and right. Phil is a very good driver - thank heavens! Driving through Phoenix after dark was like driving through LA. Ugh! Lots of traffic, many lane changes to get to the correct freeway lanes, and accidents that made us stop and go. Arrived at Voyager RV Park in Tucson, AZ at 7:30 p.m. Full moon was beautiful. Called and talked to Anna Schmidt, a friend from church who lives in the park, but we were too tired to visit.
January 11th Up in time to go to church with Anna at the park. After, we drove to a favorite restaurant of Anna's called Millie's Pancake Haus where we enjoyed a yummy breakfast. Stopped at WalMart for necessities, including newspapers for news, TV and Hershee, our paper trained dog. Upon returning to the park, Anna took us on a walking tour of the "city". It has just about every facility and activity you could think of right on the grounds. It is cool at night (43 degrees), but quickly is sunny and warm during the days (7o's).
January 12th Believe it or not, we met Anna at the pool for an hour of aquatic exercises at 9 a.m. About 30 of us lifted water jug weights, did Charlie Chaplin moves across the pool, and other interesting exercises.
Finally, have WiFi again, but we have to go to a specific room which is some distance from our RV. Read our emails and more info about Tony and his mission. Did not have time to blog. My bluetooth lost a part, so we had to find a Circuit City to exchange it. Also, we found that Verizon did not change our plan to 1400 minutes, so we got a bill for $376 + . Yike! We hope to remedy that tomorrow.
We are in Tucson until Thursday, when we head East again.
January 13th Slept in and had a regular day. Came to the computer center and did this blog. Tonight, we will join Anna at a potluck here at the park.
Just had a huge scare trying to put pictures on this. Lost the blog I have been working on for 2 1/2 hours. Finally found it. The pictures above are of Phil and Hershee taking it easy. Herz family and us at OSF. Dawn and Virginia. RV at Golden Shores, Long Beach. Hershee sleeping in Phil's arms. Will send more in the next blog to show what I was talking about above.
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