Headed for Arizona

This afternoon, our visit to San Diego too soon finished, Concetta and I turned the RV in the direction of Arizona and began our journey to Mark and Nancy's house near Scottsdale. The past two days the Tioga was parked in cousin Angie Campanella's front yard (with barely and inch to spare) and we tried hard not to use the black water holding tank too much since we wouldn't be able to pump it until we reached some future RV park. Yesterday we spent the entire day touring southern California, and more specifically, Hollywood, in an effort to show Angie's granddaughter, Vivian, the sights before she returns to her home in Washington D.C., and, in the near future, college in Vermont.

The first thing we did is arise at the tender hour of 5:00 a.m., bolt down a bowl of cereal, and then head for Interstate 15 in the direction of Glendora and, eventually, Pasadena where we planned to abandon the car and take to the light rail. Before leaving San Diego we stopped to pick up Vivian's friend, Megan. Then it was headlong into the commuter fray and, hopefully, a decent arrival time in Pasadena. This we managed to pull off in grand style and in a short two and a half hours or so we were exiting the Route 210 on Allen Street and were pulling up in back of a McDonalds where we all hoped to use the bathroom and maybe grab a quick snack.

Angie and I had the oatmeal which turned out to be surprisingly good. Once everyone was back in the car we were soon pulling up in the underground parking garage in the Paseo Mall on Colorado Street. We locked up and then set out on foot for the Del Mar station on the Gold Line light rail.

After a short ten or fifteen minute wait the train pulled up and we all took our seats for the run to Union Station. I always find the gold line run to Union Station a very relaxing and fun trip. It doesn't take very long and you get to see lots and lots of interesting historic houses along the way. Angie especially enjoyed the trip as she befriended a young Mexican chap who told her he came from just outside Mexico City and was in L.A. all by himself trying to make a living. Hard to imagine but true. I wonder if any of us could do the same in Mexico City.

Once at Union station we herded everyone toward the Red Line to North Hollywood and continued our journey. Angie again managed to find a young Hispanic man to converse with and seemed to have a great time talking to him for the eight or nine stops we intended to travel.

When we reached Hollywood and Vine station climbed the stairs to the bright Friday morning sunshine and began our trek down Hollywood Blvd., just taking in the sights. Crowds were pretty manageable until we crossed the street to see the Groman's Chinese theater where seemingly everyone on Hollywood Blvd. eventually intended to congregate. We spent a good thirty minutes there just looking at all the signatures and hand/foot prints in the concrete.

The teenagers spent lots and lots of time photographing the sidewalk stars and getting their photos taken with characters like Johnny Depp who lined the sidewalk in every direction.

Just after noon we stopped at a sandwich shop and topped up our appetites then headed out on the sidewalk again. Angie had an idea: she wanted to show the girls Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. I was a tad skeptical, but Angie seemed to have the route all figured out. So off we went to find the correct bus. Our "All Day" ticket for the light rail also worked on the city buses so we didn't have to spend any money.

Despite the fact that I was skeptical that we could get there from here, Angie navigated us to Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive were we hoofed it around for an hour and had a great time. When we were done we found a nearby ice cream shop that, for some reason, had only chocolate ice cream left in stock. So Angie and I had some coffee-flavored chocolate ice cream, Concetta had mint flavored chocolate, and the girls had peanut-flavored chocolate. Crazy but good.

Once the ice cream interlude was over, we could see that the afternoon was headed toward evening and we still had to retrace our steps to Union Station so we could catch the light rail back to the car in Pasadena. Once again, Angie the Navigator came through and guided us to the correct bus that soon dropped us at the Purple Line station at Western and Whilshire. Then, almost before we knew it, we were pulling up to Union Station and then were disembarking the Yellow Line train at Del Mar in Pasadena. Then, to make matters even more incredible, we discovered that it was only going to cost us $9.00 to park the car all day long at the Paseo Mall parking lot.

It turned out to be a long drive home in the dark, but for the most part we didn't experience too much congestion due to rush hour and by 8:30 we had dropped off Megan and then dropped in on Dick and Nancy who lived nearby. Dick regaled us with tales of his "rat and rabbit hunting" in his back yard. The critters are doing lots and lots of damage to his garden plants.

When we left Dick and Nancy's it was only twenty or thirty minutes and we were back at Angie's house and I was sure glad to get out of that car. It had been a long, long day and I had spent at least five hours behind the wheel. Since none of us had eaten anything since the ice cream extravaganza at 5:00 p.m. Angie finished the evening by heating up some leftovers which I sure appreciated.

This morning we slept in until 8:00 or so and then Angie whipped up a mess of flapjacks and fresh fruit for breakfast. They were some of the best flapjacks that I have ever tasted and, along with the great coffee and fruit, we enjoyed it immensely.
Once breakfast was over it was time to visit Tony and Francis Montisano. Our visit also turned out to be memorable as Tony's daughter and ex-son-in-law, Kevin, were there as well as Tony's grandson, Joey. It was great to see Tony since he's been bedridden and not doing too well these days and we never know how many times we'll be able to see him.

After our visit we returned to Angie's house where we took the Tioga off the blocks, unhooked the electrical, and prepared to leave. Even though it was getting late in the day for travel -- about 1:00 p.m. -- we decided to try and get in a few miles and camp in El Centro or Yuma for the night. Before leaving San Diego we did just a bit of grocery shopping and, while Concetta was doing that, I walked over to Starbuck's Coffee and had them fill the thermos for our lunch.

Once on the road the miles clicked off swiftly as we listen to the last of the Kellerman mystery CDs. As it turned out, we found ourselves in El Centro right around the time we usually stop for the day. We stopped at a park recommended by the AAA group and it has turned out to be a darn nice park, though their internet policy is pretty onerous. Still, it's right on a lake and next to a golf course. Along the perimeter of the property is a line of old wagons that I photographed and it even comes complete with a bocci ball course, pool, and lots of other recreation features.

As the sun set in the west, Concetta and I walked the bluffs above the golf course and lake and snapped a bunch photos. It was truly a wonderful vacation moment.

We arrive in San Diego.

Yesterday, though largely unplanned, turned out to be pretty darn exciting. We really liked the KOA in Banning for it's peaceful setting, wonderful vistas, and quiet nature. But we can't recommend it since they don't have decent WiFi. They do have WiFi, but they only let you use it for one hour in each 24 hours, which is just draconian and stupid. Usually KOA corporate emails me for comments on our camp experience and I intend to complain about the Banning KOA's silly internet policy.

We left our camp in Banning around 9:30 a.m. and headed east on Interstate 10 toward Palm Springs. Incredibly enough, even though I grew up in Southern California, I had never been to Palm Springs. Concetta had never been there, either, so we were both excited to take a look. I assumed it was probably a sleepy resort town full of 50s-era, rock-roofed houses and lots of sandy acreage.

The first place we stopped was the visitor center on highway 111 on the western edge of town. The center was housed in a converted mid-century, futuristic gas station that looked like a concrete bunker with a giant jet aircraft wing growing out of the roof. I've never been a fan of mid-century architecture, but the visitor center was pretty darn cool. It was there we learned about the possibility of riding the aerial tramway to the top of Mt. San Jacinto. Quite by accident we had stumbled on the one thing I had always wanted to do in southern California as a kid and had never gotten to do it. And, even more astonishing, the road to the bottom of the tramway ran right beside the visitor center. So, after buying the requisite T-shirt for Palm Springs, we hoped in the ol' RV and started up the mountain.


Wow! That road was pretty darn steep. I think we did most of the climb at thirty miles an hour and, eventually, in the lowest gear. When we finally reached the parking area we looked out over the half-filled lot and saw absolutely no motor homes. I wasn't sure they were going to allow me to park at all. But the attendant just pointed to the far end of the lot and said, "just put it over by the trees and take two spaces if you need to." Neat! No hassle at all. Since she had indicated that we park well away from the cars it was easy to maneuver and park and I could let the rear end hang way out over the brushy mountain slope, which meant I didn't take up the whole thirty feet of length in the lot.

Camera in hand, Concetta and I walked back to the parking lot entrance and we were soon boarding the shuttle bus for the final climb to the lower lodge. Even though we had probably only climbed a thousand feet from the valley floor, the scenery was already stunning. Vast fields of tall, white windmills whirled in unison way off in the distance and Palm Springs looked a lot like a giant Rand McNally map laid out before us.

Once inside the lodge we queued up to buy our tickets and then wandered around the grounds for thirty minutes while we waited for our turn on the tram. The trams have been modernized in recent years and now have a carrying capacity of 80 people. Not only that, but the cars are arranged so everyone gets to see everything as you ascend to the top of the mountain 6,000 feet above you. They do this by having the floor in the cable car revolve. It feels a little weird at first, but the floor is constantly moving so that one minute you're starring down the mountain toward the lower lodge and the next minute you're looking up the long, long cable way to the very top thousands of feet above you. You do about two complete revolutions in the ten-minute ride.

Everything about the tram ride is smooth and comfortable and in a short ten minutes you find yourself in the upper lodge. Naturally the temperature has changed about forty degrees from that of the Valley floor. But we didn't find ourselves minding at all, though we were glad we brought long-sleeved shirts when we ventured outside onto the patios and trails around the lodge. The air up there is so clean and pine-scented and the sun so sparkling bright you just immediately fall in love with the place.

After soaking up all the mountain air and sunshine we could, we jumped back on the descending tram (they run every ten minutes) and headed back for the RV. Our plans for the day involved reaching San Diego and Concetta's cousin, Angie's house where we planned to stay for a few days. Only trouble was, by the time we finished lunch it was early afternoon and we'd only traveled about 25 miles from our morning camp in Banning. I figured that we'd be most of the rest of the day getting to San Diego. So, we topped off the gas at a nearby station, put our murder mystery CD in the player and headed for the open road.

Since our route involved driving through much of old Palm Springs I was pretty surprised when it differed from my mental image of the place so drastically. I was expecting something fairly small and quaint. But there's nothing small about Palm Springs. It's HUGE! And, there are a couple of other towns that meld right into it nowadays. Lot's of expensive cars running around like Bentleys and Jags, manicured landscaping that you normally expect in Beverly Hills, mile after mile of shops of all descriptions. We were just amazed. Lots of hustle and bustle in the business district, gated communities for the rich folks, and everything looks pretty opulent.

Soon we came to Route 74 running towards San Diego and we made our turn and started our climb out of the desert and into the mountains. Pretty hard climb to the very top, but certainly picturesque. Once on top it was an easy run down the other side of the mountain to where Route 74 intersected Route 15. Thankfully, the traffic going south toward San Diego was light and we had an easy run to Angie's house.

Last night Angie cooked up a big batch of great Italian food and we were surprised when more cousins popped in to shared our visit. We drank lots of wine, I retrieved some Sambucca and Nocello from the motor home, and none of us got to bed until well after midnight. Pretty darn nice day and another grand adventure.

Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Last night was a tad chilly in our little aluminum home due to the elevation and proximity to the lofty Sierra Nevada near Lone Pine, California. Still, we just huddled together (since I was too cold to get up and go to the front part of the coach and retrieve the comforter) until dawn at which time we jumped up, threw the thermostat into high, and got back under the covers until things thawed out.

Later, after some hot oatmeal and coffee, we cleaned up our campsite and headed for the open road. The camp ground at Boulder Creek is wonderful, for those of you headed in that direction, and we encourage everyone to give it a try. But, as always, the open road beckoned and we answered the call.

The Tioga is a very smooth-running coach and I really enjoy driving it. Most times, I just set the cruise control, Concetta puts the latest book on CD into the changer, and away we go. We've found that it's absolutely lovely having everything you need right there, whether it's water, a snack or a bathroom, it's never very far away. I just love it when we're rolling along and decide it's about lunchtime. We just scan the passing scenery for a spot to pull off and moments later we're having our sandwich and coffee with a new and different vista out the window.

Today we stuck mostly to Hwy 395 through places like Cartago, Olancha (where they used to have a killer Art Deco filling station long abandoned), and Victorville. Long about Victorville we really noticed the increase in traffic headed towards San Bernardino and soon we were hemmed in by 18-wheelers, speeding compact cars, and other motor homes and fifth-wheels. It was surely exciting since we don't ever see that kind of traffic in Nevada.

The freeway signs turned out to be pretty understandable and it wasn't long before we had merged onto the 215, the 15, and then the 10. Route 10 was our final interstate for the day as our destination was the city of Banning where we hoped to find the local KOA nestled under a forest of trees as advertised by the brochure. The KOA brochure hit the directions right on the money and by 4:00 p.m. we were rolling up to the office.

Our campsite is absolutely wonderful. The park is only about half full and very quiet. And the mountain vistas to the south and to the west are just awesome. This time I got the truck leveled on the first try and we were having our afternoon walk scant minutes later. Once we returned to the coach, Concetta whipped up a great Southern Comfort and cranberry juice cocktail to hasten our pre-dinner relaxation. Later I discovered that I did forget to put the rear jacks in place and turn on the gas for the stove, but I'm blaming the alcohol for that.

Today, I spent some time tracking down all the things we forgot to bring along. Concetta needed wooden spoons and some Dixie cups, while I needed a handy Best Buy so I could remedy the missing camera memory card reader that ended up who knows where in the packing process. Probably still sitting on my desk at home. But thanks to our sojourn through Victorville we came away with everything we needed.

So, here we are just 25 miles west of Palm Springs, watching Dancing with the Stars, and planning for our final California leg of San Diego. In San Diego we are hoping to visit a number of relatives including Concetta's sole remaining uncle, Tony Montisano, who is not doing too good right now. We'll also be visiting Angie Malcangio, a recent transplant from Arlington, Virginia, who has always been one of our favorite family members to hang out with for our many shared interests.

So, tomorrow we're headed for Palm Springs, a place I've never seen, the Salton Sea, ditto on the previous visits, and then on down to Route 8 at the bottom of the state before we head back west for a bit to San Diego. We have no idea just what we might experience on this route, but we're hoping it's exciting. Until then, I'll say Ciao for the evening.

Spring Vacation -- April, 2012

Hey, we're on the road again, headed for San Diego and, eventually, Arizona. Two days ago it was snowing in Northern Nevada and it just seemed the proper time to seek out some warm country. We left the Davis ranch around 9:30 this morning and had nothing but smooth sailing, if you can put it that way, all day long. The skies were blue, the highway lightly traveled, and the truck ran like a top. Around lunch time we turned off the highway and headed for the Mono Lake Visitor's Center where we spent a lovely hour touring the grounds and the museum as well as the book store. Concetta had never visited before. I think I discovered the center on a trip I took with Charles Seims some years ago as we headed for our annual hiking trip in Pasadena. If you haven't stopped, please do so on your next trip. It's very nicely done.

After lunch, we headed off down the road for our next stop, the museum in Independence, California. Did you know that Charles Manson was tried in the Independence Court House? Even if you're not up on the Mansion trial, the courthouse is definitely worth a visit. And if you haven't ever visited the Independence Museum, you're really in for a treat, especially if you like American Indian basketry. Also to be seen at the Independence Museum is the section on the Manzanar Japanese relocation camp. They've even recreated a nice section of one of the dwelling units right inside the museum.

Since we hadn't planned on traveling more than a couple of hundred miles today, our destination turned out to be the Boulder Creek RV park just south of Lone Pine. We've passed it a hundred times as we traveled between Los Angeles and Carson City and I always thought it looked interesting, especially for the wonderful boulder masonry they've constructed along the highway. Well, today we stopped and were pleasantly surprised to find it a spacious, well kept, and reasonably-priced park. For those who don't want to whip up breakfast before they hit the trail, they offer coffee and rolls. They have a pool and hot tup, a big-screen TV for in the rec room, and lots and lots of trees to shade us from the western sun. You have the towering southern Sierra on the western (highway) side and the vastness of the great basin desert on the east. This afternoon when we arrived the air was warm and inviting and we couldn't wait to get in a walk after dinner.

Setting up the RV didn't go quite as nice as I like this first day out. I got the leveling all wrong, I parked so far from the sewer outlet I had to s-t-r-e-t-c-h the hose to its breaking point to get it to fit. And I dumped sewer water all over my hands when I removed the cover from the outlet pipe, evidently due to my not having tightened down on the shutoff good enough last time. Oh, well, I didn't try to rectify anything. I just left it alone. Tomorrow, I'll get it right.

Wonder of wonders we have decent WiFi here and, in addition to my connecting with the laptop, Concetta was able to get her IPAD on as well. So, it was a quiet evening as we each answered our email and read from Facebook. Tomorrow, we're off down the road toward San Diego. At this point we're not sure just where we're going to be staying tomorrow night except to say we probably won't try and make the whole 300 miles in one jump.

Until then, I bid you good traveling.