Finally On The Road!

After deciding on a truck, we decised on a trailer. Home and all contents sold, and we are on the road! Currently in Quincy, then Loomis, then the Nevada County Fairgrounds and then, and then....the Pacific Ocean!

It's Complicated!

It is quite a task trying to find the right truck and the right trailer (5th Wheel). Does one buy the truck first, or the trailer first? If you buy the trailer first, then you have to find the right truck that can tow it. If you buy the truck first, then one has to figure out what trailer it can pull. So I've decided to attempt a purchase of both the truck AND the trailer combination all at once. Those opportunities are far and few between but we keep looking. I found a truck/trailer combination in the bay area but it sold within 3 days.

Home sale listing starts next week! We hope for a sale in under 30 days. Once that happens, we will have to move quickly in securing a new 'home' and something to tow it with.

Exciting challenges ahead for sure.

It's Time

The time has come. Diana and I have decided to pull the trigger. Our home is going on the market and we will be selling/giving away all our possessions. Any and all debt will be paid off. We are buying a new 5th Wheel and setting out to see America. We figure we'll be homeless for 2-5 years, depending on just how we feel about it as the months and miles click by!

Stand by for further news!

A RV trip can put the vroom back into camping....

CREDIT EILEEN OGINTZ for this article

Fox News.com  July 11, 2013

Let’s face it. Camping with little kids isn’t easy.  No fridge. No bathroom  No air conditioning. And it’s certainly no fun in a tent when it rains.

Don’t get me wrong, camping can be a great adventure—especially when the kids are a little older.  But even the most committed backpackers opt for RVs when their kids are small.

I saw the pluses first-hand when I joined some young cousins on an RV trip in Colorado.  We still had all the fun of being in a campground, complete with campfires and S’mores.  The kids tooled around on the scooters they’d brought from home and made friends with other kids in the campground.  We could still join in the ranger activities when we stayed in a national park.

But it sure made a difference having that fridge and bathroom.  And the kids thought driving in the RV was an adventure in itself. We didn’t hear, 'Are we there yet?' once.  Here’s what I wrote about that adventure.

RVs of course come in all sizes—from towable folding camping trailers to huge motor homes with every convenience including flat-screen TVs.

Sure the price of gas is high, but consider that you’re RV is your hotel, restaurant and transportation all rolled into one.  And who wouldn’t prefer to pay a fee at a campground rather than a hotel every night?  You’ve got more than 16,000 RV parks/campgrounds and RV resorts to choose from, many located near popular destinations, national parks, forests and beaches. 

Many of these campgrounds are like resorts with pools—even water parks--and a wide-range of activities for the kids—everything from outdoor movies  to bike rentals to mini golf and crafts.  Some people call them “the last small towns in America.”  Check out the campgrounds from KOA, for example.

There’s another plus: You give the kids the sense of the outdoors and camping without the inconvenience.  If you’ve got anyone in the gang who has food allergies, that’s especially important.

All that and plenty of bang for your vacation buck too. Rental prices typically range from $80-200 per night --depending on the season, the vehicle rented, how far it's driven, and how long it'll be rented. Average price for a campground  is about $40 per night.

Figure that a family of four can save anywhere from 23 to 59 per cent on travel costs by using an RV. Not bad!  No wonder the RV industry estimates there are 23 million RV enthusiasts on the roads today –including more who are between 35-54 than any other age group.

“You only miss as much of the outdoors as you choose,” one Colorado Campground owner told me.

I’ll  have another S’more, please.

Living on the North Coast

Volunteering as a Camp Host

For several years Diana and I would talk and dream about going coastal for an extended period of time after retirement. I finally got around to submitting an application to the California State Parks regional office in Mendocino County, offering to volunteer our services in exchange for their free rent. Well, they called, and I arrived within 48 hours, and this is the story of my experience that took one month of my life, September, 2012. I have attempted  to include several photos. Hopefully they are certainly more entertaining than my rambling on and on.

For those of you who don't blog, it's a hassle when you don't do it often, because you forget how to enter the photos and text. I made errors in loading up the following photos. They are out of sequence, so please forgive me. There will be a heading under each photo to explain. It is a little fragmented somewhat, so please forgive me.

ABOVE: Main Entrance off Hwy 1 at Cleone, 2 miles north of Ft. Bragg. MacKerricher is one of the more popular state parks along the northern California coast.

ABOVE: As you enter, you get a sense you are going to have a whale of a time here!

ABOVE - Seven young men in their 20's rented a site for one night to have a bachelor's party. They were getting a little loud so I attempted to quiet them down. They expressed their opinion of the park system camp host later in the evening while visiting the restroom. Fortunately, this was the only negative experience I encountered during my month-long duty and it was the maintenance staff that cleaned up the mess.

ABOVE: The view I saw as I left my host camp site

ABOVE: My campsite had full hook-up and plenty of room. I sold $800 worth of firewood during my stay

ABOVE: My little Gator had a tilt bed, making the job a lot easier

ABOVE: An interior view of my campsite. Home away from home.

ABOVE: "Walk-In" sites are private, and you have to haul in all your stuff, but they are secluded.
The government provides a cart to load your stuff in, but it had a flat tire, so I would volunteer my Gator and deliver their items to their site. Sorta like the guy that hauls your bags to your hotel room for you. However, no tip is required!

ABOVE: Entrance to a walk-in site that provides maximum privacy. However, the deeper you go down the trail, the farther away you are from the restrooms. I found myself picking up toilet paper and 'related' matters occasionally but for the most part the campers using these sites were in the habit of keeping their site very clean....cleaner than the normal sites.

ABOVE: One set of bathroom/shower facilities. I did not have to clean them, but checked them in the evening hours to insure adequate toilet paper was stocked.

ABOVE: If you have ever been to MacKerricher State Park, you will recognize this entrance to the day-use and boardwalk area.

Day Use Area

Day Use Area

Day Use Area

ABOVE: Cleone Lake, containing fresh water from a river and sea water that overflows during winter high tides. 

CLEONE LAKE

ABOVE: Diana & Mike Sherman ready to take care of campers' needs. Folks were always glad to see us in the evening hours when they needed firewood, or directions, questions answered, or just wanted to talk.

ABOVE: Ever wonder what State Parks does with with ash from your fire pit? Other debris? There is a section concealed from public view where maintenance staff dumps it all.

ABOVE: Fire pit ash is emptied into metal containers and parked in the bone yard for days to allow for adequate cooling before being dumped.

ABOVE: MacKerricher has this ramp system to allow easy access out to the point to watch whales and seals play. The following photos are the views you would see if you take the route, nearly one mile long.

MacKerricher's Main Entrance

ABOVE: My gas station. No credit card required, thanks to the taxpayers of California

ABOVE: The campground has it's own water treatment plant, and the water is stored in wooden holding tanks that give the water a slightly red tint, but it's safe. The redwood adds the color.

All in all, it was an enjoyable month. They want us back in the summer of 2013, and have plans to place us at Westport, which is only 17 miles north of MacKerricher. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi, we would love to have our friends and family come for a visit. I might even be able to comp you a campsite, park of the perks of the job.

Campground Review

RIVER REST RESORT

Washington, California

Owner: Debbie Shipley

www.RiverRestResort.com

Telephone: (530) 265-4306

Location: 30 minutes east of the Grass Valley - Nevada City area

River Rest Resort (RRR) is unique in many ways. Geared towards family, quads and dirt bike, there are many other opportunities to hike, fish, dine in or out, and generally just enjoy the surroundings and the main attraction....the Yuba River. There are hundreds of miles of U.S. Forest Service roads and trails to explore.

Situated at the 2,700 foot elevation, RRR is a full-service campground with it's own store selling basic needs, hot showers (coin operated), a large playground for the children, horseshoe pits, volleyball, and two main swimming holes with easy access. One swimming hole is for humans only, the other is a dog beach perfect for smaller children and your pet.

RRR also has full hook-ups but due to the depth of the canyon, cellular phone service is not available. Future plans call for Wi-Fi. Each campsite has a table and fire pit with a grill, and staff will actually deliver firewood to your campsite in the evening hours. Many of the campsites overlook the river. Because each site has electricity, generators are not permitted, so you can hear the river flowing as you fall asleep! Quads and dirt bikes are restricted from riding in the park....only in and out is allowed.

Debbie Shipley has owned this campground for several years. Due to a tragic accident, her husband Donald Shipley passed away. You can read my earlier tribute to Don on my earlier post entitled "Did You Know This Man?". The community of Washington still mourns the loss  of this wonderful man that was loved by hundreds.

This is their temporary sign at the campground entrance, a new one is in the making.

The horseshoe pits are regulation-tournament grade with flood lights for night time enjoyment

Don was an avid horseshoe player (an expert!) and his resting place is properly marked at the pits pictured above

The large playground is situated next to the showers which are kept exceptionally clean

The Yuba River runs just to the rear of the RVs parked at the far side of the playground

It does not get any better than this on a warm summer day!

This is a view of the dog's swimming hole and is perfect for small children

50 amp service is available for any size RV 

Debbie recently added a new office-store at the entrance with a new, paved approach

Debbie's cabin, right on the river with her golf cart ability to mobile around quietly at night

The Washington Hotel (built in the 1860's) features a full restaurant and bar, which is within walking distance from RRR. Pictured is Hank, the owner

The hotel's outside dining offers a great view of the Yuba River

I have written about my high school friend before. This was our annual gathering and for the first time ever, I won the game! Pictured is the winning moment. Made my day!

River Rest Resort is a treat for families or anyone who desires to get away from it all and still enjoy the creature comforts. Check it out, visit their website for more photos and consider them for a family reunion. they have plenty of room for large guests. 

Visit www.RiverRestResort.com for more information.

State Campground Closures

Well, after many hours of driving we arrived at one of our favorite camping spots and the photo below pretty much explains our disappointment. Here we are at Westport, 17 miles north of Ft. Bragg. Guess what.....the State of California has closed it. Budget cuts. We don't know if it will open for the summer. We observed several State facilities closed along the coast from Ft. Bragg to Bodega Bay.

So, we traveled a few hundred yards to this wide area in the road (below) and spent one night there. No fire  ring or table, just a wide spot in the road. The plus side was it was qiuet, and it was free.

Don't be fooled by the photo below, it is not Mendocino, but close to it. This photo was taken during a walk in the Botanical Gardens in Ft. Bragg.

We have never visited the gardens but had the time this trip, so we forked out the bucks ($14.00 each). While there were no crowds, there were few flowers blooming also. I recommend you save your money and wait for summer, when the colors are abundent.

    

We left Esme in the RV (below) so she could rest up while we walked the gardens.

We did spot a few flowers in bloom. This one below seemed unreal, like plastic. I had to touch it to confirm

 it was actually alive.

Below is a shot of the pit stop for lunch while enroute to Bodega Bay

The view below is from our camping spot at Wrights Beach, just north of Bodega Bay. This State campgound is usually packed from spring through the summer, and even during the weekends in the winter months. The host tells us Wrights Beach is one of the most popular State campgrounds on the entire California Coast. You can walk right onto the beach from your campsite, but it costs....$45.00 per night.

 

Below are several photos of the sunset taken every couple of minutes.

This final photo below shows Diana walking from our RV out onto the beach with Esme. Obviously, they     both love the beach.