We slept in this morning and didn't have to move the clocks ahead because we did so when we entered Arizona and crossed into the Mountain Time Zone. Since Arizona doesn't adopt Daylight Saving Time, no additional time changes are required.
We spent most of the day getting set-up and fixing a few little things around the RV. We also got the VW washed (it was very dirty), had lunch at Carl's Junior, and got a few supplies at Safeway. Judy also did the laundry. Interestingly, this laundry has a fairly large communal clothesline that appears to be heavily used. This is the first such thing we have seen on our travels. I guess the attraction of quick drying in the dry desert air and the ability to save $.25 per dryer load, as well no inhibitions about drying your underwear in public appeals to many of the people staying here.
We also looked around the park to get oriented and met a few of the neighbors. One lives with his wife in a converted single-wide trailer that is their winter home (November-April). Their home is in Minnesota and have owned their trailer here for 17 years. The couple right behind us are from Thunder Bay, Ontario and also just arrived yesterday. They just spent a month in Tucson and will be staying here for two months.
There are spaces open in the park and there is no one in the space next to us on one side. The sites are nice - level gravel to park the RV and a concrete patio and parking space for the VW. So far, we are impressed with the park. It appears to be well managed and maintained and the management and staff all seem very friendly. The huge size of the park can be intimidating however. After doing the laundry, Judy got somewhat disoriented in finding her way back to the RV. (There are no street signs at any of the intersections and it was getting dark..) After asking a couple of people where site B37 might be without results, she called me and a rescue effort was successfully accomplished.
After dinner tonight we are going to go through all the travel material we have for the area and make plans for our activities while we are here. Right now, all we have scheduled are 2 baseball games and meeting friends for a 3rd game and dinner afterward. We have a pretty good list of what we want to do so we should be fairly busy. So, no firm plans just yet for tomorrow, but we will be doing something interesting (at least to us).
Day 6 Pictures
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Arizona Trip - Day 5
We left San Bernardino about 9:15 am and had an easy drive on I-10 to the Phoenix area (Mesa) over dry roads and under partly cloudy skies and arrived without incident around 5:00 pm (MST). There are not a lot of distractions along the route and the traffic was relatively light today, even in the Phoenix metro area.
The park where we are staying is about what we expected. It is a mega "snowbird" resort with over 500 spaces occupied with permanent park model RV modular homes, seasonal RV spaces, and room for "overnighters" like us. The park has the full range of senior snowbird activities that provide plenty of things to do for people who want to do them. For example, tomorrow's activities include:
All this is not for everyone as they grow old, but it provides a large comfort zone for a lot of people. We have seen these places are all over Southern Arizona and Florida and we are sure there many others all along the Southern tier. After all, would you rather spend the winters during your declining years in Saskatchewan or Arizona?
Our plan for tomorrow is to get settled in, plan our activities for our two weeks here and start relaxing a little. Who knows, we might even see someone we know at the upcoming North Dakota potluck.
And we promise, the pictures will become more interesting as the time goes on.
Day 5 Pictures
The park where we are staying is about what we expected. It is a mega "snowbird" resort with over 500 spaces occupied with permanent park model RV modular homes, seasonal RV spaces, and room for "overnighters" like us. The park has the full range of senior snowbird activities that provide plenty of things to do for people who want to do them. For example, tomorrow's activities include:
- Jerry Junck Dance with Marshall Flippo - 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm
- Shuffleboard meeting
- Edmonton (Canada) Potluck
- Pampered Chef Party
- Bocce League Potluck
- Bingo Committee Meeting
All this is not for everyone as they grow old, but it provides a large comfort zone for a lot of people. We have seen these places are all over Southern Arizona and Florida and we are sure there many others all along the Southern tier. After all, would you rather spend the winters during your declining years in Saskatchewan or Arizona?
Our plan for tomorrow is to get settled in, plan our activities for our two weeks here and start relaxing a little. Who knows, we might even see someone we know at the upcoming North Dakota potluck.
And we promise, the pictures will become more interesting as the time goes on.
Day 5 Pictures
Friday, March 8, 2013
Arizona Trip - Day 4
Long day today. When we got up this morning we discovered the storm did turn east into Southern California as predicted and dumped up to 4" of snow on the two passes out of the San Joaquin Valley into the LA Basin and farther East. Both passes were closed this morning and even when opened were forecast be slick and treacherous with accompanying high winds. We didn't particularly feel like experiencing winter driving in the RV over icy mountain roads, dodging crazy LA drivers who think chains are something you wear around your neck. So, we decided to take the coastal route in order to keep moving.
We finally got on the road about 10:00 am after deciding what to do. It rained all night at Lemoore and was still sprinkling when we left. We headed SW to Paso Robles on the coast then South and East through Ventura to LA.
We originally planned to be in Palm Desert tonight, so I called the RV Park to tell them we couldn't make it due to weather and discovered they made a mistake on the reservation and thought we were coming in last night. They were full for tonight anyway so I guess it was best we didn't show-up expecting a reservation that they didn't have and couldn't fill. We did find an alternate park near San Bernardino however. This park is about 2 hours west of Palm Desert so we will have a longer trip tomorrow to the Phoenix area, although the drive should be easy, The route is Interstate all the way and mostly open space well within the range of our driving capabilities.
The weather along the route was mostly partly cloudy with little wind and occasional rain showers here-and-there. We stopped for lunch at Pea Soup Anderson's in Buellton, near Santa Barbara. Driving through LA during rush hour on a Friday afternoon is another story. We were doing pretty good coming into LA from the West. It was sort of a reverse commute, but after going through the center of town and heading East it slowed to a stop-and-go experience for almost two hours. As we approached San Bernardino, it was dark and raining again. We arrived here tired, but glad to be here without incident. After a quick dinner in the RV, it is early to bed.
Day 4 Pictures
We finally got on the road about 10:00 am after deciding what to do. It rained all night at Lemoore and was still sprinkling when we left. We headed SW to Paso Robles on the coast then South and East through Ventura to LA.
We originally planned to be in Palm Desert tonight, so I called the RV Park to tell them we couldn't make it due to weather and discovered they made a mistake on the reservation and thought we were coming in last night. They were full for tonight anyway so I guess it was best we didn't show-up expecting a reservation that they didn't have and couldn't fill. We did find an alternate park near San Bernardino however. This park is about 2 hours west of Palm Desert so we will have a longer trip tomorrow to the Phoenix area, although the drive should be easy, The route is Interstate all the way and mostly open space well within the range of our driving capabilities.
The weather along the route was mostly partly cloudy with little wind and occasional rain showers here-and-there. We stopped for lunch at Pea Soup Anderson's in Buellton, near Santa Barbara. Driving through LA during rush hour on a Friday afternoon is another story. We were doing pretty good coming into LA from the West. It was sort of a reverse commute, but after going through the center of town and heading East it slowed to a stop-and-go experience for almost two hours. As we approached San Bernardino, it was dark and raining again. We arrived here tired, but glad to be here without incident. After a quick dinner in the RV, it is early to bed.
Day 4 Pictures
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Arizona Trip - Day 3
We left the Marin RV Park about on schedule at 9:15 am this morning. The first part of the trip was tedious city driving - over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, through the Oakland/East Bay freeway system and eventually to I-5 and down the San Joaquin Valley. The traffic actually wasn't too bad, just the usual stop-and-go back-up where I-80 goes over the Bay Bridge and I-580 heads South.
The trip through the Valley was uneventful and almost pretty. The fruit trees are in bloom which made for a nice visual addition to the generally boring drive on I-5. The weather was partly cloudy and no wind to speak of. As we approached Lemoore NAS we started to get a few sprinkles and after we hooked-up, we had a pretty good rain shower. We made a quick trip the Base Exchange and Commissary for a few supplies, had dinner in the RV, and rested-up for tomorrow.
The forecast tomorrow is not very good. A storm is predicted to move inland over Southern California and maybe bring some snow down to 4,000 ft over the passes. Our route tomorrow is over the Grapevine (the pass at the end of the Valley into the LA Basin). Snow in this area can be a real problem due to the volume of traffic, inexperienced winter drivers, and the grade and frequent curves up and down the route. We'll check the forecast and road conditions in the morning, and act accordingly. There aren't a lot of alternate route options; they all require going over the mountains to travel East. Tomorrow is also our longest leg of the trip with 300 miles planned. It could be a very long day - or maybe a very short day if the weather is bad.
Day 3 Pictures
The trip through the Valley was uneventful and almost pretty. The fruit trees are in bloom which made for a nice visual addition to the generally boring drive on I-5. The weather was partly cloudy and no wind to speak of. As we approached Lemoore NAS we started to get a few sprinkles and after we hooked-up, we had a pretty good rain shower. We made a quick trip the Base Exchange and Commissary for a few supplies, had dinner in the RV, and rested-up for tomorrow.
The forecast tomorrow is not very good. A storm is predicted to move inland over Southern California and maybe bring some snow down to 4,000 ft over the passes. Our route tomorrow is over the Grapevine (the pass at the end of the Valley into the LA Basin). Snow in this area can be a real problem due to the volume of traffic, inexperienced winter drivers, and the grade and frequent curves up and down the route. We'll check the forecast and road conditions in the morning, and act accordingly. There aren't a lot of alternate route options; they all require going over the mountains to travel East. Tomorrow is also our longest leg of the trip with 300 miles planned. It could be a very long day - or maybe a very short day if the weather is bad.
Day 3 Pictures
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Arizona Trip - Day 2
As forecast, a pretty good rainstorm came through the area last night with lots of rain and high winds. It was virtually clear when we got up this morning however, and remained partly cloudy, but cool (50's) throughout the day.
We had some time before Judy's medical appointments this afternoon so we decided to look around San Rafael for a new hanging lamp for the living room/dining area at home . We found one we both liked at Lamps Plus and ordered it for delivery when we return from the trip.
After lunch at a favorite BBQ restaurant nearby, we headed for UCSF in San Francisco for Judy's monthly blood test and bone strengthener infusion. All the blood tests were normal and everything looks good. Judy was also able to confirm her appointments through the end of September which will allow for better scheduling of upcoming Summer activities.
We met Kevin for dinner at another of our favorite restaurants in Sausalito and we returned to the RV and went to bed early. We are on the road tomorrow, heading for Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno on our way to the Phoenix area. The weather forecast looks pretty good all the way to Phoenix, but we may be dodging scattered showers along the way.
Day 2 Pictures
We had some time before Judy's medical appointments this afternoon so we decided to look around San Rafael for a new hanging lamp for the living room/dining area at home . We found one we both liked at Lamps Plus and ordered it for delivery when we return from the trip.
After lunch at a favorite BBQ restaurant nearby, we headed for UCSF in San Francisco for Judy's monthly blood test and bone strengthener infusion. All the blood tests were normal and everything looks good. Judy was also able to confirm her appointments through the end of September which will allow for better scheduling of upcoming Summer activities.
We met Kevin for dinner at another of our favorite restaurants in Sausalito and we returned to the RV and went to bed early. We are on the road tomorrow, heading for Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno on our way to the Phoenix area. The weather forecast looks pretty good all the way to Phoenix, but we may be dodging scattered showers along the way.
Day 2 Pictures
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Arizona Trip - Day 1
We got underway on schedule at 9:00 am this morning and almost made it out of the driveway without incident. While going up the driveway I scraped the right rear tire against the edge of the retaining wall. It punctured the tire causing it to deflate. It was not really noticeable while driving however since there are two tires on each of the rear wheels. As we came into Auburn a motorist caught our attention and told us we had a flat tire. Luckily there was a tire shop right up the road and they were able to quickly replace the tire. After an hour delay we were on the road again and arrived at the Marin RV Park in Greenbrae about 2:00 pm without further incident.
The weather is cool and overcast and rain is expected tonight. We were planning to go out to dinner with Kevin tonight, but he is home sick with the flu. We are still going out to a nearby restaurant then back to the RV before the rain starts.
Judy has two medical appointments in San Francisco tomorrow and we leave on Thursday morning for the Phoenix area. There will be two stops along the way: Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno on Thursday night and Palm Desert on Friday night.
Day 1 Pictures
The weather is cool and overcast and rain is expected tonight. We were planning to go out to dinner with Kevin tonight, but he is home sick with the flu. We are still going out to a nearby restaurant then back to the RV before the rain starts.
Judy has two medical appointments in San Francisco tomorrow and we leave on Thursday morning for the Phoenix area. There will be two stops along the way: Lemoore Naval Air Station near Fresno on Thursday night and Palm Desert on Friday night.
Day 1 Pictures
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Arizona Trip - Getting Ready
Well, we are finally ready to get on the road again with the RV. It has been parked since our trip to the Petaluma KOA with the grand kids last June. Since things have stabilized somewhat, we are now ready to travel again.
We will be leaving next Tuesday, March 5th for Marin, then after Judy's doctor appointments on Wednesday in San Francisco, we will head for the Phoenix, AZ area (Mesa) where we will stay for two weeks. After a stop in the LA area on the way back to visit friends, the Getty Museum and the Ronald Reagan Library, we will be back in town on March 28th.
We plan on posting regular updates as we can, so check back now and then to share our latest adventure.
We will be leaving next Tuesday, March 5th for Marin, then after Judy's doctor appointments on Wednesday in San Francisco, we will head for the Phoenix, AZ area (Mesa) where we will stay for two weeks. After a stop in the LA area on the way back to visit friends, the Getty Museum and the Ronald Reagan Library, we will be back in town on March 28th.
We plan on posting regular updates as we can, so check back now and then to share our latest adventure.
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