There is not an awful lot to report today. We slept in, had breakfast, did "RV chores" and just relaxed for most of the day.
Of course, the big deal of the day was the Super Bowl. The RV park had a Super Bowl party at the club house that we attended. They had a big screen TV and lots of snack foods, including hot dogs, chili, salads and the usual assortment of chips and dips. They also had soft drinks and people only had to bring their own adult beverages if they wanted to do so. We stayed for the first half then returned to the RV to watch the second half and the unexpected thrilling finish.
It is off to Phoenix tomorrow for a three night stop on our way east.
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Florida Spring Training 2017 - Day 5
Today started off with a complimentary breakfast in the RV clubhouse. It was a nice selection of pastries, cereal, fruit, etc. and was a very good beginning to the day.
Our next stop was the Verizon store (after a mocha at the Starbucks next door). Judy's phone died and mine was starting to act erratically. So, we decided to upgrade to new ones. That took awhile, so while we waited for all the data to transfer to the new phones, we got the truck washed.
After all that was done, we ended up having lunch at a Bristol Farms grocery store. It is a chain of about a dozen stores, mostly in Southern California, although there is one in San Francisco. The store is very similar to Whole Foods with various food stations, gourmet groceries and things and perhaps higher prices that you might find elsewhere. We had great sandwiches and fresh baked cookies for desert and enjoyed walking around the store.
The Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage/Palm Springs area is an a valley surrounded by mountains and is known for its mild pleasant weather in the winter and very hot temperatures in the summer. It has been a haven for years for celebrities and wealthy people to winter in the area, play lots of golf and do other things rich people do when they get together. Today, those types of people are still here, but there are also a lot of retirees and seasonal "snow birds" who are here for the winter season either staying in condos, RVs or second homes.
Most of the stores and facilities, at least near where we are staying, are well maintained and appear to reflect the presence of people with money. Many of the people we have encountered here are well dressed middle-aged or elderly white people (with a few trophy wives here and there) . There seems to be very little ethnic diversity except for the service workers who are almost exclusively Hispanic. I am not sure where they live, but it isn't here. The area is also a seemingly endless collection of gated communities and country clubs with fairly high walls around them. I am told there are at least 18 golf courses in the area although very few are visible from the street. This a nice area but not somewhere we would ever want to live.
After lunch, we went to an upscale shopping center in Palm Desert called The Gardens on El Paseo. "The Gardens" as it is known locally, sponsors an outdoor concert series every Saturday from January through March. The proceeds from each concert are donated to a local charity. The concert this evening was to benefit the American Cancer Society. It sounded interesting so we walked around the shopping complex and a nearby street fair while waiting for the concert to start. The group, called Desert Sol, was composed of twelve musicians and played a variety of blues, funk and jazz selections.
After the concert, we had a light dinner in a restaurant in the shopping center before returning to the RV after a long, but enjoyable day.
One side note: The world can sometimes seem to be a very small place. While waiting in the Verizon store we talked to a young man who just arrived from Clearwater, FL wearing a tee shirt from one of our favorite Clearwater area restaurants - Frenchy's On The Beach. And, at the concert we sat next to a man from the Philadelphia suburb, Paoli, where Judy used to live as a teenager. He is a seasonal "snowbird" and also a Phillies fan.
Our next stop was the Verizon store (after a mocha at the Starbucks next door). Judy's phone died and mine was starting to act erratically. So, we decided to upgrade to new ones. That took awhile, so while we waited for all the data to transfer to the new phones, we got the truck washed.
After all that was done, we ended up having lunch at a Bristol Farms grocery store. It is a chain of about a dozen stores, mostly in Southern California, although there is one in San Francisco. The store is very similar to Whole Foods with various food stations, gourmet groceries and things and perhaps higher prices that you might find elsewhere. We had great sandwiches and fresh baked cookies for desert and enjoyed walking around the store.
The Palm Desert/Rancho Mirage/Palm Springs area is an a valley surrounded by mountains and is known for its mild pleasant weather in the winter and very hot temperatures in the summer. It has been a haven for years for celebrities and wealthy people to winter in the area, play lots of golf and do other things rich people do when they get together. Today, those types of people are still here, but there are also a lot of retirees and seasonal "snow birds" who are here for the winter season either staying in condos, RVs or second homes.
Most of the stores and facilities, at least near where we are staying, are well maintained and appear to reflect the presence of people with money. Many of the people we have encountered here are well dressed middle-aged or elderly white people (with a few trophy wives here and there) . There seems to be very little ethnic diversity except for the service workers who are almost exclusively Hispanic. I am not sure where they live, but it isn't here. The area is also a seemingly endless collection of gated communities and country clubs with fairly high walls around them. I am told there are at least 18 golf courses in the area although very few are visible from the street. This a nice area but not somewhere we would ever want to live.
After lunch, we went to an upscale shopping center in Palm Desert called The Gardens on El Paseo. "The Gardens" as it is known locally, sponsors an outdoor concert series every Saturday from January through March. The proceeds from each concert are donated to a local charity. The concert this evening was to benefit the American Cancer Society. It sounded interesting so we walked around the shopping complex and a nearby street fair while waiting for the concert to start. The group, called Desert Sol, was composed of twelve musicians and played a variety of blues, funk and jazz selections.
After the concert, we had a light dinner in a restaurant in the shopping center before returning to the RV after a long, but enjoyable day.
One side note: The world can sometimes seem to be a very small place. While waiting in the Verizon store we talked to a young man who just arrived from Clearwater, FL wearing a tee shirt from one of our favorite Clearwater area restaurants - Frenchy's On The Beach. And, at the concert we sat next to a man from the Philadelphia suburb, Paoli, where Judy used to live as a teenager. He is a seasonal "snowbird" and also a Phillies fan.
Friday, February 3, 2017
Florida Spring Training 2017 - Day 4
It rained last night but the skies cleared when we got up this morning and we had an easy drive East to Fresno, South to Bakersfield, then East over Tejon Pass to Techachapi and East through the high desert.
Tejon Pass is at 4,000 ft but the road was dry with very little wind - about as good as you can expect this time of year. After traveling past Edwards AFB and Boron (Remember 20-Mule Team Borax), we turned South on US 395 towards San Bernadino. When we met I-15 about 30 miles north of San Bernadino the ride got a little interesting. You descend from the high desert back into the valley with a 12-mile 6% grade. Besides the normal complement of heavy traffic and lots of trucks, it became foggy with a heavy mist. Of course no one slowed down, turned on their headlights or decided not to weave in and out of traffic without using their turn signals. We moved over to the slow lane and tried to stay out of everyone's way.
When we got to I-10 and turned East it was still a little misty and we had mostly bumper-to-bumper traffic most of the way to Palm Desert. As we approached the Palm Springs/Palm Desert the skies cleared however and the temperature was close to 70 degrees.
We arrived at the Emerald Desert RV Resort in Palm Desert around 4:30 pm after a long drive (300+ miles), ready for a beer. The resort is an upscale destination RV resort. We have stayed her before and the amenities are first class. We will be here three nights with activities TBD. Tomorrow begins with sleeping in after a long travel day. We'll go from there.
Tejon Pass is at 4,000 ft but the road was dry with very little wind - about as good as you can expect this time of year. After traveling past Edwards AFB and Boron (Remember 20-Mule Team Borax), we turned South on US 395 towards San Bernadino. When we met I-15 about 30 miles north of San Bernadino the ride got a little interesting. You descend from the high desert back into the valley with a 12-mile 6% grade. Besides the normal complement of heavy traffic and lots of trucks, it became foggy with a heavy mist. Of course no one slowed down, turned on their headlights or decided not to weave in and out of traffic without using their turn signals. We moved over to the slow lane and tried to stay out of everyone's way.
When we got to I-10 and turned East it was still a little misty and we had mostly bumper-to-bumper traffic most of the way to Palm Desert. As we approached the Palm Springs/Palm Desert the skies cleared however and the temperature was close to 70 degrees.
We arrived at the Emerald Desert RV Resort in Palm Desert around 4:30 pm after a long drive (300+ miles), ready for a beer. The resort is an upscale destination RV resort. We have stayed her before and the amenities are first class. We will be here three nights with activities TBD. Tomorrow begins with sleeping in after a long travel day. We'll go from there.
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Florida Spring Training 2017 - Day 3
As predicted, it rained all night and was raining in the morning when we got up. Since the drive today wasn't all that long, we slept in just a little and got on the road around 10:00 am. It was still raining when we left but as soon as we got over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge into the East Bay the rain had stopped and we had pretty much partly cloudy skies the rest of the way down I-5 then East to Lemoore Naval Air Station.
Lemoore is a big league Naval Air Station. It is located between Fresno and Handford, CA and is home to several Carrier Air Wings while they are not on aircraft carriers on extended deployments. The aircraft are primarily F-18 fighter jets and they have just received their first contingent of the new F-35c aircraft that will eventually replace the F-18s.
We are staying at the base RV park, a nice amenity for people assigned to the base as well as retired military personnel at the reasonable rate of $25.00 per night. It is a pull through site with full hook-ups, so we didn't have to unhook which will facilitate our departure in the morning. After dinner in the RV it will be early to bed for a longer drive tomorrow to Palm Desert, CA. The weather looks good and it appears we will have clear sailing over Tejon Pass and good weather for the weekend in Palm Desert.
Lemoore is a big league Naval Air Station. It is located between Fresno and Handford, CA and is home to several Carrier Air Wings while they are not on aircraft carriers on extended deployments. The aircraft are primarily F-18 fighter jets and they have just received their first contingent of the new F-35c aircraft that will eventually replace the F-18s.
We are staying at the base RV park, a nice amenity for people assigned to the base as well as retired military personnel at the reasonable rate of $25.00 per night. It is a pull through site with full hook-ups, so we didn't have to unhook which will facilitate our departure in the morning. After dinner in the RV it will be early to bed for a longer drive tomorrow to Palm Desert, CA. The weather looks good and it appears we will have clear sailing over Tejon Pass and good weather for the weekend in Palm Desert.
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| Lemoore NAS RV Park |
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
Florida Spring Training 2017 - Day 2
After sleeping in a little, we had a nice breakfast at the Anchorage Inn, down by the Sausalito waterfront. It is a favorite breakfast/lunch place off the tourist trail and frequented primarily by locals and boat people. It was 11:00 am by the time we finished breakfast and headed into SF for Judy's appointments. First it was the blood test, then an appointment with her Oncologist followed by her regular bone strengthening infusion. The good news is that everything still looks fine with no change in her condition.
We made it out of town by 4:30 pm as part of the daily rush hour exodus from the City. It wasn't too bad however as we only had to go to Sausalito where we met Kevin after he got home from work. After a glass of wine, we drove over to Mill Valley for dinner at Joe's Taco Lounge. It is another great local's sort of place with excellent Mexican food.
Rain is expected to start this evening and we are anticipating hooking up and traveling in the rain tomorrow. It is only a four hour ride to our destination, Lemoore Naval Air Station, near Hanford, CA so hopefully it will not be too bad.
We are now truly on our way to Florida.
We made it out of town by 4:30 pm as part of the daily rush hour exodus from the City. It wasn't too bad however as we only had to go to Sausalito where we met Kevin after he got home from work. After a glass of wine, we drove over to Mill Valley for dinner at Joe's Taco Lounge. It is another great local's sort of place with excellent Mexican food.
Rain is expected to start this evening and we are anticipating hooking up and traveling in the rain tomorrow. It is only a four hour ride to our destination, Lemoore Naval Air Station, near Hanford, CA so hopefully it will not be too bad.
We are now truly on our way to Florida.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Florida Spring Training 2017 - Day 1
We got on the road this morning about 11:30 am. Somehow, the packing and preparation always comes together and we manage to depart more or less on time.
We made a quick stop in Dixon for lunch then headed up the Napa Valley to pick up wine from some of our favorite wineries for the trip. And, since we were going by Sonoma on the way to Marin, we picked up some more at another nearby winery. We are now pretty well stocked and will not have to shop for wine in West Texas or elsewhere with limited selections and higher prices. Wine is one thing CA does better than anywhere else we have ever been - hands down.
After an easy, but busy day driving we arrived in Greenbrae at the RV park where we stay when we bring the RV for Judy's appointments. The park is about 7 miles North of the GG Bridge and an easy commute into the City. The park is not exactly a resort destination, but just a parking lot with hook-ups for visitors to the area and home to a few locals, mostly working temporarily in the area.
We then met our son Kevin, who lives in Sausalito and works in SF, for dinner. As always, we had a great meal at our favorite Sausalito restaurant, Angelino's.
Judy's appointments tomorrow are later in the day so we can sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast and avoid the morning commute traffic into the city.
It looks like some rain is on the way but we will be avoiding most of it as we head South tomorrow.
We made a quick stop in Dixon for lunch then headed up the Napa Valley to pick up wine from some of our favorite wineries for the trip. And, since we were going by Sonoma on the way to Marin, we picked up some more at another nearby winery. We are now pretty well stocked and will not have to shop for wine in West Texas or elsewhere with limited selections and higher prices. Wine is one thing CA does better than anywhere else we have ever been - hands down.
After an easy, but busy day driving we arrived in Greenbrae at the RV park where we stay when we bring the RV for Judy's appointments. The park is about 7 miles North of the GG Bridge and an easy commute into the City. The park is not exactly a resort destination, but just a parking lot with hook-ups for visitors to the area and home to a few locals, mostly working temporarily in the area.
We then met our son Kevin, who lives in Sausalito and works in SF, for dinner. As always, we had a great meal at our favorite Sausalito restaurant, Angelino's.
Judy's appointments tomorrow are later in the day so we can sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast and avoid the morning commute traffic into the city.
It looks like some rain is on the way but we will be avoiding most of it as we head South tomorrow.
Saturday, January 14, 2017
Florida Spring Training 2017 - Day 0 (Getting Ready)
We will depart Nevada City on January 31st for San Francisco for Judy's medical appointments on February 1st.
(Updated January 30, 2017)
The weather has cooperated and were are just about ready for leaving in the morning. We will be parked in Marin (Greenbrae) Tuesday and Wednesday then heading down the valley on Thursday. Our first stop is Lemoore NAS near Hanford, CA then on to Palm Desert over Tejon Pass on Friday. Right now the weather looks pretty good - Rain/Showers Wednesday and Thursday (nothing too severe) then 70's -80's in Palm Desert and Phoenix. As always, we will be checking weather as it frequently is subject to change this time of year.
We will also be avoiding shortcuts this year.
(Updated January 30, 2017)
The weather has cooperated and were are just about ready for leaving in the morning. We will be parked in Marin (Greenbrae) Tuesday and Wednesday then heading down the valley on Thursday. Our first stop is Lemoore NAS near Hanford, CA then on to Palm Desert over Tejon Pass on Friday. Right now the weather looks pretty good - Rain/Showers Wednesday and Thursday (nothing too severe) then 70's -80's in Palm Desert and Phoenix. As always, we will be checking weather as it frequently is subject to change this time of year.
We will also be avoiding shortcuts this year.
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