June 13   Off to Lake Casitas,  CaptDan took the wheel today and we headed south.  We have about 160 miles to go down the 101 headed to Ojai.  Its a beautiful drive and every time we near the ocean Butter is sitting up and just waiting for us to turn right and when we don't she plops down with a harrumph and waits for the next ocean sighting and it begins again.  Its hard to disappoint a dog that loves the ocean as much as we do, but if we let her plan the route we would never leave the ocean, and thats not a bad thing.  But we go on past Ventura and turn up the 33 and just a few miles later we are pulling in to the camp grounds and hooking up.  This is our first time with no sewer hookup but its just for a few days and we can conserve water.  Sophie and Brit come up to visit in the late afternoon and its just a nice quiet campgrounds.

June 14  Some family heard we would be in the area and asked to come visit and see our new house, so we invited them up for grilled ham burgers and they insisted in bringing the fixings.  Great weather we are having here, perfect for sitting around the table outside and visiting.  So Brit and Sophi are back up along with Harry and Yvonne, Charles and his kids, Emily and Logan, and its a party.  Great burgers and we head to the lake for fishing lessons.  Emily and Logan get lessons on casting and it doesn't take too long before the bait is actually getting out in the water.....Kids are really fast learners.

June 15  We have an easy day, the girls come out and we just take it easy and head to Broccoli's for dinner...Really good dinner, but truly great Strawberry Shortcake, it disappeared too fast I didn't get a picture.


June 16  Today Brit has to work and Sophie takes us up to Meditation Mount.  This is a beautiful place on a hill over looking Ojai.  We walk along the paths and just enjoyed the peace and quiet.  We had made plans to catch up with a good friend today so we headed back into town and the OBC, Dana was waiting and we made introductions to Sophie and started having beers and appetizers.  6 plates of appetizers later Brit got off work and joined us.  

Time for a sleep over.   We decide its time to break out the blender and tequila and have a rousing game of Farkle, or two, or three.  Then we migrate on to CATCH PHRASE.  Fun game and great night.














June 17  Travel day.  The girls help us get the Lake House buttoned up and it is with a slightly sad heart we bid them goodby and head down the road to Bakersfield....Yes Bakersfield.  CaptDan took Garry's instructions to heart and when we headed down the grapevine it was in the slow lane with all the trucks traveling at 35MPH.  Its a good 6% downgrade for over 5 miles and at the bottom we cut over to California 99 and roll on into Orange Grove RV park.  Interesting and too bad the oranges are navels and not ready for picking.

June 18  SharkTooth Hill.  Now did any of you know there is a place just outside Bakersfield with a substantial deposit of fossil Shark Teeth and a good chance to find a Megladon Tooth?  Well there is and we had a reservation so we were up at dawn and off to find the staging area.  We drive through Oildale, but you can figure out how that got it's name.  It's building up to be another typical Bakersfield summer day heading to 100.  We make it to the staging area and follow the owner of the property in to the dig site.  He gives us instruction and introduction to the area and turns us loose to pick our area along the front edge of the fossil layer and with pry bar and mallet in hand we begin.  This is not the same as our fossil hunt in Florida, standing chest deep in a creek and scoping up gravel to sift,  this is prying dirt off the edge and checkin for teeth, or other fossils and then repeating that process.  We did find Mako Teeth, and the mineral deposits have turned the teeth a beautiful opal-like color.  By noon we have finish the three bottles of water we brought and are pretty much aware we were not prepared for the day.  So while we hate to pack it in we know this won't be our last fossil hunt and we return home with a nice bag of fossils.  Our spot was left of the blue umbrella.  Next time we bring an umbrella and chairs and a case of water, then we can make it through a day.

June 19   Laundry day!  and we try to keep the Lake House below 75 all day....

June 20  Time to head out again, but first we must wash this rig and the Park has a nice wash station so we take the extra time and give here a light scrubbing.  The sun is already heating up and we know there will be water spots but it looks better then the layer of dust and dirt we have picked up since Arcata.   We take turns on the driving today and find that 99 is actually a better road surface then I5.  Stanislaus County Fair grounds in Turlock is where our day ends and while still blistering hot at least we have some shade and just 4 miles to travel tomorrow.  What a beautiful sunset in Turlock.

June 21  Turn the Lake House over to the service center at Best RV for a little work.  We have been have some trouble with the hydraulics for one and the list we give Romeo sounds fairly light, except we show him a crack that had developed in the nose right below the bed slide.  Its a long story, but its time to turn in an insurance claim and he says we are in for a week of work, so we head to Stockton with a small suitcase and a big ice chest.  We also order the slide toppers and a few other jobs that CaptDan really wants.  The main power plug will be moved to the middle of the unit so he doesn't have so much 50amp cable to run every time we stop.  This had been bothering him since we started and we might as well get it done.  Also we are having a hitch put on the back to hold whatever type of carrier we might want, first wish for me is a bike carrier so my bike can be out of the backroom and I can begin to get that sorted out.  After we get to Stockton we head up to Lodi for my followup Dr. appointment on the Gallbladder surgery....Clean report and the pain has finally let up but I'll still be watching that for a while.

June 22  hanging around the house waiting for the arrival of Robert with Riley and Robin.  This is a great bonus.  My son Robert had decided to pack Riley and Robin up and bring them to California.  He wanted them to have a chance to meet their great g'ma and for her to meet the.  So he flew into Las Vegas from Moline, then drove to his dad's in Silver Springs.  They took off for a few days camping in Modoc County at the Lava Beds Nat'l monument.  My son Chris joined them and they had a great few days.  Now he has called to let us know he headed to Auburn so he could see G'ma today and then wind his way to Stockton, via old Sac...and various other detours for memory blasts.  Robert hadn't been to California with leisure time in over a decade.  He rolls in about 8 and chaos ensues.   Aunt Tina has now met her niece and nephew.   It can be very overwhelming.  Robin becomes best friend with Roya before bedtime....she wants Roya to come to Moline so she can teach her to ride a horse...and they talk unicorn.

June 23  With Roya having to work it feels like we are short one part of the family but we march on and we head out to Lyons for a breakfast.  Lots of laughs.  Spend the day visiting and a great day.  I take the grands over to the park for some sand time and we have lots of fun.  After a great dinner Chris comes over and I realize I have all three of my kids under the same roof for the first time in 8 years.  Yahoo!

June 24  Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk.  Robert and I pack the kids up and head to Santa Cruz.  The kids have no idea what they are heading to until we make the last turn and they see the big dipper.  Are we going to a carnival???  yes.  So we get day passes and the next 7 hrs are a blur.

Robin loves all the rides and is anxious to come back in a year when she is tall enough to go on more rides.  Riley seems to be studying how all the rides work.

June 25  Pool party in Roseville.   I called Glenn and Gwen to let them know that Ethan and Robert had made plans to get together at their house on Saturday and I thought we should just make it a party,  they were in total agreement.  So Ethan and Melanie are there with Rosanna and Luciana.  Adam is there but his kids all had prior commitments.  Daniel shows up with Aiden and Tina and Roya join in.   this is the best day so far.  All the kids just having the best time and meeting all the cousins they didn't know about.  The day goes by much too fast and Robert planned it so he could head back to Nevada from Roseville,  this is the hard part, saying goodby, but the memories of this day will bring smiles to lots of faces for a long time.

June 26  Tinas house gets put back together and when Tina and Roya return from Sacramento they pick up a big dos at Home Depot and we start packing it up.  We manage to fit everything except the old suitcase, which has lost a foot and won't stand up anymore anyway  So tomorrow we will get it off to Moline.

June 27  Check in on the Lake House and see when we really will be heading off, no word yet.  So run to UPS and ship that box and have a little salad and pizza for lunch.  Then we go to Bed Bath & Beyond to find a salt shaker that will keep the salt dry and a few other goodies for our rolling home.

June 28   Romeo calls and it looks like the work is done but the insurance is lagging so we need to give them a little nudge so we can get moving.  Tina decides that today is the day to do her temporary job...Wash the truck, and wow! what a difference to makes.  That truck looks great.  Take Tina and Roya out to Red Robin for dinner and make plans for tomorrow and hope that we see progress in moving on down the road.  There is a trip to Les Schawb on tap for us tomorrow, seems we have another leak, this time it is in the breaks.

 June 5   It's time to move and we are up and on the road early as its our longest driving day so far.  I start out behind the wheel and take us 184 miles down I-5, long, straight, boring, but as I log more miles behind the wheel I am feeling better about my ability to handle the rig.   We grab a quick lunch at Kettleman City and Capt Dan takes the wheel to cut over to Paso Robles, down to Atascadero and over the hill to Morro Bay.  This is when I get out the camera....love those golden hills of California.   As we head over the hill from Atascadero to Morro Bay the temperature begins to drop and the blue sky disappears behind a nice cloud cover, we come around a turn and there are the stacks and then Morro Roc comes into view, its a very familiar site.  The park at Morro Bay is right at the end of Highway 41.  Right at the Dunes.  It's an older park and the spaces for big rigs are really tight....actually the space is a good size but getting around the corners and backed in is really tight.  Once we are settled we go explore the gates through the park and right into the dunes, this really is a great location and the new from our dining table is great!  We just relax and try to remember what was on the schedule for this leg of the trip, they we take a breath and remind ourselves, we are retired! there is no schedule that can't be adjusted and we need dinner at Taco Temple.  Now Dan has talked about Taco Temple since we have been together but all I have had from there is Carrot Cake!  So now we head over and I have a Blackened Cod Taco (1)  how anyone could eat 2 is beyond me.  It is delicious and certainly not your usual mexican fare.  We do get the carrot cake....to go. and several hours latter we share half and save the rest for tomorrow.

June 6 Drop me off for a manicure and Capt Dan takes Butter off to Port San Luis for a swim. I get a manicure and just chill. This is a nice way to relax, I go do a little shopping while they are still at the port. Then when he calls and they are coming back we go do a little Costco shopping. Larry and Joyce's for dinner…..really good tri-tip bar b q. Larry did promise me that recipe. hint hint!! They have great plans for the yard and next time we come through there will be a place to park the Lake House…and Joyce gives me a dental referral for this pain in my mouth.


June 7. Dentist said he can see me right away, so I head out myself, well there is this thing about small towns and narrow streets and a dual, but I make it and learn I have an abccess from a fractured tooth that had a root canal….jolly fun. I get a referral to a oral surgeon who cannot see me for 2 weeks, as that isn’t going to happen, the Dentists office finds me another oral surgeon who can see me on Thursday for a consult. But Thursday we have to relocate to Paso Robles…so I get on the phone and talk to Vines. We can come in early..like 10, that takes the scheduling conflict off the table and I remind myself “you’re retired, relax”.


June 8. There still is that issue of getting the truck serviced, somewhere on the road we managed to roll over 100,000 miles and we need an oil change and a little leak taken care of. Larry is going to let us borrow a car, so up at dawn and over the hill to get the car at 6:45 (thats a really good friend, cause he took a day off) then to Santa Margarita and drop the truck. Over to the Porch for breakfast then a quick run to return the Too small dog collar for Butter, and the truck is done, well the oil change is done the leaks are another issue, so we make arrangements to leave the truck with them on Thursday late and they will do the work on Friday and call us….this is not sounding relaxing but we have to take good care of that truck, she is our ticket to life on the road. We had touched bases with Dan"s niece Mattie and arranged to meet her for dinner at Tognazzinis Dockside in Morro Bay. Really good food and great visit, did I mention Ollalie berry Pie, almost as good as Strawberry shortcake.







June 9th Now this day was laid out to work and still have fun. Up in the morning and move to Vines in Paso Robles, for those who don’t know this is a 32 mile move, but the first 16 is over the hills and its time for me to take a turn at the hills. So I take the wheel and again my driving lessons prove their worth as I navigate what is easy in a car and a challenge with almost 8 tons and 39ft behind you. The vines is a lovely park, well resort. A little too close to 101 and the highway noise but big wide spaces and nice trees. Now we are off to the dental consult, and yep, that tooth has to come out, the Dr has an opening in the Paso Robles office at 8 in the morning, well that couldn’t have worked out better as we are now in Paso Robles. Now it’s beach time for Butter, that dog loves the beach, especially Port San Luis Obispo. She is running into the water before Dan can throw the ball. We wear her out and then head to Avila farms for a pie. Ollalie Berry we hope, but we end up with peach, thats fine with me. Then back to pick up Larrys car, drop the truck off at Switzers just before they close at 4:30 and head back to Paso 25 miles away…..yep, nothing goes that easy this week, we arrive home with no keys! Call Switzers quick!!! He’s still there and we explain the issue, he says he’ll wait for us to come back so back we go, after all whats the choice!, back to margarita, lots of thank you's, and back to paso, well almost back. I really want a beer. I had spotted a sign for Barrelhouse Brewing Co. and we find our way over there. One of the nicest things about the outdoor brewpub is that dogs are welcome.





June 10 Fri. Up early today. Fresh novocaine in the morning! So the molar is gone by 830 and I really want to go home for a nap. Luckily we are retired and I get to do just that! Central Coast Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, deserves a plug here because these people are great! Everybody from the front desk to Dr. Bush, they were all terrific. Switzers calls and the truck is done! so glad, so we pick it up and drop off the loaner car. CaptDan has lots of old friends here in the area and really wants to touch bases with several before we head out on this adventure of ours, so we hook up with Jim and go visit with him for a part of the afternoon. Then make plans to have Bruce over for dinner tomorrow. Now I want to see Some family so we decide to invite Polly and Doug to dinner also. Its a dinner party!




June 11 Sat. We met up with Deb at the Cowgirl Cafe in Atascadero. While trying to find her I turn around and find Danny hugging a strange woman, well strange to me. Larry’s sister! This is still a small town. We have a good meal and a great visit with Deb. It really is about family. Now we ge back home and make Macaroni salad and prep the tri-tip. by 530 our guests arrive and need no introductions as Bruce is good friend with Polly and Dougs son-in-law. SMALL WORLD. The weather turns out perfect, I thought we were going to have a hot evening and the wind picked up just enough to blow the heat away and we had sweater weather as we dine out on the patio.




June 12 Sunday. Now we turn back a page or two to life at the condo and Dan had a ornamental wall hanging/motorcyclist bell. He didn’t want to pack it away or just give it away to anybody. He wanted Gary Hull to have it. A kindred spirit and family. Well we finally were able to make plans to go to his place Sunday morning and he told his brother Ray and so we delivered the bell and got to visit with family for a good long time, when Ray and Margaritte pulled up in a motorcycle and side car….It’s a Ural, we looked at them at the State Fair in Salem a few years back. It seems as they prepare for her retirement they are going to take long tips on the motorcycles, and the first one will be to the northwest on the Ural. What fun that sounds like. Gary decided that he wanted to reciprocate and gifted me with our grandma’s cookie jar. Great cookie jar and it will reside back at Tina’s when we turn through Stockton again.

                                           here's CaptDan with Gary, Margaritte, and Ray.....

We had plans to go wine tasting this afternoon with Larry and Joyce so it’s time to hook up with them  and head over to Derby!. What a great winery and tasting room. Its the old almond growers alliance building they renovated and it is just beautiful. And the wine is pretty darn good too. Then we decide Peruvian sounds good for dinner and we are going to Mistura. Really great food and we bring in a bottle of the wine we just bought.

June 13   we are moving again......

May 28 to June 4

Saturday: Down in the dumps...hahah

Dan and I head in to load the truck while Tina and Roya go to Sacramento to celebrate Roya's mom's birthday.  Everything is sorted out and much to my surprise the truck is full! really full, it was a good decision to make a run to the dump.  The only hard part is sitting in the line at Lovelace Rd.  Eventually we get to pull in and back up to the dump floor and just start pitching everything.  Yeah, it always feels good to throw away trash and as Danny says, he likes throwing away other peoples stuff cause he doesn't have to make the decision to keep or throw. 

Then we head back to the condo and the door gets fixed.  We decide to leave the new wireless door bell for Tina to place.  We'll be back to check in on things tomorrow.


Sunday:  The only real drawback at this park is the wifi.  We decide to take our tea and head to the office.  If we sit in the office we get great service and Dan can read the Sunday paper and I can catch-up on the blog.  It drives us nuts that at our spot we can't stay connected to the wifi.  It connects and in 2 mins it throws us off, reconnect, repeat.   That is why we sit in the office to spend any time on line.

Monday:Memorial Day and it seams a great time to stay home and just hang out, well we hang out with Tina and Roya.  A quiet day.


Tuesday:  Now that the crowds have left the mountains we head up there.  There is this special little place off Highway 49 just north of Plymouth.  Electra.  There is a 3 mile road, well it is sort of a road, very narrow, very worn, and it runs right alongside the Mokelumne River.  Butter has needed a place to play in the water since we left Clear Lake and this is just the place.  Used to run this little stretch of the river with little rafts and the kids loved it.  There is a nice pond at the head of the river run and butter has a great time, so does Dan.

I don't know what the butterflies are doing but I love watching Tiger Swallowtails.

We head into Murphys after the river and thought we would do a little Wine tasting, but a burger and fries sounds like a good idea and then we do a little oil and vinegar tasting.  I add 2 bottles to the growing collection at home....Raspberry balsamic, is so yummy and the "honey and date" is just too good not to get, I can almost taste that drizzled over polenta.

What a lovely day as we turn back to Stockton and take a nice leisurely drive home.....Great day, lousy night.

Wednesday: A trip to the hospital and my gallbladder will forever be STUCK in LODI.  good riddance.  I have to add that, if you have to have emergency care Lodi Memorial Hospital is a stand out!  They took me in about 6, and had taken care of the excruciating pain, didn't quite have the nausea handled, but that was a nasty bout.  No heart issues, and definitely gall stones and a very nasty gall bladder.  It didn't take much for a quick consult with the resident Dr and surgery was scheduled for 3.  Ended up having it at 1 and I was sleeping quietly by 3.
Capt Dan and I were supposed to meet up with an old friend of his for dinner today and I sort of messed that date up but John decided to come up to the hospital and he and Dan got to go out to eat and catch up anyway,  it always makes me happy when he stays in touch with old friends.

Thursday: Get to come home to the Lake House and I just want to take a nap.  Dan decides we need to extend at least one day and he takes care of that.  While I would love the cool weather at the coast I know he is right and another day to recoup will be a good idea.

Friday:  Starting to feel better and we spend a day running around Stockton.  Had to get copies of some keys made so Tina has a copy of everything important.  Then I need to get my passport photo taken and the renewal application mailed.  A trip to the bank to square away a few things and make an appointment when we return to town to talk with an advisor....its never a bad thing to get professional advise.  We try to find new inserts for the step rails on the truck but the two accessory shops can't help us so we will keep our eyes on that down the road and maybe get the parts ordered before the old ones fall off.

Saturday: Our extra day.  Down to Tina's and catchup on laundry....almost get it all done and we head back to clean and prep for tomorrow. We have Daniel and Aiden down for a swim and dinner, and Tina and Roya up to see the Lake House.  I am so glad they got the chance to come up and visit and we do love showing off the Lake House.  It turns into a lovely evening in Lodi as we share subway sandwichs ( not doing any cooking with this heat)  and fresh strawberries with pound cake and ice cream and whipped cream....and no I didn't indulge in all that, after the surgery I am taking the lower fat intact very seriously and since I really don't care for ice cream anyway is not a real sacrifice.   We feel a little sad preparing to head out.  It's been so nice to be around family for the last month.