Crescent City to Willits, CA

This was our third trip along the Redwoods Highway in the last three years.  It is our first trip going southbound, however.  California has just had a week of heavy rains, which they needed, but there have been many mudslides.  There were a number of spots where the right lane was closed.  Sitting in the passenger seat, I found myself leaning in towards Kim, as if my weight alone would keep us from tipping over on some of the sharp turns, that for whatever reason were lacking guard rails.  I think I much prefer going Northbound on this section of Hwy 101.

When it is time to get fuel, I generally try to look for a place to fill up closer to a larger city or town.  However, IMHO,  one should avoid thinking about getting fuel in Crescent City.  The prices at all the stations were competitive, but there are no easy in - easy out places if you are pulling a trailer (at least southbound).  I imagine the same would be true for anyone driving a MH with a toad.  And speaking of fuel, the average diesel price that I observed in Crescent City was about $4.05 per gallon.  In Florence, OR, we got fuel at a Fred Meyer (Kroger) store.  The rate was $3.75 but with our membership points we had a 40 cent discount per gallon and paid only $3.35 - score!  So far no big sticker shock for us from the Seattle area.  When we left a few days ago, diesel was running about $3.90 per gallon.

We saw two herd of elk on the drive.  Unfortunately, they were not near the road, so no photo opportunity and not on a stretch of road where there was any place to pull over anyway.  In the past, we had better views going northbound.

We had reservations for the night at the Golden Rule RV Park in Willets, CA.  I chose this park based on reviews that I read on www.rvparkreviews.com.  One of the complaints I read was about lack of signage and how it was easy to miss the turn.  Possibly because of those comments, I was diligent about looking for the turnoff.  Here are my hints if you are traveling southbound on Hwy 101.  The park is about 7 miles south of Willits.  At about 6 miles, you will pass a weigh station.  At about 6.5 miles, there is a sharp turn where the speed limit drops to 45 mph.  Look for mile marker HUM 101 39.5 (stands for Humboldt County Hwy 101 if you are wondering).  You will see one of the yellow intersection signs showing a right-hand turn.  There is also an short right-hand turn lane.  The Ridgewood Ranch sign is visible along with the Good Sam signage.  I could see how it would be easy to miss if the foliage was grown up and around it, but when we came by it was pretty clear to me.  However, I was also making a concerted effort to look for it.  If you don’t have a “navigator”, it may be easier to overlook it.  Surprisingly, Roundabout Rhonda (our GPS) actually got this one right.  If you are headed northbound, I spotted a turn lane to use so that you are not blocking traffic on this moderately steep stretch of road.

There is a 1.1 mile twisty turn narrow paved road down to the park and the ranch.  We met a few cars on the way down the hill and slowed to let them go by us.  I wouldn’t want to meet another big rig on this road, but that’s me and that’s why I don’t drive when we are pulling the rig.

It’s a nice little park.  First you will come up on the mobile home section where the office and the laundromat is.  Office hours are minimal.  The check in gal called me to verify about what time we would be there because I guess they are only in the office from 11am - 2pm on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We wouldn’t get there in time.  She gave me our space number and told me there was a reserved sign on the post.  The management does not take credit or debit cards here; it is cash or check.  The envelopes and registration information is on the front of the office door.  Be sure to look on the driveway office entrance, not the back entrance from the laundromat.  It was a bit confusing for me, but I finally found it.  The cost for a full hook up for the night is $35; $32 for Good Sam Members.  This park has Wi-Fi in the laundromat area only.  Our Mi-Fi did pick up a signal but it was slower than slow….think dial up at its worst.  We did hook up the booster, but did not take the antenna outside.  I was more interested in getting the DirecTV dish set up as they have no cable here.  I guess this is as good a time as any to full admit that I am a TV addict.  Tuesday night is full of wonderful programming for me, including NCIS, NCIS-LA, The Voice, Person of Interest, and Justified, among others.  So we did without internet for one night.  The whole Wi-Fi thing may be a deal breaker for us in regards to returning here for anything more than an overnight.

Our site, #35.

The pool - which we didn't use.  If it wasn't rainy, and perhaps just a titch warmer, I might have.  Anything over 65 degrees is shorts and swimsuit weather for those of us from the Pacific Northwest.

The park’s website boasts wildlife viewing.  I can see that there is potential, and I don’t like to judge based on one night’s stay during a rainy time frame.  The only thing I have seen (and heard) so far is a flock of wild turkeys.  I was hoping for some deer to wander through.  Oh well.  I also saw some birds I’ve not seen before, but I apparently did not pack my birdbook, so I will have to see if I can find them on-line at some point.  One had a brown body, with a red/orange crown, and a white behind that you saw only as he flew away (like a flicker).  He was pecking for food on the ground.  The other looked very much like a stellar jay, but the body was gray.  A bit of a disclaimer here - our windows are really dirty, and it may indeed have been a stellar jay.  

If we were to come back and stay more than just over night, I would opt for one of the back in sites that would give us a view of the creek and a big field on the other side.  The creek is just the other side of the picnic table.

What I wouldn’t want to view is a rattlesnake.  There was a warning posted up in the laundromat which freaked me out a bit.  I am petrified of rattlesnakes.  Not that I have ever had an encounter, but I did see an old episode of the Rifleman as a kid when “Pa” played by Chuck Conners was sleeping in a bed roll on the trail and a rattlesnake crawled in with him.  I don’t recall exactly what happened because it’s been probably 45 or 50 years since I saw the program, but I don’t think Pa was bit.  Someone came along and saved him, maybe his son Luke.  Anyway, it freaked me out and I have not yet overcome my fear.  And for the record, Stephen King’s story, “Salem Lot” gave me a more than healthy fear of Vampires; a fear that I have overcome thanks to Stephenie Meyer and The Twilight Series.

It appears that dear husband is ready for me to stop typing and to get my behinder in gear.  We are off to San Juan Bautista today, and will be there for 5 days.  Yay, a chance to sit back and relax and visit with friends in the area.  Fingers crossed, there will be wine tasting involved as well!

And We Are Off To Crescent City, CA

With the slide back in place, we left Florence, OR, heading south on US 101.  We've driven this route a few times before, and for some reason, I always forget how big the Oregon Sand Dunes are.  I forget about all the lovely view points.  Some day we will come and stay in the area for a week so that we can actually stop at those view points and take a few pictures.  Many of the view points are just wide spots on the shoulder and do not accommodate a trailer/RV.  As it was, the weather was wet and foggy and there were very few photo opportunities for a person (moi) who knows nothing about taking good photos.  I recognize good photos when I see them, but taking them....well, it's a learning process.

Do you ever drive through towns and wonder why they are there?  What supports the community?  For many years, we lived in Westport, WA, population about 2000.  It is a town supported by its fishing industry (both commercial and charter boats), shipyards, and tourism.  And it is obvious when you drive through the town that this is why it is there.  Kim and I seem to have the discussion of why is this place here often when we drive down the coast.  In particular on this trip, I seemed to focus on Bandon-By-The-Sea.  So I decided to look it up.  This town is primarily supported by its tourism.

Here is a blip from Bandon's Chamber of Commerce website:


"Call it Bandonor call it Bandon-by-the-Sea. However you refer to us; our seacoast town is sure to delight you with its charm, its scenic beauty, its rich opportunities for recreation, relaxation, and its warmth shown you by its people.

Located on the Southern Oregon Coast where the Coquille River meets the Pacific Ocean, Bandon, Oregon is 90 miles north of the California border, about a 90 minute drive to Interstate 5 at Roseburg, five hours by car from Portland and about nine hours from San Francisco.

It is home to five world premier golf courses, Bandon Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails, Old Macdonald and Bandon Preserve, all of which are part of the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. In addition to the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, there are 2 more courses in Bandon, Bandon Crossings, an 18 hole course and Old Bandon Golf Links, a 9 hole course. We are quickly becoming known as Oregon's Golf Coast!

The scenic beauty which Bandon offers is unparalleled. Enjoy birding, surfing, crabbing, fishing, mushroom picking...and so much more! We are sure you'll find Bandon very enjoyable! 

For all that it has to offer, it remains charmingly undiscovered and unspoiled.

The people who live here (population 3100 or so) love it, and each year, first-time visitors discover why. 
We hope you will walk along the paths of this website to discover Bandon for yourself."
Now, I don't play golf, but five golf courses in a town with a population of 3100 seems like a lot to me.  I'm also not into surfing, crabbing, fishing or mushroom picking, but I will admit there sure is a lot of scenic beauty in the area.  Another place to visit when we can.
So down we go, through Bandon, Langlois (another even more curious place in the road), Sixes, Port Orford, Gold Beach and Brookings.  We finally crossed into California at about 4:45pm.  Surprisingly, the Agricultural Check Station was closed.  I wonder if this is a cost saving measure for the government or if the check points are seasonal depending on what crops are currently growing.
Our destination was the Village Camper Inn RV Park in Crescent City.  I called ahead to let them know we were close by.  Unfortunately, I got voice mail.  I wasn't too concerned because we had reservations with a confirmation number.  I figured there would be something left outside for us directing us to our space.  However, there was nada.  I called the owner on her cell phone, which she had kindly left on her outgoing message.  She was two hours away.  Apparently the person managing the store while she was gone was to have left instructions for us.  Oh well.  The park was not full, so we were able to pick a spot and just set up.  It's a nice little park, from what I could see.  It was raining and getting dark, and we were more interested in getting set up than we were in looking around.  After the morning's adventure with the slide, we were ready for some adult beverages.  Too bad for Kim that I forgot to pick up some more tonic water.  For the record, gin and ginger ale is a combo not to be repeated.  I settled for some boxed Merlot by Bota Box.  And I won't be buying that again.  The night before I had a Merlot by Black Box, I think it was called, which wasn't too bad.  Am I happy to be approaching and spending some time in Northern California Wine Country?  You betcha!
Anyway, the park is adequate.  It was an easy access, not too far off Hwy 101.  It was quiet and green and very peaceful.  There are nice patio slabs with good picnic benches.  And from what I could tell by how quickly Kim got things set up, the ground must be pretty level.  There is 50 amp power.  The water pressure was good.  Our Verizon/Millenicom Mi-Fi is working great.  Cell phone reception seems fine.  We enjoyed the cable TV.  There are not many campers around us, but I don't see any satellite dishes, and would wonder if the signal was any good with all the trees.  I am sitting here enjoying my morning coffee and hoping to see some wildlife.
With a quick prayer of blessings and thanksgiving to the RV Gods, the slide will come in without issue and we will be off to our next stop.  The Golden Rule RV Park in Willits, CA, for another over night stay.  The forecast is for 62 degrees and cloudy but no rain.  That's almost summer weather for those of us from Western Washington!

Oops, A Hiccup

One of our slides is stuck out.  We had this problem in Yuma four years ago.  I'm not the engineer/mechanic in the family, but the gist of it is that the bolts that hold the struts together get sheared with time and then they break.  At least that is my limited understanding.  Four years ago, I would have been in tears and panicked, but this time I managed to hold it together.  I just kept affirming that Divine Intelligence would guide us on how and/or where to get it fixed.  Kim had a good idea of how to fix it, and he jerry-rigged replacement bolts in place.  But unfortunately, they were not strong enough and broke off every time we tried to put the slide in.  The management at Heceta Beach RV gave us the name of an RV Repairman,  Keith's RV Repair here in Florence.  We gave him a call, and although he was working on another rig, he gave Kim some pointers.  A quick trip to True Value Hardware for some heavy duty bolts, and some patience on Kim's part, accompanied by just a little bit of swearing, and it looks like we are good to go.  Kim bought extra bolts to have on hand just in case.  Hopefully, she will hold together at least until we get to San Juan Bautista, where we will be for about a week.  Luckily for us, we have friends in the area who will put us up (and put up with us), if the rig needs more than a day's work done to her.

So now, we are off to Crescent City.  Hope to be there before dark.

Born Again RV Virgins

Our grandson just celebrated his 4th birthday, which means it was 4 years ago that we were summoned home from our first long RV journey by his mother, who had been put on bed rest for the last 3 weeks of her pregnancy.  Choosing to opt to be our grandson's primary daycare providers, we put off our travel plans.  Just when we were about ready to start to think about hitting the road again, along came Grandson #1's brother.  We put in another 15 months as Grandma and Grandpa Daycare when our daughter found a "regular" daycare that met the criteria that she, my husband (Kim) and I were happy with.

We started formulating plans to leave March 1st, planned the itinerary, and started making lists.  I had forgotten how much work it is to load up the rig.  I'll let Kim post about all his work in prepping the rig itself.

Day One - We actually departed on time, waving good bye to our house sitters who were there to make sure we cleared the driveway without running over the boulders that line the driveway.  We had a short drive to Kelso, WA.  We stayed at a nice little park called Brookhollow RV Park.  Easy access about one mile off I-5.  $35 a night for full hook up.  We had stayed there on our way home four years ago.  You can see the pictures and read my review of that park here:

http://rv-virgins.blogspot.com/2010/02/back-in-washington.html

A couple of snags the first day.  The ABS light came on in the truck.  It is something that we will check out when we get to the Santa Cruz area where we will be for 5 days.  Research showed that even if the light comes on, the brakes are still working.  The other thing was that the propane sensor decided to shriek.  Not sure why this happened and there was some relief in remembering that it does this from time to time.  Perhaps it was just annoyed that we woke it up after a 4 year nap.  Who knows.  It stopped after we pushed the mute button, and we turned off the propane furnace just to be safe.  Thank God for space heaters and electric hook ups.

Day Two - We left only 5 minutes after our planned time of departure.  I was pretty proud of myself.  I'm the straggler.  I'm up early, but by the time I've done my morning spiritual reading and journalling, had some breakfast, and am starting to get ready to think about showering and getting dressed, Kim is up and chomping at the bit.  Oy vey.  Aren't we on vacation?  In an effort to keep the peace, I did a few things two months prior to our departure that I hope will help.  First, I cut off my hair.  This was not a big deal for me.  I had worn my hair very short for years.  In my late 40s, I decided to start growing it out.  A mid life thing?  Not sure, but I did it.  Even when it was long, there was not much styling involved.  There was, however, lots of time involved in washing and drying.  I am now sporting a short wash and wear hair style.   That cut (pun intended) about 30 minutes off my prep time.  The other thing I did, and I'm kicking myself for not doing this years and years and years ago is waxing.  I'm almost 60 years old now, and I experienced waxing my legs and underarms for the first time in January.  OMG, what a difference.  Not having to fuss with that aspect of my morning routine is such a blessing.  My first wax experienced lasted close to 2 months.  I'm sure part of that is my age.  The older you are, the slower the hair on your legs grows.  I wish I could say the same of underarm hair.  The underarm waxing lasts 2-3 weeks for me.  So worth the momentary discomfort of the waxing experience.  I'm glad I tried it out early so I knew what to expect.  We should make it to Phoenix before I will be looking for another wax job.

So groomed and on the road with a happy husband (not only that we were off pretty much on time, but the ABS light was no longer on) we headed south on I-5.  If you are going through the Portland, Oregon area and have no reason to stop in Portland, take I-205.  It bypasses all of the downtown area and its awful traffic.  (Does every big city have awful traffic?) It is so much better than driving through Portland.  We stopped for diesel just south of Salem, paying $3.99 a gallon at a Flying J station.  The drive was very relaxed and smooth.  Roundabout Rhonda (our GPS) took us on a different route from the one I had intended.  She took us off I-5, down Hwy 99 E (yes, I know, odd numbered highways should go north and south, but this is what it was called), to Hwy 36, then connecting with Hwy 126 into Florence. Oh well, we saw places we wouldn't have seen otherwise.  Lots of sheep farming followed by some delightful tree lined two lane highway, with very low hanging branches.  Very glad we cleared them and our AC unit is still intact.  It was a very pretty drive.  We had done it before, just picking up Hwy 126 in Eugene.

We arrived at Heceta Beach RV Park relatively early, before 3pm.  We had stayed here before as well.  You can read about our experiences by clicking here:

http://rv-virgins.blogspot.com/2010/02/fortuna-and-florence.html

It is much the same as I remembered it.  Nice check in experience.  $36 per night for full hook up.  We couldn't get the DirecTV dish to cooperate, so we utilized the free TV cable so that I could watch The Oscars.  Ellen DeGeneres did a great job of hosting, and the musical numbers were great.  I am definitely going to have to watch The Dallas Buyers Club here sometime soon.

It was rainy and windy when we arrived.  Not a surprise if you are from the Pacific Northwest.  We are on the coast and it is March.  It would be more shocking if it were anything but windy and rainy.  What I love about this park are the pyimydalis arborvitae shrubs between the sites.  Great for privacy and in this case, great for wind block.

Tomorrow we are off to Crescent City.  This will be about 185 miles straight down Hwy 101.  Hopefully, an easy day.

Bye Bye KM Resorts, Hello Thousand Trails

As you may recall, we did cancel our KM Resort membership last year.  We have decided to try Thousand Trails.  One reason is the idea of their camping zones, and the buy one zone, get one free offer.  Kim's aunt and uncle belong to Thousand Trails, and we have done a few day trips when they have been camping close by.  We liked what we saw.  Now we will find out if we like what we use.

We've Not Been Travelling In The RV For A Few Years......

does that mean we are still virgins?   Well, if not virgins, certainly we are in need of more experience.  I prefer experience of the "good" sort....you know, the kind where you read about some problem and its solution before it happens to you!

We are about six weeks out from hitting the road again for a journey to California and Arizona.  Both Kim and I are busy reading other blogs and checking out websites.  I've got half the trip planned with our longer destinations being the Santa Cruz area, San Diego, Phoenix and Cottonwood, AZ.  We may be traveling by the seat of our pants on our way home, depending on weather and how much we miss seeing the grandkids.  That's the hardest part of us - missing the day to day interactions with those little buggers.  However, the traveling itch has struck and it must be tended to.

If you have any must sees in the areas we will be visiting, please do let us know.

Come full circle.

We've been stationary going on 2 years now. Originally we were living in our 5th wheel in the driveway and then after receiving anonymous complaints about lowering the property values in the neighborhood, we moved to a local American Legion campground. Now we are back in the house since the kids decided they really needed a bigger house and yard and are currently in a 4bdrm with a nice yard. We're in the process of making upgrades and repairs since we will probably stay here for a at least the next 2 years until the grand kids are in pre-school. We already said we weren't babysitting another baby so if another one comes along they are on their own.

Meanwhile, we've been painting inside, replaced the two toilets with low flush units that we got $100 rebates for each one so the total cost to us was $70. What we thought was a leaking roof around the brick fireplace turned out to be 'brick saturation'. Who knew? In heavy rainfall, which we had in abundance here in the NW last year, the rain striking the edge of the bricks where the mortar is is absorbed by the bricks, plus the cracks in the cement cap didn't help. The water then wicks down through the bricks until the warmer temperature inside the house causes it to evaporate leaving behind a chalky white residue, which I thought was from the drywall in the ceiling. The fix is to grind out the mortar to about 1" deep and re-mortar. It's called 'tuck pointing'. About $1200 later it is done and then in the spring/summer when it's warmer/dryer a sealant will be applied. Hopefully this is the end of it. Already had the ceiling repaired and repainted once and don't want to have to do it a third time. (Haven't done the second time yet.)

Next on the list is upgrading the electric to 200 amp service. Estimates so far put that in the $2300 - $2500 range. Whoopee!! Started off getting quotes for fixing a couple of dead outlets and escalated from there. In today's electronic lifestyle I'm surprised I've gotten by so far.

Next will be the kitchen. Mostly new counter tops and re-doing the cupboards, plus upgrading the appliances so I'll probably be lucky to get through that for less than $10K. We'll see.

That's probably enough to keep me busy for now and it's finally warmed up enough that I should get outside and finish washing the 5th wheel so I can get the cover on before it decides to snow.

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and Happy Holidays to those so inclined and if you don't you can just disregard this part.