Home safe and sound..

 Howdy, just a quick note to say we're home safe and sound. Coho ferry and return to Canada all went smoothly and we're back in Maple Bay with all the usual spring projects awaiting us.  The fact it's raining today... is ok.  Gives us time to catch up the mail and other such domestic duties...  Take care everyone and have a happy spring. CJ

Some days you’re just too busy to write… a quick catch-up.

 Hellooo out there; in case you were wondering we have not dropped off the planet. Once our footprints start heading west and north the days just seem to be gobbled up and all sense of time gets kind of fuzzy. As well, in these modern times, there’s not much opportunity for being ‘off the grid’. Not so many years ago heading off in the boat or into the forest with a tent meant “see you when we get back”. There were no cell phones and certainly no internet, wifi, apps, or other such technically confusing apparatuses (is that a word or should it be apparati?). Anyway, we’ve been busy as well as on vacation.

When we left Cattail Cove SP we headed ten minutes down the road to another state park we have enjoyed in the past - Buckskin Mountain SP on the Colorado River. There we found, more grass, less barking dogs, just as much wind (so not much opportunity to have our shade-creating awnings out), friendly staff and (just like the last couple stops) washrooms in need of updating and better maintenance. BUT we enjoyed our time there, complete with bocce in the wind, happy hours and the beginning of what has become the 2022  Jenga Tournament of Champions. The quarter and semi finals have been played and the grand Finals are scheduled for tonight. I digress.

Wind Event; that’s what they called it.  Then they called for Wind Events #1 and #2.  The first event called for gusts up to 55 MPH and that’s pretty much what we got. It certain'y had our attention as the trailer rocked and rolled and campsite carpets picked up and attempted to fly.  Then they called for Wind Event #2 with gusts up to 45 MPH. We were supposed to leave right in the middle of these ‘events’.  Needless to say that didn t happen.  Visions of trailers flying sideways down the road are not the way you want to be travelling.  The authorities were even warning people to stay put; so we did.  At least John and Sue were able to stay in their site. Unfortunately ours was not available for the extra day so we did have to move…but only a few miles down the road to a nice, newer state park called River Island. The overnight was quite peaceful and we packed up and headed out the next day (after adjusting all previously booked reservations for the remainder of the trip home - by one day).

Next stop was in Tehachapi at the Mountain View RV Park. This was a one nighter and it was really great; one of those ‘mom ‘n pop’ places where everything is kind of rough but works. The washrooms were clean and there was even a washer and dryer we could have used.  It’s set up right beside a small airstrip where small planes towing gliders took off every once in a while. They were a lot quieter than the Blue Angels and fun to watch.

Off the next morning to Coalinga and the Harris Ranch.  We’ve been here before, twice.  This is a rather unique place, famous for its wonderful restaurants and the fact RVs can stay overnight for free. On previous visits we had parked on the road behind the attached gas station (very noisy with the big trucks coming and going and the guy who blows off the parking areas at 0500).  The second time we were there we opted for the dirt field off to the side (much quieter but a very rough ride across the rutted and rough field.  This time I called ahead to ask if there wasn’t somewhere nicer we could park. “Why don’t you park in the parking lot?” a nice youn woman suggested. Doh!!  The parking lot??  What a novel idea 😄and so we did. It was indeed quieter with no large trucks, however the 0500 leaf blower guy was still there and little Lucy was over-run with the stench of nearby cattle stockades… not pleasant at all. Once awake thanks to the 0500 leaf blowing alarm, we were up and on our way fairly quickly.

Down (actually up) the road again… and we were at the Rolling Hills Casino RV in Corning. While their sites are very nice, ever since they switched to a new registration system, and then assigned untrained staff to manage it, checking in has been a gong show. Sue stood in line for one hour to check in and I waited for 45 minutes. Having done so I was given a site number with instructions to come back and see them if there was already someone in the site! We won’t be going back… way too stressful.  From Corning to Canyonville, where we are this morning. It’s very busy here, and full. This morning we head to Sheldon, WA the Little Creek Casino RV (no, we don’t gamble but their RV parks are flat and full service). 

Our last camp out will be at Port Townsend. They have a rustic RV park right at the boat harbour. We’ll be there for two nights and will take care of our COVID tests during that time. We will be on the March 30, 0820 Coho Ferry from Port Angeles. My time for chatting has run out so I will post this as is and get busy preparing to leave.  No photos today but, when we have time, we’ll put together a collection and post them.

I hope this message finds you healthy, happy and safe. TTFN  CJ

Cattail Cove State Park

 

Cool mornings, hot afternoons, warm breezes, white sand beach, swimming for the brave.  Nope, not Hawaii but Cattail Cove State Park nestled on the shore of Lake Havasu and a fitting location to begin our journey towards home.  

There are also some good hiking trails and walking paths to temp the energetic. We’re here for a few days after which we’ll move 14 minutes down the road to another state park. We’re having fun sharing some of our favourite RV haunts with Sue and John. Each one is different (the state parks that is :-) with its own set of unique features, topography and set up.

Fun story about here. Two days ago, in the heat of the day, Kathy and I decided to go for a swim. We donned our bathing suits, grabbed our towels and headed down to the beach. We had been in the water here before and it had been quite warm. Once there we spotted two young women standing in the water- all the way up to their knees.  “It’s cold” one of them called over, “really cold”.  Not to be deterred we waded in and, yes, it was definitely cold but we waded in up to our waist and then paused.  Being experienced Gulf Island swimmers we knew the trick. If you were crazy enough to actually want to swim in cold water, you need to wait long enough for at least half of your body to go numb. While we waited we politely goaded the young women a bit about diving in and getting it over with. We had some fun kibitzing back and forth. Finally I called over “how old are you guys anyway?”. One replied that she was 36 and her friend was 27.  I smiled, calmly pointed to myself and said “70”…. at which point, to everyone’s surprise, Kathy and I both dove into the VERY cold water and popped back up without hyperventilating. Well, you can imagine what happened then.  Both of the two younger women dove in (with a little screeching) and even another couple joined the daring frolicking.  We six congratulated ourselves and declared ourselves very brave, etc., etc.

Six folks having fun… a moment in time, no names needed…just some humour, a dare, and some success. A story to share.

Hope all is well with each of you and you’re looking forward to spring. The cactus flowers are starting their blooms down here and are quite beautiful. We look forward to our flowers at home that must be showing their tips by now. Bye bye for now… CJ

Lost Dutchman State Park

 

Still Number One in our books, the Lost Dutchman State Park is beautiful!

Having seen the movie (you should too) several times, we still can’t figure out where the hidden gold mine might be, and my old hockey knees will only let me investigate so far up the trail (and not far enough) sigh. That’s OK though because we could sit and gaze at the rugged beauty surrounding us… for days; and there are lots of ‘lesser’ hikes to expend my energy on. Kathy will head off on the steeper trails and I’ll keep up as I can. Maddie is also adapting and does pretty well avoiding cactus and other prickly apparitions. 

We’ve had two days of blazing hot temps and, starting tomorrow, the temperature is forecast to drop significantly.  No snow is expected though 😁 (like last time we were here). We’ll be at Lost Dutchman for a total of two weeks before we move on heading west and northerly.  Until then we’ll kick back, watch the news, and enjoy the desert beauty that surrounds us. Probably get a little reading in too.

Hope all is well with each of you… adios for now. CJ

Friday Feb 25

 It doesn’t t feel right to be speaking about our vacation when all the world is in such an upheaval. It doesn’t feel right at all. Our hearts, our thoughts, and our prayers are focused on the victims of the recent ‘aggression’ launched by Russia. We can only hope the collective strength of all who are opposed will slow and finally stop this threat to our world as we know it. Until then we must all stay strong and committed to what is good and help those in need where and when we can.

That being said, we did promise to keep friends and family apprised of our roamings. After two days enjoying the beautiful desert scenery of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument  -Twin Peaks campground, we moved on to yet another beautiful location.  The moving on part was not all that pleasant this time.  The drive eastbound was blessed with the worst crosswind and blinding walls of driving dust (rendering vision past the front of the truck momentarily impossible at one point) than we have ever experienced. When we stopped for gas, Kathy was almost swept out of the front seat when she opened the passenger door and had to hang on tight to the door to ensure it didn t crash back into her. It is likely some might have decided to sit tight right there and wait for the wind storm to abate but the facts the driving dust didn’t taste all that good, and the trailers were towing well behind our trucks, pushed us back on to the highway.  Fifteen minutes later the wind had calmed down and the dust was mostly gone. We’ve no idea how long it lambasted that poor gas station.

As I write this I’m sitting in my camp chair beside TT Lucy and enjoying the sun and the view. The sites are very nice, the view of the surrounding mountains is fantastic and we’re glad we are here for several days. It’s time to kick back, relax and catch up on some hiking and reading.

Our next stop will be the Lost Dutchman State Park. There are several fascinating stories about the Superstition Mountains and the lost gold mine (which hasn’t been found yet) and we enjoy visiting and hiking in this SP very much. We will be heading there on March 1st. Until then we shall lounge about right here, walk or hike each day, and enjoy all we can as the temperature creeps slowly up (it s still hitting 0 overnight  and not very warm during the day). But, both day and nighttime temps are creeping up.

So, for now it’s adios along with sincere hopes you are all well and safe. Until next time TTFN.  CJ

As promised… the show.

 For you flying buffs… the Blue Angels soar.  Best turn up you volume 😊

PS After a short but great visit with friends in Yuma, we have moved our base of operations to Organ Pipe Cactus Monument Twinpeaks Campground. It’s beautiful here (a little windy and chilly) and it provides us with a little practice dry camping 🥶 We’re only here for a couple of days and then we move into our tour of several State Parks.      Don’t forget to turn up your volume for the videos below. Adios for now.    CJ

What a show it was - the Blue Angels rock… and ROAR!

It’s 8 o’clock in the morning (well, actually 5 minutes after - the bugles blew Reveille at the top of the hour) and I’m standing on the tailgate of my truck with my smart phone camera in hand. Note: I’m still learning my smart phone (smarter than me by far) having recently switched from my trusty flip phone (which I secretly miss).  Anyway, I’m on the tailgate so as to have a better view. 

 We’re parked on a dirt berm, in a farmer’s field, outside the security fence at the end of the runway the Blue Angels apparently use. There are at least a dozen trucks and cars parked just like us and we’re all waiting to see if the rumours are true and the Angels, the real team, are about to take off and practice their skills for the upcoming show. Kathy and Sue are all set up in their folding camp chairs with cameras in hand. John’s not with us for this run. It is indeed early but the sun is starting to warm us and the sky is a brilliant blue. There isn’t a cloud to be seen.

Right on cue, the show begins with the jets all rolling out to the far end of the runway and, without any hesitation, the first four scream down the runway aiming right for my truck! Seems the space I had squeezed into between two other trucks in line was the premium spot, right in line with the runway. 

 Yup, one after another the jets thundered (and I mean thundered…so loud the vibrations came right through my whole body and shook the very ground we were parked on) over my head - so close my carefully styled hairdo was in danger (just kidding my ‘do’ didn’t change much - never has 😀). And then they carried on over the fields, up into the sky, working in groups and as singles, dispensing trails that blended together and/or fell apart, creating circles and other works of art while they entertained us with their skills for over an hour.

 It’s fascinating how the ‘loud enough to endanger your hearing’ sound of the jets follows them and you actually don’t hear them coming until they’ve passed and the thunder of their engines then blows you out of your shoes.

I mentioned I had my camera ready. Andy, I did try to follow them and click stills but I missed them almost every time.  What I did do was click the video button on my camera and a few of those turned out. We’ve included some still shots here and will share the videos with you in the next post. Stay tuned!

I’m really glad we went out to the field and saw the show. I expect we saw more than we would have if we’d spent a lot of money and had to sit in the stands watching from afar. They say the Angels really appreciate us locals coming out to the fields and they make a point of parting our hair and working over top of and around us. Many of the folks there are professional photographers and the coverage provided is good for promoting the actual shows. So that was a big TICK on our tudu list.

The rest of our days since I last wrote have been great. The temperatures are warming up (still very cold at night). We seem to be much busier than we had expected to be what with golf (still getting our moneys worth…more exercise than real golfers), dog walking, shopping, reading, and good intentions to play pickle ball (hopefully we get to the courts before it’s time to leave).

Like all of you, we’re following the news; so much going on in the world, not much of it good. This is one of those times you just have to fasten your seat belt, keep your head down and your hands clean, and wait for those that can to sort it out. I believe the human race is still basically good - the small percentage that have run amok…well, their time will come. For now we must do our best and support each other as best we can.

As I write these posts I think of each of you I know, and those of you I haven’t met yet, and I thank you for taking the time to read my words.  I wish you all a warm and loving day.  TTFN (tata for now). ❤️ CJ