Heading for Home

We hope to head for home on Wednesday, get home on Friday. We have had temps in the 70's the last few days, so nice! The ocean is very calm, we keep thinking we see whales spouting, but it is just the pelicans dive-bombing the huge schools of fish just offshore. Watched some surfers today, it is a fad here to stand on your board and paddle around with a long oar. Looks very Hawaiian.

Happy Birthday to Beverly and Jeannie!

Santa Barbara

We have been so busy enjoying the beautiful Santa Barbara weather, I have forgotten to post updates!!
Speaking of dates, Dad - did you get yours?

Here is a pic of Russ with Robbie, who used to live in Gualala, and is currently in Ojai.  Had a great Thai lunch with him. 

We have been eating our way around town - South American food, Italian, California Cusine, and of course, breakfast on East Beach, and hamburgers at the (famous) Spot in Carpinteria.  My brother Todd drove over from Victorville, had a great dinner with him, too.  Going to gain ten pounds!

We plan to eat breakfast on the beach again tomorrow and go to a meeting, then lounge around.  Hard to believe we have to go home soon.

Uncle Bruce is 80!

Happy 80th Birthday Uncle Bruce!  His children hosted a great party attended by his friends and family and gave a moving, loving, funny and well deserved tribute to their father.  Left to right - Scott, Jeff, Lori, Kim and Terri.   Uncle Judeen and Aunt Delores flew out from North Dakota.  Aunt Ione (also from ND) also came out, as well as her son Kenneth & wife Cindy, and daughter Diane and husband Mark with their daughter Amy. 

On the sofa are siblings Judeen, Bruce and Ione.  It was a very special family reunion and I am grateful we were able to come back here to participate. 

Just being lazy

We have been really low key here in San Diego.  Just relaxing on our patio, walking the dogs, and visiting with the relatives.  There is a little green doggy area here, populated by a large family of rabbits.  Riley asks to go there constantly, hoping to get close to the wiley wrascals!!  I think he even dreams of them.  Tomorrow we expect rain, but the 80th birthday celebration for Uncle Bruce will go on as planned.  I am looking forward to seeing some family I have not seen for many years.

Date Shakes!

I hope some of you like dates!  We are staying around the corner from Shield Dates in Indio, CA so we make a sojourn there this morning.  I had no idea there were so many different kinds.  They have their own orchard, and you can sample all the different varieties.  There is even a theater in the store, so we watched - I am not kidding - "The sex life of dates"!!!!!   And of course we had to have a "Date Shake".  Fabulous!  I had them when I was at CSUN and passing through Indio on the way to Puerto Penasco in Mexico each spring break for a Marine Biology class.  They were just the ticket for us hot, tired, and starving students.

We will be in the San Diego area - Escondito RV park - Tuesday.  Staying for 5 days to see Russ' brother again and my uncle's 80th birthday, complete with mini family reunion.  And finally some warm weather.

Biosphere 2

We toured Biosphere 2 north of Tuscon this morning - what an incredible experiment it was and still is.  Here is a link to their website:  http://www.b2science.org/index.html 

The website says it was built "to research and develop self-sustaining space-colonization technology. Two missions, between 1991 and 1994, sealed Biospherians inside the glass enclosure to measure survivability."

We toured several ecosystems under the glass - rainforest, savannah, desert, and ocean, in which they grew food and even housed pigs and goats.  We also saw the living quarters, kitchen and the tall white tower/library. 

There are two domes which contain huge bladders that function as giant  "lungs"  for the complex, they  really impressed Russ.  This picture is from inside a dome, as the air in the complex heats during the day it expands and the "excess" is funneled into this chamber with a dark, rubber-like roof that can grow to fill the inside of the dome.  The contracting, cooler air in the evening will result in this "lung" collapsing almost down to the floor.  By the way, that small white cylinder in the middle of this picture is 4 feet tall, so you can see the huge scale of this chamber.  The engineering, the ingenuity, the dedication of all involved in this project is amazing and inspiring.

White Sands National Monument

We rose at 4:30am to drive out to White Sands National Monument, to get some (I hoped) good photographs with that magic early morning light.  Got to watch the sun rise, then it promptly disappeared into the clouds.  It was so cold (low 40's), we had no trouble imagining we were walking in snow instead of brilliant white sand.  And of course, there was no good light at all.

 

The Frog wanted to be in a picture anyway.

The dogs did not mind the cold one bit, frolicking off leash up and down the dunes.  The highway back to Las Cruces was closed for an hour while a missle test took place across the desert.  Made it back in time to lunch at La Posta in the old town area, feasting on Caldillo, Shrimp Coctail and Sopapillas with honey.

We have now moved to Beaudry RV, a giant RV park in Tucson, hoping for some warm weather and fewer cactus spines on the ground.  Tomorrow, going to tour Biosphere 2.

Big Bend National Park

Been remiss in updating, too tired at night.  Spent a couple of days in Fort Stockton, TX, right off I-10.  Drove down to Big Bend National Park, then to Terlingua, and back.  Did not have time to really look around the Park, just wanted to find a good place to stay whenever we come back.  Terlingua was dry, dusty, rocky and not attractive.  But it is the "Chili Head" capital and we hope to come back there during one of the November International Chili Cookoffs.  And, wonder of wonders, it is the only place in Texas that we saw Blue Bonnets.  It is too early in the north.  Also saw a group of 4-5 Javelinas, which sort of look like wild pigs (pictured here is the slow one, running in the weeds).  And got a great shot of a hawk on the side of the road, we interrupted its meal.  Dad - we are out of your homemade cookies!!!!

Boot Shopping

We went to Austin to find some new cowboy boots.  Allen boots is an official seller of Luchese boots, which I really like.  Russ bought me a pair of gorgeous hand made, hand tooled leather boots for Valentines day.  The boots come with a lifetime, free refurbishing program.  The store had the largest selection I have ever seen.  So many exotic leathers and colors.  Russ ended up getting a pair in Fredericksburg from L.M. Easterling hand-made boots.

We leave tomorrow, headed for Las Cruces New Mexico.

BBQ Pilgrims

We have been on the BBQ trail the last few days. The Peach Pit in Fredericksburg served good, sweet, delicate flavored pork ribs. Coopers of Llano is great, old style BBQ. You buy the meat by the pound: pork, brisket and cabrito (goat) and cole slaw or potato salad. Bread, beans and jalapenos are free. A little too salty for us.

Our undisputed favorite is the Salt Lick in Driftwood (outside of Austin).  Seen on the back of their t-shirts: 
"You can smell our pits for miles", we wish we could save the aroma and bring it back home.  They serve German potato salad, an Asian inspired cole slaw (I think owner Mrs. Roberts is Japanese), really flavorful beans and bread that tastes like cake.  Did I mention the ribs?  Don't even bother with the other stuff, just order the pork ribs.  Sweet, smoky, just enough bite to the bone, not drowning in sauce - oh boy!  We even went back a second day.  We are reduced to eating cereal for dinner, just so we can zip our jeans.

This is one of the pits at the Salt Lick.  And yes, that bookmark Russ was holding is from the Four-Eyed Frog bookstore back home.

Seen on the road

Happy Valentines Day to all!  We drove to Bandera today, the Cowboy Capital.  Were supposed to be judges in a chili cookoff, but arrived too late - boo-hoo.  We saw some great sights on the way home though.  We started off with lunch in the John Wayne room at OST Restaurant (Old Spanish Trail), open since 1921.  Spotted a young girl saddling up to the bar to eat her burger and fries, while her family watched.

Seems a lot of people ride their horses into town.  These were "parked" on the right side of the No Parking sign.

The Chicken Car speaks for itself. Note the "pedal to the metal" of his chicken foot.

 

And last, it is the
"Revenge of the 10-Point Buck" - crushing the real car which sports the license plate "Scrapy". 

A fast moving cold front moved in, and in the hour between the Chicken Car and the Deer Stomper, the temperature dropped 20 degrees and the winds were gusting 30 mph.  But we are now safely back in the trailer, watching the Olympics.

Marathon - the Texas Longhorn

Early this morning we spotted this sculpture alongside the highway, west of Johnson City, former home of LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson.  His eyes and grimace seem to say Don't mess with me!  He wants Russ' truck for breakfast.  Click the pic to get a larger image.

His name is Marathon, one of the Texas Longhorn bull series of sculptures by Bettye Hamblen Turner, and constructed of chromium plated steel, stainless steel and recycled auto and motorcycle parts.

Just Loafing Today

We spent the last few days looking at houses and ranches here in Fredericksburg.  Have not found the "PERFECT" one, so going to quit for now.  Today we cruised Main Street and Russ bought a pair of custom-made Easterling boots.  Oh, I got a few things, too :-)

While returning from Missouri, we drove through Dallas, and I snapped this shot of colorful columns topped with the 5-point star.  We have seen quite a bit of 'overpass art' during our travels, never have the camera out.

Here is a pic of a miniature donkey we saw out on a ranch, when we stopped it came over to the fence to loudly greet us.  Holly and Riley were really curious, Holly even managed to roll down the window on her side, good thing she could not jump out.

Back to Fredericksburg

We really had a tough day today. Left at 8am, doors on truck were frozen shut, it was 13 degrees and by the time we stopped at my mom’s grave it was zero with the wind chill and freezing hard grains of snow.  Then, the highways were wet with blowing snow and when we had to pass a semi truck their back spray would freeze to the windshield. After 6 or 7 trucks, we would have to pull off and clean the windshield, and that liquid would freeze too so we would then scrape it off with a credit card. Needless to say, we could not use the windshield sprayers, as they were frozen. Finally decided to just go slow and not pass any trucks, took forever. We are now just north of Dallas, no more snow, took the truck to the car wash – it was covered with dirty snow, red clay and road salt. Just had BBQ ribs at a good little place down the street and are going to sleep for 10 hours!!

Yea Saints!

Had a family Super Bowl party last night, really enjoyed the game.  Not so much the commercials, though, they were mostly disappointing.  But the Saints did not disappoint.  The gals all had our Saints "beads" on.  Norm made ribs, cheese bread and cinnamon rolls.  And Dad made cookies and more cookies for us to take back to Fredericksburg.  Evan and Todd, we missed you!  And I need to go now, because Dad is serving Lefsa!

Missouri

We traveled this week up to Southwest Missouri to visit my Dad, Sister Barb and her family and Brother Norm and his family.  We left the 5th wheel in Fredericksburg, since the roads here are mostly gravel and clay and a mushy mess right now.  Staying out on the family farm, it snowed this morning.  We hope to drive to Rogers, Arkansas today to see Avatar, you all have told us how great it is, gotta see it!  Then Sunday we will take in the Super Bowl at my brother's, on his 52inch screen.  Go Saints!!

Brrrr!

It has been in the low 20's at 8am for dog walking the last 2 days - Brrr!  Hopefully it will warm up in the next couple of days, back into the 60's with lows of 40's.  Had to disconnect water line both days at night to prevent burst hoses, but the spigot which delivers us the water has been freezing, so no water available until the temp warms above 35.  We have a large water tank, so we do have plenty of water stored.

Here I am relaxing in my "work corner" with laptop, and printer on the floor.  We have been looking at houses, but nothing that we just love yet.  Russ, however, has fallen in love with this gorgeous Newell motorhome, and walks by it every day.  It has incredible, sleek lines.  Maybe we do not need a house in Texas!

Fredericksburg at last

Wow, we have been really busy since arriving here in Fredericksburg, in the Hill Country of Texas. I did not realize I have not posted in a week.  The trip across from Arizona took 3 days.  Since being here we have been chowing down on Tex-Mex and peeking in closets...and kitchens...and garages...then eating more tacos and enchiladas.  Our favorite place has great skirt steak, so rich and flavorful, and fresh tortillas, but the guacamole dip is florescent green!  They serve yummy chopped avocado with the meal, but we are puzzled by that dip.

The house hunting is going well, have not found the perfect place yet.  The rain has made it a little harder, too, and it is chilly; it froze last night but so far no problems with the 5th wheel.  What a nice treat to have all our comforts of home with us in the trailer.  Downside - still have to do dishes!

Some of you may recognize the bookmark Russ is holding - from the Four-Eyed Frog bookstore.  Going to Luchenbach today (of Willie Nelson fame) and will take the bookmark with us.  Maybe take a pic and submit to the FEF website - "Where in the world is the Frog?"  In this case he is outside the 150 year old jail in downtown Fredericksburg.

Arizona

Early morning dog walk in Oceanside, CA.  Rain finally stopped and this creek was draining into the ocean on the other side of the bridge.  I loved the railing echoing the waves beyond. 

Stayed Saturday night in Tonopah, AZ at Shady Mountain RV Park.  Woke up to mysterious "smoke signals" on the horizon. 

Movin On

Lots of thunder/lightning last night, Holly is such a baby "Pit", she has to get in bed with us when the thunder starts, so we are very tired today. 

Had about 5 inches of rain here in last few days, but periods of sun too.  Did not get to Hotel del Coronado, will go when we pass thru here on the way back home.

Carlsbad had lots of murals on shops everywhere.  Liked this one at a surf shop.   There is a surf shop on every corner, and there were a lot of surfers just wishing they could get out in the waves.  We did see a guy suiting up to go out with a boat which was going to tow him into the waves, but never did see them out there.  10-18ft waves, but too choppy.

Leaving tomorrow, going up I-15 to 215 to I-10.  Should make it to Quartzite for the evening. 

Palms

It has been very windy and rainy here, about 2 inches last night. We are leaving Oceanside tomorrow, Friday, if it is not too windy. Hope to make it to Quartzite, AZ to spend the night.

There are so many varieties of palms here, tall ones, squat ones, feathery ones and dainty little ones (and we are dodging the tons of fronds they have dropped onto the streets during this storm). The one here is especially unusual, very flat when viewed from the side.

We both can't wait to get on the road again, we will be driving thru
Temecula tomorrow, then up to Riverside and east on I-10.

Rain

We dashed through LA early Saturday morning, still the traffic was heavy. Oceanside, just south of Camp Pendelton, has wonderful balmy days and nights. Today, Monday, it is raining. We are getting a bit of the big storm happening to you all in the north. I think the rain here is mixed with a few tears from despondent San Diego Chargers fans, who lost their playoff game yesterday after a frantic last minute touchdown that just was not enough to beat the NY Jets. If only that kicker had made his field goals....

Ah, well, at least the rain will slow down the freeway racecar drivers. The average speed here, according to my cousin who just attended traffic school, is 82 mph, with an average following distance on the freeway of just 12 feet!!!!

We hope to visit the Hotel Del Coronado today.

Camping Cats

What can I say about the Ventura RV Park? The grounds are beautiful, lots of dog walking opportunities, and even a few cats were spotted in the windows and dashboards of motorhomes.

But the noise of the freeway!! Russ says it is like camping in the infield of a NASCAR race... while the race is running! Even at 3am, the trucks and cars never stop.

Someone said they are all suppliers, going to Oprah's mansion in Montecito, but even she could not command all that attention ;-). She has made the fortunes of several local landscapers, and other tradespeople, though.

Well, as we left at 8am, the staff were starting to sandbag the RV park and remove the tables and firerings from the "most likely to flood" sites. Several years ago this park flooded unexpectedly, damaging the trailers and motorhomes still there, so they are not taking any chances with the approaching storms. Supposed to rain up to 10 inches over the next week. It is so dry here, the rain will be the first of the season and is definitely needed.

Foodie Fun

The eating is goooood in this area! Johnny's is a small, funky Mexican take-out with great burritos here in Ventura. Been written up in Travel and Sunset mags. Great mural on side of building.
The Spot in Carpinteria is hamburger heaven. Good quality meat, crisp lettuce leaves, toasty bun and crispy outside, creamy inside fries. 1/2 block to the beach, big park across the street, we could hang out all day.
Sadly, I do not remember the name of the Japanese restaraunt in Montecito we tried. Saw Rob Lowe there last year (yes, his eyes are very vivid blue). We dined with friends, colorful Asian-Fusion sushi, will go back there on our way back home. The bronze statue with mural behind was on State Street in Santa Barbara. The street is filled with little shops and places to eat. Even a Coach outlet store, with great deals on yummy purses.

Santa Barbara Coast

Holly and Riley love their walks along the coast. They especially love the train.

Almost a Disaster

Highway 101 is a dream compared to the 2 hours we spent on Dramamine Drive down to Jenner. We planned to spend our first night in Paso Robles at an RV park just off the highway, arriving around 3pm. We pass the exit (in my defense, there were 2 CHiPs running a speed trap right at the exit), but there is another exit just an 8th of a mile further. We pull up to the office as the manager comes running out. I think "Boy, is she happy to see us!" I hop out; she exclaims "did you just blow a tire as you passed on the highway?" I say "no" as I turn to our SMOKING trailer behind me!!! The tire has dropped little steaming curds all the way up from the street, and there is a definite list to starboard!

Thanks to a friendly RVer with 2 jacks and the AAA truck, we wrestle the spare tire into place by 8pm and fall into bed wondering if we should just turn back now.

Departure

It is Dark:Thirty in the cul-de-sac, January 6 , did we forget anything? Russ says he can't back up, so we shall only go forward!

Before we go

We did a few practice runs to Manchester Beach KOA and Petaluma KOA in the fall, to see how little we really knew about 5th wheeling. Experienced RVers in other campsites seem to intuitively know when you are a Newbie - could it be the sight of us running back and forth, confusion on our faces and a (gasp) clipboard in our hands?