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?