Author: tophatpat

Shady Oasis Campground, Victorville, Ca., 176 mile jump

Saying goodbye to Iris and Nancy about 9:30AM, we headed south to Ventura where we said farewell to the Pacific Ocean which we had been enjoying since Cape Flattery mid- November. Before that, we first came upon salt water in Puget Sound, November 3. The sea is alluring; its magnificence is both calming and humbling. Hopefully, the pollution by oil and plastic can be stopped before it’s too late. Future generations depend upon us addressing pollution and climate change now; we are near a point beyond which we might not recover. Butterflies, bees, birds and sea creatures are small links in the chain of life that if allowed to go extinct will result in our own extinction. Lord, help us to realize our predicament and act accordingly!

It was a long slow climb from the sea to the high desert; the topography changing from coastal to crops to horse and cattle to desert. We stopped once to dump our waste water in Santa Clarita at a Camping World; I didn’t want to haul the weight uphill. Then again for a roadside lunch as we met the Pear Blossom Hwy near Palmdale . Arriving at Shady Oasis about 3PM, we set up in a run down campground adjacent to I-15. There is virtually no one here, it’s only $36/night for full hookup, close to our friends, and cell phone service is good. We are only here three nights, so we will be fine. Last week, we were right next to an airport under the flight path, Before that, we were sandwiched between Hwy. 1 and the Amtrak track, so the noise won’t bother us.

I got back to blogging; I am anxious to go live online before our next jump to Joshua Tree National Park; it will be primitive, i.e., no computer. Penny made what she believes to be the best corn bread she has ever made. It was great with the black eyed peas stew!

Peterson’s Tree Care Shop Yard, Goleta, Ca., 94 mile jump

The ride from Pismo down the 101 to Santa Barbara was interesting, changing from tourist to agricultural, to vineyards, to steep rolling hills having deep cuts by the railroad and highway right of ways. Absolutely phenomenal!

On the way to Penny’s family in Goleta just outside Santa Barbara, we stopped at one of my favorite campgrounds, ever! On my first large scale trip, I was 25 years old; my wife Jacquie and I had a 5 month old son, Shawn. Following in the footsteps of another hippie couple, we bought a 1956 Chevy school bus with a 235 cu. in., 6 cylinder engine. It had been fully refurbished with the components of a wrecked RV, so the exterior looked like looked like a hippie bus. But inside it was equipped with a gas/electric frig/freezer, stainless steel sink, 3 burner gas stove with small oven, monomaniac toilet, and nicely built dinette, bench sofas, and closet.

Long story short, on our epic trip of 1974-75, we stayed at Refugio Beach State Beach,  it remains, in my mind, the quintessential California beach park. Penny and I  had planned to stayed there, but her cousin, Peter, offered a spot in his lot for no charge. That and being closer to her aunt and cousins swayed us to accept his offer. In addition, there was an oil spill at Refugio recently that had been fairly well mitigated, but tars balls still cover the beach and stick to one’s feet. Why not harness the sun’s clean, free energy and stop polluting our environment? Free is the problem; how are the petroleum corporations going to make a buck? Too short sighted; our kids need clean energy!

Iris and her husband, Gary, treated us to dinner at Chili’s tonight!

Coastal Dunes RV Park, Pismo Beach, Ca.

Our last full day here so we wanted to take advantage of the on-site laundromat. Arriving at 7:30AM, we got two loads started. Penny went to shower and I got busy tidying up the Ship. There was plenty of time to get the laundry done, folded, and sorted into its proper locations. A big bowl of fresh fruit, granola, yogurt, and dates was perfect with a cup of tea. Off to 10:30AM Mass at St. Patrick’s with plenty of time. Everything is beautiful!

After Mass, we realized we forgot the Redbox movie! We had planned to visit the 1200′ pier that protrudes into the sea after church. Do we go to the pier first, or, do we get the movie returned before they charge us another $1.69? Choosing the latter to preclude another forgetful incident, we turned toward the campground. As we moved into the center lane to turn left into the RV park, the truck stalled as if it had run out of gas. I attempted to make the turn into the entrance but the power steering failed and we ended up dead in the road, blocking the northbound lane of Hwy 1.

I  drained the fuel bowl hoping to flush any obstruction of the injectors. It started right up, then died after 5 seconds. This continued to happen, so I got out my road side hazard kit and set up red reflective triangles to alert northbound traffic. The park staff came out with more warning cones and warned me the CHP would not be happy with me unless I had a tow truck on the way. Penny contacted our roadside assistance company who were asking me questions I could not answer. Like where do you want to take your vehicle? “I just need it out of the road!”. The park staff suggested “Rey’s”, but of course they were closed on Sunday.

Then, the Highway Patrol arrived. At first, he was abrupt, probably thinking I was too inebriated to make the turn. Accessing the situation, he asked if I had a tow rope, which I did. Another CHP arrived and they stopped traffic in both directions so he could pull me away from the curb I had rolled into. I had to straighten the rig so he could get behind me and push me into the driveway. It was all I could do to turn the steering wheel, but we got it done!

The tow truck showed up and the cops left. Penny was talking to Rey.  He showed up like an angel from heaven! It seems his wife was stuck in the traffic jam we had created, she called him; he checked his messages and heard ours. So, he came down to say he would open his gate so that the tow truck could store the truck safely inside. The tow truck driver, Marc, agreed with the park ranger that Rey is the “go-to” guy in this neighborhood. I rode with Marc to Rey’s shop where I became more confident with Rey, because he has two Cummins diesel  Dodge trucks like mine. He said he knew we hoped to move on tomorrow and he would start on it first thing in the morning.

Penny had spoken to the park staff about the availability of our site for Monday night should the need arise. They said no problem; it was available for a couple of weeks at this point; someone could reserve it online, but that is unlikely. Also, we had planned to leave for a visit with Penny’s aunt and cousins tomorrow. That event was now in jeopardy; we will see.

Sunset on a very unsettling day calms the anxiety!

The PJs walking over another speed bump.

Coastal Dunes RV

Penny went to the post office and the library while I tried to get these journals online. We did take a three mile bike ride through the park.

Coastal Dunes RV Park (CDRV), 4 mile jump

After showers and a decadent pumpkin pie, banana, and yogurt dish, we broke camp. But, we took time to go for a 30 minute ride on our bikes before packing them in the truck and departing.

We moved about 2 blocks to a new campground, this one a SLO county facility. We checked out of PSB at 11:35AM, drove to a tire shop where we had a trailer tire replaced for $75. It was a small latino shop, Figueroas. Alonzo, the owner, got us in and out in 30 minutes. He even asked me what price he quoted me on the phone! A very satisfying experience!

Once again, we showed up early to a new campground, but we were able to move in. It’s a good way to stretch our camping fees a bit. This CDRV park is a long strip of ground (.9 mile) bounded on one side by Amtrak RR tracks and on the other by HWY 1. So, we expect it to be a bit noisy especially during the “rush” hours. The train goes by six times a day; LA to SF and back. In some areas like ours, there are back-in sites, so one road with RVs backed up to each fence. In other areas, the road splits to each fence line with long pull through sites in between.

There are showers (no fee), laundry facilities and full hookups for $46. Cell phone service and internet connection are very good. I tinkered around on the computer while Penny napped. Then we traded places. That Christmas dinner and long walk yesterday must have tuckered us out!

Penny is so amazing. She made gravy out of last night’s drippings, added mushrooms, and some kind of magic to present these leftovers as a wonderful entree along with fresh broccoli, cauliflower and mashed taters. That resulted in a nice walk through half of the campground to aid our digestion. It’s going to get cold tonight; the clear skies are full of twinkling stars. A cup of cocoa each and a couple brownies for me warmed us up. NPR was playing Beethoven’s Ninth, my favorite!

Good night!

Pismo SB Christmas Day

Oh boy! Another Christmas and it seems like the Prince of Peace is needed more than ever. The sermon today at St. Patrick’s was about working for peace in our own hearts, in our families and in our communities. So many people are struggling, angry, uninformed, in need of healing. Who will do the healing? Once we can find peace in our own hearts then we can pass it on through our smile, our greeting, our welcome. our concern, our helping hands.

Penny and I took a long walk out on Pismo Beach, I’d say about three miles. Pismo Beach is the only drivable beach in California; there are all kinds of vehicles out there. Many are pulling their trailers down to the camping area. This beach is sloped gradually into the water and rarely does the water get up to the shore. The beach must have been 150’ wide as we walked along the hard packed sand. There is a 15 MPH sign posted and police do patrol there.

Returning home, we snacked on chips and sals, cheese and crackers and a beer. The Christmas music was Handel’s Messiah and The Chieftains’ Bells of Dublin. We planned our dinner and wrote postcards before getting serious in the kitchen. Dinner was marvelous: beef roast, mashed sweet/white potatoes, Brussel sprouts, tossed green salad, brownies and pumpkin pie. That was followed by heartfelt conversation and a spot of wine.

Merry Christmas!