B.A., Political Science, NIU, 1971
Business owner, TopHat Chimney Service, 1978-1992
General Manager, Spokane Fireplace & Patio, 1992-2008
Ironman Canada, 2010
Ironman Coeur d'Alene, 2011
School Bus Nomad, 8000 miles through western states, 1974
Travel Trailer Nomad, 10,000 miles through Gulf south, 2015-2016
Travel Trailer Nomad, 6,000 miles so far western states, 2016
After hitting the showers early this morning we drank some tea and ate breakfast to Christmas music. But, it’s not the same without snow. And, it’s hard not being with family for the festive gatherings. This is the life we chose, to be snow birds. The adventure is worth the loneliness on the holidays; just know we miss you!
We went to see the butterflies again today; we wanted to hear the docent give her presentation at 11AM. We were too late last time. It was very informative; we learned a lot.
After lunch, we did some more repairs on the Ship. I was able to pull the stair step support back into its original position by pulling on it with ropes tied around the trailer hitch on the truck and through an eyebolt I mounted on the support. It took three eyebolts; the eyes pulled apart there was so much resistance. Then the bottom of a drawer in a kitchen cabinet failed due to the weight in it bouncing up and down on the highway. We cut some C channel we took out of a dumpster way back in Grand Rapids to reinforce the bottom and glued a wooden strip in place; it should be good to go now.
More Christmas music. Penny made pumpkin pie and we lit the Christmas lights hanging on our awning. Some calls to friends and family, Penny made beet pear salad and I made quesadillas for supper. It is all good!
Listening to Acoustic Cafe this morning, it was shocking to hear how many singer songwriters passed on this year. The entire two hours were devoted to songs of their legacy: Leonard Cohen, Prince, Guy Clark, Sharon Jones, Glen Frey, George Martin (producer), Leon Russell, Merle Haggard, Paul Kantner, David Bowie, to name a few.
Hoping to return to see the butterflies, I wimped out because of the cloudy, rainy weather. Maybe the filtered sunlight would have made for better photos than the harsh sunlight yesterday. Anyway, we will be here for 10 more days and it’s only a mile away.
I was envisioning a day trapped inside with a book while baking brownies. Check!
Penny was able to spend some time again with her friend, Katheryn. Then, she penned some personal notes to friends and family. The rain picked up in intensity as the afternoon progressed and now there is water everywhere, lakes, not puddles!! We stayed dry inside and enjoyed smoked salmon (from the Quileutes) with cheese and crackers for a lunch snack and had shrimp, rice and veggies for dinner. The brownies were great!
This day was another like yesterday except most of the activity was around the Companion Ship. We had a list of things to do, mostly little tweaks to the trailer itself such as greasing the stabilizing jacks, adjusting the H2O heater pilot, straightening the stair step support, backing up the computer, etc. Penny matted and framed her pencil drawing of the grand daughters and constructed a mailing box for it. Off to the post office we went, then stopped at the north park to dump our waste water, and stopped to see the Monarch Butterfly clusters in another section of PSB.
Believe It or not these butterflies travel from as far away a Canada flying 100-200 miles per day at 10,000 foot altitudes to winter over in the eucalyptus and cypress trees of this area. Not all groves, select ones are repeatedly chosen for their winter homes. These monarchs have not been here before; they are four generations removed from the previous visitors. The spring and summer generations may live 2 to 6 weeks; the migrating generation can live up to 8 months. Remember, they start as eggs, become larva, then pupa before becoming an adult. And, they do not travel in a mass migration! Whoever coded that DNA was a genius!
It is phenomenal to see thousands of them clustered together in groups; they could be easily mistaken for leaves. A closer look reveals them and they form a mosaic of color quite extraordinary; the underside of their wings are white. Another phantasmagorically wonderful creation threatened by extinction; recent counts show a 90% drop from counts done 25 years ago! Sad!
Penny went for a walk with a woman we met when we first arrived, Katheryn. She is from Illinois, not far from where I grew up. She is traveling alone but has six pet rabbits with her in her RV. They went for a long walk on the beach and watched the sunset. Katheryn will be moving to another campground tomorrow, but this marks one of the few times we have met folks on the road and exchanged contact information. This is good, to reach out to our fellow travelers. Mike and Eileen, who we met last year in Mississippi still communicate with us.
A day for the mundane tasks of life: groceries, propane, diesel, craft store, and laundry. It’s easy to be frustrated and impatient with such “drudgery”, but one must consider how lucky they are to simply be alive, to afford such things and to be given the opportunity to explore this wonderful world. On the unfamiliar road everything is is a puzzle to solve. We are really blessed; everyday is an adventure!
Penny worked on sketches of her grand daughters and I finally caught up on this writing. Then I took a shower and got a haircut. All right, all right, all right! Penny does it just right.
There was a International Space Station flyover at 5:37PM, so we bundled up and hiked over the darkening dunes to get a good look on a cloudless night. This was unusual in that it was moving SSE. Looking out at the Pacific, it appeared forward of our right, came right over our heads and disappeared to our left and a bit behind us. Our vantage from the top of the beachside dune was excellent and lasted about seven minutes. The orbit was just after sundown so the ISS was illuminated longer before it entered the earth’s shadow. We enjoy watching that little speck streak across the sky considering it a monument to human achievement and cooperation.
The flashlight was a monument to our forethought; it would have been very difficult to navigate the trail without it. Hot cocoa and the furnace were just the ticket. These rituals we enjoy continue to strengthen our bond. Friday 6AM Acoustic Cafe from WYCE in Grand Rapids is another treasured ritual.
Waking up with big plans to accomplish a lot this day quickly disintegrated into frustration. Both of us had that feeling. There is no dump station here, so we had to lift our portable waste tank up into the back of the truck to haul it to a campground about a mile away. Normally, I could tow it behind the truck, but I have to go very slow, too slow for Hwy 1. It turned out not so bad; the two of us managed to hoist it off the ground. If we had waited another day, no way. We would have to dump one holding tank, drive, dump, then the other, drive dump. We will do every other day for the rest of this week.
And, the reason we chose this park is that Penny’s family had a reunion here about ten years ago and she did not recognize this south part of the park. So, she hoped that the north park would look familiar to her. We drove through the campground and she vaguely recognized one part. Vegetation can change a lot in ten years.
Arriving back at the Ship, I made the unfortunate choice to work on camping reservations in the first of the year. Hoping to find national campgrounds where we could pay less for a few days, I found only first come, first serve or parks operated by the counties at the going rate, i.e., not accepting our senior pass giving us 50% off. Didn’t really accomplish much.
After lunch, we took a bike ride through the small community of shops and residences near the park entrance. We found a state park kiosk where our road meets the beach. Passes and permits for vehicle entry are sold there. I am not taking my two wheel drive out there!
We then unfurled our awning, first time in along time. I dug out the Christmas lights and strung them along the awning reel. Soon, we had “The Bells of Dublin” by the Chieftains cranked on the Sony, and our spirits lifted!
Sunday morning is a great day to shower in super hot water when it is 44F. The shower house is very modern, 50’ from our site, so it is a pleasure! $1 gets you two tokens; each token gets you three minutes of water.
We had a second snafu trying to find a church online; we headed for St Francis of Assisi for 9:30 Mass, but that one was locked up with no one around. St. Patrick’s was in nearby Arroyo Grande, but the next Mass was at 10:30. That gave us time to find a car wash; the truck looks like a road warrior. I’ve washed it twice recently but highway driving in the rain quickly mitigates that. So, maybe this wash will last awhile!
St. Pat’s had a visiting priest; afterward, the person I asked about him did not know him either. He was a big, avuncular man who had a great sense of humor. He was advising the youngsters there to be good. He told the story of his nephew receiving an email from Santa Claus reminding him to be good or else he might get a box of batteries with a note saying, “Toys not included!” He punctuated the service with good natured humor and a sermon centered on remembering that the light of the Creator was inside each of us whether we recognize it or not. In times of trouble, this light is always there to guide us.
That afternoon, we ventured into the city of Pismo Beach to Scotty’s Sports Bar to watch Gonzaga vs Tennessee. My team is 10-0 for the first time ever having vanquished the likes of San Diego State, Arizona, Washington, Florida, and Iowa State. Luckily, there was on TV no-one was watching and I coerced the barkeep to switch to ESPN2. The refs really did their best to rally the home team, closing the lead from 18 points to 4 with 5 minutes left. Four Zags had 4 fouls making them a bit tight. In the end, the Bulldogs won by 10, moving them to a #7 ranking in the USA. Go Zags!
Later, we went for a bike ride to explore another camping loop in this campground. On a hunch, I pedaled past an “authorized vehicles only” sign to the where some of the rangers live, machinery and vehicles are stored. That area had a gate opening onto Hwy 1 and just across the road was the gate for the county campground to which we will move after Christmas. Our site was picked to be way back away from the rest of the crowd. Hopefully, we’ll get some sleep New Year’s Eve by being back there. I’ll let you know! The camp is long and thin with sites on the west backing up to Hwy 1 and on the east to a railroad track. There is a small boulevard between the two. The road isn’t that heavily travelled and at night not much at all. But, the Amtrak roars up and down SF to LA. We can hear that here; I am sure we’ll hear it there!
A car hauler pulled in next to us before 5AM; its exhaust was noticeable as it idled for quite some time. That was a good incentive to get going. The frost on the windshield was 1/8” thick; the temp was 32F.
In Paso Robles we found a McDonalds for a breakfast sandwich and hot decaf. Concerned about tread wear on the back two tires of the trailer, we had time to kill and made some inquiries into tire shops and trailer repair garages. We were referred by a tire guy to a trailer guy. Thinking it would make sense to fix the cause of the poor wear we drove to the trailer garage. I thought his voice mail greeting said, “Open at 9 on Saturdays”. When he hadn’t showed up by 9:15, I called again; he said, “…most Saturdays”. The question is: if these tires lasted 10,000 miles and will cost $200 to replace, is it necessary to buy and install a new axle as well? We found the axles run about $200, but what about install? Guess we’ll find out next week.
We couldn’t check into the campground this early, so we decided to check out the San Luis Obispo (SLO) historic downtown. I have a fondness for the old missions, usually the flora in their courtyards are 250 year old specimens of outrageous proportions. And, they often have small museums showing the tools and machinery of the late 1700s. That appeared to be a good way to spend the morning and it was! There was a baptism of two babies in progress when we stepped into the church, so we sat in the back and listened as the priest concluded the rites. Both Penny and I felt the interior space to be warm and inviting; it was no frills, probably not much different than originally. But, it felt safe and secure. The courtyard garden did have a few old specimens, but not like I’d seen elsewhere. Their museum was quite interesting, however.
This is a mosaic made with nails!
Leaving the mission, we saw the SLO Art Gallery and toured that as well. It was free! The art was interesting, all local talent. There were three presenting artists and a craft room where others demonstrated their talents. That was a fun hour of browsing!
From there to our destination was less than ten miles. We found a “Whole Foods” market just off of our route, then found Pismo State Beach (PSB) campground. It is nestled in a eucalyptus grove buffered from the sea breezes by two sand dunes. We were pleased with our site, no view of the water, but the wind break is a plus. We walked over the dunes to have a look at the beach. Wow! It is about 100 yards to the water from the dunes and it goes for miles in both directions. Cars, SUVs, campers, dune buggies, cop cars, bikers, and pedestrians were going to and fro. It’s a regular thoroughfare! And, the scenery was eye popping!
The forecast called for sunshine the next 10 days, highs in the mid to upper 60s, lows in the 40s. There are hiking and biking trails here. A large lagoon having all kinds of waterfowl is just 100’ from our site. I have already snapped a photo of a red tailed hawk in flight directly above me. We have reservations here through the 26th, then we move to a county park a block away for 7 more days. That gets us into the New Year. We are thankful to have found this place and to be able to stay put through the holidays.
Between the wind rocking the Ship, the employees coming to work/getting off shift and my crazy paranoia, I didn’t get much sleep. We were eating breakfast nearby at 5AM and having a discussion about going back to the coast and through Big Sur. The wind had died, the skies were clearing. So, why not?
Using the Gas Buddy app we found diesel about 10 miles away for $.35/gal cheaper than the those in Salinas. And, it was over by the Hwy 1! The stretch of road there is brand new 4 lane limited access and it was bumper to bumper heading south to Monterey. We went downtown to the Fishermen’s Wharf, paid for 2 hours of parking and had a lovely time strolling the pier. The smell of the fish being processed there, the barking seals out on the jetty, the screeching of seagulls flying about provided a very maritime scene.The sun was streaming through broken clouds, a little brisk breeze, but warm sunshine as well.
By 10AM, we were searching for the post office in Monterey to get my projects on their way in time for Christmas. It is an old tourist town with lots of shops, narrow streets, and limited parking. Lo and behold, as we located the PO we found two parking spaces on the street that I was able to pull into and later pull out. They were right in front of an art gallery; Penny got to peruse the shop while I mailed packages.
From there my excitement swelled knowing that next was the “17 Mile Drive”. It is a tour through the Del Monte Forest and the spectacular Pacific coast surrounding the iconic Pebble Beach golf course. I have taken this drive twice before, but wanted to show Penny the incredible beauty.
After about 90 minutes of gawking, we decided to skip the town of Carmel so that we could have more choices available when we arrived at Kirk Creek campground south of Big Sur in the National Forest. There was also Plaskett Creek a bit further south; both first come, first serve, no reservations. Both are primitive, but at $11/night would slow the cash flow.
Shortly after departing Carmel while my navigator was checking time and distance to Big Sur, I spied a reader board that said, “Road closed 4 miles south of Big Sur”. Luckily I saw it; it would have meant 30 miles to the roadblock with no option but to turn back. The Santa Lucia mountains east of the Big Sur coast are so formidable there are no roads to the Hwy 101.
As it was, we still had to backtrack to north and east to Salinas, about 45 miles. It was somewhat disconcerting that we reached our starting point about 2PM. We humored each other by calling the morning a “day trip”. What a nice trip it was! So, we set out for points south on the 101, not really having a plan. Knowing I was short on sleep an hour or two was going to do. About 3PM, we found a rest stop where we decided to eat a good lunch and take a nap. The driver was pretty much toast after that and decided to just stay there. we busied ourselves with reading and writing, looking at pictures, etc, just to stay awake long enough to stay on rhythm so as to get night’s sleep. It was clear and cold; the stars were brilliant. We were out walking the grounds studying the information boards on the history, wildlife, vegetation, etc., with a flashlight just to keep ourselves awake till 10ish. That worked pretty well; we slept much better than the previous night.
Showers were the first order of business; at 6AM at 54F with wind gusts that rocked the Ship all night, I walked to the shower in minimal dress, flip flops, shorts, sweat shirt, towel, wash cloth, soap and shampoo. AKA, commando! The less clothing to get wet the better; there is often no heat in the shower other than the hot water. That’s why I go early. I want to be sure to get the water that has been percolating all night. The walk to and fro is an exhilarating wake me up! Try it sometime! Penny is a convert; normally, she over dresses for fear of getting cold. But she gets the commando thing for shower houses; it’s the Nordic sauna, then jump in the snowbank kind of experience. Seriously, try it!
Mira with Santa!Katie, Alison, and Emma getting ready for Christmas!
Christmas is coming! I need to do something for my Mom. I call her every Sunday to tell her the details of our adventures. She is virtually homebound now. My sister gets her out of the house once in awhile, but she is always apologizing for having nothing new to talk about. I try to help her live vicariously through us with my stories. But, you know a picture is worth a 1,000 words. So, I copied three dozen pictures from my library to a thumb drive; the next time we see a Walgreens, CVS, or Walmart. I’ll be ready.
It was only about 100 miles to the next destination, so we didn’t have to leave too early; we could make use of the park electricity to run the computer. The rain subsided as we left HMB for points unknown, probably Salinas, Ca., a name you’ve probably seen on produce bags. It’s a fertile agricultural area growing grapes, strawberries, Brussel spouts, to name a few.
It rained intermittently on the road, but the headwind was fierce. The truck seemed like we had taken on a load of cement. I would have preferred a tail wind, but feel lucky it wasn’t a cross wind! We arrived there about 2PM and headed straight to the post office to send a few packages off. After which, we pulled into a Walmart parking lot and found a spot along the perimeter right in front of a sign that said, “NO overnight, truck, trailer, or RV parking”. We garnered some courage counting three other RVs out in the open. Twice before, we have done this with no issues, but there were no signs in those instances.
The least we could do was patronize them while we were squatting on their property. Feeling somewhat hypocritical based on my feelings on their business model, I remembered I had no high ground from which to preach. I thought of our expenditures as a quid pro quo, and rationalized my behavior.
Whatever, I hit the picture kiosk with my thumb drive, printed them, and picked out a few Christmas cards. Penny was shopping for foodstuff; we got everything except a photo album. The gal in the photo department said to get one at Ross, in the same cluster of stores on this parking lot.
I was tickled to have a project to take my mind off of my deep guilt for being such a desperado. And, how much cheaper a campsite would seem compared to a parking ticket. After a couple of hours, I had the album filled and annotated, the cards personalized, all addressed and stamped. Then I started to really worry, but all I needed was another rationalization! The sign says “overnight”! Is that dusk to dawn? Or, 9-5? I figured if we left really early, we could argue it wasn’t really overnight. Another camper pulled in right behind me! Ah, strength in numbers!
