It's finally here. Time to head South to get away from the white Winter we are having. We left at about 9:30 AM to Canyonville, OR about 380 miles South. It was snowing lightly when we left and was off and on during the drive. We got set up before dark, which is always a good thing. When we used the new toilet, water sprayed out of the spray handle. I put the sprayer in a bucket as a temporary fix. We also noticed the stair going out the front door was not working properly. There was nothing we could do about these issues so we went to 7 Feathers Casino for dinner and some mild gambling, then back to the park for the night.
Feb 19, 2019
We are driving to Winters, CA, about 375 miles for another one night stay. En route we stopped at an RV dealer near Grants Pass and bought a replacement for the broken step for me to install later. Then we stopped at Home Depot and picked up some parts to repair the sprayer. We arrived at Canyon Creek RV Park in Winters, CA after dark and the office was closed. I was able to find the security guy so he could let us in for the night.
Feb 20, 2019
The office at the park didn't open until 10 AM so I set to replacing the step on the trailer. We then checked out and headed to Bakersfield, Orange Grove RV Park, about 310 miles. It was raining and cold at the park so we spent the evening having dinner and watching TV. Tomorrow snow is forecast for the high desert area of CA so we have to decide which route to take to Palm Springs.
Feb 21, 2019
In the morning I went to the office to ask about the road conditions heading South. The lady said the pass over the high desert was closed so we decided to go to I-5 and the Grapevine. Prior to leaving I walked to the orange orchard area of the park and gathered about a dozen fresh oranges.
When we left the park it was raining hard all the way to the Grapevine and beginning up the hill. As we gained elevation the rain turned to snow. The speed was about 35-40. At the top of the Grapevine the temp was 29, snowing hard. We didn't see any other RVs going South up the pass. After reaching the summit the North bound traffic was being directed off the freeway by CHP. When we reached the Pasadena area the temp was 60 but 10 minutes later it had dropped to 36 and snowing hard again. WHAT THE HECK!!!
We arrived at our RV park in Desert Hot Springs at about 4 PM in the rain. I noticed that the left rear trailer tire was going flat as I was going to check in. By the time we got to our site the tire was flat so I had to change it and put on the spare before setting up. The only consolation is that it is supposed to get warmer for the remainder of our stay. It was a grueling 225 mile drive. We called our friends Teddi and Dave and made plans to go to Happy Hour and dinner. What a great way to end the trip South.
Feb 22- 28, 2019
On Friday I took our flat tire to a Discount Tire Store near the park. After evaluating the wear on the tire and the the other tires we decided to get four new ones. We'll have this done the day we leave the area. The remainder of our stay was spent visiting friends from our past and those made on our visits to this area. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I played a total of 8 hours of water volleyball. That's a good way to realize how old I am. Cool cloud formation near Palm Springs
On Tuesday, 2/26, we went to Sherral and Gary Lane's home in Bermuda Dunes for a cocktail party. Gail and I went to school with Sherral. Our friends Dave and Teddi were there as well as 6 other people we went to HS with. What a great gathering. Sherral asked if we want to do it again next year. We all agreed to it so she in going to reach out to all other HS friends she knows spend time in the Palm Springs area and make it a mini reunion.
About mid week the wind kicked up in Desert Hot Springs area most afternoons but it wasn't as bad in PS, Palm Springs. Gail and I went into PS a couple of times to walk the town. There is a lot of growth in the area. Some of the smaller boutique shops are having a rough go of it and are moving out but overall the community is prospering.
The last night we were in town we went to Teddi and Dave's home for dinner. When we we driving to our park the wind was blowing so hard I had to slow to about 20 because of blowing sand obscuring my vision. A few days later they had to close some of the street because if high winds.
Mar 1- 6, 2019
We had an appointment to have new tires installed on the trailer at 10 so we went to that and headed to Surprise, AZ, about 290 miles. After getting set up in Sunflower RV Park we called our friends Greg and Donna Wozny to go out for dinner. It is always fun to see them.
On Saturday we met up with cousin Lance and his family at Top Golf in Glendale. It was a fun experience. We then went to lunch nearby at a new burger place called Cold Beers and Cheeseburgers. Its a nice place.
I played golf with Greg a couple times during our stay. We all went to Wild Horse West again for about the best burger ever.
We all took a long drive one day to Goldfield Ghost Town near Apache Junction. It was kind of interesting but not what we expected. We then tried to find a place for lunch in Apache Junction to no avail. We ended going to a casino near Phoenix and had a very good lunch.
We had dinner at Greg and Donna's home our last night in town.
Mar 7-11, 2019
The drive home. One night in San Bernardino and the same named RV park. Not going back there again. 319 miles.
One night at The Lakes RV and Golf. We've stayed there before. Nice and free golf if you get there early enough to play before dark. 313 miles.
One night in Yreka at Waiiaka RV Park. Nice little park with fresh popcorn. Dinner from a good Round Table Pizza. It was cold and snowy during the night. We noticed there was some water in the trailer from outside via a leak. Needs some time in the shop when we get home.
En route to Woodburn, OR over the Syskiyous it snowed real hard causing us to miss our exit to All Star Liquor. It was a 5 mile mistake but no problem. 310 miles to Woodburn.
Home Sweet Home. 194 miles.. 3700.4 total miles
