Gosh, where to start! Let's pick up where we were staying. We tried Eagle Tree RV Park in Poulsbo, WA, but didn't like it there so moved down the road to Cedar Glen RV Park and loved it so stayed there until we left WA Oct 31.
Bev got a new shoulder on July 13 and we spent the rest of summer with recuperation. She came through it beautifully!
We did make another trip to MT to see Bev's mom and Beth and the boys. Ethel is going downhill slowly as is to be expected with ALZ. Beth and two boys busy, busy. Leyton is very art oriented and Bode is the leader in his class with straight 'A's.
Kresta took a job with VA in Altoona, PA, and moved there. Likes the new job. Meghan finally moved there with her and miracle of miracles, she has a job! Just for Christmas season but hope it turns full time.
Leroy and family busy too. Leroy with new position, Stacie involved with PTA, Austin Thomas back into football and Jenna was/is a KC Chiefs Junior Cheerleader.
Kevin visited us her in AZ the 1 st of Dec and had a good visit. Too bad Kaarissa couldn't come with him.
So after Bev healed up we headed South. Actually we went West to Sequim, WA, and the around the Olympic peninsula on Hwy 101. Stayed on 101 all the way down the WA and OR coasts and about 200 miles into CA before turning East thru Maysville/Yuba City and Reno. Then South on 95 to Las Vegas, down thru Lake Havasu then bypassed Phoenix thru Quarzite, AZ, to Casa Grande where we will stay until March 15th. We were on the road 14 days and was a very enjoyable trip. Highly recommend the WA/OR/N. CA Pacific coast for a sightseeing trip-don't get in a hurry!
Splurged a little and checked into a fancy RV resort, see http://www.palmcreekgolf.com Really enjoy it here. Just being really lazy and not doing much of interest.
Will try to post some pictures later.
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
OK, here is the update--
Sorry I haven't posted since around the 1st of March but here is an update.
In late February we evaluated our RV experiences so far and decided we wanted to do some full time RVing. Only one problem: Surprise! Champagne taste on beer pocketbook! Just like a lot of folks in these challenging economic times our investments have take a big hit. Bottom line: We needed to generate some more cash flow. Solution: Rent our house.
So we put an ad on Craigslist, home to lease for 3 yrs. And we had tenants within 24 hours! Young Navy couple, more about them later. We had to hit the road in a hurry and get home to pack up our belongings and put them in storage. Left Desert Hot Springs for first overnight at Tehapeche, CA, then on N to just S. of Sacramento for second night. Stopped in Merced, CA, where I went thru B52 gunner training in 1964; base is now closed but has a nice museum. Then two nights in Redding, CA, RV park and then a night just S of Olympia, WA, and on home the next day.
Lot's to do. Sold the tow dolly and Saab we were going to tow behind Coach (we bought a Subaru Forester instead; all wheel drive, lot's of space, inexpensive and certified to be towable with 4 wheels on the ground). Gave away a lot of stuff, took some items to Kresta for her to use, left some for the tenants and the rest went in storage. Our tenants had a fire and lost most of their furniture last year so they not only used some of our furniture but also didn't have a lot of "stuff" so we were able to leave a lot of boxes in the storage shed and overhead in the garage. Just didn't realize what pack rats we have been over 25 years!
So since the middle of April we have been living in the Coach and will until April 2012. We are now busy doing all the annual medical check ups. I get a BPH roto-rooter job in late June and Bev gets a new right shoulder in July. After she recuperates we will hit the road (early fall) for MT, MN and MO and then South to somewhere warm for the winter, maybe Mexico. Alaska next summer? Maybe--
Took two weeks off and drove over to MT to see family. Beth's son Bode was baptized; both of the boys are full of energy and almost too much for us to handle by ourselves. Meg watched Keelan so he didn't go. Stopped overnights at Pam's and Shelly's. Janelle flew in so all 4 daughters were able to be with Ethel, their mother, on Mother's Day.
That brings us up to date I think. Both of us going to Navy gym to get back in shape after a lazy winter. I am now enjoying retirement and helping my former partner when he needs me.
OH, almost forgot, off to Santorini, Greece, for two weeks first part of June! 25th anniversary trip. Can you believe we have been married for 25 years and I have been retired from military for almost 15 years? Time marches on, faster and faster I think.
And our tenants, Katie and Erik. Mid 20's, he a submariner; she a true housewife (cooks, decorates, artist, etc). Katie has bonded with Angie next door and they are busy getting involved from A to Z!
In late February we evaluated our RV experiences so far and decided we wanted to do some full time RVing. Only one problem: Surprise! Champagne taste on beer pocketbook! Just like a lot of folks in these challenging economic times our investments have take a big hit. Bottom line: We needed to generate some more cash flow. Solution: Rent our house.
So we put an ad on Craigslist, home to lease for 3 yrs. And we had tenants within 24 hours! Young Navy couple, more about them later. We had to hit the road in a hurry and get home to pack up our belongings and put them in storage. Left Desert Hot Springs for first overnight at Tehapeche, CA, then on N to just S. of Sacramento for second night. Stopped in Merced, CA, where I went thru B52 gunner training in 1964; base is now closed but has a nice museum. Then two nights in Redding, CA, RV park and then a night just S of Olympia, WA, and on home the next day.
Lot's to do. Sold the tow dolly and Saab we were going to tow behind Coach (we bought a Subaru Forester instead; all wheel drive, lot's of space, inexpensive and certified to be towable with 4 wheels on the ground). Gave away a lot of stuff, took some items to Kresta for her to use, left some for the tenants and the rest went in storage. Our tenants had a fire and lost most of their furniture last year so they not only used some of our furniture but also didn't have a lot of "stuff" so we were able to leave a lot of boxes in the storage shed and overhead in the garage. Just didn't realize what pack rats we have been over 25 years!
So since the middle of April we have been living in the Coach and will until April 2012. We are now busy doing all the annual medical check ups. I get a BPH roto-rooter job in late June and Bev gets a new right shoulder in July. After she recuperates we will hit the road (early fall) for MT, MN and MO and then South to somewhere warm for the winter, maybe Mexico. Alaska next summer? Maybe--
Took two weeks off and drove over to MT to see family. Beth's son Bode was baptized; both of the boys are full of energy and almost too much for us to handle by ourselves. Meg watched Keelan so he didn't go. Stopped overnights at Pam's and Shelly's. Janelle flew in so all 4 daughters were able to be with Ethel, their mother, on Mother's Day.
That brings us up to date I think. Both of us going to Navy gym to get back in shape after a lazy winter. I am now enjoying retirement and helping my former partner when he needs me.
OH, almost forgot, off to Santorini, Greece, for two weeks first part of June! 25th anniversary trip. Can you believe we have been married for 25 years and I have been retired from military for almost 15 years? Time marches on, faster and faster I think.
And our tenants, Katie and Erik. Mid 20's, he a submariner; she a true housewife (cooks, decorates, artist, etc). Katie has bonded with Angie next door and they are busy getting involved from A to Z!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
This may come as a surprise-
We have decided to RV full time for the next 3 years so leased the house. Leaving tomorrow to drive back and put household goods in storage. Won't be posting on the blog for awhile. All is well with us, well, I am sure some of you think we are a little nuts! But we decided we have a limited number of years to "do our thing" and we're gonna do it.
Later------
Later------
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Camp Pendleton to Desert Hot Springs, CA
These pictures are the wind farm in the Banning Pass. It stretches for miles and miles and is easily at least a thousand wind generators. Most are huge-the blades on the wind generators at the top left below are nearly 40 feet long. I think they are manufactured in Holland. Scroll down past the pictures for news our our ongoing adventure.
So on January 26, 2009, we left our stay at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, San Onofre Beach, and drove east to the Salton Sea on SR 22 then up Hwy 86 thru the Coachella Valley ending up at our next RV park, Desert Springs Park, Desert Hot Springs, CA.
A note about the Coachella Valley. It is a loose confederation of towns/small cities that stretch from the Banning Pass (east of San Bernadino/Riverside) roughly a SE direction to the North end of the Salton Sea. The communities are Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Thousand Palms, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella (city). Most of these small cities range from 20,000 to 45,000 population. The economy ranges from the very, very rich behind gated community in multi-million dollar homes to the less fortunate to older trailer homes in the unincorporated outskirts. This area has grown immensely since I was here in 1982. I would no longer want to live in the heart of the Valley but some of the outskirts are still OK.
Our RV park sits on top of a hot spring and heat the pool/soaking tub. There are 70's RVs; mostly snowbirds with a few permanent residents.
We visited the Palm Spring's Air Musuem, a drive up to Joshua Tree National Monument (desert is not blooming yet due to cool weather) and will go to Cabot's Desert Museum next week Peter Toth is there restoring an Indian carving he did some years ago-he is the artist who carved the big wooden Indian statue in Red Lodge in the late '70s. He stayed with us at the Alpine Village Motel while he created the statue.
And of course several drives around the Valley just gawking.
There are a lot of RV parks in this area. From our park, moderately priced, to those with every possible amenity and golf courses and a price tag to match.
As most of you know this has been a very, very cool winter on the West coast. We were never really warm at Camp Pendleton and quite cool here until the last two or three days.
The recession is in full swing here and a lot of commercial and residential developments abandoned in various stages of completion. We visited one (took the model home tour) that had completed the last 40 or 50 homes before the roof caved in. This was a really nice gated community with access to golf, pools, spas, tennis courts, etc. Part was dedicated to 55+ and the remainder to family type neighborhoods. Houses which sold less than two years ago for $576,000, now on closeout for $230,000 or make an offer. These are beautiful homes with privacy, RV parking space, granite counter tops, tile roofs, etc. Just over the back fence was a development that was started and only sold a very few homes and now there are hundreds of site remaining; some with nothing on them, some with foundations, some framed-every stage of completion. The builder went bankrupt and there it sits. Yes, the situation is grim.
On March 2nd we will leave for somewhere in Arizona. Don't know for sure our plans after that. May go to MT on the way home for Bode's baptism on April 19.
All is well with us. Keelan is doing great with the RV life. Going to Santorini, Greece, 7-24 June. Then leaving again mid July to MT, ND, MN, MO and ???????-probably Mexico for next winter. Have to do it while we still can.
Cheers!
Dwight (Pa Pa, Grandboppy), Bev (Grandma, Nana Bev) and Keelan
So on January 26, 2009, we left our stay at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base, San Onofre Beach, and drove east to the Salton Sea on SR 22 then up Hwy 86 thru the Coachella Valley ending up at our next RV park, Desert Springs Park, Desert Hot Springs, CA.
A note about the Coachella Valley. It is a loose confederation of towns/small cities that stretch from the Banning Pass (east of San Bernadino/Riverside) roughly a SE direction to the North end of the Salton Sea. The communities are Desert Hot Springs, Palm Springs, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, Thousand Palms, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella (city). Most of these small cities range from 20,000 to 45,000 population. The economy ranges from the very, very rich behind gated community in multi-million dollar homes to the less fortunate to older trailer homes in the unincorporated outskirts. This area has grown immensely since I was here in 1982. I would no longer want to live in the heart of the Valley but some of the outskirts are still OK.
Our RV park sits on top of a hot spring and heat the pool/soaking tub. There are 70's RVs; mostly snowbirds with a few permanent residents.
We visited the Palm Spring's Air Musuem, a drive up to Joshua Tree National Monument (desert is not blooming yet due to cool weather) and will go to Cabot's Desert Museum next week Peter Toth is there restoring an Indian carving he did some years ago-he is the artist who carved the big wooden Indian statue in Red Lodge in the late '70s. He stayed with us at the Alpine Village Motel while he created the statue.
And of course several drives around the Valley just gawking.
There are a lot of RV parks in this area. From our park, moderately priced, to those with every possible amenity and golf courses and a price tag to match.
As most of you know this has been a very, very cool winter on the West coast. We were never really warm at Camp Pendleton and quite cool here until the last two or three days.
The recession is in full swing here and a lot of commercial and residential developments abandoned in various stages of completion. We visited one (took the model home tour) that had completed the last 40 or 50 homes before the roof caved in. This was a really nice gated community with access to golf, pools, spas, tennis courts, etc. Part was dedicated to 55+ and the remainder to family type neighborhoods. Houses which sold less than two years ago for $576,000, now on closeout for $230,000 or make an offer. These are beautiful homes with privacy, RV parking space, granite counter tops, tile roofs, etc. Just over the back fence was a development that was started and only sold a very few homes and now there are hundreds of site remaining; some with nothing on them, some with foundations, some framed-every stage of completion. The builder went bankrupt and there it sits. Yes, the situation is grim.
On March 2nd we will leave for somewhere in Arizona. Don't know for sure our plans after that. May go to MT on the way home for Bode's baptism on April 19.
All is well with us. Keelan is doing great with the RV life. Going to Santorini, Greece, 7-24 June. Then leaving again mid July to MT, ND, MN, MO and ???????-probably Mexico for next winter. Have to do it while we still can.
Cheers!
Dwight (Pa Pa, Grandboppy), Bev (Grandma, Nana Bev) and Keelan
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Camp Pendleton-Niland-Borrego to Jan 8, 09
Now let be clear from the beginning on this post: I can't figure out how to upload the images where I want them on this page so they are scattered all over the place. Below is my Dad's 92 y.o. cousin, Arnold Schooley, wife Ruth and son, Wayne, at their home in Huntington Beach, CA.
Below is a shot from our campground in Borrego Springs, CA.
Another shot from the campground, very clear air.
Another shot from campground.
Let tell you about Niland, CA, on the east side of the Salton Sea. It is absolutely the armpit of the world but even further down on the anatomy is Bombay Beach. Real derelict remains of something, I don't know what! Just east of Niland, in the absolute middle of nowhere is Salvation Mountain (second picture down). Some nutcase goes out to the desert in 1985 and starts painting the rocks with all sorts of biblical pictures and phrases. Just beyond Salvation Mountain is Slab City (see picture immediatley below-see the airplane?), which is even further out in the desert. On on hand it has a lot of off the wall Christians and on the other is a whole bunch of dropped out, druggies of times past.
Just below: In the campground in Niland, a real dump.
Below is a shot from our campground in Borrego Springs, CA.
Another shot from the campground, very clear air.
Another shot from campground.
Let tell you about Niland, CA, on the east side of the Salton Sea. It is absolutely the armpit of the world but even further down on the anatomy is Bombay Beach. Real derelict remains of something, I don't know what! Just east of Niland, in the absolute middle of nowhere is Salvation Mountain (second picture down). Some nutcase goes out to the desert in 1985 and starts painting the rocks with all sorts of biblical pictures and phrases. Just beyond Salvation Mountain is Slab City (see picture immediatley below-see the airplane?), which is even further out in the desert. On on hand it has a lot of off the wall Christians and on the other is a whole bunch of dropped out, druggies of times past.
Just below: In the campground in Niland, a real dump.
This will be a very confusing blog as the pictures are not uploading the secquence I want. Below left is Bev and Keelan in Niland, CA,; then below right is a sunset on the beach at Camp Pendleton.
Below left is yet another sunset and below that is a kite surfer.
OK, OK, Already! Here is an update-it is just that I am so busy!! So we start off with a few pictures from the beach at Camp Pendleton. Some pretty good surf on some days and when the wind blows, out come the kite surfers.
Two pictures above and 1 to right and below are from our parking spot.
Just another, ho, hum, beach pic!
I will get another blog post up sooner than this one and hopefully will figure out how to post everything in sequence.
Below left is yet another sunset and below that is a kite surfer.
Just some surf scenes
OK, OK, Already! Here is an update-it is just that I am so busy!! So we start off with a few pictures from the beach at Camp Pendleton. Some pretty good surf on some days and when the wind blows, out come the kite surfers.
Two pictures above and 1 to right and below are from our parking spot.
The guys in uniform below are at the chow hall on Christmas day-we had a wonderful dinner with them
Just another, ho, hum, beach pic!
I will get another blog post up sooner than this one and hopefully will figure out how to post everything in sequence.
By the way, this is the first really warm day we have had-hope it stays that way. Whoops, forgot to mention, you didn't see and snow or rain in any of the pictures did you? That's 'cause there ain't none!!!!!!!
Dwight & Bev, on the road and just love SKIing, ha
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