All Good Road Trips Must Come To An End

We learned so much on this trip. 

We are going to change the configuration of the dinette table to the lagun system so that we can sit together at the table. Right now, it's too hard to get in and out of the seat on the port side.

We are also replacing the pain-in-the-neck sink with this one from Ikea and this faucet (small with a pullout sprayer). The sink is larger and does not have the annoying lid OR the annoying faucet that turns the water on when you close it, unless you position the faucet just so. Once it's installed, I'll post again.

We're also replacing the yoga mat with something darker so that it doesn't show the dirt as well as the one we have. 

And, we're going to better organize the cupboards now that I have a better idea of what we use and what we don't.

As usual, I arrived home and proceeded to get sick, so all these mods will have to wait until I recover. Doc says to stay in bed one more day than I think I should. 

Rules of the Road:

1. Don't believe them when they say they have "really good" wifi. They ALL lie. We will be bringing a Starlink antenna with us next time. We had minimal cell service much of the time and never did find a wifi that works.

2. Laundry rooms are not all alike and some are downright gross. I have a portable washing machine and used it at Henk & Vernon's and it worked great for emergency (underwear) loads.

3. We did a lot of boondocking, but we always emptied the holding tanks and filled the water tank when on full hookups, because you never know what the next day holds-even the best plans can get changed. Always be prepared to boondock if you have to.

4. Air Conditioning in the T.A.R.D.I.S. only works when either plugged in OR with a generator. We purchased an extra gas tank for the generator for overnight use (it runs for only 6 hours on a tank of gas, so needed to add to get full night). We only had to use it once and during the day.

5. Always bring a skeleton on your trips for people to comment on and to give them a chuckle.

August 12/13: Claytor Lake State Park, Dublin, Virginia

 

Nice wide spots, staggered so no one is right next to anyone else

(View from our bed window)

It's like a neighborhood. Including dogs, way too many barking dogs. But nice anyhow,

Lots of signs with warnings about bears, but we didn't see any. We were careful about putting our compost & trash in the truck.

We finally got the hang of the canopy, of course, it was our last night of camping.

We put stan at the picnic table and people walking by admired him. He is a great conversation starter.  

The site was level and nice. We easily were able to set up in plenty of time to enjoy the park.

It was hard to leave, but we really miss Ami. The drive out was so beautiful.

We will definitely be back here someday soon. So peaceful and nice,

August 11/12: Northfield Vineyards, Sparta, Tennessee

We arrived early (around 3pm) and were greeted by perfect weather and their great dane, Bo, and friendly and welcoming faces.

It's a beautiful place, but not a vineyard. It looks like it's not even a winery, there were no processing buildings ot anything. I think they contract it out and pay for it to be done by someone else. I recommend this place anyway.

We loved the Pomegranate cider and bought two bottles of it. We also bought a couple of their other wines and had a wonderful time tasting everything.

We also got a couple gifts and some more cheese in their charming tasting room. We were the only ones camping that night, so we had the two mules and the green fields to ourselves. 

Since we were so early, we had time to put up the awning and get out the chairs and enjoy some of the pomegranate cider as the sun went down.

Their two mules came and visited us while we enjoyed the nice temperature and a light breeze. 

Stanley seemed to be enjoying himself as well. There were weird "doggish" sounds coming from across one of the rolling hills, which might have been foxes or coyotes (or both?), and the flood light was a bit much, but I understand why they need to keep it well-lit when having visitors.

We just kept the shades on that side down. But we weren't able to star gaze as we had hoped. Maybe tomorrow night. At least the storms from the day's driving didn't follow us there.

The grounds around our spot were green and gorgeous. It was such a nice evening, we sat in our chairs under the canopy and sipped our pomagranite cider.

Stan really liked it. He loved watching the mules run around and nibble on the grasses.

Flags for each state we drove through, starting with Quebec when we picked her up, where the T.A.R.D.I.S. was born.

August 10/11: Double R RV Park, Brinkley, Arkansas

Laurie Dollar was so sweet and accommodating.   We called her the night before because we got spooked by bad references on the park where we were going to stay. The references said they had to keep moving spaces because there was no power to the outlets. There were several with bad things to say, so we decided to cancel and stayed at Double R instead.

I think I have pics and will post them when I find them.

August 10/11: Shawnee RV Park, Shawnee, Oklahoma

The plan was to stay at the Casino since they have spaces with hookups along the back of the parking lot. Casino had taken up the spaces with a hot air balloon festival happening on the weekend. 

Shawnee RV Park, Shawnee, OK (really nice guy with 10 spaces behind his office building).  Didn't take any pics. Sites were pull through, fairly level, we didn't even have to unhook. Full hookups and very quiet. 

Guy in next space was smoking in the morning near our window so I quickly closed everything up and turned on the air until right before we left.

August 9/10: Walnut RV Park, Vega, Texas

Walnut is a great little park with level spots and full hookups. We were greeted by a beautiful little rescue kitty and were introduced to the indoor kitties.

Didn't get breakfast because her daughter (19) was home from school and they were going to see Barbie together so she wasn't cooking until her daughter went back to school.

But she gave us these marvelous little chocolate cupcakes that we had after dinner the next night and they were really good. 

Getting up at sunrise was starting to grow on me...

August 8/9: Cibola/McGaffey Campground

                                                    This place was simply magical

"Real" camping--off the grid in every way. 

Cibola is a very nice National Forest in New Mexico. It has no hookups, but has trash dumpsters and well-maintained, modern-type outhouses.

Of course, Roger had already downloaded the NYT, but I was still able to coax him away from his iPad enough to get in a nice walk and photo shoot in.

This is a truly, beautiful place. It's first come, first served and there was only one other camper in a tent on the other side of the McGaffey section where we were. It's an honor system where you just put your money in an envelope and slip it in the night drop. You drive around to pick your own secluded site.

Very high elevation at nearly 8000 feet, so not as hot as much of the country. Good thing, bc they do not allow generators (fire hazard) and that's the only thing we can't do when boondocking.

The air was thinner, but so clear that my LA lungs were much happier after being here.

There was a storm coming and we could see it for miles before it finally hit after dinner when we were ready for bed.

The rain on the roof helped us fall asleep. From the looks of the clouds, we expected it to be more fierce but was not scary at all. The huge meadow that was our major view changed every time we looked at it.

Stanley Marsh the IV learned that he loves camping--especially at places like this. Breathtaking views everywhere we looked.

      

                      Gorgeous wildflowers all over. 

It even smelled wonderful.

The view from the galley window was breathtaking! Especially at sunrise when we regretfully had to leave to continue our trek home.

We will definitely be back here again. 

August 7/8: Kingman KOA, Kingman, Arizona

We finally have connectivity, because we are home!  BUT I took notes on each stop and will be uploading them with pics from each stop (or most of them) On August 9th, we stopped at Kingman KOA in Arizona. 

We have stayed here twice before to and from Durango, CO when we rented a 2020 F1743 to make sure we were buying the right model. 

We love Kingman.They are really friendly--even when they are wicked busy. 

They also have the nicest showers and the park is extremely well maintained.

The only pic I got was the sunrise, which was really nice. We always know we can count on KOA campgrounds to be consistently well managed with full hookups and nice, level drive-through spaces that are usually well-appointed with firepits and picnic tables. 

They often have a pool and other goodies, but we usually are just passing through. I did not look at the laundry facilities as I did laundry at the really nice laundry mat at Hollywood RV, but I am certain it is nice at Kingman as well.

Hollywood RV park

 Oh man, this place is something else! 

There are a lot of my kind of quirky art pieces and some beautiful murals. We were here from August 4th through the 7th. It was very hot, but since we had full hookups, we had the AC on non-stop.

The spaces are quiet and made private with trees and shrubs. When we arrived around 1pm, our rig was disconnected from the truck and towed into our space by a valet" modified forklift.

We were on the end in space 29 on Oscar lane. Hookups were easy. Our hose was "too big" for the 1940-era dump hole so the guy who towed us went to get a loaner and we were good to go.

We were on Oscar Avenue right on the end of the isle and near the main office.

You can kinda see the hookups, which were not bad for a park built in the 1940s.

W

We had a brief scare when the park's power went out, but it went back on just as Roger had the generator fired up and the ac back on. Good to know we always have the generator when we need it.

Our space was right across from one of the restroom/shower/laundry buildings. All was clean and well-maintained. After dark, when things cooled down, the park is well lit and has a very safe feeling.

Although it's right on Balboa Blvd., we barely could hear the road noise. With the AC on, no noise at all.

We had a wonderful visit with family: Friday dinner at Vitello's, Saturday brunch at Kristy's in Malibu, and pizza by the pool at Adrienne & Goldie's.

Anna & Remy enjoy Roger's playing

So nice to all the Gruben affiliates. We had a brief but wonderful brunch with October and Bejan, one of our middles and his long time girlfriend that we love like a daughter.

Music on the lawn at Ade's house Saturday night after pizza by the pool. So much fun having the littles running around us while we hung out and sang and talked. 

Henk & Vernon's backyard

This is a private residence, but I would give it 5 stars in a 4-star scale. The boys took such good care of us and it was fabulous catching up with them. Henk & I have been best buddies since he was 19 and I was 21.  So, just a few years. (LOL)

We were able to push the T.A.R.D.I.S. into position and were able to connect our "dumping" hose since they have a dump hole in their driveway. How cool is that?

And their yard is so beautiful, if this were a RV park, they would be full all the time,

Stanley loves the boys as they are all of the same political persuasion. Stanley insisted on taking this picture with this lawn sign. Bryan, the cat is photo bombing as well. Bryan is 8 and I was lucky enough to be visiting when he first found the boys and he was very tiny and so dirty that we thought he was a grey tabby. 

PINE MOUNTAIN CLUB

 And then, we visited the girls...

Sounds like a club, but it's actually a town. No, it's a community. Our friends Arlene & Paul have a lovely house in this wonderful little community. Arlene's older sister, Tootsie and our dear friend, Wanda also joined us for a sleepover at Arlene's.

I have known these girls since I was 12. Well, technically, I was 14 when we met Wanda. But we have remained all fast friends through the years even longer than I have known Henk (see former post).

Anyhow, we did a lot of catching up and hanging out. Drinking wine and listening to Roger play the guitar on the front porch. Just the girls played cornhole. Arlene and I were on the same team and we won all three games (mostly because of Arlene's years of bowling experience.)

Roger and I had to bring our provisions crate into the house over night because there is a bear problem in the neighborhood. If they smelled the food, they would tear into the trailer. One actually tore the door handle button off of their screen porch, but apparently gave up when seeing another stronger door underneath. Fortunately, Arlene and Paul weren't home at the time. So we were on alert. 

We were hoping Stanley would help confuse them and keep them away as we placed him on the hood of the truck.

He is posing here as a pompey citizen. Very convincing Stanley.

Pine Mountain Club is pretty high up in the Los Padres National Forest, so our barometer stopped working again and the air is pretty thin, but very clear and very blue. The evening air was crisp and just chilly enough to use our 12-volt car blankets. I think it got down to 48F the last night we were there. Still did not need the heater on. It was in the 70s during the day. Quite pleasant.

The driveway is very flat, but not exactly level. We used all the blocks and still it could have used a couple more. But otherwise, it's a great place to park.

Anyhow, it was a fun visit and very therapeutic for me

YAY, we are back online!

We were in the mountains with very little connectivity. So, here is some catch-up news. (not to be confused with ketchup news)

We had so much fun at the 40th-ish annual [chosen] family reunion in Morro Bay, where most of the members there were not even born yet when we started. It's weird being in the oldest generation now.

Here are some more shots...  (I'll add more as I get them from others)

From the left, Rain, Lexi, Marc (with Demi in his lap), & Hayden (with the T.A.R.D.I.S. in the background behind Hayden)