Visiting California Family

After the Terre Haute fiasco, we drove back to Chicago where we had pricelined a room near O'Hare since we had an early flight to San Francisco the next morning.  We had dinner and made a very quick stop at a nearby casino before returning our rental car. We each put a $20 bill into side-by-side video poker games and before I knew it, Rich was nudging me and pointing to his game where the money amount was rolling higher and higher.  Yes, within about three minutes of beginning the game, he won $400!  I figure it was good karma for driving me all the way to Terre Haute for nothing. Woohoo!  He had $411 so played out the last $11 and cashed in.  I lost my $20, oh well.  We were stoked, especially since we'd played the $600 million Powerball while we were in Chicago and didn't win.  Darn it!  That would have been a nice little retirement, wouldn't it?

Up early and off to the airport.  We had already gone through the boarding line and were standing on the jet bridge waiting to get on the plane when I realized I didn't have the laptop.  I looked at Rich, expecting to see him carrying it if I didn't have it, and he wasn't holding it either.   He quickly walked back up the jet bridge, expecting to be told he couldn't exit once he'd entered, but they let him go through and the computer was still on the floor by the seat where I'd left it.  A woman sitting there told him she was hoping someone would come back for it. Whew.  (Especially since it's my work computer!)

We had an uneventful flight to San Francisco and immediately picked up our rental car and headed to Rich's sister Vesta's in Kingsburg, near Fresno.  The rental agency gave us a Prius, which we'd never driven before.  It was a little confusing at first--push a button to turn it on, push a button for "park," but we ended up really liking it.  Very quiet and great gas mileage!

It's always fun at Vesta's and we had a good time just hanging out, chatting about everything under the sun, arguing about politics a little bit, watching movies, shopping in Fresno, eating (of course) and reminiscing about childhood days.  She was very sweet to give me a gift certificate for a massage and a pedicure for my upcoming birthday so I had two days of pampering which were fabulous!

Making Swedish pancakes together

Brother and sister

Next we went to see Rich's ex wife, kids and grandkids and his ex's mom in Mariposa.  Yes, we have our own version of "Modern Family."  Although Rich has no biological kids of his own, he has stayed involved with his step-kids and grandkids so we always like to try to see them when we can.  The first day we took 17 year old Hannah for the day, did some shopping and went out to dinner.  The second day we went back to the house for a visit and cookout.  And, of course, we had to take the grandkids into town for ice cream!  Our stops are always too short but we are happy to see everyone!

 Hayden

Twins Emily and Cody

 Out for ice cream

 Goofing around in the car

Sara (the kids' mom) and her husband Ryan

 Hannah

 Hannah and Sara with Rich

The kids are cute, sweet, and lots of fun!

We spent one last night at Vesta's and then headed to the Bay Area.  My niece Ellie goes to college and plays soccer at Santa Clara so we stopped in to take her to dinner on our way to San Francisco.  She brought along her roommate Nikki and we had a great time catching up with them. So sweet of these busy college girls to take time out for us even though they had lots of studying to do and a project to complete.

 Ellie and me

 Nikki and Ellie

Do I look short??!!

We spent the night in Santa Clara and made our way to San Francisco the next day.  Stay tuned!

Back to Vacation: Joshua Tree National Park

From Prado we set out for Joshua Tree National Park. Again, we had to stop at a Target along the way to pick up a few more food items and some water, had lunch and free internet at Chik Fil A and then off. The roads were much less congested and the ride more pleasant. I talked with my daughter Sarah on the phone and was telling her about my initial reaction to RV-ing. Mind you, not too many people who know me thought that this was something I would really LOVE. Sarah reminded me, “Remember when we were kids and you always told us we needed to have a pleasant attitude? Where is your pleasant attitude, Mom?” LOL Our other catchphrase was always, “Look at it as another little adventure!” which she also reminded me to think about. :) She was right, of course, and my attitude had definitely improved since Days One and Two.

We ordered an RV park book before we left home so we’d mostly been choosing our stopping points from the book. There are lots of campsites in Joshua Tree so we’d decided to stay at one called Ryan because it was near a recommended hike up Ryan Mountain. However, by the time we got to Joshua Tree it was almost dark and the Ryan site was about 20 miles in. We stopped at the Visitor’s Center and the ranger advised us to go to the Jumbo Rocks site, which was not as far and had lots of campsites so we should be sure to get a spot. We took his advice and made it to Jumbo Rocks just as it was getting dark. Wow, talk about JUMBO ROCKS. These things are huge! Very cool!

According to the park’s literature, “these rocks were formed over 100 million years ago as molten liquid, heated by the continuous movement of the Earth’s crust, oozed upward and cooled while still below the surface of the overlying rock. These plutonic intrusions are a granitic rock called monzogranite. After the arrival of the arid climate of recent times, flash floods began washing away the protective ground surface. As they were exposed, the huge eroded boulders settled one on top of the other, creating the impressive rock piles we see today.”

The next morning, we got up and went on a 1 mile nature walk along the Skull Rock trail. It was neat to see all of the huge rock formations, the Joshua, yucca and juniper trees, a few cacti and various other plants. We were talking about the fact that it is probably so much more colorful and vibrant in the spring time and maybe we will come back again at that time of year someday. We kept seeing references to “wood rats” on the signs along the trail and I really wanted to see one but, alas, we did not. Rich wondered why there were virtually no lizards anywhere when he can remember seeing dozens sunning themselves on rocks when he was a kid. We did come across a cute little Gambel’s Quail family.

A colony of little rock people. We had to laugh, remembering something we'd read in Hawaii. "There are often rocks stacked on other rocks which people take to have some meaning. They do not."

After our nature walk, we had some lunch and packed up to move to the Ryan site. On the way, we went to the Keys View at 5185 feet, which looks out on the valleys, mountains and desert. You can see the San Andreas Fault from there. We also drove past a rock formation called Hall of Horrors but we could not see what was so horrific about it! Funny. And another one called Oyster Bar. We think they had some creative employees coming up with names for these sights. Another sign called the yucca an “adventurous” tree.

The Joshua Tree, yucca brevifolia, is a member of the Agave family. Park literature states: "Until recently, it was considered a giant member of the Lily family, but DNA studies led to the division of that family into 40 distinct plant families. The Joshua Tree is a monocot, in the subgroup of flowering plants that also includes grasses and orchids. It's usually found in the Mojave Desert but it is also found in the Sonoran Desert in western Arizona and mixed with pines in the San Bernadino Mountains. Years ago, the Joshua Tree was used by Native Americans for its useful properties: tough leaves were worked into baskets and sandals, flower buds and raw or roasted seeds were eaten. The local Cahuilla have long referred to the tree as “hunavat chiy’a” or “humwichawa.”"

By the mid-19th Century, Mormon immigrants made their way across the Colorado River. Legend has it that these pioneers named the tree after the Biblical figure Joshua, seeing the limbs of the tree as outstretched in supplication, guiding the travelers westward.

Ryan only has 31 campsites and looked full as we approached. Luckily, there were two spots left, but not for long. We grabbed one and some people behind us grabbed the other. Most people in this area are in tents, not RVs. It’s a popular spot for rock climbers and we got to see a few later in the day.

We thought our site would give us access to the Ryan Mountain trail but we actually had to drive a good little ways back down the road to a parking lot to get started. The trail is described as a 3 mile round trip, moderately strenuous trail leading to the summit of Ryan Mountain at 5458 feet. We figured no big deal, we can do this! We did do it and it was not that big a deal but it was pretty darned steep and strenuous. By the time we got to the top, I was wondering what I had been thinking. Haha Then came the trek back down, which was almost as difficult in a different way since it’s hard on the old knees and back and ankles to walk down a steep incline.

At the top

Ravens floating on the breeze

We did it!

Sunset at our campsite

Rock climbers!

Sunrise

We made a fire in our firepit on our last night and watched from a distance as climbers ascended the rocks in the dark. How crazy is that? They had strong lamps with them which allowed us to make out what they were doing but I can’t imagine trying such a thing. Unlike the yucca, guess I am just not that adventurous!

Malibu, Traveling, and Visiting Friends

After spending most of the day at Venice Beach and Santa Monica, we headed for Malibu for the night. Until now, we’d stayed in state run RV parks but we’d read about a privately owned park in Malibu that sounded really nice, with a laundry room and WIFI and a cheaper fee than the state run parks. Some of the previous parks advertised WIFI but it was either hard to find or there was an extra fee so we’d been stopping in Starbucks when we wanted to check emails, etc. We pulled into the Malibu Beach RV Park and it was lovely. The people were super friendly; the sites were nice; there was a beautiful view. We ended up not being able to get WIFI from our site (which they told us might be a problem) but they had a TV room/library/general purpose room near the office and we were able to access internet with no trouble there. The first night we caught up on laundry and emails and Facebook and paid some bills, etc. We liked it so much that we decided to stay a second night.

Rich taking care of the important task of "waste dumping." I told him I would do it at least once to show that I could. :)

The view from our campsite in Malibu

The next day, we drove way out of our way searching for a Ralph’s grocery store in Malibu—very frustrating because there is virtually nowhere to turn around in an RV on the Pacific Coast Highway and we had to go almost all the way back to Santa Monica before we could pull over and turn. The streets are so narrow! I would not want to live there! Residents have to pull their cars into driveways up on hills and then back out into all the traffic on the highway when they leave. I would be a nervous wreck! Oh yeah, get this—we saw houses for rent for $21,000 a month. YES, that is 21 THOUSAND, not 21 HUNDRED. Who are these people??!! We finally found Ralph’s hidden away in a shopping center that we’d already passed going the other direction. I was wearing capri pants and sandals—it IS warm here, even though it is November, right? I was so surprised to see all of these Malibu people wearing coats and boots. Seriously! Not light jackets, winter coats! And boots! They would never make it in Unalaska, would they? So we finished our shopping and I made a stop at the Post Office and we drove back to our RV park. We had planned to take a hike but it gets dark so early that we didn’t have time any more! Rich cooked us some fabulous “Malibu Beach RV burgers” (shown above) and we did some more laundry. We are wild and crazy, are we not?

The famous Sunset Blvd.


We tried to meet up with Rich’s nephew Jeffrey while we were there but he had some things going on and we never worked it out. Would have loved to have seen him but maybe another time! While using the internet in the group room, we chatted with a retired "entertainment lawyer" who had lots of advice for us about retirement, etc. I think he probably wanted us to ask him "OH WOW, who did you represent?!" but we did not bite. At one point, he mentioned meeting Roger Ailes of Fox News Corp. and said he was a "brilliant" man. Later, we were asked about Sarah Palin and the guy was hugely relieved to find out we are not fans. He hesitantly asked our politics and when I came right out and said "left wing," he was so excited. He's decidedly liberal and was so happy to find "liberals from Alaska." He said we'd changed his whole outlook about Alaska. haha

Rich has some friends, Dain and Crystal, in Chino Hills, so we planned to see them on Tuesday. We got up fairly early and set off for Prado Regional Park near Chino Hills. Malibu kinda started changing my mind about the RV thing and I guess I was getting a little more relaxed about the driving and parking and other complications. We had to drive through part of LA and I thought I would be worried sick but Rich was doing a great job and I was not nearly as paranoid as I thought I would be. Those huge highways with 14 lanes across and lots of big trucks whizzing by do add up to a bit of worry but I guess all you can do is be careful and alert, right?!

Prado Regional Park was another really pretty place. We got settled and then Dain came to pick us up. He and Rich knew each other and worked together many years ago—he was also good friends with Rich’s brother George. Rich and Dain had seen each other a couple of years ago when they both stayed with George for some time before he passed away, but Rich had not seen Crystal in many, many years. She was at work so the other three of us hung out at their house for a couple of hours while the guys reminisced. When Crystal got home, we all went out for a great Mexican dinner, more chatting and reminiscing, and then Dain took us back to the RV for the night. It was great to meet them and hopefully it will not be too many years before we see them again
Crystal and I have lots in common. We are both short and wear the same size shoes. haha We friended each other on Facebook after our visit and found out that our birthdays are one day apart (different years). And our kids are about the same ages.

The next day, we set out for Joshua Tree National Park. Rich is doing a great job driving. He has really alleviated some of my anxiety by being super careful. :)

Guess what! RVing IS fun after all!

Venice Beach and Santa Monica

Day Three: As noted, we were up early and decided to spend the day in the sunshine in Venice Beach. It was warm and beautiful and we had a great time walking all along the promenade taking in the sights. Lots of interesting street vendors lined the way and we browsed the shops and booths as we walked along the beach. I was cracking up about the availability of medical marijuana in various “clinics” announcing “the doctor is in!”

Rich and I walked into one “clinic” just to look around and were immediately asked if we were there to make a purchase. I said no, we were just looking and besides we didn’t have a prescription. Well, apparently, that is no problem whatsoever. For $40, you can see a doctor and walk right out with whatever you need. As you can see by the sign, just about any malady qualifies you. Hmmmm, I do believe I am suffering from CRAMPS. :) The “clinics” also had cute young women standing outside in medical coats, though you could be pretty sure they were not actually medical personnel of any kind. It was all very interesting to me and made me wonder how many people in California are driving around stoned at any given time of day.

A very cool tumbling team performed. Perhaps ironically, part of their message was anti-drug.

There are still lots of old hippie sentiments around.

These cute gals were advertising Cirque d'Soleil coming to town in January

and passing out funky eyewear.

Interesting people

Skulls for sale

Metal art

Lots of volleyball players on the beach

We ended up walking all the way to the Santa Monica Pier and back again, about 6 miles, we figured. Nice to get some exercise and lots of sun!

Parking lot hockey

Funny bouncy shoes

On this day, my RV attitude began to change, maybe because we were not cooped up in the vehicle in traffic for hours, I don't know. But suddenly I did not mind it so much and began to relax about the whizzing cars and trucks and narrow roads and lack of parking. Oh yeah, we did have a bit of a funny story in Venice Beach. We parked in a large city lot (where they charged us double for an RV--not fair!) When we returned after our long afternoon of walking, we climbed into the RV and made ourselves a sandwich. Rich looked up to see a guy PEEING on the side of the RV. I'm sure he did not think anyone was inside. Rich banged on the door and the dude finished up and moved away. Ugh!

Next stop, Malibu!