About Me

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I am retired and like to travel by motor home across the United States and Canada. In the winter I hope to spend more time with my WIN (Wandering Individual Network) friends in the California and Arizona desert. I know my trip reports are having too many details, but I am writing them for myself, if anybody else enjoys them, that is fine too.

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Breakfast with the Shanty Shakers

2-28-09
I am not camping right now, but talking about it, at the breakfast with the Shanty Shakers, the Southern California chapter of the Escapees.
The breakfast is on the fourth Saturday of each month, at Dennys restaurant, in El Cajon.
Doreen went to a luncheon with some of the women who live here in the park, and I went to El Cajon.
We have a meeting while we eat breakfast. New outings are planned and people tell about their experiences on their last camping trips.
We have not been on many outings with the Shanty Shakers, because we belong to several camping clubs and have to divide our time.



Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Borrego Springs February 2009

2-14-09
The plan was to leave tomorrow for Borrego Springs. When we came home from breakfast, at the clubhouse, Doreen asked me whether I rather leave today.
It took me only a few seconds to make up my mind.
A big storm is approaching Southern California and I wanted to get over the mountains before it arrives.
I got in the car and picked up ice for the ice chests.
We took enough food to last us until Thursday. An hour later we were on the road.
We stopped in Santa Ysabel, at Dutleys bakery, where Doreen bought bread and some goodies while I watched the sheriff and some helpers bring a steer back to the other side of the fence.
The animal had found itself along the road, slowing down traffic.
When we arrived at the motor home I turned on the refrigerator and checked for rain damage. The sheet on my bed was moist in one small place. The window had leaked again.
With the help of Doreen’s hair dryer that was fixed in no time. Since Ron Carlson was at his house in town, we were alone at the ranch.
After dinner we did some reading and watched a movie and went to bed early.

2-15-09
I got up early and went for a walk. After breakfast Doreen came along for another walk. We hiked up to Rudy’s place. He has his Airstream trailer about one and a half miles from Ron’s motor home, up on a hill; he also has ten acres.
He was not home. So we headed back. Doreen started complaining, so I offered to go and fetch Ron’s wheel barrow and give her a ride the rest of the way. She said that I would bring the camera too, and I certainly would.
She was very proud that she made it back. She was a good sport, even crawled with me under one fence. On the way home we walked along a dirt road on the side of the highway.
We had a late lunch at Randell’s Coffee Shop and then went to Palm Canyon RV Resort where we will be tomorrow with the Convair Camping Club. The host of the gathering had reservations for today, but had not arrived yet. At the parking lot we ran into Ron, he was also looking for the hosts, he knows them from his sailing days.
We went back to the motor home and read the Sunday paper. That kept us busy for a few hours. Then we watched another movie on DVD.

2-16-09
When I woke up the sky was dark. The dark clouds had come across the mountains.
When we left for town it started to rain. In Borrego Springs it rained real hard.
We set up the motor home and went to the clubroom. It is a big room with a fire place and a small kitchen area, and a TV.
Dinner was at 5:00 PM. Denise and Dick prepared Reuben sandwiches. The people who had signed up for a salad had not come, so I went back to the motor home and made a salad.
After dinner we talked for a while and then Janice went to the piano and we sang popular songs. I actually was only listening.
During the night it did not rain, lucky for me. When we get home I will tear the wall apart, under the bedroom window, and see where the leak is.

2-17-09
The sun was shining when I woke up, but there were still some dark clouds.
We had a meeting at 9:00 AM, where it was decided what to do today.
Not everybody brought their tow vehicle, so we all got in the two trucks and two cars and went to see the steel statues which are located near Borrego Springs.


I had not seen the Padre and his dog. It is rather new.











The pre historic bird is now finished and the snake did not go in his beak, instead is laying on the nest, ready to be fed to the two chicks. We had guessed wrong.





After the sightseeing I went to the lobby of the resort and did my E mail.
Happy Hour and the club meeting was at 4:00 PM. Ron had come to join us. Since he knew Denise and Dick, it was a lot of fun for them. They had not seen each other for many years.
At 5:15 PM we started cooking the meat. We had three steaks on our little BBQ. Most people had steak.
Doreen had made a green bean dish and another lady brought a potato dish. There was also salad and a lot of dessert.
The rest of the evening we spent with talking and enjoying the fire in the fire place.

2-18-09
Today we had blue skies, no cloud in the sky.
After the 9:00 AM meeting we took Denise and Dick to Ron’s ranch. They did some more reminiscing about their days sailing in Mexico.


From there we went to Peg Leg Smith Monument. Our next stop was the fruit stand where I bought a bag of grape fruit.
We stopped at more steel statues. It was a wonderful day.











Dinner was Mexican food. We had tacos with all the trimmings. Everybody assembled their own tacos.

2-19-09
We are home again. This was a wonderful, little outing. The rain on Monday did not dampen the spirits. The clubroom helped.
The food is always good.
Now I have to do a little work on the motor home. It has not been home since Thanksgiving.

Valentine 2009

2-14-09
Today was Valentine’s Day. At 7:00 AM I was at the clubhouse helping setting up for breakfast.
The legend has it that the men, at Camino Hills, bragged that they could cook a better breakfast than the women. To prove it they cooked a breakfast on a Saturday. It was a large success.
Since then the men are doing breakfast once a month. When we are in town, I am one of the helpers.
This morning the tables were set up already with red table cloths and red decorations. It looked really pretty.
Kathy had started last night to decorate.












At 8:00 AM, when the hungry troops arrived, the women were handed a little heart shaped box of chocolate, and everybody received a glass of champagne, or champagne mixed with orange juice.











Breakfast consists of a choice of eggs, sausages, bacon, potatoes, toast, French toast and pancakes, and orange and tomato juice, and coffee, and a bowl of fresh fruit.




Nobody leaves the clubhouse hungry.











Today, one of the husbands had hired a barber shop quartet to come to breakfast and serenade his wife.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Wild Animal Park 2009

2-10-09
It rained almost all weekend, sometimes it felt like the sky was coming down. We need the water in Southern California.
It very seldom rains in the summer. Diana mentions in her blog, that every time she comes to San Diego, it rains.
The city should pay for her to visit in the summer. She might help us to overcome the water shortage.
Today we had again blue skies and we headed for the Wild Animal Park near Escondido.
The park is located about 30 miles North of San Diego.
We are members of the San Diego Zoological Society and can visit this park and the zoo as many times as we feel like.
After riding with the tram around the African and Asian plains, we did some good walking.
The Wild Animal Park is not only known for its animals, it is also a botanical garden and the trees and flowers are something to see.
With all the exotic animals around, Doreen felt like feeding the mooching ducks.
They come to the park for hand outs.






Last year the young lions were a lot smaller and cuter.