Eureka Trip July 2012 (2)

7-25-12
It took us one hour to get from San Jose to Santa Cruz. Getting on highway 17 was not easy. There was a lot of traffic.
The Santa Cruz Elks Lodge is on a hill above the city. After lunch we went to the Boardwalk.
When we got there the train was leaving the Boardwalk station.

The last time we were here it was winter and the entertainment section was closed.
Today, there was a lot going on. A Chinese troupe was performing on the beach.

People stood in line to get on the Giant Dipper and other wild and crazy rides.
We had not planned to come down the coast. Our plan was to come through Napa Valley, but the weather changed and it would have been too hot there.

They have a beautiful big beach in Santa Cruz.

The view from the hill above the Boardwalk is terrific.

7-26-12
We moved about twenty miles south, to the Elks Lodge in Watsonville. The lodge is located in down town. On the lodge’s property are large oaks. They have water and electricity at the sites and a dump station.
Today we did not need shade. The temperature is just right.

After setting up the motorhome we went to The Basilica of Mission San Carlos Borromeo Del Rio Carmelo, commonly known as Carmel Mission.

The Indians had simple graves.

At the Munras Memorial Museum are rooms with furniture and other artifacts from the founders of Monterey.

We ate our lunch at a little beach park in Carmel.

7-27-12
We are back at the San Luis Obispo Elks Lodge.
We had Fish and Chips in Morro Bay at lunch time. Then we walked along the Embarcadero.
I bought a T shirt and Doreen did a lot of looking.

When we came back to the lodge I went swimming in the pool.

7-28-12
Today we arrived at the Elks Lodge in Simi Valley.
It is very hot here.
After lunch we visited Gabi who lives in Chatsworth. She is in the process of moving to our neighborhood.
At 4:00 PM we saw Doreen’s niece and her family in Moorpark. Diane’s grandson was there too.

7-29-12
We left Simi Valley at 5:00 AM and were home at 8:00 AM. We cruised through Los Angeles without a problem.
Now I have to see my doctor about my knee and my dentist about the tooth ache I have when I have cold or hot food in my mouth.
I also have to work on the Garnett SeeLevel Tank Monitoring System I installed before we left on this little vacation.
The senders are installed on the outside of the tanks and work in percentage, not 1/3, 2/3 and full.
I can see how much water I have in the fresh water tank and could check the accuracy of the new system.
The grey water tank I filled half full with a bucket and it was also accurate.
Unfortunately I did not use the rubberized undercoat from 3M and ruined the grey and black water senders. The fresh water sender is inside the motorhome.
The undercoat is used to protect the senders from stones and dirt.
The undercoat I used shortened out the units.

Eureka Trip July 2012 (1)

7-18-12
I took Nicolette and Jacob to the movies. We saw “Brave”. It was a film for children.
After the movie we went to the mall and had ice cream.
Doreen and Claudia had lunch and did some shopping. Scott was unloading the camper. They had come back from a camping trip on Monday.
The weather was good today.

7-19-12
The children and I went to the mall where Nicolette and Jacob went on filled with air structures. They jumped around and were sliding down the ramps.
I had paid for an hour and they used every minute.
The weather improved in the afternoon and Doreen and I went to Woodley Island for a little walk.

From there we went to Old Town.

7-20-12
In the morning Doreen and I went to Victorian Ferndale. The weather could be a little better.

The Loleta Cheese Factory was our next stop. We bought some cheese with dill in it.

In the afternoon I took Nicolette and Jacob to Sequoia Park. The trees are second generation growth. Sometimes six trees grow from an old trunk and the Park Department set up slides in one of those.
The kids had fun and the weather has improved.

I enjoyed those flowers in a garden next to the park.

7-21-12
We left Eureka at 10:00 AM and arrived at the Dean Creek Resort in Redway at 11:30 AM.

Nicolette and Jacob are with us.
After lunch we went to the swimming pool. I did not swim today. The water was too cold for me.
The kids stayed in for two hours.

Later we went to the mini golf place and played a couple of rounds. We had a lot of problems. It was not as easy as I thought it would be.
After mini golf we went to the river and checked out the swimming hole.

7-22-12
The night went better than expected. The children slept until 6:00 AM, which is my time to get up.
I cooked waffles, which they liked.
Our motorhome is next to a tent area. A lot of people have small tents, and not only young folks.

In the morning the kids and I went to the swimming pool.
After lunch we had fun in the swimming hole. I joined Nicolette and Jacob for a while. They stayed in the water for two hours and probably would have stayed longer if I would have let them.

After swimming we went to Redway to the store to buy bread and milk. I cannot figure out how people can afford the prices they charge here for groceries.
Jacob enjoyed the swings.

7-23-12
This morning the kids slept until 7:00 AM. I had to stay awake, in bed, for an hour. While eating breakfast I learned how to drink hot chocolate without touching the cup. The noise Nicolette and Jacob made was disgusting, but they had fun.
After breakfast we went to the swimming pool again.
During lunch time Claudia came and she and the kids got ready to go to the pool while we took off.

We did empty the holding tanks and then went into Redway to get propane.
Highway 101 was not busy until we arrived in Willits. There it was slow for a while. We filled up the fuel tank for the motorhome at the Arco station and paid $ 3.57 per gallon. This is cheap for up here.
When we arrived at the Elks Lodge in Ukiah it was hot and we had to turn on the air conditioner.

Being with Nicolette and Jacob was fun. I hope we can do it next year for a longer period. I would like to show them some of the National Parks.

7-24-12
The ride from Ukiah to San Jose was perfect. We had no sun to worry about, since it was cloudy.
It is cooler here too.
After lunch I went to the Tech Museum. It is a one of a kind Silicon Valley experience. The museum has a lot of” hands on” displays. To fully get the benefits of the museum one has to spend several days at this place.
Besides tech stuff there is also a one hundred year old electric car, and newer electric cars. The solar exhibit it is also very good.
An early wafer making machine is on display and how silicon chips are made is explained. All the large Silicon Valley companies are involved with the museum. There is Google, Microsoft, Oracle, Intel, and all the soft ware companies.

When I came back to the lodge I went to the swimming pool. The San Jose Elks have a big pool. A roach coach was set up and was selling Mexican food. In the afternoon a lot of mothers and their children were there.
Late afternoon Doreen and I went to the grocery store and to the bank.