Last night we said good by to Donna and Bob. By 9:30 PM we were in Bed. There was some noise outside and Doreen was questioning why anybody would cut the lawn at this hour. The noise got worse and what at the beginning sounded like a lawnmower was heavy equipment resurfacing the parking lot at Fred Meyer.
I fell asleep but Doreen was listening to the noise.
At 2:00 PM she had enough and I we decided to leave. By 2:30 AM we were on the road.
At 4:00 AM we were at a Rest Area and in bed. At 6:00 AM we got up, had breakfast and continued heading south on I-5.
Going up and down the mountains brought water from the grey water tank in the shower. The laundry in the basket, which was located in the shower, absorbed some of the water. Now we had bad smelling laundry and the whole motorhome was not smelling like roses.
Near Roseburg, Oregon I saw that the Pilot gas station charged $ 3.59 for a gallon of gas. I had the tank filled up, but they had no dump station. We stopped at Love,s, south of Roseburg, and were able to empty the tanks.
It will never happen again. Instead of adding Pinesol to the grey water and making the bad odor worse, I will take a bucket and transfer some of the grey water to the toilet. I always get smart after things happen.
From the next rest area I called our friends Emmi and Bert, who live in Grants Pass. They were home and we drove to their house. We always have a good time with them. We went to dinner with them to Applebees, and then did some grocery shopping.
Now I wonder how I get the motorhome back on the street. I cannot turn it around in their driveway, and the little street leading to their driveway is very narrow. I will get a chance to learn driving backwards tomorrow. It is quite a long distance to the next side street.
7-9-11
It took us some time to get the motorhome out of Emmi’s and Burt,s driveway. Burt removed part of a wooden walkway and it gave me enough room to turn the motorhome around.
We left at 7:00 AM and an hour later we stopped at a small restaurant, in Gasquet, California for breakfast.
We had planned to stop along the river and prepare our own food, but the setting was so beautiful, with the giant trees, the quaint restaurant and there was plenty of parking.
When we reached the coast we encountered a little fog. At the little Red School House we saw a herd of Elks taking a rest.
In Eureka we set up the motorhome, had a nap and then went to a Laundromat and did our laundry. Claudia and her family are gone camping. We went by the house and the tent trailer is gone.
After dinner we went to the mall and did some walking and I bought a book named “Windows 7 for Dummies” which fits in this case.
7-10-11
Today we did a 90 mile round trip through the “King Range National Conservation Area” and along “The Lost Coast”
We started in Ferndale and when we came to the first wooded area a mother deer and her spotted baby stood on the side of the road. This made Doreen’s day.
As soon as we came to the beach another deer and two babies came in sight.
The coastal drive was very beautiful.The hills were covered with flowers.
We stopped and ate our lunch while watching the waves hitting the large rocks which are located in the ocean.
On the way back we came to a grove of large redwood trees.
7-11-11
I should have called Claudia several days ago and told her that we were coming back to Eureka.
I called Scott’s mother and she did not know where Claudia and her family were camping. Doreen called Hanna, my ex wife, and she did not know either. We could have camped with the kids. I goofed on that one.
So we decided to leave today, since they will be coming back on Wednesday.
This was a driving day. We went south on highway 101. Sometimes the road follows small rivers. It is very scenic.
In Willits we stopped for gasoline for the motorhome. The price per gallon was $ 3.49, the cheapest price on this trip. When I said:”$ 170.00 on pump 7” everybody in the store stopped what they were doing.
We set up the motorhome at the Moose Lodge in Petaluma. This is the first time we are staying there. We usually park at the Elks Lodge. The Moose charge $ 15.00 per night, five dollars cheaper than the Elks.
After lunch and a nap we visited Pam, a friend of Doreen, who lives in Santa Rosa.
Doreen had not seen her for a long time and was happy we could arrange it on this trip.
We had a nice visit and Doreen caught up on a lot of news.
7-12-11
Today we drove the Petaluma, Tiburon, Sausalito, Stinson Beach, Bodega Bay, Petaluma loop.
Tiburon is a classy, rich looking town. On a clear day one can see the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.
We saw the bridge, but the city was in fog.
Sausalito is a fun town too. They have a lot expensive stores.
On the way back we took highway 1 along the Pacific coast. This is a spectacular drive. The coastal hills are covered with flowers.
In Bodega Bay we saw three deer. They only looked at us and kept on feeding.
7-13-11
On my morning walk I took some pictures of vegetable gardens at homes, the city hall and the library.
People grow vegetables all over. Some gardens are mixed with flowers and vegetables.
Petaluma was not destroyed during the 1906 earth quake and there are a lot of mid 19th century homes in this city.
Today we went grocery shopping and in the afternoon we walked on Kentucky Street and Petaluma Boulevard, the main shopping areas. The weather is perfect, the temperature is in the seventies.
We almost left yesterday. Across the street from the Moose Lodge is a creamery and the fans from the cooling units make a steady noise, not very loud but irritating for Doreen.
7-14-11
We left Petaluma at 4:30 AM and were crossing the Golden Gate Bridge at 5:30 AM. There was traffic but not as much as it would have been later.
Doreen was sleeping well last night; she was a good trooper though and got up early.
We arrived at the San Lorenzo Regional Park, in King City, at about 9:00 AM.
After a second breakfast and some rest we took off for Pinnacles National Monument.
To see the pinnacles fully one has to take one of the many trails.
I walked the Bear Gulch Trail. It is only .7 miles long. It is a steep trail and I was puffing. The view from the top is spectacular, unfortunately the pictures do not do it any justice.
When we came back to the campground Doreen wanted to walk a little bit. The park also houses the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum.
Outside are a lot of rusted machines and farm implement. Diana from the WINs would feel better than at her wedding night when she would see all that rusted stuff.She really gets excited about it.
We were surprised when we walked inside. There are some cars, and of course wagons and a lot of displays about farming in the valley. It shows the changes from raising sheep, to milk cows and now wine and vegetables.
The weather could not be better. It is about ten degrees F below normal, just fine for us.
