November 22 to 28, 2009

November 22 to 28, 2009 ; SKP Park of the Sierras, California
　
Sunday ; I started this morning with a wonderful strawberry jam roll pan dulce, followed by a cup of coffee and a cigarette sitting outside in the bright, warm morning sunshine. Life is good ! Well, except for the agony of my right knee and hip. I can’t walk this morning without a cane. But … I seem to have finally overcome both the colitis flare ups and the bouts of depression that have plagued me over the last few weeks. I am obviously much more susceptible to suffering from depression when the days are short. Seems to be a problem that recurs every November.
　
We need to teach / convince Sully that he has a reverse gear. He has a tendency to stand in the open doorway, blocking it, when Bo is coming back inside the trailer. As Bo charges up the steps and past him, Sully loudly hollers his displeasure at Bo.
　
At noon we headed to the clubhouse … with Sully … for our scheduled Skype call with Joanne’s family in Winnipeg. I am so impressed with Skype. First we had a lengthy video chat with all of the Carlson family, showing Sully to the nieces. Then Doug and I experimented with the Skype “share screen” functionality. I opened my photo program and shared a photo slideshow with them. Doug opened Google Earth and located exactly where we are, with us looking at what he saw on his screen, and guiding him verbally to find our location. He showed us the photo he took of Spotted Lake near Osoyoos when he and I went flying in the summer of 2008. His aerial photo of Spotted Lake is now attached to the Google Earth image of Spotted Lake.
　
We returned to the trailer, had lunch, then went back to the clubhouse for the regular Sunday afternoon ice cream social. We chatted with a couple from Alberta that arrived in the park yesterday. We had met them once before, 5 years ago, in Mesa, Arizona, at an Escapees Alberta Chapter 44 Winter Rally. After the ice cream social we returned to the trailer again, got Bo, and headed to the dog park for the daily dog party. Bo had been feeling sorry for himself since this morning when Sully got to go for a “drivey” and he didn’t. And he had missed yesterday’s dog party, so he was very excited to be going today. After the daily hour of dog romping I went into the clubhouse to get online and update my blog.
　
While Joanne prepared supper I printed and reconciled our Canadian dollar MasterCard statement. After supper we watched Amazing Race.
　
Monday ; Today was another sunny, mild day. We had a bit of a lazy morning. We went for a long, slow walk with Bo. Slow because my severe knee and hip pain continues. We continued working on reviewing, purging, and rearranging files, office supplies, computer manuals and supplies.
　
After lunch we went to the Pole Barn and washed the truck. Back at the trailer I worked on the computer, doing a disk cleanup, disk defragmentation, virus scan, spyware scan, malware scan, and finally, a backup of all files. I’m preparing the computer for shipment back to Hewlett Packard for repair of the loose screw in the hinge assembly. I have been communicating back and forth by e-mail on a daily basis for about a week with Hewlett Packard and have reconciled myself to the requirement to ship the computer back to them for repair.
　
About ten minutes before it’s time to head to the dog park each day Bo starts to do somewhat of an “anticipation dance”. He certainly has an accurate “internal clock”. When we arrived at the dog park today we found out that our friend Mischa fell off a ladder this morning and was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Fresno. He was back home by this afternoon with scrapes and bruises, most seriously a severely bruised hip. As usual, after the daily dog party I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi to get online. I sent and retrieved e-mail, checked the stock markets and the status of our investments, and retrieved our U.S.$ MasterCard statement.
　
After supper we returned to the clubhouse again, this time to have a Skype video call with our friend Julie. Oh boy, like Doug, Julie also bought a webcam to have video chats with us. It was great ! We sure do like this Skype stuff ! We returned to the trailer in time to watch the final episode of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” on TLC.
　
Tuesday ; Today was sunny and warm. I have just returned from the clubhouse ( at 1 PM ), and I am extremely aggravated. I have been communicating back and forth by e-mail for over a week with Hewlett Packard about the loose screw in the hinge between the top / screen and the bottom / keyboard of my new HP Mini netbook computer. Yesterday I received a phone message from HP instructing me to phone to finalize arrangements for them to ship me a packing box for me to return the computer for warranty repair. Today when I phoned, the agent ( in India ! ) refused to finalize arrangements because their records indicate that my computer warranty expired two days ago ! NO … that’s incorrect ! ! ! And even if it was correct, my e-mails are a clear record that the problem has existed for longer than two days !
　
After lunch I returned to the clubhouse to fax a copy of my invoice to Hewlett Packard to verify that I purchased the computer a little more than a month ago, and the warranty has not expired ! I doubt very much that they can get the shipping box to me before we leave here in a week. While I am impressed with Hewlett Packard’s product, I am definitely not impressed with their warranty repair process !
　
I read. I napped. I helped Joanne with her project of reviewing / purging / rearranging everything in the bedroom closet. We went to the dog park for the daily dog party. When we returned to the trailer I was assigned the task of sitting outside and cracking open hazelnuts. Joanne’s contribution to the Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday will be hazelnut cookies. I sat outside in the twilight, cracking hazelnuts, watching a doe and a buck with a big rack graze on the leaves of a fallen Manzanita tree beside the gravel trail that runs just on the other side of the fence alongside our campsite. The gravel trail was the original stagecoach route to Yosemite.
　
After an excellent supper of seasoned fried catfish fillets ( seasoned by Joanne, fried by me ! ) I went to the clubhouse and used the piano there to tune my Arpa Magica I purchased in Palenque, Mexico last winter.
　
Wednesday ; Today was sunny, and very warm for this time of year and at this elevation. Fall has arrived in the Sierra Nevadas. The leaves are changing colours.
　
This morning I took the Wi-Fi phone and headed to the clubhouse to phone Hewlett Packard … again ! Hopefully ( maybe ! ) the purchase date and warranty period information regarding my computer has been corrected, and the shipping box is on its way. When I was dealing with HP by e-mail, everything seemed straightforward and simple, but when I began to have to deal with them by phone, things went awry. Maybe if their “call centre” wasn’t in India … ! ? !
　
HEY … GET OFF MY COMPUTER ! ! ! Sully just walked across the keyboard ! I think he was trying to type “cat wants attention” but it came out as “c x”.
　
After my phone call to HP we went to Oakhurst to do some grocery shopping at Vons. Wow … crowded store ! Day before Thanksgiving ! Turkeys were on sale for $5, and I wanted to buy one just to put in the freezer and prepare later, but we couldn’t find one small enough to fit in our RV oven. Why are 16 pound turkeys $5 in the United States but $1.89 a pound in Canada ? ! ? By the time we returned home I was in a lot of discomfort. My knees and one hip were really hurting ! Exercise didn’t help. Maybe more rest would help ?
　
I spent the afternoon in bed, napping and reading, hoping that rest would help my knees and hip. Well, after an afternoon of rest, my knees were improved, but my hip was still hurting a lot. Joanne spent the afternoon baking hazelnut cookies for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving Dinner. And she wouldn’t let me eat any ! We took Bo to the dog park for the daily dog party, then I went to the clubhouse to work online.
　
Thursday ; American Thanksgiving ; Today was another really lovely, sunny, warm day. We had a bit of a lazy day, enjoying the weather while taking care of a few minor chores. I spent time in bed trying to rest my hip enough to alleviate the pain. It didn’t help much ( sigh ).
　
Late in the afternoon we headed to the clubhouse for Thanksgiving Dinner. Turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes were provided by Park of the Sierras. Everyone brought a side dish or dessert, potluck style. WOW … great Thanksgiving Dinner ! After dinner I stayed in the clubhouse to get some work done on the computer. Tonight wasn’t the first time since we’ve been here that my work was interrupted by someone who wanted a “sales pitch” on netbook computers. It seems as if many people have not yet seen a netbook. Or spoken to someone who has already been using one.
　
Back at the trailer in the evening we watched Survivor.
　
Friday ; Today was cloudy and mild. A few drops of rain fell in the afternoon. I woke up this morning with excruciating pain in my right hip. My knees and hip have been hurting for a week or so. I am reluctant to visit a doctor here for this problem. Our U.S. medical insurance has a $1000 deductible. I purchased insurance with that high a deductible because I feel that the insurance is for “catastrophes” like a heart attack or vehicle accident. Visiting a doctor here for a minor problem like this is likely to result in considerable expense, and an inconclusive or relatively meaningless diagnosis like “yup … your knees and hips are arthritic”. This morning I took some Ibuprofen hoping that that might reduce the discomfort. And I took a Prednisone tablet left over from an attack of gout a year and a half ago. I figured that couldn’t hurt, and might help. I was in such discomfort that we postponed our planned day trip. We had planned to spend the day exploring back roads north of here, up towards Yosemite National Park, including visiting an alpaca farm. We hope to be able to do this day of exploring on Sunday.
　
The location of our site within this park makes it an excellent location for viewing wildlife and bird watching. Beside our trailer is a grove of Live Oak trees. They are currently shedding their acorns, and a lot of bushy tailed grey squirrels and interesting birds are active in and under the trees. Our friends Erbon and Lorraine from Ottawa gave us a bird watching book a couple of years ago, and I have been identifying some of the interesting birds that we have been seeing here. With my hip this sore my activities have been limited to reading, napping, and bird watching. ( shrug ) Beats digging ditches, I suppose.
　
I spent most of the day reading in bed. Joanne continued working on her closet rearranging project. Late in the afternoon she took Bo to the dog park. By late afternoon the Prednisone and / or Ibuprofen had worked wonders. I suspect it was more likely the Prednisone. My hip pain was significantly diminished. I drove to the clubhouse to do some online work and wait for Joanne and Bo to be finished in the dog park.
　
When we returned to the trailer, we gave Bo a bath. Gee, what a stinky little dog ! Sully did not like being on the bed when Bo jumped on it to do his after bath, drying off “happy dance”. HA HA HA ! Sully was very annoyed !
　
Saturday ; Today we remember Toby the cat, who died 5 years ago, while we were WorkCamping at Trout Lodge up in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. While thinking about him today I realized that while I remember him fondly, I no longer miss him. I do, however, still miss Teddy. I’m very glad that we now have Sully.
　
Today was cloudy and cool. My hip was improved a lot, although not completely. I took another Prednisone today. After doing some online research, my self-diagnosis was hip bursitis. This morning we trimmed Bo’s and Sully’s claws. Gently squeezing Sully’s toes to extend his claws so that I can trim them hurts him. He must have arthritic toes. I’m sympathetic, Sully. I took an empty propane tank to the park’s propane refill station to be refilled Monday morning. I went to the clubhouse and did some online work. I checked at the office to see if my Fed Ex package from HP had arrived yet. It hadn’t. I checked Fed Ex’s online tracking system. Aw, gee whiz … they show an expected delivery date of Wednesday, the day we were planning to leave here. We’ll probably have to stay an extra day.
　
After lunch I read and napped, then we went to the dog park earlier than usual. Today’s “dog party” was rescheduled an hour earlier than usual due to the park’s communal hot turkey sandwich dinner schedule. After an hour of “dog party” I went to the clubhouse and Joanne took Bo home. She took a load of laundry to the laundromat then joined me in the clubhouse. We had volunteered to be the ticket sellers / money takers for tonight's hot turkey sandwich dinner. We had a great dinner, sharing a table with our friends Lynn and Mischa, our new dog friend Jane ( Parker’s owner ), and a woman whose husband died 3 months ago of cancer. She’s still pretty raw over the loss of her husband of 51 years. Tonight was Mischa’s first outing since falling off a ladder a few days ago and injuring his hip.
　
We spent the evening watching TV. While we’ve been here we’ve enjoyed watching some networks that we rarely have access to ; The Learning Channel, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, History Channel, Arts & Entertainment.
　
DSK

November 15 to 21, 2009

November 15 to 21, 2009 ; SKP Park of the Sierras, California
　
Sunday ; Today was another lovely, sunny, mild day. We had a lazy morning. This afternoon we went to the park’s regular Sunday afternoon weekly ice cream social. We sat at a table with a woman from Washington and her interesting travel companion. She travels with her 42 year old developmentally disabled son. He is a former Para-Olympic and Para-World Games athlete, competing in swimming events. He has two Para-Olympic gold medals. He broke / held a disabled athletics world record in 1990. Very interesting fellow !
　
After the ice cream social we went to the daily “dog party” at the dog park. Some dogs we hadn't met before came, to try out the small dog agility course we set up in the dog park. New guests in the park are introduced and welcomed publicly at the weekly ice cream social. At that time I extended an invitation to all to come to the dog park and try out K9 Agility. Not surprisingly, Patches the Border Collie did well.
　
After the dog party, as it got dark, I went to the clubhouse to use Wi-Fi and update my blog. I took an empty propane tank to the park’s propane refill station to be refilled tomorrow morning. After supper we watched Amazing Race, after having missed the last couple of episodes.
　
Monday ; Today was a beautiful day, sunny and warm. This morning we went to Oakhurst. I dropped Joanne off at Vons to do grocery shopping, then I went to Kragen Auto Parts to buy oil and a filter. When I checked the Kragen flyer at the front of the store … WOO-HOO … diesel oil in gallons was on sale, buy one get one free. I needed three gallons for the oil change, so I bought four for the price of two. Next I went to Radio Shack where I bought an adaptor to allow me to use an old cell phone hands free headset that I have, when I use Skype on my new netbook computer. From there I drove to a hardware store and bought a couple of sections of stair nosing. I am going to change the stair nosing in the trailer. The current stair nosing has a smooth surface and Joanne has fallen down the stairs twice in the last few months when her foot has slipped over the edge of the stair as she descends from the bathroom hallway to the living room. I bought stair nosing with a texture that will hopefully prevent any more falls. Finally I went to Oakhurst Veterinary Hospital. They had an ad in the local newspaper advertising a special on dental work. Both Bo and Sully need a dental cleaning. We were going to have it done later this winter in Yuma, Arizona, but perhaps we’ll have it done here. I got an estimate sheet from the local veterinarian, and I will contact the veterinarian we use in Yuma by phone or e-mail to get an estimate for comparison.
　
I picked Joanne up at the grocery store and headed back to SKP Park of the Sierras. Just before reaching the park Joanne noticed some very large Jeffrey Pine cones on the side of the road. We stopped and collected a few to replace the old dried out ones I have back home as decoration in a cedar planter. On the way back into the park I stopped at the propane refill station to pick up my refilled tank. The fellow that was doing the propane refilling pointed out to me that the certification on my propane tank had expired on November 1. He had refilled the tank to ensure that we weren’t without propane for the furnace on these cold nights ( he was unaware that I have two tanks ), but advised me that I would have to have my tanks recertified before they could be refilled again. I got information from him on where to have my propane tanks recertified in Oakhurst.
　
After lunch I headed to the Pole Barn to do an oil change on the truck. My friend Mischa came to help me. I had never changed the oil and filter on a one ton diesel dually before. And it’s probably been more than 25 years since I last changed the oil on any vehicle. The job went as well as could be expected. The Pole Barn had all the necessary tools and equipment ; oil drain pans, oil filter wrenches, grease guns, even a used oil disposal drum. Have I mentioned that I love staying at Escapee parks ? But … you would think that with a diesel engine that large, and an engine compartment that large, Cummins could have designed the placement of the oil filter somewhere other than a spot where only somebody with the hands and arms of an eight year old girl could reach it ! I also lubricated the front ball joints. Despite the owner’s manual clearly stating that the front ball joints are “sealed for life” and have no grease nipples, I found grease nipples on each front ball joint. I could not find a grease nipple on the front driveshaft where the owner’s manual AND a decal in the engine compartment both say ( and show with a diagram ) there is a grease nipple that must be lubricated at each oil change. The money that I saved by doing the oil change myself will be far more than enough to pay for a buffet lunch at the Chukchansi Casino before we leave here.
　
I returned to the trailer just as Joanne was leaving with Bo to head for the daily dog party in the dog park. I was greasy from my fingertips to my armpits, so I had to shower before heading to the dog park. As I stepped out of the shower there was a knock at the door. I answered the door soaking wet with a towel wrapped around my waist. It was another elderly couple from the park’s Hello Committee. They were so … mortified … at me answering the door like that that I didn’t have the heart to tell them that somebody from the Hello Committee had already stopped by. They said they would return tomorrow “at a more convenient time”. HA HA HA … yeah, okay.
　
The dozen or so dogs that are at the dog park on a regular basis were all in fine form today, perhaps because of the lovely weather. Even the old and / or timid ones were romping. After the dog party we went to the clubhouse where I used Wi-Fi while Joanne browsed the park’s “bargain table”. As she seems to do on a regular basis at SKP parks’ bargain tables, and / or Salvation Army thrift shops, she found me a brand new, unworn pair of Dockers brand pants in my waist size and leg length.
　
Tuesday ; Today was another sunny, warm day. The hydro service provider for this area of California charges for hydro on a graduated scale. The more hydro used per day, the higher the rate per kilowatt hour. And we have to pay for hydro usage in this RV park. So this morning I took a hydro meter reading and calculated our hydro usage and rate for the six days we’ve been here. YIKES ! Oh, Sully … I think we’re going to have to drastically reduce the usage of your heater blankie and the bedroom space heater.
　
DARN ! My new netbook computer has developed a rattle. It sounds like a small screw on the inside has become loose. I have tried shaking it out, to no avail. I’m afraid to try to open the computer case myself. And I really don’t want to ship it back for warranty service. The computer’s manual says that is the method for warranty service. I’m going to try to contact Hewlett-Packard by e-mail and see if there might be some other method for obtaining warranty service. I’m hoping that they may allow me to take it in for “walk-in” warranty service somewhere in Yuma, Arizona or Palm Springs, California. I’m afraid to ignore the loose, rattling screw for fear that it short circuits something inside the computer.
　
I spent much of today working … again … on maintenance and repair projects. I made multiple trips to the Pole Barn to use the tools and equipment there. I removed the old stair nosing and installed the new stair nosing in the trailer. At the Pole Barn I cut, deburred, drilled, and countersunk the new stair nosing. It’s so much easier to do a job like that on a workbench with a vise, and a nearby grinder, than to do it on the tailgate of the truck. I did part 1 of 2 of repairing the driver’s seat lumbar adjustment that broke our first day on the road. I glued some broken parts and we’ll see tomorrow if that worked. I’m not all that hopeful. Of course, I have a “Plan B”. The broken leg on our boot tray that I glued a few days ago fell apart today. At the Pole Barn I found a piece of pipe that I am going to try to fabricate into a new leg for the boot tray. That will be one of tomorrow’s jobs.
　
At 4 PM we headed to the dog park for our daily dog party. Bo spends an hour each day playing with his friends, and it’s great. It tires him out so much that each evening he goes to sleep at 8:30 PM and sleeps for twelve hours. There is a lot of interest in his agility components, more by the dog owners than by their dogs. HA HA HA ! After the dog party I went to the clubhouse for an hour of working online. I signed onto Skype to make a test call using my old cell phone hands free headset with the new adaptor plug I bought the other day when … WHOA … an incoming text message from Joanne’s brother-in-law in Winnipeg, Doug. I had invited the Carlson’s to download Skype software so that we can have free video chats with Joanne’s nieces. Doug had downloaded Skype although their computer doesn’t have a webcam or microphone. After a few minutes of bumbling and stumbling by both Doug and me, we were able to figure out how to communicate with one another. They can see and hear me on their computer, and communicate with me in return by sending text messages. It was neat to “talk” with Doug, Madeleine, Amelia, and Lorraine. Hopefully they will get a microphone and perhaps even a webcam, and we can have “real” Skype calls with audio and video. I never did succeed in making the old cell phone hands free headset work. I hope I can get a refund from Radio Shack for the adaptor.
　
Wednesday ; Nope … my driver’s seat back lumbar adjustment glue repair did not work ! I’ll have to try “Plan B”, a much more complex approach.
　
Today was mild and lightly overcast. While my lumbar adjustment glue repair didn’t work, this morning I did manage to fabricate and install a new leg on the boot tray using a piece of pipe. Oh, well … one out of two ! Late this morning we went to the clubhouse. Joanne wanted to use the Wi-Fi phone to make some phone calls to research some local attractions, and I had quite a bit of online work I wanted to get done. I didn’t get all my work done. One of the first things I did was send a Skype invitation to our friend Julie. She was online at the time, received the invitation immediately, and before too long she had downloaded Skype software and showed up on my Skype contact list. So we Skype phoned Julie and had a long chat. Her computer doesn’t have a webcam, so we didn’t have video of her, but her computer does have a microphone, so we sat outside on a bench in front of the clubhouse with the netbook on Joanne’s lap and chatted with Julie.
　
Late in the afternoon we headed to the dog park for the daily dog party. After an hour of Bo romping in the dog park with his friends I went to the clubhouse and finished the online work I hadn’t completed this morning. I sent an e-mail to Hewlett-Packard about the loose screw in the computer and I researched the feasibility of switching our VOIP home phone service from Vonage to Skype.
　
After supper I spent the evening updating my investment files. Well, the stock market recovery slowly continues. We’re a lot better off than a year ago, although a lot worse off than 2½ years ago.
　
Thursday ; Today was sunny and warm again. This morning after I trimmed my beard we headed into Oakhurst to run errands. I dropped Joanne off at Raley’s to do the grocery shopping and I went to Pro Flame to drop off the trailer’s two propane tanks for recertification. Until I pick them up tomorrow we will be without propane in the trailer, so no furnace and no stove. I went to Radio Shack and returned the adaptor I bought a few days ago. I went to H & L Lumber and shopped for hardware. I compiled a myriad of hardware that I hoped I could assemble into a concoction that would enable me to repair the driver’s seat back lumbar adjustment using a somewhat complex “Mexican mechanic” approach. I returned to Raley’s, picked up Joanne, and we headed home to SKP Park of the Sierras.
　
After lunch, and a short nap with Sully, I headed for the Pole Barn to work on the lumbar adjustment repair. The parts of the job that I thought would be most difficult went well. The parts of the job that I thought would be relatively easy turned out to be difficult. However, eventually I completed the repair and I am pleased and proud of the result. While I was at the Pole Barn Joanne walked with Bo to the dog park for the daily dog party. When I was finished at the Pole Barn I picked them up at the dog park.
　
We left Bo waiting in the truck and we went to the clubhouse. Joanne went to the library and I got online to retrieve e-mail. My first e-mail was from Joanne’s brother-in-law Doug. He had purchased a webcam with microphone and was ready and waiting for our first Skype video call. I connected and … WOO-HOO … there was the entire Carlson family on my computer screen, including Macie their new dog. I rushed over to the library room and got Joanne. We had a GREAT video chat with Joanne’s family. We are VERY impressed with Skype. We arranged to make another call on Sunday to allow the nieces to see Sully.
　
Hewlett-Packard responded to my e-mail and it seems as if the only way I can get the loose screw in the new computer repaired is to ship it back to HP Canada ( sigh ). It’s not practical to do that until we are somewhere we plan to stay for awhile. I suppose that I’ll have to arrange to ship the computer back to HP Canada for repair once we arrive in Yuma, Arizona in about a month. I dread the idea of being without a computer while mine is being shipped back and forth and being repaired, especially since the Christmas season will undoubtedly slow down the process. Perhaps while we’re in Palm Springs in a few weeks I’ll try to find a Hewlett Packard authorized service centre and attempt to convince them to allow me to bring the computer in for a “walk in” warranty repair, although that’s not the procedure set up by HP for warranty repairs on netbooks.
　
After supper we watched Survivor.
　
Friday ; Today started out sunny and warm, but became cloudy and cooler in the afternoon. In the evening it began to rain lightly.
　
This morning we headed to Oakhurst. We had only a couple of quick errands to do, so Bo came along for a “drivey”. We picked up the newly recertified propane tanks at Pro Flame, then refilled one of our five gallon water jugs. On our way back to SKP Park of the Sierras, we stopped at a thrift shop in Coarsegold. Joanne wanted to browse. ( sigh ) Bo and I waited in the truck … for almost an hour !
　
After lunch and a nap with Sully, I joined Joanne in a project she has undertaken to review and purge all of our paperwork files. She had already completed our travel information files and needed my participation to review and purge all of our medical files, corporate files, personal income tax and investment files. We reviewed and purged heavily when we started full time travelling, but that was 5½ years ago, and it was definitely time for another purge.
　
As usual we went to the dog park for the daily dog party, then the clubhouse for some online work before supper.
　
Saturday ; Today was mostly sunny and mild. We spent the day in Fresno, about a 45 minute drive south of SKP Park of the Sierras.
　
After some morning chores we headed south on Hwy. 41 to Fresno to a tourist attraction Joanne was interested in seeing. Forestiere Underground Gardens was built by Baldasare Forestiere, an immigrant from Sicily, between 1906 and 1946. He spent 40 years, with hand tools only, excavating and sculpting an underground complex of rooms, niches, patios, courtyards, and passageways, over 10 acres … and planted and grew citrus trees and grapevines in the catacombs. Very strange project ! Must have been a very strange man ! The site is currently owned and operated by his nieces and nephews.
　
When we came out of Forestiere Underground Gardens, well … how fortuitous ! Across the street was an IN-N-OUT Burger. Oh boy, our first IN-N-OUT Burger lunch of this year. After lunch we headed towards the historic Tower District. But on the way, we stopped at a PetSmart and stocked up on Greenies for Bo. Good thing … we were almost out of Greenies. Bo is addicted to having a Greenie every evening. We also stopped at a pool supply store to buy some new pool noodle mesh chairs, but the brand that they had wasn’t quite what we were looking for. We’ll look again in Palm Springs where we originally bought our pool noodle chairs.
　
The historic Tower District of Fresno was … well … a little mundane, actually. But … I noticed that the old Tower Theatre was advertising a New Year’s Eve live performance of Rocky Horror Picture Show. WOW … what a neat way to spend New Year’s Eve that would be ! We stopped at a small open air produce market, and … how fortuitous … again … beside the open air produce market was a … WOO-HOO … panaderia. HA HA HA ! While Joanne went to buy fruits and vegetables, I bought pan dulce. Six of ‘em ! Big ones !
　
After the Tower District, and before leaving Fresno, it was time for … ( big sigh ) … Wal-Martin’. Violating my long standing rule of “no Wal-Martin’ on weekends”. By the time we had finished shopping in this old, small ( by Wal-Mart standards ), congested Wal-Mart I was pretty cranky and ready to head for home.
　
We arrived home just in time to see the sun set behind the mountains. Very pretty ! We usually miss the sunset because we are in the dog park at that time.
　
A few days ago something in my right knee “popped” and I have had to wear a knee brace ever since. On today’s outing I even used my walking stick / cane but even so, I have been favouring my right knee so much that now even my right hip is hurting as well. I need new knees ! On the other hand, the Glucosamine & Chondroitin supplement ( for dogs ! ) that we have been feeding to Sully for the past month because his hips were so stiff and sore has worked so well that he now runs back and forth from the bedroom to the living room, up and down the stairs.
　
DSK

November 8 to 14, 2009

November 8 to 14, 2009 ; San Francisco to Coarsegold, California
　
Sunday ; Point Reyes National Seashore
　
Today was, surprisingly, sunny and mild again. I was a bit ill with colitis. We had a lazy morning, taking Bo for a long walk around the campground. This afternoon, with Julie and Judy, we went to Point Reyes National Seashore. We drove about 6 miles west of Samuel P Taylor State Park, entered the national park, then drove about 20 miles through the national park to the cliffs above the Pacific Ocean.
　
All four of us took a very short hike to a scenic overlook, then Julie, Judy, and Joanne took a long, up and down hike to visit the Point Reyes Lighthouse. I wasn’t feeling well, so I went by myself on a much shorter hike to another scenic viewpoint. While I waited for them to return from the lighthouse visit I napped briefly in the truck.
　
When we returned to the state park, I built a campfire at Julie’s campground host site while Julie prepared supper for the four of us. I used the remainder of the firewood I bought in Washington, because the California firewood that Julie sells to campers is green and burns poorly. And costs six bucks a little bundle ! After a dinner of salad and turkey chili with cornmeal dumplings, we prepared “s’mores” over the campfire.
　
Monday ; Samuel P Taylor State Park
　
Today was sunny and mild again. Judy spent the last 2 nights at Julie’s trailer so that Julie could accompany Judy to a medical appointment today at Stanford University Medical Centre in Palo Alto, an hour or so south of San Francisco, regarding Judy‘s pending liver transplant.
　
This past summer a neighbour offered me a good condition deep cycle RV battery that he no longer had use for. I brought it along with us as a spare / “backup” battery for the trailer. Good thing ! Julie’s Park Ranger “employer” has allowed us to park in an empty campground host site in the state park to enable us to visit with Julie, but has not allowed us to connect to electricity since she’s not charging us for the use of the site. Fair enough ! But our trailer battery has become drained after three cold nights of use. The furnace is a huge drain on the battery. This morning I connected the auxiliary battery to the trailer’s main battery using booster cables. Hopefully that will get us through another couple of nights. We had been planning to leave today but Julie asked us to stay until Wednesday so that we can have all day tomorrow for visiting.
　
When Julie and Judy returned from Palo Alto to San Francisco, Julie took a bus to Fairfax, a town near the state park. We drove to Fairfax and picked her up, then drove to San Rafael to refill with diesel, then to San Anselmo to buy groceries at Safeway. Back at the state park we invited Julie over for a Jambalaya dinner and an evening of visiting.
　
Tuesday ; Samuel P Taylor State Park
　
We spent the day visiting with Julie. She wandered by this morning while she was walking Triscuit and we were outside doing some chores. We chatted until lunch time then she joined us for lunch in our trailer. In the afternoon we went over to her campground host site. I mounted a new fire extinguisher in her RV for her. Then while she and Joanne chatted I got online using her Wi-Fi access and did e-mail and some other online work. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on processing all the photos I took over the last few days of San Francisco and area. I had not finished working on the photos by supper time.
　
I built a campfire. We sat around the campfire and visited. Joanne went back to our trailer to walk Bo and prepare cole slaw. Julie prepared a rice dish. I cooked seasoned Basa fillets with onions wrapped in foil on the campfire. Second time I’ve tried that in the last week or so, and second time it turned out pretty good ! We spent the rest of the evening sitting around the campfire visiting.
　
It was great to visit with Julie again. We realized while chatting that, prior to this visit of the last few days, it has been almost three years since we last visited with her. The last time we saw her was at the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California on New Year’s Day, 2007
　
Wednesday ; San Francisco to Coarsegold, California
　
Remembrance Day / Veteran’s Day ; Lest We Forget
　
This morning we prepared for departure, said goodbye to Julie and Triscuit, and left Samuel P Taylor State Park. We headed 16 miles back to the freeways, and got onto Interstate 580 heading east. We crossed San Francisco Bay over the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge then headed south through Berkeley and Oakland.
　
It is important to me to observe a minute of silence “to remember” at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. Today at that time we were in congested traffic on a six lane wide ( in each direction ) freeway with multi-level exit and entrance ramps all around us. All my attention was focused on driving. All Joanne’s attention was focused on navigating. We compromised and postponed the ritual until 11:00 P.M..
　
I-580 took us south and east through the Silicon Valley area and eventually to I-5. We turned south on I-5 to Los Baños ( strange name for a city … “The Bathrooms” in Spanish ) then east on Hwy. 152 until it ended at Hwy. 99. South on Hwy. 99 to Madera, east on Hwy. 145, then north on Hwy. 41 up into the Sierra Nevada Mountains to SKP Park Of The Sierras near Coarsegold and Yosemite National Park.
　
Park Of The Sierras is the prettiest of the 19 Escapees parks. It’s spread out over 161 acres of rolling, forested hills in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sites are far apart from one another, and laid out in random fashion following the natural contours of the land, not lined up in a grid pattern as in most RV parks. When we arrived just a few minutes before their office closed Joanne went in to register and I took Bo for a short walk, ending up at the RV park’s dog park. WOO-HOO … GYPSY ! Bo hadn’t seen Gypsy since two years ago at the Kofa Ko-op dog park in Yuma, Arizona.
　
We were fortunate enough to be assigned to a gorgeous site, a large lot high up on the hills in the park, with no neighbours close by, and a view overlooking a gulley and the next mountain. We got set up in our site, then watched the sun set behind the mountain, turning the lightly clouded sky a pretty pink.
　
Thursday ; SKP Park Of The Sierras / Coarsegold / Oakhurst, California
　
Today was a rainy day of chores and errands. This morning we unhitched the truck from the trailer. I hate doing that kind of outdoor work in cold rain ! We spent the morning in the clubhouse where Joanne did a lot of laundry and I got caught up on online work. The clubhouse is a Wi-Fi hotspot.
　
This afternoon we headed north on Hwy. 41 towards Yosemite National Park, through the village of Coarsegold to the town of Oakhurst. We shopped for groceries at both Vons and Raley’s, then did some shopping at CVS Pharmacy. I checked out a “lube, oil, & filter” business, then went to Kragen Auto Parts to check out the cost of buying the oil and filter, and changing the oil myself. SKP Park Of The Sierras has quite a large and well equipped service garage / workshop, and I am considering changing the truck’s filter and oil myself.
　
By the time we left Oakhurst it was dark. On the way back to SKP Park Of The Sierras we stopped in Coarsegold to refill with diesel. Joanne made my favourite spaghetti recipe for supper. In the evening we watched Survivor.
　
Friday ; Today was sunny and mild, a really nice day. While I was working outside this morning two members of the park’s Hello Committee came by to welcome us to the park, offer information, and answer questions. Nice touch !
　
I spent all of the morning and part of the afternoon doing maintenance and repair projects. Sometimes it seems as if Joanne finds creative new ways to break things faster than I can keep up with the repairs. I repaired a broken chair. I repaired a broken shoe tray. I repaired a section of stair nosing. I recharged our auxiliary trailer battery. I spent time underneath the truck ensuring that I could access the oil filter and oil drain plug, and that I had all the necessary tools and equipment to do an oil change myself. I worked at our campsite and at the “Pole Barn”, this park’s maintenance garage. Everything I need to do an oil change either I have or can find at the Pole Barn. While at the Pole Barn I sharpened and polished my axe with a variety of grinders. Had an axe to grind … HA HA HA !
　
On the way to the Pole Barn, I had to stop to allow something to slowly cross the road. HUH ? A large, hairy tarantula ? ! ? I got out of the truck and took some photos.
　
The one item that neither I nor the Pole Barn had was a “cap style” oil filter wrench. My friend Mischa had one. Lynn and Mischa invited us to the dog park at 4 PM, the time each day when many dog owners congregate at the dog park for dog and people socializing. At 4 PM we went to the dog park with Bo and his K9 Agility components. We packed about half of Bo’s agility course with us on this trip, the items that were easy to store ; big tunnel, little tunnel, a hurdle, and weave poles. Bo had an excellent time demonstrating K9 Agility for all his new ( and one old ) California dog friends. A few of them tried some of the agility components. Bo’s friend from 2 years ago, Gypsy, the only “larger” dog in the dog park today was … terrified after I tried to convince her to go through “big tunnel”. She spent the rest of the afternoon in the dog park hiding behind Lynn. It seemed as if the smaller the dog, the more brave and bold they were about trying the agility components.
　
Around 5 PM as it began to get dark, all the dogs and their owners left the dog park. We went to the clubhouse briefly so that I could retrieve and send e-mail.
　
Saturday ; Today was a lovely, sunny, mild day. This morning we went to the clubhouse for a park fund raising “biscuits & gravy” breakfast. Hmmm … never had “biscuits and gravy” breakfast before. Kind of interesting ! Pretty popular down here. Probably explains my ability to identify at a glance whether a woman is American or Canadian. HA HA HA ! After breakfast I used Wi-Fi briefly then went to the library to exchange some books.
　
Back at our trailer we took Bo and Sully outside for a walk to enjoy the fine weather. Well, Bo walked. Sully just sort of meandered around our large campsite / yard. He’s not much of a “walker”. I took photos of Sully, my first photos of Sully outdoors.
　
Every day between 3:30 and 5 PM there is a “dog party” in the dog park. We now attend on a daily basis. Bo romps and plays with many other dogs, and we do some “agility”. When we arrived back at our site after the dog party, just at dusk, there were … WHOA … MANY MANY DEER ! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF ! A herd of six deer were grazing in our site, beside our trailer. You would think that an hour and a half of playing in the dog park would leave Bo too tired to get so excited about some deer that he’s bouncing off the windshield, but NOOOOO !
　
DSK

November 1 to 7, 2009

November 1 to 7, 2009 ; Lake Chelan, Washington to San Francisco, California
　
Sunday ; Lake Chelan State Park to Pine Springs Resort near Goldendale, Washington
　
Today was the third time that Sully has witnessed the retraction of the trailer slides. The first time he was scared. The second time he was puzzled. Today he was curious. To keep him safe while retracting the slides, Joanne picks him up and cradles him upside down like a baby in her arms. Today when the slides began to retract Sully peeked around the corner to watch the bedroom slide come in, making the bedroom smaller, then turned to watch the dinette / living room slide come in and make the main living area smaller. When both slides were finished retracting he tilted his head back and stared at the ceiling. HA HA HA … no, Sully, we don’t retract the roof. But good thought process and cat logic though !
　
This morning we departed Lake Chelan State Park and headed east on Hwy. 971 back to Alt. 97 where we turned south. We stopped at Wenatchee to refill with diesel and get back onto Hwy. 97. We usually take an alternate route from Wenatchee to Ellensburg to avoid the winding steep grades on Hwy. 97 through the mountains, but the weather today was so nice we stayed on Hwy. 97 and enjoyed the scenery. From Ellensburg to past Yakima Hwy. 97 is also Interstate 82. At Toppenish Hwy. 97 resumes heading south.
　
Joanne found a Passport America Park with a cheap rate, cable TV service, and Wi-Fi. We stopped for the night at Pine Springs Resort next door to Brooks Memorial State Park. After getting set up in our campsite we went for a short walk with Bo in the state park next door. Unfortunately the cable TV service at Pine Springs Resort did not include a CBS network feed so we were unable to watch Amazing Race. And the Wi-Fi signal didn’t reach the our campsite, so I had to sit outside at a picnic table near the campground office to use Wi-Fi. BRRRRR ! It was pretty cold late in the afternoon at this high mountain elevation.
　
Monday ; Goldendale, Washington to The Cove Palisades State Park, Oregon
　
This morning before departing Pine Springs Resort I tried again to reactivate our U.S. cell phone. I have made numerous attempts since we entered the United States a few days ago, with no success. Last night I sent a request by e-mail for assistance to Virgin Mobile, but by this morning they had not yet responded.
　
We departed Pine Springs Resort heading south on Hwy. 97 again. Soon we descended into the Columbia River Gorge and crossed the Columbia River into Oregon. We encountered more hills and wind than expected and I ran low on fuel. Five miles before reaching the city of Madras the truck computer’s “distance to empty” reached “zero”. ( sigh ) I had to pull over and put in my 2.5 gallons of emergency diesel.
　
At Madras we refilled with diesel and shopped for groceries at Safeway. While Joanne began the grocery shopping I phoned Virgin Mobile from a pay phone. An agent ( allegedly ) helped me through the reactivation process, but after we were done I tried the cell phone and it still wasn’t working. The agent suggested that maybe it would start working in four hours. HUH ? Well, in four hours we were in a campground beyond cell phone service so I won’t know until tomorrow if the reactivation was successful.
　
After grocery shopping we had a very late lunch in the trailer in the Safeway parking lot. HMPH … should have had lunch before running the errands, but I was a bit obsessed with the fuel situation and the cell phone. We left Madras and headed south towards The Cove Palisades State Park. We like Washington’s and Oregon’s state parks, and as long as the weather remains nice, there is no motivation to drive long, hard days. And Oregon’s state parks are more reasonably priced than Washington’s, so we are planning to stay in a few.
　
We got set up in a campsite in the Crooked River Campground in The Cove Palisades State Park. We went for a walk with Bo, then took both Bo and Sully into the campground’s large fenced pet rest area. We played with Bo with his Kong while Sully meandered around in the leaves and grass. Back at our campsite I built a campfire. Like Teddy before him, Sully enjoys campfires, especially when he’s wrapped in a blanket on Joanne’s lap. It became dark by 5:30 P.M.! At dusk three deer wandered by, grazing no more than about 30 feet from us. Good thing we had already put Bo back into the trailer.
　
Supper was a bit of a disaster. Joanne bought a ready to bake pizza at Safeway today. It was to be baked on the cardboard like tray it came on. The bottom of the crust burned badly. YUCK ! Maybe that kind of cardboard like baking tray doesn’t work in an RV propane oven ?
　
HEY … that’s funny … HA HA HA ! I just stepped outside for a late night cigarette. There were four deer grazing in our campsite. When I shone a flashlight in their eyes, they allowed me to approach, standing there like “deer frozen in headlights”.
　
Tuesday ; The Cove Palisades State Park to LaPine State Park
　
Early this morning when I stepped outside with Bo to take him for his morning walk there were … DEER ! EVERYWHERE ! MANY OF THEM ! ! ! As far as the eye could see. And deer scent on the ground everywhere. And deer pellets / droppings. MMMMM ... what a yummy frozen dog treat. Bad dog, Bo ! Poor Bo … canine sensory overload. He didn’t know whether to wind his watch, take a shit, or steal third base. Fortunately his decision was to take a shit, which was great because that’s why we were out there in the first place. HA HA HA ! Good dog, Bo. I guess the deer figure out pretty quickly ( well, at least the smarter ones must ) that to survive hunting season they’d best hang around a state park where hunting is not allowed.
　
We didn’t travel very far today. Partially by design, partially by circumstance. We left The Cove Palisades State Park and continued southbound on Hwy. 97. At Redmond we stopped to do some shopping at Wal-Mart, then refilled an empty propane tank. The nights have been very cold, and the furnace has used a lot of propane. At Bend we stopped at PetsMart and made an engraved identity tag for Sully’s collar. Then … ( sigh ) … I continued my attempts to get our cell phone reactivated. First I had to find a pay phone to phone Virgin Mobile. That proved to be an impossible task. Pay phones don’t seem to exist anymore ? ! ? We drove to, and walked around, two shopping malls looking for a pay phone. Finally, in exasperation, I asked to use an office phone at a Visitor’s Information Centre. With more time and difficulty than it should have taken I finally got the cell phone reactivated. By then it was time for lunch.
　
After lunch we drove out of Bend and continued south on Hwy. 97 to LaPine State Park. We had been here two years ago and quite liked it. We got set up in a campsite, then went for a walk with Bo around the campground and to the Deschutes River. We sat for awhile on the riverbank enjoying the mild sunny afternoon. We discussed our plans for the next couple of days, and decided that if the weather remains sunny and nice we would probably take a day off driving tomorrow and stay here. The daytime temperatures have been in the mid-50’s and the night time temperatures have been in the mid-20’s.
　
Wednesday ; LaPine State Park
　
Today was a lovely, sunny, mild day. We spent a slightly lazy day relaxing at LaPine State Park. This morning Joanne went for a long walk / hike with Bo. I wasn’t felling well so I stayed at the trailer with Sully. I’m having a ( hopefully ) mild flare-up of colitis or perhaps it was just a case of mild food poisoning ? I felt better by late afternoon.
　
We spent half the morning and half the afternoon on a maintenance chore that, of course, we thought would only take an hour or less. Our little electric space heater has been functioning poorly, so we decided to disassemble it and clean out the insides. It turned into a bit of a nightmare of disassembly and reassembly. I guess products like that are manufactured to be disposable once they begin to function poorly. Of course, the manufacturer could install some kind of a filter on the air intake to prevent the insides from becoming clogged with dirt, but NOOOOOO !
　
We spent the latter part of the afternoon resting and reading around a campfire. I cooked supper over the coals of the campfire, wrapping some seasoned fish fillets in foil and baking them on the coals. AHHHHH … sometimes it feels good to return to the old fashioned, outdoor way of doing things.

Thursday ; LaPine State Park to Corning, California
　
This morning we departed LaPine State Park and continued south on Hwy. 97 to the end of it. Hwy. 97 starts near Kamloops, at the northern end of the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia, and ends at Weed, California, at Interstate 5. We stopped for lunch at a roadside rest area in Oregon just before crossing into California. The roadside rest area had Wi-Fi for a fee ( $2 for 20 minutes ! ) so I was able to send an e-mail to our friend Julie to advise her of our arrival tomorrow. We are heading to visit her at the state park near San Francisco where she is WorkCamping for the winter as the campground host.
　
The weather in the morning in Oregon was fine ; sunny and mild. But as soon as we crossed into California it began to get ugly ; strong winds and heavy rain. As we climbed up and over Mount Shasta it got really ugly ! When we got to the end of Hwy. 97 we refilled with diesel ( in the cold rain ) in Weed, then got onto Interstate 5 heading south. The traffic on I-5 was surprisingly heavy. At Redding we considered stopping for the night, but continued on. The rain began to diminish after Redding. By the time we reached Corning the rain had stopped.
　
At Corning we found our way to a Safeway and did some grocery shopping. By the time we were finished at Safeway it was dark. Near the Safeway we found a mall with a Dollar Tree and … wait for it … WOO-HOO … a panaderia. HA HA HA ! While Joanne went into the Dollar Tree I went into the panaderia and bought some pan dulce. The Mexican woman behind the counter did not speak English. Hey, no problem. I didn’t drive 9000 km. around Mexico without learning how to buy pan dulce in Spanish ! HA HA HA ( SNORT ) HA HA ! “Una empanada con leche, por favor, y una con manzana … uno mas galleta, por favor … gracias … Buenas Noches, Señora.”
　
We got back onto the Interstate and off again at the next exit to head to Flying J where we planned to boondock for the night. It was late and we were tired, so we had supper at Country Market, the buffet restaurant inside the Flying J.
　
Friday ; Corning to Samuel P Taylor State Park, California
　
This morning we pulled out of the RV overnight parking area at the Flying J and over to their RV service islands. In one location I refilled with diesel, refilled the fresh water tank, and dumped the waste holding tanks. Had I needed a propane tank refilled, I could have done it right there at the RV service island as well. I really appreciate Flying J’s provision of services and conveniences for RV’ers. We were finished and ready to depart right at 9:00 A.M., so we pulled right back into a spot in the RV parking area to take advantage of Flying J’s promotional offer of free Wi-Fi from 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 A.M.. I sent and retrieved e-mail, and we were on our way.
　
We continued south on I-5 until almost reaching Sacramento when we turned onto I-505 to bypass Sacramento on the west side. After I-505 we took I-80 south past Napa then turned west on Hwy. 37 following the north shore of San Pablo Bay on the north side of San Francisco. At Novato we got onto Hwy. 101 south to San Rafael, then followed Sir Francis Drake Blvd. through 16 miles of expensive suburbia in the forested hills until we reached Samuel P Taylor State Park where our friend Julie is a campground host for the upcoming winter season.
　
Samuel P Taylor State Park is a lovely redwood rainforest. Which would be great except that … it’s a rainforest ! Julie will be lucky if she sees the sun before she leaves next spring. She had arranged for us to have a complimentary campsite for a short period of time while we visit her. Which is great because this park has a rate of $35 per night for unserviced sites ! ! ! And to add insult to injury, the showers in the comfort station require a dollar per ten minutes. Welcome to California !
　
We got set up in our complimentary site, actually a vacant campground host site. This campground has provision for three campground hosts, but only two of the positions are currently filled, because part of the campground is closed due to California’s budgetary constraints. We walked down to Julie’s site adjacent to the campground office. I started a campfire and we tried to visit for a couple of hours, but we weren’t able to visit much. Julie was very busy, having been assigned to check in the incoming campers tonight after the campground office closed. And it being Friday evening, there was a steady stream of incoming campers. We made arrangements to go into San Francisco tomorrow morning for some sightseeing, then returned to our trailer for a late, light supper.
　
It was great to see Julie again. We first met Julie five years ago, on our first WorkCamping job, at YMCA Of The Ozarks in Missouri where she was also WorkCamping. And today was the first time we met her new dog Triscuit, a very cute Powder Puff Chinese Crested.
　
Saturday ; San Francisco
　
Today was, surprisingly, sunny and mild. We spent the day sightseeing in San Francisco with our friend Julie and her friend Judy. This morning we left Samuel P Taylor State Park with Julie and drove 16 miles back on Sir Francis Drake Blvd. to Hwy. 101 then turned south towards the city. We passed through the expensive houseboat laden seaside community of Sausalito on San Francisco Bay, then over the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. As we were driving across the Golden Gate Bridge a helicopter flew across San Francisco Bay and under the bridge ! We drove to Judy’s apartment and picked her up, then drove around for awhile viewing the beautiful, ornate architecture of the old homes, and marvelling at the steep hills we were driving up and down. Judy guided us to the last section of Lombard Street known as “the crookedest street in the world”. The last long block of the street was an extremely steep hill … a 40 degree slope ! The roadway was a series of very tight radius switchback curves. I decided after descending it … NOT meant for duallies ! One of the curves was actually too tight a radius for me to make it around, and I had to back up a bit to make it through.
　
Eventually we made our way to Fisherman’s Wharf on the San Francisco Bay waterfront. It wasn’t easy to find a parking spot that a dually fit in ! We cheated a bit … Judy brought along her handicapped parking permit. We spent the rest of the morning wandering around Fisherman’s Wharf and Pier 43½ . I took photos of Alcatraz, a mile offshore. We had lunch at Boudin Bakery, home of the world famous San Francisco Sourdough Bread. The unique climate of the San Francisco Bay waterfront produces a uniquely flavoured sourdough bread that can’t be duplicated anywhere else. Of course, I had San Francisco Bay clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. MMMMM ! ! ! After lunch we took a bakery tour. Very interesting !
　
Judy is in poor health, awaiting a liver transplant, so after lunch she went to lie down in our truck. Julie, Joanne, and I walked over to Pier 39 for more wandering and sightseeing. We enjoyed seeing the colony of hundreds of sea lions that congregate at Pier 39. We returned to the truck and set off to spend the rest of the afternoon sightseeing by truck. We drove up a hill alongside a cable car. We drove through the Haight-Ashbury community and along the park of the same name that was famous in the 1960’s as “the place” for the hippies of the era. We drove through the large, lovely Golden Gate Park, then returned Julie and Judy to Judy’s apartment. They were going to drive back to Samuel P Taylor State Park in Judy’s car.
　
We drove back through and out of the city, and over the Golden Gate Bridge again. After crossing the bridge we stopped at the park on the north side of the bridge to take some photos, then we returned to the state park. Joanne and I began to prepare a barbecued chicken dinner, and when Julie and Judy returned to the park, they joined us for supper. After supper Judy went back to Julie’s trailer to rest, and we spent the rest of evening visiting and chatting with Julie.
　
DSK

October 30 & 31, 2009

October 30, 2009
　
Keremeos B.C. to Omak, Washington
　
Ahhhhh … it feels great to be back on the road again.
　
We had planned to leave two days from now, on Sunday, November 1, but when we woke up yesterday, it was snowing heavily. Time to go ! We spent yesterday preparing for departure, including phoning to have our travel medical insurance policy dates changed. By the evening, most of the snow had melted.
　
Sully was very confused this morning when we retracted the trailer’s slides. I guess he’s never lived in a home where the walls retract, and the living space becomes smaller. We left Riverside RV Park Resort late this morning. We ran some last minute errands in Keremeos, then headed east on Hwy. 3 to Osoyoos. At Osoyoos we stopped for one last errand. When I went inside the trailer, Sully was freaked ! Obviously he’s never lived in a home that moves. Poor Sully. I guess it will take a few days for him to adjust to the shrinking / expanding / travelling home.
　
( sigh ) We were delayed at the border, having to cross three times ! We cleared U.S. Customs, then had to pull aside for an inspection by U.S. Agriculture. All RV’s crossing at Osoyoos / Oroville are inspected by U.S. Agriculture. There was a male inspector and a female inspector. Great … we got the female inspector ! It seems well known amongst RV’ers that female inspectors are more “difficult” for whatever reason. First she confiscated our dog food and cat food. The labels indicated “animal fat” and she felt that that wasn’t clear enough. Perhaps the “animal fat” was lamb fat, and lamb is not allowed to cross from Canada into the United States. I had to bite my tongue from telling her that I know from my 14 years as a pet food retailer that there are no pet food manufacturers in Canada or the United States manufacturing pet foods using lamb fat as the fat component. Some use lamb protein, specified very obviously on the label, but none use lamb fat. And even if they did, they certainly wouldn’t use it when the protein is chicken ! But it wasn’t worth arguing with her. Arguments with border agents are futile.
　
Tomorrow we are going to Lake Chelan State Park for a very specific reason, and that reason includes having a campfire. So I had eight pieces of firewood in the back of the truck. I knew that firewood is not allowed across the border, but I took a chance anyway. Once before we had firewood confiscated ( crossing into the U.S. ), and once before we were allowed to cross with some ( crossing into Canada ). The inspector saw the eight pieces of firewood sitting in the bed of the truck, and said she wouldn’t allow it across. AND … ( sputter ) … she wouldn’t allow me to dispose of it there. She forced us to return to Canada with it. We had to turn back into the line of vehicles waiting to cross into Canada, and clear Customs back into Canada. Canadian Customs also wouldn’t allow me to dispose of the firewood there. We drove into Osoyoos looking for a home with a firewood pile. I found one, a vineyard. I parked on the side of the road, walked into the vineyard where I saw a man working, and obtained his permission to add my eight pieces of firewood onto his firewood pile.
　
By the time we returned to the U.S. border the staff had changed, both the Customs agent and the Agriculture inspector. So we had to go through the entire border crossing procedure again. Except by now I was developing a chip on my shoulder, never helpful when crossing borders. And this time the Customs agent was a woman … and butt ugly she was ! At least I got the male Agriculture inspector.
　
In Oroville we stopped at Prince’s to buy groceries. While walking Bo I chatted with a Canadian walking his two dogs. He had just crossed at Osoyoos / Oroville in their large motorhome. He initiated a discussion about border crossing procedures. When they crossed a few minutes before us, the male Agriculture inspector, seeing that they had two dogs, asked if their dog food was a lamb & rice formula. When told “no, it isn’t”, that was all the inspector needed to know. He didn’t even ask to see the food. Just our luck to get the woman inspector, who’s either ignorant, or on a power trip, or both.
　
After buying groceries at Prince’s we headed south on Hwy. 97. While driving my back started to get a little sore so I reached around to the side of my seat to adjust the seat back lumbar support. It broke while I was adjusting it ! **** ! First day on the road, and there’s already something needs fixing ! Story of my life !
　
At Omak we stopped at Wal-Mart to do some shopping. By the time we were finished our Wal-Martin’ it was late afternoon, and would be getting dark soon. We decided to stay the night in the Wal-Mart parking lot. While Joanne put away groceries and began to prepare supper, I dismantled the lumbar support adjustment mechanism on the side of the driver’s seat to see what had broken and ascertain if it could be fixed. Well, of course, what broke was a little plastic piece, deep inside the adjustment mechanism and almost inaccessible. It’s remotely possible, although highly doubtful, that I can repair it with glue.
　
Once we were inside the RV, preparing and eating supper, Sully’s anxiety diminished. By bedtime, he was relaxed. Hey, Sully … strange life we live, eh ? Get used to it !

October 31, 2009
　
Omak to Lake Chelan State Park, Washington
　
Teddy loved campfires. His last campfire was at Lake Chelan State Park last April on our way back home. Our plan for today was to spend the day at Lake Chelan State Park, build a campfire, and place the box of Teddy’s ashes in the campfire.
　
Today was a lovely, sunny, mild fall day, perfect for what we had in mind. We left the Wal-Mart parking lot in Omak this morning and headed south again on Hwy. 97 following the Okanagan River. Soon the Okanagan River flowed into the Columbia River. When the road split into Hwy. 97 following along the east side of the river and Alt. Hwy. 97 following along the west side of the river, we turned onto Alt. 97. When we came to the resort town of Lake Chelan we detoured onto Hwy. 150 and followed the north shore of Lake Chelan about ten miles to Mill Bay. We wanted to find Mill Bay Casino, recommended to us by SKP friends as a good overnight boondocking site. After finding Mill Bay Casino we headed back to the town of Lake Chelan where we stopped to check out the municipal RV park. From the town we turned onto Hwy. 971 to follow the south shore of Lake Chelan to the state park.
　
When we arrived at Lake Chelan State Park we drove around looking for the park firewood sales area. We had recalled from our visit last spring that firewood was available for sale in the state park. ( sigh ) Evidently our memories were faulty. There was no firewood for sale. And so with thanks to that Agriculture ***** at the border yesterday, our plans for Teddy’s final resting place were now quashed.
　
We drove away from Lake Chelan State Park. My heart was heavy with renewed grief. My eyes welled with tears as I drove, feeling … somewhat oddly … a great disloyalty to Teddy. A few miles along Hwy. 971 heading back to Alt. 97 we passed a farm yard with firewood for sale. I turned the rig around, bought a box of firewood, and headed back to Lake Chelan State Park.
　
When we drove up to site 16, the campsite where Teddy enjoyed his last campfire, and the site we wanted to be in today, there was … ( sigh ) … a pile of firewood sitting beside the fire pit. Story of my life !
　
We got set up in site 16, had a late lunch, then went for a walk with Bo down to the lakeshore, along the beach, and out onto the dock. Well, not completely all the way out to the end of the dock. Half the dock was floating, rendering it a “Bo No Go” dock. Fearless Bo has always been afraid of floating docks. We walked back through the playground, stopping to do some “Bo-gility”. The large play structure had two long, winding slides. Bo loooooves slides ! HA HA HA !
　
Back at our campsite we began to prepare for Teddy’s final campfire. I was splitting wood. Bo was tied to the picnic table. Neither of us noticed a deer walk out of the forest and amble across our campsite. When Bo finally noticed the deer, about 50 feet away … WHOA … A DEER ! ! ! It’s difficult to calm him and quiet him after an experience like that. When Bo began barking, the deer leaped over the picnic table and ran off towards the lake.
　
The circumstances for Teddy’s final campfire were perfect. Setting sun, mild temperature, a grassy forest campsite looking out over the lake. After getting the fire built, we placed the box containing Teddy’s ashes on top. I fought a losing battle. My eyes welled up again, and tears slid slowly and silently down my cheeks. We sat there watching the box of Teddy’s ashes burn, then his ashes joined the rest of the campfire. We talked about our memories of him, and smiled through the tears, knowing how much he would have enjoyed this campfire. We sat by the campfire for a long time.
　
Farewell our sweet little baby cat.
　
We brought Sully outside to join us at the campfire. We surmised that Teddy’s final campfire was probably Sully’s first. He was confused and concerned initially, then settled very contentedly into Joanne’s jacket, his head sticking out towards the campfire, his eyes closing snoozily. We hope that this was the first of many campfires that Sully will enjoy with us.
　
When the campfire was burned down to embers, and the sun had set behind the mountains surrounding the lake, we went for a long walk with Bo, through the tent campsite area, then along the lake. The trees were all in their fall colours. The ground was covered in leaves. A full moon rose above the calm lake. I was satisfied that this was the right place to leave Teddy’s spirit. As I type this, my last tear for Teddy is falling. We returned to our campsite at dusk. There was a herd of six deer in our campsite.
　
Supper was a collaboration of creativity. Joanne made up a risotto dish. I made up a lemon and butter sauce concoction and cooked salmon fillets in it. Nice supper. I gave some salmon fillet to Sully, the first time I have offered him “people food”. He quite enjoyed it. Bo would have preferred venison. HA HA HA !
　
Happy Hallowe’en !
　
DSK