Turtle Beach - Manteca, CA 4/2019

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Leaving tomorrow and headed for Yosemite, our last visit there was in 2013, at that time we had no cell service so internet was bad also. So need to get this posted today.  (just in case anyone is stilling following us on the blog).

Not a lot to see and do in this area, we always enjoy finding the local museums.  We visited the Manteca Historical Society, which houses a vast array of artifacts, documents and thousands of photographs of the area. I enjoyed talking with the volunteers while Len ventured out to the outer building to check out what was housed there. Nice museum.

We did find a casino which I donated a small amount to while Len walked out with full pockets.  Did take advantage of the senior buffet for $5.99, wasn't that bad but serving out of the bingo hall while the casino is renovating so you can't expect much, but it was good and a cheap meal.


Len took me out for my birthday, decided to check out Billie's Hillbilly's Bar-B-Q, ribs were good. Wish I would of had room after my meal because the fried pies really looks good.  Also had a birthday breakfast at IHOP as oldest son had sent a gift card for my birthday.

Made a stop a one of the local veggie/fruit stands that we have been to before.  The strawberries are so sweet and fresh here, picked right out of the field. Also bought some pears but still need to ripen some before I eat them.

Sat outside and enjoyed watching a goose that has her nest in a dead tree here in the park.  We kept hoping to see some babies but doesn't look like that is going to happen before we leave.

Will be in Yosemite for 2 weeks, so will post after that.

San Benito, Paicines, CA - April 2019

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Always enjoy our time at this Thousand Trails, not a lot of activities but we enjoy trying to find the bobcats that call this place home.  Only one sighting this visit, saw one bobcat the first evening.  The park is trying to capture the cats and have them checked out by a vet, the one we saw was sickly looking but seems it is too smart to get trapped.

While here we did some sightseeing.

It was a short drive to Pinnacles National Park from the campground.  Packed a picnic lunch which we enjoyed after Len did a hike on the Bear Gulch Trail.  This is such a pretty area, seems to be busy even during the week. Some 23 million years ago multiple volcanoes erupted, flowed and slid to form what has become this national park.  Which remains a unique landscape.  Len was able to spot a California condor, which had a young one in the nest, an amazing sighting.

Also visited Henry Cowell Redwoods, a state park. Henry Cowell Redwoods is located in the Santa Cruz mountains and is most famous for the 40-acre grow of towering old-growth redwood trees. The Redwood Grove Loop Trail will take you through some of the redwoods.  Nice trail and many signs explain what you are seeing.

Len did a trip to the San Benito Historical Park. Last time he visited he was able to have access to all the buildings, but not this time.  Seems the place is going downhill which is a real shame as they do have many nice items that should be preserved.

Drove into Santa Cruz, know better than to go on a weekend, but there we were, in bumper to bumper traffic driving past the boardwalk.  Think everyone that lives in Santa Cruz was there, enjoying the beach and the amusement park.

Onto the next stop, more later.

Soledad Canyon, Acton, CA March 2019

          CLICK HERE TO SEE THE RONALD REAGAN MUSEUM AND POMPEII EXHIBIT
                                  CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES AROUND ACTON CA.


Twelve days have flown by during this stay at Soledad Canyon RV.

Len has been shooting some pool in the afternoons and also on Wednesday night, the roving tournament in the parks starts after we leave so he will miss shooting in the tournament.

One day we took the Metrolink into Los Angeles, the ride into Union Station was about an hour and forty minutes. 
Los Angeles Union Station is the main railway station in Los Angeles, California, and the largest railroad passenger terminal in the Western United States.  It opened in May 1939 as the Los Angeles Union Passenger Terminal, replacing La Grande Station and Central Station.
Approved in a controversial ballot measure in 1926 and built in the 1930s, it served to consolidate rail services from the Union Pacific, Santa Fe, and Southern Pacific Railroads into one terminal station. Conceived on a grand scale, Union Station became known as the "Last of the Great Railway Stations" built in the United States. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Today, the station is a major transportation hub for Southern California, serving almost 110,000 passengers a day.   Amtrak's fifth-busiest station, and by far the busiest in the Western United States and the tenth-busiest in the entire country.
From Union Station it is a short walk to Olvera Street, one of the oldest streets in LA. The oldest house in the city is Avila Adobe. The Avila Adobe, built in 1818 by Francisco Avila, is the oldest standing residence in Los Angeles, California.  Avila Adobe is located in the paseo of historical Olvera Street, a part of Los Angeles Plaza Historic District, a California State Historic Park. We also visited the Plaza Firehouse. The Plaza Firehouse was the first building to be constructed by the City of Los Angeles for housing fire fighting equipment and personnel. The City Council hired architect William Boring to design the structure which was built by Dennis Hennessy. Boring's design followed closely a fashion then current in his native Illinois, with the horses stabled inside the station as was the custom in colder climates. A unique turntable in the floor made it unnecessary to back the horses in or out. Construction began in May, 1884 and was completed by mid-August. Firehouse No. 1 opened for business in September that same year. There is no admission charge at any of the museums.  We also stopped in the Chinese American Museum and the had lunch at one of the local restaurants.  It was a long day but had a good time exploring the area, so much more to see, hope to return when we are in the area again.

We wanted to visit Regan's library and were lucky enough to visit while the Pompeii exhibit was on display.  The extra charge was well worth it. 
Around mid-morning on August 24, 79 A.D., Mount Vesuvius erupted.  Molten rock and pumice was expelled from Mt. Vesuvius at a rate of 1.5 million tons per second.  Rocks and volcanic ash filled the atmosphere, turning day into night.  Within 24 hours, the Roman city of Pompeii lay destroyed – and perfectly preserved – under 15 feet of ash and volcanic debris.  It is estimated that about 16,000 people died in the eruption.

In 1748 when explorers examined the site, they found that the volcanic ash had acted as a preservative, and many of the buildings and even the skeletons and remnants of city life were still intact. This city frozen in time provided historians with a glimpse into what life was like in ancient Rome.   These are not replicas, but rather original, 2,000-year-old objects that were preserved in the ash.  These artifacts include wall-sized frescos, marble and bronze sculptures, jewelry, ancient Roman coins, and full body casts of the volcano’s victims.

From Pompeii it was onto the library.  We walked onboard the actual Air Force One aircraft, tail number 27000, which flew seven U.S. presidents. The volunteers were a wealth of information.

We also viewed a full-size replica of the White House Oval Office, the office in which President Reagan never took off his suit jacket.  Len even stepped up to the podium and threw his hat in the ring for the next president. We also ate lunch at the Regan Country Café, good burgers and garlic fries, while we were visiting the library.

One day we took a drive to the Devil's Punchbowl, The most conspicuous features of the park are geological. The Punchbowl is a deep canyon cut by the runoff of large quantities of water from the higher San Gabriel Mountains occurring over a long period of time. These mountain peaks above the park are 8,000 feet in elevation while the Nature Center is located at 4,740 feet above sea level. The Punchbowl Canyon is 300 feet deep at the vista point. The peculiar up tilted rock formations to be seen in the entire area are layers of sedimentary rocks that were formed long ago by the depositing of loose material in horizontal layers by water. Later they were squeezed into their present steeply-tilted form by the continuing action of uplift along the Punchbowl and Pinyon Faults and pressures along the San Andreas Fault. The Punchbowl Fault is to the south of the rock formation while the Pinyon and San Andreas Faults are to the north.

Along the way we stop to view the Joshua's trees that were in bloom, there is a totally different look to the desert when it is in bloom. I find it beautiful.

Tuesday will be another moving day, stay tune to our next stop.

Palm Springs, CA - March 2019

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Another fun stay at Palm Springs has come to an end.  Enjoy this area with so much to see and do.  Our first meal out was so Len could enjoy the all you can eat lobster buffet at Augustine's casino.  Just so proud of him, he managed to tie his old record of 7 lobster tails, plus some prime rib and crab legs.  He thought of going for the 8th lobster tail to break his old record, but the ice cream got the best of him.  While the buffet is pricey at $34.99, Len did get his monies worth.  I ordered the fish-n-chips off the menu, (not a lobster fan).

We visited the Coachella Valley History Museum in Indio. It is a historical campus which contains the 1926 adobe Smiley-Tyler House - housing our main exhibits - the historic 1909 Indio Schoolhouse and the world's only Date Museum.  Other highlights include the Desert Submarine, a Blacksmith's shop, pioneer farming implements and the archives for the Historical Society.  Also, the spacious grounds hold a variety of gardens which include a Memorial Date Garden, Japanese Garden, the Geissler Rose Garden, the Jardin del Desierto (Desert Garden)  and our Liberty Tree - the oldest Cork Tree in the Coachella Valley.

One day we took a drive down to the Salton Sea. The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in the U.S. state of California's Imperial and Coachella valleys. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Its surface is 236.0 ft below sea level as of January 2018. The deepest point of the sea is 5 ft higher than the lowest point of Death Valley.

From Salton Sea we drove on down to Salvation Mountain.  We were concerned on how we would find the condition since Leonard Knight, who built this, has since passed away.  Very pleased to see the mountain is being cared for. Salvation Mountain is located in the lower desert of Southern California in Imperial County just east of the Salton Sea and about a hour and a half from Palm Springs. Salvation Mountain is Leonard's tribute to God and his gift to the world with its simple yet powerful message: "God Is Love." Leonard's passion has lovingly created this brilliant "outsider art " masterpiece resplendent with not only biblical and religious scripture such as the Lord's Prayer, John 3:16, and the Sinner's Prayer, but also including flowers, trees, waterfalls, suns, bluebirds, and many other fascinating and colorful objects. Salvation Mountain must be seen to be fully appreciated as those who have made the journey will attest. Its 50 foot height and 150 foot breadth is made totally of local adobe clay and donated paint and is truly unique in the United States and probably the world. From its Sea of Galilee at the bottom, to the big red heart in the middle, to the cross at the very top, the reoccurring theme of "Love" is everywhere at Salvation Mountain.

Onto Slab City, also called The Slabs, is largely a snowbird community in the Sonoran Desert located in Imperial County, California, 100 miles northeast of San Diego and 169 miles southeast of Los Angeles within the California Badlands, and used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America. It took its name from concrete slabs that remained from the abandoned World War II Marine Corps barracks of Camp Dunlap. Several thousand campers, many of them retired, use the site during  the winter months. The "snowbirds" stay only for the winter before migrating north in spring to cooler climates. The temperatures during summer are as high as 120 °F (48 °C); nonetheless, there is a group of around 150 permanent residents who live in "The Slabs" year round. Some of these "Slabbers" derive their living from government programs and have been driven to "The Slabs" by poverty. Others have moved to "The Slabs" to learn how to live off the grid and be left alone. Still others have moved there to stretch their retirement income.
The site is both decommissioned and uncontrolled, and there is no charge for parking. The site has no official electricity, running water, sewers, toilets or trash pickup service.^[3] Many residents use generators or solar panels to generate electricity. The closest body of civilization with proper law enforcement is approximately four miles southwest of Slab City in Niland where the residents often go to do basic shopping. 

Len shot in the annual pool tournament while we were here.  Still some people are shooting from past tournaments he knew, but so many are no longer able to do it for one reason or another.  I walked over one morning to say "hi" to the few that I knew from years back when we both shot in the tournament.

The weather was mostly warm so we took advantage of sitting on the patio and visiting with friends that stopped by.  So good to catch up with Phil and Darlene (they shot the tournament) and we had a couple of visits from Cyndi and Erald.  One night while at Cyndi and Erald's we decided to head to the Spotlight 29 casino and have the prime rib buffet.  Len and I had already taken advantage once before, but why stop at one visit.  Good meal both times and you can't beat the $9.99 for a prime rib buffet.

Met up with my cousin Mike and his wife Janet at Shield's Date Farm for a great lunch, so good catching up with them again.  After our meal we took a stroll through their garden,  In 2011, William and Lillian Vanderzalm contacted Shields Date Gardens with a wonderful opportunity. The Vanderzalm’s owned a biblical garden in Vancouver, Canada. They had recently sold the property and were looking to relocate the statues to the Palm Springs area.
The details were finalized and on March 1, 2011. Shield’s horticulture and landscape team then began construction. The Garden was open on a limited basis October 2012 and fully completed October 2013. The garden path winds through our 17 acre date farm. It depicts 14 scenes and includes 23 statues that chronologized Christ’s life. Such a  pretty place.

We plan on being in California till the end of May before heading into Oregon. 

More after our next stay. 

Quartzsite, AZ March 2019

Our week here went by way too fast.  Had such a fun time with Len's "brother", Al and his lady friend Alta.  Quartzsite is known for their annual Rock and Gem show that happens every January and February, then the RV show follows.  You would be amazed to see the number of RV's that are boon docking in the middle of the desert, all the RV parks are full also. Population of Quartzsite is a little more than 3,000.  During the 9 major rock and gem shows and the 15 general swap meets there are 1.5 million people, mostly during January and February.

We checked out one of the remaining swap meets while we were there.  Only highlight we found was Beer Belly's Bar, aka Adult Day Care Center. Did manage to spend some time there with Al and Alta.

A few places we got together and ate at was Grubstake, good fish-n-chips.  Silly Al's Pizza, guys had calzones, Alta and I had sandwiches, everything was delicious. Breakfast at the Quail Café also.  Also spent time at their place and them at ours. Not sure how those guys are still roaming the earth after hearing some of the stories.

One day we drove over to Parker, AZ to catch up with RV friends Don and Della, such a good visit.

Checked out the local museum in Quartzsite, the location of Tyson Wells Stage Stop.  Small museum with a lot of local area history. The Tyson’s Well Stage Station Museum is housed in the original adobe stagecoach station built in 1866 by Charles Tyson at the present location. The station served as an important watering stop for the stagecoaches and freighters carrying mining equipment and supplies to the mines and the army from the river port at Ehrenberg on the Colorado River.

Also visited the Hi Jolly Monument.  Hi Jolly or Hadji Ali, later known as Philip Tedro, was an Ottoman subject of Syrian and Greek parentage, and in 1856 became one of the first camel drivers ever hired by the US Army to lead the camel driver experiment in the Southwest. Hi Jolly became a living legend until his death in Arizona. Once, insulted because he had not been invited to a German picnic in Los Angeles, he broke up the gathering by driving into it on a yellow cart pulled by two of his pet camels.

Onto our next adventure in California

Yuma, AZ - February 2019

                         CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES AROUND YUMA AZ


Moving day tomorrow so better get this updated for our Yuma stay.

We spent a week at Yuma Lakes and then moved to Araby Acres for two weeks.

We were able to meet up with RV friends Lee and Elaine Morris that we first met in Texas.  When we were here 2 years ago they were just getting their house framed.  Well it is finished and just gorgeous, turned out so nice.  Elaine and Lee fixed a great meal for us one night, and gave us a chance to catch up since we seen them the last time.

Made a couple of trips across the border to Mexico.  Always find shopping/haggling there so much fun.  It is amazing the savings on prescriptions over there, just doesn't make sense.

Visited a couple of local casinos also, both of us did well one day, gave back another and broke even another time.

My nieces Vicci and Janet drove down to Yuma from Apache Junction for the day, so good to see both of them, we went to the flea market and out to lunch, it was good to get caught up and spending time with them.

Visited the Yuma Proving grounds one day, they have an outstanding museum that did take several hours to tour. The Yuma Proving Ground Heritage Center and Museum depicts the history of Yuma Proving Ground. The Museum tells the history chronologically from 1942 to 9-11. As the visitor goes through the museum they will begin with the Desert Training Center moving on to the Yuma Test Branch, Camp Seeley, the Yuma Test Station, and Yuma Proving Ground. Across from the Yuma Test Station is a room which tells the history of the Liberation of the Concentration Camps, and the American Army Units that liberated those camps. The Tests of the 50's and 60's is located at the end of the center hallway. Down the hall from the 50's and 60's is a room on Munitions, the room is in Tribute to the Victims of 9-11. As the visitor leaves the Museum the hallway and last room was established in Commemoration and Recognition of the Vietnam Veteran.

Went with Lee and Elaine to "Howling at the Moon", such a fun time.  Live music while you wait for the moon to peek over the mountain top and then everyone starts howling.  There was even a dog there that got in on the howling, he drew a big crowd.  It was only 52 degrees and chilly, everyone was bundled up, not the normal temp for the desert, but I survived. There must of been more than 2,000 people there.

I caught a cold and it pretty much kicked my butt for a few days.  While I slept most of the time Len was able to check out a few sights.  He visited a Museum of History in Granite (the center of the earth). A unique attraction of the town of Felicity, California is the Museum of History in Granite. The museum exhibits monuments made from Missouri Red Granite. Each is 100 feet (30 m) long. Conceived as an historic record of humanity designed to last for four millennia, the Museum of History in Granite is a collection of over 900 large granite outdoor panels.^[1]
Development has been underway for several decades with most of monuments completed. However the eight monuments of the "History of Humanity" are only 31% engraved.^[2]

Len also made a stop at the Plank Road. The Old Plank Road is a plank road in Imperial County, California, that was built in 1915 as an east–west route over the Algodones Dunes. It effectively connected the extreme lower section of Southern California to Arizona and provided the last link in a commercial route between San Diego and Yuma.^[2]

Len visited the Ft Yuma Quarter Master Depot.  In March 1851, when the post was moved to its permanent site, its name was changed to Camp Yuma. A year later the post was designated Fort Yuma. In June 1851 the Army virtually abandoned the post because of the high costs incurred in maintaining it, and it was completely abandoned on December 6, 1851, when its commissary was practically empty of provisions.

We went to a Neil Diamond tribute at the RV park, glad we only paid 7 dollars a ticket as it really wasn't that good.

Len joined Lee Morris for a ride in the dessert in Lee's Razor, there must of been 16 in the group, it was an all day trip and when they returned everything, including the guys were covered in several layers of dessert sand.  Enjoyed pizza that night before saying our good-byes to both Lee and Elaine.

Until our next update, everyone stay healthy and safe.

Fiesta

                             CLICK HERE TO SEE PICS OF THE CASA GRANDE MUSEUM


                              CLICK HERE TO SEE PICA OF OLD TUCSON










Fiesta Grande, Casa Grande, AZ (Jan 2019)

Our two weeks here in Casa Grande flew by.  Friends Jim and Sharon, that we met in Texas, were here for the winter so it was nice to catch up with them again.  We enjoy sight seeing with them whenever we are together. We took a trip down to Old Tucson with them, what a place to visit.  As you walk the dirt streets of Old Tucson you realize you are walking the streets were your "heroes" have walked, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor and Steve Martin, just to name a few.  You look at the buildings and remember seeing them in the movies you watched.  We spent the entire day there and don't think he saw it all.  The reenactors did an amazing job,  gun battles, stunts and audience interactions made for an amusing day. Len and Jim also went out with the hiking club.  The hike was suppose to be a moderate 5 mile loop which turned out to be so much more.  While the guys were busy Sharon and I went out for lunch and made a stop at the craft store, I think us girls enjoyed our day more than the guys, and the next day we didn't have any sore/stiff muscles.

Played Bingo at the park a couple of times and Len won both nights.  We also had a membership appreciation one afternoon with a tropical flare.  If you want to stay busy a destination park like this is the place to go.

Visited the local museum in Casa Grande also,  have stopped on previous visits but wasn't open when we were there.  With all the museums we visit you would think we have seen it all, but yet we always find something new, that is old, that we find.  Like the breath analyzer from back in the 30's or the glass jars that coffee came in.

Bristol was feeling a little under the weather so took him into the vet.  After some antibiotics he seems to be to his old self once again.

Drove over to Coolidge to check on the house.  When in Coolidge a stop at the old Galloping Goose is always a must.  Good burgers and cold beer are always waiting, plus this is where Waylon Jennings got his start.  Hard to imagine a little town like this having someone famous.

While here there was a dove that liked the motorhome and built a nest on the ladder and laid an egg. Len moved the nest to a nearby tree the day before we left, don't think the dove came back though.

We enjoyed some of the local restaurants while here and both of us visited the chiropractor a couple of times, those back and neck adjustments always feel so good.

Onto Yuma and our next adventure.