Monthly Archives: December 2020

ON THE ROAD Pandemic 2020

Remodeled Funfinder Trailer; new cushion covers, new wallpaper, new paint
Lake Hemet
Our first night Idyllwild Regional Park

Here we are with our newly remodeled Fun Finder Trailer ready to get on the road, Pandemic or no Pandemic. We left Palm Desert and drove one hour to Idyllwild at an elevation of 5,300’. After being locked down since mid-March, it was wildly wonderful to be in the outdoors at last.

Plymouth, CA, at Mike and Joanne Baldinelli’s Vineyard
Joanne, Mike, dog, and Bill

First stop — Plymouth, California. Mike and Joanne Baldinelli’s fabulous vineyard with full hookups, fantastic meals by Chef Mike and Assistant Chef Joanne, plenty of wine, and dogs, bulls, frogs, spiders, mice, owls, birds, — paradise to be outdoors and with friends instead of locked at home.

Next stop: Sea Ranch. This was our first opportunity to visit Sea Ranch as local authorities had told owners, visitors and anyone that didn’t live there to STAY AWAY. All the rentals shut down and had to be canceled. We decided do or die, we were going to visit our home. We were the first ones to be in the house since the beginning of the shutdown mid-March.

Another Buck on our driveway
Sara Joseph and Bill

From Sea Ranch, we returned to the Baldinelli’s where we had a trailer pad with all utilities. Several day trips included a drive to Sacramento to see friend Sara and Bill’s Aunt Angie who had been hospitalized, and family. Sara took us to a Persian Shahzad Restaurant where we had the run of the entire restaurant. So fun to get together with another human being and good friend and chat all afternoon. Great visit.

Silver Lake West Campsite
Bill and Summer and Alicia at camp
Summer cooking

Next stop: Silver Lake. Arrived to a completely empty campground the Sunday after July 4th holiday. Our choice site was at the top of Silver Lake West. Bill and Summer joined us with their friend Alicia and her dog. Summer loves cooking and gave us gourmet meals. It was like getting out of prison to be outdoors enjoying the beautiful nature surrounding us.

We were off! How happy to be On the Road heading north. We managed to snag overnight camps at Redcrest and Klamath; other than that, all we knew was we were heading to Cascade National Park on the Washington/Canadian border. What JOY to be in the redwoods, hiking the trails from Prairie Creek to the ocean and back. PURE HAPPINESS.

We hit Brookings, Oregon, on our way north on Highway 1 along the coast of Oregon. Happy indeed to meet up with Sun City friends that drove their RV to Brookings for the summer — Gary and Nancy Socha.

Driving north along the Oregon coast, we stopped for one night at Port Orford and met up with another Sun City friend, Kathy Ashford. We were high on adrenaline to be able to talk to a live human being, and despite cold temperatures, we braved the wind and cold to enjoy dinner outside with Kathy. Our next night found us at Sutton National Forest Campground outside Florence; you can imagine our excitement to get a site with hookups in a first come first serve campground. Hiking in sand dunes really sapped our energy, which was very good to go to bed exhausted and happy in cool weather.

Our next stop was the Astoria Seaside KOA in Hammond, Oregon. Amusing camper across from us set up pink flamingoes and a pink couch and was about the happiest camper I’ve ever experienced. You can see I brought along a puzzle mat which rolls up so we could work on puzzles on the move. Right across from the KOA was Ft. Stevens State Park with a paved bike trail. Every day felt like a dream come true.

We drove over the Colombia River at Astoria on a historic bridge and followed back roads the rest of the day heading inland towards Mt. Rainer National Park. We were able to get a secluded site for two nights at Shady Firs RV Park.

Using the All Trails app, we discovered a fantastic hike where we were the only folks on the trail all day. We were deep in a forest and hiking back had a peekaboo view of Mt. Rainer. One of the best hikes of the entire summer.

We left Shady First to drive to Iron Creek Campground in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest— the only reservation I could get close to Mt. Rainer. This was an old growth forest along the Cispus River in Oregon. I’ve never been in a more oppressive camp with moss dripping off all the trees, rare sunlight able to penetrate the tree canopy, no birds singing, no butterflies — I was definitely ready to move on and missed my Sierras.

Our next stop was Alder Lake Park Campground, Eatonville, WA. We found varied responses to the Pandemic as we traveled and Alder Lake was surely one of the most unusual. This Campground was packed with families and the lake was swarming with groups out for a picnic and swimming and boating; we tried social distancing but to no avail — no matter where we moved, a group would move in front, next to, or around us. I think I saw one lady with a mask.

We left Alder Lake for the worst drive of the trip; we had to get through, around, past Seattle. We decided to stay at a KOA in Burlington, Washington, before driving to the Cascade National Park. What a great decision — we loved this KOA — and secured a site on the outer edge facing a forest — very private. We ended up spending another four days here when rain threatened our stay in the Cascades, and I rode my bike back and forth to the park Laundromat — I was usually the only one using it.

Finally, we were about to reach our destination — the North Cascades National Park. I had been able to get a five-night reservation in Newhalem Campground. What a disappointment the first site was. Fortunately, we were able to move to a fantastic campsite in the same campground for the next two nights which we absolutely loved. Then because rain was moving in, we returned to Burlington KOA where we had utilities and heat.

What an awesome experience the North Cascades National Park was — first for its rugged, natural beauty; second the amazing river and lakes with an eerie turquoise color; third the extremely cold water in the lake and Skagit river — although we were there in August we saw only two brave souls attempting to get in the river and no one swimming in the lake. The terrain is steep. The road into the North Cascades was a narrow, two-lane road with no shoulder and no place to pull over so for us a harrowing drive. A wonderful, old-style campground reminded me of camping in Yosemite with my grandparents. Hiking and exploring was thoroughly rewarding and renewed our battered Covid spirits.

Arriving back at the Burlington/Anacortes KOA with time to spare, we took a side trip to Anacortes and found this wonderful park with a well marked trail and no one around. At Anacortes, you can catch a ferry that will take you to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Americans were pulling every trick of the trade to get into Canada but we heard most were turned back. We could only wave at our Canadian friends in Victoria and hope someday when this Pandemic is over we might see them again. We had gone as far as we could drive north so it was time to turn around and head back to Northern California.

This ends the first part of our road trip. Now time to turn around and head south. Go to Road Trip Pandemic Part II.

On the Road Pandemic Part II

Now we had seven days to drive from Washington State south to Sea Ranch. This would not be a leisurely drive but dedicated with stops every night. The first challenge was maneuvering through Seattle. Using the AllStays app, we found Holiday Fam Camp for military and veterans at McChord AFB. How amazed we were to find this camp that had the feel of a National Park within a lovely forest so close to an urban area. The sites were well spaced apart; our site had hookups. We unloaded the bikes and rode for miles on a bike trail that took us on flat surface past fields and open space with flocks of birds, past the air field and eventually to the main buildings on the base. Truly a favorite of the trip.

Our next stop was a HipCamp mushroom farm on Sauvie Island on the outskirts of Portland. We ended up on a very narrow road atop a dyke with drop offs on each side, the river to our left and fields to our right. We missed our turn, which dropped off before we even saw it, so we kept driving to the first place wide enough to turn around, miles beyond our mushroom farm. We startled some fishermen and one man came over to say we were about to hit his car and asked us what we were doing. He condescendingly told us there was a turnaround down the road. I can understand his dismay as we were recklessly trying to turn our rig around in a place where it was obviously near impossible. We had another harrowing drive back to the mushroom farm and did a U-turn down a steep drive. After waiting another 45 minutes for the HipCamp host to text us about where to park, we settled in a large clearing. Whew! What an ordeal. We never found any mushrooms, but our host farmer was now growing medicinal cannibis. We loved the privacy of the site with electric and water hookups. We were surrounded on all sides by farmland — very picturesque, peaceful, quiet and enough blackberries to pick for breakfast. The farm to our south was a potato field.

Our next stop: a county Park in Junction City, Oregon, Richardson Park RV Park. Very impressive campground with plenty of activities for everyone. We had a good hike after dinner to the lake in the Park and bike ride the next morning on the paved bike path. We found County Parks were often some of the nicest campgrounds with well-kept facilities; a bonus is a lot of county parks offer hookups.

Driving past Grants Pass Oregon to Lake Selmac County Park in Selma, Oregon, we settled in a private camp site in a forested area. After watching two young boys frolicking in the lake, we decided if they could play in this lake, surely we could swim. Alas, not the best decision as the water was pretty stagnant and home to flocks of ducks and their droppings and feathers. This County Park surrounded a lake with several campgrounds. We enjoyed biking and exploring. Our site offered hookups.

Our next stop was Mystic Forest RV Park in Klamath, stopping in Crescent City to meet Gary and Nancy Socha for lunch. We loved visiting with the Socha’s and walking along the harbor. Mystic Forest was a favorite of mine; the hosts are a lovely couple that were keeping their RV park open and running while the State Parks in the area were either partially open or closed, which meant the elderly couple running Mystic Forest were doing double duty finding spaces for everyone. We were squeezed between two trailers and felt like intruders in our neighbor’s camps. Exiting from one of the trailers was a blonde bombshell that turned out to be the best, excellent mother of a screaming toddler and two other children. They had driven all the way from back east with their three children in their motor home. Her profession was an emergency room nurse.

Continuing south, we had two more stops, both unmemorable. The first night we stayed at Giant Redwoods RV Campground in Myers Flat where we had hot weather and had to run the AC, a first for trip so far. The next day we left Hwy 101 at Willits and drove west on a winding, twisting road to Ft. Bragg; to say the least, it was a challenging drive. The second night we spent at the Manchester Beach Mendocino Coast KOA and it was packed. Many of the RV Parks that were open seemed to us to be impacted because of closure of National Forest and State Campgrounds. We had the good fortune or bad fortune to get to listen to Mexican music from a large group staying in one of the KOA cabins so not exactly relaxing. Finally the next day we pulled into Sea Ranch for two weeks of rest.

Bluff Trail at The Sea Ranch, Ca

Dave and Cathy visit us for a couple nights — lots of good food, wine, hikes, and soaks in the hot tub. So happy to have friends share some time and memories with us.

Dave and Cathy on our Deck
Selfie
Happy Hour at Sea Ranch

Sea Ranch was a nice break for us from trailer travel, a two-week respite, albeit with daily maintenance chores to keep our home shipshape for renters. We were enjoying beautiful, clear skies and the beauty of Sea Ranch and were oblivious to the wildfires burning to the south and east. It took a text from friends Steve and Marty telling us they had been turned back because of road closures on their way to Sea Ranch from the Bay Area. We turned on the television. What a shock to see all the devastation just hours from us, yet skies were clear on our piece of the coast. We tried to extend our stay at Sea Ranch but our home was booked for months out; what to do? After many fruitless tries to find parks that would take us, we decided our best choice was to get through the Bay Area as fast as we could, avoid the smoke and get over the Sierras to Hwy. 395. This turned out to be an excellent idea, skirting the Bay Area and pushing through Rio Vista to Jackson and Hwy. 88 past beloved Silver Lake and over the Sierras to Gardnerville, then south on Hwy 395. We drove down many dead ends searching for campsites, finally landing a site for one night at Bridgeport Reservoir Marina. Sunset was stunning, the camp was quiet, we were right on the reservoir, with duck families and nights were cool, skies clear. Luck was with us, at least for one night.

Leaving Bridgeport, driving south on 395 to Lee Vining, we veered right on Hwy 120 towards Yosemite hoping to find something. Here we had one of those magical moments when we discovered Aspen Grove Campground, a National Forest Campground that was first come first serve — AND there were available sites! We grabbed the first campsite we saw because, well, because it was there and available. One of the tricks we learned on the road was to arrive at first come first serve campgrounds before noon, Sundays and Mondays were good bets, and avoid arriving on Friday or Saturday.

Because we were in Campsite 1, many campers thought we were the campground hosts, resulting in lots of conversations. A group of young girls that had driven from Hayward, Ca, and were getting desperate for a campsite asked our permission and we granted it. I told them if no one was in the site and there was no tag on the post, it was first come and first serve and they should grab it before someone else did. They were giddy with joy. Another young man came running past our camp saying a bear was in camp. Next we heard the most raucous noise, car horns honking, pots banging, yelling. We learned the next day from the “real” camp host a bear had come visiting and took dinner right off the table as the campers were eating, sending them scurrying.

A day trip took us on Hwy 120 towards Yosemite to Ellery Lake. We were dying for a swim but this beautiful alpine lake showed no sign of swimmers. Undaunted, Bill waded in the snow-melted, frigid waters and dove in. Later he told me, he quickly realized he was in over his head as his body temperature dropped rapidly and he knew he had to get out of this ice water before he became a statistic. I got my feet wet.

We stopped by a visitor store in Lee Vining that was actually open [almost all of the visitor centers on our trip were closed] and met a kind lady who shared area history. How surprising to learn we had in common Sun City Palm Desert, where her sister lived. This lady told us about a hike that was off the beaten track and not likely to have many hikers. We followed her advice and had the trail literally to ourselves with stunning scenery, like hiking in Yosemite, next to a stream bed and up a canyon.

I point out how clear the air was on this hike because our luck was about to change. We came back to camp and noticed a dark, ominous cloud to the west. The cloud grew in size and the bright day turned gray. Concerned about the cloud being smoke, we drove to town to see if there was a fire and if we should leave. Sure enough, we learned there was a fire burning to the southwest and smoke was drifting over the Sierras. We were in no danger. Back at camp, one of the local store owners drove up and because he thought we were the camp hosts, told us he’d never seen anything like this season in all his years running a sporting and outdoor store. Next came a family with a sad tale that their reservations in Mammoth Lake had just been canceled. Where were they to go?

A day that had begun so beautiful had turned quickly. It wasn’t long before the Camp Host stopped by to tell us we had to evacuate the next day. The smoke was coming from what became known as the Creek Fire. It began near Shaver Lake on the West side of the Sierras and and was described as the fourth-largest wildfire and largest single Source fire in modern California history. As of December 16, 2020, the Creek Fire had burned 379,895 acres. Hundreds of people had to be rescued. I felt we were fortunate that we had reservations in the San Bernardino National Forest so at least we had somewhere to go. But no, our camp host informed us all of San Bernardino NF was closing also. We were sad to leave. The next day we headed south on Hwy 395, destination unknown. Wonder of wonders, we somehow ended up on a side road, Hwy 14 and came upon Red Rock Canyon State Park where there was a plethora of sites. Who would know? The elevation is 2600’; temperatures were mild in early September.

I found this Campgound and State Park fascinating; first, because I’ve never heard of it; second, it’s in the middle of nowhere with all these campsites and not a soul to be seen; third, there was a unique beauty in the isolation, scenic desert cliffs, and the utter stillness.

Maybe someday we’ll return to this unusual landscape; but while wildfires were burning up California, this was an oasis not known to many and explored by me as I walked the entire campground. We did have a reservation that night in Mountain Valley RV Park in Tehachapi so we pressed on. We weren’t ready to go home so we ended our trip where we started, outside Idyllwild at Lake Hemet. We spent another eight nights at Lake Hemet where we had hookups. The nights were very cool and daytime saw smoke drift from fires burning to the north. We returned to Palm Desert September 18, 2020.

Lake Hemet Campground in September

So what happened next? Read on to Road Trip Pandemic Three because we were not finished with our travels, just temporarily sidelined.

ON THE ROAD Pandemic Part III

Home in Palm Desert with temperatures still hovering between 100 and 110, Connie was ready to get back on the road. But fortunately or unfortunately, the trailer slide would not close, fortunately because it happened in front of our house, after working perfect for 3000+ miles. Enter Mobile RV Repair. New parts were ordered. And then we waited; and waited; and waited. Chris wanted us to visit Arizona. Well, then, let’s go. We sent a text the next morning to Chris we were on our way to Prescott, AZ, and could they join us?

We managed to connect with Chris and Dave. We had a good hike together and returned to our Bed and Breakfast for a dinner on their patio, courtesy of the local Safeway.

Look who came along for the ride — the newest member of the Hayes household and who we suspect now runs the house — Cody. We loved downtown Prescott but were somewhat surprised at the lackadaisical approach by some business owners to wearing masks.

While we were away in Prescott, Mobile RV Guy finally received all parts necessary to repair the trailer slide. Yeah! Back in business. It didn’t take us long to pack up the trailer and get back on the road. We got as far as Yucaipa Regional Park Campground, less than an hour down the road.

Yucaipa Regional Park is another county campground with large sites, hookups, an excellent stopover. Since my sister’s name is Chris, aka Chrissy, what a coincidence to find this graffiti under our picnic table left by previous campers.

If you have ever driven Hwy 210 through Pasadena, you will know how happy we were to have that drive behind us. We headed north on Interstate 5, turning west at Lost Hills on Hwy 46, we found ourselves in beautiful, empty landscape, mile after mile of California hills heading towards Paso Robles. Our next stop was the Aviso Vineyard Campground we found through HipCamp. Paso Robles has become a big wine-producing area, yet still has a rural feel. We fell in love with this area.

We loved this site on the duck pond and watching ducks is more fascinating than it sounds. We were surrounded by vineyards and farm land with cows, horses, nighttime howling of coyotes, and complete privacy. Of three dogs, this sweet dog adopted me and we toured the vineyard together.

Leaving Paso Robles, we drive north on Hwy 101 through the Salinas Valley, some of the most stunning farmland in California. Stretching for miles are fields growing in the richest soil, a dark brown earth color. Most of the lettuce we eat is grown in Salinas, also known as the Salad Bowl of the World. Below are photos from Getty Images. The farm workers are unsung heroes, IMO; I get goosebumps driving through this country.

You can almost smell rich earth. There is also the longest nonstop vineyard along this stretch of highway. You will see the workers harvesting food at farm after farm. We arrive at UVAS Pines RV Park in Morgan Hill by late afternoon. The next morning, we head south to Calero County Park, after having found a challenging five-mile hike on AllTrails app.

Rest stop on our hike in Calero County Park

Our hike in the rolling hills and California Oak woodland challenged us because every hill we topped, we were sure we were coming into home base, only to be met with another rolling hill to hike up and over. Despite this, I found this hike invigorating and welcome exercise.

We made plans to visit the Bay Area to see friends and Bill and Summer, leaving our trailer in Morgan Hill, about an hour’s drive.

Best ever visit with friend, Betty, while Bill dropped in on his friend, Ken, and spent the afternoon telling lies, oops, I mean stories with Ken and Michael and drinking copious amounts of wine.

Photo of Bill and Summer.

By late afternoon, we caught up with our son Bill at his home; Summer joined us in the evening and we had an impromptu back yard pizza party — it was a lifesaver to see these friends and Bill and Summer in Pandemic year, month 10 of lockdown.

Tired but happy, we drive back to Morgan Hill for the night. The next day we will drive to Petaluma with a stop at the KOA, then on to Sea Ranch.

Bill makes a list of all the projects he wants to get done when we arrive at Sea Ranch while Connie works on courtyard garden. Our neighbors, Bob and Priscilla, join us for Happy Hour. Priscilla took me to the knit shop in town and got me started on knitting a scarf, refreshing very rusty skills I had in a past life.

A unique challenge was finding ways to get together with old friends. How to social distance? Where to meet? We leave Sea Ranch for the Bay Area with plans to see friends and find an overnight somewhere.

Ken and Marilyn host a garage get together for the Bernards and Bill and Connie, complete with candles, appetizer plates for each couple, hot tea in pumpkin cups, hearty soup, desserts, great conversation, plenty of wine — wonderful, despite the cold. Notice Ken’s haircut, or lack of that is.

Where to stay? Obviously we were not going to stay with Bill and Summer under strict orders to socially distance, etc. AllStays App to the rescue. We found Del Valle Regional Park in Livermore, about a 40-minute drive. We reserved a campsite with hookups on line. What a beautiful park. Back on the road the next day heading for Morgan Hill.

We were headed for HipCamp property Ye Old Saloon in Morgan Hill. Rachel met us as we pulled in. Because of recent rains, mud was an issue, not ordinary mud, very stick-to-your-shoes, stick-to-your-tires mud. After several tries, we finally got the trailer parked. We had full hookups here for an overnight stay at a beautiful property.

Rachel, our host, could not have been nicer or more hospitable. We shared stories and found out we had a mutual acquaintance, the current superintendent of the Morgan Hill School District. Rachel helped us with parking and history of Ye Old Saloon which was a stopover for wagons in its day. As we left, Rachel came to our assistance with a hose and spray nozzle and we hosed off all the mud from the tires.

Driving south to Paso Robles, we follow a winding road that takes us to a high plateau of Oak woodland to Windwood Ranch, a private campground. There is a campsite with hookups for trailers, a communal kitchen, a communal fire pit, teepees and retro trailers with music greats names like Jimi, Janis, Eagles, Stevie. We arrive in time to enjoy the sunset. Only one other couple is here this night. Very cold evening.

Our last night on the road, we stop at the Ventura Ranch KOA in Santa Paula. This eccentric camp has something for everyone, including a zip line and ropes course, teepees and wagons, a nature trail. We explored the campground and nature trail.

I’ll end this road trip with a photo of citrus growing in Ojai, just down the road from the Ventura KOA. We end our road trip November 21, 2020. Home in Palm Desert at least for now.