Sunday, December 9, 2007

Better Day

Sunset in Del Mar

Saturday was cold and windy in the AM, in the afternoon we visited with Christa and Bart from Ohio, who now live here in San Diego. So good to see them again. We drove around the northern part of San Diego and Poway. They took us to see a campground at Lake Jennings. We really liked it, but some of the sites were on the hill side, and I would always feel as if Moose was going to slide down the hill. We also ate at the Lakeside Cafe, really good food, pecan pie was really great.

Today we drove up to Escondido, over to Carlsbad, Cardiff by the Sea, Del Mar, then back down Rt. 5 to Coronado. The countryside is beautiful, we did see some of the burned areas, too. The area out here is hills, valleys, mountains, and water.

We are still at the state park without hookups until we get our truck back, we may stay a few more days, just depends.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Winter

This is what we left behind(picture by brother-in-law Bob)

Pictures

Clouds coming in over the mountains
Mountains in the distance

Friday, December 7, 2007

Trip to Coronado

I did not post yesterday because all we did was shop, see a movie, and eat. Today, on the other hand, was very eventful. We started out in Yuma, with the wind gusting to 40mph and the sand blowing. The wind died down after a while, so we thought this will be good. We started into the mountains, seeing beautiful boulders, agriculture of all sorts, but the wind picked up again. As we headed up the mountains we passed trucks and were going smoothly. All of a sudden, the truck just stopped running, H got it to the berm, we let it sit for a while, then tried to start it again. No luck. Battery was OK, just wouldn't fire. So we tried to call the emergency road service, no service for Verizon in the mountains. H had to walk about 1/4 mile in the wind and rain(oh, yes, that started, too) to the exit to call. I waited in the truck with Hobbes with the wind shaking us, and every vehicle that went by shook us even more. I waited and waited, finally after almost an hour H walked back. He was nearly frozen, had to change into something warmer. He said they had not called back with who was coming, but it would be a flatbed to load the truck and Moose onto. We waited another hour, so he walked back to the phone again, it had stopped raining, to find out they would arrive within 1/2 hour. Then this wrecker pulls up, we think he is just stopping to see if he could help, nope, he is the one they sent. This is a small wrecker, no bed to load it on, but he assures us he has hauled bigger loads than ours.

He convinces H, so they work about another 1/2 hour to get it ready, then off we go. Up to 4000 feet then down, very slowly, about 60 miles with all of us in the front seat of this small wrecker, Hobbes included.

We did arrive in San Diego in the dark, the Ford dealer had arranged for our camper to be parked across the street at a grocery store, the lot was small but the guy got this in, he and I disconnected the camper as H went to do the paperwork at the dealers.

After they looked mat the truck, they said it needs new fuel injectors, the ones in this type of truck they had had problems with, but they need parts. Parts will be here tomorrow but no one can repair until Monday.

So we rented a car for the weekend, and one of the servicemen said he had a truck with a hitch and he would bring us out to the park. I followed with the rental car, busy freeways, I just tried to keep up with him. We make it just in time, apparently the park locks its gates at 7pm and they are locked until 8am. And there are no hook ups. I had a feeling about that, so I had called them a second time, they had reassured me it had full hook ups. But I had used Reserve America rather than call the park directly. So this weekend we will be looking for other campgrounds so on Monday as soon as we get the truck, we will move.

So, since we have had a really easy trip until today, I guess this is just our time. Life cannot be problem free, as much as we would like it to be. But does everything have to happen in one day?!!!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Yuma

Hobbes killing the gila monster Saguaro cactus in desert
More cactus
Cactus with hazy backdrop
Pecan grove

Today we had a short drive, stopped in Yuma,Az. for 2 nights then go on to San Diego. This is a very large campground with over 1200 spaces, all blacktop and concrete. Looks really clean, so you would think they planned it well. They have the trees planted so close to the sites that you can't possibly park in your lot. Moose is pushed up tight against a small tree, then when H tried to hook up the water it kept leaking, the 2 spigots at this site have concrete splashed on them making them impossible to twist hose onto. It is spraying water all over the tree, guess it will grow bigger for the next camper.

Hobbes is happy that we are not driving tomorrow. We will see the sites and relax.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Looong Day!!!

Mountains in Arizona
Mountains and train
Many miles of same scenery

What can I say, very long day with same scenery most of day. We went from Van Horn, Tx. thru New Mexico to Benson, Arizona. Arizona is more interesting with more boulders on the mountains. The town we are in tonight has a train track thru the middle, very busy set of tracks.

I am doing the laundry. H is at the observatory here at campground, looking at the stars. How did that happen? I'm doing the laundry!

Monday, December 3, 2007

TEXAS


Cotton field Rest break
Solid rock
Hill country
Big sales(nearly 3 dozen)

Texas is just way too big. We drove over 400 miles again today and still have about 120 miles to get to El Paso. We went thru rice fields, cotton fields, pecan groves, oil fields, and milo maize fields. We veered off I-10 to to go thru Austin yesterday, by doing so we took off miles but added time. But we did go thru the Hill Country. We then went to flat areas then on to the mountains, that is where we are now. It will be chilly tonight, but who cares, it was so beautiful again today. Sunny but only in the 60's.

Hobbes is beginning to understand me, today I told him he was being a baby because he was whining and I wanted it to stop, he stopped immediately. Another time I turned on the radio, he started crying, I turned it off and he quieted right down. Maybe I am just beginning to speak "cat."