APR. 20, Monday, To California
What a day! We are camped at Pyramid Lake resort near Gorman, California. Our day started at 7 a.m. when we got up and by 8:30 we were at Meade repair shop in Blythe, CA, just across the river. I got my brakes checked and adjusted and the wiring checked. From here we went to McDonald for breakfast and by 10:30 we were on our way west on I-10. It was already 90*F by this time and it got to 101*F (36*C) in Palm Spring. Stopped for fuel @ $2.28 and continued on I-10 to hwy 57N then I-210W to I-5 north. Believe it or not, it got up to 106* F (38*C). Our A/C could barely keep up and as we were driving over the "Gravevine" pass in the Santa Anna mountains, we had a blow out on the right side of the trailer and to top it, the blow out ripped the under-cover covering the wiring and slide mechanism.
I proceeded to change the tire. A tow truck stopped and offered to help at no cost, compliment of the California Highway System! In this heat, it was great to have a helping hand. The lucky thing was that we were in the shade of the rig and on the ditch side away from the traffic wheezing by. We patched the under-cover as best as we could then we proceeded to go on to Gorman where we stopped for the night. I repaired the underneath as best as I could and now we are relaxing. We have the A/C on full blast, it is 9 p.m. and still very warm outside.
We travelled 465 KM ( 289 miles) in 9 hours at an average speed of 50 MPH
N 24* 43’ 22”
W 118* 47’ 49”
Alt: 2980 feet
APR. 21, Tuesday, To Sonoma, CA
This has been a very looooong day!!! I sincerely hope I don’t see another one for a long time.
We met another couple this morning before leaving from Silver Creek, BC near where we live. What a small world!
We left at 8:30 this morning, headed north on I-5. We fuelled in Santa Nella at $2.439 then again in Stockton at $2.319. I had forgotten how boring and monotonous the drive on I-5 is between the Grapevine and Stockton! Miles and miles of farm land, mango tree, oranges, apples and many other fruits. The hills are bare with just grass growing.
We finally reached Hwy 12 where we turned west and headed for Napa Valley. We arrived at our destination, Sonoma County Fairground RV park at 6 p.m., paid $62.50 for 3 nights. They accept PASSPORT AMERICA for one night only. We called Steve and Gail and made arrangements to meet them tomorrow for brunch. Time to relax! We have internet connection!
We travelled 643 KM ( 401 miles) in 9.5 hours at an average speed 52 MPH.
N 38* 25’ 30”
W 122* 41” 57”
Alt: 187 feet
APR. 22 Wednesday, Sonoma Valley.
We met our friends Steve and Gail at their house in Sonoma, approx. 28 miles from where we are parked as that was the nearest we could find. They showed us around their house and yard then we had a marvelous brunch cooked by Gail consisting of scrambled eggs, fruits, cheese, locally made fresh bread. We caught up to each other’s news. Steve is retired and has quite a green thumb. There are lots of trees and bushes, nicely arranged to make up different area on their ½ acre lot. He has a separate garage where he keeps an old ford truck and a Harley Davidson bike, he closed the upstairs and made it into a storage area, he built two little cottage, one for him and one for Gail’s painting; he has an area where there is a bench with a Palapa, a small pond with fish in it then tall bamboo reed make a fence around the yard for a final touch. A marvelous place!
We went to the downtown historic Sonoma where we visited the most northern Mission, buildings that were part of an old fort and the town square. The town has retained its quaintness with old buildings and clean street. People about were friendly. We went to an Irish pub for a beer then Gail took us to a motel where her paintings were on display on a wall along a walking path. IT was really neat seeing her work in person. Then we went to a local school where she teaches art to the students and they painted the outside walls with story-telling pictures. It was very well done
From here we went to the top of a local mountain to take a different view of the valley then we went back to the house where Steve BBQ’ed trouts he had recently caught on a fishing trip. It was delicious. Afterwards, we sat around and chatted then it was time to come home.
A GREAT DAY!!! I will post pictures soon
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