JAN 18, Monday, Adventures in Menifee, California
We left Desert Pool around 9 am and drove west on Dillon to I-10. Lots of traffic on the Freeway and we eventually ran into rain by the time we reached Colton where we stopped at Giant RV Dealer. We stopped here to get a couple of warranty issues dealt with but as I suspected, they have to order parts of the defaults so we will be returning on our return trip to Desert Hot Spring on the 25th.
We headed south on I-215 where we had another mishap: As we were driving, I heard a clung then the next thing I know, I watched Val’s kayak, which was above me, go off the truck and across three lanes of traffic without causing damage to the truck/trailer and no major accident...Now that’s what I call PURE UNADULTERY LUCK!
We made an emergency stop, ran back to the kayak, picked it up and brought it back to the truck. The traffic actually stopped for us to cross the three lanes with our kayak.
So after tying it back, (the strap had come loose from the heavy winds), we continued south and eventually arrived in Menifee. Miss Daisy took us on a new road and got us lost. There had been some re-routing of the highway and she got confused! We called the park and eventually arrived at Wilderness RV Park, a Thousand Trail Park, and set up at site #438. This is free for us under R.O.D. Of course, it was dark by the time we set up and raining lightly. We are here for 7 days.
We travelled 111 miles (168KM) in 8 hrs at an average speed of 32 MPH (maximum reached was 63 mph)
N 33* 40’ 33”
W 117* 08’ 33”
Alt: 1460 feet
JAN 19, Tuesday, Menifee
This was a cold and very wet day! I took Tucker out this morning just in time before it poured in torrents. There is report of flood and mudslide everywhere around us. Even this park is getting flooded from the amount of water falling. It is nice however to see trees and grass around even if under water. It finally abated some later in the afternoon and the sun even came out but for long. It began raining again in the evening but at least, it’s warm and cozy in here! Val has dinner on and then we will watch a movie
JAN 20, Wednesday, Menifee
Another drab and cold day; and once again we stayed home! We don’t want to drive in this stuff especially with all the flood warnings and accidents caused by the weather as announced in TV. So we read and slept the day away
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
January 13 to 17, 2010: Last days in Desert hot Springs, California
JAN 13, Wednesday, Desert Hot Spring
We both got up early and Val decided to take a break from her exercises so we had a lazy morning. My neighbour had the water hose hooked up to his tank cleaning valve and forgot to open the sewer valve so, you guessed it, the tank filled, went up the vent pipe and proceeded to overflow on the roof and inside the coach. They were both away walking around the park. We turned off the water once we realize what was happening.
There was a yard sale in the park this morning but soon came to an end as the wind picked up and made things uncomfortable. We had a bit of rain early this morning. Actually, that’s what woke me up!
In the afternoon, we went geo-caching around the area and while looking for a cache, we came upon the “Veteran of Foreign War” (VFW) where they were serving Tacos(1.50) and beer(6.00/pitcher) for lunch so we tried it and it was great. The place was packed with locals and RV’ers from different Parks. We continued searching caches after lunch and called it quit around 3:30 pm. We are really enjoying this as you can tell.
JAN 14, Thursday, Desert Hot Spring
Another windy day! It was a choice between laundry and geo-caching and the latter won. We found the last 10 of our list of 20 caches and came home once it was done. The day got cooler towards the late afternoon so we came in the rig. I registered my finds on geo-cache.com and Val watched Oprah. We had dinner then watched a movie.
JAN 15, Friday, laundry day
Val decided to do the laundry today so we went to town as the park’ laundry room was occupied and with a line up. After doing the laundry and putting it away, we went out to grab a half dozen more caches. These were quite easy to find and along a road heading for a gravel pit.
We came home and after changing, we went back to the VFW hall and had the Pork Chop dinner as it was advertised as being really good. They were huge and quite delicious. We had a few beers than came home.
JAN 16, Saturday, Palm Desert
We went to the College of Desert where there is a big street fair. Before arriving we picked up a couple caches in town. One was called “a little bit of Beauty” which happened to be a hair dresser school. Val went in to check them out and ended up getting a haircut for $20. I bought a couple of little things for the rig then we left and found two more caches around the College of Desert grounds. We came home via Monterrey and found another cache then came home.
The park is full again. Another warm day but cloudy in the morning however the sun came out in the afternoon. It cooled off fast later in the afternoon. The forecast is for a change in the weather and possible rain the next few days.
Jan 17, Sunday, last day in Desert Hot Springs
Our day began with me cooking breakfast; pancakes and bacon. It is sunny and warm outside and after showering, I went to town to fill the truck ($3.09/gal) and get some propane. We went for ice cream and social hour at 2 p.m. then we packed and got ready for tomorrow. This is our last day here and tomorrow, we leave for Menifee, California, via Colton where I want to get the furnace and hot water tank checked at “Giant RV”; it keeps blowing fuses everytime I put the electrical switch on.
Val cooked a roast for dinner which was delicious then we watched the tube and relaxed. It began raining early in the evening, not much but they’ve been forecasting a storm coming through for the last three days and I think it is here...Figures...we’re moving tomorrow!
We both got up early and Val decided to take a break from her exercises so we had a lazy morning. My neighbour had the water hose hooked up to his tank cleaning valve and forgot to open the sewer valve so, you guessed it, the tank filled, went up the vent pipe and proceeded to overflow on the roof and inside the coach. They were both away walking around the park. We turned off the water once we realize what was happening.
There was a yard sale in the park this morning but soon came to an end as the wind picked up and made things uncomfortable. We had a bit of rain early this morning. Actually, that’s what woke me up!
In the afternoon, we went geo-caching around the area and while looking for a cache, we came upon the “Veteran of Foreign War” (VFW) where they were serving Tacos(1.50) and beer(6.00/pitcher) for lunch so we tried it and it was great. The place was packed with locals and RV’ers from different Parks. We continued searching caches after lunch and called it quit around 3:30 pm. We are really enjoying this as you can tell.
JAN 14, Thursday, Desert Hot Spring
Another windy day! It was a choice between laundry and geo-caching and the latter won. We found the last 10 of our list of 20 caches and came home once it was done. The day got cooler towards the late afternoon so we came in the rig. I registered my finds on geo-cache.com and Val watched Oprah. We had dinner then watched a movie.
JAN 15, Friday, laundry day
Val decided to do the laundry today so we went to town as the park’ laundry room was occupied and with a line up. After doing the laundry and putting it away, we went out to grab a half dozen more caches. These were quite easy to find and along a road heading for a gravel pit.
We came home and after changing, we went back to the VFW hall and had the Pork Chop dinner as it was advertised as being really good. They were huge and quite delicious. We had a few beers than came home.
JAN 16, Saturday, Palm Desert
We went to the College of Desert where there is a big street fair. Before arriving we picked up a couple caches in town. One was called “a little bit of Beauty” which happened to be a hair dresser school. Val went in to check them out and ended up getting a haircut for $20. I bought a couple of little things for the rig then we left and found two more caches around the College of Desert grounds. We came home via Monterrey and found another cache then came home.
The park is full again. Another warm day but cloudy in the morning however the sun came out in the afternoon. It cooled off fast later in the afternoon. The forecast is for a change in the weather and possible rain the next few days.
Jan 17, Sunday, last day in Desert Hot Springs
Our day began with me cooking breakfast; pancakes and bacon. It is sunny and warm outside and after showering, I went to town to fill the truck ($3.09/gal) and get some propane. We went for ice cream and social hour at 2 p.m. then we packed and got ready for tomorrow. This is our last day here and tomorrow, we leave for Menifee, California, via Colton where I want to get the furnace and hot water tank checked at “Giant RV”; it keeps blowing fuses everytime I put the electrical switch on.
Val cooked a roast for dinner which was delicious then we watched the tube and relaxed. It began raining early in the evening, not much but they’ve been forecasting a storm coming through for the last three days and I think it is here...Figures...we’re moving tomorrow!
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
January 9 to 12, 2010; Desert Hot Spring, California
JAN 9, Saturday, Geo-Caching
After a lazy morning, we drove to 1000 Palm Park where we parked the truck then walked across the road to Pushawalla Park where most of the geo-caches we were looking for were situated. We climbed 800 feet along a ridge where we found lots of caches and got a fantastic view of the valley below. As we walked along we saw a couple of oasis below (see pictures) then eventually came down back to the valley and made our way back. In all we found over 12 + caches. They were easy but it was fun and we got to see an area we hadn’t seen before.
Tucker did very well but once home, he went straight to bed and we never saw him again. We were also kind of pooped too! We watched a movie in the evening and went to bed early.
JAN 10, Sunday, movie day
We got up early but not too sore from the previous day. We left the house at eleven and went to Cathedral City, next to Palm Spring, to an I-MAX movie theatre where we watched AVATAR in 3D. It was absolutely fantastic and the only way to see that movie. It was almost 3 hours long and I recommend it to anyone. It was 4 pm by the time we got back home.
Again, we hit the bed at an early hour.
JAN 11, Monday, Desert Hot Spring
While Val went for her exercises, I took Tucker to town for his appointment for a haircut. As usual, he wasn’t happy to be left behind but settled down once I was gone.
While he was there, we went geo-caching, cycling at the same time. We found an area in the desert where someone had built a small shrine/village in the middle of nowhere. It was really neat (see pictures).
In all we found 6 out of ten caches. We had to stop after the sixth one because we had to go pick up Tucker in town. While cycling, it was my turn to take a dive with the bike; I hit a sandy bar which made me lose hold of my bike and I went over. Val felt pretty good that it was me rather than her (after checking that I was OK of course). I took a shower once home and washed away my hurt ego and all the sand!
Val cooked a stir-fry for dinner then we watched a movie. A good day overall!
JAN 12, Tuesday, more Geo-Caching
Val went for her exercises and I attended a class on geo-caching but it was very basic so I left (no, I don’t claim to be an expert either). I came back to our site and washed the bikes and did some maintenance on them. I then called ROD, one of our memberships and I made some alterations to our plans towards the end of next month.
In the afternoon, we went out geo-caching and found 3 more and one we couldn’t get to because of a fence. One of them was one we couldn’t find yesterday but found today. Some of these really make you work for it (see pictures).
In the evening we went to a seminar on Caravanning to Alaska. It was interesting but not our thing...the wine was good though!
After a lazy morning, we drove to 1000 Palm Park where we parked the truck then walked across the road to Pushawalla Park where most of the geo-caches we were looking for were situated. We climbed 800 feet along a ridge where we found lots of caches and got a fantastic view of the valley below. As we walked along we saw a couple of oasis below (see pictures) then eventually came down back to the valley and made our way back. In all we found over 12 + caches. They were easy but it was fun and we got to see an area we hadn’t seen before.
Tucker did very well but once home, he went straight to bed and we never saw him again. We were also kind of pooped too! We watched a movie in the evening and went to bed early.
JAN 10, Sunday, movie day
We got up early but not too sore from the previous day. We left the house at eleven and went to Cathedral City, next to Palm Spring, to an I-MAX movie theatre where we watched AVATAR in 3D. It was absolutely fantastic and the only way to see that movie. It was almost 3 hours long and I recommend it to anyone. It was 4 pm by the time we got back home.
Again, we hit the bed at an early hour.
JAN 11, Monday, Desert Hot Spring
While Val went for her exercises, I took Tucker to town for his appointment for a haircut. As usual, he wasn’t happy to be left behind but settled down once I was gone.
While he was there, we went geo-caching, cycling at the same time. We found an area in the desert where someone had built a small shrine/village in the middle of nowhere. It was really neat (see pictures).
In all we found 6 out of ten caches. We had to stop after the sixth one because we had to go pick up Tucker in town. While cycling, it was my turn to take a dive with the bike; I hit a sandy bar which made me lose hold of my bike and I went over. Val felt pretty good that it was me rather than her (after checking that I was OK of course). I took a shower once home and washed away my hurt ego and all the sand!
Val cooked a stir-fry for dinner then we watched a movie. A good day overall!
JAN 12, Tuesday, more Geo-Caching
Val went for her exercises and I attended a class on geo-caching but it was very basic so I left (no, I don’t claim to be an expert either). I came back to our site and washed the bikes and did some maintenance on them. I then called ROD, one of our memberships and I made some alterations to our plans towards the end of next month.
In the afternoon, we went out geo-caching and found 3 more and one we couldn’t get to because of a fence. One of them was one we couldn’t find yesterday but found today. Some of these really make you work for it (see pictures).
In the evening we went to a seminar on Caravanning to Alaska. It was interesting but not our thing...the wine was good though!
Saturday, January 09, 2010
January 5 to 8, 2010; Desert Hot Springs, California
JAN 5, Tuesday, Palm Spring
Another fairly quiet day at home. Val went for a swim with Marcel and Audrey in the morning then we read while M&A packed their suitcase and cleaned their rig for storage. They are leaving tomorrow for Calgary and home, planning on returning at Easter. Audrey learned that she has received her retirement package so she is excited about that.
Around 3 p.m., M&A took their car back to the rental place in Palm Spring. We followed them and after they dropped off the car we all went to “TILTED KILTED Pub” for beer and dinner. We watched the Junior Gold hockey game between Canada and the US. Surprisingly there were a lot of Canadians at the pub as we found out by the cheering when they scored. Unfortunately, Canada lost in OT.
We came home around 9 pm, had a night cap and showed them some pictures then everyone went home to bed
JAN 6, Wednesday, Last Day in Catalina Spa
We got up early and after parking Marcel and Audrey’s rig in the storage area, we drove them to the airport where they caught a West Jet plane back to Calgary. They were not looking forward to the cold weather up there. We said our goodbyes then drove back to the Park after stopping for a McDonald breakfast.
Val did the laundry and I packed all our stuff away. Tomorrow we move to Desert Pool, a Western Horizon Park, about ten minutes from here on Dillon Road.
The rest of the day was spent reading, swimming and walking Tucker. We had dinner then watched a movie that M & A left behind for us
JAN 7 Thursday, move to Desert Pool RV Park
A tough day indeed! We got up around 8 am, read for a while, had breakfast, showered then slowly got the rig batten down for our “BIG” trip!
We left Catalina at 10:45 am and arrived in Desert Pool, a WHR park, at 10:50 am, a whole 3 miles later! WOW! This has got to be our shortest trip yet! (SMILE).
Anyway, we set up at site 128 after paying our dues and one later we were having lunch. We spent the afternoon exploring the park, meeting our neighbours then read for a while. Val went to check the clubhouse for a daily schedule and found one of course.
We had dinner then we relaxed for the evening. It was a very warm day; 75*F (22*C). I called TELUS and put our Canadian phone to “vacation sleep” as of the 9th. We will be using our US phone.
JAN 8, Friday, Desert Hot Spring
Val went for her exercises this morning and I puttered on the computer then took Tucker for a walk. In the afternoon, we went to town shopping for some groceries then came home to put It all away. I washed the truck this afternoon as it was cloudy and perfect for doing that job.
Happy hour, dinner then watched a movie...Life is but a journey!
I have posted new pictures in folder #53 (Arizona 2) and began a new folder #54 California
Another fairly quiet day at home. Val went for a swim with Marcel and Audrey in the morning then we read while M&A packed their suitcase and cleaned their rig for storage. They are leaving tomorrow for Calgary and home, planning on returning at Easter. Audrey learned that she has received her retirement package so she is excited about that.
Around 3 p.m., M&A took their car back to the rental place in Palm Spring. We followed them and after they dropped off the car we all went to “TILTED KILTED Pub” for beer and dinner. We watched the Junior Gold hockey game between Canada and the US. Surprisingly there were a lot of Canadians at the pub as we found out by the cheering when they scored. Unfortunately, Canada lost in OT.
We came home around 9 pm, had a night cap and showed them some pictures then everyone went home to bed
JAN 6, Wednesday, Last Day in Catalina Spa
We got up early and after parking Marcel and Audrey’s rig in the storage area, we drove them to the airport where they caught a West Jet plane back to Calgary. They were not looking forward to the cold weather up there. We said our goodbyes then drove back to the Park after stopping for a McDonald breakfast.
Val did the laundry and I packed all our stuff away. Tomorrow we move to Desert Pool, a Western Horizon Park, about ten minutes from here on Dillon Road.
The rest of the day was spent reading, swimming and walking Tucker. We had dinner then watched a movie that M & A left behind for us
JAN 7 Thursday, move to Desert Pool RV Park
A tough day indeed! We got up around 8 am, read for a while, had breakfast, showered then slowly got the rig batten down for our “BIG” trip!
We left Catalina at 10:45 am and arrived in Desert Pool, a WHR park, at 10:50 am, a whole 3 miles later! WOW! This has got to be our shortest trip yet! (SMILE).
Anyway, we set up at site 128 after paying our dues and one later we were having lunch. We spent the afternoon exploring the park, meeting our neighbours then read for a while. Val went to check the clubhouse for a daily schedule and found one of course.
We had dinner then we relaxed for the evening. It was a very warm day; 75*F (22*C). I called TELUS and put our Canadian phone to “vacation sleep” as of the 9th. We will be using our US phone.
JAN 8, Friday, Desert Hot Spring
Val went for her exercises this morning and I puttered on the computer then took Tucker for a walk. In the afternoon, we went to town shopping for some groceries then came home to put It all away. I washed the truck this afternoon as it was cloudy and perfect for doing that job.
Happy hour, dinner then watched a movie...Life is but a journey!
I have posted new pictures in folder #53 (Arizona 2) and began a new folder #54 California
Monday, January 04, 2010
January 1 to 4, 2010; Happy New Year to everyone from Desert Hot Spring, California
JAN 1, Friday, Desert Spring
We got up quite late and both with slight hang-over! We went out for breakfast at a small restaurant that Marcel had been told about. Their omelettes were outstanding. From here, we went for a drive into Palm Spring then they took us to a dealer to check the motorhome they had found and were thinking of buying eventually. Then we went for a beer at a casino and came home. We stopped to fill my propane tank then drove to our site where we said goodnight. January Everyone is still slightly hung-over!
The day was warm...low 70’s but it got cloudy late in the afternoon and the temperature dropped so back to wearing a sweater.
JAN 2, Saturday, Golfing and shopping
Val and Audrey went shopping in downtown Desert Spring while Marcel and I went to play golf (9 holes). We paired up with another couple and had a good game. After the game we came home as Marcel had to play guitar for the park’s entertainment. He played for about 2.5 hours singing and joking around with the crowd; it was fun.
We had happy hour at 4 then we went to town to a Bar & Grill to celebrate Marcel’s birthday. The bar usually has entertainment but it turned out not to be for this particular evening so we went to a couple other places but had no luck and ended up at a restaurant called “The Olive Garden”. The meals were very good and we had a good time of course. We came home around 10 pm and called it a night.
JAN 3, Sunday, Desert Hot Spring
Today was a quiet day at home. Val, Audrey and Marcel went for a swim in the morning and were there until 10 am. In the afternoon, Val and I went into town to the bank then came home and read for the rest of the afternoon. We had happy hour at 4 then went to the club house for a hamburger dinner. In the evening we watched a movie.
JAN 4, Monday, Shopping
Marcel, Audrey and Val went swimming first thing in the morning. In the afternoon, we went shopping in Palm Spring area where Audrey and Marcel wanted to get some presents for family and friend back home as they are leaving Wednesday. We spent the day in town and I bought a book on “Window 7” and Audrey ended up buying one too. We went to a local pub on the way back where we had a hamburger and beer then came home and we all called it a day!
We got up quite late and both with slight hang-over! We went out for breakfast at a small restaurant that Marcel had been told about. Their omelettes were outstanding. From here, we went for a drive into Palm Spring then they took us to a dealer to check the motorhome they had found and were thinking of buying eventually. Then we went for a beer at a casino and came home. We stopped to fill my propane tank then drove to our site where we said goodnight. January Everyone is still slightly hung-over!
The day was warm...low 70’s but it got cloudy late in the afternoon and the temperature dropped so back to wearing a sweater.
JAN 2, Saturday, Golfing and shopping
Val and Audrey went shopping in downtown Desert Spring while Marcel and I went to play golf (9 holes). We paired up with another couple and had a good game. After the game we came home as Marcel had to play guitar for the park’s entertainment. He played for about 2.5 hours singing and joking around with the crowd; it was fun.
We had happy hour at 4 then we went to town to a Bar & Grill to celebrate Marcel’s birthday. The bar usually has entertainment but it turned out not to be for this particular evening so we went to a couple other places but had no luck and ended up at a restaurant called “The Olive Garden”. The meals were very good and we had a good time of course. We came home around 10 pm and called it a night.
JAN 3, Sunday, Desert Hot Spring
Today was a quiet day at home. Val, Audrey and Marcel went for a swim in the morning and were there until 10 am. In the afternoon, Val and I went into town to the bank then came home and read for the rest of the afternoon. We had happy hour at 4 then went to the club house for a hamburger dinner. In the evening we watched a movie.
JAN 4, Monday, Shopping
Marcel, Audrey and Val went swimming first thing in the morning. In the afternoon, we went shopping in Palm Spring area where Audrey and Marcel wanted to get some presents for family and friend back home as they are leaving Wednesday. We spent the day in town and I bought a book on “Window 7” and Audrey ended up buying one too. We went to a local pub on the way back where we had a hamburger and beer then came home and we all called it a day!
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