Saturday, April 10, 2010

Snow in Weed, and we got stuck there

Spent Easter Sunday night in Weed CA, in heavy snow. We parked the trailer right beside the Quality Inn, and spent the night safe and sound in a room there, though the driving had been very hairy for Lary once we hit snow.

Next morning we awoke to the trailer being plowed firmly into place right at the curb, so had to call a tow truck, and he winched us out and on to the road. Once we were on the road we could drive from there, and soon we left the snow behind us.

Spent the next night in Vancouver Washington, and the following day we crossed the border at Blaine, where we had an unusually friendly female Customs Officer, who welcomed us home to our own country once more, and we also had luck in making the 3:15 ferry on to the island from Tsawassen to Duke Point.

We took the trailer to Walmart, and made several trips home and back to Walmart unloading most of our stuff from the winter's trip.

The following morning we took the trailer down to Duncan for repairs, and left it there. Came back to Nanaimo, got the car insured, and left in the car for a 2 night stay with friends Russ and Sally down in East Sooke.

Then we caught the noon ferry Friday off the island at Swartz Bay, and we headed up Highway 1 to Princeton. Sal and Russ had shown us a super route that you take, aiming down Hwy 99 toward the US border, and at the last exit, 8th Ave, you exit, go back to 16th Avenue, and keep going east along that road, passing very near Tradex in Abbotsford. You meet the Hwy 1 freeway at Mt Lehman Road, so handy and without the heavy traffic through Langley industrial areas.

From Hope through Manning Park and on to Princeton we spent most of the day driving in falling snow, though it didn't seem to be sticking to the road. Still somewhat unnerving driving in that stuff, we don't have either chains or studded winter tires on the new car, and don't want to buy them either if we can avoid it.

Spent the night in Princeton, and next day on to Kelowna where we'll stay for a week.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Getting ready to roll

Lary has been emptying the tanks, we have done a final laundry, and kind of tidied up the trailer preparing to roll on out of here, and up the I-5 highway towards home. He's putting a bit of water into our fresh water tank, too, just for our use on the homeward trek.

Feels weird, as if the trailer has grown subtle roots down into the sandy soil here at Cat Spa park. But the campsite is emptying out, folks saying their final goodbyes to friends, and rolling on out too, the weather is warming up, but storms still keep rolling on through, and one of the local more distant mountains is completely snow covered at its top once again this morning. Weather wise it has been an unusual one for us here, cooler, and windier than usual.

Tonight is my last Coachella Valley flute circle get together at Annie's, a pot luck dinner and a music jam, it has been such a pleasure to become involved with that inspired group of musicians and flute blowing keeners. I am taking a German chocolate cake, seems to be a hit always. And I will blow my new flutes, and have the usual enjoyable evening rocking out with them all.
I am really going to miss them all so much until November or so when we'll be back once more.

The campsite doesn't feel the same as all the activities draw slowly to a close, the volunteers pack up and leave, the campers head off, and the swim group in the pool in the afternoons shrinks a lot in size. Overall the park seems to lack animation, and it's clearly time for us to roll on away, too. Seems strange this year, but we won't really return as campers to the park again, as we'll be over at Almar come this late fall. Hopefully we will come back though for their wonderful activities and entertainment, perhaps even the odd meal over the weekends.

Looking down the roads here in the park now the gaps of empty sites widen, the trailers and coaches thin out, and the activity of the winter grinds slowly to a halt, in the timeless rhythm of the way things are down here in the southern sunbelt of the US.

This particular park stays open all year, but it must be a totally different bunch of campers from now on, the big groups roll on in, and the younger families with children, and their ATVs and other weekend/holiday amusements take the place of the older folks, who have now migrated like the birds to the more northerly areas of the country, and across the border up into Canada.

Time for us too to join the northward trek. This will likely be my last post of this season, our time here is nearing an end, and this fall will bring us new horizons, and a different park to learn all about. This chapter is kind of drawing to a close, and we thank you all for following us and our news.

We look forward to joining you all closer to our Vancouver Island home. It will be strange to be back in the townhouse, trying to get used to another kitchen, where is this and that once more.....and we trust that Greg's will once again fix our troublesome kitchen floor in the rig, and get us back to right once again, as they always do.

Til we meet again. Thanks for sharing our winter time adventures with us. 'Hasta la vista', as they say in spanish, til we next see each other.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Thursday Wendy and Dave left for home

On Weds I went shopping for a few odds and ends, and got a birthday present for Wendy, as it is her birthday April 9th. Bought her some nice lavender hand cream, some drink napkins, and a Loreena McKennitt (?) CD. We 4 went out for dinner to South of the Border mexican restaurant up in DHS on Palm Drive by Pierson. Good food, and it was busy there.

Sad to say bye bye for this year. It got really chilly in the evening, and was a very blustery day, but sunny. Lots of grit flying around. Lary had finished his kildeer bird at his last carving day with Vern this season.

Thursday I put some tops into a Rubbermaid tub to leave at Almar Acres, so we took them over there. Today was still with no wind until about 5 PM or so when it picked up again. Today still warm weather was like a gift after last night's wind, the trailer had been rocking and rolling once again last night, and the temps had plunged down again overnight. Thursday AM it was a bit warmer outside than inside, and we had a nice long soak in the pool and a chat with the folks who are still here though the park is really emptying out noticeably now.

Lary's task today was to go into the Department of Motor Vehicles in Palm Springs, he spent nearly 3 hours there, waiting to renew our license plate for the new park model trailer. Even though it's fixed it still has a valid plate and an annual decal, due in May.

He just had to get the decal for the plate, but the wait was very long, as it's a busy place and shut on Fridays, too. He succceeded, and we took the plate over to Almar along with our tub of clothes, and a pretty painted name plate that we decided to leave down here for the park model.

We had tidied up all the leaves, but there are already leaves on the patio area again. Didn't clean them up this time. There will be lots and lots in November when we get back then.

Lary and I are munching our way through the frozen food that Sue and Jen bought us from Schwanns frozen food truck here in the park.