Indio, CA 10 Jan 2014

 Attended performance by Paul Anka at Fantasy Springs Casino.  He is 73, trim and fit with the singing power of a much younger person.  He did not disappoint.

 All the photos were taken from very far away with my Samsung phone.  I wish they were less blurry, but they are a record of a fun evening, at least for us.

 He entered through the audience and returned to sing a medley among those in the expensive seats.  The ladies flocked to him and screamed as if time had stood still and they were teens again.

At the end of the show, Paul introduced Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett, who were in the audience.  Warren went on stage and sang a version of "My Way" with Paul.  Fun ending to a good evening.

La Quinta, CA 6 Jan 2014

It is great to be back in Palm Desert.  We always have a good time here and enjoy the weather, friends, and family, but when we are gone, we think maybe we should try somewhere else.  Tonight, we decided that is crazy thinking.  However, the sun is shining, the temp is perfect, and there is no wind. It is easy to love it here as long as we have days like the last three.  After spending time cleaning and making our site our own, we went to happy hour at one of our favorite restaurants.  The menu is cheap, delicious and full-meal worthy.  The atmosphere is wonderful, service superb; with a nice view.  The patio manager is from Manzanita, Oregon! 

    

The Cliff House with valet service provided, even for our filthy Jeep.  It will get clean tomorrow.

 Sculptures above the patio add whimsy to the place.

 Usually there is a long wait for a table like this with a fire in the background, unless you are there between 3:30 and 4 pm.  Today it was 5:00 pm before all tables were taken.

This view is why it is worth arriving early to get one of the few tables where the mountains can be seen.

Red Bluff to Bakersfield, CA 2-4 Jan. 2014

We stayed an extra day at Durango RV Resort in Red Bluff, CA because our coolant was leaking.  Ted found the leak in a hose, cut off the offending piece, put the hose and a new clamp on.  Wonder Boy saves us time and money, again!  Jan. 2 we did our usual checks before leaving.  Ted found a gallon of Bloody Mary mix on our picnic table and a beer bottle on the ground.  That was very odd for this upscale place.  Then we discovered my bicycle had been stolen.  It had been locked, but they had cut the cable. We had put the seats in the car to protect them from the elements, so the person will have to buy a new one.  Ted hopes he or she hits a big bump before they can get a new seat.

Ted then checked his motorcycle and noticed that the clip for the hitch pin holding the car tow bar to the coach had been pulled out!  This meant that the bolt would have eventually come out and the Jeep would have detached from the coach; potentially killing someone.  We were horrified!  Who would put the lives of people at danger like this?  Later we learned that this has happened to many other people, even in big box store parking lots.  We told the office and called the police, who arrived in seconds; a plus of a small town.  The cop said that the neighborhood to the west of the park was a rough one.  We have a lock on the second bolt for the hitch.  We will buying one for this bolt, too.  We feel fortunate, will write the theft off our taxes, and add this to our many RVing tales.

Four hours later we arrive at Kit Fox RV Park, Patterson, CA.  We like to enjoy the trip, so we only drive about that far each day.  It is nice to stop early and take in the area near-by.  There is a gate in this fence that allows guests to walk to any number of restaurants.  We enjoyed El Rosal.

 This park is small, with quite a few permanent residents, but it is clean and half-way between Red Bluff and Bakersfield.  The sites are tight and the cement is eroded, making it a little tough to get level, but it is more than OK for an overnight.  We had to cancel the night before.  The manager was didn't charge us and wished us a quick fix.  

 Bakersfield is certainly not a favorite destination, but we love stopping east of the city on Hwy 58 at Orange Grove RV Resort.  We have mentioned this before.  The resort is set in an orange grove and guests are encouraged to pick as many oranges as they want.  They have spoiled us.  We seldom buy any in a store anymore.  They can't compare to tree ripened.

 This photo shows one of the roads to the sites. 

Look at all those oranges.  I am wrote most of this blog as Ted was driving down Hwy 58 north of Edward's Air Force Base.  As you may remember, we have our own Wifi.  Love it!  It was sunny and in the 40s.  The desert stretched forever.  We turned south at Hwy 395 and met up with I-15 and then I-10.  Ted and I are both into genealogy and have had our genealogy DNA done.  I have a measurable amount of gypsy.  That must explain why I love to be on the go.  We made it to Palm Desert, CA by mid-afternoon and had dinner with my cousin and her husband.  

Updates to Coach

 We were in Portland for three months.  During that time we did a lot of maintenance and updates on the coach.  Here are the befores and afters of three updates.

Original television.  It kept overheating.  Brent took it, gladly.  He won't have it in a window, so overheating will no occur.

New 44" Samsung Smart TV hooked to our surround sound.

Original three burner gas stove top.  Worked great, but was a b____ to keep clean.  RVing friends were happy to have a replacement for theirs.

New two burner induction cook-top.  Love, love!

 After spending the summer on the East Coast and our two air conditioners not able to keep up with the heat and humidity, we had a third unit installed.  The cover was ugly, so...

 Dave and LJ's RV Remodeling, Woodland, WA made us a custom cover.  They installed the new TV and stove top, too.

Portland, OR to Red Bluff, CA 29-30 Dec 2014

 We have made this trip many times now, so it gets harder and harder to find scenes that we haven't photographed before.  We like to stop at Jack's Landing RV Park in Grants Pass, OR our first night out, because we are about 48 miles from the summit of the Siskiyou Mt. Pass.  We watch the web cams at the pass and this distance allows us to judge the right time to leave to make it through the pass, if the weather is at all favorable.  This sunset was heavenly, but told the story of the cold and potential for nasty precipitation.  

 The next morning there was heavy frost, even at 10:45 am.  We waited until about 11 am to leave to make sure that the Siskiyou Pass was free of this frost on the roadway.

 Mt. McLoughlin was spectacular this year.  Some years, the clouds or icy fog prevent this shot.

 Medford is the last big town before the California border.  The salmon on the I-5 overpass welcome those coming from the south to the Pacific Northwest, and remind those of us who are leaving what we will miss.

 We have taken a photo of this place before, but it is so prominent as you drive through Medford, OR, we couldn't resist.  It is a luxurious retirement home, with views to die for.  The advertising that we have seen is very impressive.

 We are approaching one of the critical moments for an RV in the Siskiyou Mts.  We can enjoy the beauty of the snow on the trees because the wheel tracks on I-5 are dry, even in the shade.  We are going to get through the pass.  Yippee!

 Around the corner we catch up to this truck and see snow, even in the sun.  The pavement is drier and the summit is very close.

 The Siskiyou Summit!  Usually, there are several trucks checking their brakes in the area to the right.  There weren't any. Another good sign that the down hill road is good.  What do you think of this view?

 The snow didn't let up on the down hill side of the summit.  Note the Fed Ex truck has passed two trucks and we have slowed down, only to allow truckers to keep their schedules.  We are retired; they aren't.

 Last year Mt. Shasta was almost bare of snow.  It is wonderful to see that it is covered this year.  Can you see the multiple cones?

The amount of snow on the ground next to I-5 in the valley around Mt. Shasta was impressive.

The wind is strong on top of the mountain.

We spent about 25 minutes getting fuel.  These clouds formed in that time.  Speaking of fuel.  Even with all the taxes on fuel in California, the price of diesel was decent.

Black Butte is a cinder cone next to Mt. Shasta.  We have told the story of Ted stepping off the skid of a helicopter onto this cone to fight a fire when he was 18.  Fun memories every time we drive by here.

Shasta Lake is a good measure of the drought that has plagued California for a while.  Just past here, we quickly drop down out of the mountains and, usually, get warm temperatures.  We got warmer temps, but not truly warm ones.