I woke up this morning and thought, “Oh no, another sunny day with blue skies and moderate temperature. I can’t take it any more!” Yeah, right. It’s 63 degrees out as I type this at 8am. Today we’ll see high temperatures in the mid 70s. Pretty hard to take, right?

Yesterday set the template for my retirement. I posted to the blog first thing. Then I bicycled along the bay, through Crown Point to Pacific Beach. It was a beautiful morning and a great ride. I’m so inspired by this place to take up cycling again. I was an avid cyclist most of my life. The last four years in Michigan I didn’t ride much.

Estuary at Crown Point

I rode along Riviera Drive to the boardwalk at Pacific Beach. It seems funny to me that we call it the boardwalk. It’s a concrete walk.

View from Riviera Drive across west Mission Bay toward Mission Beach

View from Riviera Drive across west Mission Bay toward Pacific Beach

I rode slowly up the boardwalk to Felspar Street. i stopped in the bike shop there. I need a new liner for my helmet. They didn’t have the one I need. When I rode back, I followed Pacific Beach Drive. There’s a walking/biking path along the bay that takes you east to Crown Point Shores. I rode along this path.

Pacific Beach boardwalk south in the morning

View north to Crystal Pier from Pacific Beach boardwalk

As I rode under the Ingraham Street overpass, I was reminiscing about old times there. When I was young, we would go there and build bonfires from wooden pallets and party.

After I returned, I showered and took care of a few chores. Donna was working on her book. She has a deadline to meet and wants to get it done this week. I went out on the scooter to tour around.

I stopped at the bank to make deposits. Then I stopped at Surf Taco on Mission Boulevard. I had rolled tacos with guacamole. Yummy.

I rode up to La Jolla Cove. I saw pelicans surfing the swell there. Pelicans take advantage of aerodynamics. They will soar very close to the surface of the water. This creates an aerodynamic phenomenon known as ground effect. The air compresses slightly under their wings, creating lift and reducing drag.

Pelicans take it a step further. As a wave swells and approaches the shore, it pushes a wave of air ahead of it. Pelicans glide along in front of the swell and ride this wave of air. I call it pelican surfing.

I continued on to La Jolla Shores. Much of my mis-spent youth was spent right there, under the lifeguard tower on La Jolla Shores.

View from the La Jolla Shores lifeguard tower south toward La Jolla Cove

View from the La Jolla Shores lifeguard tower north toward Scripps Pier

On the way home, I stopped and bought a wild king salmon filet. I soaked a cedar plank and grilled it. Donna served it with Mediterranean quinoa, green beans and artichokes sauteed with sundried tomatoes.

The only downer of the day was the cable TV at Mission Bay RV Resort. It only has a handful of channels and no ESPN. No ESPN equals no Monday Night Football! Oh well, if Monday was an indication of how the next few months of retirement will be, I’ll gladly suffer it!

After three nights here, I already feel like we’re settling in. On Saturday, Donna defrosted the refrigerator and freezer. We retrieved our bicycles and other gear from the trailer. The trailer is parked behind the RV resort office, about a quarter of a mile away from us.

We rode our bikes south on Mission Bay Drive. I wanted to give Donna a little tour of the area so she could get the lay of the land. When we came back, we continued on past the golf course, over a bridge made for bikers and hikers. The bridge crosses Rose Inlet.

Rose Inlet – Rose Creek empties into Mission bay here. Campland is on the right, De Anza on the left.

On the other side of the bridge is another RV park called Campland on the Bay. This part of Mission Bay is called Fiesta Bay. We bicycled through Campland. It’s a large RV park with a lot of amenities including a pool, boat rentals, cafe and bar. It’s also very crowded. The sites are tightly packed and kids are biking, skateboarding or just roaming throughout the place. In a word, it’s a zoo.

Mission Bay RV Resort restricts guests to a 30-day maximum stay. After 30 days, you must leave the park for 24 hours before you can return. We’re looking at alternatives for our next move.

Saturday, I rode the scooter to the Santa Fe RV Resort. It’s on Santa Fe Street in Rose Canyon, a few miles from here. This park also has very tight sites. It’s right next to I-5. I don’t think it will be suitable for us.

From there, I rode to Costco on Morena Boulevard.  I stocked up on K-cups for our Keurig coffee maker. As I was leaving, a guy walking by laughed out loud. He said, “Shopping at Costco on a scooter…man that takes restraint!”

This area is my old stomping grounds. I grew up here in Clairemont. I rode up the hill to Cadman Park and took a look at the old neighborhood. As I cruised past the corner of Taos Drive and Fox Avenue, I saw a woman unloading things from the trunk of her Mercedes. She waved and I stopped. I flipped open my faceshield and said, “Hi, Chris.” It was Christine Brutschy Becker. She said, “Who are you?” She didn’t recognize me under the helmet. I think it’s been at least 15 years since we last saw each other.

I helped her unload some potting soil and she invited me in. We sat and talked. The Brutschy family was an important component of my teenage years. I spent a lot of time at this house. I haven’t been here in many, many years. It was great to relax and talk. We caught up a bit on each other’s lives. It was great to also hear about our mutual friends.

By Saturday afternoon, the RV resort was rapidly filling with weekenders. Donna and I walked around De Anza Cove and enjoyed the weather. We also enjoyed watching people on the water. There were ski boats and jet skiers on the bay.

Jet ski on Mission Bay

Later, Donna’s sister, Sheila, picked us up and we went to her place for dinner. Donna posted about that last night.

Sunday was all about NFL action. The Chargers lost a heartbreaker in Tennessee.  They’re plagued by injuries on both sides of the ball at the moment. I think the offense will be there; it’s the defense that has me worried about their season.

While I watched football, Donna went shopping with her sister, Sheila. She bought fabric to make room darkening shades for the bedroom. This park has street lights that shine into our window at night. The day/night shades we have allow too much light through. She also bought  groceries and restocked out newly defrosted refrigerator and freezer.

We received another mail delivery. Our new license plates for our motorhome arrived from South Dakota. I installed them yesterday.

New plates on our coop for two

Today is another beautiful day in San Diego. I plan to take a bike ride this morning. I’ll explore on the scooter this afternoon. Donna’s out on her bike, riding around Fiesta Island as I type this. She’ll work on writing her book for the rest of the day.

I didn’t post yesterday. We were up early and prepared to hit the road to San Diego.

Thursday was a laid back day. Donna rode her bike down to the Emma Wood State Park and back. I watched dolphins in the surf.

If you look closely, you can see the dolphin. Click on pic to enlarge.

Later I rode the scooter to Ventura. The old downtown area looked nice and there were people on the street. We didn’t see very many people on the streets in the northwest. The only way to get from Rincon to Ventura or to Carpinteria to the north is via US101. I wanted to buy a few things at the store, so I had no alternative to blasting down the freeway.

We walked on the beach in the afternoon. Donna prepared Dijon-Glazed Flat Iron Steak which I grilled for dinner. It was tender and tasty! She served it with a side of sauteed veggies.

It wasn’t as rare as it looks in the photo.

Friday morning we pulled out of site #16 a little before 9am. Even though we would travel less than 200 miles, I knew it could take five hours or more. Our route took us down US101 to I-405. Near the junction with I-405, the traffic slowed. It was stop and go for about half an hour. The traffic started to flow again around Santa Monica.

Our set up in space #16

There aren’t any rest areas or good places to pull out until you are south of Camp Pendleton. We stopped at the rest area there, just north of Oceanside. I’ve driven this stretch of road hundreds of  times, but this was the first time I’ve pulled into this rest stop. It’s large. There are three buildings with restrooms. There’s a walking path behind the buildings with an ocean view.

Traffic on I-5 was heavy in north San Diego county. We arrived at the Mission Bay RV Resort around 1pm. We had to drop the trailer in a lot behind the office. This was a little tricky as I had to maneuver between cars. It took a lot longer than I expected. This is the first time we’ve dropped the trailer in eight weeks of travel.

The RV resort is a large paved area with 260 full hook-up sites in the middle of a mobile home park. This mobile home park is somewhat upscale. This is the result of the price of real estate on Mission Bay. When I was in high school, we used to come down here in June to watch the Unlimited Hydroplane Gold Cup races on Mission  Bay. The RV resort didn’t exist back then.

We were backed into our site and hooked up in no time. This will be a new experience. We’ve booked a full month. This will be the first time we’ll be stationary for 30 days since we hit the road.

Later, my youngest daughter Shauna visited us. She’s a grad student at Cal Western School of Law. She drove us to Old Town. The Old Town Mexican Cafe has some of the best authentic Mexican food. The tortillas they serve are made onsite. I had the chili verde and it was delicious.

Shauna doing a balancing act

After dinner we relaxed and watched a couple of movies on TV. Today we’ll do some housekeeping and grocery shopping. We’ll also do some biking around the bay.

Yesterday we continued our journey south. We followed the 101 through the coastal range.  We found the Pacific Ocean once again at Pismo Beach.

Driving through Santa Barbara, Donna spotted a gas station on the north end of town with a large lot and open access to the pumps. We took the next exit and back tracked to the station. I didn’t want another low fuel episode.

When we resumed our travel on 101 south, Donna saw police action in the northbound lanes. We don’t know what was going on, but traffic on the northbound side was at a standstill for about six miles!

We were headed to Rincon Parkway. It’s a section of Old Highway 1 on Faria Beach, owned by Ventura County. The county marked nearly a mile of beachfront with  RV parking spaces. There are 127 spaces, each about 45 feet in length. Only RVs are allowed – you can only park a car here if it’s in the space with an RV. Otherwise cars are only allowed in the day use area.

We tried to fit our 50-foot length into a space that looked promising. Although the people on either end were willing to give us some room, it just wasn’t going to work. We drove on down the road and looped back to the Seacliff exit on 101.

This time I tried to park along the seawall where there were more open spaces. I tried to back the trailer in and jackknife it behind us to reduce our length. I was still over the line marking the space allowed.

Donna came up with an idea. Every 15 spaces or so is an area with a dumpster and a pay kiosk. If I drove on the sand between the kiosk and the seawall and then pulled up into the paved parking spot, I might be able to place the trailer in a position that cheats a little behind the dumpster.

It was a tight maneuver, but it worked. I wrote a check for space #16 for one night and placed it in the envelope at the kiosk. I only paid for one night in case we had trouble with our parking scheme.

Our cheater position

I unloaded Donna’s road bike and changed the front inner tube. By the time I was done pumping her tires, she was dressed and ready for a ride. She rode for about an hour while I walked the beach and watched the surfers.

The view south from our site

Donna relaxing after her bike ride

Last night we had a campfire on the sand. Donna made s’mores over the fire. We went to bed with the windows open. The sound of the surf crashing on the beach was soothing. Waking up to that sound was a pleasant way to start the day.

Surfers catching the last wave of the day

No one knocked on the door, so I guess we won’t have any grief over the way I’m parked here. I’ll write another check and we’ll stay overnight again. I’ve booked a month at the Mission Bay RV Resort in San Diego, starting tomorrow. We’ll head out early tomorrow and make the 180- mile drive there.

Yesterday was all about the drive. We had planned on a short drive to Morgan Hill, but decided that we should push on.

We were ready to hit the road a little after 10am. While I was posting to the blog, I watched our neighbors pull out. I jumped up and stepped out the door. I called out to them just as they were about to pass by – their TV antenna was still up. It probably wouldn’t have survived the first overpass!

We cruised south on US101. Before I knew it, we were in San Rafael. I wasn’t looking forward to a drive through the bay area. The traffic thickened quickly. Drivers made insane maneuvers in their cars. We crossed the San Rafael – Richmond Bridge. By this point, I was concerned about our fuel level.

I usually fuel up when we’re at half a tank or so. Pulling a rig this size into a gas station isn’t easy. Most of the time we’ll do a drive-by to look the station over and decide if we can get in and out of it. Getting out is the key. Many times pulling up to the pump isn’t an issue, but getting out might not be possible.

Once we were in the metro bay area, cruising down I-580 through Berkeley and Oakland, I didn’t want to exit the interstate. The streets in that area can be narrow and I wasn’t sure of what we would find. We didn’t see any gas stations near the off ramps.

We continued south. By the time we got to Milpitas, the gas gauge was rapidly falling to the red zone. We last gassed up in Brookings, Oregon. I couldn’t risk it any longer. Donna was checking Gas Buddy on her smart phone. I exited the freeway and she searched for gas on the GPS.

We found a station. I drove past it into a small industrial park. I saw a way I could get to a pump and exit. The road into the industrial park was a dead end. Oh no! Every business we passed had a small parking lot with only one way in or out. I really thought I’d been trapped with no way to turn around. But at the end of the road, there was a cul-de-sac and it was just wide enough for us to get turned around.

We haven’t had an issue finding gas before this. We always found a station large enough right on the highway. I was getting a little frazzled by it all. When we turned around and entered the station, it turned out to be tighter than I thought. I barely made it to the pump. Our tires were right up to the curb with only millimeters to spare.

I pumped 60 gallons into the tank. Turns out we weren’t in the dire situation I feared. The gas gauge must be pessimistic. We have a 75-gallon tank.

Once we got past that drama, I thought it would be easy going. South of Morgan Hill, the wind picked up. We were getting slammed with wind gusts from the west. I thought of my friend Jimbo. He was a long haul trucker and described his work as “hours of boredom, broken up by moments of sheer terror.”

As we continued south, the wind grew even stronger. It shifted and was now coming from the northeast. This was a partial tailwind. At times the road would change direction and we would have a direct cross wind. A couple of times, the intensity of the wind was so strong that I felt out of control. It was all I could do to stay in our lane.

When we pulled in to a rest area, the truck lanes were filled. Everyone driving a big rig needed a break! I pulled on through and parked along the side of the exit.

Donna made chicken salad wraps while I walked around and tried to relax. I’ve never been this tense while driving before. We got back on the road and drove about 10 miles to the RV Ranch outside of Paso Robles. The wind continued to blow until we went to bed.

This morning the air is still. We’ll head out soon. Our destination is the Rincon Parkway. It’s a county park on the old Pacific Coast Highway a few miles north of Ventura. There are RV spaces marked on the roadside, right on the beach. The cost is $27 for 24 hours. There are no facilities – rigs must be self contained. We will dry camp for a couple of days there.

I didn’t post yesterday. It was a travel day and we packed up early. Before I get ahead of myself, I must share Sunday night’s dinner.

Donna really outdid herself by preparing Prosciutto Wrapped Scallops! I gave them 5 minutes on the grill and then Donna plated them with steamed spinach and lemon vinaigrette. This was a gourmet treat!

Hot off the grill

Served with steamed spinach

Overall, Sunday was a great day. I hung around the TV and watched the San Diego Chargers play. It was a brilliant display of offense by both teams. In the the end, San Diego kicked the game-winning field goal. I don’t understand why Philadelphia called timeouts in the waning seconds of the game. It seemed to be an advantage for San Diego to do so.

We had tentative travel plans for Monday. We were thinking about moving about 250 miles south and dry camping at a casino. Donna had researched free overnight camping spots and this looked like it would work.

Before we left, I spent more time than usual flushing the black tank. The level sensors haven’t worked right since we first started using it. This is a common issue. Gunk builds up inside the tank and holds moisture on the sensors. When that happens, the sensors give false readings. We’ve never had a problem with the tank filling. We’ve gone up to five days without dumping. Having the sensors work right would be reassuring though.

The drive down US101 south from Crescent City was spectacular. We drove through redwood forests. At times the road was very narrow with giant redwoods lining the edge of the highway. The road surface was poor in  some places, smooth in others.

We stopped in Eureka and ate lunch at the Lost Coast Brewery. I would’ve liked to sample some of the beer, but we still had a long drive ahead.

Back on the road, we made travel plans on the fly. Donna was working her smart phone and found an RV park at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. This RV park was a Passport America affiliate. With our membership, we could have a full hookup, 50 amp site for $17.50. I was thinking, “Yes, Monday Night Football!”

It turned out to be a long day of driving. We covered 309 miles and arrived a little after 5pm. To my dismay, the full hookup didn’t include cable TV. I tried to use our antenna for over-the-air broadcast, but I couldn’t get the game.

We took advantage of Donna’s T-Mobile unlimited data plan and used her Samsung Galaxy as a hotspot. I downloaded the last Moto GP race and watched that instead.

When we set up last night, the temperature was 84 degrees. This morning the numbers are inverted – it’s 48 degrees out as I type this. The skies are clear and blue. I think the day will warm up quickly.

Today we’ll move about 120 miles south to Morgan Hill. We’ll meet up with Donna’s friend Kathy Palmer. She’s a full time RVer. I’m not looking forward to the trip across San Francisco, but the short mileage today should make it easier to take.

Yesterday was overcast and a bit blustery. The wind carried a stray raindrop here and there.

Donna was busy working on her book. I rode the scooter into Crescent City and toured the area. There’s a large park on the south end of town on the bay. The coastal road going north from there is a mix of private residences and public beach access.

West of the park, at the foot of A street is the Battery Point Lighthouse. This is an active lighthouse, first commissioned in 1856. It’s also an active residence with a lighthouse keeper. They offer tours and there were many people there. The parking lot was full. I didn’t take the tour. I wonder how the lighthouse keeper can go about daily life with people touring the place.

Battery Point Lighthouse

The lighthouse can only be accessed by foot during low tide. Wave action can cover the 200 foot path to the lighthouse at any time! The lighthouse is open for tours April through September, Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm (tides permitting).

Moving north on the coastal road, I turned out at a beach access point. I found a sign there describing the St. George Lighthouse. The sign had an  arrow pointing to a rock on the horizon where the lighthouse is located. It’s six miles out to sea on Dragon Rocks. It marks the western edge of St. George reef.

Arrow points to Dragon Rocks and St George Lighthouse six miles offshore

Construction began in 1882 and it took 10 years to complete. It was the least desirable assignment of all the lighthouses on the west coast. The lighthouse keepers would be out on the rock for a three-month stint followed by two months off with their families in Crescent City. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1975.

I stopped at several access points as I rode northward. The rocky beach became sandy. Near St. George Point there were surfers riding the shore break. I imagine it must have been cold, even with wetsuits.

After I returned, Donna and I hiked the woods around the campground. At the east end of the property, we heard a band practicing in a small house on the edge of the woods. I didn’t recognize the songs. They were jamming in what I would call Seattle grunge style.

We decided to extend our stay here until tomorrow. I’ll watch the NFL action on TV and hang out today.

Thursday morning we decided to move on. Cape Blanco is a beautiful place, but we felt like we should continue our exploration.

The drive south on US101 rewarded us with spectacular views. It was a fairly easy drive, a few hills and a few twisty bits, but overall not too taxing. The biggest challenge for me were the bicyclists. This is obviously a popular bicycle touring route. The road is narrow in many places. Although I haven’t ridden much since we moved to Michigan, I’ve been a bicyclist most of my adult life. I try to give bicycle riders a fair share of the road with a minimum of three feet of separation from my vehicle.

On areas of US101 with little or no shoulder, the three feet of separation wasn’t possible. At one point I followed a bicycle at 25 mph on a twisty downhill with cars lining up behind me. There wasn’t an opportunity to safely pass, so I just followed. Eventually I pulled into a turnout and watched other drivers make dangerous moves to get past the bicycle rider.

Before we crossed the California border, I topped up our gas tank in Brookings. I knew gas would be more expensive in California. It’s about  30 cents per gallon higher!

It was a short day on the road. We arrived at the KOA a few miles north of Crescent City, California a little after 2pm. It’s a nice campground, surrounded by redwood forest. We have full hookups with 50 amp service and cable TV. We took advantage of the KOA promotion offering a free Saturday night if you stay on Friday the 13th. So, we’re here for three nights. I’m tempted to extend a day so I can catch the NFL games on Sunday though.

Yesterday the campground owner, Kevin, advised us of the best tour of the giant redwoods in the area. We rode the scooter through Crescent City, stopping at the post office along the way to mail a few items. From the south side of town, we followed Howland Hill Road and entered the Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park.

The gravel road through the park winds its way uphill into the forest. The road is narrow and you have to be alert for oncoming traffic. At some points, the road passes between giant redwood trees where it’s barely wide enough for a car to get through. As we were heading out of the park, we saw a Cruise America rental RV coming in. I wonder how they made out.

Giant tree on the roadside

Deadfall on the roadside

The rest of the deadfall on the other side of the road

We hiked the Nickerson Ranch – Mill Creek Loop. This trail took us into an old growth redwood forest. We crossed a bridge over the creek and stopped to eat our lunch. Donna made chicken salad wraps and we had fresh plums for dessert.

Some of the trees were astounding. The hike had a kind of eerie feel to it. I was reminded of the “Ents” from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. We kept stopping and posing for pictures at the base of the larger trees. Eventually the novelty wore off. There were so many ancient giants.

We passed a few other hikers on the trail, but we were alone most of time. At one point I spotted a banana slug crossing the trail. It was a bright yellow specimen. Sometimes they’re spotted or even brown in color. They can move at speeds of up to six inches per minute! The banana slug is the mascot of the University of California, Santa Cruz. John Travolta wore a UC Santa Cruz banana slug T-shirt in the movie Pulp Fiction.

Banana slug crossing the trail

The vast forest of giants becomes mind numbing. Everything is on a different scale. The hike took us back along the creek, past a swimming hole and out to the road about a half mile down from where we parked. The total distance was just over two miles.

We continued on the scooter through the park. The dirt road is about seven miles long. We exited the park and followed the Smith River to Highway 199. I drove across this highway with my daughter, Shauna, about ten years ago. It’s a twisty road that goes from US101 on the California coast to Grants Pass, Oregon. When we came through here that time, we saw elk on the roadside.

After we returned, Donna crossed a few things off her to-do list. She also researched our travel plans. We’ll continue south on US101, eventually landing in San Diego. We plan to stay there for a few months.

When we visited Jimbo and Cindy in Idaho, they gifted us with elk steaks. The steaks were cut from the backstrap, the best cut. A butcher would call this cut filet mignon! I grilled them for dinner with sauteed onions, sweet potato and white corn on the cob. Top shelf!

Elk steak dinner

Donna will be working on her book today. She has a deadline looming. I have no plans at all. We’ll see what the day brings.