Well here it is ... almost a week since my last entry - I am waay behind! But I have several good excuses - #1 excuse is we have been waay busy.
After returning to San Leandro last Friday we spent the weekend helping Decky and Jamie with Derek as before and then started preparing for their trip back to Redding. Thanks to some really fantastic people in Redding, Decky and family were able to line up some handicap accessible temporary living facilities while their house is being modified. So while all that was being arranged - we started loading "stuff" in the motorhome and car to prepare for the trip home. To make a long story somewhat short -- we loaded enough clothes, gifts, and medical supplies to pretty much fill up the Vue and filled even more space in the motorhome before we all set sail for Redding yesterday. Derek and Decky made the trip (about 200 miles) in a critical care ambulance while Peggy, Jamie, and I drove up in the motorhome pulling the Vue (which was pretending to be a storage trailer). Along the way we met up with my mom (Nan) who had driven to Red Bluff from near Carson City, NV. So all four of us made the final leg of the trip to Redding to find Derek's temporary home ... which was no easy trick. We ended up driving about 8 miles out of town on a curvey road into the foothills with few homes in sight and few places to turn around if we got lost. We did manage to find the place and get all of Derek's stuff unloaded and get the rig setup barely before dark.
It has been a real busy day here today getting Derek transistioned to his new surroundings while getting all the home care stuff set up. One thing I have learned to appreciate in the last month is how much work goes into caring for a patient with all Derek's needs.!!
We are "boondocking" here at our present location. We don't operate too often using only onboard resources (no external water or power hookups) so that makes life a little interesting - especially since we are presently hosting a couple of other guests (Jamie and Nan). So far - so good. I expect we will stay here at least another full day supporting Decky until her home nursing assistance gets setup and working so we will probably not leave until Saturday.
Until then - we'll keep doing what we need to do and hope all of ya'll are doing well.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 23, 2009
Searching for Ancestors in Gold Country
Peggy and I left San Leandro yesterday morning, survived the bay area traffic once again, and made a relatively leisurely drive across the Central Valley, through Sacramento, and into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Range to Shingle Springs - just south of Placerville. We are staying at a KOA right off Highway 50 in some really beautiful rolling hills and we decided to just take it easy the rest of the day.
After a pretty good night's sleep (with no trains to wake us up!) we finished our morning routine and set out around 10:00 AM to see what sights we could see.
We started out by taking a nice drive further into the foothills to Coloma - the site of John Marshall's discovery of gold in California in 1848. In the late 1840's a man named John Sutter had convinced the Spanish govenment leaders in California to grant him a large land grant and he built a trading post in what is now Sacramento. He decided he needed some lumber to enhance his trading business so he hired a carpenter named John Marshall to build a water powered sawmill on the South Fork of the American River to saw some of the local timber. After getting the sawmill operational - Marshall and his men were digging a deeper tailrace (to return the water to the river) and lo-and-behold they found some bright shiny stuff in the gravel that turned out to change the course of history for California and several thousand folks throughout the world - Gold.
The site of gold discovery is in a beautiful area that has been made a state park (the governator hasn't closed it yet!) and contains a reproduction of the sawmill built by Marshall as well as a pretty informative museum. After walking down to the river, staking our claim, and trying my "hand" at looking for gold - we drove across the bridge built in 1915 to check out an RV Park on the other side of the river. We may have to try this spot sometime in the future - if we do we will have to bring along a couple of mining pans and test our luck. On the way back we spotted a couple of claim jumpers at our claim site but we decided the claim was probably payed out anyway so we left them alone.
After leaving Coloma we drove northwest through the very small town of Pilot Hill and Cool to the even smaller town of Greenwood. From my previous genealogy research I found that my great-great-grandfather Felici (Felix) Ricci was a true 49er and was one of the early settlers Greenwood and the surrounding area in the early 1850s. Peggy and I found the one-room schoolhouse where my grandmother attended school and also found one of the main streets in town named after my GGGrandfather - Ricci Road. We also managed to find the local "Pioneer Cemetery" where several of my ancestors are laid to rest. We found the Ricci Plot containing the remains of Felici Ricci, his wife Eliza DeLeat, her previous husband Henry DeLeat, and several of their children including Frances DeLeat, Peter Ricci, Paul Ricci, Rinaldo Roy Ricci, and Ethel Rae Ricci. Ah yes - a beautiful day wandering around an old cemetery looking for ancestors.
After leaving Greenwood we traveled through the old mining towns of Georgetown and Garden Valley on our way back to Placerville.
Just south of Placerville, and on our way back to Shingle Springs, we drove through another old mining town called El Dorado - a fitting name don't cha think? El Dorado is also famous for being the site of Poor Red's Bar and Grill. I had never been to Poor Red's but I remember the stories told by my mom and dad, who along with Peggy's mom and dad, made the trip from Sacramento for a night out at Poor Red's. The bar is basically just that - a bar in a small town. It seems that a fellow named Red along with his wife Opal bought this bar in the mid 1940's and it became a favorite spot for a lot of folks in the 1950s and 1960s. It is famous for creating its specialty drink - the golden cadillac. Since it was far past lunch and close enough to dinner we decided to check out the fare at Poor Red's. I had the BBQ ribs and Peggy had a Chef Salad. Neither of us was brave enough to attempt a golden cadillac but I did try a couple of Fat Tire beers on tap. I think the bartender there has been there since the 1950s and has certainly made his share of the house special drink - including several for other patrons while we were there. OK - that's one more off my bucket list - linner at Poor Red's in El Dorado, CA.
After finishing linner at Poor Red's we headed back to the rig for a quiet evening in gold country.
Tomorrow we will be leaving here and heading back to San Leandro/Oakland where we hope to help with the final preps to spring Derek from the hospital and get him on his way back home to Redding.
Stay tuned - more adventures to follow ...
Monday, October 19, 2009
Plans
It has been almost a week since my last entry so I suppose I better get caught up! We have spent most of the past week doing small chores here around the rig/park in San Leandro in the mornings and spending our afternoons at the hospital in Oakland visiting with Derek and Decky. It looks like Derek may be getting released from the hospital next week on Wednesday the 28th but we need a few things to fall in place back home in Redding. Decky and her husband Dillon's home is not yet handicap accessible and it needs some major modifications to be able to support Derek for the foreseeable future. Fortunately, their family is receiving great support from several folks in Redding (and elsewhere) and it looks like a temporary facility will be available while their home is being modified. Hopefully it will all work out and he can go home next week!
As for us ... we have a busy week planned and as always, the plans are "evolving" as we speak. Tomorrow we will drive the Vue to somewhere yet to be determined in Sacramento to pick up my sister Jamie and bring her back to Oakland. It looks like we may also be picking up Kiki (the Foreign Exchange Student that lived with Jamie & Ernie last school year) and bringing her here as well. That part is still a bit up in the air since Kiki wants to see Derek but is not yet 18 and the hospital rules have changed with the H1N1 pandemic and kids under 18 cannot visit the Children's Hospital (They can be patients - not visitors). We''ll have to wait and see how that works out.
Then on Wednesday we will be leaving the park here in San Leandro and our plan is to drive about 120 miles east to Placerville (previously known as "Hangtown.") where we will stay for a couple of nights. We also hope to have my mom (Nan) come and stay with us while we are there - and that will require my sister Marcie driving Nan from Minden, NV where she is visiting.
After the few days in Placerville we plan on coming back here to San Leandro/Oakland for what we hope will be Derek's last week before he heads home.
Assuming that all works out ... and I'm sure some version of it will ... we plan on taking a deep breath and then starting our trek home. We have decided (at least for now) that we would like to be home around the 23rd - just before Thanksgiving. Our initial return home route is planned to take us down through the San Joaquin Valley where we will intersect with I-40 and head east to the Grand Canyon for a quick visit ... then south through Phoenix, Tucson, and Benson in Arizona and across I-10 into New Mexico and then into Texas where we hope to visit San Antonio for a day or so. From the Alamo we are sorta planning a northeast path up through Little Rock, AR, Memphis, TN, Nashville, TN, and then over to Knoxville, TN before heading up to the real cold country on I-81 through VA, MD, PA and perhaps over to NJ to see Brian and the gang before finishing up the trip back to Maine. We noted that it was snowing in Foxboro, MA during the Patriots game yesterday so I guess we know what to expect when we return.
But return we will!!
As for us ... we have a busy week planned and as always, the plans are "evolving" as we speak. Tomorrow we will drive the Vue to somewhere yet to be determined in Sacramento to pick up my sister Jamie and bring her back to Oakland. It looks like we may also be picking up Kiki (the Foreign Exchange Student that lived with Jamie & Ernie last school year) and bringing her here as well. That part is still a bit up in the air since Kiki wants to see Derek but is not yet 18 and the hospital rules have changed with the H1N1 pandemic and kids under 18 cannot visit the Children's Hospital (They can be patients - not visitors). We''ll have to wait and see how that works out.
Then on Wednesday we will be leaving the park here in San Leandro and our plan is to drive about 120 miles east to Placerville (previously known as "Hangtown.") where we will stay for a couple of nights. We also hope to have my mom (Nan) come and stay with us while we are there - and that will require my sister Marcie driving Nan from Minden, NV where she is visiting.
After the few days in Placerville we plan on coming back here to San Leandro/Oakland for what we hope will be Derek's last week before he heads home.
Assuming that all works out ... and I'm sure some version of it will ... we plan on taking a deep breath and then starting our trek home. We have decided (at least for now) that we would like to be home around the 23rd - just before Thanksgiving. Our initial return home route is planned to take us down through the San Joaquin Valley where we will intersect with I-40 and head east to the Grand Canyon for a quick visit ... then south through Phoenix, Tucson, and Benson in Arizona and across I-10 into New Mexico and then into Texas where we hope to visit San Antonio for a day or so. From the Alamo we are sorta planning a northeast path up through Little Rock, AR, Memphis, TN, Nashville, TN, and then over to Knoxville, TN before heading up to the real cold country on I-81 through VA, MD, PA and perhaps over to NJ to see Brian and the gang before finishing up the trip back to Maine. We noted that it was snowing in Foxboro, MA during the Patriots game yesterday so I guess we know what to expect when we return.
But return we will!!
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Earth(quakes), Wind, and Fire
Peggy and I have been here in the "Bay Area" now for two weeks. My how time flies when you are busy.
My sister Jamie has been down here almost continually for three months supporting her daughter Decky and grandson Derek in his post surgery rehab. So it's no wonder that she needed a break and a trip back home to Yreka to rescue Ernie from having to feed himself and to get ready for visitors from Germany. The exchange student they hosted last school year, Kiki, and her parents arrived in the US last week and will be visiting in Yreka this weekend. Well the plan was for Peggy and I to drive Jamie up to Red Bluff (about 200 miles from here) on Tuesday and transfer Jamie to a friend - who would then drive her up to Mt. Shasta and transfer her to Ernie for the trip home - just like the Pony Express! Good plan ... but it needed some modification when we saw the weather report on Monday that called for heavy rains and strong winds for pretty much all of central and northern California for Tuesday. It seems the west coast was to get hit by the remnants of some distant super-cyclone (I think that's like a hurricane for us east coasters). So after we woke up on Monday - we decided on short notice to head north. The drive to Red Bluff was pretty uneventful except for the heavy smoke up in the valley where they were burning crop stubble. I know that a large portion of the nations food supply comes from the rich soil in the Central Valley of California - and I know that the farmers burn the crop remnants after a harvest to richen the soil, but man does it smoke up the valley when they do. So Peggy and I transferred our cargo in Red Bluff and made the trip back here to Oakland - with a stop at Camping World in Vacaville to purchase a couple of RV related items in between. Peggy and I will act as Decky's back-up for the next week until Jamie's return.
And it was a good thing we made that trip on Monday because it was some miserable weather-wise here yesterday! The winds were up around 40 mph at times and we got about 3 or so inches of rain. That would not have been fun to drive 400 miles in! As it was was - my other sister Marcie and her husband Don drove down here from Nevada yesterday in that mess. They have some business nearby in Santa Clara this weekend and they stopped by to see Derek yesterday afternoon. So we played some cards with Derek (he continues to win!) and then Marcie and Don and Peggy and I had dinner at La Pinata - the pretty good local Mexican restaraunt.
Oh yeah - and to top it off I hear that we had an earthquake here last evening (neither of us felt it although the center was pretty close to here?). "Only" a 3.8! ... and near the 20th anniversary of the relatively big one they had here on October 17, 1989 (the "Loma Prieta" earthquake which was a 7.1 magnitude). Ah the peace and tranquility of the Golden State!
Like I said - time has been flying by!
Today the weather is much nicer and the sun is back out. Peggy and I have to leave this RV Park for a few nights next week (Park rules unless you go through a background check and pay a deposit - I assume they are trying to avoid California laws limiting their ability to evict deadbeat tenants) so I think we may checkout a nearby state park to see if it will work for a short stay next week - before we head over to the hospital for our daily visit.
Meanwhile ... we keep watching time fly.
My sister Jamie has been down here almost continually for three months supporting her daughter Decky and grandson Derek in his post surgery rehab. So it's no wonder that she needed a break and a trip back home to Yreka to rescue Ernie from having to feed himself and to get ready for visitors from Germany. The exchange student they hosted last school year, Kiki, and her parents arrived in the US last week and will be visiting in Yreka this weekend. Well the plan was for Peggy and I to drive Jamie up to Red Bluff (about 200 miles from here) on Tuesday and transfer Jamie to a friend - who would then drive her up to Mt. Shasta and transfer her to Ernie for the trip home - just like the Pony Express! Good plan ... but it needed some modification when we saw the weather report on Monday that called for heavy rains and strong winds for pretty much all of central and northern California for Tuesday. It seems the west coast was to get hit by the remnants of some distant super-cyclone (I think that's like a hurricane for us east coasters). So after we woke up on Monday - we decided on short notice to head north. The drive to Red Bluff was pretty uneventful except for the heavy smoke up in the valley where they were burning crop stubble. I know that a large portion of the nations food supply comes from the rich soil in the Central Valley of California - and I know that the farmers burn the crop remnants after a harvest to richen the soil, but man does it smoke up the valley when they do. So Peggy and I transferred our cargo in Red Bluff and made the trip back here to Oakland - with a stop at Camping World in Vacaville to purchase a couple of RV related items in between. Peggy and I will act as Decky's back-up for the next week until Jamie's return.
And it was a good thing we made that trip on Monday because it was some miserable weather-wise here yesterday! The winds were up around 40 mph at times and we got about 3 or so inches of rain. That would not have been fun to drive 400 miles in! As it was was - my other sister Marcie and her husband Don drove down here from Nevada yesterday in that mess. They have some business nearby in Santa Clara this weekend and they stopped by to see Derek yesterday afternoon. So we played some cards with Derek (he continues to win!) and then Marcie and Don and Peggy and I had dinner at La Pinata - the pretty good local Mexican restaraunt.
Oh yeah - and to top it off I hear that we had an earthquake here last evening (neither of us felt it although the center was pretty close to here?). "Only" a 3.8! ... and near the 20th anniversary of the relatively big one they had here on October 17, 1989 (the "Loma Prieta" earthquake which was a 7.1 magnitude). Ah the peace and tranquility of the Golden State!
Like I said - time has been flying by!
Today the weather is much nicer and the sun is back out. Peggy and I have to leave this RV Park for a few nights next week (Park rules unless you go through a background check and pay a deposit - I assume they are trying to avoid California laws limiting their ability to evict deadbeat tenants) so I think we may checkout a nearby state park to see if it will work for a short stay next week - before we head over to the hospital for our daily visit.
Meanwhile ... we keep watching time fly.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Sacramento Visit
We continue to stay pretty busy here in the SF Bay Area. Between our normal chores here in the RV and hospital visits to see Derek and support Jamie and Decky we manage to stay out of too much trouble. Derek continues to progress slowly, continues to win my money playing poker and blackjack, and has graduated to beating Jamie and Peggy at Bunco. I haven't tried Bunco yet - maybe today.
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Yesterday (Saturday) Peggy and I drove to Sacramento to visit with her sisters (All but Carol - we'll meet up with her at a later date), nieces, nephews, and especially to meet the newest family members - Jaden and Scarlett - both are really cute and really small. When you aren't around newborns much you (me) tend to forget how small, fragile, and innocent they start out - then we grow up! Anyway - you can see from the picture my favorite part of being around a newborn - they make great nap partners! The rest of the visit was pretty typical for a Durham clan gathering - lots of good food, kids having fun, adults gabbing and laughing - priceless.
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We left Sacramento and drove back to San Leandro around 5:30 PM or so ... but not before stopping at Jimboys - my favorite taco joint. Man are those tacos good! When I was a poor college student there in the late 60s I remember getting 5 tacos for a dollar ... I sure would like to get that deal today!
Yesterday (Saturday) Peggy and I drove to Sacramento to visit with her sisters (All but Carol - we'll meet up with her at a later date), nieces, nephews, and especially to meet the newest family members - Jaden and Scarlett - both are really cute and really small. When you aren't around newborns much you (me) tend to forget how small, fragile, and innocent they start out - then we grow up! Anyway - you can see from the picture my favorite part of being around a newborn - they make great nap partners! The rest of the visit was pretty typical for a Durham clan gathering - lots of good food, kids having fun, adults gabbing and laughing - priceless.
We left Sacramento and drove back to San Leandro around 5:30 PM or so ... but not before stopping at Jimboys - my favorite taco joint. Man are those tacos good! When I was a poor college student there in the late 60s I remember getting 5 tacos for a dollar ... I sure would like to get that deal today!
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Losing $$ in Oakland
Well I raised the stakes - but I'm falling further behind! I even tried changing games to Texas Hold 'Em but Derek keeps winning.
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Peggy and I have spent the last couple of days taking care of chores like doing a little grocery shopping, doing some laundry, washing 3400 miles of dirt off the rig and the car, and stuff like that. We have also been active in our hospital support role by preparing some meals for Decky/Jamie and spending our afternoons at the hospital with Derek/Decky/Jamie. Decky has completed enough of her training and yesterday we got to take Derek out of his room and down to the cafeteria without a nurse or respiratory therapist (RT). Considering that Derek is still on a ventilator and was also hooked up to a feeding tube at the time - it was a pretty great accomplishment. We all pitched in and managed to get Derek and all his gadgets down a couple of stories and back up again with no major issues. Derek is pretty busy every day with his therapies and is gaining capabilities very slowly but I think steadily. Everybody is hopeful he may be able to leave here and head back home to Redding around the end of the month. Today he is scheduled for a CAT scan to check how is left lung is doing. All thoughts and prayers for a good result are appreciated.
It's hard to believe but we have been here in San Leandro for a week already. We have been so busy with our support activities and our Anniversary jaunt to SF - I have been delinquent in getting the oh-so-important mid-trip statistics published! So here goes ...
Miles traveled from Topsham to San Leandro - 3,400 (Pretty close to Coast-To-Coast)
Travel Days - 11
Back-To-Back travel days - 11 (Peggy really doesn't like that part!)
Gallons of Gas - 477 Gallons
Average Gas Price/Gallon - $2.54 (Waaay better than last year's trip @ $3.74/Gallon)
Cheapest Gas - $2.37 per gallon in Clive, IA
Most Expensive Gas - $2.77 in Winnemucca, NV (But I haven't had to fill up (the Winny) in CA - Gas is closer to $3.00 / gallon here in the bay area.
Hours of Motorhome Breakdown - 0 (I like this part the best - the Winnebago chassis/drivetrain has performed super so far this trip. We have had a few minor issues like leveling jacks that didn't want to work right, a couch that didn't want to fold down to a bed correctly, and a fresh water leak that needed repair - but those things were all able to be corrected with no $$ and little hassle. If you're going to be an RV'er you need to carry a few tools and have some "handyman" skills.
We hope everbody is having a great day - Happy 3rd Anniversary Eric & Jen !!!
Peggy and I have spent the last couple of days taking care of chores like doing a little grocery shopping, doing some laundry, washing 3400 miles of dirt off the rig and the car, and stuff like that. We have also been active in our hospital support role by preparing some meals for Decky/Jamie and spending our afternoons at the hospital with Derek/Decky/Jamie. Decky has completed enough of her training and yesterday we got to take Derek out of his room and down to the cafeteria without a nurse or respiratory therapist (RT). Considering that Derek is still on a ventilator and was also hooked up to a feeding tube at the time - it was a pretty great accomplishment. We all pitched in and managed to get Derek and all his gadgets down a couple of stories and back up again with no major issues. Derek is pretty busy every day with his therapies and is gaining capabilities very slowly but I think steadily. Everybody is hopeful he may be able to leave here and head back home to Redding around the end of the month. Today he is scheduled for a CAT scan to check how is left lung is doing. All thoughts and prayers for a good result are appreciated.
It's hard to believe but we have been here in San Leandro for a week already. We have been so busy with our support activities and our Anniversary jaunt to SF - I have been delinquent in getting the oh-so-important mid-trip statistics published! So here goes ...
Miles traveled from Topsham to San Leandro - 3,400 (Pretty close to Coast-To-Coast)
Travel Days - 11
Back-To-Back travel days - 11 (Peggy really doesn't like that part!)
Gallons of Gas - 477 Gallons
Average Gas Price/Gallon - $2.54 (Waaay better than last year's trip @ $3.74/Gallon)
Cheapest Gas - $2.37 per gallon in Clive, IA
Most Expensive Gas - $2.77 in Winnemucca, NV (But I haven't had to fill up (the Winny) in CA - Gas is closer to $3.00 / gallon here in the bay area.
Hours of Motorhome Breakdown - 0 (I like this part the best - the Winnebago chassis/drivetrain has performed super so far this trip. We have had a few minor issues like leveling jacks that didn't want to work right, a couch that didn't want to fold down to a bed correctly, and a fresh water leak that needed repair - but those things were all able to be corrected with no $$ and little hassle. If you're going to be an RV'er you need to carry a few tools and have some "handyman" skills.
We hope everbody is having a great day - Happy 3rd Anniversary Eric & Jen !!!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Thirty Nine Years
Since we happen to be in the bay area on our anniversary - we decided to kind of re-create our honeymoon. After a leisurely morning we drove over to the Children's Hospital, dropped off Jamie and then headed over the SF-Oakland Bay Bridge to the city by the bay. The Bay Bridge was really jammed with traffic on the Oakland side but we finally managed to make it over, found Embarcadero Drive, and drove right down to Fisherman's Warf. Although it was really crowded down there - we managed to find a parking place nearby and within minutes we were walking on the warf area past the vendors selling freshly steamed crab and freshly baked sourdough bread. We walked straight to the Fisherman's Grotto restaraunt and were soon enjoying our "second honeymoon" lunch. I don't think they have changed anything about the place in the past 50 or so years. We had pretty much the same thing we had 39 years ago. Clam chowder (really yummy), shrimp and crab cocktail (even yummier), and then we shared a whole steamed and cracked crab. Together with the fantastic fresh baked sourdough bread, a martini for me (well - maybe two) and some chardonay for Peggy - it made for a fantastic lunch with a fantastic partner. We'll worry about how to pay the bill later - the prices have gone up in the past 39 years!
After lunch we walked a bit in the Warf area - checking out the street vendors, visiting a free museum that had lots of coin operated games from the 1800s right up to some of the more modern, but antiquated, pin ball machines and early video games. You can see from the picture how Peggy and I fared after putting a quarter in the Test Your Kiss machine.
After walking by a moored WWII submarine and a 1943 version Liberty Ship (just like my Dad was on) we visited the local Sourdough Bread Factory and picked up a few loaves. Eric/Jen and Stacy/Kaj may get some when we return - or we may have to eat it all ourselves on the trip back home - after-all it is a long drive.
We had a great anniversary day yesterday. Here's to another 39 years!!
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Visiting in the Bay Area
Today is our third full day here in the San Francisco area. We are actually on the other side of the bay in San Leandro which is just south of Oakland. We have spent most of our time these first few days visiting with Derek - our grand nephew (I think that's the right term) who is recovering from surgery in the Children's Hospital Oakland, Niece Decky, and my sister Jamie. Derek is a busy boy with all the therapy he is receiving - respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy - and seems to be improving - it's a slow process but he appears to be gaining a little each day. So far Peggy and I are official game players and so far our only game has been Blackjack. Derek likes to play cards and I think he is in training to be a card shark. I think I'm down about 13 cents so far at a penny a hand - but I think we'll raise the stakes today and see if I can catch up!
Sister Jamie has been staying in the Family House (lodging provided through the hospital) but last night she stayed with us in the motorhome. She seemed to survive OK - in spite of the train and airplane noises.
Today we plan on more of the same. I think I will try and get some cleaning done on the rig and we'll head over to the hospital later this afternoon.
Tomorrow is Peggy and my 39th wedding anniversary. Perhaps we'll try and do something special. Ya'll will have to wait and see how that works out.
Sister Jamie has been staying in the Family House (lodging provided through the hospital) but last night she stayed with us in the motorhome. She seemed to survive OK - in spite of the train and airplane noises.
Today we plan on more of the same. I think I will try and get some cleaning done on the rig and we'll head over to the hospital later this afternoon.
Tomorrow is Peggy and my 39th wedding anniversary. Perhaps we'll try and do something special. Ya'll will have to wait and see how that works out.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Interesting Driving Here In The West
As is typical - I am several days behind in updating this blog after arriving at our destination here in San Leandro, California. Let me see if I can bring you all up to date on our last few days ...
On Tuesday we drove about 200 miles from Winnemucca, NV to Minden, NV to my Sister Marcie's place. The first 140 miles or so were pretty uneventful - we traveled along I-80 to Fernley, NV into a pretty brisk wind of about 30 MPH - but it was a pretty steady wind coming right at us and not a big driving problem. Then we turned south and that started about the worse 60 miles of driving I had experienced in a long time. First of all the winds picked up to about 40 MPH and were broadside to the rig making driving a true white knuckle experience. Then we turned west again and not only were we faced with a now quartering 40 MPH wind - I also got to experience my first real wind driven dust/sand storm. Let's just say it wasn't fun - but we managed to survive and made it to Minden unscathed. Marcie and Don treated us and their daughter Carin and her son Zach to a nice dinner at Bodines - a local casino with a pretty nice restaraunt. Fortunately the wind died down in the late afternoon.
After a great evening visit with the Redekers and an even better breakfast in the AM at the Redeker Ranch - Peggy and I hit the road again on Wednesday morning to finish our trip west. But once again - the final leg of the trip would not be without it's special moments. We left Minden and drove north on Highway 395 to Reno where we merged with I-80 again and headed west over the Sierra Nevada Mountains. That's where the fun began. It seems both the Nevada DOT and Caltrans (the California DOT) are doing a lot of roadwork on I-80 over the Sierras. Before we left Nevada I noticed a sign stating that loads over 9' wide were not permitted any further on I-80. As I recalled - our motorhome was about 8'6" wide in general and about 9'6" wide if you count the mirrors ... so I decided to pull off at the next exit and take a few confirming measurements. Yup - 8'6" alright. We noted that some big-rig trucks were still heading west on I-80 so I figured I could too ... and off we went.
About 3 miles down the road we found out why loads over 9 ' were prohibited. The DOT was doing some road reconstruction and had I-80 - both east and west bound down to one lane in either direction with the lanes defined on both sides by concrete barriers - right about 9' apart. Yikes !! Believe me - you haven't lived until you have driven an 8'6" rig through a 9' wide winding mountain road with concrete on both sides at about 50 MPH. With Peggy watching one side, me watching the other - aiming for the middle and devine intervention - we made it through this 3-4 mile gauntlet without any new scrapes. Whew!! After surving that few miles the other stretches of construction zones with barriers on one side and barrells/cones on the other were pieces of cake in comparison.
So we completed our drive through the Sierras - drove through the central valley region of California near Sacramento - and then found ourselves in the Oakland area of the San Franciso Bay region around 3:00 PM. Needless to say the traffic became pretty intense and the highways became pretty numerous and confusing. Since we had little experience driving in this area I had to rely on our GPS ("Lola"). In spite of all the challenges - we found our destination here in San Leandro and pulled into the Sandev Mobile Home and RV Park around 3:30 PM. Considering how close we are to San Fransisco (known locally as "The City" but never as "Frisco") the park here is a pretty nice place with only the very close railroad tracks and the associated trains with loud horns as a detractor.
Over the next several days we plan on getting into some sort of routine here in Cali. I'll try to get back into some sort of routine in updating this blog ... including the highly anticipated mid-trip statistics that I will try to include with the next entry. Until then - we hope everybody is doing well and staying safe!
After settling in here in San Leandro - we drove up to Oakland to visit Derek, Sister Jamie, and Neice Decky for a few hours.
Today we visited the hospital gang again and learned a lot about what Derek has to put up with everyday. Alot of therapy and incremental improvements - but his spirits appear pretty good and we we'll hope and pray for daily improvements.
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