Driving North Over Mountains & Through Valleys To Bradley, CA

Shh….very quietly, we got up at 6AM this morning & left Moreno Valley by 6:30 to head towards Monterey, CA.  We hooked up Saturday night because we wanted to make certain we did NOT run into any of the infamous Los Angeles traffic.  We woke up to fog and a bit cooler temperatures.  So we didn’t get a very good view of some the surrounding mountains.  Of course it is cooler on the day we leave instead of the record highs we had! Even at 7AM on a Sunday morning, there was right much traffic. Where were all these people going so early!?  Looks like some old car collectors were out for a road trip! We drove almost 80 miles through the ‘concrete jungle’ before FINALLY getting out into open country through the San Gabriel Mountains 

  

The fog had lifted & it was a beautiful day. We are just so glad to be leaving southern CA!  I just love being able to see mountains again!

 

But we knew the route we were taking was going to take us over the famous ‘Grapevine’ through the Tehachapi Mountains.  We had been over the Grapevine in 2004. Gosh, that was 10 years ago! The Grapevine is a constant 6% grade up for about 5 miles and then a constant 6% grade for 5 miles down!  Good thing we have the exhaust brake on the truck! (Didn’t have it on the old truck & I do remember the white knuckle drive!)  Handled going up like a breeze!  The Tehachapis form a geographic, watershed , and rain shadow divide separating the San Joaquin Valley to the northwest and the Mojave Desert to the southeast. The Tehachapis' crest varies in height from approximately 4,000–8,000 feet and they are southeast of Bakersfield, CA.  Up we go!  It was very scenic after spending so much time in the desert and I was just clicking away with the camera. 

 

  

The Grapevine canyon was named after native grapevines.  It is one stretch of highway known to overheat trucks. It's located along I-5 in Southern California and links the southern part of the state with the San Joaquin Valley to the north. Varying 6 percent (or more) grades are faced when heading north on the 40-mile pass. Thanks to the utilization and freshening up of an existing highway, the southbound descent on the Grapevine drops traffic into the Los Angeles basin in a safer manner. This was done to reduce the number of runaway trucks as much as possible. With summer temperatures averaging in the mid-to-high 90s, it's definitely a pass that can lead to roadside meltdowns. Winter snowfall has been known to shut down this section of highway as well.

Since we got up so early, we decided to stop and fix breakfast further down the road.  So we stopped at the rest area at the top of the Grapevine.  It was really pretty up there!  It was sunny, 56 degrees, and breezy.  The perfect spot to have breakfast with a view!

Well, “what goes up, must come down”!  Got the tow mode on in the truck?  Got the exhaust brake engaged?  All secure?  Let’s go for it!  It was just as pretty going down as it was going up and we had no problems.  Shucks, we have done a 14% down hill  grade in Utah so this was like going over ant hills!  There was a view of the valley as we came down and entered the San Joaquin Valley.  Just look at all that big sky!

 

As we drove up the valley, it was just acre after acre of crops as far as the eye can see.  Most of it was green but there was still evidence in some areas of the drought CA is still having.  The federal Central Valley Project & the State Water Project rely on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to bring water to central and southern CA.   So you pass right by some of the aqueducts right along the interstate.  It still amazes me at this accomplishment!  The water system spreads out like a spider web.  Man has definitely tamed the desert valley. Plus we passed a concentrated oil field. There must have been over a hundred oil pumps close together over a large oil field.   Haven’t seen anything like that before. 

 

   

We turned off of I-5 and headed East.  It was a road that wound through more open country, then low sparse mountains and not many small towns.  The road took us up and down & we found ourselves among almond groves.  Note the contrast of the  green almond trees up against the brown mountains.  For the  type of road it was out in the middle of nowhere, we were amazed at the amount of traffic heading West!  And a large majority of it was RVs!  Maybe the weekenders were heading home.  It was still interesting scenery.

 

However, one section of our drive took us through ‘wine country’.  There were vineyards all over both sides of the road & wineries advertising their tasting shops.  Just still amazed at how green the vineyards were and they are basically in the desert! This picture looked like quite a place!  There were several vineyards and the entrance up the hill was paved and lined with tress and bushes all the way up.  Must be good business in grapes and wine! 

We only stopped for one night at Camp Roberts in Bradley, CA.  It used to be a nice Army base that was well used WW II.  In 1971 it was turned over to the California National Guard and looks like it has definitely gone down hill from there!  There are lots of abandoned buildings, some of which look like the old brown weathered ones right out of a western ghost town. The grounds are mostly dirt and weeds. The whole place just looks so old and run down.  You have to drive through the worst looking areas of the base to get to the very small campground.  All but 3 of the sites are full with ‘homesteaders’ (semi-permanent people allowed to stay for extended periods).  Much of the campground is over gown, there are some really trashy looking trailers, and one site even has dirty clothes and junk around their trailer.   It is one of the worst campgrounds we have ever stayed in.  But at $10 a night, I think we will survive.  Mark this one off our ‘return’ list!!

The campground is right beside the interstate, so you do get road noise from all the trucks going by.  But we have some surrounding views of the area since we are out in the open.  I did manage to meet the ‘camp host’ while walking around the campground……yep, this little guy.  I am always on the lookout for wildlife!   

The winds are just really strong this evening!  The trailer is really rockin’!!  I sure am looking forward to being in Monterey again! 

The Saga of Mr. P.B. & Putting An Old Friend to Rest With A Little Humor

Mr. P.B. (as we call him) is our picnic bag. Yep, just an ordinary thermal picnic/cooler bag.  You can’t really call it a basket and not so ordinary after all.  We took a drive to Barstow, CA, yesterday for something to do and wound up at the Bass Pro Shop sporting goods store after a nice big breakfast at Richie’s Diner (a great find with 50’s décor and oldies music, plus huge portions).   As we ambled up and down the isles at Bas Pro, a new thermal picnic/cooler caught our eye.  We thought for a moment-do we want a new one or should we continue to hold the old one together with tape?  We voted for new.  Shh..don’t tell P.B. yet!

In our travels,  Doug and I have a habit we created of packing a picnic lunch whenever we go exploring for the day.  It is just something we really enjoy and eating outside while enjoying nature makes food taste better, plus it is so relaxing.  I always keep the picnic bag ready with the essentials and we just add the food.  Here is P.B. enjoying lunch with us.  

    and so on….

I know it seems silly to blog about a picnic bag, but P.B. is very special.  Oh, the tales P.B. could tell!!!  P.B. has been everywhere!  We bought him 20 years ago as a product on special sale by my company at the end of my favorite job at the corporate accounting office of Weight Watchers in Va.Beach, VA.  P.B. has been all across  America several times, been to Alaska twice (one of those trips on a ship!), and seen Nova Scotia, Canada.  He has been to most of the national parks, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific.  P.B. has been on top of mountains and down in valleys.  He has been in rain, snow, heat, freezing cold, wind and sand storms.  His favorite spots are in the shade of beautiful trees in a forest and by a stream.  We have stuffed him until he couldn’t hold another thing but he never complained as he kept our food cold/hot and fresh.  P.B. has shared so many adventures with us, always riding in the back seat like a well behaved child. 

It is sad to give him up because when we looked at him, it was always an instant reminder of all the wonderful places we have had picnics.  But, alas, the little repairs didn’t hold him together anymore. So it was time to let P.B. rest and replace him.  Let’s not be sad that he was disposed of in the trash bin, but think of him as going to that great picnic table in the sky.  And his legacy is still carried on by his cousins, Mr. Pepper and Mrs. Salt Tupperware, who are even many more years older that he was.  So, P.B. the 2nd is now packed, ready to go, and waiting to start his adventures with us…….

 

Air Conditioner Out AGAIN!

One last AC post. Well, just two days after a visit to the repair shop the air conditioner quit again.  Doug was right, the first repair by the technician was far too easy!  To temporarily fix it, Doug just manually turned the fan fast enough to start running when the compressor was on.  Thank goodness since we are having heat days of over 100 degrees.  We are taking no chances and are running the fan 24/7 so it won’t stop turning again. Solution-ordered a fan capacitor. So another 30 mile trip to pick it up tomorrow, and Doug will install it himself.  After our  experience the other day, we are not hauling the RV back to the shop.  We already had to pay a high fee for one hour of labor and we still have a problem.  Thank goodness Doug knows how to fix things.  We will be so glad to leave on Sunday! Hopefully we are leaving high heat, high winds, and problems far behind us! 

Cool and Comfortable in CA

Well, the problem with the air conditioner is solved!  Turned out much better than we had hoped.  Thank goodness!!  We had a 1:00 PM appointment and were out of the shop by 2:00 PM, just in time to beat the Los Angeles traffic.  Yep, even at that time you could see traffic starting to build.  Turns out the problem was RUST!  As soon as the technician opened up the motor and fan casing, he noticed spot s of heavy rust.  So he cleaned off the rust, sprayed it with a silicone spray, and all started working right away.  It has been working fine ever since (for now!).  Doug still doesn’t have a warm fuzzy feeling about rust being the only problem.  So we will just hope everything continues to work.  At least we can now get on with our travels.  Oh, Boy!! 

This morning I finished a project I had started awhile back.  Since the temps are going to be over 100 for the next few days, I figured I had better keep the RV as cool as possible inside so the AC wouldn’t have to struggle.  Several years ago, I had bought thermal drapes for the big rear picture  window after our day/night shades broke.  They work far better at keeping the heat and cold out than the shades did.  So at the same time I bought a couple more pair.  I then cut straight panels to fit the smaller windows in the RV.  I just hemmed all the edges with heat tape.  So fast and easy!  I attach them to the window on the upper metal window casing rim with Velcro.  I just leave the one part of the Velcro on the window because nobody can see it.  I just take the panels down and store them in the closet.  Then, when in a site and some of the windows get direct sunlight, I just take out only the panels I need and cover those windows under the day/night shades .  Works great!!

What prompted me to finish the panels for our two large picture windows on the dinning side of the RV are the Santa Anna winds.  Guess we hit those at the right time!  We sure have hit the weather wrong starting THIS trip!  The winds are about 25 miles an hour with gusts up to 45 miles an hour.  That means we can’t put any of our awnings out (we have 2).  So with the sun beating down with the high heat, and right on our big windows, I figured that was  a good incentive to finish my project.  Of course the interior may look like we are in a dungeon but at least we are cool and comfortable!  I can hardly wait to get further North and hope for cooler weather!  But even they are having above normal highs for this time of year.  I am just hoping for cooler temperatures than over 100 degrees! 

California is still in a severe drought and the TV stations even broadcast red flag warning areas that could be highly subjected to fires.  With the strong winds, any fire could be a real disaster.  The local fire departments have brought in extra help from other parts of the state and they are on call 24 hours a day. So let’s pray that CA gets through this drought and fire season safely.  

          

Stuck and Frustrated in Southern California!

‘Murphy’s Law’ : If anything can go wrong while RVing, it will happen when you are on the road!!  We had intended to stay in Moreno Valley, CA, for about 4 days but decided to extend for a week.  Some areas north don’t open until May 15th.   It was a good choice. We were due to leave today, May 11.   A few days ago, as we went to turn on our air conditioner, we were serenaded with a lovely tune of humming while nothing turned on!  Doug, being the good handyman that he is, trouble shot everything he could and it appears the motor is bad.  Oh, the joys of RV ownership!  We we sat in Tucson, AZ, for 3 1/2 months, then a month in Mesa, AZ, and everything worked fine.  Now, we get on the road again and the ole “its broken problem” rears its’ head.  The ole gal is 6 years old so I guess we shouldn’t complain.  So we extended ANOTHER week to see about getting a repair. 

We found an RV repair shop about 30 miles away that has had good reviews.  So we have to close up the RV and drag it down the road tomorrow for the shop to see what will be involved with fixing the AC.  Then if it can’t be fixed at that time, we will head back to our site and wait for the part and repairs on another day.  Then back to the shop for the repair and back to our site at the military base.  No boredom this week! The rest of the “why now?” story is that the past week has been beautiful with upper 40s and low 50s at night, then upper 60s and low 70s during the day.  NOW, this coming week it will be in the 90s and 102 on Thursday!  I’ll keep my fingers crossed that we are repaired before then!  We haven’t camped in that kind of heat since we visited Death Valley 4 years ago when it was 104 degrees! Plus, then, we were boondocking!  

We have a 2nd AC in the bedroom but it is not ducted and would have a hard time trying to cool down the entire RV.  But we can run that one at night, plus we have the Fantastic Fan that will draw air in, and  we have a couple of table fans.  Aww.. how cute! One for him and one for me!  We will just “Cowboy Up” and do what we have to do. 

The frustration is that this is cutting into our travel and exploring time!  We have just been relaxing and walking at the huge enclosed mall every other day, plus the trips to Wal-Mart and the commissary.  Such adventures!  We have decided to stay away from Los Angeles because of their heavy traffic reputation.  At least I have caught up on my scrapbooking, plus spending a great deal of time learning a Digital Scrapbooking with Photo Elements 12 program of classes I bought and downloaded.  Such tricks I am learning!   I shall keep my fingers and toes crossed that the repair shop has a motor in stock!

Hot Stay In Moreno Valley, CA

Headed out east towards Moreno Valley and the Los Angeles area.  California was transferred to the United States as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hildago that ended the Mexican-American War. Much greater changes came from the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1876.  Recent archeological finds show there was a seafaring culture in 8000 B.C.  By 3000 B.C.  The history of California can be divided into: the Native American period; European exploration period from 1542 to 1769; the Spanish colonial period, 1769 to 1821; the Mexican period, 1821 to 1848; and United States statehood. California became a state in 1850.

It was another pretty day for a drive.  We drove on the only part of I-10 that we have never driven before in all our travels.  The landscape is flat open stretches then more mountains here and there.  The mountains in the area we drove through seem to be sparse and made mostly of volcanic rock.  To the left of us were the Chocolate Mountains. What a name!  If they were made of real chocolate, that is where you would find me!!! Anything chocolate and I am there!!  A little further on the right we passed the south part of Joshua Tree National Park.  A unique place where it is the only part of the country where the Joshua trees grow.  We had been there in April of 2010. 

 

 

As we approached Indio, CA, we passed through probably the largest wind farm in the country.  There must have been hundreds or maybe more than a thousand of them!  Guess some of those areas through the mountains get so much wind that can generate lots of power.  Even though it was 98 degrees (HOT!!), we spotted some mountains that still had bits of snow on their peaks.  But down in the valleys there is hard evidence of the terrible drought southern CA is having right now.  

 

As we were passing Palm Desert, CA, Doug saw an In ‘n Out burger fast food eatery.  Somehow the ole truck and RV veered right to that exit!  We found an open dirt field to park in since the town was busy and parking was a bit hard to find.  In ‘n Out was very busy as well but we sure do love their burgers.  Funny thing- a man asked if he and his wife could share our table to give their other table to a family of 4.  Well, we got to talking and this couple was just passing through as well and headed to Tucson-We just left Tucson a month ago.  But the strange fact was that their last residence before moving to CA was Alexandria, VA!  We are from Virginia Beach so what are the odds of meeting a fellow Virginian in some town along an interstate out west and stopped at the same time and place for a burger!!  Sounds like the same chance meeting of another couple, of which Jim was from Virginia and we met them in a tiny campground on the coast of Washington state!!  Sometimes in our travels, the U.S. seems smaller than we think!

We then crossed over part of the mountains that make up the San Bernardino National Forest.  Boy, just as soon as we did, there was the heavier traffic just like the stories you hear about the traffic in and around Los Angeles and surrounding areas.  We were still 50 miles from Moreno Valley!  And Moreno Valley is about 50 miles from Los Angeles.    

We are staying at March ARB (Air Reserve Base).  We were going to stay just until Sunday then head out to avoid heavy traffic.  But we decided to stay a week to kill some time to make sure there are no more snow storms and we can get into some of the national parks as we head further north. Many of the national park campgrounds don’t open until May 15th.  It was 93 here yesterday and 92 today but is supposed to be back down in the 80s the rest of the week.  Our first day, and what was our first stop?  Yep, Wal-Mart!!  My, my, we should have bought stock! Then we found a huge 2 story enclosed mall and got a walk in for some exercise.  Had to walk so we could have Sam’s pizza and frozen yogurt!  Lettuce and tofu the rest of the week!

So Excited To Be On The Road Again!! First Stop, Blythe, CA

We left Mesa, AZ, this morning and after just 2 and 1/2 hours, we are in southern California!!!  As soon as you cross the Colorado River, you are in CA.  The Colorado River flows west through Lake Powell,  the Grand Canyon and Lake Mead.  Then it flows southwest where it becomes the boundary between AZ  & CA starting at the southern tip of Nevada. Just as soon as you cross the river, you instantly see green fields of CA agriculture but are still surrounded by mountains.  It is pretty out here.  What a change from seeing nothing but desert in AZ for the past 4 months.  We like to see GREEN once in a awhile!  

We are spending one night in Blythe, CA, just across the Colorado River from AZ, and the Mayflower RV Park is right on the river.  This is a Passport America park so $15 a night suits us just fine. We went into town for lunch and Blythe is very small, so not much to see.   There are only 3 other campers besides us here because the winter snowbirds have all left, and it is just so peaceful with a nice breeze.  The sites are just grass but the setting makes up for the lack of amenities.  I think we have the best site in the park because of our views of the scenery.  We walked around the campground and down by the river after lunch.  Doug is looking across the Colorado River at Arizona. 

 

 

This afternoon we saw these pretty birds all over the cattail reeds up a small side stream of the river.  They are yellow headed blackbirds.  We never knew there was such a thing! They are quite colorful. 

     

(I know, me & the birds, hide my laptop and camera from me so I will quit playing around! Couldn’t resist! I told you I had fun learning new stuff in Tucson, AZ!)  

To top off the day, we got to see a nice sunset over the distant mountains right from our site.  A nice way to end the day.  Ah…so serene. No rush tomorrow for another drive about like today so we will just amble on down the road toward the out skirts of Los Angeles……..