Four days in Bakersfield

March 21 through March 24th:

Dear Reader, this is a post to remind me of where we've been and what we've done, strictly for journal purposes.  Not very exciting reading, but serves to let me know for future reference.

We were originally heading to Bakersfield for an overnighter at the popular Orange Grove RV Park but  life had other plans.  On the drive over Highway 58 our motorhome started acting up again (this happened once before); cutting out, jerky shifting and it continued on, gradually getting worse.  So as luck would have it we ended up at the Cummins Diesel Repair. As it was near closing time they parked us with full hookups and said they would get to us first thing in the morning.

Right on schedule they took us into the bay and started going over the possibilities of just what was causing our problem.  It didn't take long.  Clogged fuel filters due to getting some bad gas.  They were soon replaced and we were good to go.

Oh no, not so quickly.  By the way there is a recall on your air compressor and we need to replace it. That turned out to be one giant task.  They had to remove the air filter, the water pump, and the hydraulic pump just to get to the compressor. This was a 2 1/2 day project and necessitated us finding things to do during the day as we couldn't go into the work area or be in the coach. We dined out at all the fast food chains which were conveniently located nearby.  We took our Kindles with us and read a bit.  One day we drove up to Lake Isabella, a beautiful drive.

Finally we were done.  The fuel filter replacements were the only items we had to pay for.  The major task of replacing the air compressor was free for us, just time spent.

We're now ready to head out and continue our travels to Pismo Beach for a meet-up with the family,
Just another blip when life has other plans for you.

Petaluma, back to home territory~~

For several months of the year we hang out in Petaluma in Northern California, about 30 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Elks Lodge in Petaluma has become "Ground Zero" for us for several years.  We're near family, medical facilities, and beautiful places to sight-see.

An artsy rendering of our Petaluma Elks Lodge parking

If you are a member of an Elks organization like we are, the lodge in Petaluma offers the best RV parking available in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are 18 sites on asphalt with full-hookups for $25 per night, many suitable for larger RVs, with grassy dog runs and overflow parking.  Their system now offers reservations making it convenient for planning ahead.  

Enjoying the grassy, manicured back yard.  There are tables and chairs for afternoon happy hours The doggies love it too!

This is an opportunity to enjoy the delights of a beautiful old historic city packed full of great restaurants, regional parks and hiking trails, all within an easy drive to San Francisco to the south, Pacific beaches, and the famous Napa valley wine country.

Ahh...The Golden Gate Bridge...we have about 30 miles to go north to Petaluma.

Going down...to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse

Vineyards offset by coastal hills and clouds at Green String Farm

The Petaluma Visitor Center used to be the old train depot in 1914...

Historic downtown Petaluma

Shollenberger Park has miles of trails and is an easy walk from the Elks.

There is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail around the lake, part of which lies adjacent to the Petaluma River which is navigable and runs in to the San Francisco Bay.

A hike at Helen Putnam Park involves a lot of hill climbing.

Layers of coastal fog and farm land lie to our west as we hike the trails of Helen Putnam.

Another side of Helen Putnam Park, groves of old oak abound.

The Napa Valley for some wine tasting....

Here we're enjoying a beverage and some fine food at Dempsey's Brew Pub with a river view of course.

Another day and the sun performs perfectly with shadows and colors.

The pedestrian bridge across the river takes us to Main Street and all the fun stores.

Tuesday's eastside Farmers Market.  There is also a Wednesday evening market in town and Saturday morning at Walnut Park.

And this lovely bouquet is for you!  Thanks for coming...

Post Townsend, WA - Strait talk

The Strait of Juan de Fuca extends east from the Pacific Ocean between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula about 95 miles inland to Puget Sound.  Port Townsend is bordered by the Bay of Port Townsend and Admiralty Inlet, which intersects the Strait.  In other words, we are surrounded by big water and lots of marine activity.

Click on the maps for a more detailed view.


The town is a Victorian seaport and arts community. With its maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic, Port Townsend is an easily accessible base camp to the Olympic Peninsula and beyond. 

The Point Wilson lighthouse at Fort Worden

We've been coming here every year, same site, since 2009.  We had been staying at the SKP's Evergreen Coho RV park in nearby Chimacum and took a drive one day to check out Port Townsend. We were drawn to the Point Hudson Marina mainly to see the boats and splendid views. The RV park is nothing special.  Most of the full hookup sites are expensive, graveled, and close together.  We decided to check in at the office for more information and were told they had two boondocking sites for $20 each per night (since upped to $30).  Our site 361, is about 50 feet from the water and entertains us with a constant flow of boat/ship traffic.  Never a dull moment though lots of lazy ones.

An afternoon parade of schooners (insert Howard drooling)

Jefferson County Courthouse - Uptown

In years past we have done many all day trips to see Seattle, Port Angeles, Sequim, and all the local hangouts.  There is RV parking at Fort Worden State Park and Fort Townsend State Park as well as the Elks Lodge and Jefferson County fairgrounds.

There is a great little local theater that shows currently running movies as well as art and eclectic films, and the best ice cream at Elevated Ice Cream, both located downtown. There are lots of shopping opportunities from second hand shops to chic, expensive ones. There is Doc's restaurant located here at the marina which we enjoy for the convenience and every type of eating pleasure you can imagine in town.

Victorian downtown

During our 12 days we hung close to home, not feeling any pressure to do a daily tour as in year's past.  We've been catching up on our reading and exercise. And both of us got haircuts (whoopee).  A walk from the marina uptown is a long steep hill that gathers momentum as it reaches it's high point in town then starts back to downtown again. Three or 4 outings like this gets the old legs aching and the knees screaming!

The ferry docks are busy during the summer season with two ferries running about every hour, making for easy travels between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, about a half hour scenic trip each way.  The downtown streets are packed with tourists arriving by small cruise ship or ferry.

The hot dog spot downtown framed by a great mural

This is what we do most of the time!

On to Tucson for a month of "fixings"....

We have committed to staying a month here at the Bar J RV Park, one of our favorite "proper" MH parks at a monthly rate of $425. We have full hookups, a patio with a builtin BBQ stand, and our own Saguaro.  Directly behind our site is one of the several washing machine rooms that provide free washes with lots of clotheslines with which to dry.  With a steady, warm breeze blowing you can't beat it.

Our motorhome is entering its 16th year so we expect systems to fail, need repair, or replacement. Such was the case with our old Sharp Micro/convection combo. We were lucky to find one in the catalog at Home Depot, a Sharp Carousel, with the exact same dimensions as the old one.  Our friends provided the name of a very reliable handyman.  Keith showed up right on time, dismantled the old one, and quickly had the new one installed.  Price for labor - $50, which we thought was very reasonable.

The new Sharp Carousel Convection/Microwave oven.

Lucky for us our interior cleaning service, Kyle of Benson Carpet Cleaners comes to Tucson. He shampooed and Scotch Guarded carpet, upholstery, and ceiling plus a couple of area rugs. I'm sure we off-loaded gallons of Borrego dust and sand.  Our little home is now back to her beautiful old self.

Next on our fix-it agenda was the mechanic from RV MD who came by to install a new heat sensor for our Magnum Inverter.  The inverter tech not only installed the heat sensor but also replaced all the battery cable connections for our 6 battery house bank which were so corroded, even though Howard periodically cleans them. Now we should be in good shape power-wise, unless of course, the batteries have lived their life!

Otherwise, life goes on as usual,  We visit local friends and go for short walks in Tucson Mountain Park.  I say short because, like the motorhome entering advanced age, my back is steadily getting worse and walking and standing are very painful.  But still we need to keep pushing.

That's all for now, folks!

Ho Hum sums it up!

We've been out here in the Anza Borrego Desert for over two weeks now and I've taken few photos. Our surroundings just aren't the same, spoiled by years' past.  One day it is cold with heavy gusts of wind, then rain showers, mud puddles and snow in the mountains.  Clark Dry Lake...isn't. There is water. Today is a brilliant, sunny gorgeous day that gets us outside enjoying the elements.  Howard is working on water-proofing the slide before the next major storm blows in.  Walks for me have been short, maybe a mile or two, as my back pain is kicking up, but Howard (the elder) still jogs his 4-5 miles barely breaking a sweat!

We have very nice neighbors....

New Year's week was crowded with lots of rigs and groups of 4-wheelers enjoying the many off road tracks and bringing in the New Year.  We got together with Nan and John for an enjoyable happy hour complete with pizza and drinks. This week the groups have gone and we have lots of open space in our line of sight.

Enjoying the first sunset of the new year.  See the crowds?

Clark Dry Lake....isn't!

There is snow in them there hills!

Funny story!  We have friends attending a rally at the Riverside County Fairgrounds where the FMCA show debuts this week.  A few days ago we decided to drive up  to see all the vendors, possibly find our water filter cartridge, and say a quick hello to our friends, the Panys.  It's about an hours drive each way. When we got there we couldn't find any indication of the big show or parking facilities, and when we finally found someone in the know we were told the show  didn't start until Thursday!  And on that note, we headed for the Costco in La Quinta and spent far more than the cost of a mere water filter!

We got the car serviced at Tito's in town and discovered we need a new battery.  Had been having trouble with the battery being dead when we towed for long distances.  We are now awaiting filters for the rig and will take it in Monday to be serviced.

I'm going to wrap this post up while the internet is sort of working.  We are right on the fringe of service for both the MiFi and phone.  Not sure where our next stop is.  Guess we'll wait and see next week.  Until then......Best wishes for the New Year!

Strait talk~~Port Townsend

The Strait of Juan de Fuca extends east from the Pacific Ocean between Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula about 95 miles inland to Puget Sound.  Port Townsend is bordered by the Bay of Port Townsend and Admiralty Inlet, which intersects the Strait.  In other words, we are surrounded by big water and lots of marine activity.

Click on the maps for a more detailed view.


The town is a Victorian seaport and arts community. With its maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic, Port Townsend is an easily accessible base camp to the Olympic Peninsula and beyond. with its maritime heritage, artist spirit, and a touch of urban chic.

The Point Wilson lighthouse at Fort Worden

We've been coming here every year, same site, since 2009.  We had been staying at the SKP's Evergreen Coho RV park in nearby Chimacum and took a drive one day to check out Port Townsend. We were drawn to the Point Hudson Marina mainly to see the boats and splendid views. The RV park is nothing special.  Most of the full hookup sites are expensive, graveled, and close together.  We decided to check in at the office for more information and were told they had two boondocking sites for $20 each per night (since upped to $25). Our site 361, is about 50 feet from the water and entertains us with a constant flow of boat/ship traffic.  Never a dull moment though lots of lazy ones.

An afternoon parade of schooners (insert Howard drooling)

Jefferson County Courthouse - Uptown

In years past we have done many all day trips to see Seattle, Port Angeles, Sequim, and all the local hangouts.  There is RV parking at Fort Worden State Park and Fort Townsend State Park as well as the Elks Lodge and Jefferson County fairgrounds.

There is a great little local theater that shows currently running movies as well as art and eclectic films, and the best ice cream at Elevated Ice Cream, both located downtown. There are lots of shopping opportunities from second hand shops to chic, expensive ones. There is Doc's restaurant located here at the marina which we enjoy for the convenience and every type of eating pleasure you can imagine in town.

Victorian downtown

During our 10 days we have hung close to home, not feeling any pressure to do a daily tour as in year's past.  We've been catching up on our reading and exercise. And both of us got haircuts (whoopee).  A walk from the marina uptown is a long steep hill that gathers momentum as it reaches it's high point in town then starts back to downtown again. Three or 4 outings like this gets the old legs aching and the knees screaming!

The ferry docks are busy during the summer season with two ferries running about every hour, making for easy travels between Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, about a half hour scenic trip each way.  The downtown streets are packed with tourists arriving by small cruise ship or ferry. We will load the motorhome and car onto the ferry tomorrow for a sail to Whidbey Island and on to Anacortes on Fidalgo Island.

The hot dog spot downtown framed by a great mural

This is what we do most of the time!

We'll see you soon in Anacortes, another great northwestern maritime town.

For us the convenience of staying at the Elks Lodge in Petaluma is pure parking perfection~~~

During part of the spring and summer months we hang out in Petaluma in Northern California, about 30 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Elks Lodge in Petaluma has become "Ground Zero" for us for several years.  We're near family, medical facilities, and beautiful places to sight-see.

An artsy rendering of our Petaluma Elks Lodge parking

If you are a member of an Elks organization like we are, the lodge in Petaluma offers the best RV parking available in the San Francisco Bay Area. There are 18 sites on asphalt with full-hookups for $25 per night, many suitable for larger RVs, with grassy dog runs and overflow parking.  Their system now offers reservations making it convenient for planning ahead.  Janis, the very best RV host, has lived in Petaluma most of her life and will assist in making your stay memorable.

Enjoying our grassy, manicured back yard.  There are tables and chairs for afternoon happy hours The doggies love it too!

This is an opportunity to enjoy the delights of a beautiful old historic city packed full of great restaurants, regional parks and hiking trails, all within an easy drive to San Francisco to the south, Pacific beaches, and the famous Napa valley wine country.

Ahh...The Golden Gate Bridge...we have about 30 miles to go north to Petaluma.

Going down...to the Pt. Reyes Lighthouse

Vineyards offset by coastal hills and clouds at Green String Farm

The Petaluma Visitor Center used to be the old train depot in 1914...

Historic downtown Petaluma

Shollenberger Park has miles of trails and is an easy walk from the Elks.

There is a 2 1/2 mile loop trail around the lake, part of which lies adjacent to the Petaluma River which is navigable and runs in to the San Francisco Bay.

A hike at Helen Putnam Park involves a lot of hill climbing.

Layers of coastal fog and farm land lie to our west as we hike the trails of Helen Putnam.

Another side of Helen Putnam Park, groves of old oak abound.

Napa Valley...where we hope to be next week!

Here we're enjoying a beverage and some fine food at Dempsey's Brew Pub with a river view of course.

Another day and the sun performs perfectly with shadows and colors.

The pedestrian bridge across the river takes us to Main Street and all the fun stores.

Tuesday's eastside Farmers Market.  There is also a Wednesday evening market in town and Saturday morning at Walnut Park.

And this lovely bouquet is for you!  Thanks for coming back...

Yes, there has been a long hiatus but I plan to correct that!  I have been sick but am mostly back to normal now.  It is a long story and at some point I may decide to write about it.  Right now, it is just too raw.

Our plans now have us on the road soon.  We have been near Sacramento where the temps are near 100.  Our daughter has a nasty combination of gall stones and Pancreatitis, a very serious condition to say the least.  Hoping now to have the pancreatitis under control, they plan to remove the gall bladder this coming Saturday.  I'm sorry but having an operation on Saturday doesn't bode well with me!

We plan to spend a couple of days next week in Calistoga and the Napa Valley Wine country making up for our 21st anniversary which was yesterday, the 24th.  We are looking forward to our yearly dinner at the Greystone Culinary Institute.