Home Life

When we're home, it seems like nothing that's happening is worthy of a blog entry. We are probably busier than when we're on the road but life seems slower just the same. So here are a couple of notes on our recent activities.

Last week, I installed a new water filter in the kitchen. The old one just didn't taste right since the last filter change and sanitation. I couldn't get the chlorine taste out of it. I couldn't find a new cheap one locally but when we were in San Luis Obispo they had one at Orchard Supply Hardware (OSH). We hauled it around a while but it finally was installed. I had to rebuild the cabinet under the sink due to some water damage and was able to place the new water filter in a different location to make more space usable. the previous installation pretty much took up the whole cabinet. By cutting a hole in the bottom of the cabinet so the tank sat a couple of inches lower, it was able to be placed under the disposer and this made the new installation only take up about a third of the space.
Lou's been busy collecting a bunch of ceramic molds. Lou works in clay and since she hurt her hands, doesn't use a wheel any more but does do casting and glazing. She gets several hundred new molds per year from a friend but has to thin them out to conserve storage space, which is limited. When we travel, she brings along a bunch of bisque items to work on. She usually just paints these.

When we were out shopping Friday, I found a great deal on evaporative coolers in San Mateo of all places. We just got one for Dawn a couple of months ago and had to pay a lot for it. If we had waited, we could have gotten it for a third of the price. Too bad, but it was such a good deal we got a couple anyway. Saturday, I used one as a replacement for our cooler which was probably over twenty years old and ready to go. The other one will be placed into storage and used if needed. It's just about the size needed for the RV if we were to stay somewhere hot and dry for an extended period.
Sunday, Lou and I did a little cleanup and hauled a load to the dump. Every little bit helps.

Highway 1,

On our way out of the Pismo Beach camp, we stopped by the sanitary dump. The black water valve handle broke off when opening the valve. We were able to complete dumping and close the valve but now the fun begins. It will have to be replaced before we can dump again so we can't use the black water sources until it's fixed. I've been putting off replacing the discharge flange which has a broken anchor pin. Now, since a mess must be made I can kill two birds and fix both and only have to shower excessively once.
We left Pismo Beach and headed up to San Luis Obispo to see Lou's niece Michelle.
We then hit the road north on Highway 1. We had some low clouds leaving San Luis Obispo but most of the way was nice and clear, great viewing. We checked out a few campsites for future use.


The coast views at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park are spectacular. The water fall, in the bottom two pictures, flowing off a cliff to the beach doesn't have much water, but thats normal for the little fall. It is really pretty. Too bad you can't hike down to the beach.
When we pulled into Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park we realized our mistake almost immediately. It's not made for RVs at all let alone one with a toad. We made it through without disconnecting but it involved going over a few curbs.
We had intended to spend another night along the coast on our way home but due to the plumbing problem decided to keep going. We stopped in Castroville for artichoke soup, possibly the only place to get it is at the Giant Artichoke. We arrived home a little after 8pm. It's nice to be home. Mr Milo got more excited the closer we got to home and was happy to arrive home.

Pismo Beach Enroute Home

When we woke this morning, we had plans of going back to the Pomona RV show.

On the left above is our limousine from the parking lot to the Fairplex RV show grounds. Yesterday afternoon, the show closed early due to a deluge that flooded the show and presented a hazard due to the electrical cables all over the ground. On the right above is a sample of several streams that flowed through the show grounds and vendor tent. We got rain checks and intended to return to get some items from the tent vendors and see the remaining 1/3 of the RV's. Our neighbor in the RV park was working the show and told us that it was closed again today so we left the area and headed home.

We stopped for the night in Pismo Beach at the North Beach Campground. We're heading down town for dinner at Pismo Fish and Chips, 505 Cypress St. Best fish and chips in California South of Crescent City are here. We had a very nice campsite right next to the beach. The weather is still very nice but a little cooler and wetter on occasion
Our Realtor called us just as we were about to enter the campground with and offer on the house. We'll see if the counter offer is accepted. What a difference a Realtor makes.

East Shore RV Park, San Dimas, Ca

Saturday: We made our way down to San Dimas (Pomona), California. It's a nice RV park very near to the Pomona Fairplex where the California RV Show is held. We took a walk along the lake shore. It's quite nice here, especially when you realize it's in LA.
Don will head to the RV show tomorrow. Lou will go to the Fired Arts Craft show also at the Fairplex. We'll both be at the RV show Monday.
Sunday: We moved out of our RV site and parked in a parking lot near the office. We wanted to get down to the shows by 10:0 am. We had breakfast and got out the bikes. We checked our new RV site and the people in it were departing so we moved in early, leveled and hooked up. Then, the rain started. So we folded the bikes again and threw them back in the car and headed down to the show. A lot of other people thought of going to the show as well. It was a true LA trafic jam with some really stupid drivers making their way to the parking spaces. After parking, there was a lot of mis-information about trams. Lou had to return and take a different tram to get to her show. Then when we tried to reconnect at the RV show later we learned there apparently are two "gate A's". We actually had fun at our individual events. There are a lot of RV's to be seen at the show and, unfortunately, some good prices as well. Hopefully temptation will be overcome. Of course, I forgot the camera. Sorry!

On The Road At Last

A nice sunrise. The recent rains and cooler temperatures made some nice views of the nearby mountains.

Mr Milo enjoyed a final rest in the Nomi House. We leave this morning.
We finally hit the road again. We've been in Bakersfield holding open house trying to sell our house here. We used a sell it yourself and save a bundle broker.

It didn't work out so we are now listed with a real Realtor, Mark Ponder of Westchester Realty, and we left town leaving it to him. The market has cooled a little during our failed attempt to sell it ourself.
We probably look like the Clampets. Our Toad is stuffed with the "stuff that we accumulated during our stay in Bakersfield.
We're headed to Pomona Fairplex for the California RV Show. Then we'll head up the coast toward home in Palo Alto for a while.
Due to our late departure from Bakersfield we're staying at the Gorman Reststop tonight. We'll head on over to East Shore Regional Park near the show tomorrow morning.

Tehachapi Railroad Loop

We took a drive east of town looking around. We went East on back roads paralleling Hwy 58 up to Keene, an old railroad town that is now the home of the United Farm Workers headquarters but probably more famous for one of the five wonders of the railroad world, the Tehachapi Loop. Just above the engines on the bottom right of the left picture above are the railcars in the middle of the long train. In the right picture, you can see the cars entering a tunnel going under the engine that is pulling it. An amazing feat. My third grade class went on a field trip riding the train from Bakersfield to Tehachapi going through the many tunnels (Originally 18) and around the loop. In 1971 passenger train service was discontinued. Too bad. This is no longer a steam train route, which we always try to see, but is still interesting.
Web cam of Tehachapi Loop.

House Mover Groupies

We've become House Mover groupies. We watched another house move to Buttonwillow. We just love to watch construction projects. A few years ago we watched a four story concrete historic building being moved to make way for the expansion of the San Jose Fairmont Hotel. Now that was a move!