San Juan Batista, California

Day 10 - 13:  Sunday - Thursday, January 27 – 31, Betabel RV Resort, San Juan Batista, CA

We had a nice morning walk around Turtle Beach campground before heading to Betabel, our first time to stay here.  Full hookups, including sewer hookup as well as water and power, make life nice!  We walked down to the dog park, fun for Sarah.  We are continuing to enjoy the series Bosch in the evenings, getting more and more involved with the characters, as we have with other series!  We get together with Jan and Dwayne for happy hour, eating more snacky things than we should, then usually eating dinner separately.  On Monday we went up to see Craig and Liz, riding our bikes in the wonderful Baylands, seeing so many birds, including American Avocet, Black-Necked Stilts, Pintails, Buffleheads.  Afterward Liz fixed a delicious dinner for us; chicken, Brussel sprouts, rice, and blueberry cake dessert.  Last year we were down here for their wedding on January 31.

Lots of birds on the Baylands bike path

Never have we seen so many Northern Shovelers, shoveling through the silt!

Tuesday morning Jim drove to Tres Pinos, where he has taken hang gliding lessons in the past, and retrieved his jacket from the Air B&B place we stayed at in October.  I went on a walk up and down on the road in front of the park, noticing an egret that spends a lot of time in a tree by the park and hunts in the freeway median.  I saw White-Crowned and Golden-Crowned sparrows by the MH.  In the afternoon we rode our bikes up and down that road, also across the road and back and forth, including a couple of hills, a good thing.  Wednesday morning I went to a yoga class at the park with Jan.  Craig and Liz came down and we had lunch at Jardines de San Juan, a restaurant in a flower garden, with attendant blackbirds nabbing tortilla chips off the table.  Then we walked up the Juan Batista de Anza trail for a mile, part of a National Historical Trail that starts in Nogales, Mexico.  The bright red pyracantha berries make a spot of color, not as many flowers as when I hiked the full 8 miles here in August.

Lunch at Jardines de San Juan

Rest of the group!

Liz and Craig, celebrating their first anniversary in a couple of days!

Unspoiled country on this Juan Batista Trail

We walked a mile uphill on a trail that is 4 miles each way.

Wide skies and quiet!

We have had good 4G at the places we have stayed, although we will end up needing to purchase more bandwidth in February.  The park Internet services just do not work well! Jan and Dwayne especially liked Betabel.  There was a Tiffin Allegro there Jan visited, their dream RV!  Betabel is in a convenient spot to take day trips, as well.  Thursday morning Jan and I went to the yoga class, then we headed south.

We are enjoying the mugs Mike and Jen gave us for Christmas.