Cave Creek, Arizona Cave Creek Regional Park

Day 14 -20, February 5 -11, Cave Creek Regional Park, Cave Creek, AZ

We departed Quartzsite on Superbowl Sunday, missing a party at the Jensen’s, but we had our own party at our beautiful campsite at Cave Creek.  It was an amazing game, with the Patriots coming from behind 28 to 3, winning 34 to 28 in sudden death overtime over the Falcons.  Tom Brady became the first quarterback in history to win 5 Superbowls. 

Our campsite at Cave Creek

Sunset from our campsite!!

Beautiful sky!

Monday we went for a ride out of the park, down Cloud Road, about 20 miles round trip.  Low impact roads and pretty flat.  In the afternoon we got ready for our company dinner with Ellie and Dave Meigs.  They arrived at the campground in the early afternoon, provided salmon.  I made a blueberry cake and a salad and some rice.  It is great to see them!

Tuesday morning Ellie and I went for about a 5 mile hike on the Clay Mine Trail with her friend Suzy Roth.  The steady uphill was aerobic for me and made me realize I need to do more of it!  A failed gold mine turned into a place where clay was mined to make a treatment for dysentery, and a woman made lots of money!  Dave and Jim went for a mountain bike ride – the trails around here are rough and require some walking!  Our friends Kate and Bob Weigant arrived, and all six of us went out for a nice dinner at Heart and Soul Café near here.

Can you see Ellie and Suzy on the trail?  Suzy is wearing white.

The campground is below.  This is the trail where we saw the rattlesnake last year!

Ellie and Suzy

Linda and Suzy

Cuddly Teddy Bear Cholla and its babies, happy after the rain.

Dave's friend Jim

Jim and Dave on the trail

Granite outcropping on the scenic trail

Threading between the saguaros.  Watch out!

Wednesday morning the ladies went on a ranger-led hike at Spur Cross Conservation area, north of Cave Creek.  We had a very knowledgeable woman sharing lots of info about the desert flora and fauna.  Kate had to stop early because of hip problems, so it was a bit boring for her.  The guys went mountain biking again!

Ellie on Spur Cross Ranch Conservation Area walk

Petroglyphs along trail at Spur Cross Ranch

Sunset again.  It is very difficult not to take pictures of these sunsets!

Thursday we went kayaking at Bartlett Lake, which was much higher than last year, also calmer water, no headwind on the way back!  We went up through Carefree on the way – looks like it would be a fun town to explore.  Dave and Ellie headed home to Phoenix, will join us later. 

Launching at Bartlett Lake

Lots of saguaros on the south facing slope.  They do not like to be cold!

Beautiful calm water

Reflection in calm water

Rock below water line seems to have soil leached out of it, looks like cement!

Prickly pear against the sky

A little flower near the water at our lunch stop

Can you see Alfred Hitchcock?

Geologic fault causing collapse of this mesa

Friday morning Kate and Linda rode out of the campground down Cloud Road, by year-round and vacation homes at all economic levels, horse ranches, and lots of desert.  The clouds in the sky give us good light for pictures.  We are watching the 5^th season of Homeland on DVD in the evenings, almost to the end!  Susan and Heidi are watching the 6^th season on Showtime now at home.

Kate and Elvis.  Kate is on the right.

Saturday we had our usual leisurely breakfast and computer time, then organized the RV and  headed to our next destination, McDowell Mountain Regional Park.

Quartzsite, Arisona Jensen's Rainbow Acres Estate

Day 10, 11, 12, 13:  Wednesday to Sunday, February 1 to 5, Debi and Larry Jensen’s, Quartzsite, AZ

Jim took some more sunrise pictures, while Linda, as usual, slept a while longer.  We went for a 10 mile bike ride near Lake Cahuilla, nice and flat around that La Quinta area, with good bike lanes.  Then we headed to Quartzsite on I10, to Debi and Larry’s place at Rainbow Acres.  They always have other friends here as well; this year it is Belva and Brad.  After dinner we played cards, a game called 31, with 12 other people from the neighborhood. 

Thursday morning Jim played desert golf with 3 other fellows, while Linda rode her bike up to the end of Dome Rock Road, slightly uphill on the way out and blessedly downhill on the way back!  Riding around the neighborhood a bit at the end brought the total mileage up to 20.  We went to town for lunch at the Quartzsite Yacht Club, then to the grocery store and got steaks for dinner as well as some other groceries.  We got together with the other folks here and brought cole slaw and blueberry cake as our contribution to the meal.

View of Dome Rock while biking Dome Rock Road

Friday Linda went to the Quartzsite Quilt Show with 6 other ladies, saw beautiful quilts and tried to vote on the best quilt in each category – Large, Medium, Small, Home Décor, Art, Wall Art, Wearable.  The colors and designs were amazing!  We had lunch at the Stagecoach.  Jim worked on the crank openers for the 3 windows in the motorhome, replacing one and switching the others around so they worked.  When we got back Linda did 3 loads of laundry in Debi’s machine, hanging the clothes in the sunshine to dry.  We had Debi and Larry in the Bounder for dinner, roast chicken and dressing, gravy, broccoli red pepper stir fry, the rest of the cole slaw, and the rest of the blueberry cake! 

Pattern I could use for photo quilt I want to make

This pattern of quilt is called Stack and Whack!

Saturday Linda rose up to the end of Dome Rock Road again, then back and around the neighborhood for 20 miles.  Jim rode up the dirt Pipeline road, then connected to the paved Dome Rock Road for the ride down.  We tried to get in touch with each other, but Jim left too late to make it up to the far end in time, and Linda did not hear her phone ring.  In the afternoon Linda worked on this trip journal.  Easier to go out and have fun then wade through photos!

Linda and Sarah relaxing

Larry Jensen giving his friend a treat

Sunday morning Linda walked to the top of Flag Hill and got a couple of good pictures.  Jim’s heel is still bothering him a lot, making it impossible to do any hiking.  We had lunch, then headed to Cave Creek State Park.

Rainbow Acres from the top of Flag Hill

Dome Rock from the top of Flag Hill

La Quinta, California Lake Cahuilla County Park

Day 9:  Tuesday, January 31, Lake Cahuilla County Park, La Quinta, CA

We headed east on 76, then up 15 and 215 to I10, then east to La Quinta, another spot on a lake, even in dry Palm Springs Area!  We drove by places we had enjoyed in other years, including Diamond Valley Lake and Lake Perris.  Linda and Harry Clayton, friends from home, joined us for dinner and a nice visit.  We had pork chops, Quinoa and brown rice, stir-fried veggies, and cole slaw.  It is great to have the oven in the motor home – I made brownies for dessert.  Linda and Harry are continuing to enjoy living in sunshine in the winter in their La Quinta home!

Sunrise at Lake Cahuilla

Biker dude picking grapefruit

Oceanside, California Guajome Lake County Park

Day 6, 7, 8:  Saturday, Sunday, Monday, January 28, 29, 30    Guajome Lake County Park, Oceanside, CA

We headed out early to drive down I5 through the LA basin to Oceanside.  Jim did all the driving this day!!  There were occasional traffic slowdowns, but Saturday morning was a good time to travel.  This pretty park is 8 miles east of I5.  We found our spot and set up, then took Sarah on a little walk around the park.  Got a couple of beautiful pictures of the lake.  We also figured out how to get on the San Luis Rey River bike path from the campground, planning for our ride the next day!

Our campsite at Guajome Lake.

View from the trail around the lake 

Slanting light on the calm water

 Sunday we rode the bike path 9 miles down to Oceanside Harbor, a great path, most of it far from the highway, no dangerous crossings at all.  We saw airplanes dropping bunches of skydivers, as many as 10 at a time, and watched the parachutes coming down.  I asked Jim if he would like to do that, but he said jumping out of a good airplane does not make sense to him!  We saw a canoe on the river estuary – it would be a pretty place to kayak.  

Skydivers along the trail

San Luis Rey River Trail

In the afternoon we went down to Oceanside Harbor and went on a whale-watching boat trip.  We saw seals, sea lions, lots of birds, white-sided dolphins including a baby, and bottle-nosed dolphins, but no whales!  It was a beautiful day and a nice boat ride, very calm seas.  All we got were videos of the dolphins, no pics to post!

Oceanside Harbor Beach

In the afternoon we went down to Oceanside Harbor and went on a whale-watching boat trip.  We saw seals, sea lions, lots of birds, white-sided dolphins including a baby, and bottle-nosed dolphins, but no whales!  It was a beautiful day and a nice boat ride, very calm seas.

Our Tour Ship

Making our way out of the harbor, lots of boats!

White sided dolphin right by the boat

Sun sparkles on calm seas

Slanting light as we head back into harbor

Monday we drove down to the Oceanside Transit Center and caught the Coaster for a train ride to Old Town in San Diego.  It costs $5.50 each and took about an hour.  We wandered around the historical area, split an appetizer tray at the outdoor restaurant there, and rode back, part of the trip along the ocean with surfers and sunshine.  Got ice cream cones at the train station!  

Coaster train.  We rode up on top for a great view!

Notice how my shirt matches the flowering vine!

Old guy under old tree in Old Town Plaza.  Hee hee!

Surfers on a calm sea

After dinner we went to the grocery store, then went for a sunset walk on one of the trails at the park.

A man and his doggie

Sunset picture, 1 of many

Sunset picture, 2 of many

Trip South 2017

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Day 1:  Monday, January 23, 2017    Valley of the Rogue State Park, Gold Hill, OR

Loading lots more stuff in the new 36 foot Bounder, with slides and so much storage we could not fill it!  I had taken most of my stuff up to Jim’s the previous week.  Snow in the Siskiyou’s caused us to postpone our departure date from Friday until Monday.  Jim drove down and parked at the Safeway near my house.  I drove my car over with food in the cooler and some other last minute odds and ends, then drove back home and rode my bike to Safeway to load it on the motorhome!  We were on the road by 11 am, heading south down I5.

We always like this park, got a nice pull-through so we did not have to unhitch Suzi.  After a delicious dinner and a peaceful night, we were ready to head south.

First dinner of the trip!

Jim;s office with hiis new short wave radio!

Sunshine and snow through the Siskiyous

Linda driving the MH.  Pretty scary!

Made it through the Siskiyous!  Mt. Shasta ahead

Lots of water in Shasta Lake this year!

Day 2,3:  Tuesday, Wednesday, January 23, 25     Redding RV Resort, Redding, CA

We went for a walk after breakfast, stopped in Central Point for gas, then headed south, driving through the snowy Siskiyou’s with sunshine and clear roads.  Lake Shasta at Bridge Bay was looking good!  Our usual park, Park Marina RV Park, is flooded by the Sacramento River and is closed, so we found another spot.  We drove down to the Diestelhorst Bridge and rose the bike path loop up to Keswick Dam, then east again, rode over the Sundial Bridge and south to Park Marina to see what it looked like!  We had chicken fajitas salad for dinner.

Wednesday morning we went looking for faucets for the kitchen sink, and Jim replaced ours, which was leaking.  We met my brother Bill for lunch at Puerto Vallarta, had some great Mexican food.  We got the good news that he is getting a new wheelchair van.  It is up in Central Point, where we got gas on Tuesday.  It was so nice to see my bro.

Our campsite at Redding RV Park.  Nice view of the mountains.

Brother Buzz at Puerto Vallarta for lunch

Where we usually camp at Park Marina!

Looking south at Park Marina

Day 4: Thursday, January 26      Turtle Beach RV Resort, Manteca, CA

We continued with sunshine driving south on I5.  Linda drove the behemoth part of the way on Monday and also on Thursday.  The steering is very touchy and requires continuous correction.  Also, the 8 foot width takes up a lot of space in the driving lane!  We found a spot in this pretty park, which is an RPI so only costs us $10 a night!  We went on a bike ride along the dike roads nearby, saw some herons in a rookery.  We thought the dike roads were a little smoother than last year, and rode about 10 miles.  The San Joaquin River is high, right along the dike in some places and also flooding parts of the campground.  California really needs water, so this is a good thing.  There were lots of egrets fishing in the water that covered the lower parts of the campground!

Our campsite at Turtle Beach

Egrets in the campground!

Smooth riding on the dike.

San Joaquin River flooded up to dike!

The farmland side of the dike.

Jim in his motor home office

Day 5:  Friday, January 27     Buena Vista Aquatic Recreational Area, Buttonwillow, CA

We had a nice pull through right by the lake in this Kern County Park.  We had dinner, then Linda went for a walk after dark on the bike path here, down through the park, with water on both sides, very peaceful.  Jim got some great sunrise pictures in the morning. 

Evening on the lake at Buena Vista.  Sarah hoping for a treat.

Evening light.  Sarah still hoping.

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Sunrise at Buena Vista

Could not decide which picture was better!

Heading south over the Grapevine.  Can you see our reflection?