Category Archives: Hiking

Christmas in August

A cold front was pushing down from the north on Friday. After exploring a few options, we decided the best bet was to stay put and hunker down for the day. The wind picked up in the afternoon, but most of the thunderstorm activity was to the south of us – we could see lightning and hear the thunder but we only had one squall here at Sierra Trading Post.

It was good day to kick back and read a book, so that’s what I did. Satelite TV reception was spotty in the afternoon due to the heavy storm clouds blocking the southern sky. The temperature dropped dramatically.

Screenshot of weather conditions on my smartphone at 7:46pm

Screenshot of weather conditions on my smartphone at 7:46pm

I couldn’t think of anything better to do, so I opened a bottle of Flanders Black Ale that I picked up when I visited the Deschutes Brewery. This is a limited release – you won’t find it in stores. It’s a bourbon barrel-aged black ale with brett bacteria.

Black Flanders Ale

Flanders Black Ale

It was strong at 10.5% ABV with very complex flavors and a sour finish. I thought it was delicious. I poured a taster for Donna and she agreed. It was also expensive at about a dollar an ounce! When the storm clouds thinned out, we watched some coverage of the Rio Olympics.

We rose to sunny skies Saturday morning. It was still cool out but the forecast called for temperatures in the 70s by the afternoon. We wanted to get out so we rode the Spyder downtown to the depot at the south end of Capitol Avenue. They have a farmers’ market there on Saturdays from 7am to 1pm beginning on the first weekend of August and running through the first weekend in October.

Farmers' market

Farmers’ market

It was a fairly large market with local produce sourced from Wyoming, Colorado and Nebraska.

Depot plaza

Depot plaza

The entrance to the depot plaza which is the site for the market has sculptures of cowboy boots flanking either side.

Boot on the right

Boot on the right

Another boot on the left

Another boot on the left

We walked through the marketplace and Donna bought fennel and squash while I bought coarse grain habanero mustard – we sampled it and it was very tasty while not overly hot.

There was an art exhibit in the train depot that houses a gift shop and museum. The fee to enter the museum was $8 – we passed on it. We also checked out the Accomplice brew pub but it was too early to sample brews.

As we headed back to the Spyder, we saw a western wear shop called The Wrangler which is also a Boot Barn store. Donna’s been wanting me to buy cowboy boots to wear with jeans when we go out. When I’m not wearing flip-flops, I usually wear running shoes or cross-trainers.

I humored her and we went inside for a look. I haven’t worn cowboy boots since I was a kid. I posted about those cowboy boots here. For some reason, I imagined cowboy boots would be uncomfortable to wear. After browsing around for a while, I found a pair I liked and tried them on. They were a little tight around my forefoot and a little loose at the heel. I looked for a different size. I tried a larger boot, but it was loose. That’s when a store clerk came over to offer assistance.

I told him how the first boot fit. He told me that it sounded like a perfect fit – they should always feel a little tight behind the ball of your foot and have a little space at the heel. He said the leather would stretch and conform to my forefoot after walking in them and breaking them in. They were actually quite comfortable. The brand name was Ariat.

Donna made it Christmas in August and bought the boots for me. I also picked up some leather conditioner.

On the way back to the Spyder, we stopped at a used book store and found a couple of books for a dollar each. Donna asked the guy there for a recommendation for lunch. He told us we should go back toward the depot and try The Albany restaurant. It’s been family-owned since 1942. We dropped our stuff in the Spyder trunk and I donned my new cowboy boots to start the break-in process.

My new Ariat boots

My new Ariat boots

We had a nice lunch and the service was good. After we came home, Donna went for a walk. She ended up walking a few miles east, then came back and stopped at the coach before walking west to pick up a few things at Walmart, logging a total of 6.6 miles for the day. I watched the qualifying for this weekend’s Moto GP race in the Czech Republic.

Today’s weather looks good – clear skies with the temperature expected to reach the low 80s and not as windy as the previous few days. We’ll hang out here at Sierra Trading Post one more night before we move on to Colorado tomorrow.

Smoke on the Water

Our overnight in Grangeville, Idaho at the Bear Den RV Park was surprisingly nice. Who would have thought that such an out-of-the-way spot would have a clean, friendly park with all pull-through sites and lightning-fast, free wifi! This was probably the best park wifi we’ve ever experienced.

We pulled out a little before 10am Friday morning and headed down US95. It started out flat and I was cruising at 60mph with a tractor-trailer rig behind me. After a few miles, we hit a steep upgrade with a passing lane. I didn’t have to worry about the tractor-trailer – we dropped him like a rock on the incline. A few cars cleared out and we were traffic-free as we crossed the White Bird Summit at 4,245 feet above sea level.

At the summit, there was a sign that said we were in for seven miles of seven percent downgrade! Trucks were advised to maintain 35mph. Like the drop into Lewiston, this is a long drop with several runaway truck ramps. If a trucker allows too much speed or overheats his brakes through poor technique, all braking power can be lost with a heavy load and gravity hurling his cargo down the grade.

Runaway truck ramp with deep gravel

Runaway truck ramp with deep gravel

As usual, I silently thanked Jacobs Engineering for the development and release of an engine compression brake for diesel engines in 1961. Using our “Jake” brake, I controlled our downhill speed and only used the brake pedal a few times for some of the curves. There were a few signs warning “Grade Steepens” – really!?!

The view to the south toward the Hell’s Canyon Recreation Area is spectacular and you can see for miles as you descend from White Bird Summit.

The photo from Donna's seat cannot capture the grandeur of the view

The photo from Donna’s seat cannot capture the grandeur of the view

We leveled out and followed the Salmon River. It was so pretty, Donna took a few passenger seat photos along the way. You really have to see it to appreciate it though.

US95 along the Salmon River

US95 along the Salmon River

Another passenger seat view with what appears to be sandy beach

Another passenger seat view with what appears to be sandy beach

We saw several areas with what appeared to be sandy beaches. I think it’s more likely to be clay silt deposits, but without wriggling our toes in it, we’ll never know for sure.

At New Meadows, we hit the junction with ID55. We took a left and followed ID55 through Meadows toward McCall. It was twisty and steep at times – also narrow. After a while, we ran into a construction zone with a few tight, tricky, turns then finally an area with only one lane of traffic. The sign warned of delays up to 30 minutes, but we were only stopped for about five minutes. We lost an hour though as we crossed into the Mountain Time Zone.

I had programmed GPS coordinates into our Rand-McNally RVND 7720 GPS to find Mark and Emily Fagan’s boondocking site – Emily had sent the coordinates to Donna earlier. For those who may not know, GPS coordinates are latitude and longitude markers using a geographic coordinate system. This system sets up a grid for world geography. Latitude sets a number of parallel lines around the earth starting at the equator. The equator is zero, the north pole is 90 degrees north and the south pole is 90 degrees south. One degree of latitude is 69 nautical miles and one minute of latitude is one nautical mile. It’s then further broken down into seconds which can then be further defined with decimal points.

Longitude is a little more difficult due to its point of origin. Instead of something easy like the equator, we have a seemingly arbitrary starting point. Zero degrees of longitude coincides with a north-south line through Greenwich, England and aligning with the north and south poles due to England’s mastery of the seas when this system was devised. These lines are called meridians. Once again we have defined degrees west of Greenwich and degrees east of Greenwich. On the opposite side of the earth we reach a longitude of 180 degrees where east and west meet. Anyway, using a coordinate system can pinpoint a spot without an address.

As we rolled along toward our turnoff point, Donna spotted Mark on the left shoulder among some Ponderosa pines waving at us to get our attention. We pulled off the road into a Forest Service area set aside for snowmobilers in the winter months. As usual, Mark and Emily found a nice, free boondocking spot. We first met Mark and Emily in San Diego in 2013 – read here.

Boondocking with Mark and Emily (Mark Fagan photo)

Boondocking with Mark and Emily (Mark Fagan photo)

It was a roomy lot and we got turned around and lined up with them easily. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been more than two years since we last saw Mark and Emily. It was great to hook up again. Once we set up, we sat together at their rig and talked for a bit. Mark and I drove into town in their new Dodge Ram 3500 dually to refill one of their propane tanks and hit the grocery store while the girls caught up.

After we returned we decided to go back to town – McCall is only a few miles from this spot – and check out the Salmon River Brewery pub. This area of Idaho has been hit with smoke from fires to the north and fires in eastern Oregon. Depending on the wind direction, the smoke can be a distant haze or it can be be a fog with a campfire smell. When Mark and I went for propane, Payette Lake was clear and the view was beautiful.

When we returned to hit the pub on the lake, the wind had shifted and the lake had so much smoke that you could barely make out the scenic hillsides and forests on the far side.

Smoke on the water

Smoke on the water

Smoke and clouds

Smoke and clouds

Emily, Donna and Mark at Salmon River Brewring

Emily, Donna and Mark at Salmon River Brewing

We ordered food and few beers, then took a walk by the lake. The sun broke through the clouds and smoke briefly and left a beautiful reflection on the lake. Mark was pining for his camera.

Should I say - a fire in the sky

Should I say – a fire in the sky

On the way home we parked at Rotary Park and walked across the bridge to Shore Lodge. This is where visitors to McCall and Payette Lake get first-class accommodations and services. We took a stroll through and looked around. They had a nice seafood display on ice in a canoe in front of the restaurant that looked very appealing.

Seaweed, oysters, king crab legs and prawns

Seaweed, oysters, king crab legs and prawns

We made our way back to camp and sat outside and talked for a while. I had unloaded the Spyder when we arrived, but it turned out to be unnecessary since we never used it. I left it outside overnight and regretted it as unexpected raindrops fell overnight. I’m blaming the raindrops on the smoke – particulates in the air can collect moisture. If they collect enough, it gets heavy and falls to the ground as rain – that’s the theory behind “seeding” clouds. It’s my theory here and I’m sticking to it. I slept poorly overnight with the intermittent rain showers and sudden humidity.

We said our goodbyes Saturday morning as Mark headed out for a bike ride. Emily had a stomach bug and wasn’t feeling well – it’s funny as she was the one who only had one beer the night before. Earlier, Donna needed to get in a quick hike. She walked up a trail – everything is up from here – for about 20 minutes, then ran back down and covered it in 10 minutes.

Donna's hiking path

Donna’s hiking path

She saw a few mountain bikers on the trail.

Coming through

Coming through

We headed out toward town on ID55. Nally, our GPS had us turn before town. She had a clever route that bypassed the town and its tourist traffic and took us past the airport where we rejoined ID55.

Although we only had to cover about 120 miles, Nally predicted a two-and-a-half hour drive. I expected more like three with weekend traffic. Our route turned out to be very scenic although challenging at times with steep grades and tight turns. Some of the tight turns had us right up against sheer rock walls and I had to be mindful of how the trailer was tracking so I wouldn’t scrape them.

We drove into more smoky areas. This route on ID55 through McCall, Cascade and Smith’s Ferry to Boise is also known as the Payette River Scenic Byway. It’s aptly named as we followed the river almost the whole way. It’s a great recreational area and we saw several rafters and kayakers on the river. From Smith’s Ferry on down, we saw more and more and Donna kept trying to capture photos, but it’s hard when you’re rolling down the road. I tried to keep my attention on the road and concentrate on driving, not sightseeing.

Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes upon the road

Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel

Rafters on the river

Rafters on the river

Heading for whitewater

Heading for whitewater and more smoke

This post is getting too long, so I’ll post about our current location later.

Bizz Johnson Trail

The weather here in Susanville, California was near perfect yesterday. The afternoon temperature reached the low 70s with light winds and a nearly cloudless sky. Susanville is located in a basin between the Cascade Mountains and the Sierra Nevada Mountains at an elevation of about 4,200 feet. It’s the Lassen County seat and has a population of around 17,500 people. Susanville was named after Susan Roop – the daughter of an early settler by the name of Isaac Roop – in 1857.

The town was served by the Southern Pacific Railroad on the Fernley and Lassen line. In 1978, Southern Pacific received permission to abandon the line. Former Congressman Harold T. “Bizz” Johnson was instrumental in transforming the Fernley and Lassen branch into a rails-to-trails conversion. The trail is called the Bizz Johnson Trail and runs 30 miles between Susanville and Westwood.

The trail starts at around 4,200 feet above sea level and climbs to about 5,500 feet at Westwood. Donna and I went out to hike a few miles on the trail yesterday. It was an easy and enjoyable hike in the afternoon sunshine. Over its full length, the trail crosses the Susan River 12 times over bridges and trestles. We crossed it three times. It’s very scenic.

The trail follows the Susan River canyon with steep, rocky cliffs to the north and pine forest hills to the south. The only wildlife we encountered were lizards in the rocks, ground squirrels and a variety of birds – including a bright orange and black Bullock’s Oriole.

Bizz Johnson Trail

Bizz Johnson Trail

Susan River below the trail grade

Susan River below the trail grade

Rocky bluff on the north side

Rocky bluff on the north side

Pine trees and alpine meadow

Pine trees and sub-alpine meadow

After our hike, we rode the Spyder to the old downtown area. We wanted to check out the local brewery – Lassen Ale Works at the old Pioneer Saloon. First we stopped next door at Maggie’s Book Nook. This is a book store selling new and used books. There were books of every genre stacked on shelves along the wall, on tables and even stacked on the floor. It could take hours of searching, but I’m sure there are a few gems to be found. I picked up two fictional thrillers and Chris Kyle’s autobiography – American Sniper. Donna found a couple of books as well. Five books cost a grand total of $21.50!

In the saloon, Donna ordered an Devil’s Corral Imperial stout and I had the Volcanic Double IPA. These are tasty albeit strong beers. Much better than the local brew at Mt. Diamond brewery. We ordered Bizz Johnson beer-battered deep-fried mushrooms which I paired with a Belgian style dubbel while Donna went for the Thompson Peak Pilsner. The mushrooms were outstanding.

We came home and had a quiet evening. Donna made blackedned fish tacos for dinner. Then we watched an episode of The Night Manager. Next week will be the finale of this six-episode mini-series.

Today the forecast calls for warmer weather with the temperature reaching the 80s. We want to take advantage of the nice weather and ride the Spyder up to Westwood and Lake Almanor today. The weather can take sudden turns in the mountains and now the weather guessers are calling for much cooler temperatures and rain over the weekend. We can chase the sun, but there are no guarantees!

Michigander in Mesa

With the orange blossoms and everything else blooming around here, my pollen allergies are in high gear. I bought Zyrtec last week, but it doesn’t work for me. All it did was make my already dry mouth drier. My eyes were still itchy and burning, I was sneezing and constantly blowing my nose. I went back to my old standby – Opcon A eyedrops, Flonase and neti pot rinses. It’s not perfect, but it’s an improvement.

On Sunday, Donna and I rode the Spyder over to our old neighborhood and visited with our friends Lana and Joel. We sat out back on the patio and had a couple of cold ones while we talked. It was an enjoyable afternoon – until my allergies started getting the better of me. Joel and I discussed updating my operating system to Windows 10. Joel was a beta tester and he’s a computer expert – so we planned for me to bring my laptop over sometime to run the update on their wifi.

On Monday morning, Donna and I played pickleball during the open play from 8am to 10am. Donna went home at 10am but I stayed for the 3.0 round robin session. We had 16 players that presumably were level 3.0 or higher. The round robin format sets up teams to play on all four courts. The games are played until one team scores 9 – no need to win by two points. In normal play, you need to score 11 to win and must win by at least two points. With all four games playing to 9, the games went quick and finished at nearly the same time. Then everyone was assigned to a new team and court with new opponents for another game. We played a total of six games in the session. I already played six or seven games, so it was a long morning of pickleball.

End of day step count

End of day step count

I got a lot of steps in on the court and finished the day with more than 16,500 total steps!

An old friend from Michigan, Bill Frahm, flew into Phoenix in the afternoon. He came by a little after 3pm for a visit. We sat out by the pool and had a cold Four Peaks Kiltlifter Scottish ale and talked. Then we drove in his rental car to Barrio Queen restaurant in Gilbert. This is the restaurant that our friends Howard and Sara Graff took us to a couple of weeks ago. We had the guacamole made at our table again. Donna ordered the California enchiladas and I had chile verde. Bill ordered enchiladas mole. Donna and I had the skinny chola margarita again but Bill was more adventuresome and had a margarita made with jalapeno infused tequila. While we were enjoying the cocktails my friend Pat, who also hails from Michigan stopped by our table.

Donna's California enchilada pate with black beans and calabacitas

Donna’s California enchilada pate with black beans and calabacitas

My chili verde skillet

My chile verde skillet

On Tuesday morning, Bill picked up Donna at 8am while I went to play pickleball. They were going to meet up with our friend Deb Spencer (Rolling Recess) and hike the Pass Mountain trail at Usery Regional Park. I didn’t want to hike among all of the wildflowers – my allergies are tough enough without that. They picked a good day for hiking – it was cool in the morning and the temperature stayed in the low 70s all day.

Stones with inspirational words and phrases on a tree burl

Fruits of the Spirit on a tree burl

Along the trail, they passed a tree burl on which had someone placed stones with a set of words that Deb identified as the nine fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22).

Giant saguaro and Bill on the hike

Giant saguaro and Bill on the hike

When they finished their hike, Deb headed home and Bill and Donna headed up to Tortilla Flat for lunch. I rode the Spyder up there to meet them. I wrote about Tortilla Flat in this post. I thought it would be a fun ride on the Spyder. The road has deteriorated so badly that it wasn’t nearly as fun as I’d hoped. Between all the bumps and heaves in the road and the traffic, it was more of a chore than a joy.

When I pulled up at the restaurant I couldn’t believe the crowd. Parking areas were full and people were milling about on the boardwalk in front of the restaurant. I found Donna and Bill and they told me it would be a 35-40 minute wait for a table. What?! At 1pm on a Tuesday? I’ve never seen that many people there before.

A small portion of the people waiting for a table at Tortilla Flat

A small portion of the people waiting for a table at Tortilla Flat

I decided against waiting that long for a seat in the crowded restaurant. I was sure the service would be hampered by the hordes of people. Bill and Donna could get a table for two quicker than the wait for a table for three, so I rode back down past Canyon Lake and home.

 

*Just so you know, if you follow one of my links to Amazon and decide to make a purchase, you pay the same price as usual and  I’ll earn a few pennies for the referral. It’ll go into the beer fund. Thanks!

Tight Squeeze

The weekend weather was true to the forecast. The temperatures reached the low to mid-80s which felt nice in this dry climate. I had a task to accomplish on Saturday. Our generator was showing 855 hours of run time. It was due for an oil and filter change at 850 hours, so I didn’t want to wait any longer – especially since we’ve been running the generator for a couple of hours in the morning and few more hours in the evening each day while we were dry camped at the Lake Havasu City rodeo grounds.

While I tackled the generator service, Donna went for a hike with some of our Alpine Coach friends. It turned out to be a good thing I got to the generator service when I did. When I opened the trap door to the compartment where the oil filter is located, I found a mess in there. The oil filter  seal had a small leak. The filter had worked loose. I’m not sure how that happened – I installed the filter myself. I was sure I had tightened it properly, but I must have made a mistake. The filter is up inside a small compartment and you have to install it by feel while lying on your back underneath it. I was extra careful to be sure I tightened the new filter more than half a turn after the seal made contact.

The big event for Saturday was the Cowboy Barbeque. We had tickets – $10 each – for the dinner. They had a bandstand and a few dozen tables on a large concrete patio behind the rodeo grandstands. They also had a beer bar featuring ales from a local brewery called Mudshark Brewing. This was a fund raiser for the rodeo association.

Live music at the barbeque

Live music at the barbeque

We had a choice of chicken or beef tri-tip for the entree. I chose the beef while Donna went for the chicken. We also had a tossed salad, beans and garlic bread with it. It was very good and a fun time. Donna brought her hoops along and did some hoop dancing to the music before we ate. She even persuaded a couple of guys in our group to give it a try.

Ed working the hoop

Ed working the hoop

You know how they say a picture is worth a thousand words? Well, pictures can also be deceiving. Ed looks like a hoop master in the photo. He actually got one revolution of the hoop – that’s when I snapped the photo – before the hoop fell to the ground. But he gave it a good try!

Saturday night sunset in the desert

Saturday night sunset in the desert

After a spectacular sunset, we watched fireworks again. Saturday night’s show was the biggest of the weekend.

The wind picked up on Sunday. Donna went for a group hike up Picnic Table Mountain – the name comes from the picnic table someone carried – presumably in pieces – up the rugged mountain trail. I ran a few errands including grocery shopping with a list Donna gave me.

The wind really increased as the day wore on. Our Alpine Coach Association happy hour and dinner was cancelled due to the wind blowing tables, chairs and mats away. Our wagon master, Dave Guhse, served roasted chicken halves with potato salad and broccoli slaw on paper plates at his coach. We lined up, got our plates and retreated back to our individual coaches to eat dinner out of the wind.

The day before, the guys surreptitiously got together to put icing on cupcakes one of the women in the group made. After dinner we retrieved our cupcakes and gave them to our valentines. I missed the photo opportunity before Donna ate the cake decorated with a pink heart shaped icing topped with a dollop of purple icing. Donna had a valentine gift for me as well. It was a red ale from Alesmith called My Bloody Valentine Ale.

My Bloody Valentine Ale

My Bloody Valentine Ale

Before dinner, I spent the afternoon rearranging the trailer to make room for the Can Am Spyder. It took some doing but I managed to make enough room. The tricky part was backing the Spyder into the trailer. I rode it in reverse up the ramp. There are spring-loaded cables on each side of the ramp door. These cables are about 61″ apart from each other. The Spyder is over 59″ wide at the front wheels giving me about 3/4″ clearance on each side. With Donna and our friend Dave Hobden watching the wheels and cables and guiding me, I got past them without scraping the wheels or fenders. But then I had a problem. Backing slowly past the cables I had to open the throttle to provide enough power to get up the ramp. The rear wheel lost traction and fishtailed off to the side. I rolled back down the ramp and repeated the procedure three times with the same result each time.

I told Donna I needed her to get on the back seat of the Spyder so I would have enough weight over the rear wheel for traction. That did the trick. The next issue was getting her out of the trailer – the Spyder completely blocked her in. She was able to climb over the front suspension without doing any damage. In the photo it looks like there’s plenty of clearance for the Spyder. The interior width of the trailer is 68″, giving me about four inches of clearance on each side. The challenge was getting past the cables and through the 63″ door opening.

Spyder shoe-horned into the trailer

Spyder shoehorned into the trailer

The wind didn’t abate after dark – if anything it grew in intensity. I slept fitfully as gusts made noises. I got up in the night to roll up the bedroom window awning. We both got out of bed tired the next morning. The poor night’s sleep coupled with the weekend activities caught up with us. We made our final preparations and said “until next time’ to our Alpine Coach friends and headed out a little after 10am.

A row of Alpine Coaches getting ready to depart

A row of Alpine Coaches getting ready to depart

We headed south on AZ95 toward Quartzsite, then followed AZ68 to I-10 east. The wind diminished – we had mostly a tailwind all day. The trip was a little over 200 miles. I stopped at the Pilot/Flying J in Avondale and took on 65 gallons of diesel fuel at $1.78/gallon – the lowest price we’ve ever paid for fuel since hitting the road in 2013.

We checked into Towerpoint RV Resort in Mesa Arizona (map) where we’ve booked a two-month stay. After dropping the trailer in our site, we were set up quickly. After a full week of dry camping, it’s good to be on full hook-ups again. I dumped and flushed the tanks first thing before showering and making a run to Red, White and Brew for a cold one.

Today Donna has a dentist appointment this morning. She’ll ride the Spyder (her inaugural ride) over to the dentist on Power Road. When she comes home, I’ll be off trailer shopping. I’m looking at 8.5 x 20 enclosed car carriers.

 

Western Winter Blast

We’ve had a busy and fun-filled time the past few days. On Thursday, the Alpine Coach Association SoCal chapter rally officially opened. Donna hiked the Crack in the Mountain trail in the morning. The trailhead is across the road from the rodeo grounds, about a quarter of mile from our coach. It goes down through a slot canyon and includes a dry waterfall slide before you reach the river – about three miles down the trail. Here are a few photos from her hike.

Down through the slot

Down through the slot

Tight trail

Tight trail

Sandy wash

Sandy wash

Colorado River

Colorado River

Our first social event was happy hour and a pizza dinner Thursday afternoon and evening.

Marcie and Donna in the foreground at happy hour

Marcy and Donna in the foreground at happy hour

On Friday morning, we had a BYOC (Bring Your Own Coffee) breakfast with the group – fresh fruit, pastries, yogurt, hard boiled eggs and  toasted bagels were on the buffet.

Later, Donna and I rode the Spyder up to the mall on the north side of town. The large parking lot in front of Dillard’s where they had the RV show last weekend was mostly empty. We thought this would be an ideal place for Donna to take a few test runs on the Spyder. She started out with some low speed maneuvering, then picked up speed and worked on upshifting and downshifting. She took to it like a duck to water and had fun riding it. I’m totally comfortable on it now and I think Donna will have an easy transition from motorcycling to the Spyder.

Later I got her bicycle out of the trailer and she rode the paved bike path that runs along US95. It was an out and back ride – mostly downhill on the way out which meant she had a climb coming back. She rode about 20 miles.

When she returned, we joined a group of friends for happy hour and a potluck heavy hors d’oeuvres dinner. The reason for this gathering at Lake Havasu City is the Western Pyrotechnic Association Western Winter Blast. The Western Winter Blast is a convention put on by the association and it includes a lot of activities for their members including training, seminars, certifications and vendor exhibits. This is for various municipalities and private companies that wish to put on fireworks displays. Some of the training is for firemen to learn how to best handle fires containing various chemicals and compounds used in the fireworks. There are also classes to learn how to construct class B and Class C fireworks. All this stuff is for Western Pyrotechnic Association members. The rest of us are here just to watch the show.

During the daytime, we heard a few loud booms – I could feel the concussion from one inside our coach! I think they were simulating firework accidents for training purposes across the wash to the east of us.

Open shooting happens from 6:30pm to 7:30pm – open shooting is where members practice with fireworks. From 7:30pm to 8:30pm is the public display where vendors show off their latest and greatest fireworks. Open Shooting resumes from 8:30pm to 10:30pm. That’s a lot of fireworks.

The rodeo grounds are separated from the race track area east of us by a large sandy wash. The pyrotechnics are fired from the race track area over the empty wash. Each night a big boom and large fire is visible near the race track area – I think this is part of the training for firemen.

I attempted a few photos with my smartphone. The results aren’t stellar, but I’m compelled to include a few in this post.

Watching the fireworks from our ACA viewing area

Watching the fireworks from our ACA viewing area

Ooohh

Ooohh

Aaahh

Aaahh

Grand finale

Grand finale

The temperature is in the low 80s and will continue to be warm until we leave on Monday. Donna is going to hike the Crack in the Mountain trail again today with Alpine friends we met a few years ago at the FMCA Redmond pre-rally in Portland. I need to change the oil on our generator – It’s about five hours overdue.

 

 

 

Blue-Green Water

The weather was much improved yesterday. We took advantage of it by hiking along Lake Havasu at Mesquite Bay. There are parking areas on both the north and south sides of the bay off London Bridge Road. We rode the scooter to the paved lot on the north side of the bay.

There are a few different trails beginning at the end of the lot. One is a short dirt trail for non-motorized boat access to the water. Another trail is paved and leads to a fishing pier on the water. We took this path first. Along the way, there are several informational signs describing the flora and fauna. One sign said the name Havasu is from the native America Yuman language spoken by the Havasupai people and means blue-green water. I’ve read conflicting information online about the tribe, language and translation of Havasu.

The water in Lake Havasu actually is blue-green. It’s hard to capture in photos. In yesterday’s post, the photo of London Bridge definitely shows a green cast to the water. At Mesquite Bay, the light refracted in the clear water and had areas of blue and green.

Cove in Mesquite Bay

Cove in Mesquite Bay

We left the paved path and hiked around the hilltop that forms a point in the bay. We didn’t see much in the way of wildlife – just a few song birds and waterfowl. The trails are short loops and we didn’t hike very far.

We rode the scooter from there into town for lunch at Bad Miguel’s – a Mexican restaurant that was recommended to us. The place is popular but we were able to snag a table. The food was good and the portions generous. There was a poster on the door for an RV Super Show this weekend. I had seen one of these posters when we arrived at Lake Havasu City but forgot about it.

The show was at The Shops at Lake Havasu – a shopping mall on AZ95 north of the Lake Havasu Falls RV resort – about five miles away from Bad Miguel’s. We blasted up AZ95 on the scooter to check out the show. It turned out to be not so super. It was a local dealer displaying everything from utility vehicles to fifth-wheel trailers and boats. No motorhomes and no manufacturer displays.

We walked through a couple of fifth-wheel trailers then we found a Polaris street legal utility vehicle.

Donna looking good in a Polaris Ranger

Donna looking good in a Polaris Ranger

We wandered over to another area and found Oreion Reeper street legal utility vehicles. These things are pretty cool – lightweight, but capable of cruising at 55mph and can go off-road. We started thinking one of these might be a viable alternative to the scooter. Weather would be less of a factor and I wouldn’t be so hesitant to ride after dark. It would be easy to fit in a trailer at only 64 inches wide and 124 inches long. I might go back for a second look.

While yesterday’s temperature reached the low 70s, today’s forecast calls for upper 70s. It will be just the two of us here watching the Superbowl tonight. Tomorrow we’ll pack up and move to the rodeo grounds where we’ll be dry-camped for a week with the Alpine Coach Association group.

Idyllwild Day Trip

Sunday went pretty much as I expected. We played pickleball in the morning then I settled in to watch the NFL Conference Championship games. Denver’s defense had their way against the New England Patriots until late in the game. Then New England stepped on the gas and made it a close finish. Denver prevailed. The Arizona Cardinals versus the Carolina Panthers was a lopsided affair with Carolina blowing out Arizona.

Donna on the pickleball court

Donna on the pickleball court

Monday I started my day on the pickleball courts and played until 11:30am. Whew! Donna passed on pickleball and went out for a three-mile run then went to work on an article she’s writing for Quill. Although it was a nice day out with the temperature in the 70s with clear skies, I was worn out from three hours of pickleball so I read for a while and napped on the sofa. That’s about all I was good for on Monday.

I managed to fire up the Traeger wood pellet grill and roast a whole chicken for dinner. I seasoned the chicken with Sweet Rub O’Mine. Just like last time, the sugars in the rub caramelized and make the chicken look burnt in the photos. It wasn’t burnt – the skin was crispy and tasty with no burnt flavor at all.

Chicken roasted on the Traeger

Chicken roasted on the Traeger

Donna served it with a blend of brown and wild rices mixed with chopped pecans and dried berries. She also baked acorn squash with butter and maple syrup as another side.

Roasted chicken, acorn squash and rice

Roasted chicken, acorn squash and rice

Tuesday morning I slept in until 8:15 and still felt tired. I haven’t been sleeping well lately. Some of it is due to seasonal allergies starting to kick in – I know it’s still January but many plants are blooming around here. The other part is sore shoulders. My shoulders have been beat up – I’ve had multiple shoulder surgeries on both sides over the years and it’s catching up with me.

I decided to take a break from pickleball. We had a trip planned with our new friends, Ron and Marilyn Cross. We met Marilyn on the pickleball courts and she and Donna have become friends. It’s amazing how many new friends we find as we travel the country. They picked us up at 11am for a day trip up to Idyllwild.

We drove through Hemet and followed CA74 to CA243, a twisty two-lane country highway that climbs to the village of Idyllwild, 5,413 feet above sea level (map). Idyllwild is nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains which boast the second highest peak in southern California. San Jacinto Peak is 10,834 feet above sea level – Mount San Gorgonio in the San Bernadino mountains is the highest at 11,503 feet above sea level. Many people don’t imagine mountain ranges and towering peaks when they think about southern California, but they’re here. Idyllwild caters to tourism based around hiking, camping and rock climbing. It doesn’t have any ski areas although it does get its share of snow. If you follow CA74 past the CA243 turn off, you’ll find yourself in the desert at Palm Springs – only an hour away!

Idyllwild Ranger station - San Bernadino National Forest

Idyllwild Ranger station – San Bernadino National Forest – snow in the background

We walked through town with Ron and Marilyn and their dog, a long haired Vizsla named Callie. Then we came back to the car which was parked in front of the Lumber Mill Bar and Grill. Ron and Marilyn said this place had the best burgers around. We found about a dozen specialty burger choices on the menu. I went for a mushroom burger with grilled onions, Donna had the bison burger, Marilyn had the veggie burger and Ron had a bacon cheeseburger. They were definitely good burgers.

Lumber Mill Bar and Grill

Lumber Mill Bar and Grill

When we were leaving, I saw an interesting vehicle parked out front. It was Pinzgauer high-mobility all-terrain vehicle. These vehicles were originally made by Steyr-Diamler-Puch in Graz, Austria. It was a popular military vehicle in Europe. Steyr-Diamler-Puch produced these vehicles in four-wheel and six-wheel drive configurations from 1971 to 2000 when the rights were ultimately sold to the UK firm BAE. Nowadays, many of the older Pinzgauers are in private hands and they can be found anywhere in the world.

Pinzgauer high-mobility all-terrain vehicle

Pinzgauer high-mobility all-terrain vehicle

This one appears to be a first generation vehicle most likely powered by an inline air-cooled four-cylinder engine.

We left Idyllwild with the intention of finding Lake Hemet. First we made a wrong turn and went up Saunders Meadow Road. We quickly decided it was a mistake and Ron pulled over at a turnout. The view was spectacular so we got out. We then found a wide, well-defined hiking trail and took a short hike with their dog, Callie, among the ponderosa pines and manzanita trees.

Donna, Ron and Marilyn on the trail we found by accident - note snow on peak in the baclground

Donna, Ron and Marilyn on the trail we found by accident – note snow on peaks in the baclground

We continued on our way and headed east on CA74 – also known as the Pines to Palms highway. About four miles down CA74, we found the lake after one more missed turn – it was obscured by a construction zone.

Lake Hemet

Lake Hemet

We saw an immature bald eagle flying across the lake while Callie romped and swam in the water. As is the case with most western lakes and reservoirs, the water level is low. Recent rainfall and snow pack will undoubtedly help this situation, but years of drought aren’t erased by one wet season.

The heavy rainfall in the last month caused erosion along some of the banks of the lake. Marilyn and Donna sat on a bench they literally had to jump up on. The erosion of the soil under the bench left it sitting high above ground level. They looked like two little kids on a park bench with their legs dangling.

Legs dangling from a high bench

Legs dangling from a high bench

We made it back to Golden Palms RV Resort just in time to hit the farmers’ market before it shut down at 4pm. We picked up a few items before we walked back to our coach.

We were told about a pizza place that had good pizza and had a Tuesday special – buy one, get one free! I phoned in a take-out order and rode the scooter to Stadium Pizza in a small industrial park about four miles away. The parking lot was full and there was a line of people out the front door! I found a place to park the scooter and saw the line had the door blocked and the place was jam-packed. I asked people in line if I had to wait in line if I was picking up a take-out order I already placed. They said I probably needed to wait. Then one of them said I should go inside and try to pick up my order.

I wiggled my way inside and found a guy that looked like the manager walking behind the counter. I told him I phoned my order in and asked if I could pick it up or should I stand in the long line. He said, “We don’t have a drive through – you need to get in line.” I said “Really? I wasn’t asking for a drive through, but it doesn’t make sense to me to phone an order in and stand in line while other people are placing orders and waiting for tables while my pizza gets cold.” He asked for my name and phone number and went to the back and came out with the pizzas. What he needs to do is organize his counter – one line to place orders and another line to pick up orders. Simple. The pizza WAS good. Really good.

Today the only thing on my schedule is pickleball. Then I have no further plan.

Sweetwater Summit

Last week, I noticed a vehicle entering the Mission Bay RV Resort with a hang tag that showed a checkout date of 1-31-16. What’s significant about that? Well, Mission Bay RV Resort has a policy of only allowing a stay of 31 consecutive days before you have to leave the park for a minimum of 24 hours.

Later I stopped by the office and asked how someone got a checkout date more than 31 days after entering the park. They told me they’ve altered their policy. If you’ve been here before for a long-term stay, they will double the allowable stay to 62 days. They said the change was made last August. When I made our reservations in September, I thought we were still limited to 31 days. I made a 31-day reservation followed by a second 31-day reservation after a day out of the park. You would think they would’ve mentioned the fact that I could have stayed for 62 consecutive days – they had my history in their system and knew I stayed here frequently.

Monday was our day to leave. I didn’t like the site we were in – I think site 135 is one of the worst in the park, so I looked forward to the move. There’s a large tree at the front left corner of the site. This not only interfered with satellite reception, the tree dropped debris constantly. I could hear stuff falling from the tree and clunking on the roof. Then at night, birds would roost in the tree. This resulted in bird droppings all over the front left corner of the coach and on the windshield cover.

Monday morning I shuttled stuff over to our trailer. They let us leave the trailer in the overflow lot while we are out for our 24-hour “exile” period. I made several trips to put our chairs, grills, ladder and Donna’s bike in the trailer. I parked our scooter behind the security shack and covered it. It’s a secure parking spot.

We pulled out just before noon. Our destination was the Sweetwater Summit campground – part of the Sweetwater Regional Park. We hadn’t stayed there before. Our route took us east on I-8 through Mission Valley to I-805. We followed I-805 south to CA94 east, then CA125 south. It’s about a 45-minute drive. This was uncharted territory for me. Back in the day when I was growing up here, there wasn’t a CA125 freeway. I’m not sure when they built it. The pouring of the concrete on CA125 south of CA94 was poorly executed. It’s like a roller coaster ride. The speed limit is 65mph. I was traveling around 60mph and that was too fast as the suspension was working overtime through the whoop-de-do surface. I’ll avoid CA125 from now on.

The volunteer at the gate at Sweetwater Summit had our check-in package ready and told us that the site we booked – site 129 – is the most requested site in the park. We drove up past the Sweetwater Reservoir over the ridge and down to the northwestern end of the park. The site was a long pull-through, reasonably level and was screened from the nearest neighbor with shrubs. The windshield view was nice.

Windshield view at Sweetwater Summit

Windshield view at Sweetwater Summit

View to the east in front of our site

View to the east in front of our site

Sweetwater Regional Park is in a suburban area but it seems like you are far from the city once you enter the park. It feels similar to Santee Lakes Recreation Preserve, but it has more traffic noise than Santee Lakes. We chose to stay overnight here to check out the park for future reference.

We didn’t explore much past our corner of the park Monday afternoon. I watched the Monday Night Football Game – it was dark by the time the game came on. I noticed a few commercial airliners passing just to the north of us. They were flying low as they made the final descent to Lindberg Field. San Diego International Airport, also known as Lindberg Field, is the busiest single runway airport in the country. The runway is oriented east-west. The prevailing wind is from the west, so most of the time, take-offs and landings are to the west on a heading of 274 degrees. We were about 10 miles east of the runway. The jets flying by were throttled back for the descent so they weren’t making much noise.

On Tuesday morning, Donna went out to hike on a trail into the Regional Park. She had asked at the office for a trail map – the map wasn’t very clear, but she got some verbal directions about how to make a loop. I took care of a few chores at the coach, then I went for a hike up toward the water tank on the ridge behind our site.

Yep, it's a trail

Yep, it’s a trail

I saw warning signs to beware of rattlesnakes.

Watch for snakes

Watch for snakes

On top of the ridge, I could see the reservoir on the north side. Donna told me later that she spotted a coyote right about here.

Sweetwater Reservoir

Sweetwater Reservoir

Looking back toward our site, I could see many hiking trails. Donna went up over the ridge, down the switchbacks and then crossed under the freeway near the golf course. She followed a trail to the dam and then along the Sweetwater River before heading back to make a loop crossing a pedestrian bridge over the freeway back to the campground. She finished her four-mile hike in time for a phone interview with an editor from Oprah.com at 10:30am.

Trails and golf course in the background

Trails and golf course in the background

We pulled out of the campground just before the noon checkout time. I took a different route back to Mission Bay – I didn’t want to bounce down CA125 again.

We checked in and I drove over to our site – we’re in 145 now. Before I could reach our site, a fifth-wheel trailer was blocking the lane. The guy appeared to be struggling to get the trailer aligned with his site – which was next to our site. Donna asked me if it’s possible to jack-knife a fifth-wheel trailer. I told it was and this guy was about to do it. We waited for a good five minutes or more as he jockeyed back and forth and finally got the rig into his site.

As usual, Donna directed me with the Cobra hand held CB radio. I made a three-point turn and lined up perfectly. I love it when it works out like that – especially since all of the neighbors were watching as they were entertained by the guy in the fifth-wheel.

After getting the coach set up and eating lunch, I walked to get  the stuff from the trailer. On the way, I saw our friends Tom and Kris Downey (Open Road 365). I stopped to say hello. Tom offered the use of his Chevy Equinox to haul my chairs and stuff back to our site. I took him up on the offer. I was able to load the chairs, ladder and push broom and drive back to our place. I unloaded then went back for the Weber Q grill. The use of his SUV saved me at least four walking trips out to the overflow area to carry stuff back. Thanks, Tom!

I walked back to the trailer to get the Traeger grill – it was too big to put in the SUV. With that done, all I had to do was get the scooter, then put on the tire covers and windshield cover. By then I was ready for a shower and a beer with the guys at Offshore Tavern and Grill.

This morning we have mostly cloudy skies that should burn off this afternoon and the temperature will reach the 70s. There’s a cooling trend forecast for the coming week with a slight chance of rain tomorrow or Friday.

 

*Just so you know, if you follow one of my links to Amazon and decide to make a purchase, you pay the same price as usual and  I’ll earn a few pennies for the referral. It’ll go into the beer fund. Thanks!

Zero on the Spice Scale

It was a beautiful day yesterday. Donna and I decided to take a walk. We headed out of Mission Bay RV Resort past the Mission Bay Golf Course to the Rose Creek trail. The trail took us underneath Grand Avenue where I saw an egret and a number of ducks in the creek. I snapped a photo.

Underneath Grand Avenue - egret in the lower left, ducks in the background

Underneath Grand Avenue – egret in the lower left, ducks in the background

Our route arced back toward Mission Bay Drive. We cut through the Rubio’s parking lot and crossed Mission Bay Drive to Lanna Thai. We sopped there for lunch. I had my usual chicken pad thai dish while Donna tried something new – she opted for east eggplant with squid. She said it was delicious. There was a glitch with my order though.

Usually the waitress asks me what level of spicyness I desire. They use a scale of 1 to 10. As we were waiting for our food, I realized that she didn’t ask me this time and I didn’t see her again until my order came out. A waiter brought my plate and I asked how spicy it was. He said, “No spice – pad thai isn’t a spicy dish.” What? Every pad thai I’ve ever had was spicy as red chili pepper is one of the ingredients. Every time I’ve had pad thai at this very restaurant and every other restaurant, they’ve asked me how spicy I want it. He took my meal back to kitchen to add red chili pepper.

After lunch, we walked back to the RV park along Mission Bay Drive. Our route basically circumnavigated the golf course and the total distance was about three miles. The sky became partly cloudy during our walk. The temperature was in the upper 70s.

Later I rode the scooter over to Dan Diego’s European Bistro to take another try at fresh-hopped IPA beer. I was advised by John Hinton (On the Road of Retirment) to try it on tap instead of from a bottle – he thought it tasted much better on tap. I tried a taster then ordered a pint. It wasn’t the same Stone IPA I had in a bottle. This IPA was brewed by Pizza Port Brewing – a longtime San Diego craft brewer. It was tasty with a grapefruit like finish.

On my way home, I stopped to take a photo of the sunset. Thin, high clouds made it a spectacular sight.

Sunset on the bay at De Anza Cove

Sunset on the bay at De Anza Cove

I finished my day watching the NFL football game. The Detroit Lions were stunned on the final play of the game – a Hail Mary pass that covered 61 yards to the end zone on the final play of the game.

Today we have some clouds and the predicted high will be in the 60s. Warmer weather will return tomorrow and into next week. I plan to scooter Donna to Ocean Beach for pickleball at the recreation center. Then I’ll head over to Costco and buy baby back ribs for tomorrow’s barbeque before I pick Donna up in OB at noon.