This is a practice blog as well as a practice run up to Seattle so don't expect too much!
Left in the Doodlebug at noon right after the Boutique Board meeting. Went to Hollister (yes, I know it's the wrong direction for Seattle) to visit brother Mike. Driving thru the Salinas Valley with the rich black soil called black gold by farmers reminded me of John Steinbeck's wonderful stories of this Long Valley.
Had a nice chat with him over politics and family and he gave me a roll of duct tape my friend Carolyn says I should never be without on the road. He also wrapped my electric cord in black electric tape where some of the wires were showing. Big brothers are a blessing!
Checked in at Casa de Fruta RV park intending to head over to hwy 5 in the morning. This is my first ever experience in an RV park and I learned a lot! Got there at 3, checked in and parked the rig but didn't hook anything up before going to dinner at the restaurant where great niece Sara is waitressing. Had a good dinner and visit with her.
Casa de Fruta has changed so much since I was last there 20 years ago. A pair of beautiful peacocks were on the path back to the campground.
Upon returning to the RV park found that a large motorhome has parked right next to me in the park which had all kinds of empty spaces. He was so close to me that when he pushed his slider out it touched the electric box where he had already hooked up but the door wouldn't open so I could hook up! Luck was with me as it was 5 minutes to closing for the office. The young woman who came out with me saw my motorhome neighbors were also out to dinner by now so she asked me to move to the next aisle to a different space which I did. I asked her to watch me hook up since this was my first time doing it and she said OK after I plugged the cord in.
While making the bed I discovered I had forgotten my pillow so made one out of what seemed to be my softest blanket. It wasn't.
In the middle of the night my cell phone which I keep on the bed beside me started buzzing and saying my battery was almost dead. How could this be since I plugged into shore power and did everything right according to my checklist (thank you, Nacio). It was midnight and I was panicked that I had killed my cellphone and wouldn't have it for the upcoming trip so called Bobbie. Sorry, Bobbie. She tried this and that unsuccessfully for the last 5 minutes before the screen on my phone went blank. Then I became philosophical...if I have no cell phone I will travel the old fashioned way. But what if I have a breakdown in the middle of the nowhere and no way to call emergency road service? I need that phone. So went to sleep after e-mailing Bobbie that I would come back to Berkeley to see what could be done.
In the morning had a very good persimmon, cheese and my Metamucil which for me is my morning coffee and waited till the office opened to tell of my dilemma and ask for a refund since I was obviously not hooked up to shore power all night as I had paid for. They gave me a $10 refund of my $30 and said the person who helped me hook up was new and should have told me to also put the breaker switch on (as Nacio said I should but thought this park was different since I wasn't instructed to by the person from the office).
While sitting a few hours to have my battery recharged now that I was hooked up correctly, my neighbor, Frankie, came over to visit. She's been on the road for a year in an old Winnebago waiting for her Fema money from Katrina so she can rebuild. At least that was her story. She shared way too much of her life as I kept trying to guide the conversation back to her travels of where she had been and where she was headed. Finally had to give up on her when she started in on Obama. They say the most interesting people on the road are the ones you would never talk to normally. Frankie was one of those.
On the way back to Berkeley for phone help I stopped at home to pick up the pillow I forgot and check to see if the laptop charger Bobbie mailed back to me a week ago had shown up yet. It hadn't so I cooked the two apples I brought in the microwave at home (since the RV microwave is now on the fritz I suspect because of the electric fiasco last night). I can't eat the apples raw because they are too hard on my upper plate but are good cooked. Now who's sharing too much!? I've notice that people who live alone often talk too much. Hope all my ramblings in this blog are meaningful.
Then to Bobbie and Nacio's where they explained about the cell phone that it isn't dead, just needed charging, Did some more tutorials on the internet, had some good Chinese takeout and to bed in the RV. Decided to take a shower in it just so I could be sure everything works. Plan to mostly shower in rv parks for convenience. Forgot to be sure the RV was level. Some water went down the drain in the floor but most of it ended up at the front which I then bailed with the large rag I had brought along to be used to wash the back window. Squeezed many rags full into the sink but finally got it all up and went to bed. The shower was actually very refreshing and in the morning the plastic curtain was dry so after a cup of tea with Bobbie I bid them goodbye thanking them for saving me again and headed to Ashland.
GYPSY took me on 80 to 505 and then to 5 bypassing Sacto. Thank you GPS! Love the way it sits in its cup mount right next to the steering wheel so all I need to do is glance over to see how many miles to the next turn. And when I leave the van I take it from the cup space and store it under the seat so it isn't visible and an invitation to break in to be stolen. Thank you, Bobbie and Nacio for finding this clever device for me. I have the smartest kids!
My first day on the road was a great learning experience!
Here's what I learned:
Don't forget your pillow.
Always hook up before the office closes.
Put the breaker switches on when hooking up. Don't depend on rv park people to know.
Be sure your campsite is level before taking a shower or running your refrigerator.
