Santa Barbara to Menifee

We made it to Rancho Oso, a Thousand Trails campground in the mountains east of Santa Barbara. We spent Wednesday night and Thursday night there. The campground is set up and members who have horses they can bring them to ride in the hills or you can rent horses for trail rides with the wranglers hired by the campground. Max and I stumbled on the turkeys when we went for our early morning walk on Thursday and again this morning.

Ted and I decided to try lunch at the Paradise Store & Grill. A lot of locals hang out there and they are very interesting characters! The dogs are welcome and everybody just hangs out. We've noticed it's always crowded and we always thought that it was because it has a bar, they do sell beer and wine but there isn't a bar. You eat out on the porch and while we were eating our sandwich a "cowboy" with long grey hair comes up and starts getting ready to play music. What I didn't expect was that he would be play soft classical music and he was very good!

After lunch we went into Solvang and looked around, fueled up and stopped at the Chumash (pronounced shoemash) Casino. Ted and I were both lucky, doubled our money and enjoyed ourselves!

This morning we left Santa Barbara and are now in Menifee, California. We are east of Murietta and northeast of Hemet. We are in a Thousand Trails campground called Wilderness Lakes. We have great cell service, internet and satellite!

Great electronics..."Ain't Life Grand!"

No internet service!

Today we are heading south to a campground in the mountains by Santa Barbara. We will have no cell service and therefore no internet - boo :( we will resume service on August 1st! Where is the year going?????????

Having too much fun..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Time out for the driving range!

Today Ted and I took time out to go to the driving range in Gilroy, California! Instead of finding garlic in Gilroy, we hit golfballs! It has been a very long time since we have played/practiced golf. It was fun but think I'm going to be sore!

We took a drive around Gilroy. Looks like they are updating part of their downtown area. We found an Irish pub/restaurant and had some lunch. Lots of Irish food on the menu but the funny thing was, neither of us had anything Irish but we both had a great lunch!

Tomorrow we will head south to Santa Barbara area for a couple of days.

Enjoying hitting golfballs..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Susan's Birthday!

Yes, today is my birthday, #58! Yikes - scary! Had a great day anyway! Ted took me to Rosey's on the Beach for lunch. A cute restaurant in downtown Morgan Hill. It was fixed up to feel as though yu were at the beach (but no sand on the floor)! It was too hot to sit outside. I had a nice grilled halibut and Ted had a pot roast pasta with a marinara sauce. For my birthday dessert I had the soup spoon sundae! They put homemade whip cream on the plate and a soup spoon full of French Vanilla ice cream with another little bit of cream with chocolate sauce! So cute.

After I got a Starbucks, we went back to the Clos LaChance winery. Ted decided he wanted to try to see if they still had a "buttery" Chardonay. He tried a couple and liked one so we got it.

We came back to the RV then and decided to take a swim since most of the kids left after the weekend the pool wasn't so crowded. It felt wonderful since it was still in the 90's outside. It's a huge pool!

Pool & Campsite

After swimming we came back to the campsite and sat outside in our chairs, it was so pleasant.

Great birthdays..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Clos LaChance Winery

Today went to the Clos LaChance Winery and did some wine tasting. They were having a cellar sale so they were quite busy. Ted had visited the winery many years ago when they were working out of their garage. As you can probably tell in the pictures they have grown! They have 150 acres of vineyard and only buy grapes for their pinot's. When Ted was there they only had whites and mainly Chardonay, but a great Chardonay! Now they have a very wide selection of reds and whites. Unfortunately we didn't care for the wines we tasted today, a little dry for our tastes!

After wine tasting we ran some errands and took a drive through downtown Morgan Hill. It's a small but cute town with a few shops and sidewalk cafe's. Lot's of Starbucks around town so I was happy!

Touring the countryside..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Morgan Hill, California & a rant about Dish Network!

Yesterday we were "on the road again"! We left Cloverdale and headed south to Morgan Hill. We are south of San Jose about 35 miles. This is the first time at this campground. They have a huge olympic size pool and lots of trees. Only problem is that they have lots of burrs that Max is getting in his feet and in his long ears. Since he needs a haircut he has lots of hair to pick up burrs with!

We went to set up the Dish Satellite and again had problems. I'm really tired of dealing with Dish on the phone. Everyone is very pleasant but they don't seem to know anything and you get a different answer every time you call. We have the protection plan so I tried to arrange a service call. I was told that because we are in an RV we have to go to a local retailer. The local retailer said I have to call Dish to get a work order, Dish says the retailer has to call. Finally the retailer did a conference call. So the guy says he can set up a service call from his end. I tell him I'm an RV (for the 3rd or 4th time) and he still says he can do it. I give him our address at the campground so today the Dish tech showed up at Peggy's house (our mailing address)! I called and lambasted a "supervisor" and he actually gave us some other things to try. So he sends us to Radio Shack for a part and of course they really don't handle parts they just install set up packages. Anyway we got the part and it fixed part of the problem. We at least have TV in one room and we'll wait to get home before dealing with Dish again! I've spent hours and hours on the phone with these jokers! Thank you for letting me rant and rave!

Anyway..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Riu Santa Fe

Friends Sue and Jake are heading to Cabo in August. They are staying at the Riu Palace. Ted and I went with a group of "Red Lippers" in December of 2007 and stayed at the Riu Santa Fe (a step down from the Palace) which is right next door. Thought I'd show Sue some of our pictures. We had a great time! Sue we will look forward to seeing your pictures!

Fun in Cabo..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Casino Time!

Today Ted and I went north about 9 miles to the town of Hopland. Why you ask? Because they have a casino! So we went in and both made a deposit! We did stay and have a great dinner. I had the prime rib, with salad, rice pilaf and steamed broccoli and cauliflower for $4.95 and it was delicious. Ted had a nice Fillet Mignon for $12.95 with all the trimmings. Not sure I'd go back to gamble but I'd definitely go back for the food! It was a small casino but they had an interesting front...see pictures below:

In walking Max around the campground we saw a fox yesterday afternoon, and no I had not sampled too much wine, it really was a fox! It was small and it was keeping Max in sight. Ted and I also saw a young buck deer this afternoon. We enjoy seeing the wildlife.

Even losing at gambling..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Wine Tasting!

This afternoon Ted and I went wine tasting. We started off at Silver Oak, beautiful place with a nice tasting room and a couple of friendly ladies! From there we went to Geyser Peak. It's another pretty place with a nice tasting room. Next stop was Clois du Bois. We stopped there because a very close friend, Stach, used to really enjoy their Merlot. He's mostly enjoying Petit Syrahs now! They have a nice tasting room with some cute things to buy (not that we bought anything, but always fun to window shop!) Lastly we stopped at Seghesio. We were there many years ago with a wine tasting group and really enjoyed their Sangiovese but they weren't tasting any today and we didn't find anything to our liking!

A nice afternoon with a bit of the grape..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Russian River, Cloverdale, CA

Yesterday we left the cool of Klamath and are now in Cloverdale, California (north of San Francisco). When we pulled out of the campground yesterday morning it was 69 degrees! We drove south a little over 200 miles and inland about 50 miles and arrived to 106 degrees! Ted slowly got us set up because it was so hot. The Russian River goes through the campground. The river is very low but people were parking along side the road and just sitting in it!


This morning it was 56 degrees when I took Max out and it has stayed in the high 90's, so a little cooler (LOL). We are having trouble with our satellite dish so Ted worked on that this morning before it got hot. Went into the town of Cloverdale and looked around, got my nails done and Ted went to Radio Shack and hardware store. Got a part for the satellite and it is now working!

We are near some winery's so may go wine tasting one day. We've been told that one of the casinos close by has a great $4.99 prime rib dinner so we may have to try that also! Whatever we decide to do will probably be inside if the temps continue to be so high! We leave here on Friday and will be camped south of San Jose.

Thank goodness for airconditioning and..."Ain't Life Grand!"

California Redwoods

The drive along the Northern California Coastline is unbelievably beautiful! Today we drove by the ocean and then you drive through a tunnel of Redwoods that seem to reach the moon they are so tall! The fog is in and out and spooky!

We even managed a little casino time today! Ted lost a little and I won a little so we probably broke even but had about 3 hours of fun! Also had a little lunch at the casino.

Tomorrow we start heading south. We will be camping around Cloverdale.

Beautiful redwoods and cool weather..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Today we took a scenic drive north on 101 to Crescent City, California. It's such a pretty drive through the redwoods and along the coast line. After lunch we decided to see the new Harry Potter movie. We were a little disappointed in the movie. Haven't heard any reviews but wondering what other people think about it. It appears to just be a lead in to the next movie!

The weather is cool here, it's already 55 degrees out at 8:45 p.m. We even have the fireplace going to take the chill off inside! Hard to believe we drove through 103 degree area yesterday in the Shasta -Trinity Mountains to get here. I think Ted has recovered from his stressful drive yesterday!

Today we discovered there is a casino in Crescent City, we might just have to check it out tomorrow! (Oh boy)!

Nice easy day today..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Ted & Susan's 9th Anniversary!

I've gotten a little behind so I'll try and get caught up!

7/14: We drove into the very small town of Mill Creek, it's so small we kept on driving! It was a pretty drive, hilly with lots of beautiful pines. We also got groceries and did laundry!

7/15: Wednesday was our anniversary! We took a drive out to Lake Almanor. The lake is very big and on the west side they have a country club with golf course and tennis courts. The homes right on the lake were beautiful and large! We stopped at the Lakeside Terrace Restaurant. The terrace looks out over the lake. We had a great dinner, great service and a terrific view! They even brought us chocolate cake with rasberries, ice cream and rasberry sauce for our anniversary!

Ted and I at dinner on Lake Almanor

Lake Almanor

Today we left Child's Meadow and headed west! Ted drove 7 hours today through the California Alps with hairpin turns and roadwork to win today's stage! (whoops, I think I've been watching too much Tour De France! Anyway, after a very hard drive, we arrived this afternoon. The campground is on the Klamath River. Just as we were setting up, the fog rolled in right over the river! As I was typing this blog, I could see the fog out the window, you could barely see the trees across the river and the river was steaming. The temps here are pretty nice. Should be in high 60's in day and high 50's at night! Here is my fog collage:

Good food, good dinner, good service...a great anniversary..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Lassen Volcanic National Park

Today we spent the day touring Lassen. It is a beautiful park! It has the bluest skies, greenest trees, and a blue-blue Lake Helen which is one of my favorite pictures in the collage below!


Many eons ago lava flowed from the Lassen Peak Volcano then cooled and hardened. The volcano's crater collapsed and on the side of the rock is a formation that looks like an eye. It is said that the formation was named after Vulcan, the God of Volcanos and Fire! It is therefore the Vulcan's Eye! The picture below is a closeup picture of the eye. In the collage above, the eye is in the middle picture over lake Helen.


It was a surprise to me to see so much snow! The higher we drove (the summit is 8,511 feet) the more snow we started to see. It was in the high 50's at the summit at noon and in the 80's at the campground in the late afternoon. It was 41 degrees at 7:00 this morning when Max and I took our walk!

I just wish the pictures could show how beautiful Lassen Park is because... "Ain't Life Grand"!

Childs Meadow Resort & RV Park

Today we left the Lake of the Spring and headed North to Lassen National Park. Our Campground, Childs Meadow is in Mill Creek, California which is in the Lassen National Forrest. The elevation is 4900' so is a bit cooler. The population is only 138! It was in the 80's out in the sun but in the 70's in the shade and supposed to be in the low 40's tonight, brrrrr! There has been a breeze blowing through the trees this afternoon, a wonderful sound! I took picures at the campground in all directions because there isn't a bad view anywhere! The park is kind of run-down but you can't beat the view!

We made it to the campground around 1:30 p.m. and after getting set up we needed fuel and money so we went about 20 miles to the small town of Chester where they have both, 3 gas stations and 2 banks! The population of Chester is approximately 2300 people so quite a bit larger than Mill Creek.

Tomorrow we plan to head into Lassen National Park.

Good news, the truck is still working great, we climbed from 1000' to 6000' pulling the trailer without any prolem! Yeah!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALLORIE AND..."AIN'T LIFE GRAND"!

Lake of the Springs Campground

Yesterday Ted and I took a drive through the small towns of Brownsville and Oregon House. The signs are larger than the towns! In Brownsville we went to the local market/gas station/liquor store, hit the ATM and checked out a used book store set up with rooms like an old house. I asked if they had any books on CD. She took me to a small bookcase in the hallway. I found about 25 books on CASSETTE! Does anyone have cassette players in their cars anymore????????? Life in a small town! There was also a small gift shop, bakery and a garage type auto repair place. They did have an ampitheatre but no activities were listed on the sign. We then toured the small town of Oregon House. This town had a market/gas station/deli, a postoffice and a closed cafe. I think that was it. There was a winery down at the end of the road but the security guard (must be top secret wine) wouldn't let us up to the tasting room unless we were going to pay to do some tasting. Max was along for the ride so we passed on wine tasting.

In the afternoon we walked down around the lake. The water was very warm. Lots of people were enjoying the day! Stopping by the campground market on the way back to the campsite I got my French Vanilla coffee and Ted got the twisted chocolate/vanilla ice cream cone!

Ice cream and coffee..."Ain't Life Grand"!

Ontario House, California

I think that is the coolest name for a town! Definately different! We left Atwater this morning and are at a Thousand Trails campground at Lake of the Spring. It's located in the very small town of Ontario House on Frenchtown Street! The lake is really pretty with pine trees around it. We are north of Sacramento in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Tomorrow we will go exploring!

Yesterday we had a great lunch with Vicky and Billy and a fun dinner with our nephew Craig! Not a good way to lose weight eating out all the time! Back at Vicky's she took this picture of Ted and I with their horse (Great Dane) Thor and he thinks he's a lap dog!



Glad he's not trying to sit in my lap and "Ain't Life Grand"!

Made it through the Grapevine!

Yes, yesterday we made it over the Grapevine! So far the truck is doing great! If we can make it through the next few weeks without trouble, we may begin to believe it's actually fixed!

We arrived in Atwater, California yesterday afternoon. Atwater is north of Fresno about 60 miles. We have friends Billy and Vicky that live in Atwater so we are spending a couple of days here to say hello! We are camped at the Air Castle campground, a campground of 6 spaces lined up in a parking lot! They have a large antique airplane museum right next to the campground that we viewed last year. Ted knows all the planes, he amazes me.

We went to dinner with Billy and Vicky, classmates of Ted in High School. Vicky had surgery on her foot and is still recovering, but she's a trooper and managed to fight the swelling and pain to put on her shoes to go out to dinner!

Today we are meeting Vicky & Billy for lunch and then heading south to meet up with our nephews. They left their camera in the rental car and since we were stuck in Pomona, we were still in town and were able to get it for them. So we will have dinner with them and deliver the camera!

Enjoying friends who make you laugh..."Ain't Life Grand!"

Ice Age 3

Today we went to the movies to see Ice Age 3. If you liked 1 and 2, you'll enjoy 3. It's a fun movie. After we went to lunch at the Route 66 Classic Diner! They had a beautiful early 1960's sky blue T-bird inside the restaurant that is in mint condition. They had a large window and the wall underneath it that they can take out to put the car in. Last month they had a Mustang inside! Fun restaurant and good food!

On the way to the movies we took a drive along Soledad Canyon Road. We came upon a tunnel and apparently they are making a movie or commercial or something. Had lots of cameras and gear getting ready. Last year they filmed the movie "Race to Witch Mountain" right outside our campground and had many RV's in the park for the crew etc. We haven't seen the movie yet but I find this movie stuff interesting!

Heading north tomorrow..."Ain't Life Grand"!

The Day After!

Wow, the campground cleared out this afternoon. Looks like a ghost town! Don't know if it was because the holiday weekend was over or if the fire that was over the mountain in Tujunga, Ca scared people. It wasn't close to us but you could see and smell smoke and ash was all over everything. They apparently got the fire out this afternoon because skies are clear. It was hot again today and pretty windy which is a worry in fire season. It's really dry around here.

Today we were couch potatoes! Watched the Tour De France this morning and the golf tournament this afternoon! We are going to catch a movie tomorrow, the new Ice Age movie. We leave here on Tuesday heading north.

Will keep you posted on our travels and, "Ain't Life Grand"!

HAPPY JULY 4TH!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY 2009!

from Ted & Susan

Ted and I hope everyone has a fun and safe July 4th and we all want to remember what this day means! Ted and I would love to hear from all of you about your 4th! We are planning to stay in the campground. There is a parade in the very small town of Acton today and when we drove through town (don't blink) on Thursday they had already been lining up their lawn chairs along the side of the road! The population is 2,390 so guess they want to make sure they have a spot since the road is only a mile long!

Thanks to our soldiers...Ain't Life Grand"

KEEPING OUR FINGERS CROSSED!

Yeah, yippee, whoop-whoop! We got our truck back yesterday afternoon. They had to replace the head gasket which apparently means taking the whole engine apart and replace the EGR valve again because the head gasket was seeping water which gets in the valve! We just hope this time it is fixed for good. Think I've said that before! If not, we will be talking to Ford!

We left the KOA campground this morning and made it to Soledad Canyon again (near Magic Mountain) and it "trucked" (no pun intended) right up the mountains like it is supposed to! The real test will be if in two or three weeks I'm still giddy over the truck!

We will stay put through the 4th of July weekend since it's not a great time to be out on the road and many campgrounds will be full. We will leave here Tuesday morning.

Got manicure and pedicure done today so I feel like a new woman..."Ain't Life Grand"!