Where are we?
March 2006
Subj: 170. Where are we?
Date: Monday, March 6, 2006
It's Monday, March 6, and we just realized that a week ago today, we
left Denise and Aaron in San Diego and headed east (not west as we
mistakenly said in our E-mail). We have certainly done a lot of driving
since leaving San Diego.
You already know that we were in Yuma Arizona a week ago. In Yuma we
met up with some friends from Crater Lake. We hadn't seen them for a
couple of years but we always seem to be able to keep in contact. Most
of the time we were in Yuma we spent with our friends.
On the way to Yuma, we almost stopped by the Rio Bend RV and Golf
Resort near El Centro. This is where we spent the winter of 2003.
Unfortunately, we decided that we didn't have enough time to stop, plus
we didn't know if any of the people we worked with three years ago were
still there. So we skipped Rio Bend and went on to Yuma. Well, as it
turns out, there are some people that we knew at Rio Bend this winter.
Unfortunately, we didn't know that until we received a telephone call
from one of them on Sunday (as we were driving). We send our E-mails to
some of those people and this couple thought we were in Yuma. They were
going to the marketplace (kind of a flea market) that is popular during
the winter and were going to visit us. But, as we said, when they
called we were about 600 miles from Yuma and driving. Maybe next winter
we will be able to visit Rio Bend again.
We left Yuma on Wednesday and drove all the way to Phoenix, less than
200 miles. In Phoenix we stayed with Adrienne's dad and his significant
other. After spending several days in Phoenix, we headed out again. On
Saturday we drove all the way from Phoenix to Bakersfield California,
almost 500 miles. That was a long day and violates our rule of not
driving too far, but we do have an appointment this week in Oregon and
we wanted to really push our travel.
We only spent one night in Bakersfield yesterday headed north. We were
on our way north when we received the phone call from our friends at
Rio Bend.
Last night we spent the night in a KOA near the capitol of California.
It's a nice KOA but not nearly as pretty as Manchester Beach KOA. Today
we'll brave the weather and head north again. Because of the weather,
we aren't sure which way we'll go. Our choices are I-5 or US 101. We'll
have to get more information before we leave.
The Brauers
Havin' fun
Headin' to Oregon
Subj: 171. Where are we?
Date: Thursday, March 9, 2006
Here we are in the southern end of the Williamette Valley. We are in an
area known for RVs because there are several RV manufacturers in the
area. This is a logging area as well as a valley that's known for it's
agriculture.
We have to mention that we arrived here on Tuesday. Although we had
some concern about driving up Interstate 5, over the Siskiyou Pass, it
wasn't a problem. Before we left the Sacramento KOA, we checked the
road conditions on the web. Interstate 5 at that time required snow
chains to cross over the pass. About an hour north of Sacramento, we
used the cell phone to check on road conditions, there was no mention
of any problem on I-5 in northern California. So we decided to chance
it. Driving over the pass was absolutely no problem. It was obvious
that there had been several feet of snow but the road had been plowed
and, except where we hit a little rain and even a few snow flurries,
the road was dry.
We spent Monday night at the Rogue River State Park (full hook ups for
$16 per night). Tuesday we drove the rest of the way to our current
location.
Yesterday, Wednesday, we took the RV to the dealer to have a few things
fixed. Yes, as all RVers know, there are always some things on a brand
new RV that need attention. Everything that needed to be done under the
warranty was accomplished.
Today, Thursday, we take the motorhome to have the computer desk
installed. With luck, that will be completed today but we are allowing
time tomorrow for it to be completed.
Today, we woke up with some fresh snow on the ground. It isn't much but
it's still enough to know that it did indeed snow last night.
Where are we? This one should be easy, we are in Eugene Oregon.
The Brauers
Havin' Fun
Subj: 172. Where are we?
Date: Friday, March 24, 2006
From:
WE'RE BACK! But where are we back to? Well, we are back in the land of
rugged coast line, rocky cliffs, large redwood trees, and so much
natural beauty it defies description.
Actually we've been here for just over a week. We just haven't had the
time to let people know. We left Eugene Oregon on March 13 and headed
south. We were concerned, as always this time of year, about crossing
the pass into California. We made it with no real problem. The weather
wasn't great but the worst part of the drive was the wind between Yreka
and Shasta City California. But by driving slow (about 40 miles per
hour) it wasn't a major problem. After spending the night in Redding,
we headed to our current location. It was a good thing we left Oregon
when we did and drove as far as we did. Tuesday we learned that I-5 had
closed over the Siskiyous because of snow. Since we were on a scheduled
to do an important favor for a friend, it's a good thing we left Oregon
when we did.
The weekend before we left Eugene, we were able to spend some time with
Tristan (oh yes, Michelle and Keith also). He remembered us from our
visit in January and after a few minutes of shyness, welcomed us with
hugs and kisses. We always enjoy visiting Michelle and Keith, and now
that Tristan is in the picture it's even more fun. Unfortunately, we
didn't get to be outdoors very much because of the weather. We spent
six nights in Eugene and there was snow on the ground on three
different days. We had fun anyway and were able to get most of the
things on the new RV addressed. There is only one item left on our
punch list and that requires some coordination with Winnebago.
Fortunately, the item is cosmetic but it still needs to be taken care
of, it should be taken care of the next time we are in Eugene (most
likely in December).
Where are we? We are back at the Manchester Beach KOA. We started
working again the day after we arrived and worked seven days straight
before getting a day off. It's not that the campground is busy with
customers, although it's not empty. There are still a lot of things
that have to be done to get ready for the season, that's what keeping
us busy.
As we said before, we've agreed to another season here but that's it.
We're mobile, we're retired, and although we like this place and the
people here, after one more season we will be ready to move on and Have
Fun elsewhere. That's not to say we won't be workamping again but this
is a great big, wonderful country that we want to visit at our leisure.
Actually, workamping is a great way to do that. While workamping, you
have time to learn more about an area, see the sights, and get to know
a lot of nice people. It's also a good way to keep both mentally and
physically active.
The Brauers
Havin' Fun
Back at the Manchester Beach KOA