We followed the coastline from Morro Bay to El Capitan State Park (which is just north of Santa Barbara), admiring the beautiful beaches and coast as we went. Our campsite looked out over the Pacific with a view of 3 oil rigs just off shore. We strolled the beach and I found a really cool shell and saw different kinds of shore birds foraging for their dinner. The lights on the rigs shone beautifully after dark like beacons in the night. We met our neighbor, Geri, and had supper together the second night we were there. Geri and her husband, Robert, (both retired for a while) sold their home in 2010 and became full time RVers, traveling wherever they wanted. In 2015 Robert died suddenly as a result of a post-surgery blood clot. Geri is a pleasant woman and brave to drive a 30 ft RV pulling a car behind. She travels with 3 cats, as well as Robert’s ashes and the ashes of 2 other cats and those of a dog. We also met Lisa and Tom. Lisa is a nature lover who paddle boards in the Pacific among sting rays, tiger sharks and dolphins when she can. She showed us a relative of the star fish – the brittle star that lives in washed up kelp forests. Meeting people is so much fun.
Next we stopped in Santa Barbara for a look around. Sat at the beach for a little bit and headed downtown. But RVs are not permitted to park downtown so we just made our way toward Phoenix. The landscape was filled with lemon groves, almond groves and strawberry fields. The mountains on our left were beautiful and we could see we were coming into the desert again.
(Doug: We drove down the Ventura Highway with the old America song from the 1970’s of the same name playing as we drove. It was just like the song said, with the Pacific Ocean dazzling beside us. We played our Mamas & Papas cd as well. So much of the music of our youth came from here and it brings back many memories and places the songs are about.)
As we began our drive around L.A. we saw a 6 Flags roller coaster park in Santa Clarita. We had always wanted to take our kids to one when we traveled years ago, but couldn’t afford it. The traffic on Hwy 210 that skirts L.A. is absolutely crazy. Seven lanes of every sort of vehicle, always changing lanes, in a hurry to get to wherever. I hung on for dear life and prayed a couple of times. And I wondered, “Who needs 6 Flags? Just rent an RV and drive the 210. That should do it!” And the wind – called Santa Ana winds – was unbelievable. Doug fought hard to keep the RV in the proper lane as he drove with others who bobbed and weaved and hogged the road.
I wondered something else, “Why are powerful, potentially destructive phenomena named after women?” And it came to me – we are the movers and shakers, and if something can be said of Santa Ana winds, it would be they will move and shake anything. The winds are gusts of up to 40 – 60 mph that come over the mountains flowing to the desert floor, hitting from the side. They will make a person stand up and pay attention. We are thankful the Lord got us through.
(Doug: I know why powerful, destructive phenomena are named after women – Lol!)
Ally and Mike spent 5 days in the Malibu area after our Christmas celebrations. We passed through there on Thursday. On Friday morning we heard that a forest fire had jumped Hwy 101 at Thousand Oaks and that people were ordered to evacuate. Thousand Oaks is just a little NW of Malibu and we got a text from Ally saying they were safe but they evacuated and could see the fire. She also told us there was a shooting. I thought she meant someone shot someone else, but she was talking about the mass shooting at a bar in Malibu where 13 people died. Again, we are thankful the Lord kept us all safe.
On Friday we arrived at Quartzsite AZ. The town has a population of just over 3,000 but that number swells to over 500,000 in January until it gets hot in the Spring of the year. Why? Because Quartzsite is the boondocking capital of the USA with the creation in 1983 of La Posa Long Term Visitor Area (LTVA) to accommodate snowbirds. The LTVA is over 11,000 acres of wilderness that allows travelers to set up camp. Cost is $40 for 14 days or $180 for 7 months. And it creates business for the town – tent vendors set up shop and sell anything from groceries, hardware, antiques, clothing, RV supplies (everything really). It’s the biggest yard sale I have ever taken in. We stayed one night (but will return later this month), because we went to Phoenix for a Nascar race. I will let Doug give details on that!
(Well I could hardly keep Glenda from busting she was so excited about the race. We had a great day, tons of people and Rv’ers, lots of American military honors for their Veterans Day and the fighter jets flyover. It was quite dramatic as the race eliminated 4 drivers from the final championship race next weekend. Kyle Bush won, just as he did last Fall when Shawn, Aiden, Pat and I went to New Hampshire.)
We will be spending the best part of the next 2 months in the desert and we want to do lots of hiking. It is so beautiful, although very harsh. Doug tried to calm my fears about snakes by telling me “Rattlers don’t like it too hot or too cold and don’t want to be where there are a lot of people.” That didn’t help any because it sounds like that is where I want to be too. So I think I will be shopping for some snake/cowboy boots!
The weather is perfect. I can’t remember when we saw rain last. The sun is powerful and it can get hot in the daytime. It can get pretty cold at night too – still using the wool blanket and heating pad. It was wonderful to share time with Ben, Ally and Mike, but my heart yearns to see the rest of my family. Although we are enjoying a great adventure, I miss home. The wound left by the events of the past year runs deep and I miss Jenny horribly. The ebb and flow of life is a dichotomy – the yearnings on one hand and the joys and fullness on the other. Reminds me of what Paul wrote to the Philippians, “…I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content…I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through Christ Who gives me strength.” This is the journey and the challenge.
(Doug: when we were with Ben, Ally and Mike for our family Christmas we shared some of our favourite memories about Jenny. It was both a happy and sad time of reflection. Ben said that the last day he was with her when she visited him in Calgary last summer he took her to a batting cage before she left. He said she was so full of life and free – that is a nice picture we won’t forget.)
Now, onto the Sonoran Desert and Gila Bend, AZ. What an interesting name for a town…
Let's Do The 180! 