In late July, Daisy and I returned to Arkansas, opened up
our house, and turned the water back on. It
felt comfortable to be returning to our home with its fully-decorated walls and
room décor. Our neighbors were glad to see us, but not too surprised when we
told them we would be off again in less than two weeks. Unfortunately, Daisy
came down with bronchitis for one week, and that limited our area activities to
housekeeping and yard work. We hung around the house while Daisy recuperated. I
can’t prove it, but I believe she developed that condition to keep from doing
weeding.
In 12 days we were all fit and ready to hit the road again
for a 3½-week truck camper journey. This time we would be heading on a circular
route to the west coast to visit my son Michael, with stops to see friends
before and after.
Around the next bend...
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| The Joys of the Open Road West |
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| A wide spot for the night in western OK |
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| California here we come |
We left Friday, August 2, on the first leg of our western
journey to California. Due to a late start, we overnighted at a campground in
western Oklahoma. The next day we made a
planned stop in Albuquerque, NM. I was
posted there with the US Forest Service for a few years and wanted to introduce
Daisy to some of my friends. We were not
going to stay long, and I know some of you are upset as you read this that we
did not get to see you on this trip!
But there will be another time, so please forgive us. We stayed in a campground near my old
neighborhood of Rio Rancho. Ed and Carol picked us up and we dined at a casino
that was just being constructed when I moved away. Ed, Carol, Valorie, and I
formed the first family chapter of the Good Sam RV Club for New Mexico during
our time there. It was great to relive the adventures we had before our kids
had left the nest. And now our kids have kids and recreational vehicles of
their own.
New Mexico
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| My RV road running buddies....the best |
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| Good friends.... |
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| Cheers to Ed and Carol... |
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| Good food... |
We celebrated my birthday the next day by going to church
with old friends John and Sue and their large extended family. I have a special place in my heart for them
and they had numerous stories at my expense to tell my new wife. As they say, a heartfelt
good time was had by all.
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| My Rio Rancho church family--Sue, Ruth, Jan, Pete, and John--lots of love here |
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| Our casa in Rio Rancho where Michael and Shannon lived |
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| Michael went to a school that was here..sorry Mike |
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| Sue told John and me to suck it in for the camera. We did! |
Views from our Rio Rancho Campground
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| Our site |
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| Campground entry with earlier RVs |
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| The Sandias |
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| North toward Santa Fe |
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| East skyline of Albuquerque |
We left town heading not west but south to Elephant Butte,
NM. On the way, we just had to stop in San Antonio, NM. This is the home of the first Owl Bar and
Grill featuring the original handmade green chili cheeseburger made with Hatch,
NM chilies. It is yummy with natural
heat built in.
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| Hand formed Angus beef, but the special feature is the green chilies |
After lunch, we continued the remaining short journey to Jim
and Pat’s home, where we overnighted in their level driveway (this is a hint to others). I have been
there before with the 5th wheel RV, but this was the first time for
the truck camper and accompanied by Daisy. I have wintered a few years in the
Rio Grande Valley of Texas with Jim and Pat.
They took us on a tour of the lake, which has been drawn down
considerably, per legal obligation, to supply water to Texas.
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| Elephant Butte looking east |
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| The lake, or what's left of it....it was 37,000 surface acres when full. |
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| Low water..very low, only 10% of capacity |
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| Pat is often embarrassed by Jim and my antics |
We took I-10 via Tucson to just beyond Phoenix the next day
and stayed at a 300-unit winter RV park that was nearly deserted for the
summer.
Arizona
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| Prickly Pear |
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| Saguaro |
After dozens of miles in windmill country, we stopped outside of
Riverside, California, for one night at a place that had baying wild burros
freely roaming the desert hillsides.
California here we come
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| One indication you are entering California from the east |
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| Another indication you are entering California from the east |
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| California night sky looking to the ocean |
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| Camping in the foothills |
I had been there before and wanted Daisy
to experience the same. Nothing like hearing burros in the early morning hours. I am such a nice guy.
It was in the Long Beach area that we spent time with my son
Michael. We stayed at an urban trailer
park that had several RV sites. The
first afternoon, he took us on a tour of two local brew pubs that had good food
as well as unique beers on tap.
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| Daisy and Mike sampling brews |
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| The boy and his dad |
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| Another happy hour spot |
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| List of all the places he has lived to date |
We had planned this time to visit Michael when he had music
performances in the local area that we could attend. And, we also looked forward to meeting his
lady. We accomplished both goals the
next day at a restaurant/bar on the bay. We had heard a lot of good things
about Beatra, and our expectations were exceeded. She is like my son: attractive, educated,
confident, ambitious, and charming. It
is very evident the love they have for each other and the dreams they share. I
am a happy dad.
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| Beatra and Mike |
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| Our Long Beach location. Small site but clean bathrooms. |
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| The Dir Ty Sugar band |
The owner of the restaurant insisted that he give Daisy and
me a tour of the Long Beach harbor from his yacht the next day. We started with brunch at another of his bay
eateries before the boat ride, which also included Michael and Beatra. And sitting at a table near us was someone I knew!
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| I met a young actress friend Chantel, who I knew from North Dakota! |
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| Michael, Beatra, Daisy, and Denny (our host) with his ride |
In case you don't know, we are having a good time.
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| Homes and people movers on the canal |
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| Full speed ahead |
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| Of course there were refreshments on board. |
Sights to see
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| USS Iowa battleship |
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| Queen Mary |
People to observe
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| Reminds Daisy and me of us |
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| Yes we look and act alike |
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| Our host, Denny, with Daisy |
We had a belated birthday celebration at Michael’s
apartment. He and Beatra presented me
with my favorite desert—banana pudding with lots of vanilla wafers, complete
with birthday candles. She was chief chef according to my son. I loved it!
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| Happy Birthday to me! |
On Sunday, we again spent time with Michael and Beatra at
his apartment, and they cooked a great lunch for us.
In the evening, we all
went back to the restaurant/bar where Michael’s band was playing. We enjoyed
food and drinks and especially dancing to the great music.
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| A music venue that he likes performing at. |
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| You come here often? |
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| For some reason I look really handsome here... |
Oh yeah, the music is what we came for.
It is a neat
experience to watch an appreciative crowd enjoy your son performing for
them. My son is living the dream that he
has worked so long and hard to achieve. Daisy and I are very proud.
And of course there were simple snacks we enjoyed here in California
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| Oyster poorboy with Caesar salad |
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| Apple doughnut with caramel sauce |
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| Pulled pork panini |
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| Calamari and a spicy carrot soup |
Beatra had to go to work on Monday, so Michael took Daisy
and me out to search for other nearby RV campgrounds that we may want to use in
the future. They were too far to travel in southern California traffic, so we
will continue to use the one we were staying at. We had a great lunch with Michael at one of
his favorite Long Beach restaurants.
On Tuesday, August 13, we left for Las Vegas, starting the
return journey to Arkansas via Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, and Kansas.
More about those experiences in the next issue of this blog!
By land and by sea this western adventure ends for now.
The mountains are our next stop....
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