2008 Summer Trip
9/1 thru 9/12
9/1 Today was Labor Day. The park wasn't as crowded as it had been and it seemed nice. We rode our bikes to the Chit Chat Cafe and walked walked on the pier. After lunch, Dan and Carmen picked us up. They drove into the city along the ocean on Skyline Drive and then The Great Highway, both very scenic, and we ended up at the de Young Fine Arts Museum. There we met some friends of Carmen, Kelly and Tony. Steve and Emily also met us there and we all toured the museum. We got to see a special showing of the Chihuly blown glass exhibit along with the regular art displays, some dating back hundreds of years. It was very interesting. Later, back at Steve and Emily's apartment, Steve cooked some Chili Verde with black beans and rice for dinner. Then we drove Steve's car back to the RV Park.
9/2 Today was a work day. We picked up Emily and drove to the Home Depot for supplies. Back at Steve and Emily's apartment, Bonnie and Emily sanded woodwork in the dining room and I did some plastering of some remaining areas of the stairway. When Steve got home from work, he made Pumpkin Penne for dinner. After some visiting, Bonnie and I drove Steve's BMW back to the RV.
9/3 Today, I worked on the stairway while Bonnie and Emily went to the paint store. When they returned, they continued working in the dining room. Bonnie and I walked to the Wild Pepper Chinese restaurant for lunch. (Emily had the leftover Penne for lunch.) Then I started sanding on the dinning room closet while the plaster dried in the stairway. When Steve got home from work, we all walked to Toads Restaurant for dinner. After we got back from dinner, Dan stopped by (Carmen was working) and we talked until it was time for Bonnie and I to drive back to the RV.
9/4 We washed the motor home and the car before driving into the city. We drove to Noe Valley first so I could pick up my new glasses at Eye-Q, Carmen was working and she adjusted them for me. Everyone says they make me look like Dan. I like the way they look and can see well with them. Back at Steve and Emily's apartment, I finished up plastering and sanding the stairway while Bonnie and Emily finished up getting the dinning room ready to paint. For dinner tonight, Steve made sushi and California rolls for him and Emily and halibut with lemon grass sauce and baked tomatoes with green onions for Bonnie and I. Then he topped it all off with his homemade mounds ice cream. Later, we drove back to the motor home.
9/5 The last few days have been very warm in Pacifica and hot in the city and today was no exception. When we arrived at Steve and Emily's, we did some final sanding and then wiped down all of the walls in the dining room and stairway. I put primer on the stairway walls and also in the dining room closet. Bonnie and Emily put primer on all the woodwork and wainscoting in the dinning room and is ready for paint. This was our last day to work and we finished the things we wanted to get done before we left this year. For dinner, we all went to Dan and Carmen's apartment and they ordered pizza from Noe Valley Pizza. We watched the movie “21” while we ate the pizza. After a nice evening with our family, we drove Steve's car pack to the RV.
9/6 We rode our bikes to the Chit Chat Cafe for breakfast and then picked up some groceries at Safeway to take with us when we leave in the morning. While Bonnie washed a load of clothes, I washed the windows on the motor home and the car. We drove into town and all of us (except Carmen who was working) went to Papalote's for lunch. Then Steve drove us across the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito where we walked through some stores and art galleries. We ate ice cream and sat along the shore and watched boats and seals. Then we returned to Steve and Emily's apartment. Later all of us, including Carmen, walked to a restaurant in Noe Valley called Salvo's for dinner. When we got back to the apartment we said our good-byes and Steve and Emily drove us back to the RV. We enjoyed another great month with the kids in San Francisco this year. It was extra special because of Steve and Emily's wedding
9/7 I woke up first at 3:45am. Everything was ready and all we had to do was unplug and leave. We were on the road by 4:05 am heading north on Highway 1. Highway 1 started out as a freeway but soon turned into a three lane one way city street. There was very little traffic as we drove through San Francisco. Several of the cars that passed us were police cars. There was little fog as we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. You could see the lights from cities in the distanceas we drove up US-101. As we climbed towards Santa Rosa the fog started rolling in. We stopped at a McDonalds in Cloverdale at 6am. It wasn't open yet so we decided to take a nap and wait. When we woke up at 7:45 the sun was up. We ate breakfast at McDonald's then were back on US 101 heading north again. At Willits, we took Highway 20 east. It was a very mountainous curvy road as it wound through the Jackson Demonstration State Forest. It took us almost an hour to travel the 34 miles to reach Fort Bragg where we headed north on highway 1. After a scenic drive along the ocean on highway 1, we arrived at the Westport-Union Landing State Beach where we found a great campsite right on the ocean. When we looked out our bedroom or dinning room windows we could see the the ocean waves lapping at the shore, 30 feet below. We enjoyed lunch while watching pelicans and sea gulls outside our window. Then we took another nap. It only got up to 59 degrees here today. It is very peaceful here with the sound of the ocean constantly in the background.
9/8 It was 53 degrees when we woke up to the sound of the ocean. We sat by the ocean today. Some seals and a lone surfer entertained us. We also went on a couple of bike rides and read. We met a very interesting woman who rode her bicycle to the park to get water. She told us she lived in the canyon across the road where she owns 20 acres. She has lived there for the past 12 years in a tent with her three dogs. She said, with a smile, that the people in town call her “Crazy Charlotte”. She hauls her water in from the park for her cooking and personal needs and to water her garden She rides her bike to town for supplies. She used to work as an insurance adjuster in Marin County and then took care of her ill mother for many years. After her mother died she was free to do what she wanted to. She said God led her to live here where she lives a simple life enjoying nature. She spends much of her time studying Latin and Greek and the Bible. A very interesting person.
9/9 It was 52 degrees when we got up. After breakfast, we walked around the area before leaving. We were on highway 1 heading north around 11am. It was a scenic drive through redwoods. When we came to US-101, we headed north. We stopped at Garberville for gas ($4.29) and lunch (Chinese). Then we continued north on US-101. The temperature fluctuated between 60 and 70 degrees as we drove around hills along the Pacific coast. US-101 is a scenic drive and there are a lot of other RVs traveling it. We stopped at Safeway in Eureka for groceries. We continued north on US-101 again. We stopped at Patrick's Point State Park for the night. The temperature was now in the 50s. We read some more before going to bed.
9/10 It was 54 degrees when we woke up. After eating, we walked around the park and down a path to the ocean. Around 11am we headed north again on US-101. We drove through the Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, then the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and finally the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. It was all very scenic. North of Crescent City we turned onto US-199 and took it through the Smith River National Recreation Area and into Oregon. At Grant Pass, we went east on Highway 99. At Gold Hill, we took Highway 234 north and then Highway 62 east towards Crater Lake National Park. We stopped at the Joseph H. Stewart State Park for the night. There was smoke in the air and the park ranger said there were fires north of Crater Lake along highway 138. We walked on some trails through the park before turning in for the night.
9/11 We left the park around 9:45am and took Highway 62 east into the Crater Lake National Park. We reserved a campsite at the Mazama Campground just inside the park. Then we headed north along the Rim road. We drove around the lake stopping at scenic turnouts and went for walks on some of the trails. The temperature was in the 60s and low 70s and the sky was clear most of the day. In the afternoon as we traveled along the west side of the lake, the smoke from the forest fires started moving in and it was hazy. We got back to the campsite around 5:30. We read and Bonnie wrote out post cards before going to bed.
9/12 It got down to 41 degrees last night and we slept well. We decided to stay here another night. The campground is not too busy this time of year. We left around 11am to do some more exploring. Today we drove down a road to Pinnacles Overlook. There we walked on a trail along the Pinnacles Overlook Canyon. After the walk, we drove back towards the Rim Road and stopped along the way to cooked hot dogs for lunch. Back on Rim Road, we continued along the east side of the road until we came to a picnic area at a high point overlooking a valley near Mt. Scott. There, we set up lawn chairs and spent an hour or so just enjoying the scenery and the quiet. Then we drove back down the east Rim Road to our campground. After dinner, we walked up to the campground store for some supplies. While we were in the store we heard someone calling out “Bonnie”. We turned around and were surprised to see Crissy and Kevin, friends of Emily's. They came to camp for the weekend from Portland, OR. Crissy stood up with Emily at their wedding. Later we discovered they were in a campsite next to ours. It is clear tonight and 55 degrees with a full moon. We went for a walk around the campground before turning in for the night.
9/1 Today was Labor Day. The park wasn't as crowded as it had been and it seemed nice. We rode our bikes to the Chit Chat Cafe and walked walked on the pier. After lunch, Dan and Carmen picked us up. They drove into the city along the ocean on Skyline Drive and then The Great Highway, both very scenic, and we ended up at the de Young Fine Arts Museum. There we met some friends of Carmen, Kelly and Tony. Steve and Emily also met us there and we all toured the museum. We got to see a special showing of the Chihuly blown glass exhibit along with the regular art displays, some dating back hundreds of years. It was very interesting. Later, back at Steve and Emily's apartment, Steve cooked some Chili Verde with black beans and rice for dinner. Then we drove Steve's car back to the RV Park.
9/2 Today was a work day. We picked up Emily and drove to the Home Depot for supplies. Back at Steve and Emily's apartment, Bonnie and Emily sanded woodwork in the dining room and I did some plastering of some remaining areas of the stairway. When Steve got home from work, he made Pumpkin Penne for dinner. After some visiting, Bonnie and I drove Steve's BMW back to the RV.
9/3 Today, I worked on the stairway while Bonnie and Emily went to the paint store. When they returned, they continued working in the dining room. Bonnie and I walked to the Wild Pepper Chinese restaurant for lunch. (Emily had the leftover Penne for lunch.) Then I started sanding on the dinning room closet while the plaster dried in the stairway. When Steve got home from work, we all walked to Toads Restaurant for dinner. After we got back from dinner, Dan stopped by (Carmen was working) and we talked until it was time for Bonnie and I to drive back to the RV.
9/4 We washed the motor home and the car before driving into the city. We drove to Noe Valley first so I could pick up my new glasses at Eye-Q, Carmen was working and she adjusted them for me. Everyone says they make me look like Dan. I like the way they look and can see well with them. Back at Steve and Emily's apartment, I finished up plastering and sanding the stairway while Bonnie and Emily finished up getting the dinning room ready to paint. For dinner tonight, Steve made sushi and California rolls for him and Emily and halibut with lemon grass sauce and baked tomatoes with green onions for Bonnie and I. Then he topped it all off with his homemade mounds ice cream. Later, we drove back to the motor home.
9/5 The last few days have been very warm in Pacifica and hot in the city and today was no exception. When we arrived at Steve and Emily's, we did some final sanding and then wiped down all of the walls in the dining room and stairway. I put primer on the stairway walls and also in the dining room closet. Bonnie and Emily put primer on all the woodwork and wainscoting in the dinning room and is ready for paint. This was our last day to work and we finished the things we wanted to get done before we left this year. For dinner, we all went to Dan and Carmen's apartment and they ordered pizza from Noe Valley Pizza. We watched the movie “21” while we ate the pizza. After a nice evening with our family, we drove Steve's car pack to the RV.
9/6 We rode our bikes to the Chit Chat Cafe for breakfast and then picked up some groceries at Safeway to take with us when we leave in the morning. While Bonnie washed a load of clothes, I washed the windows on the motor home and the car. We drove into town and all of us (except Carmen who was working) went to Papalote's for lunch. Then Steve drove us across the Golden Gate bridge to Sausalito where we walked through some stores and art galleries. We ate ice cream and sat along the shore and watched boats and seals. Then we returned to Steve and Emily's apartment. Later all of us, including Carmen, walked to a restaurant in Noe Valley called Salvo's for dinner. When we got back to the apartment we said our good-byes and Steve and Emily drove us back to the RV. We enjoyed another great month with the kids in San Francisco this year. It was extra special because of Steve and Emily's wedding
9/7 I woke up first at 3:45am. Everything was ready and all we had to do was unplug and leave. We were on the road by 4:05 am heading north on Highway 1. Highway 1 started out as a freeway but soon turned into a three lane one way city street. There was very little traffic as we drove through San Francisco. Several of the cars that passed us were police cars. There was little fog as we drove across the Golden Gate Bridge. You could see the lights from cities in the distanceas we drove up US-101. As we climbed towards Santa Rosa the fog started rolling in. We stopped at a McDonalds in Cloverdale at 6am. It wasn't open yet so we decided to take a nap and wait. When we woke up at 7:45 the sun was up. We ate breakfast at McDonald's then were back on US 101 heading north again. At Willits, we took Highway 20 east. It was a very mountainous curvy road as it wound through the Jackson Demonstration State Forest. It took us almost an hour to travel the 34 miles to reach Fort Bragg where we headed north on highway 1. After a scenic drive along the ocean on highway 1, we arrived at the Westport-Union Landing State Beach where we found a great campsite right on the ocean. When we looked out our bedroom or dinning room windows we could see the the ocean waves lapping at the shore, 30 feet below. We enjoyed lunch while watching pelicans and sea gulls outside our window. Then we took another nap. It only got up to 59 degrees here today. It is very peaceful here with the sound of the ocean constantly in the background.
9/8 It was 53 degrees when we woke up to the sound of the ocean. We sat by the ocean today. Some seals and a lone surfer entertained us. We also went on a couple of bike rides and read. We met a very interesting woman who rode her bicycle to the park to get water. She told us she lived in the canyon across the road where she owns 20 acres. She has lived there for the past 12 years in a tent with her three dogs. She said, with a smile, that the people in town call her “Crazy Charlotte”. She hauls her water in from the park for her cooking and personal needs and to water her garden She rides her bike to town for supplies. She used to work as an insurance adjuster in Marin County and then took care of her ill mother for many years. After her mother died she was free to do what she wanted to. She said God led her to live here where she lives a simple life enjoying nature. She spends much of her time studying Latin and Greek and the Bible. A very interesting person.
9/9 It was 52 degrees when we got up. After breakfast, we walked around the area before leaving. We were on highway 1 heading north around 11am. It was a scenic drive through redwoods. When we came to US-101, we headed north. We stopped at Garberville for gas ($4.29) and lunch (Chinese). Then we continued north on US-101. The temperature fluctuated between 60 and 70 degrees as we drove around hills along the Pacific coast. US-101 is a scenic drive and there are a lot of other RVs traveling it. We stopped at Safeway in Eureka for groceries. We continued north on US-101 again. We stopped at Patrick's Point State Park for the night. The temperature was now in the 50s. We read some more before going to bed.
9/10 It was 54 degrees when we woke up. After eating, we walked around the park and down a path to the ocean. Around 11am we headed north again on US-101. We drove through the Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, then the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, and finally the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. It was all very scenic. North of Crescent City we turned onto US-199 and took it through the Smith River National Recreation Area and into Oregon. At Grant Pass, we went east on Highway 99. At Gold Hill, we took Highway 234 north and then Highway 62 east towards Crater Lake National Park. We stopped at the Joseph H. Stewart State Park for the night. There was smoke in the air and the park ranger said there were fires north of Crater Lake along highway 138. We walked on some trails through the park before turning in for the night.
9/11 We left the park around 9:45am and took Highway 62 east into the Crater Lake National Park. We reserved a campsite at the Mazama Campground just inside the park. Then we headed north along the Rim road. We drove around the lake stopping at scenic turnouts and went for walks on some of the trails. The temperature was in the 60s and low 70s and the sky was clear most of the day. In the afternoon as we traveled along the west side of the lake, the smoke from the forest fires started moving in and it was hazy. We got back to the campsite around 5:30. We read and Bonnie wrote out post cards before going to bed.
9/12 It got down to 41 degrees last night and we slept well. We decided to stay here another night. The campground is not too busy this time of year. We left around 11am to do some more exploring. Today we drove down a road to Pinnacles Overlook. There we walked on a trail along the Pinnacles Overlook Canyon. After the walk, we drove back towards the Rim Road and stopped along the way to cooked hot dogs for lunch. Back on Rim Road, we continued along the east side of the road until we came to a picnic area at a high point overlooking a valley near Mt. Scott. There, we set up lawn chairs and spent an hour or so just enjoying the scenery and the quiet. Then we drove back down the east Rim Road to our campground. After dinner, we walked up to the campground store for some supplies. While we were in the store we heard someone calling out “Bonnie”. We turned around and were surprised to see Crissy and Kevin, friends of Emily's. They came to camp for the weekend from Portland, OR. Crissy stood up with Emily at their wedding. Later we discovered they were in a campsite next to ours. It is clear tonight and 55 degrees with a full moon. We went for a walk around the campground before turning in for the night.