Our first full week on the road

Destination number 78/158/16

So the first significant stop on our 6month trip was at a Thousand Trails RV park in Morgan Hill California. it is just south of san Jose. I've spent lots of my life in the Bay area over the years, for instance when I worked for Safeway Stores in Corporate headquarters, I was just up 680 working at Safeways Technology center, more years ago than I care to think about. The reason I chose Morgan Hill is because I have some good friends of mine that live in this area. Martha and Rich Garcia who I know from my days of being involved with the Blue Devils and Drum Corps International, and fellow dog video and rescue volunteer, Anna Cambrey who I worked with a lot when working with dogs at the City of Sacramento's Front Street Animal Shelter. 

I was thankful to be able to get together with Anna as well as Martha while I was at this stop. I had a great time catching up with both of them in out-door settings and just enjoying their company. I'm just bummed we forgot to do selfies. I will have to remember that for future stops along the way. 

I signed up with Thousand Trails in hopes of coming up with a cost-effective way to see some of the country and since the Bay Area was a place I wanted to stay, this seemed like a great opportunity. The Thousand Trails here in Morgan Hill is about 5 minutes off the freeway, but very easy to get in and out of. It feels like camping, but it also has a lot of amenities that many people get a chance to enjoy. 

They have a nice dog park, though probably not recommended for those with dogs that like to fence jump. The fence is only about 3 feet high. Fortunately, Remi isn't a fence jumper as long as I'm around! :-) 

The laundry rooms and bathrooms have all been recently remodeled, work great and are very well kept! 

The pool is gorgeous... What more can I say!

They have Tennis courts and Volleyball/badminton courts too! 

I find the cost of being a Thousand Trails member to be very reasonable. I joined for $699 plus three additional regions (South, Southeast and Northeast) for $150. But, I will be staying at, at least 8 parks along the way for a week or more, so I think the membership will pay for itself. You can stay for a maximum of 2 weeks at a park and then you must be out of the Thousand Trails system for at least a week before you return into the system. So, I planned accordingly and will take at least a 1 week break between each stay at a Thousand Trails park. 

Now is as good a time as any to let you know, this is what my path of travel looks like. 

And here is a link to the Itinerary

This is a truly beautiful time to be here. But I guess it is easy to understand why so many people like to live in the bay area, the weather is wonderful a large part of the year. The park is nestled among wineries so if you like to go wine tasting, this is definitely the place to come. I like the outdoors, and this is a great place to experience it. There is a river nearby, a large grassy area for the kids to play in, and hiking trails around the park. 

And though you can't tell by her expression in this picture, Remi is enjoying this too. Of course, she doesn't like it when I tell her to sit. She's a rescue, and I think her previous owners may have made her 'Sit' when she was bad, so I'm trying work on it. Remi loves it whenever we go for a hike. Nose to the ground and loving every step of it and it is good for Dad too! :-) (Ya, when you watch the video, we can all tell dad needs more cardio!)

During the late spring, summer and early fall, I use the Bar-B-Que all the time. This time of year, the Crockpot is the device that gets the work out. This time, I cooked a Roast in the Crockpot. The Roast came out wonderful but has gotten better over time. When I re-heat the leftovers, they are even more tender. Yummy! 

Probably 70 percent of this park only has 30 amps to the pedestal, and that is one of the sites I am staying in. I've found that for this time of year, that is plenty. I have two space heaters, the fireplace in the living area, and an oscillating unit in the bedroom. These units have been well tested and proven over time for their reliability and do a great job of keeping the rig warm if it gets cold at night. And the 30 amp circuit is more than enough to keep these units running smoothly. I have had no indication of any outlets getting warm, and I check them frequently. 

Though I have stayed at a number of locations over the last couple of years and teleworked from the road, this experience is going to probably be a bit more challenging. I am going to parts of the country that are unknown to me and I'm going to have to be super flexible about getting my internet connectivity so that I can work. 

My primary connection to the internet is through a FIREWIFI.org router that currently has an AT&T simm card in it. But as a backup, I have my personal cell phone that can serve as a hotspot that is on the Verizon network. You can get free internet access at the park if you go to the Laundry room or the wine tasting room at the park. However, you can get "Paid" WIFI at the park which runs $5.99 for a day or $12.99 for the week. You are capped at 5GB for the day. I did find that once I completed a 1.9 GB Youtube upload, that my throughput was throttled way back via the paid WIFI. 

Here are some statistics in regards to my internet usage. 

The above statistics are optimal samplings based on countless samplings taken during the course of the week. 

One of my many stops will be in Alburquerque New Mexico the week of February 7th, 2022. That week I am turning 60 and I had planned to attend Hamilton with a wonderful lady friend of mine, but she is no longer able to attend the performance with me. So, if you think you will be in the Alburquerque area on the 8th of February and would be interested in being my "Plus 1", please let me know. The seats are in the Orchestra section and are already paid for. If you are interested, please PM me on my Facebook page.

Here is a link to this week's video: 

Safe Travels all! 

Eric and Remi too!