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! 

New Years 2022 and the start of the 6 month road trip

Happy new year everyone! 

Once we had finished with the Christmas festivities, it was time to pack up the Christmas decorations and start the focus on getting ready for the 6 month road trip. Because of the snowy weather we have had, I had to bring the outdoor decorations inside so that they could dry off and I could put them away. 

 I had bought a few extra Christmas decorations this year and as a result, I ended up taking a bit more space in the bay because of it. Oh well, such is life!

 I'd like to thank my newest dog walking partner at Rescue Ranch Yreka, Amy, for agreeing to take care of my Christmas tree and my cactus plant while I am on the road. I know they wouldn't have survived the trip just because of all of the jostling that goes on. 

On New years eve, the Rain Rock Casino as well as a couple of other organizations in Siskiyou county funded a fireworks display which was launched from a vacant lot down from the casino. As a bonus, they did it at 6:00 PM so that people could still have a quiet evening at home, or celebrate later on with other friends. 

Due to pending weather approaching, I decided that Remi and I would depart on New Year's day. Prior to that, I decided it would be a good idea to fire up the motorhome on Friday just to make sure I wasn't going to have to call out a tow truck on New year's day to get the rig started. Once the motorhome started up fine on Friday, I was comfortable with the plan to leave on Saturday morning. Once I managed to get old "Lazy bones" out of bed, and get our morning walk in, we got breakfast out of the way and finished the last of the packing. It was down into the teens overnight so, I waited until 11:00 AM to start the motorhome. Like Remi she coughed and gagged at the idea of starting up when it was cold out, but she got going. And within a few minutes, I had the Jeep hooked up and we were ready to roll. 

As you may remember from a previous post, there is a way that I track the number of RV trips that I've taken. 

The first number is the camping trips this motorhome has been on since it was bought 12 years ago. 

The second number is the number of RV'ing trips I have been on. 

The third number is the number of RV trips I have been on since my ex-wife and I separated. 

So for this first day, where we stopped in Corning, we are camping stop: 77/157/15

The first night on the road with our stop in Corning, we stayed at Rolling Hills Casino which is right off the I-5 in Corning. The spots were a little close together, but most people don't stay here looking for a resort, so I get that. It was cool though, that they had a dog kennel so that dogs could be cared for while their owners gambled away!

 The next morning, we fired up the Motorhome and got an early start heading to first the Blue Beacon truck wash and then down the road for Morgan Hill. 

As you can see, there were beautiful green rolling hills after getting some rain over the last couple weeks. 

At around 1:30 on Sunday afternoon, we arrived in Morgan Hill for a 6 day stay at a Thousand Trails RV park here. For this second stop, where we are now camping in Morgan Hill, we are camping stop: 78/158/16. There will be a lot more on my stay at this Thousand Trails in my next blog post, but suffice it to say, I'm very happy with my decision to not only become a Thousand Trails member, but also that I chose this as one of my stops. 

The following is the accompanying video of the start of the trip. This video is a little longer than what I typically shoot for, primarily because of a couple of challenges I ran into and also to show a few aspects of having a large 40 Foot motorhome to drive. 

Safe travels all! 

Eric and Remi too! 

Christmas 2021 - The last family gathering before Remi and I hit the road!

The holidays are always a time of year that I truly enjoy, and this year was no different. This is however the very first time that I can say that without a doubt, I experienced a white Christmas. Earlier in December, we got 6 inches of snow around the 15th of December. We got an additional 6 inches on Christmas eve as well as another 3 inches on the 26th of December. Even the locals say that this is not the norm of late. 

My Christmas holidays started out with the last time that I would volunteer at Rescue Ranch here in Yreka. When I first started volunteering there, they had a small but dedicated staff. With the holidays and people always hoping to take time off to be with family, I thought I would go and help out for a few hours if they needed it. Also, I always welcome the opportunity to hang out with dogs and try to give them a little bit of love and today was no different. However, with the enhanced staffing levels at the Ranch, it turned out they really didn't need any help from me so I continued with going through the rest of the days plans. 

Because we were to have Brunch at Chuck and Terry's, I wasn't sure how things might go between Remi and their dog Poppy. If it were a little warmer and if things had not gone well, I would have just put Remi in the car, but since it was going to be cold and snowy, it was just best to leave her at home. The drive up to Chuck and Terry's was fairly un-eventful, but there was a lot of snow on the pass. 

One of the wonderful things about the family up here in Oregon is we all get along so well. We all truly enjoy each other's company. It also doesn't hurt that we are all of the same belief structure, or lack thereof, and politically, our views are very similar. It's been 10 years at least since I can remember anyone even being irritated during a family gathering. :-)

It was so wonderful to see Kristin, her wife Laura and their daughter Eliza. I love them all so very much! They were kind enough to fly out to the west coast from Connecticut again this year for the holiday season. 

Chuck and Terry were wonderful hosts for our Christmas Eve Brunch. It is so wonderful to get together and visit with them in their home. 

Though Chuck and Terry were the hosts, and provided the majority of the scrumptious food, everyone did bring something to contribute. Terry asked me to bring chips and dips, which I did. We had a simply wonderful time sitting, chatting and enjoying the food together. 

As we were enjoying Brunch together, we saw periodically that it was starting to snow. So, shortly after we were done with Brunch, I decided I had better head home. My main concern wasn't so much getting stuck in Ashland. If it were just myself to worry about, I would just simply hunker down somewhere. But, my big concern was Remi being locked in the motorhome overnight if I got stuck and couldn't get home. So, I headed home. And when I got home, I found that it was snowing quite a bit in Yreka at the 2,000 foot level. 

On Christmas day, Remi and I opened Christmas gifts and then prepared to head back up to Southern Oregon for Christmas day festivities, this time hosted by Karen and Mike at their place. A quick check of the road conditions and weather forecast indicated that we should be ok, at least for the early part of the day. 

 

On our way up to Karen and Mikes, I made a quick stop at Callahan's to see what it looked like with all the fresh snow. I love this place because it is modern, yet rustic and very romantic. 

Karen and Mike were our hosts for Christmas day, and just like the day before, we had another wonderful visit. 

Prior to sitting down for Christmas Dinner we opened Christmas gifts, the high point of which was a piece of stained glass that Mike had made for his brother Chuck. It was in the shape of the L.A. Dodgers logo.

After opening gifts we sat down to a wonderful dinner which included my favorite part, dessert, one option of which was Grasshopper pie. Yum! 

Shortly after dessert again, as if on cue, it started to snow again, and I figured it was best that Remi and I head for home. It was so wonderful that before the big trip coming up starting in the new year, that we could all get together and spend some quality time together. 

The following is a video that covers our Christmas Holidays in much greater detail. Enjoy! 

Safe travels! 

Eric and Remi too

Counting down the days to the big trip - December 18th, 2021

Hi there everyone, 

Well, time sure flies... it's either that or I'm so busy that it just seems that way. Since my last post I've been busy with Thanksgiving, dog videos, pre-Christmas activities and trying to get ready for the big trip starting on the 2nd of January 2022. Also, WE'VE GOT SNOW! I love snow! I love to experience it and explore in it. So much has been going on... 

First off, I should mention something that will become helpful going forward as I get closer towards my trip... Each stop that I stay at will have a series of three numbers associated with it. So, you will notice in the next part of the post that I have the number series of 76/156/14. Here is what each number means. 

76 is the number of camping trips this motorhome has been on since it was bought 12 years ago. 

156 is the number of RV'ing trips I have been on. 

14 is the number of RV trips I have been on since my ex-wife and I separated. 

Thanksgiving Trip 76/156/14

So for Thanksgiving this year, I relocated the motorhome up to Holiday RV park, which is located in Talent Oregon, just a mile or so north of Karen and Mike's. It is a nice little RV park. It is a little older so some of the sites are a little on the narrow side, but the infrastructure seems to be solid. The power, water and sewer all seemed to be in good working order. And I was able to navigate around in the park. 

In the area there is a waterway called Bear Creek. That creek flows right past the RV park. It's very relaxing to hang out by it. 

We had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner at Karen and Mike's where Mike's brother Chuck as well as his wife Teri and a couple of Karen and Mike's friends joined us for dinner. 

One of the interesting things that I noticed at the RV park was one of the semi-permanent rigs in the park had apparently had someone work for PSA (Pacific Southwest Airlines) back when they were in operations in the 70's and 80's. I came to this conclusion when I saw a placard from a Jetway that welcomed folks. 

The day after Thanksgiving, Mike had a performance with his brass ensemble that he is the conductor of. They performed in downtown Ashland. they played a whole selection of holiday tunes for those that were shopping in the area. I always enjoy every opportunity to hang out with Karen and Mike that I get, and this was no exception. Ashland is a great little, smallish town and it very much has a quaint feeling too it. 

Of course as the clock clicks down towards my departure, I'm still trying to get as many dog videos done as I can before I leave. Two of the most recent ones are for Gizmo and Shelby. Shelby is a quiet little girl who was found abandon in a home by her previous owners. the windows had been smashed and the house was in rough shape. Shelby had been left behind to fend for herself with no supplies. She was brough to Rescue Ranch by the Siskiyou County animal shelter and Shelby and the staff and volunteers at Rescue Ranch are working to turn her life around!  

Another dog that I have done a video of lately is Gizmo. Gizmo was brought to the Siskiyou County animal shelter after his owner died. Gizmo has a number of medical issues going on between nerve damage due to an injury to his back just above his hips, and also what may be bone cancer. Stephanie Hoffman the shelter manager brought Gizmo into her home and had been fostering him. Well, I brought Remi with me and Stephanie, Gizmo, Remi and I worked to put a marketing video together of Gizmo. Shortly after Stephanie posted Gizmo on the Count Shelters website, someone indicated they wanted to meet him. :-) 

On December 11th, I helped out as Santa's Photographer for Rescue Ranch here in Yreka. We had a number of families come through with their furry and feathered friends to meet with Santa and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. 

I was also very lucky that my friend Kelly Maloney and her dog Kada, who has been diagnosed with a tumor on her heart, were able to come by to get their picture taken as well. 

On Wednesday the 15th of December, we got snow and a lot of it. We are at about 2,100 feet in elevation here in Yreka. When we get snow, it is usually about an inch in depth and by lunch time it is gone. Well, it had been cold the few nights prior to the 15th, and when it snowed it stuck and we accumulated at least 6 inches of the white powder. I didn't know how Remi would react to the snow, but I think she likes it more than I do. Here is a little video to give you an idea of what we had and how Remi enjoyed it. 

Since I am going to be on the road for 6th months, you may wonder how I am going to get my mail. Well. many that live full time in their RV's, don't have a home base like Remi and I do. They travel from RV park to RV park with no particular home base established. They then have a mail forwarding service set up where the mail is sent to a fixed address like a Staples or independent mail handling establishment. They scan the outside of the envelope and then we, the customer, can evaluate if we want that piece of mail sent on to us. Once they have a bundle of mail we want, we give them an address that we will be at 5 to 7 days down the road and have them send the mail to us. 

I have established just such a service for myself for the next 6 months. 

The address is: 

3515 Atlantic Ave.  #1068 , Long Beach, Ca. 90807

Well, that is all for this particular installment of my journal. Stay tuned because I'm going to be updating the blog as well as my YouTube channel at least on a weekly basis. 

Safe travels all! 

Eric 

Hiking around Black Butte and Castle Crags - November 7th, 2021

Remi and I got out for another great hike today. Todays was a two-for... We hiked up Black Butte trail for our first hike. This is the second such hike that Remi and I have taken since I moved up here to Siskiyou County. This area is so awe inspiring, it is something that I truly enjoy doing whenever we can. We had to go down about 5 miles of Forest Service Roads to get to the trail head. I was almost wondering if we were even in the right place and foolishly following the GPS.

There was some very beautiful views from this trail and some very interesting Lava rock surrounding Black Butte. Some of the rocks were grey, but others were red, almost like a redwood stain. It was very unusual.

We went up the trail as far as we could until we came across a point where an avalanche had taken out a chunk of the trail.

We then went over to Castle Crags which is one of my favorite places in Shasta County. When we got to the Overlook, we could look out through one clearing and see Castle Crags, and then looking out through the other clearing and we could see mount Shasta, so wonderful.

And, you know me, one of these outings just wouldn't be complete without a video about it. Enjoy!

Safe travels everyone!

The big trip coming up in January 2022

Over 30 years ago, I started my 9 year stint as a volunteer, driving across this great nation of ours for a non-profit youth group called the Concord Blue Devils. They are a marching musical group that performs shows similar to college band half time shows. We had 128 members ages 17 to 21 who played amazing music and had hugely entertaining shows. Through that experience of driving across the nation, I saw glimpses of this great land of ours. Unfortunately, I didn't really get to see much of the towns we stopped in. 

That changes next year. I'm planning for Remi (my dog) and I to set out for a 6 month trip to visit friends and family after the first of the year. Our stops will include San Jose, Quartzsite, Gallup, Houston, New Orleans, Atlanta, Cape May, New London, Indianapolis, St Louis, Lincoln, Reno and many stops in between. 

If anyone wants Remi and I to stop by for a visit, chime in, I'd love to see you! Just drop me an e-mail at thervitguy@ymail.com and we'll discuss the itinerary. Hopefully we'll see you down the road. 

Take care and happy holidays!  

Safe travels all!