Author: mchazen

The morning was clear and cool.

A former co-worker, Frank, met us early at the coach.  After a quick breakfast, we headed for the Angeles Shooting Range with the rifles to test our gunnery skills.  It had been over six months since I had done any shooting and it was something I was looking forward to.

For a Wednesday, the range had a few more people than expected.  It must have been due to the Thanksgiving holiday.  For about two hours, we plinked away with the .22, picking off silhouettes and pieces of clay targets against the hillside.  Later in the morning, we switched to the .223, set up the spotting scope and started picking off silhouettes between 100 and 400 yards.  I installed a non-magnifying red dot scope on the .223.  The scope was a much appreciated gift from my cousin Howard and is similar to a military-style sighting system.  When properly zeroed in, you put the red dot on the target, squeeze the trigger and hit what you’re aiming at.  Simple, effective and lots of fun.  We even dropped a few rounds onto targets at 500 yards.  Not consistently, but we got enough hits to feel like studs.

The important part of the day was visiting with Frank.  Without getting into details, Frank is a young, successful guy who works hard and is well liked.  He recently made some life changes that includes a new job, a move to Ventura county and a planned marriage in June.  On reflection, each decision is well thought out and part of a life plan.  We are very happy for Frank and his soon-to-be wife Sonia and wish them happiness and success.  We hope to visit with them again during our Southern California visit.

The rest of the day was spent quietly at the coach watching movies and getting ready for Thanksgiving.

Today would be a rare treat.

Marley, one of our granddaughters, recently started school and is currently attending kindergarten.  Of course, no kindergarten experience would be complete without the Thanksgiving Program and today was the big day.  Certainly, our attendance was required.

Pilgrims and Indians at the Thanksgiving program.

Marley as an Indian princess.

Over the years, we have attended many events like this.  They have their similarities and differences, but this one will be remembered for its almost flawless execution.  Overall, the kids put on a really good show that was enthusiastically received by a bias audience.  To the teacher’s credit, it was kept short.  Of course, a member of the administration, someone who had nothing to do with the program, gave a boring speech to a captive audience.  Aside from the blowhard, we had a great time.  Marley played the part of an Indian and sang along with the rest of the kids.  A good time was had by all.

After the program, we spent the rest of the day running errands and quietly hanging around the coach.  I even managed to force myself into the gym for a workout.

It was still dark outside when the alarm clock went off at 6:00.  Today was the dreaded Doctor Visit and we had to be in Santa Monica by 8:30 AM.  There would be no breakfast, not even coffee, until the tests were done.  So tired, irritable and hungry we piled into the Jeep and headed out.  Other than the Monday morning traffic, it was a pleasant drive along the coast.

Having spent the past year in small towns and rural areas, West Los Angeles seemed terribly congested and confining.  It’s hard to believe we lived here for three years.  I suppose you just get used to it after a while.  Anyway, our annual visit to the doctor was uneventful and immediately after the visit we had breakfast at one of the restaurants we frequented when we lived in the area.  With no reason to hang around, we started back.

On the return trip, we stopped at the storage facility to check on our stuff and pick up a few things.  Visiting our stuff is weird.  We fumble with the lock, roll up the door and stand there a few seconds scanning our stuff.  We joke that its value increases by $125 each month, but in all seriousness we miss being surrounded by our things.  The reality is we have done just fine without it for two years.  I suppose the stuff has both real and sentimental value.  Anyway, there is just something strange about seeing your things piled up.  Someday we’ll find a place where we can once again live among our belongings.  The ceremony ends with the closing of the door and setting of the lock.

We returned to the coach, had an early dinner and watched movies.

Typical for this time of year, a high pressure weather system causes warm winds to blow from the east.  The morning was sunny, breezy and warm.  The forecast for for the low 80s.

Still tired from the trip, we woke later than usual and had a leisurely breakfast.  About mid-morning we headed for Jeanne’s mother’s house to visit and pick up the mail.  Although most of our mail goes to the Texas drop-box, we are still California residents and certain things go to the Santa Paula address.  This time it was the registration for the coach and my jury duty summons.

The road to Barbara’s house was the same highway that damaged last year due to heavy rain and flooding.  The highway has been reopened, but at four sections traffic is reduced to one lane and controlled by time-delayed traffic lights.  Making the trip is a hassle and you can see the road is lightly traveled.

Returning to Santa Paula we got the workout and lunch out of the way.

Grampa Marty holds Erika on her first birthday.

The Birthday Girl, Erika, takes some big steps.

Birthday cake for a one year old.

Erika having her cake and eating it too.

It is a big day for Erika, our youngest grandchild.  Today is her one year birthday party and in the afternoon the family assembled at CeCe’s house to celebrate.  To describe the scene as pandemonium would be an understatement.  There had to be at least forty people, half of which were young kids.  We’re not sure who everyone was, or which kid belonged to who, but a good time seemed to be had by all.  The event went into the late afternoon and it was dark when we headed for home.

We spent a quiet evening at the coach watching movies.

As expected, our first day in Santa Paula was spent running errands.

After breakfast, the first stop was the gym, which is a small storefront business in a small town.  The deal was $80 for three months.  Money exchanged hands and the membership starts tomorrow.  Next was a stop at the bank followed by a trip to Jeanne’s mother’s house to visit and pick up some mail.  My jury summons was waiting for me.  On the way back we stopped at La Cabana for lunch.  It was a real treat since this was the first really good Mexican food we had in a long time.  There is something about Mexican food on a warm day that makes me drowsy.  We made it back to the coach just in time just in time for siesta.  I was asleep in minutes.

When I woke, the sun was off the front of the coach and we got to work scrubbing the bugs off the windshield and installing the sun screens.  While doing this, we got into a conversation with our neighbors who are in Santa Paula visiting family.  They seemed like nice folks and we talked for about an hour.  They are about our age, retired and travel about six months a year.  They will be in the area for several weeks and we look forward to visiting with them again.

Later in the evening, we grilled some salmon for dinner and watched some videos.  Tomorrow, we look forward to visiting with friends and family.

After a two day drive we finally landed in Santa Paula for a two, maybe three, month stay.

The trip is only about 300 miles and we could have done it in one day, but space was not available in the Santa Paula RV park and we spent one night in the small town of Victorville.

The first leg of the trip from Las Vegas to Victorville was as uneventful as expected.  Our only stops were in the small town of Jean for fuel and a rest stop in the middle of the California desert.  This section of I-15 is heavily traveled.  Traffic is a mixture of speeding cars and lumbering trucks.  Think of it as a running game of Chicken on a heavily used and poorly maintained highway.  We didn’t see any accidents but the the roadway was covered with skid marks and littered with evidence of past crashes.  The road is sort of like a 250 mile streak of garbage stretching through desert wilderness.

The town of Victorville used to be little more than a crossroads and mining community but in recent years the place has turned into a bedroom community for Los Angeles.  It’s hard to believe people live here and drive to Los Angeles for work.  I suppose the tradeoff for living in the desert is a three hour commute and buying a car every two years.  Housing may be affordable but the savings is quickly eroded by the cost and time of transportation.

We pulled into the aging KOA and set up for the evening.  This was the very same KOA we stayed at two years ago at the start of the Excellent Adventure and it is still a hard place to maneuver around in.  The night was cold and the sounds of the highway kept waking us up.

The drive from Victorville to Santa Paula is only about 120 miles, so we there was no compelling reason to get an early start.  While preparing coach ready for travel, we got into a conversation with a fellow camper.  They had just bought a new Monaco rig and wanted to compare notes.  We were surprised to hear they were towing a Jeep Grand Cherokee without a emergency breaking system.  Most states require a break-away system for towing anything over 3,000 pounds; a Jeep Grand Cherokee clearly exceeds that weight limit.  Also, the burden of stopping the Jeep is completely borne by the coach.  This is a dangerous practice, especially on long downgrades.  I hope he has a breaking system installed soon.

By the time we were done talking and hit the road, it was almost 10:00 AM.

The drive was timed to avoid the bulk of the morning traffic.  The strategy worked and for the most part traffic was light.  Some repairs had been made to highway 14 between Palmdale and Valencia, but the road still beat the crap out of the coach.  Each time we drive this stretch of highway, the coach develops some new squeak or rattle.  Near Magic Mountain, we stopped for fuel and got into the narrowest fuel island I’ve ever seen.  Somehow we squeezed through without damaging the rig.  There were only inches of clearance to spare.  This fuel depot is definitely off the list.

We arrived in Santa Paula shortly after noon, checked in and set up.  What a relief knowing we will be planted here for at least two months.

The rest of the day was sent visiting with family.  Although we were here in April, all the grandkids have noticeably changed.  The youngest, Erika, is now a year old and walking.  It was good to see everyone again.

It was colder than we expected last night.  The heat pumps came on but the outside air was too cool for them to work effectively.  I finally got up about 3:30 AM to turn on the furnace.  When it finally got light outside, the day promised to be clear and cool.

Jeanne is feeling much better and should be in good shape to travel tomorrow.  Having had enough of Las Vegas, we’re both looking forward to moving on.

Yesterday was one of those hang around the coach days.  After going to the gym in the morning, I stopped at Starbucks for a good high-speed internet connection to update this site.  Total disaster was narrowly averted.  After purchasing a coffee and setting up at one of the small tables, work began on the update.  Crossing my legs under the table allowed the mouse cable to wrap around my foot.  Changing positions yanked the mouse cable and sent the coffee flying.  The computer gods were with me and very little of the coffee splashed on the computer.  However, the table, chair, window and floor were soaked with decaf and a thin vapor of steam was rising from the spreading liquid.  The employees were very forgiving and hustled to clean up the mess.  Apparently it is a regular occurrence.  I now realize why Starbucks installs ceramic tile on the floor.

Today was one of those get-ready-to-move days.  Jeanne straightened up the inside and I attended to the outside.  By early afternoon, the windows were washed, tires checked, oil checked, slides checked for leaves, etc.  We made a quick Walmart run.  Afterwards, Jeanne did some last minute laundry and I headed for one last workout at the gym.

Aside from visiting our friends and restarting our workout program, our Las Vegas stay was not very satisfying.  However, that is the point of the Excellent Adventure; we see what various communities offer and if we don’t like it, we move.  Las Vegas is a great place for an occasional visit or a winter getaway, but it is not on our A list and we’re looking forward to moving on.

So, the Excellent Adventure continues. . .

Contemporary Note:  Over the years I spent a lot of time in Las Vegas, mostly for business.  I met a lot of good, hard-working folks who were talented, sincere and focused on providing for their families.  It is strange how this contrasts with what Las Vegas really is — a place to have fun and/or get a new start on life.  Like South Florida, it has a transient feel.  If you are into bling and a 24-hour lifestyle, Vegas is the place.  Enough said.

The past week slipped by and there is almost nothing of note to report.

The first three days were spent running errands, cleaning the coach and trying to recover.  We were more tired than we thought.  In retrospect, in Grand Junction, several hours each day were devoted to driving around looking at real estate.  Right before we left, the negotiations (which fell through) were stressful and took a toll.  Immediately afterwards, we spent three days on the road followed by our Las Vegas experience with Nick and Barbara.  No wonder we’re tired.  Add to that our workout restart and we were ready for a crash-and-burn.

About four days ago, Jeanne felt a cold coming on and has been laying around the coach ever since.  It is probably a bug she picked up cruising the casinos.  Right now, she is on the road to recovery and should be up and around soon.

We did find time to visit the Bass Pro Shop here in Las Vegas.  For our non-outdoor readers, Bass Pro is a store that caters to the hunting and fishing crowd.  Jeanne calls it the Guy Zone, but these outdoor stores have discovered the discretionary spending power of women and now carries merchandise appealing to that demographic.  Which means clothes, of course.  Jeanne used the opportunity to pick up a few things for herself.  At least the stuff in Bass Pro is high quality and long lasting.  If you never visited one, you should check it out, or visit the BassPro or Cabelas web sites.

One morning, Jeanne was sleeping late and hunger was setting in.  A long time ago I learned not to wake Godzilla, especially when she is sick.  So not wanting to rattle around in the kitchen, I headed for the breakfast buffet at Mandalay Bay hotel.  What a treat.  For $13.85 I was able to eat my favorite foods for breakfast.  It will be my one and only buffet run during our Las Vegas stay.

It may sound strange, but we feel like we’re wasting time here in Las Vegas.  Except for the mild weather and shopping, there is no real reason for us to be here.  We’re in a well kept RV resort but it is noisy.  Our site is close to the freeway and the end of the airport runway.

Some Las Vegas residents drive like maniacs.  Yesterday, Sunday, at 7:30 in the morning on my way to the gym, I witnessed a car blocking traffic in order to post a yard sale sign, an accident, two near-misses and three bonehead moves all within a five minute drive.  Today, as I approached a four-way stop, the only other driver around saw I might reach the intersection first and intentionally ran the stop sign.  In a school zone no less.  It is a relief to reach your destination and shut off the motor.  Do the people here realize that (with the exception of South Florida) the rest of the country doesn’t drive like this?

So, here we are in Las Vegas, running down the clock.  We tried to get into the Santa Paula RV park sooner, but they were booked solid.  So, aside from Jeanne recovering from her cold, there is little here for us to do.  We look forward to spending the next three days quietly before moving on.

We spent the past two days visiting on and off with our friends, Nick and Barbara and their family and friends.  It seemed like a blur of casinos, restaurants, flashing lights and poker chips.  The usual Las Vegas experience.  In any event, our friends enjoyed their stay right to the end.  And, anything that happened here, stays here.

Nick and Barbara with family and friends.

Jeanne in front of a fall display in Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marty with Halloween display at the Bellagio.

Jeanne and Barbara on the Las Vegas strip.

Jeanne and Marty in front of Paris, Bally's and Flamingo hotels.

Barbara and Jeanne in front of Bellagio and Caeser's hotels.

Somehow, Jeanne and I avoided getting wiped out at the tables.  By avoiding the free drinks, staying on a strict budget and walking away at the right time, we stayed about even and had a great time.  One of the unique things about Vegas is that things are constantly changing.  The casinos, shops and restaurants are constantly updated so our bi-annual trip is never the same.  We enjoyed strolling through the mall shops, both on and off the strip.

By the time Nick and Barbara left, we were in Las Vegas overload.  Our general rule is that waking up in Las Vegas three mornings in a row is one morning too many.  Eventually the noise, crowds, excitement and traffic wear you down.  Two days is enough and four days is way too many.  We are looking forward to spending a few quiet days at the coach recovering.

It was another beautiful day in paradise, with sore muscles from yesterday’s workout.

Before launching into the daily events, I would like to offer some observations on Las Vegas traffic.

While touring country, you can notice real differences in driving style from region to region.  For the most part (except in Texas) small towns have courteous drivers and slower traffic.  The best behaved drivers were in Buffalo, New York.  Driving in South Florida is like driving in a third-world country.  Driving in Philadelphia is suicidal.  The few cars in WaKeeney, Kansas poke along at 2/3 the speed limit.  You get the idea.

After spending months driving in remote and rural areas, we were not used to driving in Southern California style traffic.  Traffic in Las Vegas is fast, dense and cars zoom at you from all directions.  The mix of locals, tourists, little old ladies and 20-somethings means there is no predominant driving style.  45% of drivers are using cell phones, 30% are intoxicated and 15% are applying makeup.  The streets are littered with shattered glass and other evidence of past crashes.

It took a few minutes, but eventually our Southern California driving habits returned.  No wonder insurance rates are so high in Los Angeles.  Any space between cars, no matter how small, is an opportunity.

The plan for the day was to meet Nick and Barbara sometime in the late morning.  So, having time to kill, we stayed close to the coach until boredom forced us into the outlet mall.

We met Nick and Barbara at the Venetian Hotel.  It was good to see them again and they look good.  As South Florida residents, they had very recently experienced a hurricane.  It was not something they wanted to go through again.

The afternoon was spent walking through the various casinos on the strip and shopping.  We gambled a little and I calculated the free drinks cost us about $20 each.  They were going to meet some friends for dinner and a show, so we returned to the coach and spent the evening quietly reading and watching TV.

Tomorrow, we’ll connect with Nick and Barbara again.