Safford Arizona to Las Cruces

The last 2 nights we have had not had internet or cell phone coverage so I will try to catch up a bit.In Safford we stayed at an rv park where we told them we just wanted a place to dry camp (no water or electric) They were nice enough to let us park in front of the rec center. We were able to have a nice shower and sit in the rec romm to do our computer work and we even where able to watch their TV. We watched Harry's Law. The nest day we headed over the hills and stayed at an rv park in buckhorn. When I arrived there was no one around to talk to, just a sefl registration envelope. On of the guys who has live there for 14 years came out and talked to me. He has a little trailer that he sells stuff out of like a minnie Wal Mart. I guess he goes into town and stocks up on things and then sells them to other campers or locals. I was going to buy a bar of soap from him but when checked out the next day he wasn't home. Everyone always comments on our little trailer, they think it is so cute. The next day we had to travel through some mountains. The highest point on the sourthern part of our trip is Emory Pass. It is 8000 ft abouve sea leval. We drove up part of it yesterday and camped about 5 miles from the summit. We camped in a forest service campground that only had a pit toliet and no area lighting at all. The bathroom was pretty clean but the night was so dark. There was no moon so the stars were very bright. I still did not see the milky way but there sure were a lot of stars. During the night I admit I was glad to have a bathroom in our trailer. We got up early this morning and finished going ove rthe pass. When we got up it was 34 degrees, pretty cold to ride a bike. At the top of the pass was a sign that said steep curvey roads for the next 8 miles. I think I went down the mountain about 20-25 miles an hour but I made it. Paul left the same time I did and got down about the same time. I must admit when I have a scarry drive ahead of me I have a hard time sleeping the night before. Now we are down out of most of the mountains but are heading into some of the most remote parts of Texas. We are still trying to figure out where we will stay tomorrow night. Tonight we have a warm shower so that means we have found someone willing to host us for the night. We are set up in our little trailer in his front yard. He was nice enough to let us plug into some electricity. We  started the day at 34 degrees and it has been up in the 80's this afternoon. What a change in one day. I think that now that we are out of the mountains we can expect it to be warm. I have a feeling that we may be back into an area with no internet for the next couple of days. We have tried to find a church for Sunday but it looks like we will no be able to attent this week. It is conference so maybe we will get some of iton the internet.

Superior to Safford

This morning after Paul left I took a few hours and went over to the State Park. They have a real nice arboretum I really enjoyed seeing all the desert plants. The weather was nice for a walk. Then as I was driving over to meet Paul I stopped at a Safeway. That may not sound like a big deal but it was nice to shop at a big enough store to purchase some thngs I haven't been able to find in some of these small town stores I have been shopping in lately. The 2 nights we camped in Superior we heard the coyotes howling during the night. Last night when I walked down to the bathroom I could hear them and it made me a little nervous to walk back to our camp. I have never heard of coyotes bothering people but being a city girl I couldn't be sure. Tomorrow we leave Arizona and enter New Mexico. We will only be there for a couple of days and then on to Texas. 

Rest day in Superior

Today is Sunday so we did not travel. This morning we went to church. It was an interesting experience. It was a small congragation with a number of  spanish speaking members. The sacrament prayers were said 2 times for each prayer, once in spanish and once in English. There was a talk given in Spanish with someone interpreting to English. For one of the classes they divided the time between 2 teachers, one in Spanish and one in English. I have never attended such a meeting before. It was kind of nice. Then we did our laundry and took care of some things we usually just don't have time for. This week we will be finishing Arizona and going through a part of New Mexico and will be starting across Texas.

Phoenix to Superior

It is now Saturday night and we are camped in Superior Arizona. This will be our destination for 2 nights so we can have a rest day for Sunday. Paul made his way through the bike paths of Phoenix and I managed to make my way through the freeways of Phoenix, Mesa,  and Tempe. Ihave been using Chtistian's gps. I would never have made it without that. There is no way I can read a map while driving 65 miles an hour on 6-7 lane freeways. It is nice that when I make a mistake like today to hear "recalculating" and know that it will get me back where I need to be. I am still learning to interprete the gps commands and most everyday I mess up somehow but so far I have made it to my destination ok. Today, as we went through Tempe we saw dragon boats on the water. Paul said it was a big meet with people from all over coming. I just caught a glimpse from the freeway but I think Paul got a better look and talked to someone about it. Since we are not moving tomorrow I unhooked the truck and went to the grocery store. It was a typical small town store but I was able to get some nice porkchops and potatoes for dinner. Paul cooked the chops outside and I cooked the potatoes inside then we sat out and enjoyed a nice meal. We had a couple of visiters. One was a very pretty red bird that landed on the telephone wire near our camp. I don't know what it was. Then we had a couple who were driving by and thought our little trailer was so cute they had to stop and ask us about it. Then one of the resident campers here camp over and and introduced himself. We have had sunshine all day but the temperature has been very nice. We even had to put on a little jacket during dinner.

Salome to Phoenix

Today was quite a day. We got up at 5:30 in the morning so we could get an early start. I drove into Mesa and had to go through Phoenix during rush hour to get to the RV repair place by 9:00. I made it about 9:15. They repaired the trailer and then I drove back to Phoenix to meet up with Paul. We had someone offer us (via warm showers) a place to stay tomight so I drove there. I have been here now for about 6 hours. It is basically an auto repair place. It is kind of like being parked by a junk yard except the owners are real nice. Fortunately I enjoy reading because that is all I have done since I arrived. I know I should get out and go do something but it is so overwelming to drive on roads that I am not familiar with that I would rather just stay here. We are going to walk over to Arby's for dinner. Paul rode his bike about 114 miles today. He said it was his worst days ride yet. He is very tired tonight. It is a good thing tomorrow is Saturday so he can have a day of rest Sunday. Tomorrow is supposed to be a shorter ride, only about 65 miles.

Blythe to Salome Arizona

Today we left California. We have really been traveling through the desert. There have been many saguaro cactus as welll as other cactus. The weather has been great for traveling. The high was about 66 according to the truck and not a cloud in the sky. It is so much dryer here than at home that when Paul took his shower within about an hour his washclothe was dry and that was inside the trailer. Tonight we are camping at a community RV park. It is pretty nice except the water is not potable except in the drinking fountain. That is a bit disappointing since we hoped to fill up our tanks. Hopefully we can do that tomorrow. We used paper goods for dinner tomight since we don't have amply water to wash dishes in. We feell like we need to save it for drinking. Tomorrow we head for Phoenix. I am planning on taking our trailer in for a little repair job. I hope I can find the place. I will have to trust my gps. We are slowly making our way across the country. Paul is strong and doing well. Tonight he resembles a snake since he is peeling from his sunburn. I think he is doing a better job of sunscreen now.

El Centro to Blythe

Today we traveled from El Centro To Blythe. Tomorrow we will leave California. It has been sunny and nice today. The truck said it was 75 degrees at 3:30 in the afternoon. Paul shed all of his extra clothes as the day progressed. I finished my book and started another. The road today was strange. We had no big mountains to climb but we had a number of areas where the road went up and down over and over again. It was disconcerting to come to the top of a hill and not really be able to see what was on the other side. We went past sand dunes that looked very much like our dunes in Oregon. I guess it is a favorite place for atvs. Tonight we have what is called a warm shower again. We have a nice place to park our trailer in the back of a bait shop. It is right next to one of the irrigation canals that come from the Colorado river. Tonight we are having chili and chips for dinner and tomorrow we pass to Mt standard time. Paul is doing great.

A rainy day layover.

Yesterday we got up and looked up the weather for the day. There was a severe weather warning for the route we needed to take with snow and blowing snow and thick fog. Paul thought he could ride in it but it sounded bad for pulling a trailer so we decided to hole up here for another day. It gave Paul a chance to upload all his pictures and put them in his blog. I still don't know how to add pictures to mine so if you want pictures you will have to check his out. Today Paul has already left and is making good time. I plan on meeting up with him in Ocotillo. We have found places to park our trailer on warm showers for the next 2 nights. We hope that will help with our expenses a bit. It is still cloudy and has been sprinkling a bit this morning but once we get over these mountains we expect the weather to be nicer.

San Diego to Alpine.

Today was a short ride but a lot of climbing for Paul. Because of the location of camping places we decide to stop early.  There is a church in the town near by so we will be able to attend tomorrow. Tonight when we checked into this RV park they gave us coupons for the buffet at the casino just down the street. Of course we couldn't pass that up. That was the first time we have had a salad since we left home. It sure was good. We are now out of the big cities for a while. I am relieved to be out of all the traffic.

San Diego yahoooo!

I got into our camp ground today about 1:30, It is huge. I was able to back into our site by myself and we have power today. The cost is high. It is supposed to be a Passport America camp but they don't honor that organization anymore. With the AAA discount it was $54. I hope as we get out of California we can find less epensive campgrounds. Paul wants to buy a generator today so we are not quite so reliant on hookups. The temperature here is 67 degrees and very pleasant. Dad had a little spill on his bike today. He is not here yet so I am not sure how bad it was. He said mostly his pride was hurt but he said he has a little road burn. He is doing well considering his heel is still bothering him and his legs on sunburned and now this. I will see how he is doing when he gets here. This camp ground is huge, I think they have over 600 sites and they are kind of packed in. It doesn't feel so much like you are camping, more like you are parked. For me I am just glad to be here safe for another night. I talked to my son in law this morning and he said a big piece of Hwy 1 fell into the ocean yesterday. I am glad we are past that. It would have been a major reroute for us. It sounds like no one was hurt but it may be shut down for a while. I am going to get the dishes done before Paul gers here

So of LA

Well we made it through LA. For me it was nerve wracking on the freeways. Then the place we thought we could camp did not have camping so Paul had to ride 105 miles to get to where I could find camping. I passed by the turn off twice to get to this spot but now that we are here it is nice. The ocean beach is just a few feet from our camp. When I arrived there was a sailboat race going on right in front of this beach. Tomorrow we go through San Diego and the next day we head east. I am just trying to take the driving one day at a time. I really get nervous driving in unfamiliar places especially pulling a trailer. I am worried that I will go down a street and not be able to turn around and get back out. All in all we are doing well and everything is going according to plan. It is definitely Spring here and there are many flowers in bloom. The weather is getting nicer as well. I am sure soon we are going  to want it to be cooler.

Closer to La

Today I hated to leave the beach at Refugio. I went down and watched the sun shining on the waves. Then I headed out and spent much of the drive on freeways. I went through Santa Barbara, and Oxnard where I got back on Hwy 1. Tonight we tried to eat outside but there were too many pesky flies and some agressive squirrels and birds. We decided to eat our burgers inside. I am still trying to decide the best way to get through LA. I hope we will find a camping site at our next destination. As we get close to the weekend I am more concerned about that. Paul seems to be holding up well even though he has some serious sunburn on his legs. He got some sunscreen today but it is too late for now. Everything seems to be going according to plan and I am doing better now that I am not on those challenging roads on the coast. It is a different challenge being on the freeways but one I seem to be able to handle better. Only a couple of more days and we will be making a left turn to Florida.

San Luis Opisbo to Refugio State Park

This morning we were camped by a botanical garden so this morning before I took off for the day I went for a walk in the garden. It was nice. Then I drove to Refugio State Park. It was all freeway driving without too much traffic. I got to this camp about 1:00 and walked down to the beach and watched the surfers. The sun was out and there was a nice breeze so it made for a nice day. Then I took my camp chair out and read my book. Today was the first day that I but on cooler clothes to wear. When Paul got here around 4:00 we took a nice walk on the beach and came back and prepared dinner outside. It is nice that the weather is getting good enough to cook and eat outside. Tonight it has turned windy. hopefully when night falls it will die down. It is nice that daylight savings has arrived except that Paul leaves so early that I worry about him riding without much light and for longer hours. I have had a much better day today, I think just beause the driving has been easier and the weather nicer.

San Luis Opisbo

The last 2 nights we spent at a state park called Limeklin. After the San Francisco fire around 1908 there was a need for lime to make bricks to rebuild the city. At this state park site there was a deposit of lime and they mined it and then refined it on site. The lime played out but the four large kilns were still there or at least most of them. They mined and reefined it there and then loaded it on ships parked off the point. It was a real pretty park but we had no electricity, no internet, and no cell phone reception. It make for a relaxing weekend. There also was no church for probably 70 miles. From there we had a big climb over the headlands then the rest of the day was easier driving, Thank goodness. The host at our last camp out told Paul that he should drive and just put the bike in the truck. Of course that didn't go over too well with Paul. I made it safely over the hill though. We still have a few more hills to get over before we are done with Hwy 1. I will sure be relieved for that. Now I am starting to think about getting past LA and San Diego. I am trying to take it one day at a time. I almost don't want to go to bed because the next day I must drive and try to figure out where to meet up with Paul again. I hope I can enjoy the trip more after San Diego. Paul is doing pretty good. He has had some back pain today and his heel muscles are giving him some trouble. This is a lot for a 62 year old to take on. Well I better post and give Paul the computer so he can do his.

Into the big Sur

Today we go through Montery and go into the Big Sur. I have heard of this road and am nervous about it. I can't wait to be through with this drive. They say it is one of the most senic in the world but the driving part is frightening to me. I doubt that we will get internet service at least for the next 2 days. I am going to try and add a picture to this today. Well I was not able to add a picture. Today it looks like it will be sunny at least for this morning. Yesterday when Paul got here we went into Montery and walked out on the warf. We were hoping to have a nice sunset over the bay but the sun was in the wrong position. Then we made a quick stop at Wal-Mart and filled the truck with gas. Paul has already left for his ride so I guess I'll get ready for my drive.

Over the bridge and beyond

Last night I wrote my blog and then the internet disconnected before I could post so I am going to send a quick one this morning. Paul and I both made it over the bridge with no problems and found our way down the coast. The kind ranger at our last camp site was able to tell me how to navigate that and I sure appreciate it. Yesterday we had some rain for part of the day but today has dawned clear and the sun is shining. Dad has already taken off for his ride. I expect my drive to be  easier today but everytime I say that it turns out not to be true. I saw on the computer this morning that there is a Tsunami warning for the coast today. Where I am sitting now I can hear the surf. If a Tsunami came in here I am sure we would get very wet. As we head down the coast and the year moves along I am starting to get more concerned about finding camping spots. It could be a real challenge during Spring break. Hopefully we will be out of California by then. The daffodils I cut from my garden have been so pretty and just a taste of home but today they are going to have to be thrown out. We are starting to see wild flowers on the hills and everything is green and pretty. I expect to see more wild flowers as we continue into Spring.

Bodega Bay to North of San Francisco

Today we are dry camping again and we are out of power so if my charge light comes on I will end this quick. Today we are camped at Samuel P Taylor State Park. It is cool here and the locals say it stays that way all year because we are under Redwoods and the sun never reaches here. To me it doesn't seem too bad since we came from Oregon where winter seemed to still be raging all last week (just rain and wind). Today has been mostly cloudy but nice temps. We have seen many bikes on this road. It seems to be a favorite with locals. One guy we saw on the road had had 2 flat tires in one day and was looking for a way to town. We were going to town because Dad's bike had developed a problem and we were taking it to the bike shop ourselves. We gave him a ride to town. I think he appreciated it. Then we went over to the No. side of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was very pretty and even sunny. We saw sailboats in the Bay and some big tankers. It actually felt like Calif weather, even though it was not hot, it was nice.We are going to hit the hay early tonight so we can stay warm and be prepared for a big day tomorrow. I am scared out of my pants to drive through those towns and across the bridge tomorrow. If I had suspenders to put on to keep those pants up I would. Since I don't have any I guess I will just close my eyes and hope for the best. Hopefully I will be able to report success tomorrow night.

Percy to Albion then to Bodega Bay

I had my post all ready to go and accidentally hit delete. I guess I will start over. The last few days have been nail biters for me. We have driven many miles on roads that make me very nervous. Leaving Leggett and turning on to Hwy 1 was very winding and had many hills and tight turns. When I finally got over the mountains I was so relieved, until we saw signs that indicated more roads like that. Each time I saw a sign that said 22 miles of winding narrow roads I would check my odometer so I would know when it would be over and I would fill relieved until I would see another sign. I must admit it leaves me exhausted to have to concentrate on the roads so much. They are narrow and have very little shoulder. We had one climb today that was very long and frightening and it was almost scarier to think about coming back down. I have pulled off the road many times to let other cars go by so I don't have to feel pushed by them. I am hoping the roads will get easier from here on out. Last night when we set up camp Paul hooked up the water and a few minutes later we noticed water on the floor of our trailer. We quickly turned off the water but it meant we had to dry things out. Forturately we noticed before our clothes got wet. Paul had to climb into the storage compartment to dry things out. I helped him by pulling and pushing him in and out of the compartment. It must have looked strange to anyone who might have seen us. It might have looked like I was hiding a body in there. Have no fear though, Paul is all right. He has ridden 530 miles so far. I don't know how he does it. He just keeps going and going. The last 2 days we have not had cell phone or internet connection. That means that Paul and I have not been able to talk to each other by phone. Today I found a good place to stop for lunch but had to stand out by the highway and flag him down. I am glad that we seem to be back in an area where we can get cell coverage. Day after tomorrow will be San Francisco.

Monday March 7

We have had a hard time getting the internet the past few days so I wasn't able to write on Sat. or Sun. Saturday we drove part of the day on The Ave. of the Redwoods. The trees are awesome! Paul rode a shorter day that day of only about 50 miles. Are stopping places are driven somewhat on where we can find camping places. We are at a nice park now and have enjoyed taking a break. On  Sunday. Paul found he needed to spend quite a bit of time cleaning up his bike. Since we have had at least some rain every riding day but one he said his chains etc were very dirty. After we set up our trailer we went over to the souviner shop and looked around. We actually bought something, a mouse pad for our computer It is always fun to see what they have in the shops. One shop had a lot of imported things and indian things. We looked for made in China labels but didn't see any. One of their tourist features is a one log house. They have taken a huge redwood tree and hollowed it out and made a little kitchen, bedroom and sitting room out of it. Of course very linear but kind of cute. We had hoped to find a place to go to church yesterday but there was not one for about 60 miles so we stayed at camp. It was a good oportunity to do laundry and dry everything out. We took everything out of the truck and had stuff everywhere when clouds started to roll back in so we hurried and put everything away. Paul has just left for his ride and I am about to pack up camp and head out myself. I must admit I am nervous about todays drive. I understand it to be very full of tuns and climbing on Hwy 1 along the California coast. If I get internet tonight I will let you all know how things went.

Klamath to Scotia

We woke up to birds singing and even a little sun. It was so nice to not have the rain. Our little trailer had a lot of condensation in it from being closed up. I opened a couple of windows and the screen door and I think that helped. We met the guy who was playing the guitar last night. He says he is a traveling artist and is looking for a place to settle down somewhere on the coast. He has a metal sculpture of a pirate ship in the back of his truck. Just from the few moments we talked to him it sounds like he could tell lots of stories about being a cowboy. Today I have been a little bit of an emotional mess. I had a few small things go wrong that should not have thrown me off but they did. For example I got off on the wrong exit and could not find one to get back on so I ended up going back on Hwy 101 a few miles until I could turn around, all the while Paul was waiting for me for lunch. He had told me which exit to take but I forgot. Early alzhemiers? I hope not. Then I had the trailer all levaled and unhooked from the truck and the trailer slid of the riser I had used to leval it and I had to reattach the truck to the trailer to releval it. It is hard to do when I am by myself because I have to keep getting in and out of the truck to check everything. Then I went to buy gas and since I live in Oregon I had never had to unlock the gas cap and put my own gas in this vechicle and I had a real hard time getting the gas cap off. Then I had to ask some other customer how to start the gas going into the tank. I must admit I have been wondering if I am nuts to be here doing this instead of home in my comfortable house. Then I remember how lonely it would be for 6 months with Paul gone. I guess I just need my little melt down and then I will go on tomorrow When Paul got to camp and asked what was for dinner I guess he was not to excited so he suggusted we go for pizza. It was definately the right night for it and I was relieved not to cook and clean up tonight. Well, that is probably more than you want to hear but that was my day in a nut shell. 

Gold beach to Klamath Calif.

Paul rode about 80 miles today from Gold Beach to Klamath Calif. He (we) had a couple of steep climbs today. The first was out of Gold Beach and the second was through the redwoods. We still had rain off and on during the day. Last night at 1:00 in the morning we heard a warning siren go off and of course we wondered if it was a tusnami warning. I looked out the dore but know one seemed to be moving around so we dicided it must be a call for volunteer firefighters or something like that. Off course it made it hard for me to sleep wondering if a tusnami was on the way. Tonight at our campout Paul and I took a shower and the only other person in our campground serenaded us with his singing and guitar. At least he was pretty good. Tonight the sky cleared up and we could even see Orion in the stars. I hope that means we are finally going to have some nice weather.

On to Gold Beach

Last night we were camped Bullards Beach and at about 2:00 in the morning the wind came up and blew so hard that our little trailer just rocked in the wind. It made it difficult to sleep for a while but when we got up this morning the wind had died down. We have had rain and wind off and on today and I must say I am getting a little tired of it. Paul left about 8:30 this morning and I left about 10:15. I dicided to stop in the store (grocery) because I couldn't find my scrubby to wash dishes with and it was free donut day. Of course I had to have one. Then I drove on to Port Orford to the wayside there and Paul and I had lunch. There was a great view of the ocean but it was to cold to really enjoy being outside. Tonight we are camped at an RV camp ground. They alwasys sound so good from their description but don't always turn out as good as they sound. At this one there is no heat in the bathroom so when you sit down it is a real shock. One good thing about it is there is wi-fi so we can save our computer card for times we don't have it available at the campground. After dinner we drove down to the beach and watched the sunset over the ocean. It was pretty but not the most spectaculer sunset ever but of course it is still beautiful to see the sun go down on the Oregon coast. I am afraid Paul was too cold and tired to really enjoy it but he was a good sport and humored me. Well I am hopeing we will soon leave the wet and cold behind us as we move South into California. 

Day 2

Yesterday was our first day on the road. When we got to Florence it was rainy and windy and cold. We tried to take a picture of Paul by the Florence sign but it was so windy they turned out blurry. Paul dicided it was not a good day for riding so he rode from Florence to Honeyman and we stayed there last night. Today We got up and it was still raining. At least not quite so windy and less rain that yesterday. Paul left about 8:00 and headed for Bandon. I followed along later, about 11:00 and we met up just outside of North Bend at a Veterans memorial. After we ate lunch Paul took off again and I met him at Bullards Beach State Park. It is 3 miles North of Bandon. I was really proud of myself because I was able (after many tries) to get the trailer in our campsite and set everything up. Yesterday somehow we lost our carefully prepared list of things to do to set up camp and take down camp but I managed to get it done successfully. During the day the weather changed from rain to sunshine. I sure was glad to see the sun shining. We took a nice walk but never made it to the beach. It got dark and was just too far to walk. Tomorrow we plan to go as far as Gold Beach.