In June, we were able to visit the Monterey Area for one last time this year. Sometimes by visiting at a different time of year, everything seems new. Since we usually visit in the Fall or Winter, we were struck by the abundance and color of Spring wildflowers. Moss Landing and Salinas River State Beach... Continue Reading →
After returning from Arizona, we enjoyed visiting with family on our next two RV trips. RVing is really the best way to see family, especially when you both have RV’s and can meet up somewhere, like we did with Deb’s sister in April. We met up with them in Petaluma at the KOA to visit... Continue Reading →
From Tucson, we visited the beautiful Verde Valley north of Phoenix. Verde Valley, AZ Camp Verde We stayed in Camp Verde, while taking day trips to Sedona, Cottonwood, Jerome and Prescott. It was also the first time we have stayed in one place for 2 weeks, which was eye-opening. It really gave us a chance... Continue Reading →
After leaving Palm Springs, we spent some time with family in Mesa, Arizona. My sister flew in from Virginia and the highlight of the trip was seeing my mom and dad together after more than a year, due to COVID restrictions in the memory care facility where dad lives. It was a really good day... Continue Reading →
On our way to Arizona in March, we stayed a few days in the Palm Springs Area. While it was raining and cold at higher elevations, it was great where we stayed. We stayed at Indian Waters RV Resort. Indian Waters RV Resort, Indio, CA Even though we were in the desert, the landscaping was... Continue Reading →
February is a great time to visit Southern California. Rincon Parkway RV Park One of our favorite destinations is the Rincon Parkway just north of Ventura. It is a section of the Pacific Coast Highway with RVs stretched nose to tail for a mile and a half. Every site has a full ocean view! You... Continue Reading →
After Monterey we traveled up the coast to the Santa Cruz area. Since our reservations at Seacliff State Beach were cancelled by the state, we stayed at Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Park, a privately owned park in nearby Felton. The park office was closed, but they had our check-in documents waiting for us and we... Continue Reading →
We visited Monterey in January during the King Tides. King Tides are the highest and lowest tides of the year. This happens only a few times a year when the gravitational forces of the sun and moon are pulling in the same direction. Because of that, you can see really large waves during high tide,... Continue Reading →
For our last RV trip of the year, we visited our daughter and fiancé in the Sierra foothills for some socially distanced family time. They have a wonderful place in the country, and we spent a lot of time visiting on their back deck, enjoying the view of their pond and the animals that wander... Continue Reading →
While we in CA are in lockdown again, it was fun to revisit our trip to Pismo Beach a few weeks earlier. We stayed at the Pismo Coast Village, a really nice park with convenient access to the beach and town of Pismo Beach. This sign is repainted for each season. 🙂 My morning walk... Continue Reading →
Before Thanksgiving, we squeezed a trip in to the coast, driving to the Monterey coast for a few days. Deb always adds great seasonal touches to the motorhome. We stayed again at the Moss Landing KOA Express. It’s a small, clean park with good management. It is close quartered, but we like that it is... Continue Reading →
Late September we headed to Jenner by the Sea, CA for some kayaking at the mouth of the Russian River. Kayaking in Jenner, CA The air had cleared (note the AQI is 5 in the photo below!) after the fires and we could finally breath deeply. Clean fresh air after the fires! We stayed at... Continue Reading →
Our next stop was in Pacifica, a little to the north. We stayed there a night because our next destination was closed due to the fires until the following day. Luckily, we were able to get a cancellation at San Francisco RV Resort and didn’t have to go home for a night. For those visiting... Continue Reading →
When we arrived at Half Moon Bay, CA., everything looked normal. In fact, we had a nice walk along the beach. The next morning, however, it all changed. The normal offshore breezes switched direction and the winds blew smoke from the fires up north. Even more strange was the air was clear and pure, even... Continue Reading →
After leaving Astoria, we traveled down highway 101 to Newport, another beautiful town on the Oregon coast. Newport, OR We stayed at Pacific Shores Motorcoach Resort for a week, which allowed us to explore the surrounding area. Pacific Shores has a great location on a bluff over looking Starfish Cove and the picturesque Yaquina Head... Continue Reading →
We drove from Anacortes WA to the Oregon Coast where we would visit Astoria, Seaside, and Cannon Beach. We found that each town has its own charm. We crossed the iconic Astoria-Megler bridge over the Columbia River to enter Oregon. It’s the longest continual truss bridge in North America. Several boats we positioned in the... Continue Reading →
We completed the Cascade Loop in Anacortes, WA. This is a beautiful little town located on Fidalgo Island. Many people start their visit through the San Juan Islands from the ferry terminal here. Pioneer Trails RV Park We stayed on the east side of the island at the Pioneer Trails RV Park, a good place... Continue Reading →
The drive from Winthrop to Wenatchee was really beautiful, though very different than the drive into the mountains to get to Winthrop. Instead, you follow the Methow River as it slowly winds its way down from the mountains. Its a hot and dry area, but the river gives life to the Methow Valley, which is... Continue Reading →
After leaving Grandy Creek, we drove into the mountains towards Winthrop, our next destination It was a beautiful drive as we climbed higher in elevation over mountain passes and through tunnels. Here we cross Diablo Lake before heading over the Washington Pass and a curvy 7% downgrade, which was no problem for the the BSB... Continue Reading →
Our first stop on Washington’s Cascade Loop was in Grandy Creek, a beautiful pine-filled area. We stayed at the Grandy Creek KOA. True to it’s name, Grandy Creek runs right through it. We liked the large sites, which is nice for family get togethers. One of our sites had a blackberry bush in it. Also... Continue Reading →
With most of the west coast suffering a heat wave in August, we were glad to get away and cool off! It was touch and go for a while, as COVID-19 cases started to spike in California, but the rules for traveling did not change and we made a beeline for the Cascade Loop in... Continue Reading →
The last leg of our tour of Northern California took us to the wine country. The Petaluma KOA was a nice resort and a good base for exploring the area. Petaluma KOA Though we saw signs of Corona everywhere (sorry for the dad joke! :-), everyone was masked up and many restaurants were open with... Continue Reading →
After enjoying the Pacific coast in Jenner, CA for several days, we headed north and inland to the Redwoods. Our home base was the Benbow KOA in Garberville, CA. The KOA is next door to the historic Benbow Inn, which was built in early 1900’s. We’ve stayed there before and enjoyed the beautiful hotel and... Continue Reading →
After leaving the Gold Country we traveled through farm country and vineyards to the coast near the town of Jenner by the Sea. We stayed at Casini Ranch, which is nestled along the Russian River. There are a few businesses near the RV Park, in case you need a good pastry and coffee. The restaurant... Continue Reading →
As the titles says, this was our 100th RV trip since we first purchased our first motor home in 2012. Since then, we have been all over the west coast, and even as far as Yellowstone. Eight years later, we still get the same excitement as we start on a new RV Trip, and feel... Continue Reading →
With campgrounds opening up in Phase 2, we were excited to visit a few places close by for some socially distanced camping! While most museums, visitor centers, wineries, etc., were still closed, Northern California is full of wide open spaces, and we looked forward to some beautiful hikes, and a chance to visit a few... Continue Reading →
...Well, from an RV-only perspective, that is...Our last RV trip was in late February, which seems ages ago. Like many of you, I have tried to spend the time productively –– binge-watching TV, ignoring household projects, eating more than I should, etc. ...Uh, I mean, INSTEAD of doing that, I spent some quality time getting... Continue Reading →
Our drive back home from Ventura took us inland on Highway 101 through Buellton and Paso Robles. Rather than overnight stopovers, these are destinations all by themselves. Staying at the Flying Flags Resort, we spent some time in Solvang. It's a short bike ride (about 7 miles round trip) into town, and you don't have... Continue Reading →
While we are all sheltering in place, I thought I'd catch up on my posts from our recent trip to Ventura in February. We stayed 5 nights on the Rincon Parkway just north of Ventura on the Pacific Coast Highway. As you can see, it was dry camping, but the weather and ocean were spectacular... Continue Reading →
After our unplanned hiatus from RVing, we were thrilled to heading to our favorite destination, Pismo Beach. In the winter, we like to stay at Pismo Coast Village for the full hookups. Last year when we were here in February it was cold, windy, and rainy. This year, blue skies and temperatures in the high... Continue Reading →
Over the last 3 months we have helped my parents with some difficult medical issues, so we cancelled our last three RV trips. While I won’t go into any detail about that, I will say that I am very grateful for my sister and nephew during this time. It is a real blessing when you... Continue Reading →
This was our first RV trip to Paso, though we have stopped on our way to other destinations many times. People that know wine believe it produces some of the best wine anywhere. While our pallet is not that sophisticated, we were looking forward to wine tasting and a trip to Cambria on the coast.... Continue Reading →
During I last trip, I shared about my backache right before the trip. This time, as if in sympathy for me, our RV had a few problems of it's own. The drive to Pismo State Beach was as beautiful as ever. Our campsite was wide and open, which is the reason the North Beach Campground... Continue Reading →
We had great plans for kayaking and bicycle riding in the Monterey area, but things changed pretty quickly. The morning we were to leave I was in the backyard, and I heard something in my back pop as I was picking something up. Ouch! Kayaking and biking were out of the questions, as I couldn't... Continue Reading →
It can be difficult to get reservations at New Brighton State Beach in Northern CA. We were happy to snap up two mid-week cancellations about a week apart from each other. So we enjoyed a mid-week stay, went home for about a week, and came back for another stay! It is great to have such a... Continue Reading →
Our final destination on the Cascade Loop was Grandy Creek KOA, which is on highway 20 about a half hour drive east from Burlington. We had large campsites under the trees, and there was plenty of land for long strolls. Between Sedro-Wooly and Concrete, an abandoned railroad track was repurposed into a bike trail. It... Continue Reading →
The drive to Leavenworth is beautiful, as highway 2 begins along the Skykomish River , over Stevens Pass and then down the Wenatchee River. Leavenworth backs up against the mountains on one side and the Wenatchee River on the other, with a beautiful park all along the river. Leavenworth is modeled on a Bavarian village,... Continue Reading →
We planned a trip to Utah with my in-laws and ended up in Washington state instead! Many times being flexible really works out for the best. My in-laws, Mike and Sandy, just returned from a three-week trip to Europe and were still getting over jet lag. When we suggested that we visit them instead of... Continue Reading →
After returning from Grants Pass, we just weren't ready to go home, so we kept driving to Moss Landing, near Monterey, to do some kayaking in the Elkhorn Slough and enjoy the ocean. I checked the tide charts (see below) to decide when go. I wanted to get close to slack tide while avoiding the... Continue Reading →
As we returned from our trip to Grants Pass for suspension upgrades, we stopped at the Willits KOA for a few days. We chose Willits so we could spend a day in the redwoods and a day on the coast. The drive from Grants Pass was beautiful, as we drove down highway 199, following the... Continue Reading →
We drove 500 miles to Grants Pass, OR to Visit Henderson's Lineup, which has a stellar reputation for improving the ride of motorhomes. They specialize in motorhome suspension, and involve the customer during the entire process. Motorhome Suspension IssuesMotorhomes, especially those on a Ford F53 chassis, are notorious for suspension issues. Here's a few things... Continue Reading →
The final leg of our Desert RV Trip took us to Williams and the Grand Canyon. The drive from Sedona to Williams is very pretty, with pine trees on each side and the mountains in the distance. It's only a short drive to Williams, the gateway to the Grand Canyon, and the last town on... Continue Reading →
After a wonderful week in the Phoenix area visiting with family, including a mini family reunion and several trips to Backyard Tacos, we headed to Zane Grey RV Park in Camp Verde as a base for exploring the surrounding area. The Verde Valley Zane Grey RV Park is meticulously maintained and the hosts were very... Continue Reading →
We spent a month traveling to Arizona and back from the San Francisco Bay Area, and along the way, we enjoyed Palm Springs and Joshua Tree, visited family in the Phoenix area, and toured Sedona and the Grand Canyon! In this post, I'll share the Palm Springs and Joshua Tree leg of the trip. We... Continue Reading →
The first year we owned our Adventurer, we drove in hot weather and after several hours our infotainment unit started malfunctioning. It turned out the head unit was located behind the cabinets at top of the cab. The cabinets feel hot in the sun, and when you open them you can feel the heat radiating... Continue Reading →
With temperatures dropping and rain everyday in Northern California, we decided to drive south and camp on the warm Southern California beaches in Pismo, Huntington Beach, Ventura and San Diego. While the weather didn't always cooperate (it is, after all, the middle of winter!), we still had several glorious sunny days and beautiful sunsets. Pismo... Continue Reading →
We escaped to Pismo! After weeks of the flu, very unhealthy air (due to the fires in the Sierras), rain and unseasonably cold weather, we decided to head to the coast, and we were not disappointed! Pismo Beach welcomed us with great weather and plenty to do. We stayed at the Pismo Coast Village, right... Continue Reading →
This post will be a little different because it's about the valley we've called home for the last 33 years! We've seen it grow from a bedroom community to an extension of Silicon Valley, with several large business headquartered in the area. We love the area for the usually great weather, diversity of the people,... Continue Reading →
We took a quick trip to Monterey in September, staying at the KOA in Moss Landing. We love Moss Landing because it's a marina, beach, and farm town all mixed together. Perfect for us! We love walking in the marina and along the beach and slough, and then over to one of the restaurants for... Continue Reading →
We love traveling from the San Francisco Bay Area to Central Oregon. The sky is usually crystal clear when traveling through Redding to Shasta Lake, and on to Weed. Not this time. Fires were ravaging the region and even threatened Redding! The residents demonstrated their appreciation to first responders on every overpass, and thanked them... Continue Reading →
Lucy was ready to Travel to Jackson Rancheria in the gold country! We don't often stay at Casino's but we really enjoy visiting here for a "chill" weekend. This is one of the best designed RV parks we have visited, with wide and grassy sites on a hill overlooking the valley. There is a great... Continue Reading →
The drive to Angels Camp takes you through some beautiful country. Grassy rolling hills dotted with oak trees is my favorite! Our campsite at Angel's Camp RV Resort was a large pull through close to the dog park. As you can see. it wasn't completely level, but it worked well. The park was well maintained... Continue Reading →
The drive to Pismo Beach from the San Francisco Bay Area was colorful, as the fields were growing a variety of vegetables, and the hills were flowering with mustard plant and other wild flowers. Here's some info about that painted barn by Gonzales, CA. We like to stay at the Pismo State Beach North Campground... Continue Reading →
Camping with family makes for great memories. We were happy to camp with Deb's sister and brother-in-law in the Monterey areas as they were finishing their first trip in their new motorhome! Just kidding Mike and Sandy! 🙂 This is their beautiful new RV! We drove down the coast, as usual, to the SANTA CRUZ... Continue Reading →
It's a great RV trip when you visit a place you have been to many times and still have great new experiences. That was the case for us when we visited Half Moon Bay State Beach and the near-by town of Pescadero. Here's a 2 minute video of our weekend RV Trip. https://youtu.be/rORpedLDlDI Al &... Continue Reading →
We headed to Santa Barbara in Southern California in the middle of winter to soak up some sun and enjoy 80 degree weather. Santa Barbara was beautiful, both at the ocean, and in the hills above the city. After walking along the Stearns Wharf, the beach, and shopping in town, we enjoyed a break for... Continue Reading →
We took advantage of the long weekend over Christmas to visit Half Moon Bay. While we were there we visited the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, which has great tidepools. It was high tide when we were there, but we still had a great walk. Since my daughter was hosting Christmas at her place, it also made for... Continue Reading →
We took a quick trip mid-December to New Brighton Beach in Capitola (yes, again! 🙂 and here are a few photos of our weekend. The trip there was awesome, as usual. Here's where we stopped for lunch. Sunrise the next morning. And sunset. During the day, we walked on the beach with Lucy, Walked to... Continue Reading →
Over Thanksgiving we headed down the coast again to Capitola and New Brighton State Beach. The weather was perfect and we loved visiting over the holiday. The campground was full and the atmosphere was festive, with poeple wishing you a happy Thanksgiving as you walked through the park. The next day we walked into Capitola... Continue Reading →
Late October is a great time to visit the beach in Northern California. We visited Seacliff for a long weekend and enjoyed the drive there as much as the stay. Seacliff State Beach is nestled underneath the bluffs in Aptos, CA. In front of you is the Pacific Ocean! It is a great place to... Continue Reading →
The Pismo North Beach campground is our favorite place to stay in the area. A map of the area shows why. Since we love to dry camp, we prefer the open spaces of the North Beach campground to the comparatively cramped quaters of the Pismo Coast Viallage. You also get a better path to the... Continue Reading →
Is Oregon the best state for RVing? I'm starting to think so. From the ocean beaches and dunes, to the rivers and lakes of the high dessert, there is amazing places to RV across the entire state. Here is a video of our last RV trip to Oregon. https://youtu.be/HXns4Uis7G0 This is my first attempt at... Continue Reading →
Monterey and Carmel may be just around the corner, but I'd like to tell you why we love coming back to Moss Landing so much. Sometimes when we visit, we don't even make it to those other more famous places 🙂 Most people know Moss Landing by the huge stacks of the electricity plant, but... Continue Reading →
We took a road trip from the San Francisco Bay Area to Southern Oregon in June. Southern Oregon offered a wide variety of experiences, including a snow covered Crater Lake, jetboating along the Rogue River, and the historical town of Jacksonville. We used the new Southern Oregon RV Park in Central Point as a... Continue Reading →
What can I say about Casa de Fruta? We went there on a whim, because we see their signs every time we drive South on 101 to Monterey. It's 10 miles off of 101 on highway 152, between 101 and I-5. The drive there through the farmlands is really nice, though the traffic can be... Continue Reading →
Over the Easter weekend, the first weekend after picking up our new RV, we headed to the coast to stay at Half Moon Bay State Beach. We stayed in our favorite campsite overlooking the beach with Mavericks in the distance. From here, you can watch the waves and the occasional surfer. As luck would have... Continue Reading →
Last Friday I drove to La Mesa RV and picked up our new 2017 Winnebago Adventurer 35P in the rain. No worries! La Mesa parked my Sunstar and Adventurer next to each other to make the move easy. Since it was raining, I extended the awning so I could stay dry while moving the contents.... Continue Reading →
Almost 5 years ago we purchased a 2013 Winnebago Sunstar 26HE, which we affectionately call our Big White Box (BWB). Over the years we have enjoyed 51 RV trips, mainly short trips to the beaches and the mountains close to the San Francisco Bay Area. However, we have also travelled along the Oregon Coast all... Continue Reading →
We visited the Monterey bay for the 5th time in the Big White Box (BWB), enjoying the Carmel Coast and also Moss Landing, where we camped at the Mosss Landing KOA. Each trip, we try to take in something different, and the highlights of our previous trips are listed below. They bring back good memories. #8 https://mobilemosers.com/2013/02/03/3/... Continue Reading →
This trip was our 50th in the Big White Box (BWB), a milestone for us. 🙂 We've had a lot of fun camping in her over the last 5 years (since June 2012). We travelled south to Buellton, just north of Santa Barbara, and stayed in the Flying Flags RV Resort. This is a great... Continue Reading →
With a few days off work for the holiday, we went to New Brighton State Beach on the Pacific Coast Highway to usher in the new year in a very relaxing and enjoyable way. Lucy is starting to get used to these RV trips, because she loves the long walks and getting to meet all kinds... Continue Reading →
We recently visited Half Moon Bay for the weekend this fall. The park was booked solid, but there was a cancellation we scooped up. 🙂 It turned out to be a nice spot, even if it wasn't our favorite ocean front campsite. Here's why we love coming back here. A beautiful picturesque beach nestled between San Francisco... Continue Reading →
Late October we headed to the Gold Country in the Sierra Foothills to visit Apple Hill during the annual apple harvest. We stayed close to Placerville at the KOA. It has a nice park with a very rural feel to it. Lucy loved the walks, as she could encounter goats, geese, and horses along the... Continue Reading →
For this months trip, we drove south from the San Francisco Bay Area to Pismo Beach for a long 4-day weekend. Because of the large sites and a grassy meadow, our favorite place to stay is the North Beach Campground at Pismo Beach State Park. It is also next to the beach, the butterfly grove, and is a short walk into... Continue Reading →
We dropped off the dog at the kennnel at 7am for this trip, as we were looking forward to being away hours each day on activiites we couldn't bring Lucy. However, she was a pampered dog while we were away! We had a great drive to Tahoe, avoiding most traffic and arriving at Sugar Pine... Continue Reading →
We were off to a late start due to a work meeting that came up at the last minute, but we were on the road by 1:30pm and arrived at Bodega Bay by 4:30. It tool a little longer as we opted to drive up highway one from Point Reyes to Bodega Bay. It is... Continue Reading →
We met Debbie's family, for our annual camping trip, in Bend, Oregon this year, traveling inland rather than camping on the coast like we usually do. It was our first time to Bend, but hopefully the first of many vacations there. The first night we stayed in Mount Shasta City, KOA. We just needed a... Continue Reading →
A great advantage to living in the San Francisco Bay Area is that we can visit places like Monterey Bay at our own pace, and not feel rushed to take in everything on one visit. We get to come back again and again any enjoy a different visit each time (RV Trip #8, RV Trip #29, RV Trip #37). We... Continue Reading →
We had planned on a trip to the gold country two weeks ago, but the weather decided not to cooperate. We've had great luck with weather, and that was the first RV trip we cancelled due to rain and wind. Instead we thought we would try our luck in booking another site two weeks later. In... Continue Reading →
We ventured a little further down the coast for this trip, heading south on 101 past San Luis Obispo (yes, we still stopped for Firestone Grill's Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip!) to a little town called Buellton. Buellton is probably most famous as the home of Anderson's Pea Soup, but we visited Flying Flags RV Resort, to use it as... Continue Reading →
Here’s a post about a great place to RV from the perspective of my daughter and her blog about the Bay Area. Makes me want to camp there again soon!
If you happen to be in the Santa Cruz area in the morning then I cannot recommend Cafe Brasil enough. It is a small, colorful house located on Mission Street. This was my third time dining there and every time it’s been packed (and for good reason!). Usually the wait time ranges from 20-40 minutes, but they’re very good about getting people seated and fed as quick as possible.
They’re well known for their Açaí Bowls so we made sure to get one before our hike.
My cousin, Michael, with his junior açaí bowl
The fresh cut fruit on top adds an energizing sweetness to the mix.
Jon and I split the regular size
Check out their website here to see their menu, address, and hours.
Our hike began in the super beginner section of Henry Cowell: the Redwood Grove. This is a short 3/4 mile…
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I’m sharing this post from my daughter’s blog. A great hike in the San Francisco Bay Area for any RVer visiting the area and wanting to get some great photos of the Golden Gate from a different perspective. You will also enjoy some great beaches that will make you feel you are in the wilderness instead of the middle of a famous city!
Have you ever had a relative or friend come visit from out-of-state and felt like you just had to take them to see the Golden Gate Bridge? As much as I feel like this landmark is always awe-inspiring, sometimes it can feel monotonous to experience it in the same way over and over.
Batteries to Bluffs Trail is an extremely short hike (1.5 miles) that can add a new perspective to your Golden Gate visit.
This is my cousin, Michael. You may recognize him from the previous post I did about the Observation Deck Loop in Henry Cowell SP. If you haven’t checked out that post yet, you can view it here.
Grabbing breakfast at Vic’s All Star Kitchen in Downtown Pleasanton before heading to SF
He came to visit me all the way from Virginia for a week this January. We saved San Francisco for his last full day…
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This is how we get into the Christmas spirit! Spending the weekend before Christmas at Seacliff beach in Aptos, CA feels like Christmas to us. It's gets us away from the commercial trappings and hype, and closer to the real meaning of Chrismtas. This video clip is still the best definition of the meaning... Continue Reading →
We tend to spend Christmas with family, but the last 3 Thanksgivings have "camped" on the beach with our daughter in our Big White Box (BWB). This year, we visited Half Moon Bay State Beach. The weather was great the entire trip, even though there was the threat of rain one day. As you can see, we... Continue Reading →
We were looking forward to the maiden voyage of our new Sea Eagle Fasttrack Kayak, which we purchased a few weeks ago. We had visited Elkhorn Slough about two years ago and knew it would be a great place to kayak and get up close and personal with nature. The previous evening we were reading... Continue Reading →
We are camping on a bluff 60 feet above the Pacific Ocean. You can hear the pounding surf below. Looking out from our windshield all you can see is ocean! From there you can see whales spouting surprisingly close to shore and many dolphins playing in the surf....great view! We are in Pacifica, CA at the San Francisco... Continue Reading →
We visited Yosemite Valley last week with some great friends of ours. Yosemite in August can be HOT and DRY...and it was. But it was also as beautiful and majestic as ever, as you can see from the photos! As a bonus, our daughter and her friends planned a hike to the top of Half... Continue Reading →
For our "long trip" this year...a blissful 10 days Camping in the Big White Box (BWB), we made a loop from the San Francisco Bay Area, up Interstate 5 to the Grants Pass area, then over to Florence and the Oregon Dunes, then down to the Redwoods just north of Garberville, before heading home after... Continue Reading →
[Our next RV Trip is in July, but (Instead of moping around 🙂 ) I thought I would post my journal from our very first RV trip in the Big White Box from July 2012. What a great introduction to RVing for us!] We left home about 10am...our first RV Trip in our new Winnebago... Continue Reading →
Bodega Bay is known for the Alfred Hitchcock movie, but we had no issue with birds on this trip. We traveled from the San Francisco Bay Area to Bodega Bay taking highway 1 through Olema, stopping at Point Reyes for a quick visit to the visitors center and lunch. We are looking forward to our... Continue Reading →
One thing I love about having an RV is that we can enjoy camping even when the weather unexpectantly changes to cold, windy and rainy. When we were last at Half Moon Bay State Beach the skies were clear and the weather was great, and you can read about that trip here. This time, the... Continue Reading →
We are blessed to live in the San Francisco Bay Area. While we usually head to the coast for an RV trip, we can also head to the mountains. A two hour drive to the foothills of the Sierra Mountains is the Gold Country, where gold fever struck at Sutter's mill in 1849. We decided... Continue Reading →
An RV trip in California that includes wild zebras, elephant seals, and a castle....not to mention glorious miles of unspoiled coastline....has to be great, right? Well, we had a fantastic time in San Simeon! We stayed at the San Simeon State Park in the Washburn campsite, which is off the road and looks out at... Continue Reading →
We took a short trip to the Monterey area in January. We stayed at the Moss Landing KOA, which is clean and dependable. It was nice having hookups, since we primarily stay in state parks and dry camp....long showers, microwaves, and TV without having to use the generator! 🙂 The last time we were there... Continue Reading →
When we repeat a visit, I only write a blog post about the RV trip when we have a new experience. Well, usually on our trips to Seacliff State Beach, we walk long the beach to Capitola and enjoy the beach town over lunch. This year, however, Mother Nature had different plans. We arrived on... Continue Reading →
This trip, our second Thanksgiving at New Brighton, was just as enjoyable as our previous RV trips there, with great walks along the beach, and walks into Caipola, which include pizza at Pizza my Heart and coffee at Mr. Toots (including their cinnamon coffe with whipped cream that they make themselves). This time, we decided... Continue Reading →
We have been to Pismo Beach many times, but this was the first time we towed our CRV. It really opened up our choices, and we decided to take in a show at the Great American Melodrama Theater (http://www.americanmelodrama.com) in Ocean Beach. Great American MelodramaWhen you think of melodrama, if you think of Snidely Whiplash,... Continue Reading →
Our first trip to Yosemite (many years ago!) was in May, and water was pouring into the valley from the mountains above. The falls were gushing and Happy Isles was almost under water. Visiting in August is a different experience, especially during a drought, when most of the falls are silent and the days are much... Continue Reading →
We started the second half of our vacation with a beautiful drive though Yellowstone to Colter Bay in Grand Teton National Park. These photos illustrate an amazing thing about traveling by RV. The first photo was taken at the iconic Mural Room at Jackson Lodge where we had lunch. The Next photo is from our RV... Continue Reading →
We last visited Yellowstone in 2000, and we looked towards this vacation with great anticipation. Would we see all the great wildlife we saw on the last trip? Would the areas burned by forrest fire of 1988 look different? Would traveling with our diabetic dog work out ok? Would vacationing with relatives work out? (just... Continue Reading →
We met some good friends of ours at a cabin in Sanora and had a great time visiting the gold rush area, including Sanora and Twain Harte. This is rugged country and everywhere is either up and down and around rather than a straight line. In an RV, this can be a challenge, as the... Continue Reading →
Thank you, Mr. Isaias W. Hellman, for buying 2000 acres of beach front property along the west shore of a Lake Tahoe. In this ideal spot he built an 11,000 square foot summer "cottage" he called Pine Lodge, where he could escape with his family for the summer from nearby San Francisco. Of course, that... Continue Reading →
Our closest RV Trip to home took us only 12 miles from our home to Lake Del Valle in the hills above Livermore, CA wine country...at least that was the plan.We decided to stay close to home because we just had Camping World install a tow package to our new Honda CRV and we thought... Continue Reading →
The American River Parkway is a 32 mile bike trail along the river from Old Sacramento all the way to the Folsom Lake Dam. Along the parkway you will find many parks and places to enjoy nature. Riding along the trail under the trees and watching the flowing river, it really feels like you are... Continue Reading →
The weekend before Christmas, we took a short trip to Seacliff State Beach. It's the beach famous for the sunken concrete ship at the end of the pier. You can read more about that here. On previous trips to New Brighton State Beach, we had walked past Seacliff, a little envious of all the RVs... Continue Reading →
For Thanksgiving, we took a short RV trip to New Brighton Beach State Park. We had a lot to be thankful for, starting with this view of the Capitola shoreline.... HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Al, Deb, and Kay
We like to stay within a 3-4 hour radius of the San Francisco East Bay for our 3-day weekend RV Trips. On the southern end of this is one of our favorite places to visit - the North Beach Campground at Pismo Beach State Park. This is in part due to the beautiful drive down... Continue Reading →
We had a very enjoyable trip to Half Moon Bay State Beach this weekend. Probably the main reason is that Kaylee, my daughter who is in her senior year at Santa Clara University, joined us for this RV Trip. It was the first time we have had three in our Big White Box (BWB), but... Continue Reading →
We were blessed with great weather our whole RV trip to Big Basin State Park this year. After the drive through narrow streets we checked in at the HQ. when you check in , you get a map of the park, but it is not that useful for planning day hikes in the park. The... Continue Reading →
Last year we went up the coast all the way to Portland for our RV vacation. This year we decided to head up to the Sierras to Lake Tahoe first, and then Yosemite. We met Debbie's sister and brother-in-law in Tahoe at the KOA, after a great drive there. This KOA was built well before... Continue Reading →
I picked the RV up from Pan Pacific after they finished some warranty work, and drove home, filling up at Costco. We left the next morning early for Calaveras Big Trees. We had a good ride there, and didn't stop till we arrived at the campground. It was already getting hot, so we left the... Continue Reading →
I picked up the RV on Thursday after work, so I did the normal preparations and inspections (adding water, checking fluids, etc.) that evening and we were ready to go early the next morning and we had a great drive to the state park. We took 101 up to Santa Rosa before cutting over to... Continue Reading →
Dates: 03/15/13 - 32/17/13 I picked up the RV on Wednesday (3/14) after work, as I had my first 5K scheduled maintenance completed by CarTek of Dublin. Ryan at CarTek runs a good operation and he is very knowledgable of RV's as SkyRiver outsources all chassis work to him. We set out the next morning... Continue Reading →
Dates: 01/31/12 - 02/03/13 Picked up RV at 5:30pm from SkyRiver...waiting for me as scheduled! I took it home and plugged it into the house power. The next morning, we drove to Moss Landing near Monterey. Left the house at 10am-ish and drove to Half-Moon Bay and then down the coast. Stop at a scenic... Continue Reading →
