Recap of the trip down here from the previously mentioned journal

Friday, November 28, 2008
Canyonville, OR

We were slow getting out of the house and finally left a little before 10am. The weather was overcast and it was a little misty out as we drove down I-5. I had to click the wipers on about once a minute so it really could not be called rain. We motored through fairly light traffic as we moved down I-5 then bypassed Portland Oregon on I-205. It stopped misting but got a little foggy as we passed by Eugene and Roseburg. For lunch we had some sandwiches from some of the turkey that Mark and Desiree had sent home with us. Nothing like sandwiches made from an actual roast turkey. It starts to get dark around 5pm so we did not want to push it too far south and decided to stay at an RV park in Canyonville, OR by the Seven Feathers Casino called by the same name. The place is new and turned out very nice. We received a 10 percent discount for being members of the FMCA and another 10% off for joining the Players Club at the casino (which is free). They have a very speedy free shuttle over to the Casino, as the RV park is across the freeway and several block west, and we took that over, joined the club for the discount, played a few slot machines, then had dinner at the restaurant. Susan had a French dip sandwich and I did the buffet. They had peeled shrimp, and steamed clams, plus prime rib, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, and pumpkin pie and coffee…all for $15. We caught a fast shuttle back to the park and relaxed in the rig. We both read and then Susan went to be at about 9pm. I finished my book then turned in at 11pm as we were both tired from the long drive and the rushing to get ready.


Saturday, November 29, 2008
Willows, CA

We left Canyonville at 9am heading south again on I-5. It was about an hour to Medford and then we gassed up in Ashland then started over the pass into California. As we left Ashland the fog and haze cleared and we drove into bright blue skies and sunny weather. We had some apples and oranges we brought with us without thinking about the produce check entering California but they waved us through without asking us anything. We still had a little climbing to do as we drove by Lake Shasta but we motored along well despite pulling the Wrangler behind us. We stopped at a rest spot just after Redding and had sandwiches for lunch and walked Ollie. I took off my zip up sweatshirt and finished the trip in a t-shirt. The temperature was 78 when we were in Redding. Since we were towing a car and started our first day slower than usual we were trying to decide where to spend the night. As were about a half an hour from Sacramento we saw a Wal-Mart and since we needed to shop for a couple of things we decided to try the Wal-Mart parking lot for the night. We ended up buying a 3 foot tree with attached lights, reindeer antlers for Ollie, presents for Jackie and Christie, some donuts, a red candle for our hurricane lamp, and a couple of other small items. As far as the overnight is concerned, the price is right, and we really needed to get an early start Sunday so we could stop before noon and still cover some miles. A few years ago we found out the hard way that Sunday after Thanksgiving Day has terrible traffic on I-5, either direction, especially after noon when everyone is rushing home. Since you are not allowed to put slides out at Wal-Mart and it is dry camping we expect to get on the freeway by 7:30am and cover the three hour drive to Santa Nella by 11am. Then we can watch football and relax the rest of the day and only have a four and a half hour drive into Playa Del Rey on Monday where we will be for the next three weeks. And last but not least, it is 9pm and we still have all the windows open in the rig as it is so nice out. I am wearing shorts and a t-shirt tomorrow….what a nice treat the day before December 1st.


Sunday, November 30, 2008
Santa Nella, CA

We had planned to leave the Wal-Mart parking lot here in Willows, CA. early and just drive a short let to Santa Nella as traffic usually is crazy on the last day of the Thanksgiving Day weekend. We woke up to fairly heavy fog and decided to delay leaving for an hour or so and see if the fog would burn off. It didn’t appear to be lifting so we finally left Willows around 9am and drove south on I-5. Our GPS has been losing satellite reception and we think might be because we have not updated the maps which would include the software. We have come to rely on the unit to view the highway ahead, the upcoming towns, time of arrival at our destinations, and of course retail locations, such as gas stations, Costco’s, etc. and with it not working on a regular basis it makes it more difficult. We drove out of fog then back into more fog pretty much the whole trip. Traffic did get crazy and we had to stop on I-5 twice due to accidents, etc. The last time was a little after noon and about 15 miles north of our RV park destination. We found a detour we could make that would take us into Santa Nella and off the traffic jam on I-5 and it worked out fine. By 1pm we were sitting in our site with NFL football on TV and noting the traffic on I-5 that we could see from our site in the park. The battery on the Wrangler need to be charged so we had AAA come out and get that started then let it run to charge it up. There is always something to be worked on when you own and RV.
One of the reasons we chose Santa Nella is that it leaves about five hours left before getting into LA and we needed to check into Dockweiler’s RV Park after noon on Monday which we had already paid for. It was sunny that afternoon at the Santa Nella RV Park and we enjoyed the bright sun and blue skies. As we walked Ollie that evening we noted that it was chilly out, not as bad as home, but a little nippy. We use a ceramic heater when we have electricity to heat the rig and we used that in the evening which kept the rig nice and toasty. We watch Amazing Race, and a little of Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters before bed.


Monday, December 1, 2008
Playa Del Rey, CA

The weather forecast was fog for most of California on Monday and we drove in and out of it most of the day. In the sun it was definitely warmer now that we are further south and even in the fog it was not really cool. The fog today was higher and did not affect driving as the visibility was very good. It did disguise the scenery along the way and made noting landmarks as we passed difficult. The GPS worked through most of the drive and I received an answer from my email to Garmin saying that I needed to update the map software and also reset the unit. This is what I had thought was the problem but it was nice to know that the unit was not in need of repair. We did fine up The Grapevine, towing the Wrangler at between 50-60 mph up the long reach going toward the LA basin. It was sunny at that altitude and stayed clear and sunny as we took I-5 south, turned onto I-405 toward Santa Monica and the beach. As we got into congestion the GPS again lost satellite reception just as we needed it most be we managed to work out way out to the beach, through Marina Del Rey and past LAX until we crossed the road we need and followed that to the beach, then a little bit south to Dockweiler’s. We got checked in, set up out rig, awnings, mats, chairs, etc. and we in business before 3pm.
We kicked back and enjoyed the fact that we would not have to pack up or drive anywhere for the next three weeks. Not a bad drive down but being able to sleep in, not worry about fog, etc. made the afternoon a little sweeter. LA and especially the beaches have become like a second home to us of the years. Now we truly can “live” in LA rather than just spend a couple of weeks here. I’m sure we will return back to Dockweiler’s after we come back from Palm Springs in March when the temperature again starts to pick up.