roadquill1

On Monday last, we said our good-byes to the Lindsays in Walnut Grove, and then headed through the border crossing at Aldergrove.  After a fuel up, we pulled into the first rest-stop after Bellingham to wait for Mike and Marlene to meet us. A horn honk before I had even turned off the engine let us know that our timing was impeccable! Our planned stops are identical to last year’s.

Hours of driving with only pit stops and fuel stops got us to Woodburn RV (just south of Portland) before dark. There were no quilt store stops, but Truck House required a cooling-off lunch stop at Cabela’s in Lacey! (I know, I am spoiled!) Temperatures throughout the day stayed below 7 C, but the roads were all dry and clear. What a treat. We were to pay for this pleasantness on Tuesday!

Our drive on Tuesday began well enough with clear roads and no precipitation. However, after Siskiyou Pass, as we rolled into California, Mt. Shasta was completely hidden in whitish clouds. The “Shasta Pass” from Weed, CA through to Redding was a very difficult ride with heavy cross-winds and blinding snow that, fortunately, did not stick on the roads. 

By the time that we arrived in Red Bluff, the worst of the weather seemed to be behind us, except for the very cold wind. Wrongo! During the night Truck House rocked and groaned as high winds tore through the northern “Chico Valley”. We were tired enough to be able to sleep through most of it, but at 5:00 a.m. the wind picked up to screech force and delivered a wild thunderstorm with crashes almost in sync with flashes! Pounding hail sealed the deal – time to get up!

We learned later, that, like last year, we had just made it through before the northern pass highways were closed. Broken branches, and hail covered the ground. There was nobody in the swimming pool!

Wednesday’s travel on I-5 to Bakersfield was relatively uneventful. We arrived at Orange Grove about 4:00 p.m. and as we registered, a line-up or RVs quickly formed. By the time we had finished the paperwork, and filling up our propane tanks, the RV Park was full, and even the overflow parking was occupied.

The propane fill-up was a bit of an embarrassing botch-up. A friendly Latino quickly filled both tanks, and when I asked, “How much” he replied “Six”.  So, I had Sandy fish out a five and a one, which I handed to him. He looked very pleased, but then I realized, he was giving me a quizzical look. Of course! I got another $1 from Sandy and handed him this as a tip. Then, he handed me a slip of paper with a “6” on it, and said I should take it into the office to pay for it. Now I was puzzled, and told him that I thought that I had paid. He explained that no, I had to pay in the office. He explained that the “6” was “gallons” and then he kindly gave me the $7 back. (I did give him a tip, but I guess he had initially thought that the whole thing was a tip on the eventual $17 for the propane.) Sandy’s simple assessment of the transaction: “You’re stupid!”

Thursday’s travel took us through Kramer’s Junction, Barstow, and Banning to a rest stop outside Palm Springs. The chilly wind was blowing so hard, that all the wind generators on the hill were spinning, and the Truck House kept rocking up against the curb. On the road afterwards, we watched as the temperature climbed from 9C up to 24C within a few miles. The wind kept picking up for the rest of the day, and by the time that we were settled in Rivers Edge RV on Thursday afternoon about 4:00, temperatures had dropped, and dust was really drifting. However, we received a warm “welcome back”!

Friday was a day for some Yuma shopping and getting fishing licences for Squaw Lake. We tried to sit outside in the late afternoon for drinks, but chilly temps, high winds and dust drove all 4 of us into Truck House for the social event. I tried sitting outside with a T-shirt and shorts 3 times, but kept having to go back inside and change back to jeans and fleeces.

Today, we sit inside reading, because again, it is a bit chilly (10 C) and breezy. We had hoped to bicycle into Algodones, but that will have to wait. The swimming pool is warm, but no one is using it. (Too painful to get out, I think.)

On Monday, we will head north to Squaw Lake for 10 days to 2 weeks of “desert camping”. (We will actually be in a parking lot on a beautiful lake.) Mike has given me some plastic worms in the hopes that I can have more success at pulling in fish this year. However, nothing suggests that my sad record from the past will be broken.

We will be thinking of all our school-aged children and teacher-aged friends in the coming days. What a mess in BC education!

Love and best wishes to all!

The Quill and the Quilter (Tony and Sandy)