Lodi and onto home
The highway out of Lodi (I-5) is straight, four lanes (at least), picturesque........and in terrible shape – potholes, uneven pavement, concrete interspersed with blacktop.....we thought the RV was going to shake itself loose. Amazingly enough, no cupboards opened, nothing fell on the floor, the TV above our heads stayed above our heads, and we made it to Corning.
We passed acres and acres of almond trees in bloom, olive groves that stretch for miles in every direction, and vineyards aplenty we reach the tiny city of Corning.
For miles in either direction there are huge billboards trying to convince you to buy some olives from the Olive Pit. And they are right, their olives are great.
We parked the rig in the truck dry camping parking lot of the Rolling Hills Casino, got set up, and headed over to one of our favourite places – the Olive Pit. We have orders to pick up for friends, and we want a few things too. The orders were ready to go and we walked out of the store quite a few dollars poorer, but carrying a treasure trove of riches – huge jars of olives stuffed with pimentos, jars of olives with jalapeno blue cheese, with mushrooms, and with almonds.
Now back to the casino, walk the dogs, get cleaned up a bit and over to the buffet. It’s senior’s night so we get a 2-4-1 deal.....GREAT – more food than you can shake a stick at and all at half price!! We stuff ourselves silly and go to the slot machines. Ed is, as usual, luckier than Ross.....most of the time. But this night, Ross walks out the winner (he made $16 on the penny slots)!
The next morning we listen to the weather reports as a cold front is moving down from those pesky Canadians and there might be snow/ice/slippery sections on the Siskiyous Pass. As it turns out we encounter no bad weather over the mountain range and make our next stop – Seven Feathers Casino in Canyonville – in good time.
We fill the beast at the casino gas station – great service and really nice staff, then onto register. This RV park has it all – great sites, helpful staff, indoor pool/hot tub, immaculately clean laundry.........and a free shuttle over to the casino. But the weather is now moving into the area and they are calling for freezing temps and/or snow. We walk the dogs along the nature trail and then head over to the casino. Tonight there is no buffet but we have an enjoyable meal and again hit the slots. Ross spends all his previous winnings and Ed makes a little money......just like usual!
The weather has turned very cold and we wrap a heat tape around our water supply. Forecasts are calling for snow tonight and early AM but then a warming trend will begin. So we stay an extra night at Seven Feathers........Oh well, someone has to sit in the hot tub!! We meet a few other RVers that are staying an extra night and we all congratulate ourselves on being very wise and safe!!! We have an quiet night (no freezing water lines!) and awaken to that white stuff on the ground. Our little one, Mojo, is not amused.......when you’re as short as Mojo everything gets wet when we go for a walk in the snow........I mean EVERYTHING – he goes outside like an Angus and comes inside as an Agnes!!! But we spend a quiet day watching TV, reading, catnapping......like we haven’t had enough rest in the last 4 months! And tonight, being as it is Thursday, is seafood buffet night at the casino!!!!!
At Seven Feathers Casino you are encouraged to bring in all your receipts from the gas station, RV park, restaurant/convenience store at the station. Staff at the casino will total your receipts and give you a percentage as free slot play. Sure its a ruse to get you to spend more time at the slots (and hopefully more money), but its free!!! So we stuff ourselves with all manner of seafood – boiled shrimp, shrimp in pasta, King crab legs, mussels, clams, salmon, halibut, etc etc. There is also a variety of beef, pork, vegetarian, Chinese, and salads. The dessert island is awash in gooey, calorie laden sweets. And to save some other poor soul from having to eat such dangerous delicacies we sacrifice our diet/waistline/blood sugar levels and scarf a plateful (or two) of desserts.
So as Ross was busily loading his plate with slices of cheesecake, cookies, a slice of pecan pie, etc the woman staffing the area is staring at him. Finally she said: “You were here not too long ago, weren’t you?”. Ross tells her that we were there about 4 months ago. At which point she looks at him again and says: “You were on your way south to play Santa, weren’t you?”. Good memory....and the fact that Ross had given her his business card. She had put it on her fridge door and kept telling her grand children that she knew Santa!! Anyway, we are off to the slots again armed with some free slot money and with $1 Ross plays the slots for the next 3 hours. Interestingly enough Ed went through his money quickly and was sitting next to Ross waiting for his money to run out.
After a short rally on Ross’ slots, Ed decided to put a dollar in and at least play for a bit. That’s when things got really interesting!! Ross quickly lost his money and was now waiting for Ed. Ed was down to the last little bit of money when he decided to play the maximum bet. The wheels rolled, stopped, and then the bells/lights/sirens all went off......he had won a jackpot (minor though it may be, it was still a jackpot) and he walked out of the casino a couple hundred dollars richer!!!! We had a quiet night again and the weather has indeed warmed up.......no snow, no freezing temps.
We hit the road to Centralia, WA. Roads are OK with some rain showers and cool temps but the road surfaces are wonderful – clear sailing all the way!!! We landed in the Midway RV park and cafe in Centralia and registered. They are also expecting the temps to dip below freezing tonight. So tell me why was it so important for us to get back home by the first of March.......possible snow/winter conditions, freezing temps, and cloudy skies? We should still be in AZ!!!! Anyway, we have a quiet night, get packed up again and are on the road the next day before 9:30 – a record for us!!! Roads are OK and we head for the nearest gas station just outside of Centralia.
We had been having some troubles with our “landing gear” for most of the trip. The stability legs would deploy easily and after Ed greased them a bit they would retract easily and quickly. However, the sensor alarm for the legs would continue to beep periodically but it is now getting worse. It was checked at great expense by the RV place here before we left but from about Corning the alarm has been going continually. Thank goodness for Sirius and volume control!!
We also had developed a small problem with the windshield wipers. The driver’s side wiper was not completely clearing the area making it somewhat difficult for Ed to navigate the beast. We find the nearest gas station and start filling up the tanks. Ed also bought some hydraulic fluid for the stability legs and some washer fluid. And we were off on the road again. Guess what......no alarm!!! Amazing what happens when all fluids are topped up!! Wipers blades are still having some troubles clearing but Ed is able to navigate safely.
As we near the Peace Arch border between Blaine and Vancouver we are stopped by US border patrol. No idea what they were searching for, but after a few questions we are on our way again.......about 300 yards to the Peace Arch crossing. There we are slowed by another “inspection” by the Washington State Police (more like a cursory look) and finally are allowed to really cross into Canada. We pull up to the window where this female officer looks at our passports, asks a few questions (like “What was the purpose of your visit? Ed looked at her and said “Escaping the snow”. She looked right back at him and said: “Then what are you doing back here...we still have winter”) and we were back in Canada.
We had found a RV park very near the border that looked good, was relatively inexpensive, and was open. We originally booked in for 4 days giving us some time to see the kids/grandkids, meet with friends, and connect with a few people. However, looking at the forecast for more snow over the mountain passes we added a few days extra onto our stay and lasted a week. But then it gave us more time with Emily, Carolyn, and Alex.
We get our fill of sushi in Richmond, dim sum in east Vancouver, and some home cooking (we did the cooking) at the kids place. By the way, they are moving to their own condo in the middle of March and really looking forward to having a place they can call their own. The week was spent visiting with Carolyn and Emily (Alex has been working long hours at his job – renovating a ~100 year old house that in his mind should have been torn down years ago).
We got to spend some time with Emily at her school, toured around a couple of places that were new to us, had brunch with Santa Bruce and his son (had to deliver the huge order of olives he wanted), and had lunch with Santa Dale and friend catching up on all the latest gossip, new, and stories. Great time!!
On March 5 the weather looked almost passable via the Fraser Canyon (Trans Canada Hwy #1---The Coquihalla and Hope-Princeton both looked hopeless!) so we took a chance and went for it. Roads were OK – no snow or ice, just some wet patches with evidence of snow on the sides of the highways. But it is a long.......VERY long trip – about 8 hours from Vancouver to Kamloops over to the Okanagan and down Hwy #97........but Ed did an outstanding job and we got home just as the sun was setting.
We have spent the better part of the week cleaning out the motor home, catching up on all the mail and phone calls, getting re-acquainted with the house (recycling day, garbage day, mail delivery, trying to remember which cable channel is which) and allowing the dogs their freedom. And now tax season in upon us......Ross is helping Ed this year so hopefully it won’t be too harrowing for the big guy. You all knew that Ed after 25 years of working for Revenue Canada (IRS equivalent in Canada) retired and started his own consulting business. From a few well placed ads in local papers, and the power of word of mouth, the business has taken off. He is picking up at least 25% new clients every year. That keeps him busy and off the streets!!
This journey has been filled with new sights and adventures. We have met fascinating people, explored new territory, and of course eaten our way through central and southern California. We hope you have had a giggle or two at some our fun times.....or better yet get the travel bug yourself. We will continue to post intermittently throughout the summer telling of our adventures at tax time, theatre in Penticton, fun times at our local Yacht Club, or just sitting on our deck watching the sun go down, cocktail in one hand and enjoying the company of friends and family.
Next year’s trip promises to be a Doozie as we have booked on a caravan to Baja Sur with Santa Buck, Santa Bruce and their significant others. We will keep you apprised of when we start blogging! It may take a slightly different format so stay tuned!
