Ann Delfin sent me the group photo that our PleasureWay RV group took of ourselves on the last night of our nine-day rolling rally. Here it is.
PleasureWay RV Club Lighthouse Rolling Rally – Group Shot
Here is a map showing the lighthouses and RV Campgrounds we visited.
And here is the whole trip starting in Anacortes compiled into a 25-minute YouTube video.
Thanks again Tim O’Malley for organizing everything.
Pasadena is famous for the tiny cottages ‘grandfathered’ into the back of properties in neighborhoods reserved for single-family dwellings. My daughter and son-in-law do not have one of those cottages, which is why I visit in Ramsey. This time I upgraded from parking him on the street to shimmying my way up the driveway to park in the backyard. It was a tight squeeze, but worth it — quieter and a safer walk to my front door for my tiny grandsons.
I just posted this video on YouTube about a loop I took from my home in San Rafael to the Russian River. After a night near Guerneville, I drove about 15 minutes to Jenner on the coast at the mouth of the river. Then I headed south along the cliffs to Bodega Bay, then home. I’ve included a 24¢ tour of my rig. The good news about traveling in January is that there is room in the campgrounds. The bad news is the mud, as you shall see.
As expected, Hurricane James loves Ramsey the RV. James and his brother, Felix, their mom, and I took a trip together a few weeks ago. Destination: the Paso Robles Ranch and RV Park, which is roughly half way between my daughter’s home in the LA area and mine in the SF area. We slowly made our way up Highway 101 with frequent stops. Felix needed nursing and James needed to run around.
We made it to Paso Robles a bit after 5:00 pm. Even though it was officially dinner time, Mom consented to a swim in the Park’s pool, which, for the boys, was the best part of the whole “camping trip.”
Dinner consisted of hot-dogs grilled on my new mini-Weber and string beans I had marinated with dill ahead of time. We called them pickle beans so James, who loves pickles, would eat them. He ate a couple.
We had bought ingredients for smores, but didn’t have an open fire. Besides, it was getting late and the last thing James needed was sugar. It was hard enough calming him down for the night as it was, he was so excited. For Felix, who isn’t crawling yet, Amy and I had built a bed from a cardboard box which fit on the floor in the front part of the cabin without blocking the door to the bathroom. We cut the mattress from an exercise mat – something like a yoga mat, but thicker. We used two thicknesses covered with a cotton blanket and a crib sheet. (Obviously, this photo wasn’t taken inside Ramsey.)
Eventually morning came. Amy and I enjoyed our café lattes while James watched Netflix on the iPad (Wifi provided by the Park). Felix kept busy playing with Ramsey’s measuring spoons and cups.
In Gilroy, on the final stretch to the Bay Area, Ramsey provided an private dining room when we stopped at In-N-Out for lunch.
James is hiding under the table.
The great thing about this PleasureWay Lexor is that it can fit in most parking spots.
After a week’s visit, including a walk through the Muir Woods (subject of next blog), I delivered Amy and her boys back to the LA area in my regular car. We left my house after lunch and drove during the boys’ naps to Livermore, where James could wear himself out on the Lost World Adventure play gym.
After sharing a plate of nachos at Chili’s for dinner, we completed the 5-hour drive down I-5 while the boys slept quietly.
Camping was fun, but I think we’ll wait until the boys are a tad older before taking any more long trips. An hour out of town, maybe, but not an eight-hour drive that took us sixteen-hours to make.
Today I pick up my 21-foot Lexor RV built from a Dodge Ram 3500, who, as mentioned, I’ve nicknamed Ramsey. I’m nervous as heck about driving him. He is a lot wider than my SUV, Alice, and has no bells and whistles to warn me if I wander into the wrong lane. The hardest part will be angling him into my driveway. Deep gutters threaten on each side. If I don’t turn at the right time, his wheel will drop in and get stuck. Not good. I am on the waiting list for the nearest RV parking place. Someone is vacating a place for me in a month. Meanwhile, my neighbors will have to put up with an elephant in my driveway.
I’ve gathered kitchen gear and linen items plus a few mechanical necessities like a clear elbow for the black tank hose and some wheel chocks. My list of needed equipment printed out on four pages: hoses, wrenches, water filters, surge protectors, on and on, not to mention a bicycle rack. Most of the RV bloggers and vloggers think the best deals are through Amazon and Wallmart versus stores like Camping World and my home RV dealer. I’ve got the list of prices in my handbag. Once I figure out how to drive Ramsey, I am ready to shop.
It’s Wednesday. A weekend looms. Hopefully, we will be ready for our first trip on Saturday – even if just for a day outing.
The last time I wrote, which was nearly six months ago, I announced I wanted to be an RVer. Well, I put down my deposit on a 21-foot Lexor and when it arrives in May things will be official. I can’t wait. The first road trip that Annie, my corgi, and I will take will be to Bodega Bay where, for a night, my Lexor will be a beach house. I have named the Lexor Ramsey because he is a Dodge Ram 3500. (I can’t seem to find a big strong man to travel with, so I paid for a big strong truck.) From what I see on the web, there are several campgrounds to choose from in Bodega Bay. I’ve found RV-Land’s equivalent to Facebook, which is RVillage.com. Maybe I’ll see if there is someone on it who can give me advice about which place in Bodega Bay is the best. Meanwhile, I have been watching video after video on how to dump black and gray tanks and I’ve made sure Ramsey will fit in my driveway and that I can legally park him there according to my city’s code. The people at PleasureWay in Sacramento where I ordered Ramsey sent a test drive model over to my house to give the Lexor a test fit. My neighbor was horrified, but it is the only driveway I have. So what can I do? Two nights ago I watched Robin Williams in the movie RV, which was too silly, but after watching all those video’s, made me laugh. Meanwhile, I am going to learn to play pickleball, a game I had never heard of but which, I’ve learned, is very fun. It’s supposed to be the rage in RV camps. There are free lessons near me on Tuesdays and if the rain lets up tomorrow, I’m heading out to give the game a try.
Mary Ames Mitchell's Web Home 