Road trip for us

by Rain Trueax

at its farm home 

Road trips come many ways, and we've done most of them at one time or another. They can be driving between motels/hotels. Camping with a tent works when the travelers are younger and don't mind setting up every night. I've seen those who get from Point A to Point B in one long day-- 24 hours driving with changing off drivers (we haven't done that one).

When it came time to leave Tucson, there was no choice for how we'd spend our nights. That choice had been made in January when we came down with our 26' travel trailer and four cats. Seriously, even motels that allow cats (not a lot of them), four? Not likely. Besides cats don't enjoy motel rooms-- too many smells and sounds.

From the time we had gotten to Tucson, we had debated what route to take north. For a while, we thought-- Utah and make it into a vacation. Lots of beautiful scenery in Utah. By May, we knew that was too many extra miles, not to mention the heat and our cats. Nevada is a way we both like, but there are fewer places to eat, stop, or refuel-- especially since we have a 14 year old diesel truck. Any possible problems would have limited options for getting a fix-- and we've done that too, been on a trip with a vehicle that was in trouble. 

In the end, we decided on the shortest route (still 1400+ miles to the farm) right through California with freeways most of the way. We planned to spend 5 hours or so driving and needed parks where that would end up. We researched and made some calls.

Weather impacted when we'd leave in a way it wouldn't so much have had we been doing a motel trip. Pulling a trailer when it's windy is not much fun and heavy rains also make driving more difficult. Since California was getting some of that, we waited. We considered leaving when it would involve driving through Memorial Day. Calling likely RV parks found them already booked.  We could have left the Tuesday after it, but I wanted to stay as long as possible, as despite the heat, I love the birds and time in our Tucson home. What was the rush, I asked, knowing much of my concern was that we'd no longer be subsidizing the quail families. 

Ranch Boss called the guy from whom we buy hay. They weren't cutting until later in June, which eased up the pressure. He brought the trailer around to begin loading and then ran into the A/C problem (read about it in last blog by me). So June 1st was finally when there would be no more delays.

The advantage of a trailer is every night, you have new views out the windows; but when you get set up, you are in a familiar home, one with all the basic necessities.
  
Our first destination was Bouse, Arizona. The drive wasn't bad for traffic; and we got to the park, Desert Pueblo, about when we expected. The uncertainty would be how it would be for inside temps with outside over 100°F. As soon as the cats and I got into the trailer, Ranch Boss plugged us into electricity. I clicked on the A/C and crossed my fingers. It was hot. To reduce the direct rays, he put out the awning. The cats and we settled in and got things organized. It cooled off well-- not down to the 70s but the comfortable 80s. We were pleased.

Bouse sets in the midst of barren desert and mountains. Rock hounds, miners, sun lovers, and those who want freedom from the dominant culture come here. In the winter, it's full of folks, many boon-docking in the hills, to be even farther from others. There is a VFW hall, Octoillo Lodge and Bar, Family Dollar store, and little grocery store. The RV park looked like it had a few permanent residents but some had left their rig there and would return when the intense heat let up-- October probably :).

People in RV parks are a mix of travelers like us but some who live that life permanently either on the road or in one place. I like YouTube vlogs where some of the full-timers have channels, a few make their living that way by sharing their experiences with those who might like to do it or are just curious as to what that lifestyle is like. I don't see myself ever being a full-timer, but it would have appeal to me. I get to do it vicariously through those who do.

The older, lean guy, who managed the Bouse RV park got us a spot with some shade from tall but sparse eucalyptus trees. He was friendly, had three or four little dogs, lived in small, bright yellow rig. In his cowboy hat, he looked like a true desert rat, a term I use with affection. Those guys know a piece of terrain in a way most of us never will.

In such places, Ranch Boss gets out more than I do, as he does the hookups and sometimes walks around. RVers ask each other questions about their rigs, where they are going. It's kind of a communal system with similar problems to discuss. For me, I stay with the cats and what I see is out the window or what I hear. I like a quiet park.

Saturday morning, we drove into California over the Colorado River, passed though Earp, which is an unincorporated kind of community, where Wyatt and his wife did some gold hunting every winter. We passed through the California border crossing, where they only ask about fruit. That might change if the state really secedes. They may not care who crosses their southern border but to protect their agricultural industries, they don't want pests arriving (Oregon makes all pulling boats to get inspected to protect its fisheries). 

The road west and then north between Bouse and Needles is two lanes with more of a desert highway's whoop-de-doos.  Alongside, there are many signs of old lava flows, not what a person tends to think of where it comes to that stretch of desert. Mostly the traffic was sane, the pavement in good condition, and we chatted up all the issues we could think of, as week-ends aren't days to find talk radio, something that helps pass the miles on week-days. From Needles to Barstow it's mostly four lanes and seems to last forever, with little to comment on beyond maybe Peggy Sue's Diner-- no pictures of it.

Before we left Tucson, we had called several places to see if we needed reservations since it was a week-end.  We had made one at a park, which shall remain nameless, where we'd stayed before. By eleven that morning, we both felt we'd like to get farther. We called them to cancel. Their policy was we had to pay for the whole night anyway-- even if someone else rented that site. It was worth it to us to get farther, and we reminded the nice lady that their policy would discourage anyone calling to cancel. It wasn't her decision or fault. Next time though, with that particular park, we will not reserve until the same day when we know for sure where we'll be.

Saturday night, we made it to just outside of Bakersfield and the Orange Grove RV park where we'd stayed on our way down. Very nice park, many sites, and I highly recommend it for ease of access and quiet. A/C was again essential as the temps were over 100°F  but pleasing in the trailer after the A/C took it down. That had been an 8 hour day, the longest we did the whole way but given the quality of the road, not that hard on us. When we were younger, we'd do 14 hour days. We discovered with age that led to getting somewhere with our backs bad and needing a week to recover. One of the nice things about traveling with a trailer is long days on the road aren't required.

One big plus for this trip was for the first time getting set up where we could get the cable that all these parks offer. Someone might say-- you watched TV when in your trailer. Yes, we did because we had a lot of time there thanks to the shorter travel days. I don't do as well with the computer there, since unless we will be somewhere for more than a day, it's not worth it to set up my little desk with the split keyboard. Once Ranch Boss figured out how to make it work, it was nice to be able to check the news or opt to watch a movie at night as we would at home. Most of the parks offer a nice selection of channels but we mostly only watch the news or Hallmark for its movies. 

For internet, most parks offer it but we generally depend on our Verizon hotspot. The quality of the internet in parks varies and there is the risk of going onto a 'communal' line.

Sunday, we finally got onto I-5 and once again thought there is not a rougher freeway possible in the section below Sacramento. There would be smooth sections but mostly it was just rough. I worried most about the cats with such jostling. We learned that every overpass or bridge would be rougher than the highway on either side-- not sure of the motive for that. 

Literally, the stretch of road just north of Stockton is the worst highway imaginable. It jostled our trailer so much that the steps, even with a bungee cord holding them up, were knocked down. Fortunately, we were almost at our next stop in Lodi, and the RV park we had stayed in while driving down-- Flag City. These people had been nice to say they'd hold a site for us without our needing a reservation. People skills is always a plus when dealing with businesses that cater to the public.

Because we'd forgotten how to get to the park, we went out of our way and saw something we would see several times while traveling north-- a gypsy caravan. I don't mean that as ethnically but a group of people with rigs and semi-trucks, traveling together for who knows what businesses. That one had 7 rigs with it and some of the people were walking between them. They weren't the last we would see on the road. The other thing it reminds me of is Grapes of Wrath.

The freeway improved as we went north. We had also stayed in that camp before, out of Anderson-- JGW RV Park, right on the Sacramento River with no neighbors right on top of us.  When we can get one on the river, it's very relaxing. I found myself singing Moon River, when I was alone, of course. The cats didn't mind.

Another short day took us farther north and Yreka, with the Waiiaka RV park. The people there were especially nice. It's connected to a casino, which we didn't visit. They even came around that night to offer us fresh popcorn. The park had nice big trees and again was quiet. 

We had decided to give ourselves one more night on the road, and this time we'd have to drive farther off I-5, the first time we went more than 1/2 mile. This site was called Twin River Vacation and was on the North Umpqua, just east of where the North and South Umpqua join up to head to the ocean.

Getting to this park was amazing and we want to go back as there was one winery after another. Pretty farming communities and then the river. The park itself was big trees with grassy areas between rigs. By that time, we were well past the worst of the heat, but we did use the A/C for an hour or so.


While on the road, we only had one restaurant meal that in Yreka from the Black Bear. We hadn't had chicken fried steak in years and found it on their online menu. We figured the portions would be such that we could get one dinner. It was more than enough. One of the big pluses with an RV is not having to eat out. It's more relaxing and keeps us with the cats; so they don't feel deserted.

This is not wilderness camping. It is staying with water, electricity and sewer when we wanted it. It allowed us to use the A/C freely. Basically with fees generally under $50 and being home as soon as we stepped up into it, trailering is a good deal. In California, vehicles pulling a trailer have to go 55mph. I like that as driving fast makes me nervous. The trucks are also supposed to go 55 but a lot don't. They do though not go 75, like they do in Arizona, which can push a rig around when they pass. 

Other than some bad pavement stretches in California, we had good highways all the way, more 4-lane than the last trip, as they constantly are upgrading roads because of all that is sent by truck in our country. The photo above is heading toward Mount Shasta and a pretty typical view when traveling. Trucks go in bunches, it seems and they come on us like a pack before they go right on past and we'd get a little break. It makes a person very aware of how vulnerable we are as a people where so much of what we need to live is on a freeway somewhere.