I try to be upbeat in this blog, but anybody who knows me knows that I don’t pull any punches either, and I give you the good with the bad. Not to be a downer, but today I have a couple of the bad to share.

Even though I am married to the best cook in the world, I enjoy dining out, and we do it a lot. It just seems to be a basic part of the RV lifestyle. Put the fulltiming occupants of any two or more RVs together for the first time in a campground, and once they discuss where they just came from and where they are headed next, the very next question is “Where are we going for dinner?’

When we are in a new area, I frequently refer to the Yelp website for reviews of local restaurants. Overall, I have found that if you disregard the obvious cranks with an ax to grind, and the guys who sign in to pump up their own or a friend’s place, when you average the rest of the reviews out, you get a pretty accurate idea of what to expect.

We have been wanting to find a good Chinese buffet ever since we left Apache Junction, Arizona, and the Yelp review showed a place called Best Empire Buffet in Gilroy, about ten miles away. So once we got settled in at the Thousand Trails campground in Morgan Hill on Monday, we drove back to Gilroy to try it out. The reviews were very positive, but as it turned out, they were wrong in this case. We’re still looking for a good Chinese buffet.

At this restaurant, I accomplished two “firsts.” I had the very worst Chinese buffet meal of my life (and we eat at a LOT of Chinese buffets coast to coast), and I paid the most I ever have at a Chinese buffet. The selection was huge, but everything was cold, and a lot of it was stale. I complained to a young lady monitoring the service line, and she just nodded and stood there.

If it wasn’t late in the day, and if we had not been tired and very hungry, we would have left. Once we got our bill, we wished we had. For two people, with me having a Coke and Terry having tea, the tab was $32.91. When Terry told the girl at the cash register that we were unhappy with the meal, she just said “Okay, thank you for coming!”  Hey, life is a crapshoot, right? Sometimes you win, and sometimes you lose.

Then yesterday, I had another unpleasant experience. Terry needed to make a WalMart run to stock up on some things, so while she did her shopping, I sat out in the van cruising the internet on my iPad. It was in the upper 80s, and Terry’s shopping took longer then expected, so when it got too hot in the van, I started the engine to let the air conditioning cool things down.

So there I am, reading the Escapees RV forum, when somebody knocks on my window. I look out and there stands a pissed off policeman. Did you know it is illegal to let a car idle in California? I sure didn’t, until he explained it to me in great and forceful detail. Apparently it’s a crime that ranks right up there with armed robbery and peeing in public.

He sternly told me that I was wasting precious fuel and adding to the state’s pollution level, among other things. Did you know that if all of the millions of drivers in California did the same thing, nobody could breathe? I didn’t, but I do now. I’m not sure, but I may also be responsible for the current budget crisis, and for the fact that French poodles are such ugly dogs, too.

Okay, I get it. I was wrong. I was wasting fuel, and I was properly chastised. But that wasn’t enough, he ran my license plates and drivers license, apparently to see if I was recently featured on America’s Most Wanted, or in any way affiliated with terrorist cells Then he told me I was very, very lucky he didn’t give me a ticket, or arrest me.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am a strong supporter of law enforcement. The men and woman who take on that job deserve all of our respect for everything they do to keep us all safe. And again, yes, I was wrong. I should have gone inside the store to cool off. But gee, a simple “turn the engine off” would have worked just fine.

I don’t think I like California.

Thought For The Day – Life is not always fair – get used to it!

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We left the Oceano, Elks campground a little after 9 a.m. and headed north on U.S. Highway 101. Morning fog was lingering over the coast, and according to the dashboard thermometer in my Winnebago motorhome, the outside temperature was 60 degrees.

As we moved further inland, the fog dissipated and the temperature began to climb. 45 miles north, in Paso Robles, it was 75 degrees, and it continued to climb all day long.

Before long we were in the Salinas Valley, known as the Salad Bowl of the World due to the huge amounts of produce grown here. The climate is perfect for growing everything from strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, and spinach to broccoli, cauliflower, and celery.

And grapes. Lots and lots of grapes. The entire central coast region of California seems to be one massive grape arbor, and wineries abound.

This is Steinbeck country, made famous by the author of such American classics as Of Mice And Men, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Cannery Row. I cut my reading teeth on John Steinbeck’s works, and I believe his road odyssey Travels With Charley is responsible for the wanderlust that I have carried all of my life. While we’re in the area we plan to tour the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Near Salinas we saw a heavy curtain of fog and low clouds, the result of rising inland temperatures drawing the marine layer in off Monterey Bay. 

Traffic picked up considerably in Salinas, and continued all the way into Morgan Hill, where we left the highway and drove about five miles on local roads to the Morgan Hill Thousand Trails preserve. When we arrived at the ranger check-in station, it was 97 degrees. We had traveled 180 miles, but it was like we were in a different world altogether. A very hot, different world.

We have never been to this Thousand Trails campground before, but it is typical of most of the Thousand Trails we have been in – gravel roads and RV sites, 30 amp water and electric, a dump station, and quite a few electrical pedestals covered up because they don’t work. At too many of the preserves we have been in, upkeep and maintenance seems to be a low priority.

We noted a sign at the campground’s entrance saying that Thousand Trails is now open to the general public, making me question why we continue to pay our annual dues. And to wonder even more, why do people continue to shell out big bucks for new memberships. We got our used nationwide Thousand Trails/NACO membership for $100, so if we ever decide to walk away from it, we won’t lose anything. It’s a subject we have to do some thinking about in the not too distant future.

This campground has a lot of trees, but a large open area as well, so we had our choice of either a shaded site or one in the open. With the holiday weekend coming, a lot of families with kids will be here, and they tend to gravitate toward the shaded areas. I’ll trade a little bit of shade for a quiet spot and a good view of the sky for TV reception any day. That’s why Winnebago includes awnings and air conditioners with their motorhomes.

The campground was pretty full, but we had no problem finding a level, pull-thru site with a good view of the sky for our roof mounted automatic Winegard TV dish. As soon as we were plugged in, we fired up our basement air conditioner to cool the interior of the motorhome down.

But first, we made a stop at the dump station. You know that old saying “sh!% happens?” Well, It happens to even the most experienced RVers. I don’t know what went wrong, but when I opened the plastic cap on our sewer connection to put the hose on, a big gush of nasty flew out. I jumped back in time to get out of the way, and quickly slapped the cap back on and secured it.

Could I have left the valve open? I doubted it, since I had dumped a week ago when we left Williams, Arizona, and I had seen no indication of a problem since then. A quick check showed the valves to both the black and gray tank were closed securely, so all I can guess is that we may have a seal leaking. I carefully removed the cap again, ready to get the sewer hose in place in a hurry, but whatever was in the short section of pipe had already spilled out. I finished dumping, cleaned up the mess, and made a note to watch the valve and see if this was a one time oddball occurrence, or a problem that must be dealt with soon.

We’ll be here a few days, maybe as much as two weeks. Definitely until after the Independence Day holiday, because we learned early in our fulltiming life that we want to be off the road and in a campsite well before any summer holiday. There are a few things we want to see and do in this area, before we head on down the road to our next adventure.

Thought For The Day – A father is a banker provided by nature.

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A few miles north of San Simeon, on the central California coast, we stopped to visit the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery, where we saw dozens of Northern Elephant Seals lounging on the beach.

At one time hunted to the brink of extinction for their rich blubber, there were fewer than 100 of these huge marine mammals when they became protected by federal law in the early 1900s. The seals have since made a terrific comeback, and today it is estimated that their population numbers 150,000. Every year they return to the same stretch of beach to calve, from about mid-December to mid-February, and they return again to molt in the early summer.

Juveniles and adult females come ashore first, sharing the beach with the weaned pups in early April, their number increasing to a maximum number of over 4000 on the two beaches adjacent to the parking area by early May. The males follow by early June.

While human beings shed hair and skin constantly, elephant seals go through a single annual molting, in which they lose an entire layer of epidermis, which is sloughed off with the hair intact. This process helps them conserve energy, and helps prevent the loss of body heat during their deep sea dives.

Elephant seals spend up to ten months a year at sea, migrating as far north as the Gulf of Alaska and south to Baja California. Their main food is squid, and they routinely dive as much as 5,000 feet below the surface, and stay submerged for anywhere from fifteen minutes to over an hour.

These are huge creatures; adult males can grow to over thirteen feet long and weigh up to 4,500 pounds. Females are much smaller, usually about ten feet long and growing to 1,500 pounds.

Elephant seals take their name from the enlarged proboscis males develop at sexual maturity, which occurs at about three to five years of age. This appendage can grow to two feet in length in a large bull.

While they are amazingly graceful in the water, on land, elephant seals are ungainly animals that propel themselves with their flippers and by throwing their bodies forward. We watched the animals as they lay atop one another in big piles, occasionally rising up to look around before dropping their heads back down again.

The males would bellow out challenges to others bulls, and every so often two would begin to spar, thumping their chests into each other, teeth flashing and mouths gaping red. But little damage is actually done, this is merely practice for the serious duels that will come during the winter breeding season, which can get very violent.

While they are fun to watch, and can look lovable, be warned that elephant seals can be dangerous. The viewing area is fenced in, both to protect the seals from human interference, and to protect careless humans who might get too close.

Years ago, before the area was fenced, we watched a couple of idiots who tried to set their toddler on top of a huge seal to get a photo. A ranger on the scene managed to stop them, and they received a citation, and no doubt, a stiff fine.

The Piedras Blancas rookery, on State Highway 1, is home to about 15,000 animals. The area is open for viewing every day of the year and there is no admission fee or reservation required. The parking lot would accommodate a small RV, but if there were many cars in the lot, a large RV would have difficulties.

Bad Nick has the same manners as an elephant seal, but he’s not nearly as cute. So we left him at home, where he wrote a new Bad Nick Blog titled Who Pays? Check it out and leave a comment.

Thought For The Day – If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.

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Four miles south of Cambria, California lies an often overlooked gem of the central coast, the tiny artist colony of Harmony. We first stopped at this charming little community on our honeymoon, back in 1998, and little has changed since then. But Harmony has seen a lot of changes over the years.

The town of Harmony got its start from a dairy farm that was established here by Swiss immigrants in the 1860s. The mild climate and abundant grass proved perfect for this kind of activity, and more dairy farms sprang up nearby. In 1901, the Harmony Valley Co-operative Dairy was established, producing milk and cream, and some of the finest butter and cheese in the state. Records show that in the first six months of 1869, $30,000 worth of butter was shipped from the port of San Simeon to San Francisco.

During its peak time, the village included a large home occupied by the dairy manager, employee bunkhouses, a general store, a livery stable, blacksmith shop, a feed store, a post office, and a school house.

In those days, Highway 1 ran right through the town, and motorists were treated to ladles of buttermilk from the dairy. Newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst was a familiar face in Harmony, stopping in to purchase fresh dairy products on his way to his nearby ranch. Many celebrities of the time, including Rudolf Valentino and silent film actress Pola Negra stopped in Harmony, on their way to visit Hearst.

In the early days, things weren’t always peaceful here. Rivalries and feuding among the dairy farmers caused violence and chaos in the little valley. After one shooting death, a truce was called, and everybody involved agreed to put an end to the bitterness and live in harmony, giving the town its name.

Eventually, most of the local dairy businesses moved to San Luis Obispo, and in the late 1950s the Harmony Dairy was closed. Increased grazing land fees led many of the farmers to move on and establish ranches in other areas.

For years, Harmony was a virtual ghost town, until young artists and craftspeople from the counter-culture discovered it and breathed new life into the once thriving community. Today the population, including dogs and cats, is less than 20. Several of the town’s businesses have been reopened as studios and galleries.

Visitors can shop for beautiful pottery, candles, and one of a kind gift items at Harmony Pottery, and sample fine wines at the Harmony Cellars.

Next door to the pottery shop, the Harmony Chapel, with its beautiful hand carved arched double doors, is a popular venue for weddings.

We enjoyed wandering through the shops, admiring the old architecture of the buildings, and the beautiful flowers blooming everywhere.

At Harmony Glassworks, an art gallery featuring some beautiful items, we spent a lot of time watching the glass artisans at work. Even from twenty feet away, we could feel the heat from the furnaces as they shaped the molten glass into beautiful works of art.

Miss Terry was a glass contactor in her old life, before I stole here away and turned her into a gypsy, but she still loves glass. So when we discovered that you can take a glass blowing class at the studio, she was very tempted.

The studio’s brochure says no experience is necessary, and each personalized class lasts over an hour, during which students will create at least two unique items. For $125, it’s an opportunity to learn something about a craft that dates back to the time of the Egyptians. If we could arrange a place to park our motorhome in Harmony, we might come back sometime so Terry can take the class.

Thought For The Day – The artist is not a different kind of person, but every person is a different kind of artist.

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In spite of the fact that it was windy and chilly yesterday, we just couldn’t stay inside when we were this close to a beach. We started out by dropping off bundles of sample issues of the Gypsy Journal at some of the local RV parks between Oceano and Pismo Beach. They sure cram a lot of RVs into small spaces here on the central California coast, where land is at a premium!

Then we spent some time walking out on the Pismo Beach pier, stopping to watch surfers trying to catch just the right wave. Those kids have more energy than common sense! That water sure looked cold!

Further out the pier, there were a few folks fishing. No license is required, and you can rent a rod and tackle from a vendor on the pier.

As much as we enjoyed the pier, the cold wind drove us off after a half hour or so. We did some browsing at the shops along the waterfront, then drove to a used book store in Grover Beach, where the pickings were slim.

Blog reader Levonne Gaddy had suggested we try Mama’s Meatball, a block or two from the Elks lodge campground, for pizza, so we stopped there and it was very good. The crust was super thin, but the blend of cheeses was delicious.

The Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area is within walking distance of the Elks campground, but we chose to take the van and stay out of the wind. We parked near the entrance to the fee area and spent the afternoon watching all of the activity on the beach. We love people watching, and a day at the beach can be more entertaining than an afternoon matinee.

This is one of the few places where you can drive on the beach, and people come here from hundreds of miles away to drive 4x4s, ATVs, motorcycles, and even family cars on the sand.

If you drive on the hard packed sand, you are usually okay, but if you get stuck (and a lot of people do), the local tow trucks are equipped to pull you out, for a price.

Some folks get carried away having fun and get stupid instead. This is the end result when that happens. Whoever was in the cab of this truck must have had a terrible headache, if not worse.

You can even camp on the beach, and though we would not have considered bringing our Winnebago out there, we saw a lot of RVs coming and going.

If you get your fifth wheel or motorhome stuck here, you’re really stuck!

Some people choose to get back to the basics when it comes to horsepower. These may not be the most comfortable ride on the beach,  don’t at least they get stuck very often.

We also watched windsurfers zipping up and down just offshore. It must take a lot of arm strength to hold onto those things!

Some of the acrobatics they were doing were fascinating!

We returned to the Oceano Elks campground about 7:30 p.m., and the place had really filled up while we were gone! I don’t know how they squeeze so many RVs into such a small campground, but like I said, space is at a premium on the coast.

We spent the rest of the evening inside, not doing much of anything. It was a wonderful, relaxing day, in spite of the wind and cold, and we are feeling more relaxed than we have in months. We really needed this time. We love our family and friends, and we cherish being with them. But sometimes we just have to have some “us” time, away from everybody. It’s our special reward to ourselves.

Bad Nick has been lazy lately, and we haven’t heard much from him. But yesterday while we were out playing beach bums, he was at the computer posting a new Bad Nick Blog titled What About Them? Check it out and leave a comment.

Thought For The Day – The things that come to those who wait may be the things left by those who got there first.

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