Movin' south

Well folks - it's that time again - the move to find warmer weather.  Mary and I left Md this morning with temps at 28 degrees.  First stop was Fayetteville, NC.  On Saturday, will move to a riverside campground in Brunswick, GA where the weather will be substantially warmer and maybe a little damp.  Rain beats snow any day.  Should be settled in Wildwood, FL by Monday for a 30 day stay.


Anyone in the area, give us a call.

Moving east

Today is Tuesday, 9/3/13 - we are moving through western central Texas on the way to Dallas.  Should be in Dallas on Thursday afternoon.  Will meet up with Mary's cousin, Vanessa and her husband Blane.  Will all go to Beaver's Bend State Park in Broken Bow, Oklahoma on Friday for the weekend.  After that, will move on to Tennessee.  See you all before the end of September.

Arizona - New Mexico - Texas

Left El Cahon, CA on Thursday afternoon heading for Casa Grande, Arizona.   Ran into sand storm on Rt 8 which slowed rings down a bit.   Arrived in Casa Grande about 4 pm.

Casa Grande derived its name from the mountain chain just west of the city.  Early explorers discovered  the remains of this ancient village, which is now a national park - Casa Grande ruins.

Palm Creek RV Park in Casa Grande, AZ.  Place is absolutely great - amenities incl. golf course, pools, tennis courts, exercise rooms, game rooms, etc.  The list of activities during the winter months is endless.  During summer, place is deserted.  Park has about 1800 sites.  During our visit we saw about 10 people.  Everyone leaves for cooler climates in the summer.  Normal temps are 100+ during the day.

Views along Rt 8 in New Mexico are stunning.

Mary now driving on a regular basis now that we are on the interstates.  I think she's enjoying it.  Hasn't slowed down any but this coach performs better at higher speeds.

Stayed in Las Cruces, NM and then drove the back roads down to El Paso, TX.  These are pecan trees which run for miles.

Lunch in El Paso.  This is Leo's mexican restaurant which is high on the list of good paces to eat.

Downtown El Paso is undergoing significant revitalization.  This pic is the new convention center in the historic area. 

California coastline

After spending about a week in the wine country, it is time to move on down the coast to San Diego where we will visit Mary's brother Tom.  We intentionally stayed near the coast to enjoy the views.  Weather is dry this time of year with cool nights and hot afternoons.

Will spend 3 or 4 days in San Diego exploring the city and having the motorhome serviced.  Time to change fluids and filters.  Will probably leave here on Friday, 8/30, starting the trek back east.  Plan is to travel thru southern Arizona, New Mexico and into Texas.  Will head northeast to Dallas to visit Mary's cousin.  From Dallas, due east to Maryland.  Best guess - should be home by 3rd week of September.

Moving on to San Diego

Hearst Castle in San Simeon

 

view from the patio

Morro Bay

One of several beaches at Morro Bay

El Capitan state park near Santa Barbara

view from our campsite

More wine country

Paso Robles is another wine area about 100 miles southeast of San Francisco.  The growing valley is about 40 miles inland from the coast hosting about 300 wineries. We spent 3 nights here soaking up the culture.

 

Wines must have been good. Everyone seems happy with additional samples in hand.

Production inside the Robert Hall winery

Providing quality control

Olive ranch

 

Napa

After the California coastline and the redwoods, we entered civilization once again by heading southeast into the Napa Valley region.  Found this campground in Napa, which is one of the nicer places we've stayed.  From there, went on to tour the countryside. 

Black Stallion winery - courtyard sipping area

Wine tasting was a must.  Tasted great but expensive.  Bottle prices ranged from about $18 to $85.

They displayed each of the grapes they grow and use for production.  Not only can you see and touch,  but sampling is allowed.

As with most of the wineries in the area, grounds are well manicured.

After touring the countryside,  had to stop at the local wine bar - a tasting place with ood on the side.

Next day took a ride on the wine train which runs from Napa up the valley to St. Helena.  Midday is a luncheon with wine tastings.  Train was about 10 cars long

Our friends Berkley & Karen enjoyed the fun.

wine tasting car at mid train

dining car where we embelished on a fine meal with great service.

Redwood trees

Campground in Crescent City, CA.  Note the width of the redwood next
 to the motorhome.  Coach is 8' + wide and tree is more than half that amount.


Road into Jedediah Smith Redood State Park.  Is a gravel road with
more twists and turns than you can imagine.  Trees are small at the entrance
in this picture.  Once in the park,  sunlight is limited.


large trees everywhere in this ancient forest.
Park road was about 15 miles long .



Stout Grove area of the park.  Well developed and pedestrian friendly

Medford, Oregon

Mary discovered the Harry & David headquarters on the way to the coast in southern Oregon.  This became a must see - not only for the shopping opportunity but to see how all of this is put together.  They are the largest employer in southern Oregon - about 2,200 people year round increasing to 5,000 during the holiday season.

Inside the plant.  A production line for their Moose Munch.  Pop about 100 pounds of popcorn per hour.

Production line for gift baskets.  A lot of the assembly is done by hand.

Tying bows on the baskets and then packing in boxes for shipment.

Obviously, this is slow time of year.  They just completed packaging of peaches.