Sage, CA

Southern CA provides both dramatic scenery and weather.  From our RV park Tucalota Springs, we can see multiple snow-capped mountain ranges. 
Today on the way to Anytime Fitness in Beaumont, CA, it was raining and sunny at our altitude thus a gorgeous rainbow. 

On the way home, we could see rain all around us but the skies were clearing.  Everywhere we go we are ascending and descending mountains and experience various temperatures and conditions.  It's been too cold to ride dirt bikes since leaving Yermo/Barstow.  December is colder than normal here.

Californians drive fast.  Joellen gets passed regularly driving the Jeep.  Tomorrow we will have our traditional Christmas dinner, lasagna Joellen.

Santee Lakes Santee, CA

We spent the last week at Santee Lakes, a county park with RV parking.  Yesterday it rained all day; something we saw so little of in Texas.  We visited four other RV parks near San Diego; Imperial Beach and El Cajon looking for a place to spend the coldest month of the year.  We did not find anything we liked so we are going back to Tucalota Springs in Hemet, CA (yeah) for the holidays and Jim's January birthday.  Santee Lakes was just OK; full of ants.  The lakes are man-made, small and smelly.  Yesterday a coyote walked right up to our RV.  Last weekend at Santee was so crowded with large, loud groups.  This park appears to be a weekend retreat for groups with small travel trailers vs. an RV park for full-timers.

Temecula, CA

We spent the last week in the beautiful Temecula wine country nestled in mountains between Temecula and Hemet, CA.  It is so quiet here. The RV park is peaceful with walking trails and 360 views.  We visited just one winery, Baily, because we liked everything they made; all dry wines.  Today we leave for Santee Lakes in Santee, CA.

More Rainbow Basin, Barstow, CA

Yesterday we returned to Rainbow Basin.  After again riding the scenic loop of colored stone pictured above, we took a very sandy whooped filled road where we successfully practiced and honed our sand-riding skills (no falls).  We drove Irwin Road North and saw some dramatic scenery.  Barstow offers a good amount of off-road riding.

Rainbow Basin National Natural Landmark

Near Yermo/Barstow, CA, we rode Rainbow Canyon.  There were fantastic colors in the rock.  The level of difficulty was just right.  We will visit this trail again on this trip.  This is why one needs a dirt bike and reminds of where one could film the Outer Limits and Star Trek.

Mule Canyon Yermo,CA

We rode Mule Canyon today for a short ride to knock the cob webs out.
All the OHV (off highway vehicles) traffic was a challenge on very busy weekend. We will enjoy riding it again in the coming week we are here. We are having perfect weather

California

Yesterday we arrived in Yermo, CA (near Barstow) and will spend one week exploring the dirt bike trails.  Today or tomorrow we expect to ride to Rainbow Basin Loop, an area of multi-colored rock formations and scenic canyons.

Route 66, Williams, AZ

Our travels sometimes takes us on historic Route 66.  Williams, AZ is the last Route 66 city bypassed by I40.  Charming.

The Grand Canyon

It's grand; pictures don't do it justice.

Canyon Motel and RV Park Williams, AZ

Here are a few shots from Canyon Motel & RV Park in Williams, AZ.  This is a cool park located on historic Route 66.  We have a great site up the hill looking down onto the town and railway that leads to the Grand Canyon.

Albuquerque, NM

We returned to the American RV Park in Albuquerque in route to the Grand Canyon.  This time, we got our RV washed and, for the first time, waxed.  The RV looks great.  Jim is working on the tire pressure monitoring system, installing new batteries, and using our newly-purchased air compressor to fill the tires vs. using the on-board compressor. We'll go about 350 miles today to Williams, AZ to spend Thanksgiving at the Grand Canyon.

Palo Duro, Canyon, TX

Yesterday we visited Palo Duro, the second largest canyon in the U.S.  Joellen climbed up the canyon side to take a picture of our Jeep in the parking lot.  Its very dry here; only 10 inches of rain this last year.  The canyon in Palo Duro is pretty impressive.  We are on the road today to revisit Albuquerque and Santa Fe in route to the real Grand Canyon in AZ.

On the Road Again

Yesterday we left Bastrop and landed in Snyder, TX at the Wooden Spoke Ranch complete with raindeer, a helicopter, barnyard animals and dirt.  Today we drove to Canyon, TX, home of the Palo Duro Canyon, known as the 2nd largest canyon in the U.S.

Bastrop, TX

We've spent the last few weeks back in Bastrop, TX for Halloween on Main Street, the election, and the Veterans Day Car Show.  We have been enjoying connecting with friends, Maxine's breakfasts, Ramos margaritas, and everything at Bassano's.  We leave Wenesday 11/14  in route to California for the winter.

Parked On The Banks Of The Missisippi in Arkansas

We are in West Memphis, Arkansas at Tom Sawyer's RV park on the Mississippi river in route to Bastrop. Very humid here. We are watching the barges on the Mississippi. We went from winter in Elkhart, IN on Wednesday to sunny and warm in Effingham, IL on Thursday to here in Arkansas on Friday. There is so much variation in topography, climate and culture within a day's drive.

Forest River factory, Elkhart, IN

In route from Wisconsin to the Forest River factory in Indiana, we had to drive through Chicago. Even Sunday traffic was bad; and it was expensive. We paid about $40 in tolls to drive the interstates around Chicago. We spent three days at the Forest River factory getting some of the same repairs redone that took one month getting done in Tuscon a few months ago. We got a tour of the Forest River factory and saw coaches in every stage of assembly. Its cold in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana. The last few days reminds us of the East Coast near Philadelphia; from the cold weather, types of trees, road conditions, types of vehicles and construction. We left Indiana this morning in route to Southern California via Bastrop, TX.

Wisconsin Dells

We are enjoying peak Fall foliage, the first since leaving the East coast in 2005.

The Great Plains

From Rapid City, SD near Mt. Rushmore, we continue East toward the Forest River factory in Indiana. We spent one week in Mitchell, SD, home of the Corn Palace then one week in Welcome, MN. Both RV parks were on I90 in the middle of farm fields, mostly corn and soy. At both locations, we were there for the harvest meaning lots of dust and bugs. We tried to ride our dirt bikes in Mitchell but the roads were too straight and flat to offer any challenge or interest. Two days ago we arrived in Wisconsin Dells, WI where we will stay until the last leg of our journey to the Forest River factory. Wisconsin Dells is gorgeous. The RV park is heavily wooded with lots of (walking) trails (no dirt biking allowed on the RV park's trails) and this is peak leaf changing time. Wisconsin Dells is a resort town with lots of activities that we will start exploring today.

South Dakota Air and Space Museum

Yesterday we went to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum. It was small but interesting.