North from Los Angeles, to the Oregon border.

Saturday, April 9th. (Thought I better put day/date in here--I'm getting confused as to what day it is!) Left El Chorro (The Stream) RV Park and pushed on northward for all of 20 minutes before we spied a small grocery store with easy access and lots of room to park; in we went--we needed a few things. Forty minutes!!!! later we were back on the road taking in the scenery.



A few miles down the road we came across a sign: "Highway 1 closed 88 miles ahead. Big Sur open". While we pondered the effect this would have on our planned route we passed a connection to Highway 101. We soon realised that there were NO OTHER connections before the closure. It took several more miles to find a place to turn around and eventually we were climbing the hills on route 46 towards Paso Robles on the 101.

An hour after that we pulled into a rest area on the 101 for a pee break and a snack, another 30 minutes. An hour and a half later it was time for lunch.

We had heard years ago, planning our first motorhome trip to San Francisco, that RV's weren't permitted over the Golden Gate bridge and into downtown San Francisco. We had parked our old motorhome at the ferry parking lot in Larkspur and taken the boat across.

Thinking that this would still be the case we planned a go around route. We turned off the 101 to the 680, 780 and a few other freeways to the 37 around the top of San Pedro Bay and back to the 101 at Novato, well north of San Francisco. It was a long way. In retrospect it might have been "fun" taking the 101 all the way through. We later Googled it and found no information about restrictions. Ah well.

The geography at Novato was interesting. Here a river meets the ocean with large sandbars for much of the interface with sea on one side and river, marsh and lagoons on the other, which later gave way to farm land.

We were in need of fuel again and eventually came across a service station offering diesel (they were few and far between) and with the aid of a friendly local found an easy way back to the highway. The price was a little less than the last fuel stop, only $4.45 per gallon.

Well north of San Francisco we stopped for the night at the Sonora County Fairgrounds. The RV Park here is part of the Passport America system, of which we are members, so our $30.00, 50 Amp full hook up, free wireless campground cost us only $15.00! We connected the electric only, we had lots of water and lots of space in the waste tanks. Probably take care of those at the next stop.

It was a cold night. Extra blanket, jammies and socks for Art! He was happy that only the electric cord had to be coiled and put away in the morning--though it was stiff as a stick!

It was here that Art realised that the battery on the tracker was getting quite low. He put the voltmeter into the cigarette lighter outlet to read a very low 12.1 volts. (12.2 is considered half charged.) The battery had been running the air compressor for the "Brake Buddy" our auxiliary braking system for the car while being towed. It had also been running one of the map lights behind the rear view mirror for who knows how long--Art just noticed it was on!

Remember the body man in Mexico saying about the hood of the car: "Don't open it!"? Well he had to in order to connect the battery charger! The good news was twofold--the battery charged up just fine and he was able, with Gillian's help, able to close the hood again.

Sunday, April 10th

We were on the road at 9:00, stopped for a 15 minute break at 11:00 and again for lunch at 12:40 when we took time to heat up some soup and make a mug of coffee for Art to sip on during the drive. We also turned on the gas furnace to heat the place up.

We had been using the dash heater to try to direct a little warm air at his feet, when Art detected the smell of engine coolant emanating from the vents so shut the heat off. At this stop he had a look and sure enough there was a small amount of liquid dripping from the heater unit! Hopefully this will wait until we get home!

On the maintenance topic, we heard on the TV News from home the other night that Grayline West, the tour bus company in Victoria that we used to do all our motorhome mechanical service, had closed! This is terrible news. They have been a superb shop, service was excellent and relatively inexpensive. And of course they were very familiar with rear engine diesel motorhomes. They had a fully equipped shop, including air conditioning service and paint and body work and hoists that would lift a 40 foot bus.

In the middle of the afternoon we realised that we had missed four things while shopping yesterday; oatmeal, tea, vegetables and Calgonite (to use to clean the holding tanks). We pulled in to a shopping center and Gillian went in to take care of it. She returned a short while with two of them ( and a few other things) saying "What were the four things we needed?--They didn't have any Calgonite." Art started with "Oatmeal . . . " and was interrupted with "I'll be right back" and off she went. Still it was only a half hour stop and Art got a bit of a nap!

The road now headed into the hills.There were some steep uphill grinds, then down and back up again and so on and so on. After a couple of hours of this we pulled off for a minute to check the coolant level. All was well so we carried on, leaving California with no regrets and entered Oregon. One more step on the way home. We arrived at Gold Beach, our stop for the night, about 6:30.

It was cold and breezy and he was tired so Art decided to not do the draining and refilling of tanks tonight but wait until morning, it wouldn't get any worse. Ha!

Then it began to rain, the wind is increasing (though not so bad as the other night) as we watch TV, have drink and make and eat our dinner.

As we get ready for bed the rain is still pouring down.

Our destination tomorrow is near Boiler Bay State park, where we will stay a night or two with our friends Steve and Nancy. We first met them several years ago in the El Manglar RV Park in Zihuatanejo and have kept in touch ever since. Always a fun and interesting couple we were looking forward to the visit.

May add a few pictures later.

Yuma to LA via San Diego

We left the hot days and cool nights of the Arizona desert, with San Diego a little less than 200 miles to the west. We were disappointed that two of the three rest areas along I 8 were closed.


Along the flat dessert country we were getting excellent mileage for such a heavy rig, over 11 mpg (US gallon of course). A beautiful sunny day with no wind made for a very easy and relaxing drive, allowing Gillian to play with and get used to the new GPS. We didn't like the display but at first weren't able to discover how to change it.


As time passed we could see the wall of mountains ahead with clouds billowing up behind them. Before we reached them we came across a highway sign giving the elevation: Sea level! We had forgotten that much of the area we had been driving through was actually below sea level.

We began to climb, a couple of times reaching 4000 feet. As always the rig handling the hills well.



These mountains were very different from any we have seen before--essentially huge piles of rocks and boulders. On the downhill side of the mountain we found a wide almost flat place on the road where we pulled off for 40 minutes for an early lunch and to let the dogs out for a few minutes.

We followed I 8 into San Diego then turned north on the I 805 to the I 5 then somewhere along there we cut over to the South Coast Highway, through some of the smaller beachfront communities.

At one point this route dead-ended into a hotel complex! Trying to extricate ourselves from this we found ourselves approaching the main gates of Camp Pendleton Marine Base! We managed to pull into a Visitor Parking area and were approached by a young, uniformed, armed marine. He quickly, succinctly and politely directed us though the parking lot to the entrance to the I 5!

We proceeded north along the I 5 until just south of Greater Los Angeles where we turned off to follow the Pacific Coastal Highway, also known as Highway 1. We had more luck with this one.

This highway hugs the shore of the Pacific Ocean and along the way we passed many State Beaches. Most we later realised allowed overnight RV Parking. Some even had services!

Meanwhile the skies had clouded over and a few drops of rain began to fall but we still enjoyed the drive. As we approached Newport Beach we decided that we had driven far enough. Gillian had been checking the books and had found a place in Huntington Beach, just off the highway.

We spotted it as we turned, but the entrance was on the other side of a double solid line and a left turn lane! We went straight on, around a block or two in a housing estate and approached from the opposite direction.

We were in and settled in no time and while Gillian took the dogs for a much needed stroll Art got us plugged in and the satellite up and running well in time for the 5 o'clock news. It was a little pricey, $52.00 but the wireless was free!


Just as Gillian got back with the dogs the skies opened! The wind, which had been pushing us for a while really began to howl, the rig rocking on their stabilizers and the satellite dish rattling on the roof.






Meanwhile, with the last of his whisky close at hand Art was working on the blog. Then the TV went off and the internet quit. The power had gone off! Gee, Wind, Rain and a Power Failure. . . just like home! Can hardly wait! At least the wind was blowing the smoke from the industrial plant next door away from the park!

The inverter got the TV back, but of course no internet.



Next morning we pulled out of the park at 9:20, north again on the Pacific Coastal Highway. We followed this route right through LA. Much of the architecture part of the city is still in the 50's and 60's. Brought back memories of the Beach Boys' hits!

Past or through Long Beach, Signal Hill, Redondo Beach, Marina del Rey, Santa Monica, all places we have read about or seen in TV shows and movies we stopped for fuel in Malibu. The Mexican diesel was running out!

Our fuel mileage was suffering--from the hills east of San Diego and the continuous headwinds encountered since. It is surprising how much force winds can generate. Our fuel use went from over 11 mpg to under 8 mpg! With $4.49 per gallon being common in California this could be expensive!

Then just south of Ventura Highway 1, the Pacific Coastal Highway, ended, putting us back on the 101. Just past Santa Barbara, at three PM, very hungry and tired we made a 30 minute lunch stop at a rest area then pushed on for another hour and forty minutes to El Charo RV Park, a San Luis Obisbo County Park with full services if required (we did) and an off leash dog park which the dogs loved of course. No wireless though. A beautiful natural park, $32.00, plus $7.00 for the dogs!

Here we dumped the waste water and topped up the fresh. Gillian took the dogs for a great walk/play in the fenced off leash dog park. Happy puppies.

From the Mexico/US Border

Away from the border at 6:20, fifteen minutes behind, we arrived at Ajo Heights RV Park shortly after 7:00. The owner was a little testy about our after hours arrival but when Art said fine, we'll just carry on down the road to the next one, he settled down a bit and became quite chatty.

When we said we didn't need the cable TV info he said "Oh, you have Shaw satellite?" (formerly Starchoice) to which we said yes. He asked if we wanted to buy a small Shaw receiver as he had ordered one and discovered that it it wouldn't receive the HD signals. This unit was identical to the small won that we had bought for the bedroom TV only to find that when the automatic dish was installed on the roof the third feed wasn't connected! We kept it as a spare then loaned it to a neighbour in Zihuatanejo. We'll get it back when they return to the island in June. We thought about it for a while then decided that we would be interested in a spare for a good price. In the morning Gillian responded to his offer of $75.00 (They are $99.00 in Canada) with $50.00 and the deal was done. Now we have to route the cable for the bedroom TV or we will have two spares!

Once we were parked and level, slides and dish extended, water and sewer connections done and tanks drained, etc. etc. Art entered the rig just after Gillian had returned from walking the dogs to find his whisky bottle ready on the galley counter. What a nice wife!

Next morning we had a leisurely start, departing at 9:30 for Yuma. On the way we called the RV shop about the Norcold (fridge) recall) and confirmed our appointment. We arrived at a park just across the freeway from Al's RV Service at noon, set up, went to the RV shop to check in, shopped at Fry's (grocery story) next door, the pet store on the other side and returned to the park.

Prices here are pretty high--$40.00 per night. They have a pool and laundry but the minimum for the laundry is $5.00!!!! Only wanting to do two loads and line dry them, Gillian opted to to a small hand wash. The big things can wait.

Internet too was expensive: $6.00 for 24 hours!. Art broke out our high gain antenna and went looking for a free one! No such luck, but was able to connect to the Flying J pay system for less that $5.00 for the 24 hours. He waited until 8:00PM to connect to make the most of tomorrow.


Just about sunset we wandered over to the pool and spent almost an hour or so lounging around and chatting with other RVers, mostly Canadian. Back at the rig we had dinner, (Lamb!!!--hard to find in Mexico), watched a bit of TV while Art pecked away on the blog for a short while before calling it a night and going to bed.

Wednesday we again had a leisurely morning, washing the windshield on the motorhome and scrubbing the asphalt and oil off the tow bar and the front of the tracker--souvenirs of Mexican road repaving. The service tech from Al's RV arrived as promised before noon and soon had the modification done to the Norcold fridge as per the recall notice--temperature sensor and small board that will shut the fridge off should the cooling unit boiler dangerously overheat. Done and gone by noon. Now we can relax.

Except the ice maker isn't working! Time for a break from the blog while we go and tend to that.

Ha! just plugged with frost etc--don't use it in Mexico. Now to dump the first load of ice, drain the old Mexican water and fill the tank again. Luxuries!

We were also planning our trip for tomorrow. We had thought to go north to Quartzite then west on I 10 around the north end of Los Angeles to Santa Barbara then north following the coast. Gillian said "You know, we are on the I 8, and San Diego is less that 200 miles away. . . ." Well she's the navigator. But. And it is a big "but" (will sister the English major forgive that grammatical construction) our GPS had quit. Off to the stores looking for a replacement. A few hours and two hundred bucks we had one that will serve. (Garmin 1450T) Not our first choice but the best available today.

Well that will have to do for now--Internet account runs out in 10 minutes and we have some bank stuff to deal with.

Maz to the border

We actually did get away from Mazatlan at a good hour, hitting the road at 7:00 AM! We did have a long day ahead of us! As soon as the dogs were walked and the rig ready we were rolling--waiting for nothing except a cup of coffee for Gillian to keep the navigator awake!

Due to the construction and traffic pattern changes going on in Mazatlan we retraced our inbound path via the north beaches to the cuota. At the first toll booth we pulled off to the side to feed the dogs and ourselves, a 45 minute stop.

On the road again at 8:15 we rolled through the toll booths (this was going to be an expensive toll day) we arrived at La Pilarica, a Pemex and truck stop in Los Mochis, roughly half way to Maz.

Refueled here, walked the dogs and Art had a very short lie down and we were rolling an hour later, at 1:45PM. During our stop Gillian had filled a travel mug with coffee to help keep Art awake on the drive.

Along the way on essentially straight flat good roads Art set the cruise control to various speeds and watched the effect of speed and fuel use. This was easy to do using our VMSps to monitor fuel use over the past 10 miles. At 80 Km/h (50 mph) we used 11.7 mpg (US gallons of course) Bringing the speed up closer to the speed limit our fuel use deteriorated to 10.4 mpg at 100 Km/h (61 mph). The speed limit for much of the route was 110 Km/h but we pretty well limited our speed to 100.

The tolls for the second half of the trip were slightly less than the first but still not cheap. Toll for the day totaled 1,538 pesos, about $125.00.

We beat sundown by very little if any, arriving at the Totonaka RV Park in San Carlos at 7:00 PM

We set up the satellite system, Gillian cooked dinner, we had a drink and Art went to bed as soon as he was fed! It had been a very long day!

We had called our friends Joe and Christine (whom we had first met in Zihuatanejo some five years ago) and arranged to meet them next morning for breakfast at the Marina Restaurant.

They arrived about 10:AM and we set off in their car for a very nice breakfast--Three of us opted for their Tortilla Espagnola (Spanish Omelet) in effect a fritata. Very nice. Gillian and I had to ask three times for our orange juice (fresh squeezed from fresh, sweet oranges) which when they finally arrived the waiter apologised profusely and said that there would be no charge for the juice. So we left him a good tip instead!






Joe and Christine then took us to a different marina, near where the former El Mariador RV park was located, to show us Joe's new boat--so we went off for a few hours fishing. No keepers, but Art caught two barracuda and Gillian and Christine hooked one each. All were released. We had been hoping for some dorado but. . . . .

They dropped us off back at the RV park so we could rescue the dogs from the rig and Art could take a nap and rest up after such a stressful day.

In the early evening we drove to their house for another visit and dinner, another wonderful time. Sad to be leaving tomorrow.

On the way back Art pulled into a Pemex to fill up the car and while there decided to check the oil, as we hadn't checked it for some time. The oil was fine, and he closed the hood. Or at least partially! The hinge on the driver's side bent instead of retracting! Close inspection showed that it had partially cracked, allowing the thin part left to bend!

Nothing to be done tonight, so much for an early start in the morning.

At least we had time for a good breakfast! A little after 8:00 AM Art went looking for a welder or autobody shop. No body shops in San Carlos, but he did locate a welder who would open at 9:00. Thinking about it Art felt that a body shop would be a better bet so he drove the 10 or 15 kilometers into Guymas. Asking at a Pemex, he discovered that one of the attendants had a brother who had a body shop!

A phone call was made, the man showed up very quickly and said that it was an easy repair: Remove the wipers, the plastic trim then the hinge. Weld and reinforce the break, paint and replace. More time than we really wanted to spend.

Art asked him if we could get the front latch to hold would it be safe to drive at highway speeds with the bent hinge and he assured me it would be. First the bodyman went over to the garbage barrel and returned with an empty oil container. He dribble a few drops in the front latch (which was a bit stiff) and a bit more on the broken hinge, Then we slowly closed the hood while Art pulled the front of the hood to the left and down, the bodyman pushed down on the hood above the hinge. With a click and a thump the hood was closed. Art was told "Don't open it!"

Art gave him 200 pesos for his time and expertise and returned to the RV and we were hooked up and on the way at 10:15. Who said you can't get things done in a hurry in Mexico?!

Before we left we realised that we had spent a significant portion of our pesos--barely enough for fuel, let alone another emergency or our return in the fall. We also hadn't taken a picture of AbqL the Traveling Rock in San Carlos so Gillian set out take care of those small chores while Art was running around San Carlos and Guymas trying to get the car fixed.

The mountains, or more properly hills or rock formations in the photo are known locally as "Las Tetas de Cabra" We'll let you look up the translation yourselves. These rock formations are the first sign that we are nearing San Carlos. El Mirador, the campground that we used to stay in here was located just on the other side. They hid the morning sun.

Looking back at the log book we found that a few years ago going this route we had left San Carlos at 8:45 (delayed by a black water hose incident if I remember correctly) and had arrived in Ajo Arizona at 7:00 PM. We had taken an hour and twenty minute fuel and Lunch break at a stop called Benjamin Hill-which we always refer to as "Benny Hill". Also that year the road from Santa Ana to Sonoyta was being rebuilt, the first half, as far as Caborca, was to be a toll road.

Hoping to minimise fuel and lunch stops, and knowing from the internet that the toll road was finished, we thought we'd make up most if not all of the lost time.

We had an unplanned 15 minute delay about 1:30 at a check point where the military check the rig inside and out for drugs, guns, etc. The soldier outside with Art asked if we had any books in English and Spanish, or if we had a small flashlight to give him. No on both accounts. Inside, the soldier asked Gillian for a beer. When she said "Not when you are working" he replied that he would drink it inside! Again, a no!

A short time later we stopped for a quick lunch at "Benny Hill" and were on the road at 2:08:PM.
Two years ago we had left our lunch stop at 1:40. We had knocked off an hour. So far so good.

Turning on to highway 2 at Santa Ana we found the new toll road to be in excellent condition and made good time--keeping to the speed limit for two reasons--fuel use and we didn't want a ticket at this time! We arrived at the vehicle import and immigration post at Km226 where we handed in our "tourist cards" and canceled 6 month car permit. The motorhome (along with trailers and boats) are allowed a 10 year permit so there was nothing to do there. Checking the log book, we were 5 minutes behind.

Since we were close now the the US Border we decided to take on some more Mexican diesel. At 9.09 pesos (77 cents)per liter it was likely to be a better deal than in the USA where we had heard it ran about $4.00 per US gallon, roughly a dollar a gallon more. In Sonoyta, the Mexican side of the border, we filled up--228 liters for 2072 pesos. Distance driven since last fill: 944 kilometers. From Los Mochis to here, 9.7 mpg (US gallon) and 11.7 to the Imperial gallon. The tank holds 90 US gallons (340 liters) so we have a pretty good range!

At the US Border there were no problems at all--The agent asked us a few questions; On your way back to Canada? Are you both Canadian Citizens? Where in Canada are you from? How long were you in Mexico? Do you have much in food stuffs? Fridge pretty much empty? Fruit? Veg? meat? Very friendly yet efficient.

He asked us it wait a few minutes as they wanted to do a training session with the search dog only on the outside of the vehicles. As the dog and handler approached Trekker and Tia sounded off of course to the amusement of the agent. The when they were right beside the open driver's window the handler gave the dog the "Find it" command and off went Trekker, nose to the floor, looking for what might have been dropped! We was quite put out that there was no treat of food to be found!