Malibu Beach - July 10-12

We arrived at Malibu Beach RV Park and were absolutely awed by how beautiful it was...The view from the campsite was breathtaking! We couldn't say enough good things about this location!  It will definitely be hard for any other locations to match this one!  Just take a look at the views:

Looking out the ramp door at the view from our site

Is she HAPPY or what???

If you look closely, you can see Barb sitting at the table enjoying the view 

(second trailer from the right)

Tim and the Super Glide at Malibu Beach

We took the Superglide for a ride in the Santa Monica Mountains on Sunday.  We rode the Mulholland Highway to the Rock House where we took a break for lunch and then on to Piuma Road through the mountains and eventually back to the Pacific Coast Highway.  At that point we'd had so much fun riding the curves that we decided to go up Malibu Canyon Road and back.  The riding was gorgeous and gave Tim a chance to really get into the curves.  The temperatures were mild and made the ride that much more enjoyable.  To end our day, we took the bike to dinner at Neptune's Net and had some outstanding clam chowder, ceviche and fish tacos - YUM.

The start of the section called "The Snake" on Mulholland Highway.

Come ride "The Snake" with us!

Tim taking a break from the road at the Rock Store

Barb showing you why it's called the Rock Store

Barb and Tim with Santa Monica Mountains in the background.

We could see the ocean from here and LA is behind the mountains.

Barb with Malibu Canyon and Malibu Canyon Road leading to the Pacific

Tim at an overlook on Piuma Road

Monday was spent at the Getty Villa and were awestruck by the Greek and Roman antiquities that were in the collection.  We went on a tour and then spent all afternoon browsing the exhibits.

The Getty Villa modeled after the Villa dei Papiri

Mommy looking at the Mummy

Looking down at the pool in the atrium

Internal garden with 5 statues of women that are reproductions of Roman Bronze sculptures from 

the 1st century AD found at Villa dei Papiri

One of the many fountains at the Villa

Next was a trip to the Santa Monica Pier where we took in the sights on the pier and enjoyed the ocean views.

Santa Monica Pier

Santa Monica Pier and Beach

Tim at the end of Santa Monica Pier

All too soon our time in Malibu Beach had come to an end and we were again hooked up and on the road - this time to Santa Margarita.

Loading up and strapping down the bike

Angeles Crest Highway - July 9

On the recommendation of a friend, Chris Haines, we took off from Desert Hot Springs on Friday to spend the day riding the '42 on the Angeles Crest Highway.  We got a day pass for the Angeles National Forest and found out where we could part the van to take the Harley out to ride the Highway.  We enjoyed riding the winding, curvy road and climbing to over 8,000 feet.  Views were spectacular!  We stopped for lunch at Newcomb's Ranch and then proceeded to finish the remainder of our route.  On the way back to the van, the bike experienced battery problems and stranded us 14 miles from the van.  Tim flagged down a good samaritan and she willingly drove Barb back to get the van.  Barb then drove back to collect Tim and the bike.  The remaining drive out on the Crest Highway was filled with frequent stops to oogle & photograph the gorgeous sunset.

Tim's first time starting the '42 at this altitude

Our starting point - and the road only went up from here!

Mountain view on the Angeles Crest Highway

As we rose in altitude we could see past the mountains to the Mohave Desert

Mountains & Canyons

Lunch at Newcomb's Ranch was another great suggestion from Chris Haines

New growth is returning after the 2009 fires

Rescued, reloaded and ready to head back to camp

Yucca in bloom

Sunset from the Crest Highway

A beautiful sunset on the Angeles Crest Highway

Desert Hot Springs - these are the times that try men's souls.....

We departed Phoenix 7:00 PM on July 7 heading for Caliente Springs RV Resort in Desert Hot Springs, CA (We have since renamed it Diablo Hot Springs!).  Our reservations had been confirmed for late arrival and we were told our packet, which included the code of the gate and directions to our site, would be left at the gate for us.  When we arrive at 2:00 AM, road weary & ready to spend the first night in our new home, there was no packet in sight.... Surprise, surprise.  What do we do now?  The exit side of the gate was open so Barb took a walk to see if there might be a packet somewhere else.  She found signs to the office so we managed to wiggle our way through the exit gate and down to the registration office.  The office was locked and there was still no packet to be found.  Since the RV park was extremely dark, we weren't sure where and if we could set up so back out the gate we go.  Next stop, the Wally World parking lot in Palm Springs.  We bedded down by about 3:00 AM only to discover around 6:30AM that the airport runway was adjacent to the Walmart parking lot.  It sounded like the jets were right on top of us!

Since the Caliente Springs office did not open until 10:00 AM, we spent the next few hours perusing Walmart.  When the office opened, we were there to pick up our packet.  When we got to our assigned site, imagine our surprise when instead of a pull thru site, there was a 3 foot berm where one site backed up to the other making it impossible to pull thru.  In order to back into our assigned site, we would have to navigate over a curb... definitely not ideal.  Back to the office we went, on foot this time, to see if there was a pull thru site.  It turned out, there were none.  The staff member in the office was on his second day on the job and was not familiar with any aspect of RVing or what their facility had to offer for sites.  He finally told us to pick any one we wanted and just let him know which site we chose.

We picked a site and Tim backed it in like he'd been doing it for years.  We finished the set up and headed for a much needed shower.  Barb finished her shower first and headed back to the air conditioned comfort of their new home.  She inserted the key into the door lock and just like everything else so far, it did not cooperate.  No matter how hard she tried, the lock would not turn...not only that but the key wouldn't come out of the lock either.  Oh, and by the way did we mention it was 103 degrees?

Tim arrived back at the trailer, after a refreshing shower to find a very hot, very frazzled Barb.  After unsuccessful attempts with the key, we went to the office to use the phone since our cell was locked in the trailer.  AAA said they would send a locksmith, but wouldn't pay for it.  At this point we were desperate so we told them to send the locksmith and we'd worry about the payment.  The help that they sent ended up being a tow truck driver with no locksmith ability.  Because he was of no help, he left.  We then tried a locksmith on our own but were told it would take a minimum of 4 hours for him to arrive. He suggested saturating the lock with WD-40.  Tim then opened the ramp with his key so he could get his wallet & money and go to the auto parts store.  Thanks to the suggestion of the locksmith, the WD-40 worked like a charm and Barb's key was finally freed from the lock.

The site we chose at Caliente Springs RV Resort

Our neighbors

Sandstorm - our vacation home on wheels!

Hard to believe but the day finally arrived for us to take possession of our brand new 2011 Sandstorm Toy Hauler.  We drove from Phoenix to Beaumont, CA to take care of all the paperwork and then drove back across the CA state line to AZ.  We had to jump through hoops due to the CA law requiring us to have a transporter take it across the state line which would then allow us to pay FL taxes instead of the high CA state tax.  Once our van was finally connected to the Sandstorm, we drove back to Phoenix to Casa Conley for one last night before loading up and heading westward.

Our new Toy Hauler

All hooked up and ready to roll

The Sandstorm - all 26' 5"

Casa Conley - Phoenix - June 25- July 7

On the way to pick up the travel trailer in California, we stopped by Phoenix for a visit with Jerry and Cynthia after our dash across the country.  Our short stop stretched into 12 days and Jerry and Cynthia were wonderful hosts.  We spent many nights eating, telling stories & laughing.  Dee was home and we were able to spend some time visiting with her and even had several opportunities to "google video chat" with Mary who is on a dig in Greece.

Barb, Jerry, Dee, Cynthia, and her mother Melba enjoying a family dinner

Barb and Jerry

Barb enjoying a morning walk on the Desert Classic Trail

Cynthia, Jerry, Barb and Tim enjoying a wine tasting in Jerome, AZ, an old mining town.

Cynthia and Jerry await dinner in Prescott after a day of wine tasting

The Cross Country Leg

The next leg of our trip took us to Maggie Valley, NC to visit our friends at the Wheels Through Time Museum. Though the visit was all too short, we enjoyed having a few hours with Dale, Matt, Knealey and their new addition, Stella.

Matt, Knealey and cute little Stella

Barb, Dale and his Harley Twin that he will be riding in the Cannonball Run

From Maggie Valley, we took I-40 across the country to Arizona.  We rolled smoothly along through North Carolina, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and finally Arizona.  

We met the owners of this beautiful Model T in Arkansas.  They have driven it extensively throughout the US and Canada.

                           

Tim at Cadillac Ranch in Texas

El Racho Hotel - Gallup, New Mexico. The place for movie stars to stay from the 40's thru the 60's

Front Royal, VA

After leaving Gloucester, we spent 2 days in Front Royal, VA visiting my brother, Jack and his wife, Bette. We were able to celebrate Father's Day with them and also got to see my niece Pam and her friend Brian.  We had wonderful visit and were able to see some wildlife you don't see every day - a bear walking down the street in front of their house.  Unfortunately he left too quickly to get any pictures.  But bears aren't the only wildlife that frequent their property.  Hummingbirds love their deck and deer graze in the orchard behind their home.

Jack, Pam, Brian & Bette

Hummingbird on the back deck

Bette, Barb & Jack