Wow! So many bye for now gatherings, old friends, new friends, sailing friends! Thank you all so much for braving the new post Covid Vaccine world and coming out for handshakes and hugs! Special thank you to our amazing friends Craig, Lauren, Will, Caroline, Jackson, Pancho and Choco for the Big Venue in SF. Sam for tending the Bar at Bay View Boat Club,. Jessica and Anna for the picnic. Debi & Kevin for the Winters Cowboy Paddling Pool Chill weekend, not so chill at 118 degrees. Hugs & Love to you all!
After last minute dash to deliver boxes to storage container via Treasure Island we had a chance to say goodbye to the lovely San Francisco ....
.. and after a farewell party of sailing friends at the Bay View Boat Club.
We were finally ready to get on the road.
July 9th at 11:50AM - Leaving San Francisco - 0 (zero) miles datum
After weeks of packing, goodwill bags and packing/prepping the Airstream we are ready for the off. Ruby & Big Al are ready! Teary farewell with James, Francesca, Juliette and Chelsea, and Lauren, Pancho & Choco. We will see you all very soon.
July 9th - July 11th - Winters, CA - 110 miles and 118 degrees Farenheit
Winters was the first stop 118 degrees, Debi & Kevin welcomed us to their new home and Big Al & Ruby fitted in very well outside. After tripping a few of their fuses we gave up trying to get the 1957 AC to work in the extreme heat, Cowboy pool and paddling pool beckons.
July 11th - July 14th - Lassen, CA - Total 415 miles - including side trips
After the England v Italy game, we licked our wounds and started the drive to Lassen Volcanic National Park - now Ruby's AC (Truck) was having trouble to stay ahead of the heat. Melting and grumpy, Baldwins do not do well in heat. Finally we get to Lassen a balmy 98 degrees, a shady spot and we have a nap!.
On Monday, We are on the hiking trail by 8 am for Bumpass Hell, a cauldron of steaming fumarole and sulphur. Afternoon Siesta back at the campsite and fix a few things, running lights, a little light plumbing and window seals
On Tuesday we have an early morning start for the Kings Creek Falls and Trail to Bench Lake, which is now completely dry :(. Lots of watching where the Cal Fires are as there is an App. Another afternoon Siesta and carrying on with the little fixes. Trailers have quite the shaky journey and we have a list of things to check before we start and when we stop.
Challenges Overcome at Lassen:
Running Lights - this was a saga which involved undoing all of James's work and we eventually found the source of the short in one of the 15 lights. (BTW - not James's :)
Windows are getting close to completion
July 14th - July 16th - Brookings via Trinidad - Total 705 miles
We leave Lassen by 10 am and on the road via Reeds Ace hardware store for our 3rd lunch in a row. Chatted with a lovely couple who have been RVing for 3 years and 47 National Parks and want to try and visit every one of them. They mentioned the 101 closure due to a landslide south of Crescent City and the timing of its opening. An amazing drive via Redding and onto 299 to Arcata, amazing scenery, gorges, Shasta Lake, still very hot. We finally get to the coast and decide to stay at a Rest Area, sketch wifi better if you are at the picnic tables overlooking the ocean, then back to the parking lot with the truckers and all the other overnight vehicles and RAIN, yes RAIN and 55 degrees.
Early morning start and a stop at the Log Cabin for breakfast at Klamath, yummy old style cabin with Emu's in the field next door. Elk are also everywhere. We queued up to get through the landslide, so well organized, a golf cart came by with free bottles of water and granola bars.
During the travelling to Oregon we overcame these challenges:
Gas Regulator
Plumbing Leak
We then decided to stay at Harbor near Brookings Oregon for a night or two. This is where our former yacht NautiDreams was spinning after the Tsunami in March 2011. NautiDreams was our old Swan 44 that the new owners were taking up the Coast and took refuge in Harbor and then she was filmed spinning out towards the ocean from the sucking force of the Tsunami. See 26 seconds into youtube video
See photo below to see what it looks likes now:
... and then our first real problems started. There is a terrible clunking sound from the rear of the truck when we turn - it is OK when we go forward. After unhitching at the RV park, Peter tried to find an auto shop that can help. Unfortunately the initial recommendation had closed for Covid but after a quick Google search Peter found "Top Gear" (formerly known as Tranny Man, and yes that is a 1920s tricked out Model T ) .......
After a bit of to and fro over timing, we managed to persuade him to dismantle the differential to see what's up. Unfortunately the parts are going to take until Monday to arrive, but hopefully this will solve the problem.
In the meantime, we will spend 5 days in Brookings !!!!
On Friday went for a hike into Brookings center and then to the cliff edges. So pretty, warm with a lovely ocean breeze.
