I broke the rules

Yes, I broke one of my fulltimer rules today. The rule is, 2X2X2. What this is, is drive no more than 200 miles a day, get off the road by 2:00p, and stay for at least 2 days. Our usual trip from San Diego to Lake Havasu City includes a stopover in Indio. When I reached Indio today, the wind was at my back, the motorhome was running great, and I was comfortable so I kept on going. 5 ½ hour later, 325 miles later we were in Lake Havasu City. I was going to stop in Ehrenburg for propane, a sandwich, and a short break but the Flying J was so packed I stopped long enough for a potty break and got the heck out of there. I then remember once before saying I would never stop there again. Well here we are, back in Lake Havasu City. We had a big meeting on our patio this evening as all our friends came to welcome us back.

I hate to burst their bubble

We meet all kinds of interesting people here at the campground. It kind of reminds me of my old bartending days. Some are real nice genuine people and some are just plane weirdoes. The ones that continue to crack me up are the ones that are living in their own fantasy world. Last year, for instance, we had a guy living in the campground in a little pink Barbie tent. I don’t even know how he fit inside. He would tell me how he owns a few racehorses over at the Del Mar Race Track. One day I saw him across the street pushing a shopping cart full of aluminum cans he had collected. Just the other day I had to shut down a fellow that was playing an electric guitar. He was telling me he has over 60 rare guitars and gets $60 an hour setting up Rolling Stone concerts. He lives in an old motorhome with a busted window. He also rides around the campground on his bike in a UPS uniform. These people are living in their own fantasy world and I don’t want to be the one to tell them otherwise. If they want to be a millionaire in their own mind, who am I to tell them otherwise. I just listen and smile.

Getting ready for the move

Tomorrow is packing day and Saturday we are out of here. I am excited to get back on the road again, even if it is just to Lake Havasu where we will sit for a month. One month I can handle, three months was just too long. Who knows, we may not sit for a month. You never know when something may come up. We will be free to travel. It has been getting pretty cold here at the beach. I went out to temperatures in the 30s this morning. It never got over 55º today. It is a good thing we are moving because I just checked the propane the other day and we are close to having no hot water.

Merry Christmas

Winding down

We are on the down hill slope now. We have one more week to go here at the Campground. I am defiantly ready. This is the longest period we have stayed put in all the time we have been full timing. You learn from experiences and we have learned that 3 months is too long. We are signed up for our usual 2 months next year.

Susan has just finished her Christmas baking and the motorhome is filled with cookies and fudge. She has made up plates of goodies for all our friends. Yesterday we delivered some to the Park Aids, Rangers, and other Camp Hosts here at the park. She also made a batch for my homeless friends I make here every year. They sure appreciate that.

Not on my watch

Not much happens on the weekdays this time of year. We are less than ¼ full and everyone is well behaved. Today would have been another ho hum day here at the campground. Well not quite. I was on my rounds and noticed a pool company truck parked in one of the sites. I though this was a bit unusual since no one seemed to be around and there was no tent or camping gear. I just figured it was a visitor to another site and let it go for now. After an hour I got a little more suspicious so I walked into the site to look for a campsite tag or visitors pass on the truck. I spotted the campsite tag and noticed a person lying on the front seat of the truck. Still a little unusual I thought but nonetheless he was registered so I went to the entrance station to see if they needed anything. While at the entrance a Sheriff car came speeding into the campground, lights flashing and siren blasting. I followed the Sheriff car through the campground and they headed right for the pool company truck. Both deputies got out, guns drawn and moved to the front of the truck. Not much I could do at this point so I went back to block the entrance to that part of the campground. Soon 5 or 6 more patrol cars showed up along with a fire truck and an ambulance. Seems the guy checked in to the campsite to check out. In other words he attempted suicide with drugs and alcohol. I still am not sure how the Sheriffs knew he was there. The only thing I can figure is he made a 911 call. I guess he’s all right but he is now on our BOL (be on the lookout) list.

Much better

My back is much better and I am back to my normal antics again. I still have a little pinching in the back but that should go away soon. Man, I was hurting for a while.

Well we are ready for Christmas. Susan has got the shopping done, notice I say Susan, and the tree and decorations are up.

We get quite a few looks from the camper that pass by the motorhome since we have displays on the dash and a small lighted tree on the steering wheel table. All that’s left is the goodies. Susan always bakes up a storm with all kinds of Christmas goodies. Most are given away to friends and family.

It’s been getting pretty cold around here, relatively speaking. I know it is miserably cold in other parts of the country but when I have to go out to do my morning check at 7:00a and it’s 41°, that’s cold to me. It might get up into the high 50s to low 60s for a while during the day but by 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon it starts to chill out again. At least we are cozy with our fireplace in the evenings.

Laid up

Well the storm came and went. Not much of a storm this time. The weather has taken a turn for the better. Although it is still chilly, the sun is shining and there is not a cloud in the sky. This is very aggravating for me because my back is giving my fits. I have had degenerative arthritis of the spine for quite some time and for the most part it is fine. Heck sometimes I don’t even notice it at all, or maybe I just got used to always having a little back pain. Well since the weather was bad all three weekend days, I did nothing but sit inside and cruise the internet. This is the worst thing I could do for my back. Activity seems to keep it limber. Well I woke Sunday morning with a pretty sore back and just happened to flinch just right to send it into spasms. I could barely move all day yesterday. Today is better but I still am moving kind of slow and not making any sudden moves. It should be back to normal, for me, in a couple of days. Fortunately I have been off duty from Saturday and don’t go back on until Tuesday afternoon. I will still be moving a little slow but at least I should be able to make my rounds.

New storm

They (the national weather service) say that we are in for a good storm this weekend. I have gone around and warned some of the tent campers. We also had some early checkouts today. Some campers were due out tomorrow but decided to pack it up today rather than in the rain tomorrow. Also according to our reservation service there are 43 cancellations for tomorrow. I have read two different forecasts for the weekend. One says very bad storm and the other is a lot more less threatening. I have put things away and rolled up the awnings and am prepared for the worst. I just hope it isn’t too bad tomorrow morning since I have the AM shift. After that it can do what it wants because we have the next 3 days off. Here are a few photos from last weeks storms.

Our beach disappeared because of high tide. This poor girl was trying to walk her dog on what used to be a beach.

Note the water line on the cliffs as the tide goes out.

Here is a photo of some of the erosion in the park. These trees have given way to the sea.

And of course storms always mean killer sunsets.

No not Hawaii

This is a photo of the surf off the coast just north of the campground this morning. As you can see, many surfers braved the challenging waves to get that big ride. We had big surf last year also and there were many rescues and one death but this year it hasn’t been bad. There were plenty of lifeguards on duty including many in the surf on Jet Skis. By noon most of the surfers were gone and the Skis were on their trailers. Tomorrow will be some of the same but the waves are going to be diminishing in the next few days. This weekend we are expecting more rain though. We just got cleaned up from the rain last weekend.

What a mess

What a weekend. I woke Friday morning to the sound of rain on the roof of the motorhome. It was still a while before I needed to do my morning rounds so I laid there listening to the rain. By luck, the rain slowed by the time I went to do my rounds. We were expecting over 100 campers to arrive Friday afternoon but the steady rain all day kept most away. Some called and canceled and some called saying they would show if the rain let up but most didn’t call at all. The ones that did show found some sites flooded and some impossible to get into due to the washed out transition from the road to campsite. One even had to call a tow truck after driving into a deep rut. By night fall the rain really started to fall. The 10 X 20 canopy in our site filled with water and came down with a crash, bending a few poles. The wind blew over some of the rain soaked bamboo fencing in our site. By morning the rain had stopped but the damage was done. The roads were filled with mud and campsites were a mess. Since the rain stopped the campers started to show up. We filled up pretty good with all the late arrivals wanting to at least get their 1 night out of 2 in. Even though the sites were a mess and some still filled with mud, the campers seemed to have a good time. Well it is now Sunday evening and most have gone home now. Monday should be a slow day as it usually is this time of year. I have mended fences and will pick up a few parts to repair the canopy. At least the rain did a good job washing the dirt and ocean off the motorhome. Now all I need to do is apply a coat of wax. The weather report is saying we will get more rain next weekend. Hopefully it will be a bit lighter than the last.

National RV closes operations

I just read that National RV in Perris California has shut down its operations today. 600 Employees were handed a letter this morning stating they were all laid off and the plant will be closing. It went on to say that this is a permanent closer and layoff. National RV is a manufacturer of Class A gas and diesel motorhomes. You may recognize their models as Dolphin, Sea Breeze, Tradewinds, and Tropi-cal. I guess they have been struggling for a few years now. We were within 30 minutes of buying a Dolphin just before we bought our Rexhall. I was cautioned about buying my Rexhall. A few people said they were going out of business soon. So far, it looks like I made the right choice. See the new 2008 Rexhalls here.

650-horsepower diesel

If I were to buy a Diesel powered motorhome, this is what I would want in it. The problem is, this engine probably cost as much as my present motorhome and can only be found in a million dollar plus coach. I can dream can’t I?

Cummins Introduces 650-HP Diesel Engine
RV Business
Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Cummins Inc. introduced a new 650-horsepower diesel engine for luxury motorhomes, the ISX 650, at the National RV Show in Louisville, Ky., on Tuesday (Nov. 26).

The ISX 650, with 1950 lb-ft of torque, represents a new level of performance in the premium motorhome market, the company said in a news release.

“The Cummins ISX delivers superior performance through the use of its in-house core technologies, including Cummins’ advanced electronic controls, patented VG Turbo, high-pressure fuel system, combustion technology and exhaust aftertreatment,” the company stated. “The new ISX 650 is fully integrated with the Allison 4000 MH model automatic transmission. The Allison 4000 MH model is rated up to 650 HP and 1950 lb-ft of torque. This rating and transmission integration demonstrates the ongoing collaborative efforts between Cummins and Allison Transmission.”

According to Mark Conover, Cummins’ director-RV Business, “We’ve listened to motorhome customers and understand that horsepower and performance are top of mind. The ISX 650 will provide exceptional acceleration, improved ability to climb steep grades, better downhill speed restraint with superior braking horsepower and all-around first-rate performance.”

This one got away

I survived!

Well it’s over and they have all gone home. The campground has pretty much emptied out. We have been full since Monday and now they are gone. We can relax now. For the most part everyone was well behaved but we did get our share of idiots.

I did had a little help from Security however.

He had to poke his nose in everyone’s business, especially if there was food involved.

Our daughter and her husband brought their motorhome to spend a few days with us along with some good friends. We had the greatest time.

And of course there was Thanksgiving with the family and friends. I did my usual turkey on the grill and it came out great. With the engineering background in me I can’t just toss the bird on the grill.

I hooked it up with remote temperature sensors to monitor the inside turkey temp and kettle temp. No guess work here. We are Hi Tech. We also had ham and all the thanksgiving dinner fixings. Oh and don’t forget the pies.

The weather was good and now that everyone has gone it has turned to cloudy and cool.

Full again

The campground is full again. We had 110 campers come in today. Funny thing though, I thought most would stay through Thanksgiving day but that is not true. I think I counted only 2 that are staying. According to the reservation system the campground will be full but they will be coming and going all week. I guess not everyone can get a whole week off for Thanksgiving. I am glad the guy right next to me is only staying for 2 nights. One of the first things he did when he pulled in was fire up his generator and it hasn’t been off since. Last year we had a group that took up pretty much the whole area down where we are. They were the type that didn’t think the rules pertained to them at all. I heard they might not be here this year.

I was in the right place at the right time again today. I was checking out a beehive in one of the sites when a surfer came up from the beach bleeding from the face. He told me he got hit by his board and needed help. I got on my campground radio and had the lifeguards there within minutes. Turns out the guy was OK, just a good blow to the nose. While waiting for the lifeguards I took a look at his nose, and a look at his surfboard and said, “If it’s any consolation, your board looks worse than your nose.” His board had a pretty good ding in it.

Susan and I passed our test! We both had our physicals and passed with flying colors. I think it has a lot to do with our lifestyle and the fact that we are a bit health conscious and Susan prepares healthy meals.

After sunset

Well I got plenty of sunset pictures but here is an after sunset picture.

It’s kind of like a bonus. Last night after the sun had completely gone down and it was dark the moon was shinning over the water. The ocean was so calm that the reflection was killer.

It’s a damn good thing I am not driving the motorhome in California for these 3 months. California gas prices are the highest in the country. I paid $3.50 a gallon to fill the car the other day. The car is bad enough. I wouldn’t want to fill the motorhome right now.

Finally a nice day

The weather was just great today. It’s back to shorts and flip-flops for me. What a nice change from the last couple of days where we had rain and the temperatures didn’t get any higher than the low 60s. The day started out early for Susan and I. It was our day to start our medical checkups. We went to the clinic this morning to have blood drawn. Our grandson got a kick out of watching them pull blood from his Papa’s arm. After that we all went out for a big breakfast since we had to fast before the blood draw.

I was out wandering around our end of the campground this afternoon since I am off duty. As I was heading back to the motorhome I spotted a girl in a wetsuit hobbling up from the beach. Huh…Stingray sting I bet. So I went over to see if my hunch was right. A soon as she spotted me she asked for hot water. Knowing that hot water is the best thing for a stingray sting I asked, Stingray and she answered, yes. Fortunately I was close to the motorhome so I told her to stay put and went for a bucket of hot water. I returned with a chair, a bucket of hot water, and our Camp Host radio. I called for the Host on duty who informed the Ranger on duty and soon the Lifeguards were on scene. A Stingray has never stung me but this is the second one I have seen. Although not life threatening, it sure looks painful.

Well this is how the day ended.

Even with clear skies, the sunset was great.

Surprise rain

We were woken last night to the sound of rain on the roof. Not just drizzle but down right rain. I climbed out of my nice warm bed to lower one side of the awning so the water would not pool up inside. This ruins many awnings. Then I crawled back into my warm bed, briefly thought about all the tent campers, and fell back to sleep to the sound of rain on the roof. When we woke this morning the rain had stopped and the sun was shining. It turned out to be a great day. This was totally unexpected. Even the weather forecasters didn’t have a clue.

Many spent the afternoon exploring the tide pools.

Later a surfer takes a brief time out to catch the sunset.

Back to normal

Ah, the sounds of pounding tent stakes, wood pallets being broken apart, kids playing, and the smell of campfires. It’s back to normal down at our end of the park. Sure our solitude is gone, but it’s kind of nice to see the families getting settled in for the weekend. We had over 130 campers check in today. This weekend is our Saturday off so we are free until Tuesday afternoon. I am sure I will have to remind a few campers of the rules and assist a few others but… that’s what I’m here for.

Loosing our solitude

Tomorrow the whole park will be open again. Our end of the park has been closed down for maintenance for about a month now and it sure has been nice and quiet down here. This is not to say that I had the month off since us Hosts cover the whole park. It’s been much easier with half the park closed down meaning half the people but not necessarily half the problems. I took the opportunity to do an oil change on the motorhome. Even though I have a few more privileges than the average camper since I live here fulltime for 3 months, I am not sure if oil changes are one of them and didn’t want other campers to think they can do the same.

If you ever want to experience how crazy some people can be, try Camp Hosting. The other night I thought it was rather strange that one of the bathrooms was locked every time I passes it. I finally informed the Rangers that we might have a “Bathroom Camper”. Sure enough, one of our local homeless took up residency in the bathroom. We have a “Crazy Lady” that every conversation with her becomes a confrontation. The other night she confronted the wrong person (Ranger) and almost went to jail. She was ejected from the park, but she will be back.

As with most State Park campgrounds along the California coast, a train runs very near the park. During the day it’s not too bad since only the local commuter trains run. These are modern, short and fast so the noise is minimal and it is over with quick. The problem is at night when the slow moving, long freight trains come through. They are pretty noisy. We have had campers check out early because they couldn’t handle the noise. They said they were heading home to get a vacation from their vacation.