Easin' Along

We landed at Seabreeze RV Resort, a Navy campground in Seal Beach, CA. After a strong push across the country, it was fabulous to land in one campground and remain there for sixteen nights. Equally fantastic was the chance to be around our son and his family, who live 20 miles north of the campground.

Before arriving at Seal Beach, we experienced issues with our bedroom slide extending and retracting. The slide finally gave out at our stop at Fort Irwin, CA, and we could not get it to retract. Seal Beach was 200 miles away, and I would drive with the slide extended, but Helen had a better idea. Our route would take us through Barstow, CA, and she successfully located an RV Mobile repair technician (Fred) who would meet us in the Barstow Home Depot parking lot to investigate the problem. Fred reworked the wiring on the slide motor and had us on the road to Seal Beach in an hour and a half.

In the early days at Seal Beach, we used some time for repair and maintenance. One of our pantry shelves had fallen and needed some reworking. The trim around our front window had separated from the wall, and I reattached that. The heating element in our water burned out. I bought the last one available at Camping World and replaced it (thanks to a YouTube video).

A few days after arriving, we visited Justin’s neighborhood, where our granddaughter, Abby, and her friends stood for pictures after dressing up for the Winter Formal hosted by her High School. The young ladies were gorgeous, and the young men were strikingly handsome. The students gathered in a local park while their parents (and grandparents) took picture after picture.

Our Grandson, Carter, played in a two-day volleyball tournament conveniently held in Seal Beach. Helen and I felt fortunate to have the opportunity to watch the action. Carter’s team won more games than they lost, and Carter played very well. 

Helen and I don’t go out for meals very often, but when we’re in Southern California, I insist we visit Hennessey’s Irish Pub in Hermosa Beach. Carter and I each had the Dubliner Gourmet Burger.

I also insist I have my annual picture of Abby and me seated together, which we did this time. Abby doesn’t appear to be relishing the moment, but she probably had a lot on her mind. Her high school cheerleading team was on their way to Orlando for the National High School Cheerleading competition as the defending National Champions. This year, the team competed hard and took home the Bronze Medal. Third in the nation is still an outstanding accomplishment.

Southern California’s weather has been unusually wet and cold, and we spent much of the first week indoors. I can’t complain much about the rain because it is badly needed here, and thankfully, a lot of it fell in the Pacific Palisades area, where most of the wildfire damage occurred earlier in January.

Finally, the sun broke through, and we drove to Seal Beach’s historic downtown area to walk past the shops and onto the pier. The day was gorgeous, and the surfers were out in droves—most were excellent, and all were wearing wet suits. I have no idea what the water temperature was that day, but I’m confident it was very cold.

The Seal Beach Pier is nearly a half-mile long, with a large viewing area at the end. Many ships rested in the water, awaiting their turn to dock at the Port of Long Beach. One ship, moored way offshore, stood between me and Catalina Island. The words of the song by the Four Preps ran through my head:

“Twenty-six miles across the Sea, Santa Catalina is waiting for me…”

The song became an earworm and stuck with me all afternoon. If you want to make it your earworm, too, here’s a link to the lyrics:

https://genius.com/The-four-preps-26-miles-santa-catalina-lyrics

Enjoy your day…we’re Easin’ Along.  

Helen and I planned an RV trip to Southern California, arriving in time to celebrate our oldest son’s 50th birthday. We made all the reservations in advance and scheduled a departure date of January 10. If all went well, we would arrive in Seal Beach, California, in two and a half weeks.

The closer we got to January 10, the more ominous the weather reports became, and Knoxville was square in the path of a snowstorm that would blanket the South. Helen and I scurried about, and the January 10 departure suddenly became January 9. We beat the snowstorm by 24 hours. A neighbor and dear friend sent us a picture of our home dressed in white stuff.

Our original route was Interstate 40 West, but Memphis had seven inches of snow, so that was no longer an option. We took the Southern route to Montgomery, AL, Gulfport, MS, Lake Charles, LA, and beyond. Except for Gulfport, most of the stops were one-nighters, which were hard on this old body, but we managed to stay ahead of the snow. Once we reached Las Cruces, NM, we were out of trouble and could slow the pace.

We arrived in Cottonwood, AZ, and Dead Horse Ranch State Park with three-day reservations. The weather was cool, but the skies were bright and sunny. Cottonwood is about 12 miles southwest of the charming town of Sedona, AZ, and Red Rock State Park. Helen and I were game for hiking and took off for Red Rock to get the kinks out of our legs.

The elevation for Sedona, AZ, is about 4000 feet above sea level, and, with the wind chill, the “feels like” temperature was probably in the low 40s for our hike, but we pressed ahead. In the distance, we could see The House of Apache Fire, a home built for Helen and Jack Frye in the late 1940s. Helen was an artist, and Jack, an aviator, was President of TWA at the time.

We hiked along a winding hillside trail for over a mile and reached the home. From here, we had a 360-degree view of sentinels of red rock mountains and a commanding view of Oak Creek below. The home is closed to tourists, but information, including interior pictures, is posted on a significant marker next to a locked gate at the front.

After spending some time at the home and enjoying the view of the magnificent red mountains, we hiked back to the visitor center and then drove into Sedona for some sightseeing. We left Dead Horse Ranch grateful for the break.

Our next stop, which also lasted three days, was Lake Havasu, AZ, at Lake Havasu State Park. Understandably, Southern Arizona is a hot spot for snowbirds from northern climes seeking refuge from cold weather. We secured the last reservation available for the days we were there. Moreover, we had to spend one night in one campsite, then move to another for the following two nights. The second site was a little tight for our rig, but I landed on the pavement after some patient maneuvering. I bowed for about two minutes when I climbed out of the truck.

Helen and I drove into Lake Havasu City on our second day to do “touristy” things. We walked along the waterfront and peeked into a few shops, but nothing caught our eye for purchase. There were few people out and about on this delightful day.

Lake Havasu City is known for the London Bridge, which spans a portion of the lake downtown. After it failed, the London Bridge was torn down and replaced in the 1960s. Robert McCulloch, the developer of Lake Havasu City, bought the original bridge in 1968 and had it shipped to Lake Havasu with each stone marked for reassembly. McCulloch paid the city of London $2.5 million for the bridge and spent another $7 million on the reassembly. The London Bridge is the second largest draw for tourists in Arizona after the Grand Canyon.

We spent our last day gazing at beautiful Lake Havasu and the evening sunsets at the campground. Having traveled much of our country, I firmly believe Arizona has the best sunsets.

Six days in Arizona helped immensely to re-energize us for the trip’s final leg. We experienced some issues with our trailer but resolved most of them. I’ll provide details later. Helen and I arrived in Seal Beach, CA, on January 25 to celebrate Justin’s birthday on the 27th. Cheryl, Justin’s Mother-In-Law, had a splendid celebration planned for the occasion, and all of Wendy’s family joined the party. We had a grand time.

We will be in Seal Beach for two weeks, then head down the coast. We plan to return home in late March, but we have not yet mapped that portion of our journey. Please stay with us; we love having you along for the ride.

We’re Easin’ Along.

After seven years of RVing, Helen and I are comfortable declaring ourselves “veterans of the road.” We’ve traveled through every state of the Lower 48 and camped in all but a few of them. We have our list of favorites, but I have never taken the time or space to point them out. I decided to change that for 2024 and hand out the “Best of 2024” awards in several categories of RV travel. Follow along and see why we chose life on the road to keep us active and involved during retirement…the best gig ever. 

Best Beach

If a campground doesn’t offer water in some form (beach, creek, lake), I’m not likely to get excited. Helen and I camped in some fabulous beach campgrounds in 2024–here are the top two:

Runner-up: Point Mugu, CA, a picturesque campground a few miles north of Malibu, CA. The beach, sheltered by a tall berm on the eastern side, is always calm and inviting.

Winner: Edisto Beach, SC. Helen and I have camped here for over six years and will return every November for as long as possible. The sunsets over the marsh are a work of art, and the sunrises over the beach are invigorating and a fabulous way to start the day.

Best Meal

Runnerup: Cocoanut Curry Salmon. We discovered this meal online and prepared it in the kitchen of our trailer. We’re convinced that it is as good as anything we could find in an expensive restaurant.

Winner: Hunt’s Oyster Bar, Panama City, FL. I love good seafood gumbo, raw oysters, and “old Florida” restaurants. Hunts serve the best oysters—fresh, cold, and big. The gumbo is some of the best I’ve ever tasted.

Best Military Campground

Runner-up: Pelican Roost—Mayport Naval Station, FL. This campground sits right on the bay in Jacksonville. I enjoy watching the big Navy ships leave the nearby marina for missions around the globe. The campground is well-maintained, and the staff is phenomenal.

Winner: Fiddler’s Cove-Coronado Beach, CA. This campground offers plenty of waterfront sites overlooking Coronado Bay and the Coronado Skyline. Hotel Del Coronado is visible beyond the sailboats in the marina. We have camped here several times, and I consider it my favorite military or commercial campground through seven years of camping.

Best Meetup:

We met up with many friends in 2024, but two meetings stand out.

Runner-up: In San Antonio, we arranged to meet Ed and Mary Jo, a couple who lived across the hallway from us when we were stationed in Wurzburg, Germany. We enjoyed a delightful lunch on the outskirts of San Antonio and promised to stay in touch.

Winner: I consider my trips to the western U.S. complete only if we can spend time with Paul and Dayna. They were also friends during our Army tour in Wurzburg, but I’ve never met anyone like them in the fifty years since. Both are talented and energetic, and Paul is hilarious. I cherish our friendship.

Best Sunset:

Runnerup: We camped about five feet from the water’s edge in Eastpoint, FL, and had the primo site. Throughout our stay, we enjoyed spectacular sunsets every evening.

Winner: Our campsite in Edisto gave us an incredible marsh view. The weather was perfect during our stay, and the sun setting over the marsh was an extraordinaire photo op.

Best Group Outing:

This award had no challengers. Every year, we go to Big South Fork National Recreational Area with a large group from our church. The campout offers Helen and me an opportunity to meet and spend time with the young families in our congregation. We love our church and the members of the congregation–this gathering is always memorable.

Biggest Thrill:

Runnerup: Helen and I were in Florida in January, and our granddaughter, Abby, was traveling to Disney World for the National High School Cheerleading Championships. We adjusted our schedule to be in Orlando for the competition. Her high school team had never had a competitive team before 2024, but that didn’t matter. Abby and her talented teammates won the National Championship in their Division. What a thrill for the entire family.

Winner: Nothing competes with family time. In August, our kids and grandkids met for a reunion in Santa Barbara, CA. Words are insufficient to describe what this experience meant to Helen and me. I can tear up thinking about it because reunions only get more challenging as the grandchildren grow older. Remember, we’re bi-coastal grandparents, and the time-distance barrier makes it difficult to get together.

Best (or favorite) Picture

Mortimer and I had an encounter over lunch in Florida.

This post only skims the surface of the highlights of 2024. We’re forever grateful to the readers who trekked along with us. We begin another journey in January and sincerely hope you’ll be with us. We’re Easin’ Along.