Day 55 - Ventura, CA

Well, here we are, finally at home after all these weeks.  Seems a little strange!  Geri says that she's still got her sea legs, and feels like she's on the coach.  I'm doing fine, except now I've got that darned cat back in  my life.  Don's a little tired, after fighting his way down the 101 all day.  But we're all glad to be here, safe and sound. 

I have to tell you about our walk this morning.  Don took me down to the beach at Moss Landing, something he always does when we are there.  I'm always impressed by the surf, and I remember how excited Buddy used to get when we were at the ocean.  He would always use his demand bark until Don or Geri threw something out into the water for him to swim out to retrieve.  The further you threw it, the better he liked it.  I don't have quite the same feeling about the surf.  I respect it, and I'm a little afraid of it, so I don't go into it.  I will get my paws wet if I can't outrun it, but that doesn't happen much.  This morning, I was standing just at the surf line, looking out at the ocean.  Suddenly, about twenty feet in front of me, a head popped out of the water!  He was looking straight at me, like he was taunting me to come in after him!  Don urged me to go out to him, but I was frozen!  I turned and ran back to Don, hoping that he would tell me what that creature was.  I wasn't disappointed; Don told me that it was a Harbor Seal, a friendly mammal type animal, who probably wanted to play with me.  Well, too bad; I don't play much on dry land with other dogs, much less with aquatic mammals in the ocean.  Sorry to disappoint him.  But I did have a good time running on the beach, and getting my paws a little wet.

Geri is still flabbergasted over the events of last night, it was a magnificent surprise for her.  Carol,
Mikey and the boys are to be congratulated on the smooth way they brought it off.  I'm just glad that Gary didn't present her with another dog, like he did at the last surprise party.  It was a really fun evening for everyone, including me!

We always ask our fellow travellers at the end of each journey which town or city was their favorite during the trip.  Here's the results this time:

Geri: Coeur d'Alene, Idaho,  because of the beauty of the setting, and the lovely downtown area
Don: Wallace, Idaho, because it had retained it's Gold Rush identity so well, with well preserved period buildings and a frontier aura
Me: Lynnwood, Washington, 'cause I get to hang with my old bud Gary and do morning walks in some really great places!

The end of a trip like this has its ups and downs, the downs mostly due to the work we have to do in unloading the rig, doing repairs, and getting it back into storage.  But the ups are the memories we have of all the fun times we shared, seeing new places and things, meeting nice people, and being together as a family on the road.  Hope you enjoyed our accounts of this voyage; we'll let you know when we're embarking on another!  Vaya con Dios, Amigos!

Day 54 – Moss Landing, CA

Don told me this morning that this was our last day before heading for home, and that we were going to pack as much into it as we could.  Wow, was he ever right!  Even a major surprise that none of us knew about, except him.  Don and I started out with a nice walk around the harbor; I like the smell of the ocean, though I’m not inclined to plunge into it like Buddy was.  I particularly like watching the sea birds, they really are pretty and frequently entertaining.  When we were coming back into the Park, a nice Asian couple asked Don if he would take their picture with their camera, the two of them and their little floppy moppy dog; he said he’s be glad to, and I offered to pose with them so that they could have a real dog in their shot, but they declined.  I got some nice pets out of it, though. 

After I got an early lunch, we piled into the truck and headed down to Monterey, a very historic and picturesque town.  We’ve been there quite a few times, but we always enjoy visiting there.  Today, we toured the old Fisherman’s Wharf, which is a mix of seafood restaurants and touristy shops, very colorful and fun.  Geri found a couple of coats which were on sale at bargain prices, and was pleased to get them.  I got a lot of attention from people on the wharf, and many compliments on my good manners and good looks. Don was happy to get a smoked salmon sandwich.

Lonesome Pelican

Back in the truck, we drove through Cannery Row to see what was new, then down along the coast through Pacific Grove and Asilomar, watching the waves crash against the rocks along the shore.  We wound up in Carmel, at the San Carlos de Borromeo Mission, the burial place of Father Junipero Serra, who was the driving force in founding the California Missions.  As a matter of interest, Don tells me that the last Mission that Father Serra founded was our own hometown Mission, San Buenaventura.  I had to stay in the truck while they visited the Mission, but that was OK, ‘cause I needed some nap time.  When they returned, they told me that the Mission was even more beautiful than they remembered it, with lovely gardens and interesting displays about the history of the place.  While they were there, they met a couple from Portland, OR, and had a fun conversation with them.  They also were RVing, and were staying at the Elks Club RV Park in Monterey.  They said it was really inexpensive, and had great facilities. 

This is a beauty!

View from the courtyard

The Serra Cenotaph

We got onto Highway 1 and headed back north to Moss Landing, where we made a stop at the big open air produce market there.  Geri and Don bought a bunch of veggies to take home with them, including some artichokes, which they love.  Back at the rig, Geri took me out for a very pleasant walk, then made my dinner when we got back home.  They took off to have their dinner at a Mexican restaurant that they’re very fond of.  A couple of hours later, Don showed up at the coach, and told me to get into the truck; I was a little hesitant at first, ‘cause I usually don’t go out this late at night.  But he convinced me that I should go with him, and we cruised over to the restaurant where they had their dinner.  When he let me out, I was stunned!  The first person I saw was my old mentor and tormentor, Gary!  What was he doing here?  Then I saw David (Craig), who we had last met with in Sparks a couple of weeks ago!  What was going on?  I soon recognized Geri’s sister Carol and her husband Mikey, from New York, who I hadn’t seen in ages!  They were there with their friend Terry, to do some golfing around Monterey.  It turns out that Carol and Don had been working on this surprise party since before we left on the trip, and had sprung it perfectly.

Don told me that as they were leaving the Park to go to the restaurant, Geri’s phone rang, and it was a call from Carol.  She was asking where we were and what we were doing, and what the weather was like, while Don was pulling into the parking lot of The Whole Enchilada.  Geri was talking to Carol on the phone when Carol inadvertently stepped out from behind a fence to be in full view of Geri, who was in the truck.  Don says it was a surreal moment, whatever that means, both of them with their cell phones in hand, Geri staring at Carol, going, “Do you see that!  What is this?  What’s she doing here?”  Don says she was spluttering as she jumped out of the truck, and Carol was laughing her head off.  While they were hugging each other, who walks up with video camera in hand but Craig (David), causing another Geri paroxysm.  More hugging, more questions, and a denial from Don that he had anything to do with it and knew nothing at all.  Right.  So, they all go into the bar in back of the restaurant, and who’s sitting there but Gary, Mikey and Terry; more whooping and hollering.  At this point, Don says that he and Carol were congratulating each other on bringing off such a surprise.  They did this once before, on one of Geri’s birthdays, when they gathered a load of friends and family in Las Vegas to celebrate her birthday.  It was a very important birthday, ‘cause one of her presents was ME! 

Here's the whole gang!

They all had a wonderful dinner at The Whole Enchilada, lots of stories, lots of fun; I only wish I could have been under the table.  The Owner of the restaurant stopped by the table, found out that Geri was the guest of honor, and gave her a lottery ticket, with the understanding that they would be partners in any winnings.  When dinner was over, and Don came to pick me up, I think I was just as astonished to see all these people as Geri was!  I greeted everyone with genuine enthusiasm, and Carol gave me a really nice duck toy, with a honker in it.  Gary threw it for me, and I retrieved it, twice!  I really enjoyed getting to spend some time with these people who have always been so nice to me.  It was a great evening for everyone!

It was fun working with Don on the blog tonight, and I know that we just have one more edition to go this trip, a wrap-up on the whole voyage.  We’ll have that for you tomorrow night!  See you then!

Day 53 - Moss Landing, CA

Talk about Climate Change!  I was a little grumpy about how hot it got in the afternoon in Vallejo and Benicia; well, I can’t complain about the heat here!  We’re totally enshrouded in fog, and the dampness makes it feel even colder than it really is.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suffering or dogging (I’m gender restricted from bitching) about it, just making note.  We got rolling this morning at the crack of eleven, as usual, and had an uneventful transit down Highway 680 to the 101, then over through Castroville, the Artichoke Capitol, where Norma Jean whatshername was the Artichoke Queen one year, long ago. 

After checking in to the KOA, we got set up and then we sat down and did nothing much until dinner time.  Geri took me out for a nice walk around the harbor area, and we saw that there were quite a few dogs in the RV Park, but we didn’t get to meet any.  I got my dinner on time, which of course pleased me, then Geri and Don went out for dinner.  When they got back, they told me that they had been to Phil’s Fish Market, a place they had been to before, and had a very fine meal.  Geri got her Manhattan Clam Chowder, which is her favorite ‘cause she’s from New York, and a Sicilian Artichoke.  Don raved about the Cioppino he had, which was filled with all kinds of seafood swimming in a rich and tangy tomato broth.  Don said it had won some kind of cookoff on TV recently, and had become kind of famous. 

Don put the furnace on, which we rarely do, to keep the warmth up in the rig, and we watched some TV while Don and I did this little update on the blog.  All to bed fairly early, probably do some touring tomorrow.  See ya then!

Day 52 – Vallejo, CA

Don was up fairly early this morning, around six, so I decided to join him about a half hour later, hoping that it might result in an early breakfast.  It worked out pretty well, I got my food a little after seven, and went back to bed. Good way to start the day.  He got dressed and ready to take me out a couple of hours later, and I was ready to go!  We went over to the park again, and I really felt the need to run a lot; running is good for me, I think.  It keeps my legs strong and helps my blood circulation.  I think I look good while I’m running, too, not that I’m at all vain.  Don encouraged my running, sometimes doing a little run himself to get me started; I even did a Crazy Dog routine for him. 

When we got back to the coach, Don checked something on the computer, then told Geri and I that he was going over to Mare Island to take some photos.  He had determined that the Museum there was installing a display of the Control Room of the SSBN-658, the Mariano G. Vallejo, a sub that he had worked on when he was at the shipyard.  He wants to send them to his old friend Bill Green, back in Norfolk, VA, who we visited last year.  Bill was the Commissioning Senior Chief Fire Controlman on the sub, and was aboard at the launching. 

He got back around noon, and told us that they were far from complete on the installation of the Control Room equipment, but they had made a good start.  He had also taken pics of some things of particular interest to him, which he might post.  We got in the truck then, and went over to Benicia for a lunch date with some of our old friends, Barbara and Jon Wiser, who live just a couple of doors down from where Don’s Mom lived.  At first it looked like I would have to stay in the truck while they had lunch, but Don came back and got me, taking me to the table outside the restaurant where they were sitting.  So I got to listen to their conversation and receive a lot of attention from passersby.  I must say, I really enjoyed it. I know they were having a good time, too, catching up on the local news. 

Current state of Vallejo Control Room in Museum

Model of USS Mariano G. Vallejo

Sail structure of USS Mariano G. Vallejo

A drydock caisson that Don designed

After lunch, we drove over to the old Benicia Arsenal, where Don’s folks worked, to go to the Benicia Historical Museum in the Camel Barns.  Unfortunately, it turned out that they were closed on Tuesdays, so we couldn’t go in.  We went around to the back side of the Museum to look at the Garden that they were just starting work on the last time we were here, a couple of years ago.  Wow, did they do a great job!  We all agreed that it was really beautiful, and it took the edge off not getting to see the Museum.  We drove over to the little park between the Commandant’s Residence and the Clock Tower, so that I could stretch my legs a little, then drove along the waterfront so that Don could look at the ships in the Reserve Fleet, some of which he had worked on in times past.  He was surprised to see an old friend there, the Hughes Mining Barge.  He told us he had worked on a preliminary design to convert the Barge to an ocean thermal energy conversion platform, but the project had never been funded by the Government.  And that was when Jimmy Carter was President!

Garden at the Camel Barns

Clock Tower at the Arsenal

We headed back to the coach, and hung out until the weather cooled off a bit.  Then we drove back down to the Vallejo waterfront and did a march along the channel, greeting people and dogs as we went.  It was all very friendly and pleasant.  Back at the coach, they had some leftover pizza for dinner, with few leavings for me.  Don and I worked on the blog, and he insisted on putting in a bunch of pictures from his Mare Island excursion, which were mostly meaningless to me; I mean, dogs really don’t do submarines at all.  But  he does the pics, ‘cause my paws are too big to work the camera, so he gets to call the shots.  We’re out of here tomorrow, headed south to who knows where; but I’ll let you know when I find out!  Bye, bye!

Day 51 – Vallejo, CA

Our gang was back on their normal schedule as far as wake-up and morning routine goes.  I got my breakfast at my normal time, and promptly asked to be excused for personal reasons.  Well, of course, Don had to accompany me, and we started walking down toward my regular bathroom area.  I heard a human voice behind me, so I turned around to see who it was.  Turned out it was the Park Manager, who I had met before, and who had welcomed me very nicely.  So, I spun around and galloped toward her for a greeting.  Don was yelling something at me, but I wasn’t listening well.  She was petting me and talking to Don, and I heard her say something about leashes.  Turned out, she was chewing on Don for my not having my leash on, per Park rules.  Oh, well, it’s not my responsibility.  He snapped my leash on and escorted me to the peeing place, mumbling something that I didn’t understand.

When we were all ready to go, we jumped into the truck and headed for Benicia, where we picked up little Lena again and took her down the Marina for a walk.  The weather was pretty warm, and Lena and I had the same idea, which was to stay in the shade as much as possible.  I found myself following her closely as we walked, as she seemed to find the shortest route between shady areas.  She’s pretty sharp that way.  We met some people with dogs, and all of them were very pleasant, including the dogs.  I know that Lena and I look kind of odd together, but most people seem to get a kick out of us.  Anyway, it was a fun walk.  After we dropped Lena off at Jerry’s, we went up to the Church that Don’s folks went to, to see if we could find the trees that Karen, Don’s old GF, told us she had planted in their memory.  We think we did, though there wasn’t any identification on them. 

A houseboat that Don seemed to fancy

We like Lena pics

Think the Wife named the boat

Memorial Trees

Don wanted to get a Cajun Hot Sausage for lunch at his favorite hot dog place down near the bottom of First Street, Char’s.  When we got there, he was surprised and saddened to see that the hot dog stand had been replaced by a hamburger stand, with no Cajun Sausages.  He asked Garmie if there was another hot dog place in town, and she said there was, and led him up the street to find it.  Unfortunately, she was lying again; no luck.  So, we headed back to the rig and had lunch there. 

After lunch, Geri and Don went off to visit one of their local friends, Mimi, who had been a close friend of Don’s Mom.  It was too hot for me to stay in the truck, so I remained napping in the coach while they visited.  They also had some shopping to do at the local Safeway, a few final things they needed for the last leg home.  When they got back to the rig, they told me how much fun it had been to see Mimi again, and what a good time they had visiting with her.  I was glad for them, but I was perfectly comfortable at home.  We watched a little TV, and I got my dinner, then they had some leftovers from the meals they had indulged in when we were in Sparks.  After everyone had eaten, we got into the truck and went down to the waterfront park along the Napa River Channel, across from Mare Island Shipyard, where Don used to work.  There were a lot of people there, many with dogs, and there is a big grassy area for playing and running.  Unfortunately, I made the mistake of finding something tasty in the grass and eating it before I realized what I was doing.  I was immediately severely scolded by Geri, and the leash was snapped on, where it stayed for the rest of the walk.  But we got to meet a lot of people and other dogs, and it was altogether quite enjoyable.

Back at the coach, I got some treats, we watched some more “Dancing with the Snores”, put the blog together, and got a fairly early bed time.  I hear we’re sticking around tomorrow to do some more visiting; OK with me!

Day 50 – Vallejo, CA

All that partying yesterday apparently took its toll; our adventurers did a resounding sleep-in, with Don getting up just before eight.  At least he got to watch some of his regular Sunday morning TV programs.  He was good enough to take the time to escort me on a brief outing after he fixed my breakfast.  Geri came to life around nine, but there still wasn’t a whole lot of movement in the rig for quite a while.  Don finally got motivated to get his clothes on and take me over the nearby park for a good, full-fledged walk, and I got to do some meaningful running and rolling.  We met a little white furball lady, and her human lady, who asked if I was a good dog.  I love to hear Don tell people that he and Geri consider me to be the Best Dog In The World, and describe how well-behaved, mannerly and considerate I am.  I know it’s just the truth, but it’s nice to hear it, anyway. 

We stopped to buy a Sunday paper, and took it back to the coach, where they entertained themselves with it.  Lunch time came along, and no action was being taken to going anywhere.  Finally, Geri asked Don what he wanted to do; he replied that he wanted to drive to San Francisco to see what we could of the Fleet Week activities.  She asked when he wanted to go; he said, “Now!”  Well, of course, that didn’t happen, but by one-thirty, we were in the truck and headed for The City.  We were only about half way through Richmond when the traffic came to a near standstill, and we made our way to the Bay Bridge toll plaza in fits and starts.  Once we got on the bridge, the traffic moved pretty well, and we made our way down to the Embarcadero, where the Navy ships were moored.  It was a mob scene; there was a line a half mile long to visit one of the ships, and the traffic was wall to wall.  We’d had enough of that coming over, and it was getting along toward the time of the Blue Angels’ performance, so Don decided to get us to a good place to see them from.

He had a flash of inspiration, and knowing that some of the better-known viewing points would be very crowded, he headed for Buena Vista Park, which is located on a fairly tall hill which overlooks the downtown area.  We got there in good order, only to find that you could no longer drive up the hill to the parking area at the top.  The stone pylons blocking the road made it look like this had been the rule for quite a while.  Well, face it, Don hasn’t lived here since the early 80’s.  It was getting close to performance time, and he decided to go with his original idea, the top of Twin Peaks, the highest point in the City, with a commanding view in every direction.  On our way there, Don showed Geri and I a home that he and his real estate partner had considered buying, but decided that $40,000 was too much money for it.  It was a classical beauty, with pillars and ornamental stonework in the front.  The home was being sold by the estate of a movie star named Norma Talmadge.  Don said now he was sorry they hadn’t bought it. 

Sure enough, when we got to the top of Twin Peaks, the place was loaded with people and cars in every parking slot.  Luckily, as we cruised through the parking and viewing area, we saw a car backing out of a parking place; we zoomed in, and found ourselves well located for watching the show.  Don charged off in the direction of the modern, hi-tech rest room that we had spied on the way in.  He didn’t come back for nearly twenty minutes, when the performance was just about to start, and only told us later about the fight that he had with the facilities, which he had won only by brutally forcing the automatic powered door closed.  Anyway, we first watched the Angels’ support plane doing turns over the City, and doing a low bank over us at Twin Peaks.  Then the six F-18’s came roaring in from the north, doing low passes along the Embarcadero and the Marina Green.  They did all of their regular repertoire, including the slow barrel roll, the starburst, and a single aircraft hammerhead.  But mostly, they cruised over the city in formations of two and four, and sometimes singly.  They made several passes around Twin Peaks, to the delight of the assemblage there.  I was enthralled by the whole thing, and by the view of the City and the East Bay from the location.  Don told me that he had lived for awhile just down the hill a little ways from where we were, and this was the view that he had every day.  He said he got tired of it after a while.

Downtown San Francisco

Some of the crowd at Twin Peaks

Angels passing by!

Going round the hill

When the Angels had departed, we headed down the hill, and stopped by to look at the first house that Don had bought in San Francisco.  It was way further down the hill on a quirky little dead-end street.  When we found it, Don said that they had done a very poor paint job on it, and didn’t think it looked very good.  I think he might have wanted it back to redo it again. 

We got back to the coach just in time for my dinner, after a good walk over in the park.  Don and Geri went out and got themselves a pizza, resulting in a few good pieces of crust for me.  We watched some TV, got the blog done, and did a fairly early turn-in.  Think we’re going out to visit some friends tomorrow, should be fun!  See ya!

Day 49 – Vallejo, CA

Well, today’s the big day, Don’s Benicia High School Reunion, encompassing the Classes of 1950 through 1959.  It wasn’t going to start until sometime mid-afternoon, so we had sort of a normal morning, except that we went over to Jerry Nolan’s and picked up Lena to take her walking with us.  I have to admit, she really is cute, and a very well-behaved girl she is, too.  Geri handled her this morning, and she stepped along very sprightly, though I made sure that she couldn’t keep up with me.  Don took some pics, and I’m sure he’ll post some.  We dropped Lena off at Jerry’s and went back to the rig in Vallejo for lunch. 

Geri and the Odd Couple

We still don't know the meaning of this!

Tell me this isn't cute!

We headed back to Benicia around two, and they dropped me off at Jerry’s so I wouldn’t be alone all afternoon.  Lena was a very gracious hostess, and Jerry talked to me at length about things of interest to dogs.  He complimented me on my attentiveness; I don’t think that Lena has a long enough attention span to really follow his conversations.  I got some good napping in, and had a very pleasant time.  Don showed up about six, and had my dinner with him.  He fixed it up for me, and gave me my ration of cookies after I finished eating.  We got in the truck then, and went down to the hall where the reunion was being held.  Don got a parking spot, and went back to the party.  A little later, Geri came out and talked to me, and made sure that I had adequate water. 

The reunion was starting to break up around eight, and Geri and Don came to get me out of the truck and take me over to the park across the street to stretch my legs and take care of some personal business.  We then took a stroll down Benicia’s main street, which is always fun for me, as there are several restaurants that have people sitting outdoors to eat, and the food always smells so good.  While we walked, they told me about the people they had met at the reunion, the food, and what all had gone on there.  They said that more than two hundred people had shown up, and Don didn’t know most of them, as they were from Classes that had been at the school before or after Don was there.  But a lot of his old friends showed up, including some that he hadn’t seen for fifty-five years!  The table that they were at included two couples from an earlier Class than Don, his old buddy Tom Armstrong, who he hadn’t seen in fifty years, and an old girl friend of his, Karen.  Tom and Don had been Cub Scouts together in Stockton, and their families had moved to Benicia at about the same time, where they lived in the same neighborhood.  Tom had also gone to the Maritime Academy, graduating a couple of years after Don did.  They spent a lot of the evening catching up on their lives and swapping stories.  Don told Tom about having to give up his cushy job on the SS Monterey in order to save his marriage; Tom told Don that he got a cushy job on the SS Monterey about the time Don quit!  Hmmm.  Could be! 

The "Quad" in Don's old High School

Don's Science Classroom

Some of the Reunion crowd

Don and old friend Tom

Don met an old friend, Ron Rich, who was an airline pilot on the San Francisco/Honolulu run when Don was on the SS Leilani on the same route.  Ron remarked that he was probably making five round trips while Don was making one.  Don agreed, but pointed out that he had a band playing, hula girls dancing, and people throwing streamers at each of his departures.  Ron had to admit that wasn’t the kind of sendoff he received.  Geri talked to Charlie Alves about his recent travels, and he told her about his recent cruise through the Panama Canal, and how he couldn’t retire from his hair styling work, ‘cause his ancient clients would all have heart failure if he did.  They met Judy Reidinger as she was coming into the hall, and told her about seeing Bill and Judy Green last year in Norfolk; she said she would be talking to her brother Jim, who was one of Don’s best buds in school, and would pass our info along.  They had lots of other contacts and conversations, and enjoyed the celebration immensely.  Don noted that when they asked the members of each Class to stand up, that the earlier Classes had relatively fewer participants, and the later Classes had many more. 

So, we went back to the coach, got comfortable, put this together, and passed out for the night.  Think we might have some excitement tomorrow; Fleet Week in San Francisco!

Will give you a full report ASAP!