Ashley went to school with Carol to see Bella receive her student of the month award. Bella was thrilled that Ashley joined for the big day. 😀

Ran for groceries for tonight’s white bean & chicken chili. Put everything together in the crock pot.

We debated heading out to IdylWyld today but decided to save that for tomorrow and just run some errands today. Headed up to the super Target in Murietta to see if they would duplicate Ashley’s prescription from her current glasses so she could get a new pair – they won’t, so she’s going to stick with her current frames. Do need to order some new contacts, however.

Stopped for coffee to plan out a trip to San Diego this weekend – no wifi available, however, so we just spent the time chatting. Then a stop at a yogurt shop for a treat on the way home.

Chili smelled delicious as we walked in the door! Started researching the trip down to San Diego – it’s a short drive but it would be fun to stay right on the beach in the RV and motorcycle into/around town. Lots of campgrounds along the way, but the Reserve America website is frustrating to try and navigate… So still looking at different options.

Bill and Carol called, headed home, so we pause our research. Shortly after they arrive we sit down to eat – everything is delicious! Another delightful evening spent chatting after we finish.

We headed off to Old Town for breakfast. Yesterday Ashley looked at the menus for some different restaurants and EAT Marketplace looked delicious to both of us – so we had to try it! Plus, they do their best to source local food and cook seasonally, which is something that we both appreciate. We loved the feel of the interior and had a hard time deciding what to try. I settled on a breakfast burrito while Ashley tried the fritatta. I think that when it was delivered the lady basically apologized that it was so big, saying that’s not a normal slice. It was very large, but who’s going to complain about that? Everything was delicious!

After finishing breakfast we went to move the motorcycle out of the parking lot and into street parking so that we could walk around the rest of the area…. and realized that I had not only left the key in the ignition but left it turned on. So the battery was pretty darn low. Fortunately, it push started easily, so we hopped on and headed back out to Wine Country to see some new scenery and get the battery charged back up.

Back in Old Town we parked and set off on foot to explore. Checked out some of the shops, thoroughly enjoyed the tea shop.

Soon enough it was time to head back to the house to meet Michelle and the twins. We parked the bike, changed clothes and walked a couple of blocks over to the nearby park. The girls played for a few minutes and then sat shyly behind their mom. Apparently we’re new again and they weren’t having any part of us. 😀

After chatting for a bit all of us walked back up toward the house, to the school to pick up Bella. Once she was out, we went our separate ways to get ready for the afternoon/evening.

As soon as they were ready, Dan, Michelle and the girls came to pick us up and we all headed out to the winery they are members of, Ponte. We had a tasting and really enjoyed ourselves. The wine was good, the scenery was even better, and the family was fabulous. Wrapping up, we headed back to their house for chatting and supper. We had a wonderful time, chatting, dining, and generally just enjoying their company.

As of last night, at least, I think that Dan is now convinced that he should bicycle to/from work and that they should start going camping for vacations. I told them that I’m happy to be a bad influence – we’ll see how well that pans out, both in implementation and enjoyment.

Carol came and picked us up and we visited with her and Bill before heading off to bed.

As per the usual Wednesday schedule, Michelle came by and dropped off the twins with grandma (and us) before walking Bella across the street to preschool. We were new again, so the girls were shy and quiet. It wasn’t long before Michelle was back and we chatted for a bit – making plans for lunch in the afternoon. She recommended a route for our bicycle ride.

We followed her recommendation and headed down the road into Wine Country again. Beautiful scenery, fabulous houses, and long rolling hills. Great way to start off the morning!

I tinkered with the printer for a bit – it’s now online but the computer can’t see it. Hmm… frustrating.

Michelle came back to pick up Bella and we all piled into the Tahoe for a trip over to Old Towne. Aiming for lunch, we head to “The Goat & Vine”. They are ready to seat us immediately, but on a high table with backless stools – that would be a touch nervewracking with the kiddos to keep an eye on so we wait for a table to open up. It ends up being at least 20 minutes, with us sitting on short stools outside (the girls were great) before they are able to squeeze us into a booth in the corner. As we are ordering, Dan happens to run by and waves in the window. He circles back and joins us just as the pizza arrives, so we’re able to eat and chat together. The pizza is fabulous, as is the hummus plate and Dan says his sandwich is also amazing. Michelle and Ashley get a cocktail of some sort that was really good too – pureed pear something or other.

Just a few doors down is a Cuban restaurant – the Havanah Kitchen – where Dan gets a salted latte, Ashley gets a latte, and I order a pour-over. They bring the Chemex to the table and Dan and Michelle are intrigued – having heard about pour-overs but never tried one. Dan was right in his suggestion, it was delicious!

Still having errands to run, Dan and Michelle swap cars and Dan drops us off at the house. We’ve already unhitched the trailer and moved it into the garage, so we’re ready to migrate the RV over to Michelle’s house (there’s a 72 hour limit on parking, officially) but we don’t know where they live so we wait for Bill and Carol to make it home from the office. Once they do, we caravan over to the Lindsey’s.

We get the grand tour (what a lovely house and an amazing patio/pool/jacuzzi!) and then it’s nearly time for supper. Tacos with either fish or chicken, or tortilla soup. I have at least one of everything and it’s all delicious! The fish sounds easy to make, as well, so we’re definitely going to have to add her recipe into our rotation. After dessert the kids put on a dancing show for us and slowly migrate into the living room to watch a movie. Grandma is the closest dozing off so we head on our way for the evening.

After seeing Bill and Carol off to work we hopped on the motorcycle and began wandering toward the ocean. A few miles up the freeway we got off a side road to ride along Lake Elsinore (and bypass the main part of town) before hopping on 74 to wind our way through the mountains and the San Bernardino National Forest. The road was a lot of fun (what twisty mountain road isn’t on the motorcycle) and dropped us off right in the heart of San Juan Capistrano, next to the old mission.

 

Ashley remembers visiting here when she was younger, but only vaguely. We parked and had lunch at a park across the train tracks. There was a school group playing nearby – they gathered for a train and walked right by us, oblivious that a) they didn’t know us and b) that we were even there. 😀

After lunch we walked around the Los Rios Historic District – many of the cottages there have been turned into businesses. We enjoyed perusing the art co-ops, checking out menues at restaurants, and generally seeing what there was to see. Stopped for coffee at the Hidden House Coffee Roasters. We both got a pour-over and loved the presentation – a little bamboo tray with our mug and a glass beaker with another serving. Walked around the mission perimiter but opted not to go in and tour the grounds.

Back on the bike, we headed out to Dana Point for a bit of an ocean view. We walked about the boardwalk (spotting the restaurant where Ashley first recalls having New York Cheesecake with Don) and sat for a bit to enjoy the view. We heard some seals barking and went over to watch them sunning themselves.

Unfortunately, time to head on back. We headed south on the Pacific Coast Highway, running parallel to the beach for a ways, then hopped on the freeway and on to a highway back over toward Temecula. The highway was busy and running slow. We watched a couple of other bikes split the lanes and finally followed along after sitting through the same stop light for a couple of cycles. (I was too far over between the lanes, sitting, and a motorcycle cop came up behind me and announced through their megaphone, “if you’re not going to split the lanes don’t block it Kentucky” Oops! Ha!  It was dusk when we made it home and cooling down quickly.

Back at the house we started getting supper ready and spent another delightful evening chatting with Bill and Carol.

 

After an enjoyable morning chatting with Bill we hopped on the bicycles for a ride around – there’s a convenient loop just a block away so we were able to do some ~2 mile laps. A bit of a hill on one side, though, and we’re definitely out of practice riding on hills!

After finishing our ride we unloaded the motorcycle and headed out on a recommended route east toward the moutains. “Wine Country” is an aptly named area – vineyard after vineyard after winery after winery. Beautiful scenery and we greatly enjoyed our ride through and on past.

Stopped at the city park in Hemet for our picnic lunch. Hemet has a Christmas Tree lot and might be an option for next year – it’s close enough that we could come and visit pretty regularly during the work season so that would be pretty amazing. We didn’t quite figure out where the lot would have been but at least we’ve seen part of town now.

On our way back I spotted a historic marker for The “Hemet Maze Stone” and we detoured back on a side road to see what that might be. The road dead-ended at a park of some sort, which we opted not to explore on foot. Beautiful back road, though we didn’t happen to find the stone. (Upon a quick search online later, we discovered that it’s a prehistoric petroglyph – a maze carved into a stone.)

Back on the route we stopped at Monte De Oro. Perched on a hill, we thought it would have a good view and we just wanted to sit out, look around, and enjoy a drink. We certainly enjoyed the view out across the vineyards and on to the mountains in the distance. A bottle of wine was cheaper than two glasses so we picked up a bottle.

A quick stop at the grocery store for some supper ingredients and on home to cook. Pulled out a recipe from Ireland for a Guiness beef stew. Bill and Carol made it home after a bit of a late evening and we enjoyed the stew (delicious!) and we sat about chatting for the remainder of the evening.

It’s awfully windy this morning, rocking the RV back and forth. Apparently there was a 4.0 earthquake north of us (about 77 miles) – and so we can say that we’ve experienced a (little) earthquake in California. Of course, we didn’t realize it until we saw it on the news that evening. 😀

We unloaded the mountain bikes for a quick ride down the road before packing everything up for the road. We stopped at a Target for a coffee break (Ashley got a 2016 planner) and we used their wifi for a bit.

On to Temecula! The GPS took us directly through the mountains – it was a beautiful trip, vibrant, green, with some fabulous views! And on the motorcycle it would have been a splendid way to pass the afternoon. While the RV made it just fine, it was a twisty mountain road and we pulled over frequently to let the built-up cars pass by us.

Arriving in town we were met by Bill as soon as we stepped out onto the sidewalk – he spotted us pulling up. We had a fabulous evening/night chatting with Bill and Carol and were then joined by Dan, Michelle, and their girls. The kiddos were quiet and shy at first (we were a mute button) but warmed up to us and were soon their rambunctious selves. Carol made a delicious supper.

We settled into the guest bedroom, feel more than welcomed and are absolutely thrilled to be here!

Just seemed like a great day to stay home. Cleaned, cooked, read, and generally just hung out.

What a great day! After breakfast we hopped on the motorcycle and headed in through the park to explore the portion that we bypassed yesterday.

Our first stop was Split Rock – it’s a picnic area with a hiking trail. We scrambled up a big rock that had a sheer face down to the sand below. It looked like a popular climbing spot, hinted at with the bolts installed in the top of the rock next to us.

Then, basically across the street, was the Jumbo Rocks stop and the Skull Rock trail. We strolled down the trail, reading the signs and learning more about the desert flora and fauna around us. We thought the trail was a loop, but it stopped at a nearby campground. We turned around and headed back to check out Skull Rock before moseying along the road.

The big hike of the day was the 3 miles up to the peak of Ryan Mountain. We climbed about 1400 feet, so it was a bit strenuous – we aren’t used to being back up around the 5000 mark anymore – but not bad. And definitely worth it! We had a fabulous view of the mountains around us and across the desert. We enjoyed said view while eating lunch on a rocky outcropping just off the main peak.

Our next stop was a quick overlook at Keys View. We could see the Salton Sea and Signal Mountain (in Mexico). Definitely worth the drive up to the point.

On the way back down from the point we stopped to admire the Joshua Trees growing among the boulders.

On to Hidden Valley. Inside a ring of boulders is a little micro ecosystem. It’s lush, for a desert, filled with plants. It’s also a climbing hot-bed. We saw at least 4 groups of climbers in different areas. Kind of interesting how such an intensely individual sport is also so public. It seems that everyone who climbs in an easily accessible public area is guaranteed to be watched, photographed, and frequently called out to. It wasn’t our intention to explore the trail through the valley, but it was just too interesting and pretty not to keep following our way around the whole loop!

After hiking we headed down to the picnic area and snagged a table tucked under the rocks and trees for an afternoon coffee. We just finished a few miles on the motorcycle and after this it’s going to be a long ride back to the RV and coffee will be a nice warm treat before a chilly trip.

Once the coffee’s finished we head into the town of Joshua Tree, over to Twentynine Palms for a gas fill-up, and then back into the park for our trek down to the south entrance where home currently is. We’re both pretty disappointed with the sunset. It’s dusk as we enter the park and, based on the last few nights the sunset should at least be decent and we’ll get to enjoy that color change set behind the mountains as we head through the park. Alas, it merely turns dark – no color change that we noticed at all. The road is pretty empty and we zip along fairly quickly, but it’s still a bit late when we get home.

While supper is cooking we have a delightful chat with Mom and Gary, make plans for the next few days and our foray back into civilization to visit Bill and Carol, and look at other trail options just inside the entrance to the park for tomorrow’s fun.

After breakfast we unloaded the motorcycle and headed back down the freeway a few miles to top off the gas before heading into the park. It’s 47 miles to the other side and the next gas station (which is about half the comfortable range of the bike). While there we realized that we forgot to grab our National Parks pass, so we stopped back at the RV to get it. After looking through, as far as we can tell, every nook and cranny where it might possibly be, we still couldn’t find the pass. Our fear is two-fold – it’s either tucked somewhere unusual and we’ll find it just after we buy a second one, or it’s lost forever – probably pulled out of a pocket when removing a map and lies on the ground somewhere in Saguaro, still good for another 6 months but languishing away in a rock pile along a trail.

Giving up our search we head on into the park and pick up a new pass. It’s a new year and so a new picture on the pass. We definitely got our money’s worth out of the old one, but it was good for 6 more months so that’s certainly a shame.

Pass, map, and park newsletter safely tucked away we head on into the park, stopping at about every third exhibit area along the way to learn as we go. Joshua Tree covers two different deserts, the Colorado and the Sonoran, so we get to watch as the landscape changes from low desert to high desert. Unfortunately, the weather changes as well – the temperature steadily dropping as we climb higher and higher.

Ashley’s dressed for hiking, not for biking, since the forecast called for 70 degrees. I have an extra layer on that she doesn’t and I still got cold… glad I’m blocking as much of the wind from her as I am.

We stopped at a rock outcropping for a picnic lunch. Who’d have thought that we’d be seeking a sunny spot to sit in while in the desert! Amazing views, though, and quite varied – especially as we cover some distance.

Of course, we stopped and saw the Joshua Trees up close and personal (not too personal, after that first one… the points on their leaves aren’t just decoration!) It’s easy to see why the yucca and the JT’s are easily confused – I think I can tell the difference now but am not positive. Maybe after seeing a few hundred more…

On through to the other side of the park, to the northern visitors center. Then a gas stop and on down the road a few miles to the 49 Palms Oasis trail. We hiked about 2/3 of the way in before turning around – it was about to descend down into a valley, we could see the palms from the peak, and we are racing the sun.

Took about an hour to get home. I dropped Ashley off, went and topped off the gas for tomorrow’s venture, and the sun set shortly after I returned home.

Leftovers for supper, exercise for the day, and then bed time. The change in time zone has thrown us off. The sun rises when I’m getting up at my early time and sets mid-afternoon. It’s been gone for a few hours before bed time so we’re sleepy early.

After breakfast we began winding our way to Joshua Tree National Park. Stopped back at the La Paz County park to empty our tanks and refill our water reservoirs. Then at the WalMart in Parker for a grocery run – still crazy busy – the parking lot was full of RVs! Safeway was much less crowded (no parking for RVs to start with) for the few last items we didn’t pick up already. Then across the bridge and into California.

We were stopped by the Agriculture Waystation. They asked if we had any live plants or… something. I told him just the mostly alive Aloe plant sitting in our console cup holder. He asked if it stayed in the house and when I told him “always” he said that was the right answer and to have a great trip. So we moseyed on our way – pondering what the second part of the question was. If it was fruit, we had just picked up our usual stash from the grocery store. If it was something else, we probably don’t have it. -shrugs- Either way, we’re here now.

On down the road until we hit I-10 and then it was only a few miles to the exit for Joshua Tree. There was plenty of boondocking available just outside the park entrance, so we pulled in and, after a false start at a spot we just couldn’t get level at, found a nice little spot that was easily leveled and here we are!

Made tortillas to go with tacos for supper and then called it an early night. Tiring day, for no reason.