A friend and unexpected activity

Just as we had settled in at the Crescent City RV Park, each on our own laptop, there was a tapping at the door, know it wasn't Santa – I said “I’ll bet its Dawne!” Sure enough it was! She has been here in Crescent Beach for a few days and was planning on pulling out in the morning! I thought we might run into her here, I remember that Dawne spent time here before with Ian and Debi and they liked it a lot. Well, we would like it too if it wasn’t raining sideways, foggy, lighthouse foghorn harmonizing with the tiedown straps for our kayaks… It really is a spectacular beautiful place, however, if we were seeking this kind of weather we would have stayed at home!

So, we will travel with Dawne in the morning to Vichy Hotsprings Resort just outside Ukiah. This about 200 miles south of Crescent Beach. Hmmm…. Driving a twisty turny narrow road in the pouring rain… fun.

December 21
Well, it was exactly that – twisty turny narrow and pouring! However, the good side was the amazing redwoods! These are incredible trees – massive, tall and straight – as high as 300 feet! Wow!

We planned on meeting Dawne at the Hotsprings – however, by the time we got to Ukiah it was 6:00. It was very slow going for us on those twisty roads. Dawne had checked into the Days Inn and was making her dinner so we agreed to meet at the hotsprings in the morning. Just as we pulled off the highway one of our back tires went flat – Lorne heard it – I opened the door and then I could hear it too - ssssss! And indeed within seconds and before my eyes it went from an inflated tire to sitting on the rim! Very fast! We are so lucky that it didn’t do that on the freeway. So – we had dinner, Good Sams came out and changed the tire for us and told us where to go to get the tire repaired in the morning.

In Search of a Tire
The store they told us about didn’t have the tire we needed and they said they wouldn’t repair ours as the piece of shrapnel that punctured it also ripped a belt – this thing was a piece of steel ¼ inch thick, an equilateral triangle with sides as long as my index finger – about 2.5 inches. So we cancelled the hot springs. Dawne went on to Calistoga Hot Springs, and off we went to Costco in Santa Rosa (who were supposed to have our tire). They didn’t have it either so now we are on our way to the Costco in Modesto who does. We will meet up with Dawn at Potrero on New Years and cross over at Tecate.

South Till the Butter Melts!

Friday, December 18

Well we managed to get all packed up on Wednesday and over to Mike and Kate’s as planned – around midnight as predicted. We had the bulk of our stuff put away and off to bed by 1 am. The grandkids were banging on the door by 8 am! Needless to say we were a wee bit tired, so tired that Lorne incorporated the knocking into his dream! He was very confused when I told him the kids were at the door. It was nice to see them and to say goodbye before leaving for 4 months. Four months is a very long time from now. I miss them already.

After getting some last minute errands done we were on the 1:00 ferry and to Tulalip Casino (near Seattle) to meet John and Sharon for dinner (see last years post about these folks and their tank and their . It was very great to see them. Nether they nor us went to Toquart this year so we haven’t seen them since our return trip from Mexico last April. After not a long enough visit and some serious video poker we rolled into bed by 10 and up and off south in the morning (after a quick trip to my new favourite clothing shop at the outlet mall nest door). We are spending tonight at the Columbia River RV Park in Portland.

We are spending Christmas with my God daughter Megan and her husband Reginald and their son Ethan. Megan’s mom Sandy(my younger than me old friend) will also be there. We plan on having Miguel look over the coach right after Christmas and before crossing over into Mexico.

With luck we will meet up with Dawn (one of my mandolin players) in Potrero State Park and we will cross at Tecate and travel into Baja with her. Actually we are hoping to run into her before that - perhaps at a hot springs somewhere along the way....

Saturday

Spent the night in Portland – a very nice city, we will come back to visit for sure. Drove to Seven Feathers Casino today for way too much dinner at the buffet. I remain puzzled that with a fridge and cupboards full of food and treats I never eat at home (or the motor home) the way I gorge myself at some of these buffets. Of course looking around we see that about 99% of the patrons do the same as I do. My tummy hurt! Lorne doesn’t seem to do the same….. he has learned from his experience of many sore tummies I guess.

On the recommendation of our friend Ian, we decided to go to Crescent City (on the Pacific) and continue south on 101. The weather is mostly cloudy but not to cold. We may return this way too, it’s a beautiful drive through a very mixed forest including arbutus and redwoods, if we do we should plan to stop at Cave Junction to visit some cool caves. There is also a rest area just after entering California where we can stay overnight (8 hours).

4:00 pm - We just arrived in Crescent City California - crossed through the redwood forest and over the Siskiyou mountains. Incredible trees, some 300 feet tall and straight, we had a bit of a wet walk in the forest with the mist and the rain. We are staying at The Shoreline RV Park right on the ocean and next to a light house. Its foggy...... the light house is haunting..... hope it clears soon..... especially before bedtime! And we had complaints about our roosters!!!

Hugs,
Catherine

Just Testing

Yes we are getting ready to leave. Yes we have snow. Therefore we are leaving too late - AGAIN! Out of here on Thursday for dinner with Sharon and John at Tulalip. Then more southward on Friday. Hopefully we will find a hotspring in California somewhere. We are having Christmas with my Goddaughter Megan and her husband Reginald and their beautiful new son Ethan and Ethan's Nana, my good friend Sandra. Fun. Happy Holidays!

Mata Venados - Muy Grande Insectos

http://entomology.wsu.edu/courses/coursefiles/ENT102/21Ent102%20sorp&solpug%2007.pdf

While Lorne was in Hamilton and the kids had gone home I was on my own in Casa Metta – a very large house for one person to say the least. The whole time we have been there we have not had one scary bug, so of course when I’m on my own the expected occurred. I walked down the hall to go to bed and there in the middle of the hallway was one fierce scorpion, tail held high in the air in attack pose! My first ever scorpion that I have found in all the years we have come down here. Big breath, be still my heart… I retreated rapidly, thinking fast….. what to do? Found a jar and a piece of paper and yes I did, I trapped that scorpion in the jar! I was very proud of my self. I placed it on the counter to save for Lorne so he could see just how brave I was while he was away. That accomplished my heart calmed and I once again thought of bed although I must say I was a bit more wary now. So of course now I step into the bano and there on the floor in the corner is the biggest black and furry spider I have ever seen! My heart really begins pounding now – spiders are totally my phobia – and knowing that the spiders here in Baja are the very fastest spiders ever, knowing this I know that I will have one chance and only one chance to get it. I raced back into the kitchen to get our trusty electronic swatter, looks like a tennis racket – excellent for flies but not having tested the voltage personally I’m not too sure of its effect on huge spiders the size of a mouse. I stood poised at the bathroom doorway armed with my trusty bug slayer and, well, I simply could not do it. What if I missed? What if it started to run? Swallowing all pride I turned and fled to our neighbour Bill and Julie’s house for expert assistance. They are long time residents, Bill has battled rabid skunks before, he is a friend and he is a biologist so he has the appropriate credentials. I had just had dinner with them so I knew they were still up. Thankfully he was good humoured enough to come to my rescue and also thankfully the spider was still there when we returned. He successfully and with no problem dispatched the enemy. Bill, knowledgeable of the identity of much of the flora and fauna of the Baja, informed me it was a deer killer spider, the locals call it mata venados. They are desert scorpion spiders (not a true spider) also known as wind spiders or camel spiders. They don’t like the light and if you see one in the daytime it may appear to be chasing you as it wants to stay in your shadow. How scary is that?! They have been clocked at 20 km/hr! See, I knew it was dangerous! Check it out on the internet, quite a honey believe me.

Needless to say, sleep evaded me that night.

Mexico Medicine - Some good some bad

We were very impressed with the quality of the medical treatment here. Lorne was needed in Hamilton for his father and at the same time had a kidney stone. He had some real concerns about travelling before passing this stone so wanted to consult with a doctor. He went in to see the Los Barriles clinic doctor who was able to see him the same day. This doctor spoke excellent English, spent a great deal of time with him, prescribed medications for pain, which we could pick up right had the clinic. I saw the doctor too and was also very pleased with the treatment. Our total bill for exams and medications for both of us came to less than $100.

On our trip north I became very sick and was in a lot of pain, so we stopped into a hospital emergency we happened on in Loreto. The Emergency room was empty, and the English speaking doctor saw me within minutes. He prescribed a stronger antibiotic but said he couldn’t fill it at the hospital because it was a poor people’s hospital. He charged me $40 for the consult. We had to go to the pharmacy down town. I think if we were poor people we would have received our medication for free.

Reflections

Comprar una Cassa o No?

We almost bought a house – that is we put an offer in on a house. The picture on this entry is the view from the balcony. If it had been accepted we would have bought a house. As it is it wasn’t, so we didn’t, and the vendor didn’t even counter – guess our low ball offer was a tad too low. The house has spectacular views of the sea, has a very nice pool and hot tub, three bedrooms, and is one block off the beach.

The area we were looking in is very interesting. It’s called Spa Buena Vista and is just south of Los Barriles. The water for the community comes from hot springs which is drinkable once it cools down. It comes out of the ground so hot that it kills any bacteria and the locals drink it without problem. Everyone has to have a concrete cistern or pila in the ground for the water to cool in before it can come into the house. It is then pumped into a tanaco, if its on the roof water can then be gravity fed into the house for usage.

The area also has hot spring vents coming out in spots in the sea so when swimming its not an unusual experience to swim into an area with very warm water. We’ve been told the bay is also very good for snorkelling. There is a resort there that is very nice and the locals can buy a membership at a very reasonable price to use the facilities all year. These facilities include a very nice pool, weight room, restaurant and also a deduction in the rates to rent rooms/suites for visiting guests.

Homeward Bound

Los Barriles: Where to start?
Paul and Renota’s casa was delightful, we enjoyed everything about staying two weeks there and Paul and Renota are such incredibly nice people. They had a great camping trip too and are hoping to set up the same arrangement next year. So are we!

The carburetor
Well, it just wasn’t working – ask Lorne for the details. When we were in LA we borrowed a carburetor and distributor from Miguel that he had lying around. When Lorne started up the motor home to get things organized to pick up the kids at the airport, go to Costco, and move to Casa Metta – it was spitting gas all over the place. So we found Oscar the mechanico – he and his assistant came, removed the carburetor, tried to fix it, returned it later but it wasn’t fixed, removed it again and disappeared for a day. We found out later that he went to La Paz to find the parts he needed for it. Here’s where it gets complicated, you’ll need to pay attention (or not bother reading this): When we were in LA at Miguel’s we sent our carburetor and distributor back to the mechanic in Ontario who remanufactured and installed them in September as they were faulty. Miguel installed a carburetor and distributor that he had lying around so we could continue our trip and the Ontario mechanic was going to mail it back to LA all repaired. We were planning on picking it up in LA when we passed north. Back to Oscar - So not locating Oscar and not having faith that he would be able to accomplish what we needed, Lorne arranged for Mike to bring ours down – Miguel couriered it to the Mariott at the airport in Seattle. Mike had a 3 hour lay over on his way down here so he picked up the remanufactured carburetor. How’s that for coordination – sometimes the courier service actually works – maybe they should work it into an ad? Oh and yes, Oscar did return from La Paz with the necessary parts to fix the carburetor, didn’t want any money, but of course Lorne insisted.

The kids
Since the motor home wasn’t going anywhere we arranged for Octavio – who lives in El Cardonel and runs a fleet of 6 or 7 vans employing all his brothers and possibly some cousins too – to pick me up, take me to Mega Store in San Jose del Cabo to pick up groceries and then to the airport to pick up Mike, Kate and the grandkids. He had us back out to Casa Metta in record time. Lorne drove Paul and Renota’s quad out in time for dinner, then went back to install the rebuilt carburetor that Mike had brought down with him and drove the motor home out in the morning.

We had such fun with the kids! The first night in the pool Tristan wore his life vest but by the last night he was doing handstands and swimming around under water like a fish. They couldn’t use the pool in the day time as there were hundreds of bees interested in the water. There is a hive nearby that is very attracted to the water and we had to collect many dead ones by dusk.

The kids had lots of fun collecting shells and rocks, walking the beach, feeding the neighbors dog cookies and doing some crafts and a bit of school work. Lindsay had to keep a journal every day in French – just a few sentences. Sometimes a challenge when one is only in grade one. We rented quads and we drove out the Buenas Aires arroyo to the big pools and water falls, very fun. All of us kids had great fun on the quads and playing in the beautiful water. It feels like such a luxury to swim in fresh water in the desert.

The eagle rays were springing in the air doing their spring time dance, several pods of dolphins leapt past, we saw a mother and baby grey whale pass by and then we had some mating – it takes three of them to complete the task. It requires one mature male to do the deed and a juvenile to hold her. I guess it is a bit awkward in the water without assistance.

The ten days the kids were with us whipped by in a flash, I was very sad to see them leave – they are just so precious. Oh and Mike and Kate were fun too…. They brought a great game with them so the adults played at night too and of course Mike made his yummy adult slushies.

It was so nice to be at Casa Metta in Rancho Pescadero – we have such great friends there with the neighbours and the house is just perfect for the kids.

In the midst of their visit Lorne developed a kidney stone that refused to deliver so he was in tremendous pain for many days and nights – the poor guy really suffers with these stones, this was his fourth. “Four too many” says Lorne. In addition his dad took a turn and he had to get out of his sick bed to fly back to Hamilton to make arrangements for him. He went to the doctor in Los Barriles and flew off fortified with some very heavy duty pain killers, crossing his fingers and toes the usual nausea and vomiting wouldn’t occur on the plane. I guess, like delivering a baby, if you haven’t done it or even watched it being done one would have no appreciation for how much pain is involved. Some doctors say it is more painful than delivering a baby and then all you have to show is a little stone a matter of millimetres in diameter! Lorne’s pain tolerance is normally very high and he was quite incapacitated. Sometimes they have to do surgery to remove these stones; Lorne has fallen just short of having that happen.

Fortunately Art has three very capable adult grandsons who live in Hamilton, one of which is a doctor so he was in good hands and was hospitalized by the time Lorne was able to get there. Nonetheless, Lorne had forms to fill out so Art could go into long term care once he is stabilized. Art had become quite disoriented and delirious; however, all the tests they have given him have turned up nothing so we still don’t know what’s wrong with him besides being 96 years old and his old body is wearing out. Art had a few very brief periods when he knew who Lorne was. This is a very sad time of life for Art and very difficult and stressful for Lorne to be so far away from his dad.

We had 4 days stay at our friends Bill and Julies housesitting and dog sitting for them. It is a beautiful house, I think the most beautiful on this beach. We got to dog sit too - Vicki - a lovely dog who immediately accepted us as part of her pack. I enjoyed wonderful long walks with her. There is just nothing like walking with a dog. She also likes to ride on the quad - her normal walks are a run on the beach or the arroyo leading the quad along. When her run is over she likes to ride home.

Soooo…. We have left Los Barriles and are driving north as quickly as we can get home given that the roads in Mexico are not so great – one should not drive in the dark on these ever and it is a very long ways in a very old vehicle. Lorne will be flying back to Hamilton once we get home, or else we will drive straight to Hamilton, depending on what’s happening with Art.