California
“There's a party goin' on right here
A celebration to last throughout the years
So bring your good times and your laughter too
We’re gonna celebrate your party with you.”
We have now returned from our 3 week journey to California. The road we trudged was 2600 miles across the USA. Florida to California is no joke. It takes much planning. How many hours a day do you want to drive? How many days do you want to take? Where do you want to land for the night?
When we drove to Florida from California in 2018 to meet up with our Happy Destiny Boat, it was such an exciting time for Jim and I. We were on a mission! We did that drive in 4 days, driving 10 hours each day. I was so focused on getting to Florida that I missed a lot of the beauty that was to be seen. It was different this time.
We agreed on the number 7. Seven days to get to California. Seven days in California, and, seven days to get home. I mapped our route, which wasn’t difficult considering we would be on I-10 the entire trip. I use an app called RV Parky which lists all the RV Resorts, State Campgrounds, free overnights, like Walmart and Cracker Barrel’s. It offers reviews and website information. We agreed to drive no more than 400 miles a day and to keep each day under 6 hours. I tried to keep the costs of our overnights to a minimum, so, reading reviews was imperative. I picked some places that turned out to be humdingers!!! This is the end result. A map of each stop from the first to the last.
First stop, Tallahassee, Florida. Coe Landing State Park. 5.5 hours from home. This was a nice place located on Lake Talquin. We had a lake view, which was very nice. I actually booked this place again on our trip back home.
Up early, our next stop was Pass Christian, Mississippi. I chose an interesting rv park. Based on reviews, this site is a flea market, which is only open on the weekends. The reviews were ok, and it was cheap. On arrival, we both were a bit taken aback. It really was a shithole, but it was safe and after all, we were just staying for the night. This was a 320 mile trip.
Along the way, to keep me busy, I made the sunflower decorations for Veronicas party. I planned the theme a few months ago. Sunflowers and Roses. I made and printed the invitations, made the centerpieces and the little favors for the guests.
These sunflowers I made out of tissue paper. They will be hung in the venue room on the day of Veronica’s party
Day 3 takes us to Texas. We both were kind of dreading this part of the trip. Texas is a huge state to cross. It will take us three driving days. There’s not much to see on the drive across. Lots of desert and many rocky bluffs that all look the same. I tried to be more interested in the beauty of it all. For sure, if you are willing to see it and not just concentrate on the nothingness around, I was able to enjoy the adventure. I had things to keep me occupied, like making 35 tissue paper sunflowers for Veronicas party. Jim and I listened to audio books along the way. We started ( and finished) Mark Twains, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. We also like to listen to Johnny Dollar which is an old time radio program. I have hours upon hours of this program.
We crossed through Alabama and Louisiana. We began to see signs advertising Boudins and Cracklins. What is a Boudin you ask? Boudin, pronounced BOO-DAN, is a dish unique to Southwest Louisiana but is now found throughout the state. The sausage is typically made up of pork heart or liver with rice, onions, peppers, and spices, stuffed into a casing.
we chose Billy’s, which stated it was the best in Louisiana. It was a fabulous meat market, with a hot food counter. We bought sausage, and a bacon wrapped pork loin stuffed with crabmeat stuffing. We also bought cheese stuffed and crawfish stuffed boudins. They were the bomb!
Beaumont, Texas was our destination. 320 miles. We arrived at Robbins RV park. Another interesting shithole! Hey, just trying to save a little money. The nicer RV parks are expensive. With the Fuel costs for our RV, saving money here and there was an important part of planning this road trip. The owners were pleasant and the place appeared safe. Nothing to see here but old trailers and RVs. Oh, and a horse.
Day 4 takes us to Kerrville, Texas. We had to drive through two major cities, Houston and San Antonio. There is a lot of construction on the Interstate. We had to take a few detours, which led to a lot of traffic jams.
We tow the Mini Cooper behind us, which makes us about a 45 foot vehicle. When someone decides to change lanes at the last minute or slams on their brakes, Jim has to be on his toes. It takes us much longer to stop or make adjustments. It’s stressful. Also, when we stop for gas, we must figure out how to enter the gas station and we have to make sure we have a exit. We cannot back up with the Mini hooked up. So, if Jim is not accurate with his calculations, we would have to unhook the car, and that is a drag. Jim was quite proud of himself at the end of the trip that he didn’t have to do that one time!
Houston Texas
After a 6 hour drive, we landed at the Kerville KOA. This was a very nice place and a step up from the last few days.
On our Great Loop trip we met Mark and Lezlie, who became our friends. They live in Kerrville. We made arrangements to have dinner with them. They picked us up at the campsite and we went to a place called The Boat for dinner. It was nice to see them and, as always, we talked about our Loop adventures, which is something I love to do.
Looper friends Mark and Lezlie
Day 5 was a long one! 492 miles or 7 hours! We rolled into the Sunland Park Race Track and Casino in Sunland Park, New Mexico. Basically right on the borders of El Paso Texas and Juarez, Mexico.
This casino offers RV parking in their lot. Only 8 spaces, but those spaces have electricity and water. A pretty perfect stop for an overnighter, at $15.00. I called ahead to see if they had a spot open. If they hadn’t have, it would have been a Cracker Barrel! RV stops in this area are pretty non existent.
After a very long day of driving, we plugged in and headed to the security office to pay our bill. Amazingly enough, the office was in the casino! Here’s where they get you! Our $15.00 bill for our site quickly turned into a few hundred dollars which we left in their machines! Oh well! We had fun!
I left this kindness rock when we departed. This couple found it and posted a picture!
It’s always so fun when people post the rocks I left around at our stops. I probably took 50 rocks with me on this trip and left at campsites, grocery stores and gas stations. Here are several that were found.
Our stop on the 6th day of our journey puts us in Casa Grande, Arizona. Finally, Texas is behind us. For now. I keep thinking about the return trip already! Tonight’s stop was one I had been waiting for. They had a jacuzzi! One thing about me anymore, is, I love to take baths at night. On these over the road travels, I really miss my bathtub, so staying at a place with a jacuzzi and pool was heaven! We will stop here on our way home too.
Finally!
We stopped at Dwayne’s Jerky Store in Bowie, Arizona. This was going to be an overnight stop, but we got ahead of ourselves and forged onward to the High Chaparral. It is a beef jerky store, (Yum), and would have been a nice overnight stay. I made Jim stop anyway to buy some jerky. It was well worth the stop. This will also be a return trip stop for sure!
Day 7 will take us to our final destination, California!
It was a 6 hour drive from Arizona to San Dimas. As we got closer to the State Line, the air changed. The scenery changed as we drove through Tucson and Phoenix. The traffic picked up, and the mountains of a place we used to call home, came into view. As we crossed the border, I felt a little melancholy. It has been almost 4 years since we moved to Florida and passed this area, as we left California to head to our Happy Destiny Boat. We traveled through Palm Springs, a place I’ve been several times. The further west we traveled, the smoggier it got and I knew then we were definitely in California.
Bonelli Bluffs RVResort was our destination. It is located In San Dimas California. We arrived a day early, so we were given a site right next to the one we would move to the following day. Bonelli Park is located on the bluffs above a park called Puddingstone Lake. Our site was beautiful and overlooked Brackett Field, a small craft airport, which sits next to The Fairplex, where the LA County Fair is held every year.
I set up camp and we settled in. This will be our view for the next week!
Our week here was a whirlwind. So many comings and goings. We arrived on Tuesday and Veronicas party was not until Sunday. It’s hard to remember everything and the events that took place all week, but what I will say is it was a joy to see all my kids and grandkids. To see Jennifer and my sister. Robert, my son and his wife Steph came from Massachusetts to attend the party. All of them came to visit us at the campsite all throughout the week. We ate amazing meals and caught up with each other. Both Jim and I were thrilled with the effort everyone put in to coming over to visit their mom. Many came twice! Here are all kinds of pictures of the shenanigans.
As you can see, there was an abundance of family time and it all filled my heart with great joy. Having all my kids and grandkids in one place made the very long drive here all worth it. I miss my kids. But, I love my life in Florida with Jim, and in this season of my life, there’s no place I’d rather be.
Sunday finally rolled around. It’s was party day! I had been planning this party for a few months now. Being from California and this area for many years, it wasn’t to difficult to pick a venue for Veronica’s 50th birthday. I chose the Metro Event Center in Pomona, California. Veronica and I decided that she would invite 35 people. 21 of those people were family and she invited several of her friends. I was able to have an event coordinator at the venue to help me with all the details. I did not find planning a party from Florida very difficult. Brenda, the coordinator helped me by FaceTimeing to show me around and she helped me pick a menu for the guests. I found a lady on Facebook, who makes cakes. I reached out to her and she agreed to make the cake and deliver it. I ordered balloons from Party City and had them delivered too! So, all this to say that on the day of the party I showed up a few hours early, my sister joined me to help, we hung the sunflowers, put the centerpieces on the beautiful tables, tied the balloons and waited for the guests to arrive.
It couldn’t have been a nicer party. We all had a great time and I know Veronica felt very special.
That’s what this day was all about.
Happy Birthday Veronica!
Veronica’s party went off without a hitch.
Thank you Jim for helping to make this adventure happen. Your love and devotion to my kids is overwhelming. It took a lot to get us here. Hours and hours of driving, a ton-o-money, and your willingness to sit in the background as I scurried around, means so much to me. You are the best husband a girl could ever have and I’m so blessed you chose me!
Where I Belong
I’m not going to write a lot about our trip home. It was a repeat of our journey to get here, just in the opposite direction! Long hours of driving, many hours of Johnny Dollar, a stop at the Jerky Store, a few places revisited and a renewed sense of “there’s no place like home”. I think both of us were over it, and we both agreed that there would be no more driving every single day without stopping to smell the roses, so to speak. There are many beautiful places along interstate 10 that we could have gone. Lots of boondocking in the bluffs, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona to name a few. Next time we drive cross country, we will make these stops and sit a spell.
We did unhook the car in New Orleans and drove into the French Quarter. I wanted to visit this real creepy, yet beautiful, cemetery I had seen on our way. This is a YouTube video, (not mine) of this place we visited. Jim wasn’t as excited as I was to check it out.
Here are my pictures
After, we drove to the French Quarter and strolled the streets. I found it to be dirty and smelly. Jim said back in the day, Jazz ensembles would play in the streets and the vibe was much different than we experienced on this day. It smelled like booze and the waft of marijuana loomed in the air. The transgender community is huge here, and, bless their hearts, I couldn’t help but stare! I’m glad we went. I’m glad I saw. I’m glad I never have to do it again!
On our way through Pensacola, we stopped at Joe Patti’s Seafood Company. This was a place we went to on our loop trip, and we both enjoyed picking up some fresh fish and, one more time, reliving the memories we made 3 years ago, almost to the day.
We arrived home around 3:00 pm. I’ve got the “unload” the RV down to a science, and by the time Jim arrived back home after returning the RV to the storage site, I had put most everything away and started the laundry. We both agreed it was great to be home and thanked each other for the wonderful, fun, safe adventure we just experienced.
If you followed along on Facebook, I’m glad you came along. If you found your way to this blog, I hope you enjoyed reading about our journey. I continue to write because I promised I would, way back when we returned from our loop trip. As you can see, there most definitely is life after the loop!
Peace be with you and yours. Merry Christmas!
Kim and Jim❤️
