11. RV Park in Plymouth, Ca., with the Gleisners

On Nov. 16-18 we went to Plymouth with Tom and Darlene Gleisner and stayed at the 49er RV Village. http://www.49ervillage.com/ 

 (HINT:  Click on photos to get larger pic)

We bought a load of firewood ($100 for thin cut white oak) a couple of days before we left. I had just finished stacking the firewood (with sore back…and shoulder) the night before we were to head out. I picked up the trailer the night before, and put a bunch of wood in the truck to take with us as we got everything else ready to go.

The Gleisners showed up approx. 10:30am and we took off. They provided walkie-talkies to help us stay in contact on the road…very helpful.

There was a LONG delay on Hwy 49 due to tree trimming…but we’re having fun, right? From Auburn went down Folsom-Auburn road (very scenic) to Fwy 50, then Latrobe Rd to Plymouth. Latrobe seemed pretty narrow…especially when a logging truck came by! We got to the park, checked-in un-packed, set-up, then Fire-Pit Tom started a fire.

There were only a few people in the park (a Mon and Tues), mostly ‘annuals’. The ducks were really enjoying the ‘water features’, and the fall leaves were very colorful throughout the park. We had a nice long happy hour and a great grilled chicken in Tom and Darlene’s RV. Then we went back to our 5er and watched some HD TV before going to bed…Now THIS is camping!

Our plan for the day on Tues was to be up and ready to go at 10am We took our truck and drove up to Apple Hill http://www.applehill.com/index.htm. This was our first time to that area, but the Gleisners had been a couple of times. We were VERY surprised as to the scope of the Apple Hill area, and can only imagine how busy it must be on weekends.

We stopped at Abel’s Acres, Boa Vista Orchards and Hillside Tree Farm, and had fun looking around at all the booths and sampling the apples. Tom bought some apples and tried putting them in the wrong truck…lol. Even the driver of the other truck got a kick out of that!

The gals bought several candles/gifts/ornaments at different places and I go 4 nice Iris plants for the front yard…they will be a lasting souvenir of our trip…if they live ;-)

We got sandwiches at Boa Vista and went to Boeger Winery for a tasting and a picnic. The grounds were simply wonderful, and so was the wine (and company of course). We left Apple Hill and took a detour into Sutter Creek to look around. The gals window shopped while Tom and I stopped at a local saloon for tasty Alaskan Amber beer. Then it was back to the RV park to relax and get ready for another happy hour and dinner…Tri-tip and baked potatoes in our rig! Another lovely evening.

It rained some that night so things were a little wet as we packed in the morning, but the sun was up to help dry things out and it was an another very beautiful autumn day.

When we hit the road the plan was to stop at a winery near Grass Valley, get some wine, and have lunch in the Gleisner’s RV. We thought we had found the place just off Cramer Rd. in Auburn, but the access road(Fawnridge) was quite narrow (and gravel) for our rigs so we decided to walk up.

The closer we got the more we realized this wasn’t the place, so we turned back. As we got back to the road we saw a sign facing us (and NOT facing the road) indicating the way to the winery we THOUGHT we were going to in the first place. What was up with THAT?!?

We loaded into the Gleisner’s RV and took off for the 2.3 mile trek. When we go there the gates were closed and the sign indicated they were CLOSED…LOL…but it looked like a nice place for a visit another time.

We then turned around and went back to our rig and parted ways. We then drove the 5er home, unloaded it, and took it back to the lot for storage until next time…sigh.

For a complete slideshow, please visit;
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=612105745805%3A660780306
 
Favorite sign of the trip at Boeger Winery;

Favorite artistic photo;

The token picture of yours truly.

10. Yosemite day 3

We had a nice big breakfast out by the campfire and had just finished cleaning up the dishes when a lady came walking up to us and asked if she could ‘borrow’ me. “Sure” I said (w/out even asking why!). As we walked away she explained that this was the first time that she and her family had brought their 5th wheel on a camping trip w/out her husband, and they were having difficulty getting it disconnected. I almost had to laugh as I explained to her that this was my first time out in our new 5er, and this was all new to me. But I said I would do my best to help. Their problem was they couldn’t get the locking arm to pull out to enable them to un-hook the trailer (phew, I knew this one!). I just explained they needed manually apply the trailer brakes, put the truck into reverse, and go back just far enough so that tension was relieved off the arm. Wham, bam, and out it came. Phew. I was a hero!

Not too long later we over-heard our neighbors talking with other neighbors about a bear that had come through the campground around mid-night the night before (news to us!). We talked to them about it, and they said they were sitting by their fire around mid-night, and heard the commotion. This big bear walked right into camp where the people were roasting marshmallows, and despite their yelling and honking their car horn, it grabbed the bag of marshmallows and took off around the corner of our trailer.  Gee, we missed all the fun...or not.

When we bought the 5er we had to buy a flexible hose to hook up for draining the waste water tanks. This hose was still in the box, and I had put it on top of the bear box the night before to remind me to get it out, see how it hooked up, and make sure it would store in the bumper as advertised. As I walked to the box to do that chore I noticed that it had holes in it…what the %$#@& ???? I guess that stupid bear bit into the box, tasted plastic and rubber (his nose must have been broken) and then left (he didn’t even pull it to the ground). But he left me with a drain hose holes with several holes. Well, I guess that is why I carry duct tape…and now whenever I drain the tanks I will think back to our ‘bear attack’.

Just as I was done evaluating the damage to the drain hose I heard a commotion at the end of campground, and my instinct (honed from years of camping in Yosemite) told me we were about to have a visitor. I quickly went inside the trailer, grabbed my camera, and took off. Yup, a bear. It (gender neutral) was heading into the last campsite and the people there were doing a combination of trying to chase it away and taking a video at the same time…pretty funny. The bear looked really pretty bored with the whole situation and was walking in just about slow motion as it left camp. I kept a good distance and took several shots, and got a kick out of the one shot with it standing very close to the bear trap (not open). I did notice that this bear was not collared (or apparently tagged), so must not have been the ‘dinner marauder’ we were made so aware of our 2nd night. And although it was not that big, I bet at mid-night, by the campfire, and after some wine it probably looked a LOT bigger than it did in broad daylight…so this was probably the culprit that punctured my drain hose…bastard!

Our outing for the day was to go over to Yosemite Village, check out the Ansel Adams gallery, the Nature Center and the store (good old Safeway). On the way I stopped at Stoneman bridge and walked up by the river to get a shot of Half Dome through the oak trees…I LOVE that spot!!!

We spent some time browsing through the AA gallery, and then went to the Nature Center. It had been remodeled since we were there years ago and they did a great job. It is very educational/informative and we really enjoyed it. I took a few shots outside (the lighting was GREAT), and then we did our shopping chores and headed back to camp for a final relaxing afternoon of reading/relaxing and getting ready to pack up in the morning.

I didn't bother to take any pics in the morning of our last day as we were pretty much just 'nose to the grindstone' getting things put away and ready to roll.  But here is one final shot of our campsite...we really did have good time (although I still only rate the site a 7 out of 10...mainly due to the proximity of the neighbors)

9. Day 2 in Yosemite

After another morning of sleeping in and waiting for the sun to come through the trees, I spend a lot of time walking through both Lower Pines and Uppers Pines campgrounds evaluating/prioritizing sites for future camping trips to Yosemite. While on my walk Janna stayed back in camp doing her favorite aerobic exercise…reading.

The first thing I did was to stop by the RV dump station in Upper Pines to get a feel for what was there so I would be prepared when it was time for us to check-out, dump our tanks, and leave. I had my campground map in hand from when we checked in, and as I entered the campground I looked up saw this very handsome coyote walking right toward me. He was almost past me by the time I got the camera off my shoulder and got off a shot.

As I walked around the various loops checking for length/width of driveways, proximity to restrooms and trash/recycle stations (the further away the better), and closeness to neighbors (anti-social!) I had a couple other fun interactions with nature.

The first was a couple of ground squirrels that had somehow managed to get a roll of paper towels on the ground and were stuffing their cheeks full like there was no tomorrow. Very funny. I can only imagine what those people would think hit their camp when they got back. And it cracked me up that there was a lady in a camp site right across the road that was just standing there watching the show.

A little further up the road on another loop there were several big ravens going to town on stuff people had left out in their camp. Sure made me make sure we put away anything that 1) first would attract the birds and 2) anything they could carry off…because they will!)

The result of my expedition to Upper Pines was that I determined that out of the 240 total campsites there, there were only 47 that we either could (due to driveway length/width) and would want (location, location, location).  Lower Pines had a little better ratio.  There are 74 total sites there and 36 of those would work (some much better than others!)

After I got back to camp (3:30 ish) I started a fire for Janna and then headed out to the river and down through the portion of Lower Pines that is now closed (and where our favorite sites used to be!) As a kid I used to love playing around Sugar Pine Bridge and as a family we spent a lot of time at the sandy beach there, laying in the sun or rafting in the river.

With sun starting to set it was really beautiful walking back to camp along the meadow we also spent so much time playing in as kids and watching the Fire Fall from Glacier Point. Now the meadow is ‘off limits’ except for the wood path that allows campers to take a short cut over to Camp Curry.

Then it was  back to camp for my favorite 5 hours of camping;  Happy Hour, BBQ'ing, eating, doing dishes out by the fire, and then having cocoa and nutter butters.  Hmm, hmm, hmm. 

And just as I sat down with my Jack and Coke I looked up and there right in front of us were two deer.  Quite a day for animal sightings!

8. First full day in Yosemite

Amazing how well one can sleep in Yosemite…and it was great to jump up in the morning, turn the thermostat up to 60 (42 outside), and climb back into the warm bed waiting for the 5er to warm up. Now THIS is camping ;-)

I got up, made coffee and woke up while playing some Sudoku before (of course) going out and taking pics. Well, before doing that we did wait for the sun to come up completely over Half Dome and start warming up the Valley.

I walked across the campground and up the river just marveling at the colors and beautiful moring light.  It was really amazing.

When I got back from my long photographic/theraputic walk we had lunch and then went for a drive around the valley and out through the Wawona tunnel to collect firewood. The autumn colors were spectacular and it was very difficult to know when to stop taking pictures (and I got plenty of firewood…most people don’t know where to look.)

Back in camp I spent some time chopping firewood (thank goodness the shoulder didn’t hurt doing that!) and by then it was time to start a fire…and YIPPEE…Happy Hour!

As the sky turned dark and the coals became perfect, we started dinner…baked potatoes (a camping staple), broccoli (because its easy), and lamb chops (because we LOVE them!).

All of a sudden from around the corner of our trailer we were approached by two young people in Ranger uniforms carrying flashlights and wearing paraphernalia that made them look like were straight out of the movie “Ghost Busters”. They were very polite, and got right to the point that they were in pursuit of a bear…a bear with a collar that allowed them to track her. They said she was close…very close…and aggressive. Not ‘hurtful’ aggressive, but aggressive to the extent that unless your food is within arm’s distance she will dash in and grab it right off the grill or table. So we should be alert.

They left and I excused myself and said I was going into the trailer for a minute…aha, just kidding. LOL, I’ll watch the food YOU go into trailer and fix me another drink…please? So I sat there for the next 45 minutes cooking and simultaneously scanning the bushes with our ‘high beam’ flashlight. But all I saw was those two ‘kids’ out there searching back and forth for that allusive bear…TOO FUNNY!

Oh, we never did see a sign of that bear…but we did have a very nice dinner…and then hot cocoa (with Peppermint Schnapps) and Nutter Butters. THAT is why I love camping!

7. More on setting up camp in Yosemite

OK, so I have said how well I backed into the storage yard and the driveway at home…well, I guess 2 out of 3 isn’t bad ;-) I bet I got in and out of the truck at least 20 times lining things up, backing up, pulling forward, getting directions from Janna, doing the opposite…what a mess! And then once aligned I had get level by pulling forward, putting down a 2x8, and then trying to back-up straight…I aged a year during that process. BUT…bottom line is that I (we?) did it, finally.

After getting the 5er set up (and taking a few pics) I set up the ‘shade’ cover over the fire pit so I could start a fire to get some coals ready. At that point I realized that it had really stopped raining and the drops landing on my head was just residual moisture dripping from the trees…phew.

Jack and Coke, steak and mushrooms, baked potatoes, corn on the cob and wine…and all in Yosemite…in our new 5er…with my Honey. Sweet.

6. Inaugural trip: Yosemite (appropriate)

On Monday morning (after physical therapy on my shoulder) we headed out for 3 nights Yosemite…in the rain. Yuk! The bad news was that I would have rather embarked on this inaugural ‘break in’ trip without having to worry about towing in the rain, but then again…you gotta play the hand you’re dealt. The good news was that if we had been in our tent trailer (which was the plan when we made the camping reservations in the first place) we would have been facing setting it up in the rain…and that is a BIGGER YUK!

Traffic was very light, and despite the rain we made pretty good time. We stopped for gas in the Galt area (negotiating a 5th wheel around a gas station is fun too!), and then stopped at a store with a deli in Copperopolis for sandwiches and sat in our 5er for our 1st ‘picnic’. THAT is a real nice feature…along with access to the bathroom!!!

From the beginning I had not been looking forward to going up Priest grade (Hwy 120 just before Groveland). It had been years since we had been up it, because normally we take 140 into the park (with the tent trailer) or we go up Old Priest Grade in the car. But we were pretty much locked into going up that long (6 mile), steep, boring, torturous and treacherous road…on our first trip with the 5er nonetheless…in the rain.

At least the rain had stopped by the time we got there so the roads were dry, but it was definitely a ‘handful’ going up that road. The truck did great. When it is set in ‘towing mode’ it seems to have a mind of its own and all I have to do is keep it on the road. But that too is a challenge since the 5er tracks inside the ‘footprint’ so on every switchback I had to make sure I was allowing enough room so it would not ‘cut the corner’. Exhausting!

Going into the Park is great these days, as I all I have to do is flash my Old Fart card (Senior Pass as it is officially called) and we get in for free! We topped off the gas tank at Crane Flat (since there is no longer gas in the Valley) and set off for the final leg of our trip…in the fog and drizzle.

From door to door it is right around 230 miles and it felt great to be driving through the Valley in our new rig. When we pulled up to the kiosk of the Lower Pines campground the lady took our name, and then sort of did a double take…because when we made the reservation we thought we were going in the tent trailer. We said we had a ‘new toy’ and she just said, “well, I hope it fits.” I knew it would because I had done some research ;-) But it was close!

5. First day at home

On Sat. the 18th of Oct. I moved all our stuff from the tent trailer to the 5er, and then brought it home for the 1st time that afternoon, backing it slickly into the drive…just as if I knew what I was doing (“You can fool some of the people…”). We enjoyed ‘Happy Hour’ in it that evening with Doris and Connie before going to the Club House for dinner. Very comfortable!

We spent all day Sunday packing and re-arranging things to get ready for going to Yosemite the next day. By that evening we felt like it was ‘home’ and we were ready.

4. OK, now we FINALLY get to pick it up

By the 14th of Oct. my shoulder had ‘healed’ enough that I could at least lift the keys to the ignition and lift my arm to the steering wheel…driving a 5er home should be a piece of cake. Don’t worry, it was.

We drove down to Happy Daze for our early morning appointment, and while they installed the new Curt ‘slider’ hitch (and the 4 6v golf cart batteries I had bought at Sam’s Club) we got our walkthrough in the trailer on all the ‘systems’.

A little ‘side-bar’ here on batteries; Normally when a trailer is NOT hooked up to ‘shore power’ (meaning plugged into regular 120v service), all the lights, fans, etc., are operated from a 12v battery mounted in the trailer that is charged by the TV (via an inverter) when the trailer is hooked up to it. If you are ‘dry camping’ for a while then that one 12v battery is not going to last very long (like maybe a 3 day weekend depending on usage).

With our tent trailer there were a couple of times when we actually ‘went dark’…so then I began to carry a 2nd 12v battery as a backup. In doing research I learned that 4 6v golf cart batteries (based on the way 6v batteries are built) will actually provide more power (and faster recovery) that 2 12v batteries…so that is why I went with 4 6v batteries (aren’t you glad you asked?!?) And they are linked in series so I don’t have to change back and forth (but I will still carry that extra 12v battery as a back-up…no more blackouts!)

And do you want a side bar on slider hitches? Didn’t think so….

Ok, back to the ‘story’.

Actually there’s not much to add for this day. Well, one little thing; after we hooked it to the truck and pulled out onto the street I did have a bit of…of…nervousness?

I had never towed anything that big/heavy, so all the nerve endings were ‘on alert’. But once we got on the freeway and then onto Hwy 49 on the way to Penn Valley I started to feel very comfortable and realized how nice it was to have a TV that was built just to handle jobs like this. Cool.

Since we hadn’t sold the tent trailer yet we had to rent a second storage space for the new 5er, so I had taken care of that the previous week. Now I simply pulled into their yard, backed into our slot, and unhooked. Piece of cake (thanks to Janna for walking me go through all the steps…1st turn off the keys…OK OK….)

It was sort of sad though to then have to drive off and leave our new toy all alone.

When I got home I checked to see how the hitch had been installed to make it so ‘stable’. In looking at all the new brackets and bolts I noticed a nut missing on one of the bolts…YIKES! I called the dealer, and said just to bring it by and they would take care of it. I said it was too expensive to drive our new gas guzzling TV an hour each way just to have a nut put on, so they agreed that if I brought a pic of the bolt with the missing nut (so they would know what size) by some time when in the area (in the other more fuel economical 4-Runner) they would set me up. No problem. All fixed now.