14. New tailgate

For those not familiar with hooking up 5th wheel trailers to the pickup, with a regular tailgate you have to lower it to be able to back up under the trailer 'hitch', and then you have to close it before towing.  So the drill of opening/closing, each time you connect/disconnect can become a little tedious...plus it leaves too much opportunity for human error (as in forgetting to either open or close, backing into the trailer with it down, etc.)

So they make 'after market' tailgates that allow for connecting/disconnecting w/out having to worry about the tailgate (plus the louvers 'supposedly' help with air flow and therefor improve fuel economy)...so I got one.  Bought it on Ebay a week ago.

It arrived yesterday, and in an hour (after I looked up on the internet to see how to take off the factory installed tailgate) I had my new 'toy' installed.  Now I just have to wait until we go to Yosemite with Mak and Zach over spring break to use it!

13. Uncle Paul's Celebration of Life Weekend

On Feb. 3, 2010 we lost our brother in law, Paul Higginbotham.  He fought very hard, but succumbed to pneumonia (and related respiratory complications).  He was a good friend and family member, and we will miss him greatly.

On Sat. Feb. 20, a Celebration of Life was held for him in the Cedar Room at the Lake Wildwood clubhouse.  The weekend began with out of town friends and family gathering at our house for dinner on Friday night and to start preparing food for both the Celebration and dinner the next night.  This was followed by the Celebration Sat. afternoon, dinner for MANY back at our house that evening, and a champagne brunch the next morning.

A slideshow of the weekend can be found at; Pictures of Paul's Celebration Weekend

On Friday morning I got up early and went to the storage yard to bring the 5er back to the house.  The plan was to use it as a guest suite for the weekend for Paul's son Andy and family, and then have it available for the kids to use as a game room while the adults occupied the rest of the house.  After hookup I was pulling it through the storage yard and for the briefest of moments I went brain dead.

My mind wandered to not using black spray paint to cover some markings on the trailer hitch...dumb...and then it happened.  One of those moments you fear.  I heard a crunch and felt a tug.  I had sideswiped a parked RV as I negotiated a tight corner.

That corner has storage units to the left, storage units straight ahead, and parked RV's on the right...and a narrow drive between.  It takes concentration to navigate that course.  What in the world was I doing 'allowing' my brain to wander to some inane subject.  Go figure!  I'm going to write it off as stress, but certainly use it as a lesson for the future...STAY FOCUSED!

Essentially I had 'rubbed' the side of the 5er across the corner of an RV for about 3 feet.  The RV had a big ole cover on it, so I had to lift it up to survey the damage (damage other than the obvious rip in that EXPENSIVE cover).   I had hit the bumper, and scraped the corner molding.  No dents, tears, creases, etc. to the RV itself...looked pretty 'superficial' really.  Then I looked at the 5er.

The good news is that it could have been worse...a LOT worse.

There is a storage compartment in the 'basement' of the 5er that goes from one side to the other, and is about 3ft long and 18" tall.  The door swings up on a long hinge, and has 2 latches and a lock at the bottom...that door got the bulk of the damage.  The hinge was scraped along its whole length, and on of the latches was pulled completely out.  The good news is that I can still open the door (with gloves, pliers and screwdriver) and close it (with a rubber hammer).  There is also a nice tear in the sheeting under the door where it had hit the bumper of the RV.  This is 'cosmetic' and won't effect use (but still needs to be fixed).

I stopped in the office and reported the incident, then went home to sulk.

Later that day after the trailer was all set up and other chores had been done I got a phone call from the owner of the RV.  Turns out he is a fellow Lake Wildwood resident and after comparing notes we realized we have played golf together a couple of times.  He also has the same insurance carrier, so the wheels are in motion (pun intented) to get both our rigs repaired.

Words of wisdom;  Beauty is only skin deep, but DUMB goes clear to the bone  ;-)

12. Camping in the driveway

OK, so this wasn't really a trip to anywhere, but it was fun none the less. When Chris, Kasandra and kids came to stay for a night over Christmas, we had Kasandra and the two little girls (Olivia and Chloe) sleep in the guest rooms, and Chris and the two big kids (Mak and Zach) were in the trailer. This worked out perfectly from a logistical perspective, but it was not without incident.

This was the first time that Mak and Zach had seen the trailer. They liked being in it so much, that on two separate occasions that afternoon/evening they both asked if they could hang out in it by themselves for a while…Mak to read a book and Zach to watch a video. This was all well and good, except that we had not taken the time to explain to them how to work the latch on the door…pull in the latch, push out the door. So each kid (w/out knowing the other had done it) ended up being ‘trapped’ inside the trailer and had to bang on the window (while crying in panic) to try to get our attention to let them out.

Poor kids. Well, at least now they know how to open the door, and hopefully we won't have any similar issues when we take them camping to Yosemite in March (knock on wood).

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!