Blown Home by the Wind

The wind continued to roar around the van all night. We didn't actually have a lot of trouble getting to sleep - Hubby told us all to think we were on a boat rocking on the waves, which seemed to help some of the family - but the van was cold in the morning from the drafts finding their way through cracks and crevices. That said, we weren't as cold as the two guys who had pitched tent in the site next door after we'd gone to bed. It was a dad and his son and, boy, did they look cold and miserable putting the tent away at 7:00am. It was not a night (or a location) for tent camping.

Everyone got splendidly clean in the campground showers. It was a revelation. Deep Thought had a bit of a problem with her towel and robe becoming soaked because Dad didn't warn her that she had put them on a seat for disabled people in the shower, and not a bench, but apart from that all went swimmingly (if you'll excuse the pun).

We set off promptly for our longest drive, 322 miles north to Merced and the McConnell State Recreation Area.

The kids watched "Guys and Dolls" on the portable DVD player while we drove along I-15 away from Calico, through Barstow - another depressed town going nowhere - and back to Mojave. Our route traversed a stretch of the Mojave Desert. I am glad that I didn't make more effort to find places for us to camp in the Mojave Desert, as we now feel like we've seen enough of it. Dry and flat with a lot of rocks. Impressive for its scale, and the contrast between the desert plain and the mountains, but not a place you'd much want to hang out. Or live. I guess some people choose to, though I'm not sure why... It seems clear from the state of most of the little towns that the young people leave and never return. One day these small towns will fall into the desert like the mining towns that preceded them. Some of them are half way there already. Quite a spooky thought, really.

We backtracked along our earlier route from Mojave through Tehachapi to Bakersfield. The landscape around Tehachapi is appealing, with rolling hills, more greenery, and a winding road that meets and greets the long distance railway in numerous places.

Bakersfield was as lovely as we remembered. This time there were no diversions. We stopped for lunch at the China Town Buffet off I-99 just at the edge of Bakersfield, and it turned out to be just what we needed. Imagine a bland single story building filled with 150 diners of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages. About 85% of the men have facial hair - something we noticed was a lot more prevalent in the central valley - and everyone has at least three plates of food in front of them. It was a help yourself to everything buffet for $10 each, and we sure did. Little Starlet focused heavily on the meat options. Deep Thought consumed mostly appetizers, though she also tucked into some teriyaki chicken. Hubby ate ribs and shrimps, while I focused on brightly colored food skewered on sticks. It went down very well in all senses.

By the time we'd finished gorging ourselves, the rain had started to fall in Bakersfield. We decided to out run it. The kids armed themselves with "Nanny McPhee", and we set out along the ever-so-slightly-dull I-99.

Reaching Fresno, the rain was really coming down hard. Hubby put forward the crazy idea of abandoning our last night of camping and driving home. We decided to have a family conference in Merced, just short of the McConnell Recreation Area. Fortunately we were able to hold it in a Starbucks! Nectar of the Gods! (Our first sighting of a Starbucks for several days was in Bakersfield, which is how we knew that Bakersfield counted as civilization, and that we'd been experiencing the wilderness before that.)

The vote was taken and the decision made to return home. So that is where I am writing now, in our family room with a cup of tea.

Photographing Crater Lake

Friday morning, we drove up to Rim Village from the Mazama Campground, about 15 minutes. The regular parking lot was very full but there were many spaces in the RV parking. We presumed that this was a busy visitor center because Crater Lake is essentially something you experience through driving, which makes it accessible for elderly and disabled people, and for families with small children.

We spent an hour doing the Discovery Trail from Rim Village to Discovery Point. Discovery Point was the place where John Wesley Hillman saw Crater Lake for the first time in 1853. The walk was described as “moderate” but really was easy except for a few vertigo inducing sections of trail – places where I held on tight to Little Starlet, much to her great annoyance (“I’m not a dumbo!”). Though it was only a two mile round trip, it took us some time because of the many photos that we all took.

After the walk we ate our picnic lunch in the RV in the parking lot - a true road trip experience - and then we went on the 30 mile Rim Road drive. Needless to say, Hubby took lots and lots of photos. The whole drive took several hours. The kids' patience had worn very thin by the end.

The Lake is impressive - high caldera cliffs leading to still blue waters - but I don't think we'll be trying to get there again any time soon. There really isn't anything to do apart from a couple of little walks and the drive.

The campground is also probably a zoo in the high summer, though it worked just fine for us. We showered in the coin showers, ate dinner in the Annie Creek Restaurant, dumped our black water ("Smelled like wee," says Hubby) and our grey water, and filled up with fresh.

A Typical Morning on a Driving Day

Little Starlet wakes up at 6:00am, reads her book, then wakes us up at 7:30am (though we’re usually already awake). She pulls back our privacy curtain with a big happy “Good Morning!” Deep Thought drags herself out of bed twenty minutes later: She stays behind her privacy curtain as long as she can.

Hubby collects our mugs, kettle and water from outside. Then he breaks Little Starlet’s bed, reconstructing the dinette. We collect our coins, towels and toiletries, and walk round to the campsite showers. Then we eat a breakfast of cereal. (It’s usually cooked food on a stay-put day.)

Everyone gets dressed, then Deep Thought and Little Starlet wash and dry the dishes while I put them away. We tidy everything that is left hanging around, e.g. clothes, shoes, books. We tidy up as we go along: It is very important to be super tidy in such a small space. As we are in bear country we are careful to make sure all food and anything that looks like it might be food (e.g. a mug) is put out of sight. Apparently the bears can try to get into your vehicle if they think they can see food. Hubby tidies up outside, again putting away anything that is or that looks like food. Visits to the campsite toilets, brushing teeth and hair, medicines, and a final sweep of the dusty floor (with the handy brush that collapses down into a very short length of handle, as provided by the RV company).

If we are moving on, Hubby checks the outside of the RV: storage cupboard locked, door step away, leveling blocks away, any hookup unplugged and the cord away. I check the interior: All cupboards securely closed, air vents closed, windows closed, curtains pinned back, nothing loose on any surfaces or on the floor to slide around, all appliances turned off, water pump off, toilet empty and closed, lights off.

And we’re away.

Welcome to Hippy Springs Commune

Tuesday's entry:

Our journey today was about 250 miles. With twisty roads and a couple of stops, they took us nine hours. We were all very happy to arrive at Jackson Wellsprings, our camp site for the next 48 hours.

The RV campground guide book gave Jackson Wellsprings only a 5/10 rating for “scenic” (compared to Albee Creek’s well-deserved 9/10), so we weren’t expecting much to look at, and boy, were we not disappointed.

What the guide book failed to mention was that this is a hippy commune. Yes, there are thirty RV campsites; but only about four of them are for visitors like us. The rest are occupied by long-term residents, complete with dogs on strings, greenhouses, and so on. The folks seem friendly enough if a bit crustier than we’re used to seeing in Palo Alto. There are a lot of goatee beards, dreadlocks (on white guys), and older women in flowing gypsy dresses. The advertised swimming pool (“fed by the mineral spring”) is open to residents and day visitors, as is the spa area; but since it appears to have been built in about 1930 and not renovated since – except for the addition of a large Ganesh statue – it is hard to see why anyone would choose to pop over for a swim.

Hubby took the kids for a splash in the last half hour of the period when children are allowed in the pool area: Clothing becomes optional at 7:45pm and though the kids seemed quite interested to see what might happen, we couldn’t quite imagine what some of the locals might look like unrobed…. Unfortunately, Little Starlet got a face bash and a nose bleed so her swim lasted all of three minutes.

Important benefit of this campground: water supplies to refill the tank and electrical hook ups so we can recharge all our gadgets. Downside: no camp fires.

The RV has landed!

You might be saying 'that doesn't look so big'. Well you're wroooong! 25 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 11 feet high, it's massive!

Trying to Engage the Troops

All the books say that you should make sure to involve your kids in the planning process for any lengthy trips such as the one we are about to do. What the books don't say is how to get them to show any interest at all. I've tried asking what they think will be interesting or surprising, what they're looking forward to or not sure about. I've tried spreading the maps across the living room, and leaving heaps of guide books on the sofa. I've tried saying things like "Gosh, there looks like there might be a good beach here, or do you think we should try to get to there for the lunch stop?" But all to no avail. Little Starlet gives a theatrical sigh and says she really doesn't mind what we do. Deep Thought takes a quick look before going back to her book or whatever is clearly more interesting than interacting with her mother.

Perhaps they'll want to engage more when we are actually on the road, or is that just wishful thinking?

Worryingly, the thing that has fascinated them most so far is choosing a portable DVD player and five brand new DVDs to take on the journey. Not quite what I had in mind.

Differing Priorities

While I have started pondering the great food question - just how many times can we feed the kids pasta with tomato sauce over nine days before we get a rebellion? - Hubby's mind has been turning to more important things: Gadgets.

Question 1: Do we need a fancier camera? This from the man who once managed to take a photo of a blank bit of heathery Dartmoor which, upon extreme scrutiny, proved to have my nose on the edge of the frame. Excuse my scepticism, but who exactly will be taking the photos with this fancy new camera? And how will we have time to learn how it works? As it happens, Deep Thought has her birthday next weekend, and we've bought her a point-and-shoot as her gift. I suspect she'll be pretty good with it. Better than her Dad anyway.

Question 2: Should we have a DVD player for the kids in the back of the RV to keep them occupied during the long drives? We could play something on the laptop, but Hubby thinks maybe we should invest in a DVD gizmo. I struggle with this one. On the one hand we like to imagine the kids gazing out of the RV windows taking in the views and enhancing their appreciation of our beautiful state. On the other I know they will be kicking each other under the table and demanding snacks to assuage their boredom.

Question 3: If we want to play an audio book on the iPod, do we need a special player so that we can all hear it? Hubby's suggestion on this one was to take our regular stereo speakers. Given that they are eight year old technology, they're not all that compact. I gently reminded him that we're in an RV.

I foresee a long and expensive trip to Fry's this weekend.