Stocking up for our Desert travels

The next 3 weeks will be in the California desert and we need to get ready for this inhospitable environment.

The Left Coast............San Diego, California

We finally were able to coordinate our calendars, and we were able to visit some good friends from our former Bridgewater days, Ron and Judi.  First we spent a few days at their beautiful home in La Jolla, then we pulled our motorhome out of short term storage, and set up at Campland at Mission Bay.

We picked a great time with great weather and all of the flowers blooming.  Took walks in Pacific Beach along the ocean.  Great to check out the California action.  Then we took a few days to bike around Mission Bay on the many bike paths.

Wow, our bike ride to Coronado Island was intense...…..Biking on bike lanes to downtown San Diego, then along the harbor, and then the ferry to the Island.  At one point, we saw and heard, a plane taking off at the nearby SD airport, a commuter train crossing the road with the crossing gates ringing, and the traffic on the road we were riding on zipping by.  But we made it to the Coronado Hotel, and the then to Mootime Creamery for ice-cream inspired by Elvis - GOOD!



We ended our time here with a trip to Cabrillo Point.  Tidal pools to check out and great views made this a special day.  Our special thanks to our friends, Ron & Judi.

 

 Almost failed to mention our bike by of the iconic San Diego monument................... 

2 weeks is not enough at Catalina State Park, Tucson AZ !

Where have the two weeks gone?  We've been so busy hiking, biking, and socializing with our friends (who are now also our RV friends), Ray & Ann, and Dave & Nan.  We also met up with our Ann Arbor friends, Mike & Vicki who live here in Tucson.  But first, we must mention what a wonderful park Catalina is.... great campsites, friendly staff, programs including "music in the mountains", hiking, and biking.

Our highlight here has to be the easy access to "The Loop", a 51 mile loop ride on paved bike trails encircling Tucson.  And then there are a number of side access cycleways including the 10 mile Canada Del Oro that heads out from the State Parks entrance.  We logged over 80 miles of wonderful biking...……and there's more to this story!

On our second day out on the Loop, Ruthie's EBike lost its power assist, and we were stuck 10 miles from our campsite.  Morey biked back and got our rental vehicle, which just happened to be a pickup truck...(phew), and brought home the bike and Ruthie.  Unable to reboot the motor system, we found an authorized Bosch dealer, where her bike is awaiting repairs.  Not wanting to miss biking more of the Loop, we rented a road bike...……….What a superwoman!  Ruthie rode the next day, 46 miles on the unpowered road bike, while the rest of us powered through the ride with our EBikes.

Sad news......kind of, as we had to cancel some of our plans on camping on the way to San Diego.  But we were able to get a campsite at the "Overflow-overflow" area, and so we stayed a few more days at Catalina.  We added another Music in the Park, some more trails to hike, a ranger lead hike, and a photography class.

Other great happenings...……..  The Gem show is in town, and Mike & Vicki took us to check out a few of the many exhibits.  Amazing; you can purchase a Tyrannosaurus Rex for your very own living room!  Then there are all of the gems, rocks, and you name it...stuff.

Another highlight was our 5+ mile hike up to Romero Pools where lots of water was filling the pools.  Dave & Nan joined us and successfully climbed the 1200 foot over the many rocks.

We took our rental truck to Mt. Lemmon.  Such an interesting drive as we saw the Saguaros, then the scrub desert, and then pine trees as we reached over 9,000 feet.  A nice lunch at the Iron Door by the ski lift where we stayed warm with some good soup and hot sandwiches.

We almost forgot to mention the Farmers Markets... and then even the easy access to Walmart and the movies...………...it's all here!

So yes, two weeks is not enough...…….we just booked next year, same time, same place...and another week in the Tucson area!