Moving Day, aka, We got Frickin Lucky Day

November 12-13, 2012

After having access to the internet,  I researched more closely into the expected weather of our chosen forest campsite.   Previously, I’d looked up the weather for Ducor, CA, since that had been listed on a campground review as being the closest city.    I was pleased with the upcoming sunny and warm weather.    However, when I realized that the forecast for the elevation of 6000 feet was 5-10 degrees better than the forecast for Kernville, 2000 feet…I got concerned.    So I googled the elevation of Ducor: 200 feet.    Shit.   It seems that technically it is kind of close to our campground.   Just much lower down.    After some digging, I finally was able to get an accurate forecast.    It was for lower to mid 50s in the day and 20s in the night.   Brrr.    Now, I might have still gone for it; but I’ve been anxious about getting caught up the mountain in a freak snow storm.    So we agreed to forego that lovely spot in favor of our other boondocking find, which is both warmer and closer to town.   Funnily enough…when we were driving to our “Clearing Campground”, there was a sign up saying the road was closed at Johnsonville.   This meant that we could NOT have gone to the forest campground after all.   I guess the light snow we’d enjoyed the past few days had dumped significant inches of snow up the mountain.

We did some café internet until noonish, and then we headed back to ripoff RV to load up and pull out.   I was starting to get nervous.   I was scared we wouldn’t clear the powerlines.   And Missy was nervous too; her concern was making the turnaround.   Funny, because neither of us was worried about the other’s concern.    As it turned out…we were both foolish to have not considered the true potential for boondoggle.    (I’d love to end on a dramatic cliffhanger here….)

So the forest service road up the mountain went pretty much the straight opposite of the way we were driving.   Since the highway is next to the river, I’ll go ahead and use upstream and downstream to describe.    There was a large pullout on the side of the highway at the start of the Forest Service Road.   Heading upstream, I  pulled over into that spot and Missy hopped out.   She was going to hike up to the campsite to make sure it was unoccupied and that the route was still clear.    I continued on the highway upstream for about 5 miles to a big parking lot where I could turnaround and head back downstream.    I was extremely nervous about heading to the campsite.   I figured our chances for getting stuck or for disaster were 30%.     And the exit strategy was almost non-existent.   We’d either have to back up blind downhill onto a main highway…or leave the rig permanently on the dirt road.  Missy got back in the car, reported all was clear, and we headed up the steep mountainside road.  (Note: we were in 4WD).

When we previously scouted this drive (twice), we both carefully considered the turnaround and the steep curbside/drop down driveway into the campsite.    We had neglected to consider the one heinous ‘S’ turn in the road, nor the approach to the turnaround.    Sigh.   The turnaround is shaped like an AIDS ribbon.   You drive up one leg, go into a loop-di-loop and head up the mountain on the other leg.    This arrangement is how to handle the switchback.    As it turns out, the transition from the narrow forest service road into the loop was un-makeable.   I pulled forward and soon was brushing up against the rock sides with the passenger side wheels of the RV.   We needed to pull straight for about 20 feet before turning the wheel sharply to the right to get into the loop.   But, the opposing bank was only 15 feet away.    We decided to try anyway.    Inch by agonizing inch, we shifted forward and back and forward to try to gain clearance from the rocks.    Missy left her spot in front of the truck to go watch for clearance at the RV wheel.    I snuck forward as far as we could and then turned the wheel.   I didn’t think we’d made enough space, but there was nothing left to try.    So I gunned it….spun the wheels in soft sand(or so I thought)….gunned it harder….and we made it!   Juuuuuuust enough clearance to get into the loop!    As I turned to the right, I was shocked when I felt the truck plummeting a few feet to the ground.    Oops!    It turns out there was a large boulder in the front of the truck.   I couldn’t see it from the truck.   Missy had assumed I could see it, and would know to avoid it.   Nope.   I ended up driving right over that sucker.    If I’d known it was there, we never would have made it into the loop because I would certainly have nixed driving over it.    Fool-hardy and lucky for once!    I guess the universe is paying us back for all the tire troubles we’ve had.

The outer edge of the loop is comprised of mostly deep soft sand.   Of course, the outer edge is where we needed to be to clear the rv around.   Luckily, 4WD worked great.   And as I’d told Missy, backing up as needed worked perfectly.   That was part of the RV driving lesson I remembered from Jeremiah: don’t be afraid to back up to gain clearance in turns.  You’d be surprised how much more room you’ll gain then you think is possible.    When we headed up the mountainside, we both let out big sighs of relief.   We’d gotten sooooo lucky!    We did have an issue with the bad S turn.   I slowed down to a snail’s pace and had Missy get out and watch.   She said that a piece of paper wouldn’t even fit between our tire and the rock.   Phew!

We got to the “driveway” of our new home and it was touch and go getting in.    There was a big curb leading into quite a drop-off.  We did not make it without some major scraping.   But no permanent damage done.    Missy thinks the RV was almost going to tip over, but as the driver, I never felt that things were unsafe.    Once on the driveway, Missy climbed up onto the roof of the RV while I drove under the powerline.    Luckily, we cleared it just fine!    We parked the rig and then both needed some time to recover from this adrenaline-filled adventure.

Tuesday:   Lazy/recovery day today.   The only thing we accomplished other than relaxing was cleaning all the windows to maximize on the amazing views.

Ripoff RV Park

November 10-11, 2012

Saturday was the same weather as the day before.   Blustery and cold, with alternating periods of snow and sun.   We were planning on making our move to an RV park on Monday (so as to best avoid crowds and traffic).   But, alas, our black tank filled up so we clearly had to plan on moving the next morning.   Still quite cold overnight…mid 20s.   But, the new batteries worked great and we had furnace heat all night.    Not only did the batteries run the furnace all night, but they got us coffee made the next morning and the slides moved in and the landing gear moved.  All still without need of a genny boost.   Hooray!     It’s really quite a relief over the despair we felt when things didn’t work as expected.   It used to suck not having heat in the middle of the night.

Sunday: we left camp around 8:30 and drove the 7 miles into Kernville to hit up the Laundromat.   We wanted to get pillowcases done now that we’ve successfully finished our icky portion of going “no champoo”.   This is something we’ve read about on other RV blogs…training your hair to become accustomed to being without shampoo.   When you plan to be boondocking most of the time, it’s really pretty crucial to be able to save water by not having to shampoo every 3^rd day.    We both get pretty oily hair after a day or 2 of not showering.   When you go off the champoo, you’re supposed to expect 2 weeks of disgusting, oily, hideous hair.  But you have to suffer through it to get to the point where your hair stops overproducing oils.   So…we’ve been champoo free for this whole road trip.   It wasn’t pretty, which is why there have been no pictures (or close pictures) of either of us.   It’s kind of amazing how it’s actually worked.   We use baking soda to rub into our roots when we need to clean our hair.   We’ve been told to expect to get by with only cleaning once a week.   We’ll have to see if that time frame works for us.   For now…we’re optimistic that this will work for us and we’ll be able to extend our time off the grid

After doing laundry, we stopped at the RV park we’d picked out.   It’s the only one that had wifi.   When we paid for our night ($50!), we found out that they don’t allow any downloading on the wifi.   WTF????   We’re getting cockblocked at every turn in California.   (Where cock=decent wifi).   This hampers our plan of loading up on shows before heading into the boonies again for 3 weeks.   Seems we’ll have to visit the internet café tomorrow morning and see what we can get in the few hours before we have to check out.   The other thing that sucks about this place is that the showers are coin operated.  We were both pissed at finding that out.   That was the other thing we were expecting to get for our fee…unlimited hot-water showers.   This place is a total rip off.    At least I’m making some of my money back in doggy do-do bags.   And I’m tempted to leave the TV running all night just to waste some of their electricity.   Hmph.

North Corral Creek Campground

November 5-9, 2012

Monday- We went to an internet café and got somewhat decent speeds for surfing.  We had our inaugural commute via double scoot.  It went very well!   Missy has definitely improved her driving after her class!   We’re going to try to use the scooter as much as possible, since we get 60 mpg.  The only snag in the plan is when we want to go somewhere to have a hike.   Then we have to take the truck so Cassie can come.   But yay for having the option now!

After checking weather reports and seeing that the extended forecasts were still favorable at our next spot (i.e. no scary snowstorms), we decided to stay in our current spot for a bit longer.    When we got back to camp, we checked out the other side of the campground.    When we first got here, there were a couple of campers already here.    Now that they’ve gone, we feel that they had the best spot.   Better views (we can now see the river from our rig).  We’ll move tomorrow.    We had a campfire tonight.   The stars put on a nice show for us, as long as we were outside.    When we were ready to call it a night, I shoveled about 2 tons of sand on that sucker to make SURE it was out.   Fire Safety is Important!

Tuesday- We got semi-packed and drove 100 yards to our new spot.  (We didn’t pull in the slides).   Love it!!!!!!   We should have moved earlier when the other people first left.   This spot has 2 trees for shade…very helpful for the full sun and high 80s weather we’ve been having.   Other than moving, we spent some time on bike projects.  Specifically: installing kick stands and bells.    For some reason, WalMart doesn’t think adults want bells.    So I now have a Cars bell on my bike, and Missy got the coveted SpiderMan.

Wednesday:  Woke up early this morning, but still had to wait almost an hour for the one English speaking radio station to get around to announcing who won the Presidential Election.   Woo-hoo!   No Mitt!   It was kind of a strange feeling not knowing who won, and more specifically, not knowing whilst the rest of the nation DID know.   We discussed looking into getting a cell phone booster or satellite internet system.    We enjoyed the last of the shorts/flip flops weather for the foreseeable future.

Thursday: Left early for a trip to Bakersfield.   It’s about an hour twenty south.    It includes a long stretch by the Scary and Impressive Kern River valley.    There are tons of warning signs about taking the river seriously and not dying.   I wish we could see it when it was running.   We got into town around 9:30.   Found out the library didn’t open until 11.   So we did some shopping at Walmart first.    When we got to the library, we found out that there was crappy wifi.   Sigh.   I miss Colorado and its great wifi and phone reception in the mountains.   (I do NOT, however, miss its cold and snowy winters). I did a lot of research on upcoming moves.  Missy did a lot of research on cell phone boosters and sat.    It’s hard to do anything without an address for shipping to.    We tabled technology discussions and left the library.

Next up: Costco.   We were extremely disappointed that they didn’t have the Kirkland sunglasses that we have been desperately seeking.    We got them a while ago in MN, but since then, they’ve never been stocked again.  (ours have scratches).  We were certain that CA, where it’s sunny and warm still, would stock them.   Nope.     This trip to town was turning into a real bust.    Interesting notes about Costco:  unlike the rest of CA, the prices were pretty much the same as in MN.   But some differences between states include: in CA, the eggs are in one 18 pack; whereas in MN you have to buy two 18 packs.   Also, they don’t sell caffeine free diet pepsi.  Boo-hiss!   I guess they use that shelf space to sell Squirt.   Is that more refreshing than CFDP?   Hell No!   And finally, at the exit, one of the vendor booths you pass (carpets, furnaces, etc.) is for caskets.    Huh?????  I wonder how many impulse buys for caskets they get in a week.

Friday:  Today was forecast to be quite a bid colder.   Highs only in the 50s.   We drove with the pooches to check out that boondocking clearing we found last week.   It was a great place to park and be able to do a walk that Buddy could handle.    It was strange having the sun be as harsh as ever, but not provide much warmth.    As we were getting ready to go back home, clouds moved in and we got some precipitation.   Where we were, it was mostly rain with some snow.   But as each system passed over the nearby mountain tops, it deposited fresh snow up high.   Then the sun would come out and melt it.   Rinse and repeat all day.   It was fun to watch this weather system all day.   At night, we had some cold temps into the low 30s.   Luckily, the furnace worked wonderfully.   

Still Corral Creek

November 1-4, 2012

We’ve had a change of plans.    When we went into Lake Isabella to use the library, we were sad to find out that there was no free wifi.   So we drove to the McDonalds and sat in the parking lot and used their weakfish wifi.    Since there are no free RV dumps nearby, and since we now need to find some fee wifi, we decided to wait on heading up to the forest campground.    With now having to plan on paying for a private campground between boondocking ($40-50/night) and with gas at $4.20/gallon…we need to be more fiscally conservative with our moving about.    Sooooo.   That means staying at our current free location for another week or so until it’s time to dump our tanks.    Then, after paying for one night at a private place, we’ll stay put at a free spot for the full 3 weeks our tanks allow before moving to a new spot.

We’ve been passing the time by enjoying the hot sun and doing some exploring of our neighborhood.    A word of advice: if you want to hike, do it in the morning.    The afternoons get way too hot to enjoy any activity.    I took Cassie on a fun hike on the Rincon Trail one morning.    It worked out nicely, since I got to hike in the shadow of the foothill on the way up.  

Another day, both Missy and I took Cassie to another spot where there was a sign for the Rincon trail.  (I think this trail is kind of like the Superior Hiking Trail).    However, we erred in parking our truck by the sign.   Turns out you were meant to drive on the dirt road for quite a bit before parking and finding the trail.    Oh Well.    We enjoyed the walk on the dirt road… lots of tree coverage and great views.     Plus….we found a potential boondocking site!    It is completely private, with a huge clearing and 360 views.    It might get a little hot in the full sun, but perhaps the temps will cool down in the coming weeks.     The only issues to work out were to verify if we’d fit underneath the low hanging power lines, and to check if we could get the RV up the windy dirt road.    When we finished our hike, we drove the truck back to the spot.   There’s a tricky bit of turnaround needed.    We might need to back up and pull forward a few times, but I think we can make it.    Then we went to the power line and measured the distance.     After getting back to the rig, it seems like we’ll clear underneath with 4-5 inches to spare.    But I’m holding final judgment until we’re hooked up and I can get an accurate reading.     But for now, Missy for one is extremely excited for our new find.    It will be nice to be away from the main road completely, and it will be nice to be away from all the trash!

Tomorrow we are going to double scoot into town to look for an internet café (where I can hopefully post this).   While in town, we’ll check out the RV parks to see which will be the best fit for us when we move on Wed or Thursday.    

 

Just for fun...Pictures of the Family!

Pictures

That's our home...for now!

Overlooking the Kern River

Kern River

Looking up at our rig from the river level

Cassie in front of a giant sequoia tree

Gorgeous Sequoia!

Missy and Buddy next to a tipped over Sequoia

Dad...how long would it take you to make this into neat stacks of firewood?

Corral Creek Campground, Sequoia National Forest

October 30-31, 2012

Here are our impressions of our new home.    It’s got great views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.   Unfortunately, we’re in a spot where there was a fire some years ago, so it’s not as tree laden as we’d like.    I hate to be picky about a free spot, but I can’t help but complain about the trash.   It’s everywhere!    Food trash, dirty diapers, toilet paper.   It’s really hard to comprehend how terribly people have treated this campground.   Why doesn’t a boy scout troop take care of this?    I’m guessing that this spot gets great use by the rafting companies during the summer.   Why aren’t rafting companies monitoring trash pickup?  Missy and I are going to see about maybe doing some trash pickup while we’re here.   But even if we filled 3 giant contractor bags, we probably wouldn’t get more than a 20 foot radius from the RV clean.   Sigh.

Sunrise is around 8:30 (defined as when we see the sun peak out from the mountains).    Sunset is at 5:00.    So far we’ve had full moons, so you can walk around at night and see everything clearly.    Since we’ve been here, there have been no clouds.    Daytime temps get into 80s.   In the shade, it’s comfy with the breeze.   But in the full sun, it’s unbearable.   I’m disappointed.   I don’t see how we can do hikes or ride bikes in these conditions.   Maybe when we explore a little more up the mountain, we’ll find better forest trails (i.e. shaded).

Several times during the day we get fly-bys of military jets.    They are quite impressive specimens.    Some go by high, and that alone gives off a great loud noise.   But once or twice, they fly by really low, like maybe only 50 yards overhead.    That is deafening and alarming to both man and beast.  (Deaf Buddy hears that one).   The pilots do this Top Gun maneuver by tipping their planes sideways and following the curve of the mountain sides.    At first I assumed that we must be at war….but now I’m guessing that they are using the mountains here as training tools.    Next time we’re in range we might have to call Dad and see what he thinks.

So far, I’ve got to say we’re enjoying this campsite.  It’s not what I was expecting back when we were planning in MN.    But, I can’t complain (too much) about free mountain camping!  Coming up in the next few days, we’re going to head up the mountain to check out possible other spots closer to the forest.   And we’re going to scootie to the Grove of One Hundred Giants.   This, according to the nice ranger, is the closest grove of Sequoias to us.   I’m anxious to see them…this is what I was excited for when I picked this National Forest.    I suppose it was naïve of me to assume that the whole forest from boundary to boundary was covered in giant Sequoias.

Oh…we had a nature encounter this morning!  A beaver was swimming around in our section of the river.   We’re right by a giant eddy, and it went over and swam around a bit.  It wasn’t shy at all.   I wondered if it had a home nearby, because why else would it swim within 15 feet of shore where 2 dogs are barking at it?    Missy said it must be rabid.   Either way, it was great to be able to watch it for 20-30 minutes. 

Missy got bit by a fire ant after she foolishly set up her lounger on their home.   She twas a bit of a baby about the whole thing.  :-)

 

Halloween:  We left camp early with the dogs to check out a trailhead listing a hike to a waterfall.    We were hoping it was nice and easy, for Buddy.    The going’s rough for him on the riverside trails at home because of all the big river rocks.   We never did find the waterfall, but we enjoyed our walk up the surprisingly well maintained forest road.   When we got back to the truck, it was such a nice day that we agreed to keep driving and see if we could find the Trail of 100 Giants.    It turned out to be about 20 miles/45 minutes away.    We were the ONLY people on the road and at the trail.  (Full disclosure: one other couple did show up while we were walking the trail).   Man, off-season touring is the way to go!    The giant sequoias are mind boggling.   There’s a paved trail winding its way through the forest.   Cassie had a blast hunting the squirrels.    And Buddy enjoyed a barrier free forest hike!   After leaving the grove, we pulled off to check out a possible new boondocking site.  (Oh, first we drove through the pay/$18 campground adjacent to 100 giants….it was tiiiiiiiny.   Our truck alone barely made the curves on the loop).    It caught our attention immediately.   Gorgeous pine trees with cleared understory.   And plenty of sunlight streaming in.     We carefully checked it out, and we think we can get the RV in.    I just hope it’s an acceptable camping spot.   There are no signs saying “no camping”, and it fits the rules for dispersed camping in the national forest.    Let’s just hope no rangers roust us…     The plan is to go into town tomorrow (Thursday) and see if the library has internet.   Then we’ll get last groceries and head up the mountain first thing Friday morning.     We’ll stay as long as our tanks allow us…hopefully at least 2 weeks.    So it might be awhile before I get to post again.     Wish us luck with the weather!