Like a Southbound Train...but Different...

It's Monday, November 30 and we are successfully aboard the 11:00 a.m. ferry from Friday Harbor.

The GPS shows our highway across the water, taking us to Anacortes and the beginning of our road trip south in search of sunshine and temperatures in the 70's.  As we leave the weather forecast shows a series of storms heading for the Pacific Northwest packing quite a punch with high winds (50-60-60 mph!) and, yes, rain.  We feel we have a good plan!

It's a sunny trip across, but our first night lands us at a rest area north of Eugene, OR....in the rain.  

After this night the roads are dry and the weather is good for traveling.  We head for Corning, CA and a casino stop, then on the Bakersfield and the Orange Grove RV Park.

All the oranges you want to pick, for free.  They are fantastically sweet!

The tree at the entrance gate has a different kind of "orange"....

Not sure if it reaches 70 degrees here, as we're off for Desert Hot Springs, CA and hot mineral pools.

Arriving just before sunset, we have time for a nice soak after dinner and in the morning too.  I absolutely love the big swimming pool here as it's got really warm water.  The four mineral pools are at ascending  temperatures....hot to hotter.

On Friday we head for Jamul, CA for a three night visit with Steve's Air Force buddy, Arnie, his wife, Marie and granddaughter, Gaby.

Somehow, three days slip by with visiting, winery tours, and a hike at a nearby trailhead.  Funny how fast time passes with good food, good wine and good friends!  

Hey Princess Gaby, let's smell the wine casks!  (Note the Princess tiara and magic wand in hand...I'm hoping for a turn with the wand!)

But Marie tells us, we are supposed to be sniffing the wine....not the barrels!  Who knew?

Arnie and Marie have a small vineyard on their property, so they take very close looks at the vines here.  Steve does too.

Meanwhile, Princess Gaby and Minion Nan head up to the top of the viewing tower in search of other princesses.  There are some young folks up there enjoying wine, and they report no princesses have been sighted lately, but they sing us a song from "Frozen"....which I figure has something to do with princesses.  Big smiles from Princess Gaby.

One afternoon we take a take a two mile hike.  Since Gaby is in charge of one of the dogs, it seems she makes the whole two miles!  Pretty great for a four year old.  Yes, there were lots of rest breaks.

Time to get out the water bowl for the dogs.

Now a juice break for the little human.

Two beauties.

Arnie and Steve lead the way back.  And Sparky.

On Monday we say goodby to Arnie, Marie and Gaby and head to South Carlsbad State Beach Park on the coast.

There we wiggle into a spot next to our Buddies from Friday Harbor, Pete and Nancy.  They have a gig as camp hosts here until the end of February.  

My mom used to say "Snug as two bugs in a rug.."  Wonder where that old phrase came from!?

Our first night, Sarah comes up from San Diego and we have dinner at the D Street Grill. 

On the way home we stop in Ralph's grocery and pick out our Christmas tree.  Cute little thing.

Another "yay!" For simplicity.  The little Rosemary tree will be making a one way trip, as we will give it

Away upon our departure in March.  Meanwhile...fresh rosemary.  They say it improves memory.  Can't be a bad thing!  

The next few days are full of coffee stops with Pete and Nancy, dog baths for Skipper and Sparky, last minute errands, checking on all the bills and arranging payments, crossing off lists, washing clothes, campfires, shared dinners, a uke jam at Ukulele Society of America meet up, dinner at the Oceanside street fair..and yes, our first grey whale sighting!

Rub a dub-dub....two dogs...in two tubs....

We hit the Oceanside street fair on Thursday night....for Gyros from the Greek food tent....and then off to get a beer at the mini Stone Brewery bar.  Our ukes go with us...it's date night...

Bar-b-que for the Gyros!

Waiting for Steve to return with the beer.  Cute couple.  

Another cute couple.

Oh...wait...AND another cute couple!

We join this jam every time we're in Carlsbad, CA.  A great group and so welcoming!  Even find another woman I reorganize from a Hawai'i ukulele retreat a few years ago.  Six degrees of seperation!

One last dinner before we had off for the San Diego KOA which is out last stop before crossing the boarder to Baja.

Steve sees it first...a grey whale traveling south off shore!  We run to the fence and get good looks at our first grey whale of the season.

Then, the goodbyes....but only until April!

Leaving sorta early on Saturday morning, we arrive at the KOA too early, but they are ok with it as I explain we need to be off for a ukulele workshop back up the road a little and it starts at 1:00 p.m.  

First a little exercise for the Boyz at the KOA Camp K-9 dog park.  

You know how young parents always like to take their kids to the park for the slide and teeter-totter?  

Sparky rocks each obstacle...and Skipper does an awesome job of applause barking.

Amazingly, Craig Chee and Sarah (Chee) Maisel are giving a double workshop at Hale Ukulele today!  What luck that we are I. Town and it just fits into our time schedule.  We have experienced classes with both of these awesome instructors in the past in Hawaii, Oregon and San Diego....they are incredible teachers and performers...oh, and people!  

Sarah's workshop is on playing chord melodies.  Craig's plan is to teach us how to enhance playing chords by adding notes here and there...and WHY some notes work and some...um...best left out.

Both hour plus workshops are awesome!!

We get a little demo too...lucky us!

Craig has the selfie thing down!

We look forward to seeing these two again....looks like Port Townsend Ukulele Camp at the end of September...and Westwind Ukulele Weekend in Oregon in mid September.  And???  Who knows!  The ukulele world is amazing!!

And now to bed, as tomorrow is an early day...it's off to Baja with first light!