Lenses and Wheels

Awesome Parade

2011-12-10T19:49:00.001-08:00

I usually post here about our travels but now I just have to share a few pictures. For the last 6 years we have been shooting the annual Christmas Light Truck Parade in Victoria. Drivers & companies are working for days decorating the trucks, then on the first Saturday in December it's showtime. This year 85 decorated trucks drove trough town very slow, a huge crowd watching the show while a few trucks were collecting donations for a food bank.

I work for them now.

Thousands of lights, lot of work.

Local truck driving school teamed up with a local farm.

Lined up just before the trucks left for the parade

Awesome mixer

Made it Home

2011-11-11T17:39:00.001-08:00

After a really good time in South Dakota we crossed the Montana border and stopped at the Wheat Montana Deli in Three Forks. Had lunch, picked up some home made jams, honey and bread for the road, it's a nice place and it seems to be always crowded. They also have a gas station and the office with the cashier is made out of a grain silo. Later we just enjoyed "Big Sky Country" but hit the pedal because we wanted to enter BC at Grand Forks to visit friends in Greenwood BC. After spending a half a day with them the next morning we left for Osoyoos. We like it there so much we always stop at the lake and spend some time fishing. Mostly my wife and I have to help her when she catches a bigger fish. So far that's the only lake I know in BC where you can fish for carp.

Wheat Montana gas station, the office in the grain silo.

Last mile in Montana....

...on the other side of the hill is Idaho

Lake Osoyoos. We stopped here 3 weeks ago too heading east.

She had a good time fishing for carp.We got home after spending 22 days 9200 km-s (5716 miles) on the road. Even though we drove a lot in windy weather our fuel mileage turned out pretty good: 15mpg. That's the good news. The bad news is: 4 days after I started working again I got the pink slip. No surprise, it was in the air for a while. The next good news is: found a new job literally in about 30-35 minutes but it's another story, more about it later.

Homebound 2

2011-10-05T19:56:00.000-07:00

Sorry about the long wait, I have a very simple explanation for it: I also wrote about the trip in a magazine and it wouldn't have been ethical to publish the same story on the blog before the magazine comes out.So: After the Badlands we drove to Mt. Rushmore, it's about an hour drive, more if you stop on the way to enjoy the scenery. The whole place is very well organized, parking is plenty for 12 bucks even for the biggest RV-s. Spent a half a day there and headed for Wyoming.

Still in Badlands we've seen this RV shipped over from Germany, driven by a nice couple. On the back of the motor home a big map of North America with a lot of red dots on it; places they've visited.

Leaving Badlands

A couple of hours later at MT. Rushmore

We crossed the border later to Wyoming, had a nice and easy day, weather was really nice.

The next day was Montana Day, Big Sky Country and it is indeed. The border line in the picture is where the color of the pavement changes.

After crossing into Montana we went to see a Cabelas store, have planned it for a long time but never did. Pleasant surprise and a big congratulation to Cabelas for the huge indoor wildlife display. It was good to see little kids in front of the exhibit eyes wide open. Another nice thing about Cabelas: they provide free RV dump in the parking lot.

Homebound

2011-09-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

It would've been nice to stay a bit longer but I had to head home to work. We've never seen the Mid West so we wanted to come home this way to see it. Crossed the border again on the Ambassador bridge and headed for Chicago. I have been traveling a lot and seen a big part of the world. Thought I've seen the worst big cities traffic wise. My favorite tune for a long time was: Sweet home Chicago, from now on I'll remember that song in a very different way. We did 4 miles in 5 hours, the weather was an ugly mix of rain and smog, my wife started to feel sick and made me worried a lot. Finally we had Chicago behind us and had to find a spot to watch one of the Canucks games (Stanley Cup). Pulled over at a big mall, turned on the Tv just in time, they just started the game. (Canucks lost) A cop told us that we can't stay there for the night, so after the hockey game we moved to a MacDonald's. Next day we finally had very nice weather, 28-30 C°, it was good to see the very well kept farmlands in Wisconsin and Minnesota, it reminded me on the rolling hills in the Swiss Alps. When we crossed the Mississippi river on I 94 to Minnesota it was so beautiful we had to pull over and spent a couple of hours right down at the water. Lot of locals were fishing, it was one of those "picture perfect" fishing spots. Later we checked out an Aldi Market, we used to by our groceries in those stores in Germany but there is none on the west coast. We stocked up the fridge with good German stuff, although good German beer is a bit expensive there. We spent the night just before the turn off to Badlands South Dakota at a truck stop. Badlands was the same as the Grand Canyon when you see it the first time: jaw dropping. You expect something and when you see it all you can say: whooooooa! In the middle of the flat land all of a sudden it feels like being on the Moon. But it can't be the Moon because wildlife is walking around, stops in the middle of the road and stares at you. The park also has a nice campground, 99 sites and very friendly rangers. Then we headed to see Mt. Rushmore, same story: yes we have seen lot of pictures but did you think it's that big?

Sweet Home Chicago in a new light

Wind power farm in Minnesota.

A picture perfect fishing spot on the Mississippi at the Wisconsin-Minnesota border on I 90

A little Germany in Minnesota: Aldi Market

Finally made it to the Badlands in South Dakota. It's really "jaw dropping"

It's not a roadside but a middle of the road attraction in Badlands National Park

After 5 and a half days.......

2011-08-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

After 5 and a half days of driving (almost) like a mad man we arrived in Windsor. It was interesting to see that big trucks crossing the border in 3 minutes, for us it took 30, probably because of the "gas tourists". Fuel is so much cheaper in the US that they have built a gas station right on the other side of the bridge just for Canadians, you don't even have to cross the border officially to fuel up. It was good to see our 84 year old Oma, she is still living on her own with her companion: Rusty, probably the most spoiled cat on Earth. We usually call her every week and she always said: it would be so nice to see you one more time in my life, how could you say no? It was 8 years ago when we visited, there is so much to talk about, see every body in the family, we had a very nice dinner ( thanks Barb ) and finally time for a family picture. Unfortunately a couple of people could not make it from another part of Ontario, at the time we let them know when we are coming they had something important scheduled. Don't worry John, we catch up but now it's your turn to drive. Or Tammy and Mike will maybe hijack a cruise ship next time and visit us on the Island. We wanted to stay for 3 days only but left after four, had a very good time and left for the border to come home trough the mid western states, more about it in the next post.

The Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit.

Our 84 year old Oma lives in Windsor....

...with Rusty, the most spoiled cat on Earth.

At 84 she had to bake a cake for my wife's birthday.

Birthday kid in Windsor, Detroit in the background.

The picture from 8 years ago.

And the one from 2011. Our Great Granny passed away since and a couple of people could not make it

Almost there.

2011-08-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

Ontario is HUGE, it takes days to cross and there are many nice places to pull over. Some of them even would be a nice overnight spot but there is the famous sign: No Overnight Parking. After about three decades in the trucking business e don't have any problems spending a few nights at Truck Stops. We pull in and ask the staff: is it OK to stay here for the night, our rig is really small? Some of them said 10 bucks, some said 15 we always said thanks and kept going and always found a nice and safe place somewhere. After some bad experience with wildlife the first night we decided not to drive much after dark. So many roadkill on the side of the Trans Canada, if we hit a big deer with our small RV it would mean "game over" for our trip. That's the reason the trucks are equipped with "cow bars", they have to protect the front of the truck and the radiator in a crash with wildlife. If you have a damaged radiator in the winter and help is coming from a hundred miles away you have plenty of time to think about investing in a cow bar. Thanks God we didn't have any problem with wildlife although have seen a lot and around lunch time the next day we crossed the border to Michigan. Since we wanted to go to Windsor we decided to take this shortcut rather then driving around Lake Huron.

Driving around Lake Superior. So many nice places where you would like to spend the night but.......

.....there is the famous sign right behind you....

....so you carry on on the never ending strip in the bush called the Trans Canada Hwy.....

a
....and there is a lot of roadside attraction.

Not every body's story with wildlife has a happy ending .

The Akawa trading post is a nice place for a brake.

The bridge to Michigan at Sault Ste. Marie. Tomorrow we are in Windsor.

Prairie Privinces to Ontario

2011-07-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

As I said: at the time we planned this trip we knew it's not going to be a walk in the park. Lethbridge - Regina 1 day, the next day Regina - Kenora and we are in Ontario. Campground in Kenora is full but we got lucky: a local policeman gave us directions to Wal Mart and we spent the night there with a few other RV-s. I went for a walk in the morning to find a sign: no overnight parking but nobody bothered us. Weather was really ugly, cool at night, rainstorm, haven't seen the sun for 2 days now. We needed a dump so drove to the local campground just to find out: if you just want to dump is 15$. No thanks. We also needed fresh water, tank is almost empty, happy to see a gas station. Friendly young guy is telling me: since the city started metering water all the outside hoses have been capped, sorry but he can't help. At the east end of town a nice RV park, I pulled in and asked at the office if I could get some water?
How much do I need?
20 gallon would do it for now.
20 bucks and she didn't say please.
We said thank you and good by, hope to never see you again.
Only a few miles and we are in Dryden; the first sign shows: Free RV Dump provided by the City 500 m on right; also fresh water fill, thanks Dryden, it is nice to find help thousands of miles from home.

Entering Saskatchewan. Here you really can see that the Earth is round.

Kings of The Road in Saskatchewan. Truckers here are pulling 2X53' trailers, that's a real Road Train.

Lunch in Saskatchewan; life is good. After we left this parking we had nothing but ugly weather for days.

Entering Manitoba

It was the first time I drove in Ontario. There is a lake every 5 minutes, I love it, the scenery is beautiful.

We are fast, already 3 hours ahead of our "home time".

June 5

2011-07-16T16:55:00.000-07:00

If you have only 3 weeks to go to Ontario and back from Vancouver Island then you know you have to drive like a trucker. We even had to push it a bit harder because we wanted to spend some time there and see some sights as well. Hurry was the reason for not having so many pictures and yes, sometimes we drove late in the evening, so it wasn't a leisurely RV trip. If it was I would have given myself a month just to get there and you should too. Back to the trip: Haines Pt. at 30 bucks/night is a bit to much for my taste but if you fish it's well worth it. Next morning we left around 9 am.

In a hurry or not we had to stop at Christina Lake and take a few pictures

In the southeast part of BC....

...the lake is a jewel in the mountains.

The world largest truck in Sparwood, BC. Easy to stop because it's at the visitor center. Just to have a sense of it's size: look at the adult at the front right corner of the rig.

Late afternoon we crossed the Alberta border at Crowsnest Pass; a beautiful part of the cowboy country. We spent the night at the Wal Mart in Lethbridge.

June 04 The Takeoff

2011-07-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

We have been planning this trip for a very long time and just before we left everything was all of a sudden in jeopardy. The place where I worked the last 9 years has been sold, the new owner told us in a meeting: nothing to worry about, everything is going to be the same. The next couple of hours they’ve been talking about what we have to do different. Only 2 months later I’m driving to the Hospital to pick up my wife when I got a call from the “Big Guy”: You know your job is cut soon but I’m making you an offer: you buy one of my trucks and can stay as an owner operator. I said I have to think about it and it was the perfect timing to call me, I’m at the hospital if I get a heart attack I don’t have to go too far. We decided to go to Ontario anyway we are doing to deal with it after we are back. It was kind of a family reunion and an 84 year old lady is waiting for us in Windsor; how could you tell her we are not coming. So we left on the 4th of June, missed the first boat to leave the island out of Nanaimo and had to wait 2 hrs for the next one, beautiful day, smooth sailing and we were on the Trans Canada in Vancouver by 3:00 pm. We are not crossing the border so we wanted to fill up the fridge at the International Sausage House in Burnaby. It’s not even 5 minutes from the freeway and well worth the trip; they even have a deli with hot ribs, pork chops and a lot of those hard to resist goodies. It was so good we had an early dinner right there in the parking lot. An hour later and about 60 $ lighter we were back on the highway and still had enough time to drive to Osoyoos. Haines Pt is my wife’s favourite fishing spot and in my opinion one of the best campsites in BC. Do you know any other camping in the middle of the lake? It was almost 10: pm when we got there but she still grabbed the rods and went fishing. No fish but a very good peaceful night.

Long line up at the ferry, we had to wait for the next sailing. The motorhome left in the picture came all the way from Germany.

Smooth sailing on a beautiful day.

The view of a little boat from the big boat.

People were enjoying the sunny day and the view.......

.......of Vancouver and Mt. Baker in the background.

We made it to Osoyoos, one of the best campgrounds in BC. You camp right in the middle of the lake.

Had a good time.

2011-05-15T13:23:00.000-07:00

Drove home in a couple of days from California to our very own Wet Coast. Out of 365 days we usually get 350 days of rain, 2 weeks of sunny weather and one day left for changing conditions. Is it understandable that we like to go south especially in winter? A few pictures to wrap it up.

We love and appreciate the free Wi-Fi wherever we find one.

Not so much the ever climbing fuel prices, but motorist in the US are still a whole lot better off.

A really sad thing for RV-ers: San Diego spent tons of money on No Parking signs on Shelter Island. It's OK during the day but parking is not allowed from 3 to 4:30 am.

This "Road Train" is legal in Arizona. He parked next to us in Quartzsite and when he left we did not want to believe it. We tought the cargo trailer is for the SUV they had. No, it had the quads and the wife drove the SUV behind the rig. I hope they never get lost.

During the entire trip we had the best time in the Quartzsite area.

We are planning to come back next winter for a little bit longer but for now we are preparing for a family reunion in Ontario. We are driving the motor home from Victoria trough Canada to Ontario and come back on the Interstates in the US. I guess it's going to be around 10000 km. Stay tuned, we are leaving on the 4th of June.

Dana Point-Huntington Beach

2011-04-17T14:47:00.000-07:00

It was so nice at the campground, we could drive or walk around during the day and come back for the night. The city center is only a 10 minute walk from the camping. The park also has a huge parking with a lot of RV-s. When I asked the ranger he said: for 120 dollars you can get an annual pass for the park but you have to leave at 10pm. In the parking lot you also have fresh water and a dump station. Where do they go for the night? He did not know, probably Wal Mart or some other big box mall he said but everybody is back next morning.

It was back in Quartzsite where we spotted this motor home. With the trailer together it was longer then a commercial truck. The double decker trailer had two Corvettes inside. The plate of the motor home said: Edmonton Oilers. It explains it all.

During the day at the beach.

At the nice and quiet campground at night.

A new Airstream Camper van showed up on the weekend. A very nice and economical vehicle.

Only a very short drive north is Huntington Beach.

Yuma-San Diego-Dana Point

2011-04-10T18:03:00.000-07:00

We left Qurtzsite after a few days and headed for Yuma. If you see this tank just north of town you are welcome to stay for 2 weeks for absolutely free by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. All you have to do is: sign in and you are good for 14 days in, 14 days out and you are welcome back. No amenities but you are only 5 minutes from Yuma and there is a bar on site.

Short stop at Imperial Dunes.

We spent a couple of nights there only, done laundry in town a headed for San Diego. I have been there many times but never with an RV. We wanted to check out Shelter Island, we heard a lot about it.

San Diego from Shelter Island. Yes, the rumors are true: RV-s are kicked out, no overnight parking, so we moved a bit north.

And found a beautiful campsite at Dana Point right on the water. 35 $/night, bit pricey but really nice.

Quartzsite RV show

2011-03-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

This little town is a booming place in winter, you see nothing but RV-s in the desert as far as you can see. Tens of thousands of snowbirds come here to see the RV-show, some of them even spend the whole winter here or at least a few weeks. Boondocking sites with dump station and garbage collection cost 40 $ for two weeks, you drive 5 more miles out in the desert and camping is free. Back to the show: whatever has been invented in the RV business it is here and for sale. From satellite TV to water filters, all wheel drive motor homes, good food and even the National Parks are here hiring campground hosts. Pictures are worth a.....

Everybody we talked to in California was headed for Quartzsite.

Our motor home and a bigger brother. The difference is probably a few hundred K.

As far as you can see nothing but RV-s. Some of them stay for weeks.

The main attraction is the "Big Tent", you can get lost inside.

Satellite dealer in the tent.

All wheel drive motor homes outside of the tent.

My office in the Arizona desert and I love it.

Back in business.

2011-03-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I did not post anything for a long time. We wanted to go for another trip in January but my boss got sick and I had to fill in for him. Vacation postponed. Then I found out: the place where I worked for 9 years was sold. Vacation postponed again. A few weeks full of worries, then the new boss told us: everybody is going to have a job under the new management, but the official way is: you will be laid off from the old company then rehired by the new. In plain English: you are loosing your years, seniority and your paid vacation because you are a new employee now. The takeover was scheduled for the end of February, just enough time left for a short vacation. ( rather then loosing it ) We had lot of snow in January meaning I’m getting more and more desperate for a little sunshine. We decided to leave on a Saturday but ended up in the emergency instead. ( wife did not feel well) Vacation postponed again. You would think so??!! We left the emergency in the afternoon and I asked my wife: we are going home right? No way she said, we have been waiting long enough for this trip, we are going. We toke a big risk leaving for a vacation straight out of the emergency, have you ever heard of preexisting condition? In 2 days we were in the desert and enjoyed the 31 degree temperature.

My old job is history. If that is not enough...

... the weather really makes you feel screw....

Vacation starts in the emergency...makes you feel even more sorry for yourself.

But 2 days later we enjoyed the January weather in the California desert.

Filled up the fridge in Little Rock California at the Hungarian Sausage Factory.

The Palm Spring area was really hot, we decided to head for Arizona, I always wanted to check out the famous Quartzsite RV Show. More about it next week....

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to every one of my readers. What to expect in next year? Well, I still have a strong interest in .....

....trucks....

...photography....

..and travel.

Glückliches Neues Jahr!

Feliz Año Nuevo!

Boldog Új Évet!

Christmas Light Truck Parade

2010-12-11T16:44:00.000-08:00

Every year on the first Saturday of December there is a Christmas Light Truck Parade in Victoria, BC, organized by the Island Equipment Owners Association. Usually 80-90 beautifully decorated trucks participate in the Parade, collecting donations en route. Every driver get an 8 X 10 enlargements of their trucks and I have been taking those pictures for the last 5 years. It's a big show, draws a huge crowd along the way when the trucks drive out of the city to Western Speedway.

The lead vehicle was a well known local businessman's Volvo Motor Home decorated with over 7000 lights.

Trucks are lined up ready for the convoy.

Tow truck with trailer in full Christmas decoration.

Slegg Lumber's Peterbilt was a huge success.

At the end of the show trucks are parked on the speedway and everybody can take a close look. Decorating a mixer with a rotating drum is a real challenge.

Celebrating wine and food in Villány.

2010-11-21T17:58:00.000-08:00

As I wrote earlier: the entire long weekend is about celebrating the regions famous wine. Of course it has to go with food, and there is plenty of it everywhere. Pictures say a lot more.

It all starts with a Parade, locals and guests from the neighbouring wine areas dressed in traditional costumes showing the long history of wine in the region.

We walked around in the morning and cooks already have been working in front of the wine cellars. Stew in the kettle usually cooked for 4-5 hours.

It's all about wine. If you want to take it with you you can buy a bottle....

....or can make sure it will last a bit longer.

Look at the size of the bread! You will need a slice ....

... for the Hocks grilled on charcoal.

Just wanted to add one more: November 20th, 2010; we woke up to a record snowfall on Vancouver Island.

Hungary 2010 Oct.

2010-11-06T12:54:00.001-07:00

The reason for not posting for so long: a few weeks in Europe with no computer, no work, just taking pictures for fun, (probably using them for work later). After we came home and started uploading the hundreds of pictures to the computer; it crashed and is still at the doctor. More about it later, here are some pictures.

First we spent 10 very uncomfortable hrs on this plane, it is new, designed to haul 285 passengers, no leg room at all, but the new entertainment system let you choose from over 300 movies and 1000 recorded shows, screen is in the seat in front of you. Good for killing time but a bit more room would be better.

The next 3 weeks were a whole lot more comfy in this Alfa Romeo 6 speed turbo diesel.

Visited a Wine Festival in Villány, (a little country village in the southern wine region) where one of my daughters lives.

Gained some weight. In my defense: the whole festival is on a long weekend, food like this at every corner; could you resist?

Visited some beautiful parts of the country; found this little house somewhere in the southern wine fields.

RV-ing in Europe 4

2010-09-18T11:48:00.001-07:00

Driving is not a problem; very good signs everywhere, but the toll roads making it expensive. In Italy, France and Spain all freeways are toll roads, you have to pay at giant toll plazas usually between 5-25 EU. Munich-Barcelona-Munich we paid 300 dollars toll for the whole trip. RV rental is about 900 dollars a week with unlimited mileage. For that money you have a vehicle, accommodation and the freedom of park and be home anywhere, anytime.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Even the budget minded traveler saves a lot with a rented RV, it is a very comfortable way to see a big part of Europe and the freedom is priceless. Insurance, maps are included in rent. If you pay with a platinum card traveler’s health insurance is covered as well.

If you go:

RV rental: http://www.hymer-rent.de and www.adac.de

Getting there.
Munich-Barcelona and back we paid around $ 300 for the toll roads.

In Austria-Italy-France you don't have any problems with hill climbing; all you have is tunnels and bridges.

We have seen this little motor home in an RV Parking in France. It even had a storage for full size motorcycle.

Big trucks can not drive on weekends in Europe, here they cook a meal in front of the trucks in a parking lot.

Our well designed motor home fits in a car parking lot easily.

RV-ing in Europe 3

2010-08-28T13:18:00.000-07:00

We had a small Fiat with a diesel engine, very good fuel mileage, still very strong and fast. Average speed was over 100 km/h and it needed less fuel than our minivan at home. We could drive to everywhere we planned because of the small RV; parking has never been a problem, not even in very crowded Monaco. In the RV Parking Guide listed parkings are free but no service, no hook ups.
We stayed most of the time at gas stations for the night but for a few nights also at the beach. We drove from Munich west to Austria, Switzerland, Italy, then south to France and Spain along the coast hwy. For food, gas, even for a coffee it makes sense to leave the toll freeway and go shopping in little towns. Service station’s prices on the freeway are double of the countryside’s. We always filled up the fridge in little country villages. There are many huge Truck Stops with laundry at the Spanish border town of
La Jounquera, but the prices are shocking. We paid for 2 loads (wash and dry) almost 20 dollars. No complaints because a few hours later we enjoyed a beautiful sunset and night at the beach absolutely free, parking is allowed right at the sandy Mediterranean beaches just north of Barcelona.

Our little Fiat motor home at the beach of the Atlantic Ocean.

How do you know you are in a rich neighbourhood? Number of expensive sport cars per square mile.

Monaco from the top of the hill.

Shockingly expensive laundry at the French-Spanish border town of La Jounquera.

Yachts at the French Riviera.

Driving along the French coast near Nice.

Little house out of a story book in the Swiss Alps.

Rv-ing in Europe 2

2010-08-08T19:31:00.000-07:00

One major difference: smaller RV-s have no black water tank. European RVs have a “cassette”(it’s like the holding tank of a bigger Porta-Potty), it can be removed from outside, emptied with the push of a button, simple, safe and clean solution, bit more work than a tank tough. Small motor home has everything we need, but the rental does not come with cutlery or bed ware. You can buy the cutlery for the trip for 54EU+Bed stuff for 43EU. Yes, BUY it, you can keep it, take it home, throw it out, they don’t want it back so every rental starts with new and clean bed and kitchen. Lots of other goodies are included tough like very good Maps, Camping and RV Park Directory, RV Parking Directory.
RVs in Europe are much smaller than in North America, (we could park ours most of the time in the car parking lot) and for a good reason: fuel price. 1 liter=1,30-1,40Euro average=1,90-2,00 CAD.

Giant Toll Plazas everywhere in Europe, tolls are around 10-15 $ or more.

If you want to visit places like Monaco or Monte Carlo you will be happy to have a small RV.

After a while it starts to get boring; every 2 hours or so another Toll Plaza, your best bet is cash, our credit cards sometimes did not work. With 10 Big Rigs behind you it is a real pain in the driver's seat trust me.

But the Riviera is well worth it.

At the end of the day at a Truck Stop, cool drink in my hands; life is good.
If you ever visit Italy you have to try the locale's favorite: Campari Soda, after 2 or 3 the language seems a lot easier.

RV-ing in Europe

2010-07-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

I hope this post is going to be helpful to many of you who plan to travel to Europe and see a bit more then the "organized" tourist. My wife has been in Spain a long time ago and she wanted to go back ever since. In 2007 we decided to rent an RV in Europe and give it a try. Weeks of planning and the Internet is an incredible help. Whenever we fly to Europe we try to go after the peak season after Sept. 15th. Tickets are much cheaper, same for RV renting and the weather is still beautiful. Since we’ve been living in Germany for years, we wanted to rent an RV in there. Two major rental companies seemed to be the best for us in the Munich area: Hymer (one of the biggest RV builder in the country) and the German Auto club: ADAC. Both have online booking in English; we decided to go with ADAC because of the excellent customer service. After the online reservation they mailed us a DVD introducing exactly the type of RV we rented. From how to drive to the septic system everything is covered in a very simple, easy to understand way. We picked up our RV in Munich at the end of September, they showed us everything again and filled the freshwater tank right there and we were ready to go.

If you go:

RV rental: http://www.hymer-rent.de and www.adac.de

More about the trip next time.

This is the small Motor Home you can rent in Germany for about 8-900$ a week with unlimited mileage.

Here we are at the German-Austrian border. Some countries in Europe do not have toll booths on the highways but you have to buy a sticker at the border; put it on the windshield to prove you paid your fee.

Small Motor Home but has everything to travel in comfort.

In the Swiss Alps.

There are no RV Parks as we know it but many cities have "RV-parking". They are even listed on maps, easy to find and the best part is: they are free. The southern part of Europe has many full timers, some of them moving from one parking to the other. No hook ups at all, just parking but you can not complain about the price. We stayed in some of them for the night, was safer then in a rest area, local cops drove by a few times at night.

A few more words about the favorite trip..

2010-07-05T20:17:00.000-07:00

It is amazing what happens in a parking lot sometimes. Free parking at a casino in Coachella, lots of room. Big motor home, worth a few 100 thousands, just wanted to ask the owner if the parking is really free or do we have to register or what to do. As I pull in closer he starts waving: keep going, do not park your "hippy-wagen" next to me. "Thank you sir, very nice from you, hope to never see you again".

A very nice neighbour.

Stopped for some pictures at the Morongo Reservation's Dino Park
We had a very good reason to drive trough the LA area: wanted some really good tacos. Have been there many times, best tacos from a catering truck in Castaic, just north of LA.

1,25 a taco, 3 of them are enough for me, who can beat that?

Last stop for photos on the way home: the Governator's Office in Sacramento.

Favorite Trip # 2

2010-06-19T19:43:00.000-07:00

We drove through the Mojave Desert a few times, seen it from the freeway only, now is the time to check it out. Joshua Tree National Park is a must see attraction on the north side of the valley and only 30 minutes from Indio. When we hear desert we think of endless sand but this desert is different. There are so many plants and animals that beat the unforgiving climate and survive the 110 F summer with no water. The Joshua tree is actually not a tree but a yucca, can grow up to 40’ tall, and has cream colored flowers in January. Even after it dies the dead tree is home to a lot of small animals. Inside the park there are 9 campgrounds, it is better to stay a day or two because there is so much to see and the park is huge. Being in the Palm Springs area next must see is the Aerial Tramway. It goes up 2.5 miles over the city into Mt. San Jacinto State Park and if you are not afraid of height, need a bit of adrenaline rush the cars are rotating while going up or down. The top of the hill reminds us of home, cold and snow; we don’t miss that and hurry back down to the desert. Little time left to visit a couple of casinos (seems to be more than palm trees in the area), stop at the Dinosaur Theme Park in Morongo and we have to go home. North of Los Angeles the weather turns ugly and doesn’t change for the next 3 months. One more reason to make it home in 2 days again. Are you asking: was it worth driving 4 days to spend 5 days in the desert? Absolutely, wouldn’t hesitate to do it again next winter it’s going to be my next favorite road trip.

Lots of convoys are meeting here before headed further south to Mexico.

Sometimes they spend a few days at the casinos while waiting for members of the convoy to arrive.

Shop at the entrance of Joshua Tree National Park.

Ocotillo cactus grows so tall in the desert.

One of the nice campgrounds inside the park.

Favorite Trip (published in a local paper)

2010-06-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Somebody asked me: what was your favorite road trip? Always the most recent one with an exemption: the next one. I have been to 38 countries so far but planning the next trip is still exiting. And then sometimes it just hits you: you got to go! Last year we moved out of town and then winter came with 2-3 feet of fresh snow. It’s beautiful but not if you live on a dead end road in the middle of the bush. We have been warned on the radio: have 2-3 days of supplies at home because you probably won’t be able to get out. We have been waiting six days for the first snow plow, did not lose power, and had everything from food to booze but getting more and more desperate for a little bit of SUN. Missed a few days of work, a new training has been cancelled, all of a sudden another few unexpected days off. I use to be in California in 2 days when I was driving for a living, why wouldn’t we give it a try? Very tempting when you look out of the window and see nothing but snow. We had to dig out the motor home from the snow, pack it and ready for take off. The Runway still had a lot of snow but the major highways were bare and exactly 46 hours later the thermometer on the motor home showed 27 C in the California desert. Easy to understand why lots of people spend the winter in the Palm Springs area.

We had to do some digging before we could leave, our first winter in the bush.

Enjoying the sunshine and the orange fields 46 hrs later south of Indio, California.

Even the Wal Mart parking lot is full of palm trees.

Date sampling just south of Indio in a famous shop.

Wife is just relaxing on January 6th in the parking lot of the casino in Coachella, California. Nothing but snow at home and here we do not have enough T shirts. More next week.

Last days on Hispanola.

2010-05-29T11:35:00.000-07:00

It just doesn’t matter how many times you have seen it the beaches are incredibly beautiful. We decided to spend a couple of more days there before we have to leave.(Just enough for a sunburn)

Nephew’s wife is a local beauty.

The Airport is far away from the city but local transport gets you everywhere.

Travel Agencies and the tourism industry can afford the newest equipment. Mercedes Sprinter bus at the Airport.

Everything was great but we had to say Good Bye and 8 hrs later we are back in the Canadian winter.

Travel & Transport the Dominican way # 2

2010-05-15T16:03:00.000-07:00

We drove around as much as we could; we even tried public transport. Rush hour traffic is just like anywhere else but much louder and more smoke. Trucks are loaded far over the limit and there is a lot of freight to be moved. They have big modern shopping centers that could be anywhere else in the world and they are full of goods. The vehicles moving those goods are not exactly state of the art but they do the job.

Environment is definitely not an issue in trucking.

Big shopping centers full of goods...

....and those goods have to be delivered.

Back to getting around: next step after the scooters; taxi. You have to negotiate the fare before you get in; it saves some headache. If you share the ride it’s even cheaper.

It is really cheap travel with mini buses. You have to hail a bus, it will maybe stop or just slow down. You pay the guy in the door and hold on tight because it will move in the next second. They come every 2-3 minutes and we’ve never seen one that could not squeeze in one more passenger.

Before you think I see just the negative side: yes, there are the latest model intercity buses; tourism is the biggest industry of the island and they take good care of the customers. It only takes a couple of days to find out how to travel on the island or in big cities and you will see a whole lot more from the country, meet locals and have a lot more fun then just staying in a resort.

Travel & Transport the Dominican way

2010-05-08T19:43:00.000-07:00

Before we left I've read a few things about driving in the Dominican Rep. Quote from the Brochure: (almost) all drivers are using the right side of the road; that is about the only habit familiar to our driving. Everything that moves should haul freight as well. If it's designed to haul 100 lbs it will still move with 200 just a bit slower but you just turned it into a real money maker. All the trucks, buses, cabs we saw seemed to be big money makers; they were overloaded only 2-300%. The cheapest way of transportation: You buy or even just lease a scooter and you can haul people.

Here every vehicle is for hire at the corner.

You need just one more wheel and you can haul freight.

The really lucky ones can haul people and freight at the same time. It must be a fun ride behind the picture.

You think you have seen it all? How about a family of 5 on 2 wheels?

The only ferry is between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. I'm sure there would be a lot more tourists if they had another ferry to Florida. Next time more pictures about getting around in Hispanola.

Santo Domingo up close.

2010-05-01T22:22:00.000-07:00

The wall around historic downtown Santo Domingo. Yes, you really feel history in every stone and every step around it.

...and there are guards all over the place. Serious business; serious guards.

Obvious Spanish influence wherever you go. And once again: history in every stone.

Our favorite spot in the whole historic downtown area: this big tree; probably a few hundred years old. In the midday heat the shade under the tree filled with locals is so peaceful, you just have to sit down, watch them, have a break and appreciate life.

Looking at this picture is hard to believe the experience what we had driving to Santo Domingo. Wait 'till you see the next post, it will be about getting around in the Dominican Republic.

Dominica 2007...Leaving the resort.

2010-04-24T13:05:00.001-07:00

Yes, life is good inside the resort but it’s boring after a while. It should rather be called a Reservation where locals can watch visitors from far away getting drunk, fat and sunburn. You see nothing from the country, nothing from the locals so we decided to leave the resort and go to Alex’s place in Santo Domingo. The 4.5 hrs trip with the bus cost about 40$ and for 50/day you can rent a nice little car with unlimited mileage. We rented one rather then the bus ride and headed for the capitol. Out in the country the drive was nice and quiet between sugarcane plantations but when we got to the first big city ( La Romana ) I was shocked and asked Alex: the light is red how comes nobody stops? -You better get used to it: those lights are just a show off for tourists; locals don’t really care-Alex said. Same thing with the Drivers License. Probably half of the drivers never had one and you need one only if you want to show off to your visitors from those funny countries with traffic lights and driver’s license. We also had a downpour on the trip and I badly needed a drink when we finally arrived in Santo Domingo. He even offered me to take over the wheel; I said maybe in a few days. But…..that’s why we are here! We want to see the city and come home with a lot of pictures. Here are some….

Life is good inside the resort....for a while.

The resort is so big it takes a 45 minute train ride if you want to see everything.

We rented a little Suzuki but were better off with a 4X4.

Our Dominican plate.

We finally made it to downtown the next day. History at every corner. Columbus used to live in this house. More pictures next week.

Dominican Republic 2007

2010-04-17T21:45:00.001-07:00

Long story short: we had a nephew in the Dominican Republic who has been living there for a few years. When we called him he always said: why don’t you come to see me? You don’t have to worry about anything, I have a big house, room enough for a big family but it’s only me and my wife. Think about it in the Canadian winter, it’s always nice and sunny here!! We resisted for a few years then I heard from my daughter that she is going on a Caribbean cruise and after that a week in Punta Cana DR. Called nephew: your time has come, get ready, we are coming! Still have to try to find a good deal, it was the end of March, end of the season, there has to be some last minute deal. Years ago I signed up with Travelalerts.ca they always send you an e-mail about deals. The good last minute deals are ” real deals” but you have to be ready in 72 hrs. (Employers nightmare) I was close to give up hope when I’ve got an e-mail: Punta Cana 99 dollars plus tax, no typing error it is really 99 $. The trick is: lots of charter planes are flying to those resort destinations but not always full. The plane has to fly no matter what, selling a seat for a 100 bucks means an extra 100, better for the travel agent than an empty seat. Paid online, printed my own ticket, quick appointment to get the needed shots and we were ready to rock and roll. We had to go to Vancouver the day before because of the early departure. It was easy with the camper van, we slept and left the van in the long term parking at the airport and got on the free shuttle ride in the morning. Another good advice: if you are planning to use the long term parking lot you can save about 10 bucks a week with an online ticket, you just have to print it before you leave. Smooth sailing to Calgary where more passengers are boarding the plane; it’s still not full but we are delayed by 1,5 hrs because of a snow storm. Now I really want to see some Caribbean sunshine. Landed in Punta Cana early in the evening after an 8,5 hrs flight, the best part of the day: nephew, my daughter and her boyfriend are waiting together for us at the exit. They’ve met while waiting for us, so we are driving to the same resort where she is staying. Same story as with the plane, resort is not fully booked, we can get a room, all included and headed for dinner. It takes some time to adjust to the temperature; after the Calgary snowstorm just hours ago it is 25 Cº and the pools are still lit up, all the bars open, what do we use to say? Life is good here.

One of the many pools inside the resort. On the other side of the palm trees....

....is the beautiful, sandy beach.

How can you beat a good bar with Caribbean cocktails? Build it in a pool and call it a Swim Up! It is simply a matter of safety: if you are full you do not fall; you just float.

That’s why you pay the big bucks in the Canadian winter! The color of the water is incredible and makes you feel so good.

Nephew Alex in the middle, his wife Orquidea ( right) my wife Magdi (left) enjoying the good life in the resort.

2006 Round Trip # 6

2010-04-10T18:11:00.000-07:00

After we were spoiled in Idaho and Montana with free camping we are finally back to Canada because we wanted to see the Lake Louise area. We made it to Banff late in the evening just to find out that every square inch is marked in town with: No RV Parking. Campsite is OK, far out of town tough and almost 40 bucks a night probably won't see us again soon.

The Rockies in autumn: unbeatable views everywhere you turn.

Even the Trans Canada towards the Rockies and the BC border is a breathtaking view.

Lake Louise with it's crystal clear water.

Pictures like this one show why we like to travel after the peak season. Weather is still great but no crowd, campgrounds are still open but half empty. Kamloops Lake just west of town on the Trans Canada hwy.

This hotel is also a well known landmark with it's red roof east of Kamloops.

After 22 days on the road we are back home (in Victoria BC back then) feeding the birds at the Esquimalt Lagoon and are already planning the next trip. Stay tuned for our next adventure.

2006 Round Trip # 5

2010-04-03T18:19:00.001-07:00

We have seen way to many freeways; that's the reason why we prefer the country roads, much slower pace, peaceful and beautiful countryside. We decided to head north on hwy 93 all the way to Montana and even further. Picture was taken at the Nevada-Idaho border. What could be the name of the crossing? Jackpot of course.

Only an hour to Twin Falls Idaho, you have to take some time and see this place. The Snake River canyon is just north of the city, amazing view from the visitor center and there is even a golf course in the canyon.

The bridge over the canyon is an engeneering masterpiece.

Further north on hwy 93 you cross into Montana at an altitude of over 8000 feet.

After driving just one more hour you really start to understand why it is named Big Sky Country.

Montana is a camper's Paradise. Campgrounds all over the state at the most beautiful spots for free. All you see is a sign: please limit your stay to 14 days!!! After 15 miles there is another place with the same sign.
Life is good in Montana.

Of course some people do abuse the freedom and use the traffic signs for target shooting.

2006 Round Trip # 4

2010-03-28T13:53:00.000-07:00

At the Grand Canyon I asked my wife: which way to go from here? I really would like to go back to Vegas she said. Nothing wrong with that; we headed back but we had to stop at one of the best campsites for the night. Laughlin, right on the Colorado in mid week, almost empty and only 12 bucks for a night.

Halfway between Laughlin and Las Vegas there is an RV Park in the middle of the desert, decorated with cactus larger then human.

Wife is coming back to Vegas to gamble a little more and I'm coming back as a photographer for the "view" only. It's understandable.

The Monte Carlo on the Strip at night.

As much as we like the City of Lights we also like it nice and quiet at night. All you have to do just drive out of town to Red Rock Park; takes about 20 minutes, it also has a nice campground for 10-12 bucks a night. If you stay in town at an RV Park be prepared to pay 40-50 dollars.
( a room at Motel 6 was 45$ back then.)

Two days later I asked my wife again: which way are we going home?
I've never been to Lake Louise yet she said.
So we headed north trough Nevada, we love the country roads in this state, like to stop in those little villages. This picture was taken halfway between Vegas and Ely where the hwy goes trough a rocky canyon for a few miles in the desert.

2006 Round Trip Part 3

2010-03-20T22:41:00.000-07:00

From the west coast we headed east towards Bakersfield and Las Vegas. Crossing the I 5 I had to take a picture of the divider.

On that day we did not make it all the way to Vegas, we had to stop for the night at Whiskey Pete's halfway between the border and Vegas.

New York-New York was just completed when we got there. My wife likes to gamble and for her it's either Vegas or nothing. I do not gamble at all but I love Nevada very much. Every bigger casino has an RV and truck parking, plenty of camping just out of Las Vegas, the roads are the best and the limit on a country road is 70 mph. The desert can be beautiful too; you just have to visit the right spot in the right season. We stayed up 'till really late but the next day were headed for the Grand Canyon.

The view of Lake Mead halway from Vegas to Hoover Dam.

Crossing into Arizona on top of the Hoover Dam. From here only a few hours to the Grand Canyon.

This guy was just behind the Info Center at the Grand Canyon, some people were just 20 feet away from him taking pictures and he just didn't care.

If you see the Grand Canyon the first time you will learn what BREATHTAKING means. We thought we were prepared but when we got there we just looked at each other; is it real?? There was another photographer taking pictures of a dancing couple right on the edge of the canyon. I did snap a picture of them too but I'm afraid of height, could not even look at it anymore no matter how nice the girl was.
Will be back next week.

2006 Round Trip Part 2

2010-03-13T15:52:00.000-08:00

Once you get to the Bay the view of the Golden Gate is so magnificent you want to have a picture from every angel.

You can drive down and under the bridge on the San Francisco side; a popular fishing spot for locals. We also have seen smaller motor homes at the spot but wouldn't recommend it for bigger rigs.

Mission Dolores. You should NOT leave San Francisco without seeing it.

Spent the night at the Monterey Marina, nice and quiet place and cost less than 10 bucks. Really nice from the city to have a place like that for RV-ers.

A popular spot for Kite surfers ( is it the proper term? ) south of Monterey.

Another beautiful spot just south of Monterey, we loved it so much we spent one full day there.

Jack Ranch Cafe, after you leave the coast hwy towards Bakersfield. James Dean stopped here the last time before he died in his Porsche a few minutes later....

.....there is a nice little stainless steel memorial in the park beside the cafe and behind me.

How it all started...

2010-03-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

You are young, you want to travel. You can afford it for a while, and then you can’t. You are looking for a job which includes travel and you end up driving a truck. I loved it so much and wanted to keep a record of my trips so I started carrying cameras with me and taking pictures. A bit later I’m working for a trucking magazine, getting my pictures published. Pretty soon I found out that you can’t see a lot of things because of the size of your vehicle. Once at the Golden Gate Bridge I wanted to take a picture of my truck with the bridge in the background. Just opened the door; disco lights behind me and he is yelling: what the heck you think you are doing? I just wanted to snap a picture officer. No parking, no pictures, get moving or get towed. After awhile you miss so many pictures you decide to go back on your own; at your own pace and catch up on photography. That’s exactly the story behind the following pictures. I’ve been asked many times: why are you writing? Some people drink when they are in a good mood, some people drink when they are in a bad mood, I’m writing because I have to. Drink a bit too after I’m done. When I was young I loved to look at pictures of far away places and dreaming about that later I'll get there somehow. Another reason to show a few pictures here; there might be some young kids dreaming out there.
The first part is about our round trip down the West Coast, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Montana, Lake Louise and back home to Vancouver Island in 2006. You have to know: I have been a VW freak all my life, for me it was the only vehicle of choice back then. We’ve found one in very good shape, modified it to our needs (added a Porta Potty, an Inverter and a Propex furnace, 2 RV batteries, a CB radio) and we were ready to go. We always travel on a low budget, trust me, traveling frugally is actually fun. I just mean that we are not using camp sites they charge 40-50 $ for one night and the next camper is 3 feet from you. Hwy 1 down the coast is breathtaking, hard to describe the beauty but pictures follow. The whole trip started a bit off the plan: we missed the Coho Ferry out of Victoria; so we had to take BC Ferries, drove trough Washington and hit the 101 just south of Portland. Oregon has to be done slowly because there is so much to see.

Our first VW in Canada. If you have ever seen it inside then you know how hard it is to put a furnace in it without loosing any space. I've got rid of the cord that is stored under the cabinet; installed a plug only and used an extension cord. This way under the cabinet I just have enough room for the Propex. Connecting it to the propane tank was not an easy task either.

Playing with the big dogs; in the first Rest Area just after we hit the Oregon Coast on 101.

Captain Cook was here just a bit ahead of me in 1778.

No matter how ugly the weather is the coast is beautiful.

Lighthouse in a rugged setting.

Resting seals on the rocks just after the California border.

Entering Redwood Forest Park. The Museum....

... the Wildlife Sanctuary....

...and the side road going trough the oldgrown forest.
To be continued of course in a week or so...

February 24

2010-02-24T20:14:00.000-08:00

OK, I replaced all the interior lights with LED before the trip and had not much experience with them before. The regular bulb like ones are great, the 36 LED plates are not so good. The problem we had with them is: some of the LED-s became loose, a couple of them are fallen out, and the rest of them are fading. For one night in Mexico I had all the lights (22) on all day and then ‘till midnight, there was no noticeable change on the control panel, still showed full charge. Just want to tell you: my motor home is powered by 1 (yes ONE) deep cycle battery and we can boondock for 3 days without firing up the generator. The LED lights were ordered from Hong Kong, paid 2,50 for one and was shocked in California to find the same lights at every Truck Stop for 19.99 a piece!!!
That's just for the fun:

I have a friend; his name is Al Pastor (on the right, he is the pilot)

He is very famous, his name is on every menu in Mexico.

February 14

2010-02-14T18:27:00.000-08:00

It is hard to get back to the “normal” schedule after 3 weeks of vacation. The only reason I wanted to write a few words is to say Thank You to a few very helpful companies like: Wal Mart to let RV-rs stay in their parking lot for the night; Flying J to serve and cater not just for truckers but RV-s as well, great service; BLM California for making long term camping possible for 40 bucks for 2 weeks; all the great staff at Petes Camp in San Felipe Mexico for working so hard to make everybody’s vacation so special. A big thanks to all the great people we’ve met and to all of those who followed our trip. Next time I’ll tell you about the upgrades done before the trip, what worked and what did not.

Happy New Year to everyone who celebrates Chinese Tradition!

February 7

2010-02-07T18:38:00.000-08:00

This picture was taken on the Vancouver side of the water just before we boarded the ferry to remind me on Monday, back in business full time for a while. It means there will be fewer posts, not every day but as often as I feel I have something to say . Thanks for following our adventure.

February 6

2010-02-06T22:14:00.000-08:00

We decided to be home tonight; got up early and crossed the border at noon. It was a breeze, the officer waved us trough after a few questions. We have been on the 1 pm sailing on BC Ferries nice new Coastal Celebration. We vent upstairs, walked around, found a nice place to sit down, the room is called Pacific Lounge. After about 30 seconds a staff member came to us and said: we have to pay an extra 10 bucks to sit in this room. (Probably because all the seats are facing the water??) Needless to say we walked away and had a seat in the restaurant “enjoying” the 8 dollar burger. We made it home around 5:30 pm, good to see the Grandkids again.

We are getting closer...

Just have to roll off the boat and we are home in an hour.

February 5

2010-02-06T21:45:00.001-08:00

We woke up to a foggy morning in Medford, left around 9:30 and we were really surprised by the weather. In the middle of Oregon we had 22 Celsius, unbelievable warm, nice and sunny. We stopped early in the afternoon, still had some shrimp in the freezer from San Felipe, it was our late lunch. Crossed the Washington border around 5 pm and wanted to stop somewhere in the Tacoma area at 8:30 pm. We like Flying J but we also ask first. A not so nice clerk told us: we can stay but have to be out at 6 in the morning because ”my manager comes in at 6 and he is going to kick you out anyway”. Well on my vacation I don’t like to be on the run so early so we decided to carry on. Drove all the way to Everett, the good part is: we drove trough Seattle late in very light traffic and spent the night in the Wal Mart parking lot in Marysville.

We stopped at Seven Feathers, brings back memories.

Later we wanted to go to MacDonalds in Springfield and realised: we have a brewery behind us. Where would you go?

February 04

2010-02-04T19:41:00.000-08:00

We drove pretty much all day and just made it a bit ahead of the storm. In Weed, Northern California the storm hit hard, blowing snow, mixed with rain and a wind-warning. Kept driving and it seems like we were faster than the storm, weather improved a lot after we crossed into Oregon. No reason to rush so we stopped in Medford for a nice meal and to take care of business.

Just left Mexico 5 days ago (too early) and it HURTS!!!!

The reason I don't have too many pictures for today: the weather

February 03

2010-02-04T19:27:00.001-08:00

I use VOIP for all of my long distance calls, but just after we left home the application quit on my laptop, sent an e-mail to the provider, sorry, we will fix it, but nothing happened for almost 2 weeks. I checked it again in Palmdale and it’s finally working now. That means we had to do lots of calls catching up with the last 2 weeks. That’s why we did not leave ‘till noon, stopped for a few pictures in Mojave, then around Bakersfield in the orange fields. Made it to Ripon on hwy 99 just south of Stockton and called it the day. Watching the news of course the weather caught my attention. The forecast is about a storm again, heavy rain and snow over 4000 feet. The California-Oregon border is over 4000 so we decided to leave early and make it to Oregon before dark.

This one is for Al. Stopped at the Space Research Center in Mojave

Wind power in Tehachapi

The 2nd of February and the orange trees are full of fruit in the Bakersfield area.

And that's for my buddies at work again

February 2

2010-02-03T09:44:00.000-08:00

Weather got cooler as soon as we left the Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree Park is between 3-4000 feet high desert. It was so good to drive through the park again, stopped often to take lots of pictures. Last year we bought the annual pass for all the National Parks in the US, so this time it did not cost a penny. Once out of the park we headed north on 247, then on 18 west towards Palmdale and for a good reason. There is a Hungarian Sausage Factory store on hwy 18 in Littlerock; we just made it there 10 minutes before they closed. Bought bunch of good stuff, fridge is full, (life is good here).Drove another 10 minutes to Palmdale, fund a nice Wal Mart and a McDonalds just across the street with WiFi. After we have done all the uploads, e-mails, we decided to stay right here in Palmdale.

Driving through Joshua Tree National Park.

Driving through Joshua Tree National Park.

One of the great camp sites inside the park.

La Cholla cactus forest in the park

February 1

2010-02-02T18:41:00.001-08:00

Well, Joshua Tree is tomorrow. We had to find wifi today, drove around and ended up in the beautiful city of La Quinta. The Library here had wifi and we spent a couple of hours taking care of business. My wife has never been there yet, she said this is the city where the density of Porches and Ferraries is the highest for one square mile. It is indeed a nice and rich neighborhood. Still staying at the casino and tomorrow we start our way home trough Joshua Tree Park.

We ended up in the beautiful city of La Quinta

Everything is flowering and it's only the first of February

January 31

2010-02-01T13:13:00.000-08:00

We drove north trough the Coachella Valley's orange plants

I have a picture of the same palm tree from 14 years ago.

Came back to the good old Spotlight 29 casino where RV parking is free

Playing with the big dogs.

January 30

2010-01-31T10:12:00.001-08:00

We’ve left San Felipe around noon, the 10 mile construction on Hwy Mex 5 was much better, it was dry now. When we got to the border I couldn’t believe my eyes: a 2 hrs line up and it was exactly 2 hrs bumper to bumper along the wall. Local vendors selling just about everything for the travelers from religious paintings and statues of Jesus to refreshment. The most unbelievable thing: about 200 yards from the border crossing full of guards young kids are throwing big plastic bags over the fence and then run. Just guess what could be in those bags. Finally got out at 5 pm; did some grocery shopping and parked it in Calexico.
10 miles of dirt road

2 hrs bumper to bumper at the border-the tall fence on the right is the wall

.
A cross saying "unidentified" remembers those who died here while trying to climb the wall.

January 29

2010-01-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

We had to do laundry today and were surprised how this part of Mexico is Americanized. Washers and dryers are taking US quarters only; the water wending machine takes quarters only and in the bakery the prices are listed in US. We have seen lots of locals driving around on quads and buggies, looks like it’s the favorite vehicle here in the desert. In the evening we said Good Bye to our neighbors and the very friendly staff at the restaurant, including the DJ. We are planning to leave tomorrow morning, cross the border at Mexicali and spend a few more days in the desert.

Loundry in Mexico that takes US quarters only

Favorite vehicle of the locals

Said Good Bye to our DJ

January 28

2010-01-29T18:29:00.001-08:00

We had to fill up propane today, it’s a bit different here. No propane at gas stations, you have to go to the local distributor to fill up. Quick service; nice and friendly people. After that we drove south of town, wanted to see it because real estate is booming there, lots of new houses, condos, time shares. Talked to a local realtor, he said he has offerings from 5-6000 for a lot in the desert to an oceanfront house up to 700 K. Out of my budget. The best place in town: the beach in downtown: fishermen just coming back from the sea and selling their catch right off the boat. Guaranteed fresh and the price is right. Bought 2 lbs of shrimp and put it on the BBQ for dinner. (life is good here)

The south side of San Felipe

Real Estate is booming (new oceanfront condos here)

Local fishermen selling fresh seafood right off the boat

1 lbs of shrimp for dinner

January 27

2010-01-27T16:12:00.001-08:00

Today was very quiet; just a few locals came down to the beach to relax. Local vendors are coming now every day selling “souvenirs.” Planning to have tacos for dinner; it is today’s special in the campsite’s restaurant (0.50C/piece) nobody can beat that price. Weather could not be better, nice and sunny but not too hot.

the turn off to our campsite

A few locals came to relax to the beach

Those are locals too.

January 26

2010-01-26T17:16:00.000-08:00

Today we had to go and get some fuel and water. Surprise: Mexican fuel is only 0.71 cent (US) a liter. At the gas station we talked to another VW owner; his van was a "bit older" than ours. He and his girlfriend came from Belgium and were on the road to Argentina. They have been north of the Polar Circle in Canada and now in Mexico headed south. He shipped his van over from Europe and will take it back to Europe he said. (VW owners just love their rig) The van was very good equipped for the trip; lots of spare tires; lots of extra fuel.

Improved my Spanish skills today: Palapa=Palm shade; Tecate=Local beer. The 2 of them mix very well.

So much white sand left at high tide.

January 25

2010-01-25T17:24:00.000-08:00

Gabriel & Charlotte from England to Mexico City on a bike

Treasures from beachcombing

Room with a view

Another wonderful day at the beach. We went for beachcombing and found lots of beautiful corals at low tide. Had a chat with the young English couple; they are headed to Mexico City then they will decide what to do next. Interesting people; interesting story. And just to prove how small the world is: 2 couples drove by today right here on the beach, both from Cobble Hill BC; about 10 minutes from our home. They are staying here ‘till April. Steak on the barbeque for dinner with a few local beers. (Life is good here)

January 24

2010-01-25T09:42:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day we did not have to drive at all. Campsite is almost empty but still has a bunch of nice people, one couple is from Edmonton and the guy is flying a motorized paraglider every day; it’s really cool! Tonight a young couple came in from England on a motorcycle; they have been on the road for 10 months, rode the bike trough Russia, Mongolia, Canada, US and Mexico.
Entrance of the capmground.

The beach in San Felipe

Guy from Alberta with his cool paraglider

January 23

2010-01-23T18:25:00.000-08:00

Crossing the border at 10 am was a breeze.

Hwy Mex 5 in the desert

Hwy Mex 5 turns into this for 16 km of construction

Made it to the campsite in San Felipe at 1:30pm

Just one week behind schedule but we are parked right on the beach of the Sea of Cortez. Campsite has WiFi in the restaurant and the bar. Your ticket to the internet is called Margarita (life is good here). Temperature today was 23 nice and sunny; got here a bit late because of the construction on the hwy. Traffic was diverted onto a dirt road; not a really good idea after a week of rain.

January 22

2010-01-23T09:47:00.000-08:00

From here it can get better only.

We didn’t see any tornado, it was in the Blythe area about 100 miles from us. We had some sunshine in the morning but the weather turned ugly for the afternoon again. We wasted a week now; have to move on. Drove back to Calexico, got our Mexican Insurance and we are good to go tomorrow. Forecast is good for the weekend, we should be in San Felipe tomorrow afternoon; don’t know when we can make the next post; have to find WiFi first

January 21

2010-01-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

Enjoying "sunny" Arizona

Just killing time, have to wait out some improvement in the weather. Did a risky short drive today to buy groceries; the wind was just playing with our small motor home. After we came back I could not believe what I’ve heard: a TORNADO WARNING is in effect for the Yuma and southern California area. An announcement on the radio in the afternoon: the government is asking everyone to stay off the roads and giving advice what to do if you see a tornado coming. Definitely an exiting vacation!

January 20

2010-01-21T14:00:00.001-08:00

Today we drove to El Centro, wanted to see some friends from home but we missed them. (my fault; didn’t call ahead) Then we had the first decent day with temperatures over 20 but in the evening it started raining again and now it’s been raining for 20 hrs. The only WIFI we could find is in the Yuma Library; have to go back today to make the post and check our mail. Just listening to the radio, we have a severe storm warning again with flooding. If it’s so bad on US roads how is it going to be in Mexico, that’s the big question now. We want to get Mexican Insurance today; stock up on groceries and pray for better weather.

January 19

2010-01-20T15:39:00.000-08:00

Left Indio around noon, first we could not find WIFI; had to by access at a Truck Stop for an hour than for another hour to take care of all the e-mails and the blog. Still raining like there is no tomorrow; drove down south on flooded hwy S22 to see friends whom we haven’t seen for about 7 years. They spend January in Borrego Springs then move on to Arizona for the rest of the winter. After a coffee and a few hrs we headed to Brawley but at a couple of spots the road was completely flooded and covered with mud. Had to wait almost an hour ‘till the hwy maintenance truck showed up and cleared the road. We made it to Brawley late evening and called it the day.

Visited Gerry and Donna Walker in Borrego Springs

January 18

2010-01-19T11:20:00.000-08:00

It feels like wherever we go a national disaster strikes. With us together El Nino is visiting California as well, rainfall of the century; storm warning and such goodies. Had a little sunshine in the morning, just enough to take some pictures. The forecast predicts the worst rainfall for Thursday. What is keeping us happy: from here it can get only better!

Spent the night in Indio at the Spotlight 29 Casino

January 17

2010-01-18T17:19:00.000-08:00

Left earlier around 9, drove pretty much all day and still no sign of any change in weather. We told each other how nice it was last year, OK lets go to LA tonight, lets see some sun. After 5 pm it is complete darkness, a big piece of metal is in the middle of my lane, could not get around it; got stuck under the rear axle; it made a sound I tought it is the end of the trip but could drag it out. (no damage thanks God) Made it to Castaic around 8 pm; the 2 of us had almost a dozen tacos for dinner; it was the best part of the day.

This picture is for my friends at work.

January 16

2010-01-18T17:10:00.000-08:00

Nothing but rain; rain; and RAIN all day. Started the day around 11, after 500 miles from home we finally have seen some sun but only for a ½ hour that was it for the day and back to the rain. Crossed the California border and called it the day in Corning. (2 hrs north of Sacramento)

January 15

2010-01-16T09:27:00.000-08:00

Left Victoria as planned on the Coho ferry. I was told we have to pay more for the ferry, it has been raining so much, ocean got bigger, more work for the ferry.
(Just kidding) Made it to the middle of Oregon (Rice Hill). Weather could not be uglier, it's raining since we left. Makes me even faster to see some sunshine soon. Pictures later.

Preparing the wheels.

2010-01-09T20:23:00.001-08:00

With only 6 more days left before we leave a full service was done on the motor home. Because we try to do most of our trips on a low budget boondocking is big in our travel. Major modification: replaced all the interior lights with new LED lights. They need only 10% of the power “usual” bulbs require. Having 23 bulbs inside I hope it’s going to make a big difference in power consumption. We use a laptop as a GPS; TV; DVD player, computer and did not have a remote for it yet. Friday the new remote has arrived for the Win Tv application and it also works with the Windows Media Center. Great bonus.

The new lights are a simple plug and play.

Needs only 10% of the power of a regular bulb.

The first days of 2010

2010-01-01T20:23:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a record of our trips, our travel. I have been blessed with a job that includes lots of travel and photography. Visited 37 countries so far and counting. Just planning a trip in a motor home to the south west corner of the US and maybe crossing the border to Mexico; will see. That was the reason to start this blog.