CA
Shorts on New Years Day
It was actually chilly on New Years Day by local standards. It may have hit 60 degrees for about 15 minutes before dropping again. But it had finally stopped raining (the official count of non-rainy days in December: 5) and for a (not so) young man from Massachusetts, that was enough to declare the day … Continue reading
Congestion, or lack thereof
I have now been commuting 14 miles each way to my office for three full weeks. The office itself provides exactly what I need: a fast internet connection and a desk and chair. The people there are friendly, though it is clear that they still consider me a curiosity (why would a software guy need … Continue reading
Merry Christmas y’all
No, they don’t say “y’all” out here in California. But maybe we picked up a little Southern Drawl in Texas? We will be having a quiet Christmas in Patience. We will sit next to our electric fireplace, sip egg nog and open the presents that surround our tiny tree. Then we will sing a few songs … Continue reading
GTW Hop 37: Gilroy, CA, to San Jose, CA
19 miles via US 101 and local streets. Cumulative distance: 6,184 miles. This last hop of the GTW was less than 20 miles and was made simply to move Patience to her winter resting place: the Coyote Valley RV Resort which sits on the border between San Jose and Morgan Hill. I will describe the … Continue reading
GTW Hop 36: San Jose, CA, to Gilroy, CA
31 miles via US 101 and local streets. Cumulative distance: 6,165 miles. I think this dance is called the “South Bay Shuffle:” up to San Jose, down to Gilroy, then, on Sunday, back up to San Jose to complete the GTW. This hop was to retrieve Patience from the RV repair place (after paying a … Continue reading
GTW Hop 35: Morgan Hill, CA, to San Jose, CA
28 miles via US 101 and local streets. Cumulative distance: 6,134 miles. The declaration of the “penultimate” hop turned out to be premature. The park where we spent Sunday and Monday nights – the Uvas Pines RV Park – was unpleasant enough that we decided to return to a different RV park after getting the … Continue reading
GTW Hop 34: Redding, CA, to Morgan Hill, CA
282 miles via I-5, I-505, I-80, I-680 and US 101. Cumulative distance: 6,106 miles. The penultimate hop on the GTW was difficult, but not for the expected reason: the weather. Against all odds and despite the prognostications of the US Weather Service (which predicted a rainy day), the clouds broke shortly before our 10am departure … Continue reading
Slogging to a finish
It rained over 3″ last night in Redding. It was relentless. At times it sounded like Patience was being run through a car wash, complete with rotating brushes that rocked it from side to side. Today we will try to limp/slog/float our way 280 miles south to San Jose, to sit and lick our wounds … Continue reading
GTW Hop 33: Canyonville, OR, to Redding, CA
211 miles via I-5. Cumulative distance: 5,824 miles. This was the reverse of Hop 29, except that we used a different RV park in Redding as a destination. The weather was bad, as usual, but not as bad as I expected. There were some sunny breaks and the wind was tolerable. But once we got … Continue reading
GTW Hop 29: Redding, CA, to Canyonville, OR
219 miles via I-5. Cumulative distance: 5,104 miles. Yes, folks, we have actually made it to Oregon, the last state that we will visit on the GTW. From here to the end it will be a trip down the coast to San Jose. I wish I could be confident that we will arrive safely, but … Continue reading