I have had so many people ask what has happened to us?
Where are we? What are we doing?
Why am I not writing anymore?
And most importantly what has happened to "Grabers Gone Wild"
and the famous Jetson Mobile?
I can assure you we are all doing great and have begun, yet, another
"Grabers Gone Wild" adventure.
We have our house rented again this summer for 3 months, and are homeless again,...
so I guess it is good excuse to travel in the Jetson Mobile.
We often have to tell people we are not on vacation,
this is just where or how we live right now.
We still get up and do our work and if we work hard, we can enjoy some afternoon time to enjoy this beautiful country, her coastline, mountains, desert and
visit wonderful family and friends.
I think it is brilliant actually!!
We have taken a few short trips in the Jetson Mobile this last year, and Bandit now seems to understand what is going on when we start the 3 day packing into the motorhome.
I sure wish he could talk. I can just imagine him saying...
"Can't you two decide what to do and where to live? "
"When are you actually going to grow up and act more responsibly,...
like old people should!"
and my response to him is....
"Bandit, it we haven't grown up now... it ain't going to happen...!"
"I don't want to leave, this bed is bigger than the one in the Jetson Mobile."
We finally got packed, and the Jetson Mobile had liftoff around noon and the
Grabers Gone Wild Adventure
was about to begin.
*****
"Its Elemental"
Our first two nights were spent with Jenny, Matt and the kids. They live in Reedley, California, and it usually takes about 5 hours to get there.
Katelyn, our #2 out of 9 grandchildren was graduating from middle school and we got there just as the ceremony was beginning.
It was a nice ceremony, and of course we were proud and happy we were there
to share in the celebration.
Timmy has a motorcycle consignment shop and if you want to see some "eye candy" as he calls it.... you can check out his website.
www.classicmotorcycleconsignments.com
It is amazing how many people in this country enjoy these old machines...
and someone is always selling and someone is always buying...
and because of this,... we see and meet all kinds of great people
while on the road "doing business."
Timmy had an appointment to meet with a prospective seller,..so I took advantage of getting the dog out for some excercise.
The RV park was nestled next to the river and I assumed we could walk some path along the river bank.
Not so.
I came upon the river and simply gasped. There was no river.!
I knew the drought was bad, but I had no idea.
"Wheres the water?"
Where am I supposed to frolic now?"
We decided to walk the river bed,... and it was an eerie feeling.
We came upon all kinds of remnants of the history this river probably shared with so many friends and family.
There were decks of old buildings with tables and chairs and the looks of old docks, that I am sure welcomed hundreds of boaters every season with cold drinks and a beer or two.
We found old air mattresses, beach chairs and flip flops.
Just more reminders of a time that seemed like a hundred years ago.
And take a look at those tire tracks...
maybe they should open this up for some racing of some kind.
Just seems a shame.
We explored for 2 hours and the heat was approaching 95 and I knew we better get back before we both dehydrate.
I am fairly good with directions and I had calculated that we could walk to where the road/bridge goes over the "river" and we could hike back up the hill.
My calculations were way off and I found us wandering through a vineyard.
Where did this vineyard come from?
I felt a wave of panic and I could feel the heat rising with every minute. There was no shade, and now Mr. Bandit is so tired he can't walk, so of course I pick him up and start trekking through the grapevines.... hoping and praying that the RV park would come into sight soon.
Twenty minutes later I was in front of someones house and they had a dog that I was sure would come after us if not for the fenced in yard.
All the while, I am thinking out loud and I could just hear Bandit saying...
"Don't look at me... you're the one who got us into this... and had us walking forever down the river bed!"
We finally made it back and enjoyed the rest of the day with Jenny and the family.
We went to a movie, had a great dinner and they came over to the Jetson Mobile for a bit before we said our Good Byes.
It is always so great to see them. I just wish we lived closer.
**
The Jetson Mobile shoved off the next morning and this was about the time Timmy told me we had an air conditioning problem.
"Excuse me?"
"What ?"
"I could have sworn you just said we had a problem with the air conditioner?
Why do we always seem to find these things out at such great opportune times?
Especially since it is supposed to get 105 degrees today?
He assured me they could fix it and we would spend the night with our good friends
Jim and Debbie Christian.
They got the job done, and the Jetson Mobile was ready for lift off the following morning.
*****
We continued north and headed for San Francisco. We knew we wanted to spend 3 or 4 days there and have friends, Dennis and Linda Magri who grew up in the city, who wanted to give us a "real" tour of the city.
As we drove into San Francisco, we took the new Bay Bridge from Oakland into San Francisco. It was beautiful and exciting and I guess I just have a thing for bridges.
It had been several years since I had been to San Francisco and I had only seen the Golden Gate Bridge at that time.
I think the Bay Bridge has a beauty all of its own.
Our RV park was called "Candlestick Park"for good reason.
It was 30 steps from the famous "Candlestick Park Stadium".
I knew they had built the new AT&T ball park closer to downtown, but had no idea they were tearing down "Candlestick Park"
This was the view of the stadium from the windshield of our motorhome.
It was uncomfortable to look at this stadium in shambles.
No sign of anybody,... just half torn apart...
Looked more like a movie set for an Apocalypse or a sci fi movie.
It really gave me the creeps.
As Bandit and I were trying to get a good shot of the actual park "sign", cars after cars would drive up, stop, take pictures and drive off.
Apparently, the deconstruction had only begun a short time ago.. and the fans were all out taking their "last" pictures of Candlestick Park.
I started getting irritated as it seemed the flow of people was non stop and I just wanted to take a quick simple shot from across the street.
I then realized I was watching the fans in mourning, out paying their "respects".
There were families, teenagers, and couples peeking through the fence, and it appeared they all seemed quite sad.
I imagined so many fans who will miss this stadium, and how strange it must feel for those who were dedicated Candlestick Park patrons.
I guess they wanted a warmer stadium. The winds in San Francisco are chilling to the bone, and Big Tim said it has been called the "coldest" stadium in the nation.
I will admit, I grew up in Iowa were it can be 20 below zero, but somehow that is different.
The wet, piercing winds of San Francisco Bay won the war, and the Candlestick Park will soon just be a memory for the sports fans.
***
The next day we had the grand tour with Dennis and it was truly spectacular.
I especially liked that Timmy didn't have to drive and he could actually enjoy the sights as well. We learned so many wonderful things about the city,
and saw the way people in San Francisco really live.
The architecture is incredible and we saw houses from the turn of the century still standing.
He showed us where the original underground subway was built leading from Market Street downtown to the outskirts of the city. It is still used today.
I never knew San Francisco had built a stronghold to protect the city against any invasions from the sea back in the days of the wars.
You can see the lower windows were used for thin weapons/guns small enough to fit through the thin rectangular windows...and above, the larger larger windows for the larger guns. There were several cannon stations as well.
Built under the Golden Gate Bridge
I never knew San Francisco had built a stronghold to protect the city against any invasions from the sea back in the days of the wars.
You can see the lower windows were used for thin weapons/guns small enough to fit through the thin rectangular windows...and above, the larger larger windows for the larger guns. There were several cannon stations as well.
***
Dennis and Linda wanted to take us to a special place for a late lunch so we found ourselves at a local dim sum restaurant.
They kept bringing all kinds of interesting foods out and for the most part we tried everything... but when the deep friend chicken feet came out, and they insisted it was really good and just a little crunchy cause you are actually chewing the bones of the feet,.. I quickly realized I had an important call to make and stepped outside.
***
***
We drove more of the city with our personal guide feeding us with more extensive knowledge of the city and I almost felt like we should have given him a huge tip!!
With my love for history, architecture and design, ... lets just say it was a perfect day.
kinda cool...
***
I always make a point of getting Mr Bandit out for his daily walk. Somehow we always manage to find someplace beautiful to explore.
I am always appreciative for this and I am certain the little guy is too!
And for a few brief moments, I like to let Bandit run free,... as fast as he can....
when no one is looking...
We headed out the following morning and were excited that we were now actually taking the Jetson Mobile over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Dennis had told us a quick way to get out of town and bypass downtown and traffic.
Timmy didn't listen.
Instead he listened to the lady on his GPS.
Big Mistake.
It took us right through the heart of downtown.
I think the lady at GPS did give us a shorter route, I will give her credit for that,..but Timmy forgot to tell her we were in a 37 foot motorhome and she also didn't watch the news that morning, as there were several detours on this route, and somehow we ended up at the top of a very steep hill,... and we only had one way to go.
I said a few choice words,... and Timmy slowly proceeded down the grade.
I would have taken a picture but my hands were occupied gripping the armrests, and my feet were dug into the floor... and I am sure that my leaning back as far as I could made a huge difference in not toppling over, windshield first.!
Even Bandit who was somewhat sleeping the chair sat erect, and must have sensed my concerns as he too dug his feet in the seat and leaned back.
He looked at me and I am sure he was thinking...
"Oh S_ _ _ _"
"Now what have you gotten me into?"
We got to the bottom of that street,.. and guess what...
we had 4 more of these to ski down.
I think that is the longest I have ever held my breath...and quite honestly I have never seen a grade so steep.
I think the sign said 20% grade!
We had no business going down that in the motorhome...
stupid lady at GPS anyway.
We crossed the Golden Gate and enjoyed the last of the views of San Francisco.
*****
Our next leg of the adventure would take us to Crescent City along the northern coast of California, just shy 90 miles of the Oregon border.
We found a great RV Park on the water.
This quaint little city along with its beautiful surrounding "Redwoods" suffered
a devastating tsunami that resulted from an earthquake that traveled from Anchorage, Alaska and measured over 9 on the Richter scale.
The city was almost lost and the concrete pylons of the wharf
were all that remains of the original wharf.
were all that remains of the original wharf.
It is hard to believe that anything could have the force needed to move, let alone destroy such a heavy secure landing.
When I first saw these from a distance,
I thought they were old wooden posts from and old dock.
Look at the size of that concrete!
**
**
We walked more of the beach area and the lighthouse is a must.
With the only access covered by high tide, we made a point of going back around 7 at low tide to cross the road and check it out.
The key is to remember, you have to go back across, and the tides change quickly.
The views from the lighthouse were spectacular.
The Lighthouse keeper had great digs...
and I especially liked his display of buoys amongst our flag.
But I tell him it is good "bonding" time with Mr. Bandit!
We decided at that point to jump in the jeep and explore the other side of the hill.
**
The following morning, Bandit and I checked out these beautiful rock formations.
Although it was a somewhat foggy day, they are quite stunning.
Walking the beach back we came upon this beautiful wood on the beach.
heart shaped wood
***
Before we left I thought I should take this pic of the view
we have from the motorhome.
Not bad for 35 bucks!
*****
As we continue to head north on this great American Adventure,
I am reminded of how small we are.
I am reminded of how small we are.
How little control we really have.
It's all about the Elements.
We saw what drought can do to a plentiful and vibrant river in the Fresno area.
We saw how a devastating earthquake crippled the San Francisco Bay Bridge,
with the new one now stronger than ever...
We saw how the sheer bitter cold ripping through the San Francisco Bay
can closed down a famous and beloved stadium.
can closed down a famous and beloved stadium.
We saw how one of the largest earthquakes ever measured
from hundreds of miles away
caused a 25 foot Tsunami and Crescent City was almost lost.
from hundreds of miles away
caused a 25 foot Tsunami and Crescent City was almost lost.
Elements of Nature.
Beyond our control.
And with it, comes loss, devastation and sometimes even death.
But it also comes with promise, rebuilding and rebirth.
The Elements...
they will always win...
they will always win...
they will always be a force
to be reckoned with...
to be reckoned with...
except
for the Heat in Fresno...
for the Heat in Fresno...
when Timmy reacted with lighting speed,
and got the air conditioning unit fixed
and got the air conditioning unit fixed
in the Jetson Mobile
faster than you can say... Hot Flash.
faster than you can say... Hot Flash.
otherwise...
talk about elements...
I'll show you elements!!
*****
*****
