I guess this is where the non-social media person finally meets social media. The mad panic to get ready and go to Mexico couldn't have come sooner for me. The shorter days were catching up with me I had a deep sense to escape...anywhere. I guess it's as entrenched in ourselves as the Monarch Butterflies know to fly south. Dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder sure is a tough one but atleast this time there was a plan in place. The 2 vans departed Vancouver December 1st, one 1971 VW Van and my 1989 Chevy campervan.
Temperatures were going down and we were hopefully going to avoid snow going through the passes south of Vancouver. Weather was actually pretty good the whole way. Portland traffic on the highway was pretty much a stand-still. I'm glad we brought walkie-talkies with us as atleast we could indicate when best to pull over. We slept at rest stops for most of the way and the van was pretty cold inside but it worked out well.
Southbound coming into the pass in southern Oregon, it became apparent that the 1971 VW Van was not doing as well as hoped. There was oil spewing from the engine and tiny specs of oil were all over the front of my van from driving. With regular stop and a few cans of oil, we made it through the pass into California but Ekhart felt it best to stop in Redding to have it looked at. Unfortunately on a Friday afternoon, looking for assistance to work on an old VW van proved difficult. I found a parts shop and did a google search for a campground and found a really nice one very close to town. Redding Premier RV Campground was luxury camping in such a nice setting, and, of course the first thing I notice is the nice landscaping. I got to learn all the different aspects of my van that I hadn't had a chance to try - power, gas, etc. It all seemed to work well.
Having Daisy, the dog, meant regular walks so we found this cool off-leash dog park near an airport and she was quite pleased to do her socializing. It was nice and sunny weather in Redding - California seemed to greet us with the golden sun. Can't argue with that.
