We finally had to leave LA and the family and begin to trek eastward. It wasn’t easy, and I am not referring to emotionally. The roads that would have provided a more direct route out of Malibu were still closed. We had to head north (really west) on PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) because there was no place to go to the south PCH was closed as was Malibu Cyn. The routes to the north were impassible because they were too steep and were closed to vehicles weighing over 8,000 pounds (we check in at about 21,000 pounds even with my reduced personal weight). We went almost to Ventura before we could finally turn north to pick up the 101. All told we spent three hours covering 50 or 60 miles trying to get out of LA.

We finally broke out of the congestion on the 5 as we neared our turn at Ensenada to head inland to Julian. HAL hiccupped. I had failed to double check the location of one VIA and HAL took us on a special excursion that had us doing circles in Ensenada. We had to disconnect the tow’d to get turned around and out of town. This is a very special happening and leaves me less than thrilled, not to mention the people in cars trying to get past us as we pulled the cables and pins, then moved the car out of the way and then finally clear Gee 2 and get it turned around. We made it to Julian and Pinezenatta Trailer Ranch by late afternoon and settled in for the evening. We did go into Julian in the morning to buy an apple pie, a specialty of the town. It was worth it, we got one with plain crust (the crumb top has more sugar and is too sweet as we learned last year). It lasted three days.

From Julian we drove through the Anza Borrego State Park with Carol taking us down the Banner Grade (6 miles of twisty 7 to 10% descent). That is quite a ride. We kept going and made it to Yuma, AZ before nightfall. We signed up for two nights at Suni Sands RV Resort just across from the airport. It was awful. We had less room than in Malibu Beach.
Out the back gate of the Resort was a walkway to WalMart. Time to get a life. During the day we drove out to the Imperial National Wildlife Reserve along the Colorado River, above the Imperial Dam. While hiking in the Painted Desert Section of the reserve we met a couple who were boon docking at the Dam. They explained where they were and Carol and I decided that it was time for us to have a different experience. On our way back to Yuma we drove into the LTVA to see what it was all about. LTVA means Long Term Visitor Area and is a BLM (Bureau of Land Management – Department of the Interior) designation for a place where it is legal to camp for up to five months for a fee that amounts to $160. Near the LTVA was a Limited Use area which has a daily use fee of $5.00 (reduced by half for holders of Golden Access Passport) or a weekly or seasonal fee.

We liked what we saw and returned the next day with Gee 2 and picked a spot where we felt we could be comfortable. We were not alone, but everyone was friendly and we had several interesting cocktail hours and Carol and I had a chance to try out a Folboat Kayak that Jay and Joan Becker had brought along. It was fun. We will never return to Yuma for camping. The Limited Use area is only 30 miles away and for the space and the price it cannot be beat. Thank you all for paying your taxes, Carol and I are enjoying the benefits. After four days of limited phone service and no internet, we decided to empty the holding tanks and refill the freshwater tank before moving on. As we prepared to roll our only plan was to move east.

The first stop turned out to be Benson, AZ at the Pato Blanco Lakes CG where we have been twice before (maybe three times). We had laundry to do, a meal to prepare and too much internet work to catch up on for it to be a restful evening. Eventually it all got done. The campground seemed quite empty to us and we attribute that to the wet, cool season so far, but the sun was still shining for us. We arrived there with more bugs on the front of Gee 2 than I had ever seen on Goliath. We had driven through storms of bees. The sound of their bodies hitting the front and the windshield had been shocking. During a fueling stop at a Flying J, the talk up and down the waiting lines was about the bugs. It would have to wait another day before I could clean them off.

Over dinner I told Carol that I really wanted a steak dinner and I wanted it at La Posta in Las Cruces, NM. We figured it would be a short driving day, but it would give us a chance to catch up on cleaning and maintenance items. We agreed. We have now returned from that meal. Naturally Carol did not have steak or any other meat, but I did. It was grand. I am quite full. Back to veggies tomorrow. La Posta makes no pretenses; they serve good quality food, prepared in Mexican manner with plenty of chili, red or green, your choice, on everything. During the afternoon, I had devoted myself to removing all of the bugs from the front of Gee 2. Washing is not allowed here so I just removed bugs and all the associated dirt from the front and the lower sides. I feel better having some relative cleanliness. It’s amazing, I can go for days with a filthy car in Rochester and it hardly bothers me, but when Gee 2 is dirty, I get very anxious to get it clean. Oh yes this campground is RV Doc’s, we have stayed here at least four times. It is not the greatest, but there is adequate space, the internet is free, the sites are level and the location is perfect for our wants.

Our goal for the next couple of days is to make it to Falcon State Park along the Rio Grande in Texas and then to head for Perry, GA. I will let you know our progress as we have service.