We stayed on in the LA area as planned and visited with the Arnalls who we know from my days on the JDC Board (that’s American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee – for those who don;t know the acronym). we had dinner at Palomino which was a nice restaurant in the UCLA area. We also had lunch in Venice at Roses Cafe with Jan Shapiro, Carol’s sister-in-law’s sister.  Along the way we had a brief visit to Yechiel’s office, a couple of trips with Avtalyon to Capoeira, a Brazilian dance form that derives from a martial art.  He is quite taken with it.  We also had a day out with Azriel which included a stop at an air museum, The Black Bird site.  There is a display on the grounds where they were built of a U-2 and a couple of Black Birds (one SR 71 and an early prototype that saw extensive service designated an A-12).  There were also several interesting planes ranging from a C-47 to an F-4 D Phantom and a F 111 Stealth fighter.  Azriel was captivated .by a maintenance worker who was working on the U-2.  His grandfather had flown the U-2, it was quite a tour of the plane.  From there we went to Devils Punchbowl State Park.  Words will not do it justice.  The upthrust rocks jut into the sky at angles over 45 degrees.  The mountains around are over 8,000 feet and the park itself is over 4,000 feet.  We all had a good time scrambling over rocks and down trails.  Azriel got into it as well and was quite a trooper.

Eventually it was time to move on.  As we rolled out of Malibu Beach RV Park our only destination was Agoura Hills, about 30 miles away, to get an oil change and routine service.  We once again were thwarted in our effort to stay at Santa Barbara Elks as they were full.  We continued on up 101 to El Capitan Beach State Park.  there we paid $35 for the privilege of staying on a parking lot sandwiched between the ocean and the 101 with a passenger rail line in the mix.  There are no hook ups and there is not even a dump.  The views were  wonderful and we had a couple of very nice walks.  Pictures will be posted when I have some bandwidth to work with.  While stopped we made some phone calls and changed our plans.  We are going to hang out on the Central coast for a while and meet Anna Lee and Jerry Braunstein and their Springfield RV club in Monterey on Sunday for a few days of fun and wine tasting as a group.  Then we will continue on up to Davis to see our niece before turning around and retracing to get to Phoenix well before we fly to Rochester.  Of course there are other friends including the Hoggs who are in these parts (these parts means southern California and Arizona –  rather broad designation).  Also we hope to see our friends in the Phoenix area as well.  Time will tell.

Elks Lodge 322 is located between a cemetery and an RV storage lot and backed up against the 101. Interesting surroundings.  The lodge is nicely kept and seems to be very active.  The camping area is extensive with water and electric (30 amp) hook ups for a dozen coaches and a dump available to members. The RV storage lot is part of the Elks property.