Week 97 - Lodi, Grass Valley, Oroville CA - 06-22-2008

Heated Hellos,

As everyone in California knows, it has been hot! Last week we were sitting at Moss Landing on the coast in the mid-60s. But, frankly it was too cool unless you were sitting in the sun. So we opted to head inland to warm up. And warm up we did! It has been in the 90s all week. But we know that many other spots in California were over 100 and Phoenix was 115! So 90s is great.

We visited the Lodi Elks Lodge. The lodge was purchased from the 27-hole golf course next door. The view from the lodge and the one below from the outdoor deck are spectacular.

And, did we luck out. There are 10 RV sites and when we arrived Sunday at noon, they were all full. But within minutes, a motorhome pulled out and left us with the best site. This is our living room view gazing out onto the golf course. The song says "stuck here in Lodi again", but one of the elks we met quoted a saying. "If you have to live in San Joaquin Valley, then live in Lodi." The parts of the city that we saw are very cute and clean.

Our next stop after Lodi was Loomis. Pete's long time friend and client Bill Douglas just renovated this cute little house. It was a remodel as the foundation and 2x4 exterior walls still remain from the original house. The rest is new: floors, inside and outside walls, roof, patio, windows, heating, electrical, fence, grass and landscaping. Note that our motorhome fits in the backyard with two feet to spare. Bill said, "if Pete's motorhome won't fit, the sale I will quit" or something like that.

Bill has not yet moved in, but we have stayed here twice. And we appreciate the water, sewer, 50 amp electric, cable TV and WiFi. And yes, Bill can cook! Bill's neighbors at his current house came over for a BBQ that we hosted. Below is our Ellen, his neighbors, Ellen and Cam, his son Brandon and Bill, our host. As always, thank you Bill, we had a great time.

Since we were close to Grass Valley, we dropped in at our motorhome dealer, Tim DeMartini. If anyone in the nation wants to buy a Monaco or Holiday Rambler Class A motorhome, this is the place to come. Great price, quality service and guess what, they are nice people too!

This is the view from DeMartini RV, up on the hill where we should be. This second photo is a picture of downtown Grass Valley where we should not be.. It has narrow streets but we guess our GPS thought it would be fun! Not!

Highway 20 taking us from Grass Valley to Oroville. And Pacific Heights road that lead us to River Refections RV Park.

The RV park is right on the Feather River. We can't wait until Ellen's knee has healed enough to use our kayaks. Patience!

On Sunday we visited Emily's in-laws in Durham. But that is for next week.

Until then, may the Lord bless you and keep you safe from our fires and stay cool.

Love, Pete and Ellen

Photos from Jun 2008