Bates Nut Farm

Bates Nut Farm has an annual Craft Fair over the Thanksgiving weekend. They have a store where you can buy just about every kind of candy, nuts and dried fruit, as well as snacks, gifts and gift packs and baskets. Lovely place to browse. Of course the Christmas theme was in and you can get all kinds of novelties and decorations.

The craft stalls are set up on the property outside. There was everything on sale. We enjoyed browsing through the stall for a couple of hours, oohing and aahing over the hand made jewellery, photographs, paintings, home made soap, sculptures and a lot more beautifully made items. Of couse we did not buy anything that was not edible, being that we do not have place for anything more!

After we left the farm, we went to take a look at Woods Valley Campground. This is a Passport America campground. It looks like quite a nice place. Larger RVs are usually accommodated in a flat area near the pond, although we did some fifth wheels up the hill. There were several full time campers there. The park is situated in a typical southern California valley. There is no cell service and not cable TV. Satellite will depend on your site. It is quite heavily treed.

Here are some pictures of our day.

Forward unto the breach, dear friends. V strides toward the booths

Santa loading the train

Such determination to find the next bargain. Our dearest American Mom, V.

Sculptures using stones and wire

Santa's train

Patient co-shopper

This little doggie reminded us so much of our Mischief

Ranch bordering Bates Nut Farm. 

Thanksgiving at The Chateau at San Marcos

Yesterday we went for Thanksgiving lunch at the residence where V lives. It was a wonderful, restful day. A great lunch that we did not have to cook or clean up after. The lunch was a traditional Turkey Dinner with a choice of pumpkin, pecan or mincemeat pie as dessert. I forgot the camera, so we have no photos. I really do have to get into the habit of taking it and taking photos of everything.

After lunch we all went back to V's condo and she and I had a nap, while Michael started reading a book about Homer, a blind cat. After naps V and and I played Gin Rummy for 3 hours, which was great fun, then some TV together and then home.

Today we are going to Bates Nut Farm's Craft Fair. This time I will remember to take my camera.

The Midnight Gremlins?

Just a quick note as I am up really early this morning.

I am sure there are gremlins, or maybe they are demons, who come out at night and throw stuff around inside the RV. I was sure it was neat and tidy last night and I come through here this morning and it looks like a hurricane passed through. Anyone else get visited by these little critters? Those of you who don't, please let me know how you keep them out of your RV.

Doing stuff in San Marcos/Escondido

The first thing we did this morning was go to Camping World in San Marcos. We needed to pay our tithe! Two things on the shopping list.

1) A new dual hitch receiver with a dropped hitch to take the Blue Ox and the bike rack. We had a Blue Ox single dropped receiver and a friend made a bracket to take the bike rack in another receiver. This all worked really well, until we took a ramp into a parking area, caught the bottom of one of the bolts that held the bracket on, bent the bolt, bent the bottom plate and compromised the whole thing. Camping World had one in stock, but it had been ordered for another customer some time ago. They very kindly sold us that receiver. Now we just have to find someone to cut the inserts shorter and drill some holes for the pins.

2) A Dish Network satellite receiver on their pay as you go scheme. Up in Canada we have Bell, but the Bell footprint does not reach this far south and west. Michael just has to go up and change the switches on the Carry Out satellite antenna. We had the choice of switching our provider to Shaw (Starchoice) which is supported down here, but as we already have the Winegard Carry Out, we decided to go this route. The Carry Out does not support Shaw.

While we were at Camping World we saw a really different truck Camper. It is mounted on a Land Rover truck and comes from Switzerland. It looked very well made and very compact. Would have loved to have seen inside!

Fits very neatly onto a Land Rover

Bikes on the back. Small Swiss flag stuck on the license plate.

Life in California

After more than a week here in Southern California, we are still trying to settle into a routine. The park is very nice and very quiet. People come and go and it does not seem as if anyone fraternises with any one else. Apart from a few nods and smiles, we haven't really spoken to anyone.

We were at Sonrise RV in Escondido the other day getting a new propane hose for the Extend-A-Stay and the guys there gave us two tickets for a Pancake Breakfast at Applebees, so this morning we were up early and made our way there. It was a fund raising benefit event for the local Charter School's basketball team.

The reason we had to get a new propane hose was that Michael had not removed the one we had on the propane tank and somewhere along the way, it fell out of the compartment and was dragged for a few hundred miles, totally destroying the end.

The weather has been cool with a few overnight showers. There is, however, quite a big rain storm coming our way. The nights are cold and we have had the furnace running off and on to keep us mostly warm and cozy inside. One of the problems we have found with this RV is that at the back, between the end cap and the bedroom there is nothing in the way of insulation. The floor is not insulated either. My side of the bed is freezing cold. Another thing to talk to Jayco about when we go there in April.

Michael has spent a few days going around tightening screws, fixing this and that. The build on the vehicle is very poor and we are going to have to spend some money on repairing all the deficiencies. One big improvement will be boosting the suspension. The back sway is really bad. We were going to put Timbrens in but after a visit to a local springs shop, we have decided to put in boosted springs and better shock absorbers. The front end will need to be tightened up as well.

This morning we took the time go for a walk about in the park behind the resort. There is a nice walking track and I will take advantage of that to get my morning exercise in. We took a few photos of the resort from the hill at the back. Nice views of the hills and valleys as well.

Kids Playground

Across the park to the hillsides behind the Resort

The upper level of the resort. We are in the center section hidden behind the RV's  that can be seen here.

Large paved area. Not sure what it is for.

Mobile homes with the new hospital in the background

Homes and hills

The lower section has narrower sites to accommodate RVs with no or only one slide

Another view of the lower section. Resort buildings with red roofs. Laundry, washrooms and clubhouse.

More lower level