by Sadly, Rio passed away on March 13, 2023, in Indio California. We were staying in Borrego Springs. Rio had been dealing with multiple tumors, seizures and possibly cancer for the last one and half years. Rio had been a warrior and dealt with all the challenges the best that he could. It was incredibly sad to see his health decline and finally had to make one of the hardest decisons. Rio ended his wanderlust journey with 63805 RV miles and 74970 jeep miles – from Alaska to Canada to Mexico and 4o plus states and 3 provinces in between
Rio made it really easy to go out every day – to see new places and to meet new people. While it was sometimes challenging to find dog-friendly places, Rio was always worth the time and effort. Loved his enthusiasm and goofy attitude towards life. He was always happy to go visit places in the jeep. We love Rio very much and will miss him dearly.
354 – Emerald Forest Cabins and RV. Really nice sites in the redwood trees. 30-amps, water and sewer. Bath house was really nice. Sites were a little tight. Cell was good, but no dish service. The road was a little close to the CG. Really enjoyed the town of Trinidad. Went on a kayak tour in the bay. Enjoyed coffee @ Beachcomber Cafe. Bought really fresh smoked seafood and oysters @ Katy’s seafood. We missed out on a good dinner @ Larrupin Cafe – next time. Really enjoyed our visit in the Redwood NP and State park system – lots of good trails and the redwoods were spectacular – two male elks were on the trail – took us 45-mins or so walking really slow before the elk gave us room to pass – it was really special. Moonstone beach was really enjoyable. We did laundry in Mckinleyville. Good visit @ Redwood Curtain Brewing Co in Arcata. Surprisingly good visit in downtown Eureka – good coffee and pastries @ Old Town Coffee & Chocolates – the downtown area was shutdown for walking area on first saturday each month. Eclectic community.
353 – Dolphin isle marina and rv park. 30-amps and water, dump station available. cell & dish was good. Did not use bath house. Our site was on the river – so we made the site pull-in. Saw lots of seals in the marina and on the docks. Went on a long bike ride along the coast – was a lot of fun. Visited glass beach, but did not really see the stones, but really did not go on the beach itself. Good prawns and chips @ Princess Seafood. Seafood @ the Princess Seafood market looked good – missed out on large local oysters. Lots of good seafood restaurants on the wharf. Coffee @ Headlands Coffee House – it was okay. Stood in line @ Cowlicks Ice Cream – really yummy. Thanksgiving Coffee Co looked really good – bought a bad @ the Skunk train store with the credit we received for Rio. We went on the evening skunk train to their site in the redwoods – there was a really good venue with drinks, food and music – had a good time. Dinner @ Trillium restaurant back in Mendocino. Spent more time shopping for bridal showers when Suz found a great dress for the wedding in August – Coffee @ Bay View Coffee Co. Downtown Fort Bragg was nice.
352 – Albion River RV Park. Site C44. 30-amps and water. Dump station. Bath house was basic cement. Cell was good, so was Dish. Beautiful views of the bridge over a river. Sunny days upon arrival. Friendly camp hosts. Route NB was somewhat challenging – really tight turn off PCH onto county road down to the river – we did not disconnect which was a mistake given the hairpin right hand turn half way down the road (fortunately, we had partial turn-out at the hair-pin turn). A couple of really good restaurants nearby, but menu seemed to be close what we’ve had these past few weeks – decided on Trillium in Mendocino. Rode our bikes around Mendocino and the bluffs nearby. Coffee and pastries @ GoodLife Bakery & Cafe. Visited the local stores. Drove SB to Point Arena and Cove Arena – got a coffee near the pier – unfortunately, the coffee and cafe places in town were closed when we left the pier. Went on short hike near the light house and a few vista points. Visited the town of Boonville. Wine and cheese tasting @ Pennyroyal Farm – enjoyed the wines and cheese but not the server. Salvaged the day with last minute visit to Husch Winery – really enjoyed a few of their wines – wine tasting was free and the lady was really nice.
351 – Bodega Bay RV park. Site 11. Pull-in site, but really bad views from site. FHUs. Good bath house. Wifi good. Dish was good. Graham came to visit us for the weekend. Visited several overlooks along the coast – really pretty. Went to Guerneville along the Russian River. Coffee @ Coffee Bazaar, lite snack @ local Taco Truck and dinner @ Brot. Really nice wine tasting @ Russian River Winery. Nice hike @ Armstrong State Park. Visited Occidental – very nice little town – Suzanne found some nice earrings – really good coffee and scones @ Wild Flour Bread nearby. Nice hike in the redwoods at county park nearby. Dinner @ Rivers End restaurant in Jenner.
350 – Westside County Park. Site 38. Decided to split our visit in Bodega Bay. Nice pull-through site facing the bay water. No hookups and they charge for dump station. We really enjoyed our visit but the weather was a little windy with lots of fog. We visited the the local bluffs in the park. Visited Doran County Park and walked the beach a few times. Had clam chowder @ Spud’s restaurant. Went to Petaluma to pickup the jewelry @ Gold Rush – lunch @ Sol Food. Went looking for dresses down in Corte Madera.
349 – Olema Campground. Site 20. Pull-in site. 30-amps and water only. Dump station. Bath house was okay. Dish was good. Verizon was poor. Campground wifi was spotty. There was tent camping and large group next to us – interesting watching all the car camping on the open field. Weather was rather cold with a lot of fog and marine layer for several days. Enjoyed the town of Point Reyes. Good pastries @ Bovine and Brickmaiden Bakery. Went out to Elk preserve, light house and chimney rock on Point Reyes. Visited John Muir Woods and overlooks of Stinson Beach. Visited a creamery near Tomales Bay. Got oysters near Marshall @ The Marshall Store and Tony’s. Graham came for a couple of days – celebrated Mother’s Day in Fairfax – dinner @ Sorellas – enjoyed walking around the town. Visited Bolinas and had coffee in town.
348 – Skyline Wilderness Park. 50-amps and water. Dump station. Nice corner site. Bath house was good. Verizon was okay, dish was good. A horse got away from its owner – provided a little bit of entertainment. We went to Reno for a follow-up visit with Suz’s doctor. Got smog check and dmv registration renewal for the jeep. Coffee and pastries @ Perenn. Went to lunch @ ??? Took our e-bikes on ride to downtown Napa – coffee @ Barnhouse Napa Brews. Took a ride to Petaluma to get jewelry maintenance – coffee @ Grand Central Petaluma. Graham took us to dinner @ Ad Hoc as well as Angele – wine tasting @ Tank Garage (Calistoga) and Cosentino (St Helena). Suz and I also had dinner @ Mustards Grill in St Helena. We rode our bikes from North Napa to Yountville – the bakery @ Bouchards looked really good, but lines were really long.
347 – KOA. Back again. Back-in sites. Long but really tight. There was a raised wood deck behind the RV. Really nice landscaping. 30-amps. They provided cable, with limited channels, so did not use dish. Verizon was okay. Visited Graham for a day – he was looking a lot better and was able to walk around. Picked up a great pie in Pescadero for visit with Graham – went to lunch in Noe Valley San Francisco @ Vive Le Tarte. Drove down to Baker beach then visited the new parks in the Presidio. Went to dinner @ Base Camp for really good Nepalese food. Met Jimmie in Half Moon Bay for lunch and Warriors game @ Sacrilege Brewery + Kitchen. Met with a former co-worker of Suz for dinner in Santa Cruz @ West End Tap and Kitchen.
346 – Back again at Fairpark RV in the Alameda fairgrounds. They moved us to a middle site that was really short and tight. 30-amps. The bath house was okay. Dish and Verizon were good. Visited Suz’s parents – takeout from Lotus Thai in Danville. Took Suz’s parents to visit our son’s apartment in the Mission. Took them to lunch @ Tartine Manufacturing. G&G really enjoyed driving around the their childhood neighborhood in the Portrero district. Visited our friends for dinner in sunnyvale – brought in BBQ from Armadillo Willy’s. Went shopping for dresses for the wedding. Great visit with old friends Brandy and Doug – their house really looked great – they took us out for dinner @ Mint Leaf Cuisine in Saratoga. Had to move our stuff to a replacement storage unit since our unit was be demolished – took over 8-hours during a heat wave.
345 – Yosemite Lakes RV Park. Thousand Trails park. Sites were FCFS. We chose a site in the meadow so that we could get dish. No Verizon service at all. Wifi was not good and they charged for it, but we could get okay connection by the office. 30-amps. Bath house was very nice. We drove into Yosemite national park several days. Rode our bikes throughout the park. Beautiful weather. Had a great time – waterfalls were flowing a lot – upper roads and trails were closed due to snow. Visited the bridge where Suz and I renewed our vows for 10th and 20th anniversaries. Went into Groveland for drinks and food @ Iron Door Saloon in Groveland – nice little town. Had drinks at the Ahwanee.
344 – Moss Landing KOA Express. Site 23. Smallish campground. Sites are a little tight, but deep. There is grass, but it seems that they do not want stuff on the grass. FHUs. Bathhouse was okay – clean but water was luke warm. They offered cable, but used dish. Verizon is okay for the most part. Located near marina and elkhorn preserve. Took our bikes on the trail from 17-mile drive to downtown Monterey – really nice sunny day but it got a little breezy by the end. Coffee @ The Bookworks in Pacific Grove. Went to Phil’s Fish Market – now located downtown Castroville – had my cioppino and Suz had her grilled artichoke. Drove down to Big Sur for the day – snacks @ Nepenthe (really expensive) and really good dinner @ Deetjen’s Restaurant. Dinner @ Sardine Factory – was a sentimental favorite of my family – fancy place where my dinner was good but Suz’s dinner was okay. Went to farmer’s produce stand and whole foods to buy crab and produce for visit to Graham. Drove up to San Francisco to visit Graham and to cook him food during his re-cooperation. Really good pastries and breakfast @ Tartine Manufacturing near Graham’s apartment.
343 – Morro Dunes RV Park. Site 108. Double wide site. FHUs. Good dish and verizon connectivity. Bathhouse was okay. Decided to stay an extra 2-nights. Rode bikes downtime. Coffee @ Top Dog. Listened to good live music @ Tognazzini’s Dockside Too – fish and chips were okay. Okay farmers market, then live music @ The Siren, then dinner @ Stax (new owners, but missed out on specials that were not on menu, perhaps next visit). Nice bluff trail in Montana De Oro SP – the Point Buchon trail had reached full capacity for the day – beautiful day. Drove out to see the Elephant Seals near San Simeon – had a snack @ The Hidden Kitchen then pie @ Linn’s Easy Pie in old town Cambria. Drove out to Shell Creek Road east of Santa Margarita to see the Super Bloom – then coffee @ Scout Coffee Co in SLO. Found out our youngest son had a fairly nasty skiing accident, but he is okay.
342 – Oceana County Campground. Site 13. Small campground. Double-wide site, but jeep parking was a little tight. Did not use bathhouse. Low voltage the first night even though it was 50-amps. Dish and verizon worked well. Went downtown. John had clam chowder @ Splash Cafe. Walked on the beach. Coffee @ Perfetto Cafe. Visited Avila for the first time – really enjoyed the town. Visited Flying Flags and Port campgrounds – will consider next visit. Visited with Jeff & Sandy – great visit. They took us to their favorite winery Baileyana – then went to Mason Bar & Grill in Arroyo Grande.
341 – Cachuga County Park. Beautiful area off highway 254. Really large campground, but mostly tent sites. Site 95. Large site, but site really unlevel site with cracked and broken concrete pad. Disconnected Jeep but probably did not need to. GPS was wonky trying to find the correct exit off 101 to get onto 254. Visited Falling Hills winery near Buellton. Visited Solvang for a nice walk and danish pastries @ Olsens Village Danish Bakery. Drove up to Olivios for a glass of wine @ Four Brothers tasting room. Visited Santa Ynez for a short visit – went to Pony Express Coffee and The Baker’s Table. Visited Roblar Winery for a good visit – great wine (Bordeaux style wines) and home-made hummus plate. Took our friend’s advice and went to Industrial Eats restaurant in Buellton for a great meal. Will need to visit Refugio Winery for their Rhone style wines.
340 – Sunrise RV Park. Small family run campground. Really tight sites. Site 14 – had to park jeep with left side up on a lip of the other site. FHU. Small but nice bathhouse. Cable hardware available, but needed to contact Cox for access. Cellular was good. Able to get dish. Easy access to beaches and downtown. We were able to ride our bikes to those areas easily. Weather was sunny, but in the low 60s. Will visit Santa Barbara and Sunrise RV park again. Saw a memorial on and off the beach for man who drowned while gathering sea urchins. Visited the main downtown area where there is a very long walking and biking thru closed street. Incredible pastries @ Renauds Bakery and Alessia Patisserie. Want to visit Handlebar Coffee Roasters. Nice visit to Helena Ave Bakery. Great tapas dinner @ Milk & Honey. Good beer @ Figueroa Mountain Brewery. Great ice cream @ McConnells. Okay tacos @ East Street Tacos. Bought new mirror for e-bike.
339 – KOA Vail Lake. Nice back-in site. FHU. Bath house had good temps and water pressure, but the stalls were cold and rather spartan. No cable. Verizon was okay. Re-established Dish connection. Weather has been mostly sunny but temps mostly in the 60s with some wind. Visited old town Temecula – coffee @ Press Expresso, lunch @ Havana Kitchen – visited Lorimar Loft wine tasting room (really good blues and jazz singer along with a precussionist). Spent a day visiting three wineries in the area – Akash, Weins and Vitagliano – several had live music. Drove to Indio to pickup Rio’s remains and La Quinta for dinner with Fred & Cindy @ Mendoza – really enjoyed the drive. Met Barb @ Lorimar winery for lunch and live music.
338 – Santee Regional Park. Site 271. Muddy site. FHU. Big regional park. Drove to Santee via Julian and I 8. Verizon was terrible in the campground. Good cable as well as good wifi. Bathhouse was okay. Several days of wet and cool weather. Went to Encinitas for the day (really nice weather), breakfast @ 101 Diner, coffee @ Pannikan’s Coffee and visited Viewpoint Brewing Company. Visited Swami’s and Moonlight State Beach. Went to Bark n Brew event @ Mission Bay – really missed Rio – very nice weather. Took e-bikes to Mission Bay – was cloudy and cool. Late lunch @ The Taco Stand in La Jolla. Saw the “Everything, …” movie in El Cajon area. Went Ocean Beach where there was a street fair, walked on the beach and had dinner @ La Dona.
337 – Back to Springs @ Borrego. Moved RV to site 925 for a month. Very nice pull-in site facing the golf course on the eastern side of RV park – this is the newer section of the RV resort. Verizon and cable was really spotty at our new site. Sadly, Rio passed away a few days before we left Borrego Springs (see above) – it was much harder on Rio this visit – Animal Samaritans hospital. More of the same except that Suzanne could not go to the pool or jacuzzi during recovery. Suzanne did go to armchair yoga a few times the last week or so. Franz and Peg spent a week in Borrego Springs. Took them to Font’s Point, the Slots and Palm Canyon. We went to the desert to look at spring flowers including the elusive Desert Lily. Saw a Tabla concert @ the Library. Went to Coyote Grill at the hotel for dinner. Suz and John went to Brent & Krista’s dinner event. Had a great dinner with Beth & Steve at their RV as well as their Church soup night (Hungarian). Went to lunch with Tom & Ann @ the Red Ocotillo. Went to lunch with Beth and Steve at Pablitos. Went to dinner at Pablitos and saw Exit Laughing show. Went on a desert garden show for charity. Got a library card in Borrego. Still enjoyed the weekly farmer’s market. Attended one of the sunday breakfast pancake events. Rio participated in the yearly dog show – he competed in the Senior Dog category but did not win a ribbon. Beth gave us a personalized painting with the view from site 401. Spent over a week finding and replacing the RV toilet – found a replacement near Temecula. Many plumbing parts from Temecula, Indio and Borrego Springs – went to local hardware store 4 or 5 times to finally get a solid connection that would not leak. Several early mornings to get Florida State Park reservations and Telluride Blues and Brews festival tickets (thanks to Beth and Steve for their Zito wifi connection). Went to Los Aldones for John’s teeth cleaning – went to local restaurant for breakfast. The weather was very nice the last few days of our stay – but mainly cold, wet and windy – we had winds over 100mph and a tree barely miss the motorhome.
336 – Road trip back to Reno for Suzanne’s hip surgery (Suzanne did really well during surgery and recovery). Once again, Rio and Felix were road warriors. Took 395 northbound and southbound – about 11-12 hours each with gas and rest stops. Went back to Consuelo’s Home Style Mexican Food – Chili Verde breakfast burritos. Moved RV to gated storage near the Borrego Fire Department – price was only $45 for the month. Graham visited us for a couple of days after Suz’s surgery – lunch @ Mexcal Tequila bar. Heard from Cam that he broke this tibia and fibula whilst skiing near Seattle – he had major surgery the following week. Took the e-bikes with us since we felt uncomfortable leaving the bikes locked to the MH. Broke the lock on the bike rack due to the cold. Got my bike’s brake fluid replaced and Suz’s bike chain replaced – tune up for both bikes. Took jeep to Carson City to get door locks adjusted as well as return old subaru dmv plates as well as got the jeep an oil change. Had coffee at our favorite places like . Lunch @ JoStella, Old World, Hub, Coffeebar and Perenn. Rio had a better time in Reno this time, but still did not like the cold, snow and wind. Bakery and coffee visit @ Erick Schat’s Bakery in Bishop.
335 – Springs @ Borrego. Returned to site 401 for another two weeks. More of the same. Jacuzzi and pool exercise. Tried chair yoga with Krista. Friday farmers market.
334 – Salem. Drove Rio to Salem for Cam & Meg’s engagement party. Picked Graham up at PDX. Had a great time with the Daniel’s family and the happy couple. Long trip – over 40 hours of driving. Rio did well, but it was hard on him. Stayed in Redding northbound and Kettlemen City southbound. Friday dinner with Daniels and some of their close friends @ La Margarita Rest & Grill. Picked up Graham @ PDX – breakfast @ xyz. Engagement party @ the Daniel’s house. Celebrated Cam’s birthday @ the Daniel’s country club the next day of the party. Took Graham to For Tomorrow We Die Brewing company. Cam and Meg took Graham to PDX on their trip back to Seattle. Lunch @ Yaks Shack near Weed. Breakfast and coffee @ Theory Coffee Roasters. Special thanks to Beth & Steve for watching Felix while we were gone.
333 – Springs @ Borrego. Easy drive to Richmond with Rio and Felix. Dropped off Graham’s car and attempted to drive back to Borrego Springs. Massive traffic jam. Stayed overnight north of the Grapevine. Lunch @ Dudley’s Famous Bakery and Cafe in Santa Ysabel. Moved MH from dry-camping to site 401. Went to dinner @ Keslings. Good dinner @ Coyote Grill at the hotel. Graham hurt his collarbone while trying to move our two e-bikes to our rv site. Played pickle-ball with Graham. Drove Graham to San Diego Airport for his trip to Europe – took Graham Cutwater Distillery for lunch, went to Mission Bay park then dinner @ xyz. Met up with our friends Beth & Steve, and Tom & Ann. Went to aqua aerobics with Krista and a cooking class with Brent. Suz went to the Wine & Sip event and painted a margarita glass. Weather was cool and windy.
