November 4, 1999, Thursday- moving day- beautiful clear day- cruising down the highway- and finally got close to the "bridge". Bang- the wall of the marine layer is in front of us. Dense fog. Climbed up towards the center span- and we "broke out" of the cloud layer on top. Then- back down into the soup. We were glad that it was the coach and not an airplane. As we passed Laurie's building in Emeryville- waves were exchanged from her 12th floor balcony and us in 6 lanes of stop and go traffic. Finally made it 60 miles south of San Francisco- to Morgan Hill. It's our last two weeks in the free Thousand Trail Reserve system. The next town over is Gilroy- the garlic capital of the world. Checked out the Gilroy golf course- and will play the 11 holes tomorrow. Eleven and a repeat of seven will give us an 18.
November 5, 1999,
ay-
the course plays with a pulse since you have to play the front and
then the back- basically the same holes, but with different tee
boxes. So, it's about every four hours when new groups start for two
hours. We elected to walk thinking it would be a down and back
municipal special. Surprise. it's a mountain course- always up or
down or around a hill. Our hamstrings were strung out after the
round. Two of the holes go around the left side of a hill top for the
16th and 17th hole, and the right side for the 7th and 8th hole.
Relatively similar tee boxes for the first, different greens and tee
boxes, then a common green as the holes rejoin.
Driving through Gilroy- we got the distinctive fragrance of "garlic". To us, it was quite pleasant. With our motor home park in the shadow of a mountain- very limited cell service, so into town if we need to make a bunch of calls.
Listening to the radio today we learned that there are 65,000 new web pages added daily. What an explosion!
November 6, 1999,
Saturday- 
Rob
had the day off so we met sort of half way- in San Jose. Yes, we did
know the way to San Jose, and met at "The Tech Museum of Innovation".
This is definitely a high tech place. Being next to Silicone Valley-
each display was an interactive educational wonder to challenge as
well as teach. Add to that a new Imax theater- a combination hard to
beat. Our show was the "Living Sea", and most of the footage was
vintage Imax- impossible to describe. Everyone has to experience the
feel, but this theater had a new twist. Instead of the traditional 6
story or so high screen, this one wrapped around a domed ceiling-
similar to a planetarium, with reclining cushy seats. Even the
restaurant was high tech- with order placement at the counter, but
waitress service to the table that displayed a flashing "beeper". Our
salads were first class Californian with respect to quality,
freshness and taste. Not the standard greasy spoon eatery.
One of the more interesting experiences was the "earthquake" reenactment. Several of the recent earthquakes are programmed into a moving floor/room display which holds some 10 to 12 people. Horizontal X & Y axis are duplicated, (fortunately the Z vertical axis is not), and a shaking you do go for 30 seconds. There is no question that one could not sleep through these 5 to 7.5 quakes. There was a whole lot of jolting, jarring and shaking going on! On a nearby computer display a person could design a building, determine size, materials (brick, reinforced concrete, etc), distance from the epicenter, and magnitude. Then, press a button and watch what happens. Scary!
Leaving there with Rob, heading to dinner, we got a phone call from Steve. His defibrillator went off again, the second time in about 10 weeks. This time he was behind the wheel on I-70 and was very fortunate not to have been involved in an accident. This time he was able to pull over to the side of the road and regain his composure, but only after the defibrillator went bang. Thank God for another miracle. When we chatted again this evening, he was understandably very bummed.
November 7, 1999,
Sunday- Monterey was an hour away- and
Sunday was a perfect day for a Sunday ride. The last time we were
there was in 1983. A few things have changed. More development, more
shops, restaurants, parking, and an expanded aquarium. But our
favorite restaurant, the Sardine Factory was still there (but only
open for dinner on Sunday). Lunch was overlooking the bay in the Fish
Hopper Restaurant. A
fish hopper was the large square wooden box in the bay- where the
overloaded fishing boats offloaded their cargo. Attached by pipes,
the fish were then drawn into the cannery weighting room. A bygone
time in history.
The aquarium is a magnificent way to spend half a day. Very well done- with very knowledgeable and friendly staff and volunteers.
November 8, 1999, Monday- since the site that we're in only provides water and electrical hookups, we have to go to the dump station to empty our holding tanks. Doing wash can quickly fill the gray water, and require several dumps per day- so off to the coin op laundry today. The Spanish influence is everywhere in this part of California, labor needed for all of the farming and vineyards. Most of the signs are in Spanish or in English, as a second language. We found the Premiere Discount Shops at Gilroy- and found that the four sections had more and better stores then the Silverthorne, CO shops.
Steve went to the cardiologist today and got the defibrillator readout and an EKG taken. He failed to take some of his medication last week because he was traveling and a new supply hadn't arrived before his departure. It's possible that his beta blocking dosage fell too low, and that the rapid heartbeat resulted. Let's hope that was the cause.
November 9, 1999, Tuesday- the question is to leave the cell phone on or off when we retire for the evening. We've been leaving it on the last few nights, and at 6:30 in the morning received a call from one of our insurance agents who forgot that we weren't on the central time zone- like she was. The pits!
When
we got started again- a call to the do it yourself doggie wash place-
to make sure that they were open. They were, and Hobbes was filthy
with the morning dew and unpaved lanes in the RV park. So- off we go-
and what a pleasure it was not to have to bend down, having warm
water, having aprons, and having sufficient water flow. Tons of sand
and dirt were removed from his coat- and he thanked us for making
him, once again, into a "chick magnet".
Then, off to a mall closer to the Silicone Valley area- with the upscale stores. We found some odds and ends that we needed (?), but not the holiday gifts that were the purpose of our travel.
November 10, 1999-Wednesday- Susan raised the bar today- and said to help our golf game- let's do some wagering- so for ten cents per stroke- we ventured out onto the Riverside Golf Course. We've played some mangy courses over our travels, but this seemed to take the cake. It was in a total state of disrepair. Large areas were chewed up and others had big mounds of dirt everywhere. One couldn't tell if it was the ground hogs or a course redo that was causing the most problem. But, I did get a birdie and a par on the back nine- both of which have been too elusive. And, playing without a mulligan, and with all penalty strokes counted, I made 50 cents. Does this compromise my amateur status?
November 11, 1999,
Thursday- cruising day. Sunny..start to
the day. Off we go to Carmel and then down the coast to Big Sur.
Carmel is similar to Vail- in that they do things that are far out of
the norm. There are no street numbers in town. How do you get UPS or
FedEx? No street delivery from the post office- only mail boxes. The
town is comprised of galleries and restaurants- very few "local"
places. Lots of high end places to spend money. Free parking on the
streets- but most spots are either time limited- 30 or 90 minutes, or
resident's parking only. At least two electric scooters that have
"meter maids" with chalk sticks marking left rear tires. Every
half-hour they swing by to mark a tire. In the 90 minute spaces- you
can get two stripes and it's ok- but, three stripes and you're out of
the old ball game. Wonderful beach at the end of Ocean Avenue. Neat
park by the beach with big trees and lots of people with easels
painting "nature". The clouds/ fog was
rolling in along the beach, and with the breeze, up the
streets.
The drive along Big Sur was spectacular- in and out of the marine layer, then above it, and looking down at the cloud layer. Lots of tourist stopping at each turnout. Include us!
November 12, 1999, Friday- off to a local bike shop to get Susan a new seat (bike), and directions to some local bike trails. We were pointed to a great 15 mile trail that took us through wet lands, past lakes filled with fishermen, along a neat remote controlled aircraft facility, next to golf courses, playgrounds and new housing developments. At one point I came across a huge deer, who, after noticing me ran towards a 6 foot high cyclone fence- did a leap over the fence, and entered the freeway area. He was tremendous in size.
Factoid of the day- the Great Lakes hold enough water to cover the US with 9.5 feet of water. They have depths ranging from 900 to 1300 feet.
We realized that since we've been in California- we've not seen a bug. No flies, no bees, no mosquitoes, no gnats, etc. Why? Don't know why- but it's much better then the areas of our travels that prevent you from even opening a window behind a screen.
November 13, 1999,
Saturday- time for a change- we haven't
gone a hiking in a long time- so off we went to one of the Santa
Clara County parks- this on at the top of the mountain just west of
us. It was delightful. Pets on a leash were welcome- and off we went
between the redwoods. They were huge- with 8 
and
10 foot diameter trunks. With filtered sunlight coming from above,
and the path covered with the redwood pine droppings, it was soft and
comfortable. Hobbes was leading the way- no dragging him along today-
he was in heaven- and out in front. Trails were well signed by name
and distance. Afterwards, the fun really started- getting a thousand
pounds of redwood pine needles out of his coat. No choice but to put
him up onto the picnic table and go to work. An hour later he was
ready to face the world with a smile. No more hiking in the redwoods
for the Hobbes!
An early show to see American Beauty. It's definitely a strange compilation of dysfunctional people. Very well acted and filmed. Afterwards we found a great little Italian restaurant- not a pizza joint. No cooks here- only chiefs. Steamers and mussels, pear and mushroom stuffed pork chops, ahi with pepper corns and wassabi. Yum!!!
November 14, 1999, Sunday- Rob was off today and able to spare a few hours with us, while Deb had research to finish. With an overcast sky, and temps in the 60's- a good day to hike in the open. So- off to another Santa Clara County Park- Ed Levin Park- for some hiking over the hills and down the dales. Many different height peaks and plateaus in the area- filled with both hang gliders and para sailors. Colorful and fun to watch while we hiked with Hobbes. This time he had no redwood trees growing out of his coat, only a thousand burrs, and mud from crossing several streams. But, a quick hose job after getting back to the coach, and picking out the burrs, and he's as good as new.
November 15, 1999, Monday- back to the laundry for Sue (our RV space doesn't have a sewer hookup)- while I go to the phone and keep on asking to get off everyone's mailing list. The catalogues keep coming faster then I can call them off. Housekeeping and catchups filled the day. Did some research on the cruise line and ship that Mom is trying to take us all on in celebration of her 80th birthday this spring. The Galaxy ship of the Celebrity Cruise line is rated right up there in the excellent category. Hope it all comes together.
November 16, 1999,
Tuesday- we had to head towards the
northwest for a jacket that Susan had ordered- that had arrived in
Nordstrum's. Since we were scheduled to be moving in that direction
on Thursday, a slight detour brought us into the Felton area. After
checking out the place- we did the about face. The tall redwoods were
all too close, the place covered with needle droppings, and filled
with vehicles that looked like they hadn't moved in a long time. So,
cancel them out and find a new place- with good ratings, back in
Morgan Hill. Then on to the Los Gatos area- to cruise the boutiques
and fancy schmancy little shops, per the guidebooks. Funny- after all
of our travels, and having spent so much time in Vail and Aspen-
these shops 
looked
tired. So, back in the car and head towards San Jose- and the mall
with Nordstrum's. The leather jacket looked great- just needed to
alter the sleeve length slightly- and come back on the weekend for
pickup. Then pay dirt- we decided on the last items needed for the
non immediate family Chanukah presents- and were able to find them
all. Next- we will wrap and mail.
Many of the highways in California have car pool lanes- that require two to three people per car (depends on which road). Failure to have the needed number of folks- be prepared to pay a fine of $271. Same fine for passing a red light. These prices sure keep most folks legal!
November 17, 1999, Wednesday- a slow day waiting for the local RV Center- Dan Gamble, to install a new PC board into our refrigerator. This one is designed to automatically defrost the refrigerator portion every 45 to 50 hours. Hopefully this will solve the problem of ice buildup on the fins!
The Boeing CEO was on Larry King Live- regarding the Egyptian Air 990- and when asked about safety- he replied that he flies over 200 flights per year, and at that rate- would have to fly for 12,000 years for an incident to statistically catch up with him.
November 18, 1999, Thursday- Time to leave our Thousand Trails Reserve in Morgan Hill. It was time. Four free weeks in their system was more then enough to reconfirm that even for free- they did not have all of our desired checkmarks in place. Today we moved into Maple Leaf in Morgan Hill. It's been a long time since we have had full hookups- water and electric (with full 50 amp service-no more blowing breakers with only 30 amps), sewer (which was lacking the last 2 weeks), cable TV, and phone to the site. Now we are able to surf without someone looking over your shoulder asking "are you done yet"? Just going a little overboard- the last spots were okay- but this one also has paved pads, surrounded by sod. Nice change from dirt and gravel. For a little exercise- we did 20 miles today, and with temps in the 60's, great biking weather.
November 19, 1999, Friday- with wet weather forecast for the day- we wrapped, packed and shipped the holiday presents. Next, finished coordinating flights with Steve and Deb out of Denver for our Alaska cruise next June/July. Mileage helps! A few house projects and the day was gone. But today was an interesting numbers day- as 11/19/1999, it is the last odd numbered day until 1/1/3111. Let's all plan a celebration on that day. Mark your calendar. As for those odd balls that were worried about the even days, the next one is 2/2/2000. The prior one was 8/28/888, slightly before my time.
November 20, 1999,
Saturday- a chance to see Rob & Deb
for the day. Up to San Francisco- about and hour and 15 to Union
Square. Susan checked on the status of the custom made jeans that she
had ordered from Levi, and found out that, due to a screw-up on their
part, had cancelled the order. Susan, having been a great student of
the Larry Ast school, asked that the order be reinstated and shipped
at no charge. The sales 
manager
agreed. See, if you don't ask, you can never receive.
Then we cruised up and down China Town. This
vibrant community was full of excitement. Many of the food stores had
live fish, frogs, soft-shelled turtles, and other delicacies too
numerous to mention. When is the last time you used lilly roots? Or
for that matter- understand what was being presented, fish and fowl
of all kinds and colors. When I tried to take a picture of the fish-
all hell broke loose. All of a sudden there were people in front of
me, 
hands
in front of the camera, and yelling to beat the band. Apparently many
of the items being displayed are illegal to sell. Possibly the size
or the nature of the product (endangered species list, or too small,
etc), prevented the merchant from letting his wares be photographed.
Lunch in the North Bay area at a restaurant called the "Stinking
Rose"- due to the heavy garlic influence on each item
served.
Then
over to the Golden Gate park, the beach on the west end of the city,
and the views overlooking the Golden Gate bridge. We were lucky to be
at low tide- and the beach was so very wide. Many dogs were being
exercised. Surf boarders were out being judged in a contest. One
young man had a mini parafoil which he controlled with his hands.
With the ocean breeze- it was enough to have the airfoil pull him
along on a special low profile tricycle. Short story- lots of
activity in this part of town.
Spending
time with Deb and Rob was great- they're so alive and young and
romantic (not that we aren't also)! Dinner was great at a local pizza
joint- a place so popular that after 7 on Saturday the wait is over
two hours. It's a good thing we got there at 6:30, it was SRO a
little later. Also, it was also good to hear the kids say- it's only
a 15 minute walk to the restaurant- let's walk. No couch potatoes
here!
November 21, 1999, Sunday- a crisp fall day- high in the 50's, 20 mile winds, and sparkling clear. I finished the water filter project that was started early in the week, and then we headed to San Jose to pickup the altered leather jacket that Susan got from Nordstrum's. It and she looked marvelous in it. Then we finally joined Costco- figuring that just filling the freezer would more then pay for the annual cost of the card.
I spoke to my friend Rick today who is the treasurer of the New York Roadrunners Club- the group that puts on the NY marathon. This year each runner had a computer chip that was read each mile as the runner stepped on carpet designating each milestone. So, if one was interested- they could follow their favorite runner through the race- seeing the split times, etc. Runners could check afterwards on their split times and plan for future marathons.
After getting hosed, (not really at $1 per page, at the last campground), we logged onto efax.com, and established a fax phone number that will send all faxes to us into our e-mail as an attachment, at no charge. (Other places have been $3 for the first page and $2 for additional sheets).
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