We had a windy night at the Arabian RV Oasis in Boron, California, but fortunately, by early morning it had calmed down. We needed to get to the Escapees Park of the Sierras in Coarsegold before noon, or else we would have to dry camp overnight. So I staggered out of bed by 6:30 a.m., and woke right up when I stepped outside to greet the very cold morning.
We were on the road before 7, and I took a photo of my Silverleaf engine monitor to prove it. That’s right, 6:47 as it shows in the box that is second from the right and second from the bottom. That’s just obscene! Working people start their day at that hour!
We ran under a heavy cloud cover, and as we started the climb up to Tehachapi Summit, the wind farms on the hilltops were starting to disappear in the mist.
As we climbed, it began raining, and soon it was really coming down and our windshield wipers got a workout. The rain let up as we started the 6% downhill run, but the road was pretty wet. You’re not supposed to use an engine brake on wet roads, so it took some care to get down the hill safely.
We got onto State Route 99 and took it north through Bakersfield and on to Fresno, where we picked up State Route 41 and followed Greg and Jan’s American Eagle motorhome another 35 miles north. The road started out as four lane highway, and soon switched to two lane road, but it was an easy ride, in spite of a lot of traffic. There were a couple of pullouts and passing lanes, where we pulled over to let the cars following us get past.
The scenery along the way was fantastic, with lots of old barns and farms to admire.
The sharp downhill left turn onto County Road 416 was a little intimidating, especially since there is a curve just past the turn, and traffic was flying around it.
The entrance to the Escapees campground was just past the turn. We arrived about 11:30, with 232 miles behind us.
This is our first visit to this area, and we are impressed! Our friends Dave and Lynn Cross have a lot here, and greeted us when we pulled in. As soon as we registered, Dave jumped in a golf cart and led us to our RV sites. We got a very nice back-in 50 amp full hookup site with a wooden deck and a great view. There are birds everywhere here!
We got settled in, then went over to the Activity Center for the Sunday afternoon ice cream social. The place was full, and we got to meet a lot of new folks, and saw some familiar faces too!
Afterward, we went back to our motorhome, where I made a new post to my self-publishing blog, then took a very nice and much deserved nap! Greg and Jan spent a couple of weeks in this area last year, so about 6:30 we all went for a ride through the town of Coarsegold and a few miles further up the road to Oakhurst to do a little sightseeing. This is very pretty country, and I can see why so many RVers we know have fallen in love with the area.
We stopped for an excellent buffet dinner at the Chukchansi Gold Casino, and were impressed by how friendly everybody on the staff was. We’ll definitely go back again while we’re here!
Of course, the black cloud that hangs over my head closed back in as soon as arrived, and it was downright cold when we left the casino. The next few days are supposed to be cloudy, with daytime temperatures in the 60s and overnight lows in the mid-40s. That’s a far cry from the 90s we had in Las Vegas last week! But it’s sure good snuggling weather! 🙂
Thought For The Day – When did my wild oats turn to prunes and All Bran?
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Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
We stayed a little farther up the road at Bass Lake for 2 weeks this summer while waiting for things to cool down in Yuma. Nice area, went to Yosemite at least 4 times and did a lot of driving around.
I love bird watching and was fascinated by the bird picture. I finally found it in one of my bird books. It is a Acorn Woodpecker. Enjoy your stay.
Question, Nick
Are u using a monitor on the dash for Silver leaf, if so, do u have a laptop up front, or are u using the main system from the living/work area?
tks
Marty
beautiful pictures Terry especially of the bird. You are in beautiful country and please visit Yosemite. It truly is one of the seven wonders of California. Nick you are not alone about whining about the cold weather. We have not been warm since we left Hondo. Everyone here says this is the coldest May they can remember we have not gotten above 70 during the day and the low 50’s at night still having to put the heater on,.
If you go to the casino on Seafood night, be prepard for loooooong lines just to get your “buzzer”. Lines start about 3 or 4 in the afternoon. Giant crab legs are the draw. Trick learned: Everyone lines up for the mail seafood display, but there is a second section (near the desserts or side dishes???) with more of the crab legs and shrimp.
When you go to Yosemite, take a big memory card and extra batteries for your camera. This time of year the various falls will be running extra hard and often can flood the parking lots. Bring a towel or extra shoes/socks but WELL worth it. Enjoy California’s foothills.
What’s wrong with “working” people? We can’t all be rich and retired like you. What an arrogant comment from an arrogant jerk! When our day comes to start traveling full time I hope we never run across the likes of you.
Maty – I run the Silverleaf on a small Acer netbook computer I bought for that purpose.
John – You failed to see the satire in my comment. We are far from retired and will never be retired. We are working fulltime RVers who make our entire living on the road as we travel. But yes, we are rich. Not in dollars, but in the sense that we have a wonderful lifestyle, the freedom to travel when and where we want, and many wonderful friends we have made on the road. I hope soemday I can count you among those friends.
Nick, amen on your response…I took your comment as being obscene that people have to get up that early to go to work, didn’t see anything wrong with that. I hope that during our travels we do meet up. Hated that u were so close to us in Fla. but was just to d$#n cold to go visiting while u were here…
I was asking about the dash, because it looks like a stand alone monitor, and if so, i wanted to have a set up “just like you”.
marty
We, too, love Coarsegold; friendly folks and a beautiful campground. We are now back in Florida, weather beautiful, BUT Love Bugs are out in force. It’s always something!!!!!!!