We Made It

Where we Are at Fantasy Springs Casino



We made it to Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio Christmas Eve night too late to celebrate Christmas Eve with Tim and family, but in time to get a good night's rest in order to be ready for Christmas morning.

When I wrote in my previous post about the excitement of being on the road, I had no idea of what was to come.  We decided to take the "back way" to Indio by going through Temecula and the outskirts of Hemet.  Instead of traveling on a well-lit several-lanes-wide freeway, we found ourselves on a very dark 2-lane road which turned out to be very exciting indeed.  My eyes were never so wide open trying to see the road as I "helped" Bob drive.  "Watch out."  "Go that way."  The headlights coming at us were blinding.  Turning on the defroster helped clear the moisture from windows that we hadn't realized was inhibiting our ability to see the road.
The biggest positive on going that way was that we had no semi-trucks by our side.

We are grateful to our friend Jim Custeau for locating a starter for us on Christmas Eve morning in time for Bob to install it and still be able to reach our destination for Christmas.

"Look Grammy, It's Just What I Asked Santa For"

We had a great time at son Tim's house Christmas Day.  A lot of presents were exchanged and a lot of play was accomplished.  Santa was very good to this very loved little boy.
                                  

Cars 2 Toyko Spinout was a hit.  "This is just what I asked Santa for".

                                   

 



A Quiet Moment for jimmy

                                                           

~Our Very Special Family Photo~
Pretending to look for a spider did not encourage Jimmy to join us in the photo.

He did, however, use the remote control to snap this memorable moment.

 

It turned out to be a very Merry Christmas.

Bob and I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and wish you a very healthy and happy New Year.

We are enjoying Being Where We Are.

We Are on Our Way

With a little help from a friend we are on our way to Indio~4:00pm Christmas Eve. Soon after I posted our situation about the broken starter, Jim came to our rescue. Jim is a long time friend of my brother and just happens to be a recent retiree from Cuyamaca College where he was the head auto shop teacher. He offered to contact his parts suppliers first thing this morning to find the part we needed. And that is exactly what he did.

Jim contacted us by 9am with the location of the part which was only 8 miles away. By 10:15am we had said part in hand and on our way home to get on with it.

Bob had a few snags during the installation of the starter, but eventually he got the job done. It’s comforting to know that the almost 80yr old still has what it takes.

We don’t know if we’ll make it in time for Christmas Eve dinner or if Christmas Eve desert will have to do. At least we are counting on being there for Christmas Day.

Being on the road is rather exciting on this Christmas Eve evening. I can feel the rush in the air as the cars whiz past us carrying moms and dads, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, girl friends and boy friends, and a lot of single folks in a hurry to get to the mall for that last gift, to the grocery store for the forgotten eggnog, or to the extended family’s home for their Christmas Eve celebration, or simply to get home from work.

We are driving in the dark...and we NEVER drive in the dark.  Oh, for the new experiences.

Once again..

Merry Christmas to All

　

　

　

We Tried to Go to Indio Today

Where We Are at Jean's in Chula Vista, Ca.



"I wish you all a very Merry Christmas! May your hearts be open, your bellies full and the spirit of Christmas in your RV". 

So was the wish from our RV friends Nina Fussing and Paul via her blog at http://wheelingit.wordpress.com/.  Bob and I were counting on doing exactly that - having full bellies and the spirit of Christmas in our RV - in Indio, Ca. with the RV parked at Fantasy Springs Casino near Tim and Rosemary's (son and daughter-in-law) house so we wouldn't have far to drive to enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at their home.

We intended to depart our Chula Vista location of 5 weeks early this morning.  We awoke with a strong desire to pack up and ready the motorhome as quickly as we could in order to take on gas at the local Costco which is only 3 miles from our location at Jean's and 5 miles from the Mexican border.  Although a Costco gas station, it is very near the parking lot for Wal-Mart, which is usually very busy on Sunday mornings, especially the Sunday before Christmas.  We wanted to beat the crowd so as to not get our home on wheels in the middle of the madness of the Christmas Shopper traffic.

After a quick breakfast we went to task to rearrange our possessions in a matter so they would ride comfortably and safely to our destination.  We retracted the slideouts, relocated the stuff stashed in the front seats to the bed, moved the 42" TV that is in-limbo-sitting-on-the dash-until-Bob-attaches-it-to-its-permanent-bracket to the bed, dumped the black tank and unhooked the sewer hose, unhooked the water hose, lowered the TV Satellite dish, unhooked the power cable, switched the refrigerator to operate on propane, and lowered the motorhome off the jacks.  After a last minute photo with Jean, we were ready to go....so we thought.



Jean, Kathie, and Bob with our "new" thrift store purchsed wreath

 

I turned the key in the ignition to let Bob know I was "ready to go" and .......

 

The engine wouldn't start! 

 

So 3 hours after our "ready to go" status, Bob is still under the motorhome continuing to work on the starter after a brief interruption to clear his eye of something that had fallen from the undercarriage of the motorhome.  (He is now wearing his safety glasses.)  We are still hoping beyond all hope that we will get this thing on the road today, but I am losing that optimism very quickly.

 

My grandma always said, "Things happen for the best".  I can't help but think that we were not intended to drive the motorhome to Indio today. 

 

Fortunately, we have the option to drive the car to Indio to spend Christmas with our son and family (Rosemary, Jimmy, and Nana).

News alert:  Bob has just informed me he has extracted the starter from the motorhome and predicts if he can get the part early tomorrow, he can replace it in time for us to still get to Tim's by Christmas Eve night.  That is very good news.

However, there is a high wind warning issued from midnight tonight to 4pm tomorrow for the passes through which we intend to travel.  O my, there is always something.  I firmly believe that Rvers are a strong bunch, and we proudly include ourselves in this family.  We will see this challenge through to a happy outcome.

Now to undo all the packing we did this morning and carry on with our day.

Bob and I wish you a Christmas filled with joy and without such obstacles.