NY to CA-10

Day 18 Wednesday 7/25/17

Well, there are no photos and no exciting tales to tell. I'm just writing what I did for my own recollection when I look back on this trip.

First, there was a 15 minutes trip to Leale' RV and Auto where I waited three hours (including one lunch hour for the tech) to install my two new coach batteries. A simple do-it-yourself type job you would think. The Service Manager, Savio, however, returned with word that the corrosion of terminals, bolts and battery shelf were such that extra time would be needed to clean and hose it all down before installing the new ones. That extra work ran into the noon hour lunch. He charged me 1½ hours labor for the 2-hour job. Thanks to Chuck and Silvia's membership in Costco, the batteries themselves were an acceptable expense. The operation at Leale's is huge. Their 3 giant bays and incredible square footage had at least 40-50 RVs within, many of which were big Class A's. Driving in without an appointment was another factor to consider. Anyway, the job is done and I'm feeling better about coach power for the long ride home.

After lunch, I broke down and visited "Great Clips," a chain with many locations in the San Jose area. The one I visited was in the same shopping plaza where we enjoyed sushi the night before. Although the Asian owner/stylist (Jeanne, I think) had her work cut out for her with my head of hair, she trimmed in short order and I'm a bit lighter for it.

Day 19 Wednesday 7/26/17

A busy day for all; Actually, it's been a busy week for all (except me). Aaron continued with his lacrosse practices (with mom driving him back and forth). Yesterday he successfully applied for and received his Learner's Permit (with mom driving back and forth); on top of that a visit to the orthodontist continues his progress with his appliance for one more year (with mom driving back and forth). Silvia's agenda and schedule continues to wear me out as I look on and watch her walk Bruce, engage with others while video conferencing with them on a project and, of course, chauffeuring Aaron (for a little while longer). Tonight, she and Aaron take off for Europe and their excursion with friends to mountain bike through Iceland, Sweden and Norway. Packing will be the order of the day. Today, Chuck entertains a Facebook colleague from Israel and will bring Aaron and Silvia to the airport this evening after returning from work. He too will do some packing as he and I will leave Thursday for the Ventura Ranch KOA in Santa Paula, CA, 5½ hours or 322 miles south of us. I haven't been in Winnie in over a week other than to visit and run the engine and generator--and try to bring dead batteries back to life. Fortunately, the frig/freezer running on propane have kept things as they should be. I will, however, check dates of a few refrigerated items. 

So, I'll make this my last post from CA. The next blog (CA to NY-1) should be from Desert Hot Springs, CA when two days of traveling with Chuck will be described. Unfortunately, his childhood memories of  camping with family and friends 35 years ago include a snoring bear that slept among them and witnessed by a good number of the fabulous folks that were there with us; there's even written documentation. It seems that I was the "bear", the big time snorer in those days (and things have not gotten better). If he doesn't bag out before reaching Austin, TX, it should be a memorable and wonderful trip; a rare experience that I am very fortunate to be able to have. To redeem myself, I am undergoing CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) therapy with a portable device that greatly reduces the snoring and seems to be an effective sleep apnea therapy. We shall see.