Home Sweet Home, A Day Early

Left lovely Bodega in the warm sunshine this morning. Drove gorgeous 2-lane roads through lush, green dairy country. Tiny newborn lambs and goats to smile at along the way. Stopped in Petaluma and did a walking tour of some of their well-preserved 19th century buildings. Then plowed south, through the thickening clouds, over the Golden Gate Bridge (fun!), through town, and on home as the day got darker and darker. Bracing for a "robust winter storm" as the weather advisory called it. We decided we shouldn't risk staying ocean-front at Half Moon Bay with projected 20-40mph winds and 1-3 inches of rain coming. We did OK early in the week in hail and pouring rain and just didn't want to deal with it again. Muddy paws are no fun.

Had a very nice time at the state park boondocking, even though we almost drained our fresh water and battery very quickly. (We have a lot to learn in re: conservation tricks.) This morning's excitement was two-fold. Julie was cooking breakfast while Lisa showered. Julie decided to open the screen door and some windows because the bacon was heating up. Just as I opened the door, the smoke alarm went off, causing Nick to bolt out of the coach. I had to choose: chase scared dog or stop the alarm. I chased the dog. Poor sopping wet Lisa is left to wonder why the cooking food and alarm were abandoned.... All turned out fine, after a few moments, and our neighbors said they didn't even hear it, when I apologized later for the wake-up call. (They had their own kitchen tragedy to deal with. Both of us were on our maiden voyages. They blew up their coffee pot all over their trailer....)

So, we're back, unpacked, ready to clean the coach. She's filled with diesel and propane for our next trip in March, which will be Southern California: Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, Kings Canyon/Sequoia National Park (weather permitting), et al. Gotta use our National Parks pass some more before it expires in May ;-)