Kevin and Theresa were relieved once the main artery of I-395 was once again under the wheels. There was one more climb, the infamous 'El Cajon' pass then the descent into Riverside County for the final stop for the day. Traffic was light, by California standards, up the pass, the traffic however became increasingly heavy as a construction zone was entered. Kevin cursed drivers who acted as if they were playing Grand Theft Auto dodging in an out of vehicles to gain inches on their destination with out regard to any rules nor safety. After all one can just commandeer another car if yours is wrecked! By 3pm the destination of Sun Lakes in Banning, CA was attained. Theresa's sister, Carol and brother -in-law Bob, live in this gated active senior community. Bob had arranged for the Smitanic to park in the Club house Parking lot for a few days until the Friday service appointment in Colton, CA. It was an extremely tight fit in and around the curves and trees that guarded the community entrance. Kevin managed to avoid scraping the coach by going up over the curbs to round the bends of the entry. After that it was pretty much a straight shot to the clubhouse and the designated RV parking.
After unhooking the Toad, it was loaded with a first round of essentials for an undetermined stay in Bob and Carol's guest room while the Smitanic was being serviced. Zin made herself at home rotating between rugs and the cool tile floor, she liked at there house. A second trip back to the RV was made to unload the refrigerator and freezer so items could be utilized for the staycation and not be left to spoil while the RV was serviced. It was a good thing Bob and Carol had lots of room in their 'frig because it was stuffed by the time all was stowed.
The following day the RV refrig was cleaned and a problematic leak around the cooling fin drainage tray was diagnosed. No water was getting out thru a tube in the back of the tray. Theresa removed all the interior racks to get to the drainage tray to see a tube that exited out the back of the frig. Kevin removed the cover to the back of the refrigerator on the exterior of the RV to discover that the tube was completely clogged with muck! After this was cleaned, Theresa tested the drainage and it was working! Ron Clanton would be proud! One less item on the service list!
A few more items where unloaded from the RV in prep for an anticipated 3-5 day service stay.
For lunch, Theresa and Kevin drove down to Hemet to make a brief visit to her Mom and Dorothy. On the way back to her Mom's, Theresa received the news that her Aunt Jean had passed. Aunt Jean was Theresa's Mom's younger sister (by 17 years) and had been fighting a good strong fight against stage 4 colon cancer for several years. Theresa's mom was very close to Jean and was heartbroken to hear of her passing. Theresa's Mom knew Jean was battling cancer but like all of the extended family saw how Jean remained so strong and put up such a good fight and never really let on that she was ill at all. Heaven has one more Angel.
On Friday, the Smitanic with Toad, was guided out of a side gate of the community with fewer obstacles and driven 30 miles to the Mike Thompsons RV center for it's scheduled service appointment. The service technician,Rick, was very professional and took copious notes as Kevin elaborated on each of the 10 items that needed serviced or addressed. After the paperwork was completed (in triplicate) Rick “ball-parked” an estimate of the following Wednesday for all the work to be completed! Good thing Carol and Bob were so accommodating and willing to let the team stay for as long as it takes!
Kiehl and Madison invited the soon to be 'parents of the groom' to spend part of the weekend with them in LA and take care of some wedding 'to do' items. Zin was very happy to stay with her new BFF, Bob.
Kevin loaded up his Drone in anticipation of a high altitude flyover from a hiking spot in the heart of LA hills. This spot has a 360 degree view of LA proper as well as all the way to Long Beach on a clear day. See flyover.
Theresa was able to see the 'Bride to be' in her gown... just stunning!
After fighting crowds and traffic running some errands, Kevin continues to ponder why on earth anyone would live in this densely populated environment?
It was great to see the almost newlyweds and share in their excitement!
On Sunday it was back to Banning to save Bob from Zin and enjoy a bit of the senior community lifestyle... taking long walks, golfing (well at least the driving range), long lunches, and exercise classes!
As Wednesday afternoon rolled around, finally Mike reported to Kevin that all the work was complete. Kevin made arrangements to pick up the RV the next morning to avoid peak traffic times.
To Kevin's delight all the items on his list were completed as expected. Even when Kevin detected the oil level a bit low, the service tech promptly came out with a gallon of oil, put a tad bit in the tank and then gave the remainder to Kevin! Good to find a reliable RV service place in this area, it may come in handy.
It was only a hour drive down to the final destination of Golden Village Palms RV Resort in Hemet, CA. (just across the street from Theresa's Mom's community.) Checking in at the front desk, Theresa signed the paperwork for the 4+ month stay in the same site as last year 921.
It took about 3 tries to get the RV positioned just right for the extended stay. All systems were effortlessly hooked up and items that had been stowed for the past 2 months awaiting this moment were extracted including 2 Tables, 5 chairs, grill, ladder, outdoor rug, window covers, and wheel covers.
Arrangements were made with a mobile RV wash and Wax service to clean the bug splattered and road grime covered Smitanic and Toad for the next morning. See them in action.
Finally settled in, home sweet home for the next 4+ months. This year is the first that neither Kevin nor Theresa have work interfering with participating with resort activities like the pools and spas, rec center, pickleball, lunch and other meet and greet activities.
The resort was generally unpopulated except for a large group in one section that was there for a long weekend event. Most of the Canadian Snowbirds do not arrive until mid-October or after Thanksgiving. Then the fun begins!
In the meantime the excitement is mounting as Kevin and Theresa are preparing for the final non-RV Northern Exposure destination, a trip into LA for Kiehl and Madz wedding on October 10.
This will be the final travel post to the NE Blog. During the stay in California there will be updates periodically and announced via Facebook. Hope you have enjoyed the journey as much as Kevin and Theresa have.
Here are some final stats from the trip:
Miles traveled = 6017
Miles traveled = 6017
Gallons of Diesel = 853.27
Hours on Generator = 14
# of Stops = 38
Buck list items checked off – Theresa = 2, MJB = 3
Lots of Reminiscing for All
Theresa and Kevin respectfully dedicate this entire Blog to Jean Allen (Theresa's Aunt) who was and avid reader of the blog and enjoyed the spirit and adventures that have been shared. She was a role model on how to persevere and look life straight in the eye and smile, laugh and make the most out of it! Miss you deeply!
