It was pointed out to us that similar to Walmart, casinos
welcome RV’s to overnight in their parking lots at no cost. We are not gamblers
by nature but we are naturally enthusiastic eaters and figured that is what we
could probably do best there. Mesquite is a place with some casinos,
immediately across the state line in Nevada, perhaps an hour from Las Vegas. A
Google search directed us to CasaBlanca which sports a RV park with full
hookups, spotless restrooms, laundry facilities and even more invitingly,
access to casino amenities, such as an in-the-lap-of- luxury swimming pool and
dining options http://www.expedia.com/Mesquite-Hotels-CasaBlanca-Resort-Casino-Golf-Spa.h1078955.Hotel-Information
. All of these at about a third of the price of a full hookup site in
many campgrounds. Not free, thus but certainly a good deal. It was early
afternoon and steaming hot in the dessert; this made us very appreciative of
the swimming pool, which came with towels and pool-side recliners. And there we
were among some high rollers from the hotel, indistinguishable and playing the
role nonchalant, like old hands at the game, while picking up a nice tan.
The real payoff came the evening when we sat down for dinner.
Some $30 total gave Willem a roast beef entree with vegetable and salad
selections, which he couldn’t conquer completely, Stella spare rib and Fickie
shrimp entrees.
Having to move early we turned in and were on our way by 8:00
am. At 9:45 we have checked in at the RV camp and Willem was off to the airport.
Susan arrived on time with good news from Chicago. Matt, Herine and Teo were
all doing fine. Teo is still in the hospital and although making good progress
with weight gain from 2 pound 7 ounces to 3 pounds 5 ounces, will have to
remain there for some time. Herine is OK with driving there daily to nurse and
be with him, while Matt usually gets to see him after work. Susan having had a
very early start was just about ready for a nap after brunch. So she had a
quiet afternoon, while the other three took off to see the bridge just below
the Hoover Dam that was constructed since we were there last, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_O%27Callaghan%E2%80%93Pat_Tillman_Memorial_Bridge and made it back for in-house dinner and
planning our exploring Las Vegas the next day. We were up and about early, got
day passes for the bus service and went our separate ways for the day,
rejoining the afternoon at camp; Willem and Susan both with new haircuts and
tired feet.
We wanted to dine out but first used our bus passes to get to
the pawn shop made famous by the TV show, Pawn Stars http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawn_Stars . Willem found it fascinating to see
what people want to get rid of and the value attached to it, made so
interesting by the principals of the show. Then back on the strip to see the
Bellagio Fountains water and light show http://www.vegas.com/attractions/on-the-strip/bellagio-fountains/.
By the time we got back to our KOA camp site at Circus Circus the
targeted restaurant had closed and we settled for take-a-ways to our abode.
Delicious for exhausted hungry adventurers late at night!
The next morning we were off to California, not realizing how
much dessert we still had to cross to get to Yucaipa http://cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Parks/YucaipaRegionalPark.aspx
south of San Bernardino. Reflecting
on the past few days, Dostoevsky and something like ‘wealth
by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gather by labor shall increase’ --
wisdom rendered from a once upon a time career of Willem’s, crossed the mind.
By the time I-215 splits off from I-15 toward San Bernardino, the Mojave
Dessert is behind and the San Bernardino National Forrest presents a welcome
change of scenery. We opted for Yucaipa, which not only sports an attractive
campground in a Regional Park, but would also serve as a base from which to
explore inland areas before starting our coast hugging emphasis in California.
Meanwhile smoke from the raging fires in Southern California, which have been
of concern to us, reached inland and inhabitants of Camp Pendleton very close
to San Onofre were evacuated; contingency planning for us seemed inevitable.
Fortunately the news improved over the next 4 days and by the time we got to Silver
Strand the coast seemed clear up further north.
The Yucaipa campground is really beautiful, although the
drought in California left its mark, together with the fact that the summer season
had not formally started and swimming and other facilities were not open yet. This
did not deter locals from swarming to the campground for the weekend, and the
place was filled to capacity. Having received details about Hans and his
family’s impending visit, we could adjust our schedule to be in San Onofre by
Wednesday, after 3 days at Silver Strand. But before moving on to the latter,
we had the truck serviced and were off
on a lovely outing on I-10 and route 111 to places like Palm Springs,
Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Palm Desert and Indian Wells, while marveling at
the literally thousands of windmill generators blanketing valleys and
mountains. Getting to Indian Wells in
particular satisfied a long standing curiosity. The annual tennis championships
in March more often than not take place while the East Coast is still in the
grip of winter and the accompanying pleasant images from California on TV have
been our envy. So we went to see the real thing, although out of season. https://www.google.com/#q=indian+wells+photos . The setting was just about as
attractive as the purpose of the pursuit and the place did not disappoint. It
is a superb facility.
Silver
Strand is quite a place: http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=654
, 32.639099, -117.142015. And we got there without a major
incident, while being introduced to notorious Southern California traffic.
Perhaps it helped to be in a vehicle combination larger than the average on the
road. But what helped even more was the camera system Willem installed, which
provided a clear view of what went on behind the trailer. Mirrors don’t
overcome the considerable blind spot and at relatively high speed with traffic
zipping in on one and passing in a hurry it is of considerable help when making
lane changes on unfamiliar multi-lane highways. So, there we were south of San
Diego Bay heading north on Silver Strand Boulevard, route 75, and Silver Strand
State Park soon showed up on the left. It is a beautiful setting right on the
beach with quite stringent regulations, such as proof of self-contained
vehicles and locked gates overnight; no entry or exit after 10:00. This was a
first for us but we welcomed the security provided within a few miles of the
Mexican border, notorious for trafficking of all kinds of undesirables. The
vastly extending 2 ½ mile sand beach was inviting but drew very few takers other
than properly attired surf boarders into the water, which was a bit chilly.
Sunbathing was a different matter; this was California – clearly.
After all of
the dessert traveling the RV needed a good spring cleaning, which took quite a
bit of our first day and it was welcoming not having to rush anywhere. But to
the north the town of Coronado was inviting and an impressive bridge linking to
San Diego was visible. And that is where we went the next day. The massive
Victorian Age Hotel del Coronado is an outstanding landmark, where we wandered
around and appreciated the resort setting right on the beach; also the gardens
and style of the place http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_del_Coronado . Then across the bridge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Diego%E2%80%93Coronado_Bridge to Balboa Park and the museum area http://www.balboapark.org/in-the-park , where we appreciated it all,
including the Art Museum and Organ Pavilion, which has been in use for a
century, at least for Sunday afternoon recitals, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spreckels_Organ_Pavilion . We scouted out the beach road
north for the next day when we would be headed to our next destination with the
RV en tow.
By the time
we left Silver Strand for San Onofre, http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=647
Hans’ flight had landed in Los Angeles and they were on their way to the
Residence Inn, Dana Point San Juan Capistrano, about 7 miles from San Onofre.
