There's No Place Like Home

It was after Florida that Brian and I had "The Talk."  I was the one who brought it up, but we both agreed.  It was time to go home.  We were tired of driving, weary of living in an RV, and ready to get back to our friends in San Francisco.

Suddenly things about RV life that were manageable or even fun had become annoying.  The shower was tiny and had no pressure.  The toilet needed to be dumped regularly and cleaned via buckets of water we hauled in from the spigot.  We were constantly lost and always wondering whether our destination would be worthwhile or disappointing.  Confederate flag spotting was getting old.  We longed for the particular convergence of redwoods, Pacific Ocean, and foodies that is San Francisco.

Of course, we didn't have a regular life to go back to.  We had no house, no work, and no school.  Once we agreed that it was time to go back, I no longer cared much about our return route.  Instead I was planning our new life in SF: searching for apartments online, re-establishing relationships with work contacts, and calling preschools about mid-year openings.

We rushed back home along the Southern Route, taking mostly Highway 10.  We had some great times along the way.  But we were in a hurry, so I'm going to be brief in my blog notes as well.

New Orleans


The French Quarter was within walking distance of our RV park.  I was in love with the historical houses, but didn't keep my eyes off the sidewalk for too long for fear of stepping in a pile of puke.

Halloween in New Orleans is a big deal!  Sarah (a close friend since junior high) showed us the right neighborhood for trick or treating in the Garden District, then we walked to Bourbon Street for the real party.

Sarah (the creative one) as the night sky

Mules pull tourists along the cobbled streets in carriages.  Our tour guide was a native of New Orleans and used to be a history professor.

The animals at Audubon Zoo were really active: the white tiger brothers were licking each other's faces, the orangutan baby was swinging on the ropes, and the silverback gorilla ate most of the group's Halloween pumpkin before leaving a few scraps for the females to fight over.

The RV park shared a wall with St Louis Cemetery Number Two, and St Louis Cemetery Number One was only a couple blocks away.  Lukas and I visited Number One, and possibly found the above-ground tomb of renowned Voodoo priestess Marie Laveau.

  

Highway 10 through Louisiana is mostly raised because much of the state is a swamp.

Texas


Galveston was our last stop on the Gulf of Mexico, and definitely the worst.  It had a long stretch of beach, but it was dirty and cars were using it like a parking lot.  We went out to a Japanese Steak House for dinner and Lukas loved watching the chef throw knives around.

Seawall, Galveston, TX

On the outskirts of Austin, we drove through miles of burnt forest caused by wildfires over the summer.  We meant to spend some time in Austin, but the place we wanted to stay only had one night available.  It was in a great location walking distance to Zilker Park and numerous restaurants, including a semi-permanent food truck stop.  Zilker Park is massive and includes a spring fed river.  Part of the river is funneled through a public swimming pool the size of a football field.  If one doesn't want to pay, there is a free swimming area just outside the pool gates.

Flip Happy Crepes, Austin, TX

Junction, Texas was a dot on the map in the middle of nowhere.  We arrived to find a quaint town on the banks of the Llano River, population 2,600.  Pecans and hunting seemed to be the main tourist draws.  Most of the storefronts in town were empty, but the few that had businesses were closed up tight by 5 pm.  This was one of my favorite stops on the route home.  We picked up pecans from the grove in the RV park, visited the neighbor's calves and horses, and watched snowy egrets and anhingas settle down for the night in trees hanging over the river.  The down home Texas feel to the town only added to the experience.

View out the back window

Llano River, Junction, TX

Junction is the gateway to the West Texas hill country.  What that means is that the desert begins just outside of Junction.  The desert doesn't stop until you hit the Pacific Ocean.

New Mexico


Carlsbad was a pretty depressed little town.  I sort of wanted to see the Caverns, but they were an hour from the RV park and we had just driven three plus hours in the RV.  The desert landscape and the petroleum smell from nearby oil rigs was getting me down.  Lukas and I took an afternoon trip to the Living Desert Museum and Botanical Garden.  It cost three dollars to get in.  It was mostly a botanical garden with a few native animal enclosures.  It was kind of chilly and most of the animals were nowhere to be seen.  However, there was a pissed off rattlesnake, shaking his tail and hissing at the glass.  I was very glad he was confined.

The route west from Carlsbad took us up to 8,700 feet over Cloudcroft Mountain.  At the top of the mountain were evergreen trees and a two lift ski resort.  It was a beautiful drive, and we even saw some aspen trees in the desert valleys that had turned a golden yellow for fall.

On the backside of the mountain there were views of the White Sands National Monument, 275 square miles of pure white gypsum sand.  The dunes seem to be glowing in the distance.

My main motivation for staying in Alamogordo was to visit White Sands.  The day we arrived there was a storm brewing, but I dragged Lukas out to see the dunes anyway.  

For six months while driving around the US, we had hardly a hitch with our equipment.  But once we were headed home, everything started to fall apart.  The slide motor broke in Alamogordo.  We pushed it back in manually and secured it with a clamp, then arranged for a real fix in Tucson a few days later.  The next morning, the Mini Cooper was grinding in reverse.  Luckily it was just a bent piece of metal from all the gravel roads we'd been driving on.  After a quick tweak at the gas station we were on our way again.

Our last stop in New Mexico was Silver City, a high desert town on the edge of the Gila National Forest.  The fact that the Silver City RV park was the first place to have recycling since New Orleans should say it all.  Pair that with a cute town and desert walking trails, and I'd call this stop a winner.

Tucson

We had to drop off the RV for a couple days in order to get the slide motor repaired.  The shop owners offered to hook us up to electric and let us sleep in their parking lot next to the busy main road in the bad part of town.  Instead we decided to treat ourselves to two nights in a hotel near expansive Reid Park.  We were definitely ready for a break from the RV.  But by the end of two days, we missed being able to cook our own meals and skip town whenever we wanted.  

View of the Catalina mountains from our room at Lodge on the Desert Hotel

Tucson was a little hippie oasis, especially over at the Epic Cafe.  Molli, a SF friend from Tucson, gave us the cafe rec.  I felt at ease when able to order a veggie breakfast burrito.  I also enjoyed the regular customers, including a man with pigtails in an ankle long orange leather jacket and pink roller skates.

Reid Park Zoo is a small AZA accredited zoo with a tiny elephant enclosure and construction for their new elephant area in the works.  The best part of the visit was watching the elephant keepers clean and prep the exhibit for the evening.  It took the staff at least twenty minutes to change enrichment and hide food in the various contraptions around the yard.  Even if the space was small, you could tell these ele girls were being well cared for.

Great idea for giraffe feeding, Reid Park Zoo

California

We had planned one more night in Arizona, but just before we got to the mediocre RV park Lukas fell asleep.  Brian and I were more then ready to get out of the desert, so we kept going for another two hours.  We finally stopped after crossing the Arizona/California border in the town of Blythe.

The campground was next to the Colorado River, under a large gas pipeline, and within eyesight of the border patrol unit on the freeway.  It was far from great, but we were still happy to be back in California and near water.

pipeline over the Colorado River from California to Arizona

Our final Southern stop was in Desert Hot Springs.  The whole place smelled like sulphur from the thermal wells.  We stayed two days.  The first day it rained, but that didn't stop us from hanging out in the hot tubs all day.  It also put a nice coat of snow on the nearby mountains.

Bumpy road to Desert Hot Springs

Kid's warm mineral pool

In order to break up the trip to San Francisco, we had two overnight stops.  The first was in an orange grove, the second in garlic country.  Then we had our triumphant return to San Francisco!  Where we are now living in a parking lot in the Bayview.

A new life is coming together.  Lukas was accepted to a preschool out in the Sunset.  We found a place to live with a view of the Pacific Ocean.  And work will take me back in mid-January.  San Francisco is a really special city, the only one we want to live in right now.  It is wonderful to see our friends again.  We are also ready to have a stable routine.  But what a journey it has been!  Thanks to everyone who has supported us during our travels.

RV PARK REVIEWS


French Quarter RV Resort, New Orleans, LA: A
  Small park between a cemetery and a housing project.  Paved roads, large sites, nice pool with hot tub waterfall, exercise room, friendly folks.  Main perk - walking distance to the French Quarter.


Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park, Lake Charles, LA: C
  Large crystalline lake. Lots of skeeters.  Mostly empty, but still got yelled at for exceeding the 5 mph speed limit.  Next to a mine.  Closest grocery store was Walmart.  Backwoods Louisiana, here.


Dellanera RV Park, Galveston, TX: B
  RV park next to the beach.  Water murky, sand brown.  Galveston very built up with chain restaurants.  Long cement seawall for walking.


Pecan Grove RV Park, Austin, TX: A
  Mostly permanent RV park in the middle of the city.  Twelve tight spaces for overnighters.  Great location, friendly people.  Located in a pecan grove as per the name.


Morgan Shady RV Park, Junction, TX: A
  Next to the Llano river under several large pecan trees.  Family operation.  Walk to town past cow pasture, horse corrals, and woods filled with deer.  Rope swing on a large tree.


Hilltop RV Park, Fort Stockton, TX: B
  RV park in the middle of the desert.  Well kept.  Desert themed murals throughout park.  Very friendly owners.


Carlsbad KOA, Carlsbad, NM: B+
  Out of town near several oil rigs.  At night the petroleum smell was really strong.  Nice hot tub next to a koi pond.  Menu and delivery to RV.  Small playground.


Boot Hill RV Resort, Alamogordo, NM: B+
  On main road, noisy.  Mountain view.  Nice sites, well thought out desert cowboy theme.  Horse corrals, store with native american jewelry, open air space for live music and church services.  DVDs for rent, fee benefits local school.  Half hour drive to White Sands National Monument.


Rose Valley RV Ranch, Silver City, NM: A
  On the edge of town, cemetery on one side, open desert on the other.  Walking trail out into the desert.  Huge RV site.  Recycling!!!  Cute town only a ten minute drive.


HOTEL: Lodge on the Desert, Tucson, AZ: A-
  Historic hotel near Reid Park.  Feel of the Southwest with exposed beams, low buildings, muted colors.  View of the Santa Catalina mountains from room.  Pool with waterfall, good restaurant, bar with friendly bartender, nice cactus gardens.  Water turned off without notice, kept off for several hours which warranted the downgrade in rating.


Blythe/Colorado River KOA, Blythe, CA: C
  Site next to Colorado River.  Also under huge gas pipeline and next to highway inspection station.   Small playground in the permanent trailer area.  Young kids driving golf carts around at high speeds.  Very narrow spots, dog poop in our site on arrival.


Sam's Family Spa Hot Water Resort, Desert Hot Springs, CA: B
  Huge park in the desert.  Lots of permanent spots, plenty of open overnighter spots.  Large mineral pool courtyard with lush foliage, large bird aviaries, pond with waterfall, four hot mineral pools, large heated pool, good sized kiddie warm pool.  Store, pool tables, ping pong, playground.  Great views of the Santa Rosa and San Bernadino mountains.  Lots of cat poop on the playground and dog poop on the streets.  Crowd a bit raspy.

Orange Grove RV Park, Bakersfield, CA: B
  In an orange grove, encouraged to pick oranges but unfortunately they were not ripe yet.  Playground with well used toys.  Freeway noise.  Large pull through sites, laundry room, pool.

Gilroy Garlic USA RV Park, Gilroy, CA: B-
  Smelled like garlic.  Freeway noise.  Paved sites, nice staff.  Behind a large strip mall.


Candlestick RV Park, San Francisco, CA: C-
  Across the street from Candlestick Park football stadium, short walk to the Bay at Candlestick Point state park.  Laundry, TV room, free fortune cookies in office.  Hard working family business.  Small sites that require leveling.  Basically a parking lot.