Our plan for Thursday blew up early, but we eventually
prevailed. The plan was to drop off the
dogs and our luggage at 7:00AM at the GC Railway kennel, park the rig in the
side yard of our (hopefully) new house,
store a bunch of stuff from the bed of our truck under the rig, go back to the kennel and pick up the dogs and luggage, and head out on I-40 with the destination of Hesperia, California, for an overnight stay before getting to the kennel in Acton where we would drop off the dogs for the duration of our adventure in France. After struggling for a half hour to back the rig up the incline into the side yard at the house, with absolutely no success (and even scraping the rig against the gutter and eave on the side of the house in the process) we gave up, and spent the next half hour raking the very deep gravel back to normal to eliminate the grooves we had cut, headed back to the GC Railway RV park and backed the rig into our old space, emptied the truck bed,
then picked up the dogs and luggage and headed for Hesperia. We had lost an hour (and the cost of staying at the RV park which we had hoped to avoid) but we were otherwise OK.
store a bunch of stuff from the bed of our truck under the rig, go back to the kennel and pick up the dogs and luggage, and head out on I-40 with the destination of Hesperia, California, for an overnight stay before getting to the kennel in Acton where we would drop off the dogs for the duration of our adventure in France. After struggling for a half hour to back the rig up the incline into the side yard at the house, with absolutely no success (and even scraping the rig against the gutter and eave on the side of the house in the process) we gave up, and spent the next half hour raking the very deep gravel back to normal to eliminate the grooves we had cut, headed back to the GC Railway RV park and backed the rig into our old space, emptied the truck bed,
then picked up the dogs and luggage and headed for Hesperia. We had lost an hour (and the cost of staying at the RV park which we had hoped to avoid) but we were otherwise OK.
The 5 ½ hour (360-mile) trip to Hesperia was essentially
without hassle, except for some heavy rain occasionally. We checked into the La Quinta Inn
and after taking Ramsey and Kelsey for a long walk, Becky picked up dinner for us at the nearby Applebees. We both had salads, which were very good. We also shared a bottle of a nice Bogle red blend.
and after taking Ramsey and Kelsey for a long walk, Becky picked up dinner for us at the nearby Applebees. We both had salads, which were very good. We also shared a bottle of a nice Bogle red blend.
Friday morning, we made the short (about 100-mile) trip to Acton without incident. We first stopped at the Thousand Trails resort to let the dogs run in the dog park there for a few minutes,
then drove to Jill Parnham's nearby kennel (Second Home Boarding) and dropped off Ramsey and Kelsey. Kelsey does not seem to be real comfortable there yet (having stayed there only once) but Ramsey loves the place.
then drove to Jill Parnham's nearby kennel (Second Home Boarding) and dropped off Ramsey and Kelsey. Kelsey does not seem to be real comfortable there yet (having stayed there only once) but Ramsey loves the place.
We then headed for Pasadena, checked into the Hotel La Reve (until recently simply a chain motel) where we've stayed before. It's simple, and the lobby is a bit gaudy, but we're comfortable there. In mid-afternoon, we went to Wendy and Kai's home for an adult beverage.
Wendy was hosting a get-together of co-workers in her back yard, and we just butted in. After a few hours, we traipsed over to the El Portal, a Mexican restaurant in "Old Town" Pasadena, and joined Peter and Terry Shelton for dinner. It was the first time in quite a while that we had been with them without the whole Shelton clan around, and it was quite fun to be just "one on one" for a change.
Naturally, Becky ran into several people she knew during dinner.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at the motel, sharing a table with two interesting people---he was a Navy recruiter and she was a Marine recruiter. Nice, impressive people.
We then headed for Los Angeles, where we stopped at Barbara Coad's house to check out the stuff she has been holding for us for 11+ years. We will move it to our new home if/when that deal is finished. We then went down memory lane for a while---driving past my old house in Hancock Park (We sold it to Josh Groban's parents 30 years ago, and they still live there)
and our old house in The Oaks section of Los Feliz. Everything looked great, but the foliage is far more advanced than I remember. Duh!
We then drove back to Pasadena, stopping on the way to do some laundry, have lunch at Panda Express, buy a new U.S. flag for Bill Shelton's house, and tour the Occidental College campus in Eagle Rock. (Considering how long we've lived in the area, it was amazing that neither of us had ever been there.)
We then stopped in to see Bill (who was in a very good mood, thank you), installed his new flag, and then headed for the airport and the Embassy Suites Hotel, where we spent the night. A little error in programming our GPS took us on a twelve-mile wild goose chase, but we were in no hurry so it didn't really matter. Our hotel reservation was completely screwed up and it took more than an hour to check us in. Again, it mattered not and the hotel is very attractive.
In the meantime, our truck was blocking the entrance to the hotel, and I had to run out and move it so some trapped motorists could get out. Late in the afternoon, we went downstairs to the (daily) Manager's Reception, which involved an open bar and some snacks (but no manager). After just a few minutes, we took off for the nearby Paul Martin's American Grill to have dinner with Barbara Coad and Chris Buckelew. The place was very nice, the food was excellent, and the company was exhilarating, as usual.
Wendy was hosting a get-together of co-workers in her back yard, and we just butted in. After a few hours, we traipsed over to the El Portal, a Mexican restaurant in "Old Town" Pasadena, and joined Peter and Terry Shelton for dinner. It was the first time in quite a while that we had been with them without the whole Shelton clan around, and it was quite fun to be just "one on one" for a change.
Naturally, Becky ran into several people she knew during dinner.
Saturday morning we had breakfast at the motel, sharing a table with two interesting people---he was a Navy recruiter and she was a Marine recruiter. Nice, impressive people.
We then headed for Los Angeles, where we stopped at Barbara Coad's house to check out the stuff she has been holding for us for 11+ years. We will move it to our new home if/when that deal is finished. We then went down memory lane for a while---driving past my old house in Hancock Park (We sold it to Josh Groban's parents 30 years ago, and they still live there)
and our old house in The Oaks section of Los Feliz. Everything looked great, but the foliage is far more advanced than I remember. Duh!
We then drove back to Pasadena, stopping on the way to do some laundry, have lunch at Panda Express, buy a new U.S. flag for Bill Shelton's house, and tour the Occidental College campus in Eagle Rock. (Considering how long we've lived in the area, it was amazing that neither of us had ever been there.)
We then stopped in to see Bill (who was in a very good mood, thank you), installed his new flag, and then headed for the airport and the Embassy Suites Hotel, where we spent the night. A little error in programming our GPS took us on a twelve-mile wild goose chase, but we were in no hurry so it didn't really matter. Our hotel reservation was completely screwed up and it took more than an hour to check us in. Again, it mattered not and the hotel is very attractive.
In the meantime, our truck was blocking the entrance to the hotel, and I had to run out and move it so some trapped motorists could get out. Late in the afternoon, we went downstairs to the (daily) Manager's Reception, which involved an open bar and some snacks (but no manager). After just a few minutes, we took off for the nearby Paul Martin's American Grill to have dinner with Barbara Coad and Chris Buckelew. The place was very nice, the food was excellent, and the company was exhilarating, as usual.
After a goodbye/celebratory after-dinner drink in the hotel bar, we crashed at 9:00PM. Thus ended our three-day odyssey of getting to the airport. We are due there just after noon on Sunday for the flight to Paris. Au revoir, Los Angeles.
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