Our Christmas decorations
Merry Christmas & Year End Wrap-up
We have been in Santee, CA at the Santee Recreation Preserve for a month and a half and have found the area to be a good place to spend the winter. We are close to all we might need and a short drive to the beach, desert, or mountains plus we have access to lots of shopping and entertainments if we choose to go out. I would not call this family-friendly campground a snowbird park, but they have a few activities each month and they have outstanding facilities including heated pools and a restaurant. It is part of a 190-acre park which has seven beautiful, recycled water lakes that are stocked with sport fish year-round and has four miles of hiking and biking trails. On our daily walks we watch the antics of the nearly 230 species of birds from coots to white pelicans, egrets, herons, ibis, geese, loons to so many different ducks!
One downside was that we felt very disconnected for the first month as this park sits in a bowl surrounded by hills, so we had very poor cell signal even with our weBoost cell booster. It took a month, but we were finally able to contact AT&T to get a DSL landline installed so we finally feel connected to the world again!
During our travels many other RVs asked if we played the emerging sport of Pickleball which is a combination of tennis, badminton & ping pong. When we were in Utah the campground had courts and paddles, so we joined in and found we really like the sport. We bought equipment and played a bit while on the road just trying to learn the rules. Southern California seems to be the pickleball mecca with lots of courts and players and in our first month here, we have found a great coach and a group of advanced beginners that we are playing with two to three times a week. It is a great way to get exercise and to socialize in a safe outdoor environment.
We have gotten out a few times, eating at local restaurants, and to get into the holiday spirit we went to the Santee Christmas tree lighting and took a walk through Starlight Circle, a neighborhood known for it’s Christmas decorations.
I did contact the local storytelling guild, The Storytellers of San Diego, and I have been lucky enough to be chosen to perform on both a virtual and at 2 in-person events at the Twisted Horn in Vista, CA. It is wonderful to reconnect with the storytelling community. I will have to see if after the holidays (and depending on Covid) if I might find some more opportunities to perform while we are here.
Jon is still the webmaster for the Freightliner Chassis Owners Club, spending his time keeping things working on the coach, dabbling on the guitar, and really developing a wicked serve. It has felt good to be off the road for a bit and just spending time settling into one place.
If you have been following this blog, you know our travels this year took us from the Northwest to the Midwest and Southwestern states. We left Seattle on May 1st and traveled for 6 months and by the numbers that was:
- 23 States
Happy New Year! - 8162 miles by RV
- 7671 Miles in the Jeep Exploring
- 35 Campsites
- 1 Trip to the Tiffin Home Base
- 1 Trip to the HWH Factory for Service
- 2 Calls to Mobile RV Techs
- And 0 Hurricanes/Tropical Storms – the benefit of not traveling in the east this year
After another two and a half months here, we will be looking forward to another year of travel starting in March heading north with stops in Northern California and Oregon then on to Washington. We are hoping to spend the summer in Alaska then we will see where this adventure takes us.
We have felt very blessed this year that we have been able to continue this adventure on the road. In times like these with a pandemic and what can seem the like the world having gone crazy, we need to cherish big and small blessings, we need to love our families, and treasure the experiences we have had the privilege to enjoy.
I know many of us have lost friends and family this past year and it can be hard to count our blessings, but I do hope you are able to enjoy the holidays with your loved ones. Jonathan and I want to wish you a very Merry Christmas and we pray that the New Year can bring peace and that everyone stays healthy and safe!
Till next year!!
Glad you two wonderful folks are getting to do so many great things!! And to see so many incredible sites that provide so many special sights! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!