Happy Holidays

Windy

So, to refresh your memory of where I am,  I'm in Alpine, California.  I'm parked near this beautiful old oak tree.  I have 2 neighbors, both small trailers,  and they have their own old oak trees.

Monday morning the wind started to blow, not to much, just a bit windy.  I spent most of monday running errands around El Cajon and Santee area and the weather down there was beautiful with no wind.  I didn't really think about it.  My daughter and I went out for Thai food for dinner.  Here are two pictures of our appetizers, I forgot to take pictures of our maid dishes.

Yummy spring rolls

Yummy satay chicken

When I got home the wind was really blowing.  By the time I went to bed it was gusting to 71 mph and the rv was really moving around.  At 2am I got up and put the kitties in their carriers and got some blankets and we moved into the car.  I positioned the car so it was heading into the wind.  The rv was also headed into the wind.  Needless to say none of us got a wink of sleep.  Every time I started to drift off to sleep we'd get hit with another huge gust of wind and I'd open my eyes to make sure we were still upright.  It was awful, blowing dust and tumbleweeds, little sticks and small stones.  I was hoping we wouldn't end up with a broken window.  At daybreak I was feeling optimistic and moved us back into the rv, just long enough for me to fix myself a cup of coffee and the kitties to have breakfast and a drink.  The rv was still really moving around and the noise.....  I packed us back up and back into the car we went.

Where I am, but when the wind started blowing I moved the rv forward a bit

 to get away from the tree, in case it fell.

Weather update

My closest neighbor.  The front of his trailer fell off it's front leg 

and the two stabilizer jacks at the front corners splayed out, 

he wasn't home at the time.

After getting back into the car we went down the road to McDonalds for a bite of breakfast.  When we got back about 30 minutes later this is what we saw.

By now the wind was gusting at 90mph.  Holy wind batman!!!

The neighbor on the other side of the upside down trailer.

Their beautiful old oak tree split apart.

But luckily it didn't hit their trailer.

It's now 1pm and the winds have died down a bit and once again we are inside the rv.  You know, we probably would have been alright staying in the rv but I've seen many pictures of rv's blown over by wind and I say that if anything makes you feel uncomfortable than don't do it.  Living on the road I've learned to trust my gut so I might be a wimp but that's ok.  Yes, that little trailer was parked cross wind and trailers aren't fast and easy to hook up and move like my rv is.  And my rv probably weighs more and I was headed into the wind.  I do what make me feel comfortable.

So hopefully this wind event is passing and tomorrow I can head east to my favorite boondocking spot near Yuma and see all my boondocking friends for Christmas.

Until next time.

North of the Border

I left Baja Seasons RV Park at 6:45 am saturday morning heading for the border.  It was an easy drive, even though I missed a turn and had to make a returno (u turn) to get going in the right direction.  I had reviewed the route and drive last night but still managed to miss a turn, and I can't blame it on Miss Google either because she said to turn I just didn't believe her.  

The app BWT, Border Wait Times, said the wait at the Tecate border crossing was 25 minutes but after sitting still for 10 minutes I decided the app was wrong.  Yup took an hour to get through the Tecate border crossing.  All in all not too bad.  Yes, I forgot to through away my eggs so left those with the inspector kid.

Look at all these stickers on a pole, with the border fence behind it, on the Mexico side.

Look closely at the picture of the man.  That's President Kennedy.

I'm back in the states for about a month to have a few things repaired on the rv.  Since March the gas gage hasn't worked in the rv and before I do much more driving around Baja I need to get that fixed.  Also the bathroom sink has a leak that needs fixing. Just a few little things.  

I'll be meeting up with friends around the Yuma area but right now I'm in San Diego county visiting my daughter for a few days.  Then I'll be heading east to the desert.