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Borrego Springs, CA

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Made it to Jojoba Hills

But not without a lot of heartburn.  Things went fine along I-5 until last night when I pulled into Castaic Lake RV Park just north of Los Angeles.  It had mixed reviews on RV Park Reviews, but recent ones were very good.  Ha!  I have no idea why anyone would want to stay here.  Talk about feeling like a sardine, and at $42.50 with an Escapees 15% discount, my opinion is that it is overpriced by about $40!  Yes, it’s close to LA, but most of the residents are workers.  That in itself is not bad, but their cars and trucks made it impossible for me to get out of my site.  Luckily, I found someone who could ask folks to move their vehicles so I could maneuver out.  I was a nervous wreck, and the day had just started.

Holy Moses, what a drive it was around LA!  I’m surprised I have any teeth left in my mouth or that there are any screws or bolts that aren’t loose in the rig.  Like any major metropolitan area, the roads are just in horrible condition, and construction is never ending.  I can say that I’ll never take this route again with the rig.  I felt lucky to come out of it alive, and I grew up learning to drive in Chicago.

By the time I made it to Temecula, CA, with only about 15 more miles to go, I needed to fill the gas tank.  I had looked at a gas station on Google Earth that I thought I could get into and out of easily.  It didn’t turn out that way, so I’m now at Jojoba with a bit less than a half a tank.  That’s not the way I like things to be when I arrive at an extended stay site.

Even though my drive today was only about 140 miles, by the time I pulled into Jojoba Hills I was more than wilted.  I asked for an escort to my site, since I’ve never seen it, and got a real jewel to lead me in, and get me situated just perfectly.  What a relief!

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After getting most of the basics set up for my stay, I only took a few pics.  I had to improvise how to put out Emma’s tie out.  I ended up wrapping the line around the front tire on the passenger’s side.  It will work for now until I figure out something more permanent.

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This is the view from my patio as the sun is setting behind me.  I’m on one of the upper levels with some mountains/hills out in front of me.  It’s quiet and peaceful here, and my site overlooks the terraced sites below.

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There isn’t any grass here, but Emma was having a good back scratch on the gravel.  I’m just relieved to be here.  I think I’ll sleep like a log tonight…

Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later,  Judy

35 comments:

  1. The park was like that in NO, lots of workers and cars, had to knock on doors and ask them to move their huge pick ups so I could get out!! Know how you get anxious about the drive, parks u don't know and finding gas!!! All a concern, glad u got where u were heading and that now u can relax for the Winter!!! Hope u feel better sooner than later!!!

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  2. Even the folks who live in and around LA do not like to drive there, though they must. We avoid that area and take off-freeway roads as much as possible. Next week, when I moveeEast to Arizona, I'm going through Mojave, Barstow and on over to Phoenix, though I'll take the bypass south ('cuz Phoenix is just like LA)! You deserve an award of some kind for being brave enough to take the drive you did with a big motorhome/

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  3. Nice looking campsite you have for the inter months, enjoy it there and relax.
    We drove through LA twice in out car, that was enough for us. Any alternate route would be much better.

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  4. So glad you are there safe and sound...now it's time to relax and enjoy! Emma looks right at home...

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  5. What a horrible day. LA is and has always been a mess. Good to read you are "home" for a nice long stay. Your site looks lovely. Enjoy the peace and quiet. Who knows...you may never leave. Emma...have a nice scratch.

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  6. Nice view share. many online site are provide traveling service. How to find the lowest airfare prices visit many blogs and get Information.

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  7. I'm glad to hear you made it out in one piece and have arrived on your beautiful new lot. We feel that way about Atlanta and would avoid it if there was anyway to do so that wasn't worse.

    Your site is beautiful and I imagine sunrises will be lovely too! I'll give you a few days to work on that though :)

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  8. I would have had to wear Depends for all the stuff you went through..Hope you have a couple cases of wine stashed for an emergency sedative....

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  9. Nice looking site. Glad you made it through the LA roads and traffic, safely.

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  10. Glad you're home safe. No one likes to drive anywhere near LA, much less in a big rig. You've got lots of time to scope out an acceptable gas station near where you are, and lots of time to go get more, so hopefully you've stopped stressing over that.

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  11. Every time I drive my little rig thru LA I feel the exact same way, and I too have the same Chicago driving experience! There just seem to be no greater concentration of cars and spaghetti bowl highway exchanges than LA! Yuck! Well, hopefully one morning when you're bored you can take the rig out without the toad and get it filled with gas. Always less stressful without the toad! Your site looks nice and I'm sure the Escapee hugs and happy hours will calm you down in no time!

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  12. I'm not sure I could get the cowboy to drive through Los Angeles!!! Glad you have safely arrived and it looks as if you have a great spot!

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  13. On 28 April 2015 you posted about your trouble avoiding LA traffic when leaving Jojoba and going north. At that time I posted the following Reply, I offer it up again for your contemplation.

    edlfreyApril 29, 2015 at 9:24 AM

    "Jack-in-the-Box had suggested a route for me that would take me right through the middle of Los Angeles and the ‘Grapevine’. One couple was native Californians, and they suggested I avoid that route at all cost. They suggested a different route, and that was my plan. I expected that, and had written out directions and taped them to the dash. I-15 North to I-210 West to I-5 North. Well, I drove and drove on I-15 and never did see an exit to I-210."

    I don't understand. You wanted to avoid the "Grapevine" yet you expected to get on I-5 North from I-210 West which would have taken you over the "Grapevine". The route that you drove avoided it.

    If I had been driving from your point "A" to point "B" and wanted to avoid the "Grapevine" I would have taken I-15 North to CA138 to I-5. This would have added about 10 miles to your expected route and would have been a bit over 50 miles less than what you drove. I think I would also retire Jack-in-the-Box he seems to cause you more trouble than he is worth. I don't know what to tell you about your notes taped to the dash - that is my system and it works great for me. If I am totally unfamiliar with the roads I will make notes about the exits before and after the exit that I want. This will give me a heads up that "My' exit is coming up or it will give me an opportunity to exit, turn around, and try again for "My" exit.

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  14. We arrived at Jojoba yesterday also. I asked if you were in yet, and they said yes. I told them we were blogger friends. The office people are so nice!
    We are in site 204, and will e here un til Nov. 23rd.
    We didn't come up to say hi yesterday because we felt just driving was enough for one day!
    I'm off to the pool, 9:00 am for the water areobics. We will have to connect soon!

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  15. Oh Judy what a terrible day. So glad you got there safe and sound. Emma looks very pleased with her spot. I hope you'll like it there and enjoy your winter relaxing for a change. Wonder if there is some sort of gas delivery service. I understand it isn't good to allow a vehicle to sit for a lengthy period of time without a full tank. Wish I could remember why.

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  16. Those are some of the reasons we don't do California!!! Glad you made it and now you can relax. Enjoy.

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  17. Glad to hear you are home. Have a great winter not working.

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  18. I don't know of another city in the U.S. that has all the interstates running every which way. Driving my car in and out of Huntington Beach in June was scary, although I really lucked out. The time I pulled my 5th wheel from Indio to Northern CA I thought I would surely get killed. I hope I never have to drive in SoCal again! Glad you made it, and with close to half a tank of gas I wouldn't worry about it until you are fully rested. I hope you will be very happy in your new home base.

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  19. The last time I was in LA was 1970 and I swore I would never go back- so far so good:) Looks like you have a great site:)

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  20. I definitely admire you that you get to where you want to be regardless of the "conditions". Hope you get the time to relax and enjoy your place for a while before moving on.

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  21. Glad you made it home. It looks just as nice as when I was there.

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  22. Your new spot looks great. I'll bet that you will enjoy being there.

    I dislike pulling the RV through built-up urban areas, and I can't imagine trying to maneuver through or around LA!!

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  23. So glad you made it home safely. You have a beautiful view - I usually like the eastern sky at sunset best, for one thing, the bright afternoon sun isn't coming in my front windshield, and the sky is soft, usually a pastel water color. I'd like your site!

    I'll never forget the last time I drove up I-5 through Los Angeles. I always check my cupboards and drawers before getting on the road, and most of them are closed with Velcro strips, but driving through LA one of the drawers flew open and everything was all over. I finally pulled off on one of the off ramps and got things tidied up and tied up again. The WORST road I've driven on - EVER. But it would be worth it to get to Temecula - that's such a wonderful area. Last time I was there was for a quilt fair that was so much fun. Great area. I hope you enjoy your new home park. :)

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  24. It's all good from here on now. You made it with no bumps and scrapes so relax and enjoy your new site. You've earned it! :c)

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  25. So glad you are safely home for the winter. Enjoy!!

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  26. So glad you are safe! and Home! and so sorry you were sick. And yes, next time dear friend, try the route directly north via I-15 toward Barstow, cut off on 395 north and avoid all that awful LA stuff. Really. Even if you go north to 395 and then over 58 to Bakersfield from Barstow, it skips all the LA thing. We have done the I-210 thing a few times, but only on a Sunday morning very early in the day. The 210 was built in 1962, and eminent domain took out our home. I never drive that freeway without looking for the edges to my old neighborhood. We don't even like to do the 5 through LA and the Grapevine in our shorter rig, so would definitely avoid it in yours.

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  27. Unreliable Google Earth as usual. Sounds like an awesome journey though!

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  28. Yikes.... and here I though driving in the Twin Cities was too stressful. Fifty years in rural southern MN. has warped my perception of what really bad...:)

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  29. A nice site is your reward for the bad roads and traffic issues.

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  30. Good to see that you finally reached your new terraced homesite. Looks nice and we can't wait to see more photos. We have met a lot of nice folks from that park and have no doubt that you will enjoy your time there. We have found fewer acceptable routes through any part of California now and try to avoid going through except to visit the grandkids in the SF area. All the best Judy....

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  31. Glad you made it there safely. Looking forward to your thoughts on your extended stay there.

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  32. So glad you made it to Jojoba after that stressful drive from Castaic! Nothing worse than driving through LA in a big rig!!
    Because there is no good time any day of the week! Looks like a beautiful site and a huge dog park for Emma! Best of wishes in your extended stay home! Kathy

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  33. Hi, Judy! I am getting worried. You usually don't let so much time go by without a post UNLESS
    something not good is happening. I hope you are just busy driving your new ride around.

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