Day Ten: June 19 (Mom's View)

We spent the 18th at the RV resort as a family.  Decided less tourism and more family time.  We have decided to continue our family vacation for now, but change some destinations around.  We have been planning this trip for months and who knows when Cord will have this kind of vacation time again.  So we leave Canyon Creek and set out for Yosemite!   We are so pleased that it shouldn’t be a long road trip to Yosemite, only about 150 miles.  Since we have so much time, we first went to the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA.  The kids had a great time trying unique flavors, canned dog food, boogers, moldy cheese to name a few.  They also purchased a huge bag of Belly Flops, which are the jelly beans that are the wrong shape and color so they can’t be sold in regular retail stores.

Next we went to Concannon Vineyards.  They make a Petite Sirah with which I fell in love eight  years ago.  It was so cool to actually go to a vineyard of a wine that I already knew.  I even became a Wine Club member (that makes 6 including the 5 Washington wineries).

Then, the “fecal matter hit the air circulator.”  About 50 miles west of Yosemite, in the absolute middle of NOWHERE, we got a flat on the trailer.   The nearest town had a tire store, actually two, but since it is Sunday and Father’s Day no one was opened.  Cord took the car of the trailer and the tire off and we found a County Park, which has RV hookups so we can get to the tire store early the next morning.  Oh BTW the County Park is a known party area, which smells worse than our RV on a rocky road. 

Day Eight: June 17/Day Nine: June 18 (Son's View)

  June 17 Day 8

        Not the best day in my life actually scratch is was the worst day in my life.  Mimi died this morning so I am going to take today and tomorrow off blogging sorry for the disapointmant but I am not in the mood.

    June 18 Day 9

        ………………………………………………

Day Eight: June 17/Day Nine: June 18 (Mom's View)

We stayed at Canyon Creek RV Resort in Winters, CA last night.  It is a very nice RV park on Putah Creek.  It is a very happening park with lots of kids so the kids have made many “friends” already.  Cameron already has girls coming to our RV asking him to join them at the playground.  He thinks that it is hilarious.  Now we are off to the wineries/Jelly Belly Factory…

As we drove into the valley we finally got cell phone signal back and our phones started to buzz with the excitement of text messages received.  Cord lifted his phone as he drove his BMW (he was so happy to be finally driving his car around these crazy roads) and received the devastating message about the passing of his mother.  Dana Cunningham had been courageously battling Stage IV Melanoma since Winter 2010.  We have decided to regroup back at the RV Resort and figure out what step to take next.

Day Seven: June 16 (Son's View)

We are at THE city of wineries I have seen about ten wineries on one road.  Mom went to one winery called Soda rocks which was pet friendly so ya.  My dad took a wrong turn because he does not understand our Gps Garmin yet he blames it.  He went into a deadend. He then tried to back up and jackknifed our RV he then turned from calm dad took raging bull dad in 2.5 seconds it was scary!!!.  We stayed at Canyon creek that night girls were coming to our RV asking if I could go to the playground or creek.  Man one night and I already have begging for me man I am a Studly Guy. ;)

Day Seven: June 16 (Mom's View)

Off to Napa we go!  I am so excited about this leg of the trip.  I have always wanted to go to Napa/Sonoma but Cord and I never seem to have the right timing.  We have plans of going to Napa (of course several wineries) and Jack London museum (Cameron’s favorite author) and hopefully, even San Francisco.  Fortunately from Cloverdale we only have a 2-hour trip so we plan on hitting one or two wineries on our way to the next RV resort.

Well, just got back to the RV from SodaRock winery.  DELICIOUS!  We really enjoyed their Zinfandel.  I didn’t think that I was much of a Zinfandel girl but this wine was AMAZING.  Our wine tasting host was Grace and she made it so much fun.  She taught us so many lingoes, which was humbling for Cord and me who have become our own kind of connoisseurs after “living” in Woodinville, WA.  SodaRock was dog friendly so the dogs and kids were able to join us in the beautiful tasting house.

So now we are on the road again.  I’ll get back on after the next winery.

Well there will not be another winery today.  Cord took a wrong turn (doesn’t understand our Garmin yet).  He got stuck on a road without a big turnaround so Cord had to improvise.  NEVER AGAIN!  He jackknifed the trailer and the side of the RV (bumper and damage to RV side).  Wow was he pissed!  I think that I’ll leave it at that for now.

Day Six: June 15 (Son's View)

Today we left bright and early to get out of this RV Park.  Today we were ants compared to all the Redwoods… They were huge!!!  WE saw the immortal Tree.  That tree is 1,000 years old.  It has been hacked at and also lasted through a flood also been stricken by lightning so ya it is a strong tree.  I bought my souvenir for California, which was a carved Bear, made of Redwood.  Just to let you know my Oregon souvenir was from the Sand dunes a full beautiful shell.  So ya we then went to the Eternal Tree house, which is a small, room it the bowels of the trunk.  Then we went to a RV park that did not have power so we had to continue up to a place called Russian River, which was pretty cool just to let you know.

Day Six: June 15 (Mom's View)

 (I know not the most flattering picture in my RV attire but Carsen took it of me so I am posting anyways;))

BOY WAS THIS A LONG DAY!  We are still really not good at the RV thing.  After deciding not to spend another night at Klamath River RV Park because it has too many rules and not close enough to any landmarks, we started on the road.  We wanted to take the Avenue of the Giants on the Scenic Alternative Highway.  Seasoned RVers might know that taking this route might require a dumping of black water (take a guess on what that holding tank may be).  Twists, turns, and bumps cause a rolling Honey Bucket.  Seriously those of you who know me best know how I feel about Port-a-potties, well today I spent HOURS in one.  After stopping at the Immortal Tree and a huge hollowed out redwood (kids picture to follow).  We continued our smelly but scenic ride down the Avenue to the Eternal tree house where Cord and the kids went to investigate and I stayed behind with the dogs.  We next stopped at a winery on the Avenue called Riverbend Cellars of Humboldt County.  They had a delicious Red Table Wine called Sasquatch, but their other wines didn’t impress us much very.  Phew the smelly ride doesn’t bother me as much now.  Finally we arrived at Redwoods River RV Resort in Leggett, CA for the night.  Oh so we thought!
This is the Immortal Tree (has made it through lumberjacks trying to cut it down and a BIG FLOOD)...

The resort had just lost power from a tree fall and they recommended that we continue on to the next park.  The kids were SO upset because this RV Park looked like a giant treehouse play yard.  They would have had so much fun there.

Since we still didn’t have cell phone reception yet, we had to take a chance on the RV Park, which was 2.5 hours away, having space for us (or getting reception).  Mind you it was about 6pm when we arrived at Redwoods River River and most parks have a limit to when you can arrive, so thus taking another chance.  We arrived at Russian River RV Resort in Cloverdale, CA around 8:30pm and they had a space for us!!!  It was clean enough that we could shower (free hot showers away from our RV seemed luxurious).  The kids even had enough time to make friends so they played tetherball while we threw dinner together.