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is real but after just ten miles heading south the fog is no longer frozen and bits of light emerge through the mist the passes are clear the roads are nearly empty in some sections yes i am excited to be on the road and out of the fog the skies are clear as we pass mt shasta we are pros at this one it feels simple and familiar even though it is a leisurely three day journey we stay in the same rv parks familiar and affordable returning to flag city in lodi is like parking at home we pay our passport america half price fee and slide into the familiar space nothing new here mattie loves the green grass and warm sunshine at the rest area near corning mattie knows exactly where we are it amazes me how dogs can smell and remember a place she is excited and wants to get outside to the dog park and the long stretch along the fence where she knows there will be lots of dog smells supper is a meal i prepared and froze for traveling easy and delicious there is one tiny glitch the tracker battery is dead mo cannot imagine what button got turned on while we were towing maybe the radio we discuss the options and decide it is something we can worry about tomorrow on this day of travel we had fantastic conditions a bit of sun a bit of cloud no snow no rain and very light traffic i drove as far as corning where we fueled and mo took over the driving i settled back in my seat to watch the birds in the valley refuges as we passed i opened my phone and slipped into email and then facebook that moment shifted the mood of the day meeting odel and laurie for the first time in 2010 mo and laurie in 2010 laurie brown had passed just two days earlier and her sister announced it on facebook long time readers of my blog know all about laurie and odel i met them through the blog and laurie and i started writing to each other in 2007 by 2010 we met in person on our way east where they were camped in minot north dakota laurie and odel visited us at home in rocky point in 2011 laurie helped me understand the rv blogging community of the early 2010s she helped me connect with other writers and discover that i wasn t alone out there writing about our travels i am heartbroken lunch at lefty s in nevada city where laurie and odel introduced us to jimmy and nickie i called nickie whom i know only because laurie suggested a lunch in nevada city with mo me nickie and jimmy and laurie and odel the friendships blossomed with the six of us meeting for meals hikes and visits i treasured her friendship nickie was devastated but grateful to hear from a real phone call and not a facebook post in 2022 we met again with laurie and odel and jimmy and nickie for a day of dining and hiking we continued south along an almost empty interstate toward sacramento memories flooded my heart as mo nimbly navigated city traffic and we continued through the fog to our familiar home at flag city rv resort i will probably write a separate blog post honoring just laurie but for now it was time to focus on the now our next day of travel was uneventful accompanied by the fog hanging over the i 5 corridor south toward highway 58 site 9 at mountain valley park i write in the morning darkness at another familiar home though not quite as familiar as flag city mountain valley rv park in tehachapi where we have stayed only three or four times our old favorite orange grove rv park is nothing like it used to be and we decided the high prices weren t worth the amenities oranges from the fruit depot in bakersfield yesterday we drove past the park as we turned onto edison road for a ten minute side trip to the fruit depot once again to buy the sweetest oranges ever i used to pick the oranges every year but buying a bag for ten dollars is nice and quick and a lot cheaper than paying park prices just because we like the oranges we stopped in tehachapi to buy a new battery for the tracker and she started right up just like the travel trooper she has been for seventeen years while mo dealt with the battery i ripped into the bag of oranges and cut one into sections to eat right there it was like stepping into the sunshine of southern california when i was a kid when oranges were picked in yards and tasted like candy so sweet and juicy i breathed in the fragrance cleaned the juice from my chin and fingers and felt my body relax ahh the oranges are as perfect as always ready for our last travel day to desert hot springs we will leave here at daylight or shortly after in clouds and predicted rain the first view of the mojave as we start down the pass overlooking the desert is never the same today is the day the desert is there waiting and our home at catalina rv park another home of ours for almost every winter since 2010 is waiting ahhh author kyotesue posted on january 29 2026 categories uncategorized leave a comment on 01 20 2026 traveling south 12 31 2025 december always amazing to me when roses are still blooming in december when i wrote the christmas card to share on the blog i knew that december would be just a tiny part of that story there was much to share in this busy and full month and i don t want to lose track as is often the case this blog post is mainly for me and i won t be sending out an email or publicizing it if you happen to still follow the blog via email or rss thank you i did steal this image from a facebook post about the fog burying the valley december began as usual wrapped in fog for nearly two weeks the valley stayed gray and heavy the kind of weather that presses into a headache and slows everything down with my strong attachment to decorating for most holidays especially christmas i spent a few days pulling out the decorations anyway mo and i laughed about how uncentered the tree was based on one s point of view i waited until the very last moment to put up the christmas tree and gave myself three lazy days to add the ornaments maryruth and gerald always serve a lovely meal early in the month we gathered with friends dinner with maryruth and gerald was a surprise treat when maryruth called and said can you come to dinner tonight i have a recipe i want to share maryruth loves to cook and it is always a pleasure to share a meal in her home the book was atmosphere fiction about the early days of the space shuttle our book club continued our annual tradition of a christmas party at kristin s as always it was a special day with kristin s home warm and inviting her table décor was fantastic and reflected the book we read perfectly i think most of us enjoyed the book even though it wasn t quite what we expected it was fun to share the christmas event with daughter deborah for the first time since she joined the club last month kristin on the left then robyn jennifer connie sue and deborah the sunday after book club deb treated mo and me to a wonderful tour of the local bear hotel evergreen bank has a large facility where they store our summer art bears in winter and our beautiful christmas panels and 8 foot tall nutcrackers that line the downtown streets at christmas time on this saturday it was the annual christmas tree auction and deborah wanted us to see the tree that her workplace decorated and donated for the auction deb sue and mo within the massive redwood trees at the bear hotel it was a lovely visit and we were so impressed i do hope we can get to the bear hotel sometime before summer when the bears are in residence we skipped the annual downtown tree lighting because of the fog rain and darkness seeing photos later on facebook made us quite happy that we didn t try to attend the crowds were huge and the rain was daunting later in the week a rare break in the clouds brought a bit of sun enough to notice and name before the fog closed in again december morning fog as i wrote in our christmas card december also carried a heavy weight with the news of mo s brother dan s passing moments that quietly changed the texture of the days that followed as we adjusted to this sad loss another tradition came mid month as we turned west and spent a few days at harris beach state park tucked into our familiar site with a view of the ocean we walked the beach visited the holiday light show ate seafood and slipped easily into the slower rhythm that comes with salt air and tides christmas time in the moho is always fun rain or shine mattie as always loved her beach time and climbed the rocks with all the strength and enthusiasm of a young puppy sunshine at harris beach in december mo and mattie walking the beach in the sun after the light show we attempted to get an irish coffee at the fat irish pub near harbor just down the hill from brookings it was a bit of a disappointment with several minutes of being ignored at the bar and then an irish coffee served without whipped cream and barely lukewarm we won t have to try that place again our first time having supper at khun thai in brookings was a completely different experience a spotless restaurant wonderful service and fabulous food felt like a small celebration before heading home the next day early morning at sunset house on solstice the solstice arrived with bells rung at dawn though there is a funny story about that one i woke up early on what i thought was solstice ready to ring the bells and play the jethro tull video of ring solstice bells at exactly 7 03 a m in the still dark morning shrouded in fog i rang mo s antique dinner bell on the back deck with it echoing all over the neighborhood returning to the house and settling into my morning rhythm i looked at my calendar and lo and behold i was a day off on the bell ringing i laughed a lot at that one i should have paid more attention to the calendar notice i added last month the promise that the light would now begin its slow return was worth celebrating even if it was a day early one of maryruths neighbors on the right with deb sue and mo admiring the menu that afternoon maryruth and gerald once again hosted a lovely holiday party featuring her favorite appetizer recipes it is something she loves to do but as with all of us as we age it is getting harder and harder to manage her daughter in law gloria was a tremendous help and i am so glad she and maryruth and gerald s son mike have relocated to grants pass to help their parents after christmas eve chowder with mo sue and deb christmas itself was simple and good deb came to share christmas eve with our traditional clam chowder which she proclaimed was the best ever she spent the night fulfilling this mama s love of kids young or old sleeping overnight mattie loved her miniature lambie present after she figured out how to open it christmas day was lovely as well with an eggs benedict brunch shared with matthew later that morning matthew was very good at pouring christmas brunch champagne we even had some presents under our tree something that doesn t always happen since we have eschewed trying to keep up with that particular tradition but this year was different mo and i opened some truly wonderful surprises including a framed photo deb had purchased of the three girls at my birthday party last september sue and deb on christmas morning deanna sent a delightful electronic photo frame with software that lets each family member add photos for me to enjoy as they scroll by on a side table in the living room i found that even though i can see photos anytime on my computer or phone the random display of people i love in the background is so calming and lovely christmas day treated us to some much needed sunshine december ended the way we like best traditional pennsylvania dutch pork and kraut in the oven watching new year s celebrations roll across the globe then settling in to welcome the new year quietly from home a month of fog and friendship remembering loss and honoring memory the light returning a return to harris beach and a quiet holiday one more day of sunshine in the bedroom before the january fog sets in again we are now readying for our annual trip south and with the fog still hanging over our valley our departure date cannot come soon enough but that will be a new story in a new year with a bit of hopefulness that our world might get a little less crazy and a little brighter author kyotesue posted on january 16 2026 categories uncategorized 1 comment on 12 31 2025 december 12 21 2025 a christmas letter merry christmas this year sue did as promised last year and started making christmas cards in july with more than sixty ready to go by mid november she fought the gloom of november and december fog with lots of christmas lights beginning in mid november and finishing everything she wanted to do by early december so that we could relax and enjoy the season dan with his sister sharon mo december however was sadly colored by the passing of mo s younger brother dan after a courageous battle with cancer dan was an amazing person a wonderful and caring brother who was incredibly generous with his time and energy and helped us so many times over the years he could do anything and fix anything he was also a kind and devoted father husband and brother and the world is less bright without him we miss him deeply mo s extended family continues to grow with new little ones born to her great niece kallie and her husband josh and to great nephew philip and his wife amanda in colorado her great niece ashli and her husband evan living in illinois welcomed a baby girl in october while we enjoyed many extended family visits in 2024 this year we stayed closer to home and shared family life long distance through emails phone calls and joyful baby announcements two of sue s grandkids axel and xavier sue was able to see two of her grandchildren while visiting melody in brownsville and her grandson matthew lives just across the street from us so we enjoy seeing him often it is especially wonderful knowing he ll come over at a moment s notice if something needs fixing 2024 christmas of sue s great grandkid orion tearany and theron new christmas jammies photo will come on christmas eve sue s grandson steven with wife stormi and son theron sue will see her grandson steven and his wife stormi along with her great grandchildren orion tearany and theron in washington state next year when great grandson orion graduates from high school we ll be traveling north in june for the celebration this past year was filled with many of our usual happy pursuits traveling in the moho camping trips to the mountains kayaking some of our favorite lakes and rivers and visiting local wineries for a break from gardening and keeping up with our sweet little acre here in grants pass a look back at the year the view of mt san jacinto from catalina spa and rv resort in what has become a winter ritual we left in january for california and our favorite spot in desert hot springs at catalina spa and rv resort this year we were joined by friends phil and joanne from eugene and nickie and jimmy from nevada city california our days were filled with swimming hikes palm spri...