The RV was packed and ready to go, but we were not. We sat on the couch taking turns looking out the back door. Occasionally a blur of Calico kitten would dart past, pausing just long enough to see if we were watching. We were.
We'd been delayed 30 minutes already, waiting for the brat to come inside. No amount of shaking her nummy bag (aka kitten treats) or words of encouragement, "Get inside NOW before I sacrifice you to the Kitty Gods!" would make her come into the house. Finally Robert had had enough. I wished him luck and dutifully followed him into the backyard to watch the show.
Our beloved Cierra knew something was up and as soon as she heard Robert's size 15's stomping across the floor, she was off and running. Robert grabbed his flashlight and went after her, calling for her in his "I mean business" voice. Oblivious to his threats, she ran up the back hill and into some thick bushes. Like an angry elephant, Robert plowed through the bushes and herded her onto the back porch. As she dashed past, I snatched a tail, scooped her into my arms and promptly crammed her into the cat carrier.
Operation Vacation could now officially begin along with the incessant meowing....
Day 1
May 17th
Departure was delayed (as mentioned above), so it was almost 9pm by the time we had everything, including the cat, loaded into the RV. We had planned to leave Friday morning, but as this was our first trip in our new RV we were too excited and decided to leave Thursday night. Our first night's destination was the Walmart in Bakersfield.
The cat was NOT happy and quickly let us know it. I tried talking baby talk, rubbing her ears, and holding the carrier in my lap to calm her down but to no avail. Her continuous cries were so stressful I took her out of the carrier and with lightening fast speed, she was so far under the couch that I couldn't reach her. There she stayed until we reached Walmart. Once we settled down for the night, she emerged and fell asleep on Robert. She was so cute that I forgot all about her earlier shenanigans. Estimated time of arrival: 2am.
Day 2,
May 18th
Rise and shine to find our TV antennae had fallen off somewhere between Bakersfield and home. We figured it was along the I-405 in Los Angeles as we had hit some major pot holes. Apparently, LA has better things to spend their money on than fixing their freeways. Hopefully the warranty will cover it. After breakfast of bagels and cream cheese and a quick trip into Walmart to buy some cheap sunglasses since I forgot mine, we were back on the road towards Wishon Village Campground. Once again the cat was under the couch. Meow meow meow meow.
The rest of our drive was uneventful as we headed North on the 99 to Fresno and then turned East. We checked into Campsite #97 at about 1:30pm. Very few people were at the campground. After arranging camp, Robert and the cat took a nap and I made homemade chili. Sitting outside the only sounds I heard were birds chirping in the bushes, a woodpecker's rat a tat tat on a tree, the chili bubbling on the stove, and Robert's soft snores. So relaxing.
May 19th
After a yummy breakfast of pancakes by Chef Robert, we spent the day reading, napping, and exploring the campground. As the sun set, we sat around the campfire, ate dinner and had some really good conversation and then it was time for a movie. We snuggled into bed and watched A River Runs Through It starring Brad Pit and then we drifted off to sleep. A perfect ending for a perfect day.
May 20th
With a breakfast of Spam and eggs by Chef Robert in our bellies, we hiked to Wishon Reservoir. It was about a mile and a half round trip, so not too strenuous, except for an out of shape forty-something year old. It took me a bit to catch my breath - we were at 6,772-feet elevation - but then I found my stride. It was a nice hike and the mosquitos weren't too bad as we had doused ourselves with bug spray.
When we returned to camp, Robert took the cat for a walk and then she fell asleep. She was finally beginning to enjoy herself. We rented another movie, The Flight of the Phoenix starring James Stewart, at the campground's general store. It was another nice evening of conversation and relaxation.
Day 5,
May 21st
A quick breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and smoked salmon and then it was time to break camp. So much easier packing up camp then when we were tent camping. For safety reasons, we kept the cat in her carrier on the ride home instead of letting her disappear under the couch. We checked out about 9:30am, bought a few souvenirs, and were heading home, but we didn't get far. We made a quick stop not too far from the campground at Mckinley Grove Big Trees Picnic Area. Robert described it as, "a magical place" and it truly was.
McKinley Grove was discovered in 1869 and is a stand of Giant Sequoia trees covering 100-acres. Some of the trees are over 2,000 years old with the largest standing over 230' tall and 19' in diameter! We took a short walk around the grove. It was so peaceful. No one else stopped while we were there. I wished we could have stayed longer, but we had a long drive a head of us.
We headed south on the 99 towards Bakersfield, took the 58 east through Tehachapi to the 395 and turned south eventually merging with I-15 that would lead us home. At the end of a very long car ride, a very exhausted little kitty was glad to finally be home.
With a breakfast of Spam and eggs by Chef Robert in our bellies, we hiked to Wishon Reservoir. It was about a mile and a half round trip, so not too strenuous, except for an out of shape forty-something year old. It took me a bit to catch my breath - we were at 6,772-feet elevation - but then I found my stride. It was a nice hike and the mosquitos weren't too bad as we had doused ourselves with bug spray.
When we returned to camp, Robert took the cat for a walk and then she fell asleep. She was finally beginning to enjoy herself. We rented another movie, The Flight of the Phoenix starring James Stewart, at the campground's general store. It was another nice evening of conversation and relaxation.
Day 5,
May 21st
A quick breakfast of bagels, cream cheese, and smoked salmon and then it was time to break camp. So much easier packing up camp then when we were tent camping. For safety reasons, we kept the cat in her carrier on the ride home instead of letting her disappear under the couch. We checked out about 9:30am, bought a few souvenirs, and were heading home, but we didn't get far. We made a quick stop not too far from the campground at Mckinley Grove Big Trees Picnic Area. Robert described it as, "a magical place" and it truly was.
McKinley Grove was discovered in 1869 and is a stand of Giant Sequoia trees covering 100-acres. Some of the trees are over 2,000 years old with the largest standing over 230' tall and 19' in diameter! We took a short walk around the grove. It was so peaceful. No one else stopped while we were there. I wished we could have stayed longer, but we had a long drive a head of us.
We headed south on the 99 towards Bakersfield, took the 58 east through Tehachapi to the 395 and turned south eventually merging with I-15 that would lead us home. At the end of a very long car ride, a very exhausted little kitty was glad to finally be home.
2 comments:
Oh man! You two are living my dream. I certainly enjoyed your entry on your latest travels with your new rig even if it did make me a bit wistful!
That looks like so much fun. And, that sequoia must be really huge, even Robert looks small next to it.
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