RV Life, Hollywood Job Opp? Colorado River drone, Quartzsite 2018 or bust!

Arriving at the Burbank Elks lodge – can’t beat the hospitality with a free drink and $15/night! Discovered a most unusual “job opportunity” – TOPLESS cleaning service! (are men eligible?) Then over to Blythe Oasis RV Park as the sun set, with morning drone video over the Colorado River before heading into Quartzsite for the Escapees Xscapers Bash 2018 for fun and games. Stay tuned..

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Pedal for Polio – District 5130 Rotarians

From August 12th to August 19th we had the privilege of being in the company of 14 Rotarian’s riding their bikes from Crescent City  California all the way to Petaluma.  The journey would take us over 300 miles and would take 6 days.  The dedicated cadre of Rotarian bike riders, as well as those who followed in the SAG wagons had a common goal,”End Polio Now!”  The money raised was matched 2:1 by fellow Rotarians, Bill and Melinda Gates.  On Days 5&6 other riders joined us and more than 30 rode into the finish line in Petaluma.  We proudly share some of the insights of this ride with you in the following videos.  We will also include the highlights video that has been posted on the Petaluma Rotary channel.

 

P4P Pedal For Polio, Day 1, Crescent City to Trinidad, Bike Ride

On Day 1 we rode from Crescent City to Trinidad – great hosts, staff, riders and everyone had a fantastic day with glorious weather. If you’d like to watch us entertain you, check out our video here (minute 13-20 for a polio perspective)

The original team leaving Crescent City

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Top/Best RV Parking Near San Francisco

San Francisco may be the City of Love but when it comes to parking in a very dense megapolis, not so much! In this show we will share two top RV parks near San Francisco. Be sure to come along as we checkout the Marin RV Park in Greenbrae and the San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica.

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cTv 1967 Summer of Love, San Francisco, Light Show, Tie Dye, Rock and Roll, LSD

San Francisco. 1967. Totally the SUMMER OF LOVE to the max.
We check out the light show at the Conservatory of Flowers, the DeYoung 50 year Summer of Love exhibition, Grace gives a lesson on how to Tie Dye tee shirts, and Michael discusses the Liquid Light Shows originating at the Red Dog in Virginia City Nevada, the mind altering influences of LSD.  Here is the link to events taking place in San Francisco to commemorate “Summer of Love”.http://summerof.love/events/

Be sure and subscribe so you don’t miss part 2 of our Summer of Love revisited episodes where we’ll take a look back in history and our special “tour” of the Height/Ashbury area.

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Coit Tower Suspense, San Francisco Views, Murals, Money & Mystery

Coit Tower – a monument filled with suspense. From any perspective it’s a beautiful view of San Francisco and a must for tourists and sightseers. Lillie Hitchcock Coit led a fascinating life in challenging times. And while her parents and husband were wealthy, at a young age she experienced the ravages of a fire that almost took her life. This led Lillie to be a lifelong champion of firefighters, who also bonded with her and let her accompany them on fire calls and attend their parades. After her husband’s long illness and demise, Lillie distant cousin and business advisor tried to take her life, instead leading to the demise of the man trying to defend her. Yet in her later years when she moved to Europe to avoid the impression of a scandal and the Great Depression hit hard, she thoughtfully bequest 1/3 of her estate to beautify the City she loved. But wait, there’s more shenanigans and skulduggery with the City of San Francisco so tune in for “the rest of the story!”

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cTv, Cruising to Nicaragua – Romantic Day Trip at Hacienda

Amayo Hacienda time at Lake Nicaragua – we had a romantic day with delightful hospitality, delicious local food, folkloric dances and music.  If you are tourista, be sure to make Nicaragua high up on your list – but we will pass on getting too close to their active volcanos~

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cTv Cruise Life, a day in Cartagena, Columbia

Come with us as we enjoy a day in Cartagena, Columbia.  Take a tour through the walled city and see street performers dance, visit the Sanctuary of Saint Peter Claver and  many other of Cartagena’s many UNESCO World Heritage sites.

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The Kinetic Grand Championship Races of Humboldt County

Queen Kaleidoscope
Queen Kaleidoscope
THE 2017 KINETIC GRAND CHAMPIONSHIP RACES
(a spectators story – by Grace)
Michael and I had talked about going up to the Eureka area and watching the Kinetic Races for some time. We weren’t sure of when they took place and so on Thursday May 30th when I researched it I was surprised to find, THEY WERE IN 2 DAYS!!  On Friday morning we woke up and made a spontaneously decision, “LET’S DO IT!!!”  We quickly stocked the RV with food, water, diesel and other supplies that we would need and set out on a 4 hour, 200 mile plus journey to Humboldt County.  It’s always such beautiful scenery driving north on highway 101.  The hills still have some green left on them from all the heavy rains last winter.  The wildflowers are still blooming and showing off a splendor of color. Soon we would be under the dark canopy of glorious redwoods.  Along the way we learned about Hobart Brown (a sculpture artist) and how the Kinetic Races began in 1969. It seems one day he decided that his sons tricycle needed some revamping to a five-wheeled, decorated pentacyle.  The next thing you know he coined his mission statement, “Adults having fun so children will desire to grow older.”  to describe the Kinetic Races that have been taking place every Memorial Day for the last 48 years.  One never knows where their unique and original idea can lead them to.  The closer we got, the more excited we became.  It was good to get that one day jump start to find a place to hunker down and call home for the next few days.  Thankfully we found a spot at the Eureka Elks club for just 25.00 per night for members that included electricity, cable, wifi and a free drink at the bar to top it off.
Day 1 – On Saturday we headed to The Arcata Plaza where the racers would come in for brake check, pageantry judging and perhaps a bribe or two which we learned is also part of the overall game plan to taking home one of the many titles that would be awarded over the next several days.  After a parade around the plaza the racers would head through Manila Dunes to “Dead Mans Drop” near Samoa Cookhouse.  Unfortunately we didn’t read about the need to carry bug spray with us as we found out the area was thick with mosquitoes and ticks.   That didn’t stop the spectators and soon the dunes were crowed making it difficult to get a good view to see the races go down the actual drop.  Needless to say Michael had that covered with cautious help from his drone and his willingness to explore other vantage points.  Day 1 was full of adventures and good times for the trill seekers as well as those of us watching.
Day 2 – After a good night sleep (for us anyway) we headed for our first stop at the  Wharfinger buildings near the public marina where the Kinetic Racers would test their rigs for sea worthiness.  They could also pick up a prize for the “Biggest Splash” here.  Once again the docks were loaded with spectators which is wonderful for the event but difficult when your trying to set up for photos and video with an 80lb Siberian Husky in tow.  Kaliki and I found a place on a dock and enjoyed some great conversations and got some video and photos as well.   We all held our breath as the crafts hit the water and watched them struggling through the low tide mud areas.  There some would sink and some would capsize and some would swim.  Loud cheers could be heard as they broke free to sail their course.  As they made their way along the course we would meet them up the road a mile or two and watch them emerge from the water.  It was very impressive to see the team spirit and teamwork that went into each segment.  Pumping up their pontoons before entering the water and then letting out the air and disassembling their vessels to prepare them once again for the town streets was obvious to the most casual observer that a lot of time and practice went into each phase.  After another fun filled day Michael and I took the advice of many towns people and headed to the Samoa Cookhouse for a late lunch.  We were not disappointed by the family size meal complete with homemade bread, soup, salad, pot roast, beans, potatoes, cake and even coffee for a mere 15.00 all served by a cheerful waitress who had moved up to the area just a few months before to escape the central valley hot summers.
Day 3 Michael and I decided to split up for a few hours.  He dropped me off in the charming town of Arcata to scope out the finish line while he headed back down to Elks River to watch them cross the swift currents.  While in town I took advantage of walking the streets to see some of the beautiful Victorian homes and downtown storefronts.  I was pleasantly surprised to find myself in the middle of a Memorial Day Parade as well, so that was an extra bonus for me as well by getting there early.   As the streets filled up the many volunteers that had made this race possible began to prepared the Finish Line on Main and Brown Street.  KHUM radio set up with husband and wife DJ team Cliff & Amy Berkowitz and the Royal Kinetic Madness Band played while the children danced.  Even the Rutabaga reigning Queen Kaleidoscope was there to welcome home the 3 day weary racers from their 50 mile course over land, sand, water and mud.   Needless to say, (but I will) a grand time was had by all.  Be sure to watch the videos linked below to find out who brought home the Kinetic Grand Championship title for 2017.

Adults having fun so children will desire to grow older.” – Hobart Brown

TriloBike Test Kitchen takes home 2017 Kinetic Grand Champions
TriloBike Test Kitchen takes home 2017 Kinetic Grand Champions

cTv, 2017 Arcata Kinetic Grand Championship Race, #1 Contestant Qualifications

https://youtu.be/ufvwcVMHV3w

cTv, 2017 Arcata Kinetic Grand Championship Race, #2 The Pageantry Judging

https://youtu.be/4uEld7sIA-E

cTv RV Life, 2017 Kinetic Grand Championship Race, #3 Pre-race Laps 

https://youtu.be/n8er0XyieRg

cTv RV Life, 2017 Kinetic Grand Championship Race, #4 Dead Mans Drop 

https://youtu.be/q_R1JaiY4ho

cTv RV Life, 2017 Eureka Kinetic Race, Dead Man Drop Part 2, Grand Championship

https://youtu.be/JhTtti3WQKE

cTv RV Life, 2017 Eureka Kinetic Pre-Race Day 2, Sea Preparation 

https://youtu.be/1dvfSnKqUF0

2017 Eureka Kinetic Race & Drone sea water video, cTv RV Life 

https://youtu.be/33OLEt7FF5I

2017 Eureka/Ferndale Kinetic Race Day 3 drone video, Crossing Eel River, cTv RV Life

https://youtu.be/8klubyzD5r8

2017 Eureka Kinetic Sculpture Race Day 3, The Finish Line, cTv RV Life

https://youtu.be/9gomQcAx3ek

 PHOTO ALBUM: https://californiatravelvideos.smugmug.com/Kinetic-Grand-Championship-Race-2017/

cTv RV Life, Drone Time, Anza Borrego, Wildflower Super-bloom

Michael – Wow, on our 3rd day drone shooting the wildflower super-bloom, we headed south all the way down past the Salton Sea to Anza Borrego State Park.  Compared to Lancaster and Palmdale, you definitely realize this *is* the desert (millions of migrating caterpillars/SPHINX MOTHS) but in March the temperatures were fair enough.  With little time to do it all, unfortunately we missed the desert museum until the blue hour – maybe next trip.

Grace – It was a spontaneous decision to venture further south another 200 miles, another Continue reading “cTv RV Life, Drone Time, Anza Borrego, Wildflower Super-bloom”

cTv RV Life – Wildflower Super-bloom, Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, drone video

Michael – Seeing the wildflower pop in the Spring is one thing – hunting a spectacular SUPER-BLOOM is something else!  Traveling to southern California paid huge dividends to capture mega-awesome photos, videos and drone footage at the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve!

Grace – I had stumbled upon this place while thumbing through our Instagram feed.  It Continue reading “cTv RV Life – Wildflower Super-bloom, Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve, drone video”