The Refrigerator Issues

I wanted to post  an update about  this.  It took about a month at Paul Evert's RV to get our fridge fixed. We were not in a hurry as we would just put our  Casita back in storage so it took time. After the repair Paul Evert's told us the damage from installing the battery backwards was $450. Ouch! John too the receipt to Interstate Battery and talked to the manager. He asked what would make John happy. He said $450. (I'm not sure I would have had the nerve to say that!). The manager opened the till  and gave him $450. WOW! We will certainly frequent Interstate Battery in the future and highly recommend them. It was a  mistake, but they made it right and we really appreciate it. That said, we  will not  hold our tongue next time things don't seem just right!!!

Heading Home

We got an early start because we wanted to get home, unload everything, and get the Casita to Paul Evert's RV before they stop accepting units to the service area at 5p. The fridge issues have not been resolved and in addition the freezer door came off in my hand a few days ago. Using duct tape it is held in place ... my laptop also stopped working! Despite the challenges we have had a nice time. We are thankful to be home safe and sound.

-Humor-

Our Last Day

We had a very enjoyable last full day. We drove up the coast just a little ways to see the amazing Elephant Seals. Such incredible creatures. The ones we saw were females and youngsters, weighing approximately 1500 lbs! They seemed huge! I can't imagine how large the males would look at 5000 lbs. I would like to come back when the males are here and for the birthing. We stopped at several locations along our drive. We weren't looking for them but surprisingly saw the much talked about Zebras still left from the Hearst private zoo. We had some decent Mexican food for lunch and came back to pack up some things. Thankfully things have pretty much dried out from the rain. We walked on the beach near our camp in the evening.

Elephant Seals

Lunch Time

Zebras! 

Tony

Sunset

San Simeon SB - Hearst's Castle

Today we will have our visit at Hearst's Castle. We took a short walk this morning and then headed up toward the castle. We are glad it is a cool day so Tony can wait in the car safely. We took him into the Visitor Center with us first because we were early. We also had a small snack there before the tour. When tour time came Tony was safely tucked away in the Jeep. It is a steep and crooked ride up the  hill to where the tour begins. The trip up is narrated and very interesting. We took our "cottages and kitchen tour" and enjoyed it. It is a beautiful place, quite opulent for my tastes. It was quite a place in its time, actually it still is. Hearst was an interesting man with a nature to serve just himself it would seem. The structures here are lovely but one has to wonder what other good he could have done with just a small portion of his wealth. I am glad I saw the place but I have no desire to go back. I over heard others saying how one visit is just not enough, it was for us. We got Tony from the Jeep and then watched the movie about the building of the castle and more information about Hearst himself. Oh brother, the few people there sure made over Tony, John loves that! Our trip back to camp was lovely because we stopped along the way to watch the sun go down. A lovely day with beautiful weather. 

Castle On The Hill

A Cottage

The Fire Truck

Sunset

Leaving Morro Strand

Today we are moving to San Simeon State Beach. It poured down rain last night so we have a sizable puddle to contend with when packing up. Before packing up we went over to Morro Bay Campground and took showers. They were pretty pitiful showers as the water never did get very hot but it was a shower. I would have preferred the Casita shower to that. We headed out about 11am and made a few stops along the way. We took a nice walk on the beach by Cayucos Pier. There was a City Water worker there and he said there was a grand opening for the pier two weeks ago. I don’t know if that is true or not and we have no Internet tonight to check that tidbit of information. We had lunch in Cayucos at Duckie’s Chowder House. I had the Shrimp tacos and they were delicious. John chose fish and chips. He said the fish and chips at Giovanni’s is better. We were going to walk the pier after lunch but decided we should get to our destination and get set up before the rain hits, if possible. We planned to buy gas in Cayucos but we forgot, we are really low and that makes me nervous. Anyway, we made it to Cambria and got gas for $3.69 per gallon. Since the price changes so often I don’t know if that is a good price or outrageous! We passed the Hwy 46 turn and it was just a little further north to San Simeon State Beach. Thankfully the dump station is functioning here and we emptied and refilled with fresh water so we are set for now. Unfortunately, it rained pretty hard the whole time we did that but it slacked off while we set up camp. We are in site #107 for this stay. There aren’t many people in the park tonight. There are over 100 sites here, very nice sites, some are tent only. We are unsure of the walking distance to the beach. I started out for the beach but there were signs saying No Dogs and Tony didn’t have his vest on we we turned back. After we were completely set up we realized we do not get very good phone service in our campsite. Up at the Ranger Kiosk where we came in there was good reception. It might have been prudent to pick a site up on the knoll up there but the sites didn’t look appealing at the time. oh well. We decided to drive up to Hearst Castle Visitor Center just to see how far it was. It is not far at all. We drove around the area and then finally did see the castle way up on the mountain. We used a few turn out Vista Points to watch the water and watch for something interesting, no luck this time. We did see some vultures finishing off a carcass near the campground though! We have had showers off and on since then. We came back and made a nice hot drink, played cards, watched a video, read, and fell asleep. Tomorrow we will have our visit there!

Our Puddle

Cayucos Pier

Tiny Birds

Duckie’s Chowder House

Vultures

Hearst Castle in the Distance

Morro Strand - Day 5

The kids packed up and left today. I was sorry to see them leave but it is a good thing they did because it started raining not too long after they left. It would have been challenging for them to put down the tent trailer when it is wet. Jeff went fishing in the morning and caught three nice perch. He was happy about that! The other day he caught a few mackerel as well. Sam took Spencer, Soren, and Julianne up to Cayucos in the morning as they wanted to walk around and buy themselves something to eat. A few hours later he went and got them, they finished packing up, and off  they went toward home. Steven and Saira went into Cayucos for lunch as well then straight home. We were happy to hear they were all home safe and sounds. We thought about going out to dinner but with the downpour it just didn’t seem that appealing! We heated up some chili in the microwave. Around 7:30p someone came knocking on our door. They were either drunk or mentally ill. The young man wanted a blanket but we told him to just move along. I called the Ranger kiosk but there was no answer so I called 911. They said they were already looking for this man and asked the description and direction he went. Thankfully, John could give both. A police car and a ranger went though the campground and I assume they found the guy. Thankfully, that was the end of any excitement we would see.

Jeff’s Catch

DLPs – Off They Go

S&S Head Up To Cayucos

Morro Strand Day 4

It is sunny and nice today – thought we might blow away last night! Jeff was fishing with Frank and most of the kids so Saira and I took a walk to the beach to find them but they were too far down the coast so we just came back. Deb fixed us a delicious meal of Toad in the Hole, and I think Vira’s son Robbie cooked thick, crispy bacon. We ate a bit later in the morning so I really enjoyed that. After that meal and cleanup (which we don’t participate in!) we went into Morro Bay to Giovanni's to pick out our crabs. Deb and Vira will return later and pick them up, all cleaned and cracked. In the camp next door where Vira and family are they are preparing for the “Shrimp Boil” we will have this evening. I picked up two dozen oysters, 12 garlic butter and 12 sriracha lime. Jeff, Steven, and Saira missed out on our other trips there so they really enjoyed them. I planned to share with everyone in our party but that didn’t happen…oh well. Jeff went fishing several times. Julie and the boys went to the tide pools and also along the beach in the water. Steven, Saira, John, Julie, and Miranda played Frisbee and tossed the football around as well. It’s a busy group with something always going on. By late afternoon they were back at it again preparing the food for tonight’s dinner. The boys moved our three tables together so we really have a banquet situation going on! Debra lit tiki torches too! What a feast we had. After that it was a relaxing evening around the campfire. I’m sorry they have to head home tomorrow but I am thankful for the time together.

Breakfast

Our Banquet Table

Fresh Crab and Shrimp Boil