Happy Campers at Guajome

Tuesday, Jan. 24
It was a delightful drive from the desert - up the backside of Julian (a small town famous around here for apples), and then down through Santa Ysabel (even smaller town that is famous around here for Dudley's Bakery). I was looking forward to buying some bread, totally forgetting that it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Highway 78 - which for the most part is a two-lane scenic drive with little traffic - becomes a six-lane southern California racetrack as it goes from Escondido almost all the way to the coast. After two stops, Rubios for a fish taco and Walmart for some birdseed, I pulled into Guajome Park. And I congratulated myself for having the foresight to make reservations because the sign announced: "campsite full." After several tries, I got Jeremiah backed into the space (had to keep all wheels on the blacktop while leaving enough room for my slideout) and level. The RVs are nicely spaced out.

Night temperatures get down in the high 30s and daytime temps warm up to the 60s. A big difference is the humidity, which is about 65 percent. It was about 20 in the desert.

It's interesting that even locals don't know about Guajome. It is one of the richest riparian areas of any county park. It has spring-fed lakes and a marsh that have water-loving vegetation. Reportedly about 144 bird species have been spotted here. There are several miles of hiking trails. Historically it was part of a land grant and it has a 140-year old adobe ranch house that is nearly 7,000 square feet and has 22 bedrooms. The RV portion has water and electric hookups for 41 RVs.

Cat is beside herself with so many critters to watch. She goes from window to window chattering at birds, ground squirrels and rabbits - and really wishes she could go out.

Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Today is house-cleaning day. I got out my trusty dust-buster (thanks again, Irene - it sure comes in handy) and then dusted and washed the linoleum portions of the floor. This doesn't take too long, so I had plenty of time to explore the park and hike some trails. My friend Sandy picked me up and we went to her home for dinner.

Thursday, Jan. 26.
Today I had a rental car to get me to some medical checkup appointments and to do some shopping. I got an "all OK" from my oncologist, and my dermatologist removed two small moles.