Leaving California

The view from our window for the last 3 months

We left our winter home at Aguanga today, and headed over the mountains and through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park to our first overnight stop, Dateland AZ.
It is great to be on the road again, after 3 months in our Southern California paradise, Rancho California RV Resort. We accomplished some major renovations and additions to our home while we were here. January and February were cooler and wetter than usual, so we took advantage of this weather and installed a residential gas range, residential dishwasher, new microwave and a new generator. The new appliances are bolted down securely, and have survived the first day of driving without any complications.

The Navigator, with our friend Donna, just before departure

Leaving Rancho. Final walkaround check. 

As usual, we plan on driving less than 250 miles (400km) per day, with frequent 2 day and 3 day stops. We will stay in Alpine TX for 2 days, visiting friends, 3 days in Boerne TX, 2 days in Foley AL visiting friends, then a whole week in Northwest Florida in Freeport, near Santa Rosa Beach. The total distance is approximately 3500 miles (5600km). Total estimated fuel consumption will be 325 gallons (1230 liters) of diesel, at an average cost of $2.30 per gallon, or about $750 US.

This map shows our route, and the planned stops along the way

Lunch stop in the Anza-Borrego desert

For us, this return trip, along with the outbound journey in December, is our "vacation time". Far from being a tiresome journey, it is a delightful melange of changing landscapes and regional dialects as we traverse the South from the desert of California to the lovely Emerald Coast of Northwest Florida, then finally to the beautiful Georgian Bay region of Ontario, Canada.
Stay with us via this blog, as we travel the miles. I will update every couple of days.