Wednesday, April 19, 2006
SKP Park of the Sierras Co-Op, Coarsegold, CA - March 15-April 19
(A gated community.) Things got off to a shaky start here when the office told us they were going to lunch for a half-hour as we were checking in, then reappeared an hour & 20 minutes later. We did get a nice site. The weather was fair here the first couple of days, but then a series of Pacific fronts passed through, and it rained and it rained and it rained.Making matters worse, we discovered that our roof was leaking -- not just a trickle, a stream. We bought a plastic cover in Fresno just big enough to cover our roof, and contacted the local RV repairman ("Keystone Bob") who was swamped (so to speak) and wouldn't be able to get to us for at least a couple of weeks. So we extended our stay to a month and set about trying to entertain ourselves in the cold & rain, with plastic duct-taped to our roof.
We took a scenic drive by Bass Lake (pretty enough but not great, with a yummy brunch), through Sierra Natl Forest (saw a golden-crowned sparrow -- our first!), drove to the geographic center of CA (complete with plaque), and up Minarets Road, a 20-mile twisty-turny cliff-face-hanging National Scenic Byway that winds up close to Yosemite, but we could only make it about 8 miles in (just past Ross Cabin) before having to turn around due to recent snows. We visited Chukchansi Gold, the local casino, which has a senior buffet (lots of variety but not, in our opinion, as good as smaller buffets we have had) and penny slots.
We made it to Yosemite NP for one day (not nearly long enough). Every bit as wonderful as we were expecting and then some, even though the weather was drizzly & overcast. All the rain made for truly spectacular waterfalls.When we couldn't go out, Willie got to work on her crafts & Doug started transferring all our travelogues to a blog. We spent a lot of time socializing with fellow Escapees at Park Sierra, including Mary Lane & Elaine Cannell, whom we met in Parker, AZ, and who have a lot at Park Sierra, and Jeannine & Dan Wainwright, who have lots at both the Benson co-op and Park Sierra. Plus, of course, infrequent shopping trips to Fresno (including Trader Joe's!). The cats actually enjoyed the wet weather, since it meant we were home more.
For what seemed like weeks we flip-flopped on whether to continue north to the Escapade, since northern CA was getting even more rain than we were, or to head south and east towards the warmer dryer desert. We finally decided to bite the bullet and go north, since that gave us the chance to have our trailer roof fixed at a RV dealer in Los Banos (the bathrooms?) -- somewhat along our route. The day before we were to leave, Keystone Bob knocked on our door and asked if the next day would work for sealing the roof. After much discussion, we decided to stay yet another day. KB showed up bright & early with an assistant and started right in, finishing up before 2pm. He seems to have done an excellent job. We are sure he did a better job than any dealership would have done. Moreover, it did not rain and ruin the caulking (like we expected), and was warm & sunny enough over the next couple of days so that everything had a chance to cure well before the next rain.# posted by Doug and Willie @ 11:04 PM 
