When driving to the Banning KOA campground where were were to stay for just over a week, we had to stop for an overnight. We stopped in Bear Mountain RV park that is located just off Route 99 in Bakersfield, CA. It is a very nice place that is very open and very new. It is nothing special mind you, put it was a great place to overnight and would even consider staying a few night but their, well, is not really much around that we could tell.

Well as the title of the post says, we woke up to a major fog. We could not even see 2 sites down. :) As you can see in the photo, it was quite the thing to awake to. These photos were at around 10AM, so needless to say, we really hated it for we could not leave until it lifted some.

We made it to the Banning KOA without issue needless to say and we are currently here until January 6th.

Well, as planned we were in San Francisco over the Christmas holiday.  We spent most of the time watching movies and just just enjoying some time.

Our view we had with the stay at this park was wonderful.  We we lucky enough to get a stop right up on the bluff looking out over the Pacific Ocean.

We had a visit from Santa, well, Brenda’s Mom had given Brenda a box that was not to be opened until Christmas days.  In side the box were a few small boxes of little gifts.  The best of all is this ornament of the RV that was used in the movie Christmas Vacation.  “That theirs an RV.”

Well.  Time to pack up as it is time to movie on.  Happy Holidays All.

Happy Holidays Everyone! May the new year bring you happiness, health and peace.

From our family to yours.

We made it!  (Still traveling of course.)  But we still made it across the country!  We have always wanted to do this and now we have.   Traveled from NY to CA and thus far having a great time doing it!  Actually if you think out it, we have been down to the start, all the way down to mile marker zero at the start of route 1 in Key West.  And now we are here on the other side of the country!

Brenda had the honor of driving us into the state as we stayed about 20 miles from the boarder last night and Brenda is currently driving this leg of the trip.

Hows Tasha we have been asked time and time again.  She is doing very well.  Does not try to run as much anymore.  She just kinds of walks at her own pace. We ended up putting little booties on her to help her paws as her paw pads are dry and no longer are as soft and pliable as they once were.  So, they can crack and the stones and rocks, well, she does not like it to say the least. Even though all this she still smiles at us and has a “happy face” as we continue to travel.   Now that we are in warmer weather, we think she likes it more.  We know we do.

December 17 – 19, 2009 we stopped in Picacho Peak State Park in Arizona.  This is a beautiful state park that offers camping and some wonderful hiking trails.  David and I were only going to stop for the night.  However, it was so beautiful, we decided to stay for a couple of nights.  We woke up with some huge cacti right outside our window.  Spectacular sunsets and peacefulness all around us.  Their were other campers there but everyone seemed very respectful of the quietness that surrounded us.  There was even a guy in a camper that sat out all day painting the scenery. This is definitely a place to mark on the map to come back to and stay longer.

As you can see, we’ve been busy.  Hence, falling behind on our blog.  Sorry about that.  After we went to Carlsbad Caverns, we headed to White Sands, New Mexico.  White Sands is a National Monument.  The ride there is interesting.  We went through some snow covered mountains.  We had beautiful weather though.  When we reached the top of this one mountain we were over 8600 feet up!  If there was a place to pull over, we would have.  Just to take it all in.  There was a little town on the top called Cloudcroft, NM.  The temp was 50 degrees and the kids were outside ice skating on the frozen over pond, and snow tubing down the hills.  So Charles Dickens.

When you start heading down the mountain, you can see White Sands in the distance.  Here you are on a snow covered mountain, looking at a desert valley.  It’s weird.  Once you reach White Sands it’s very eerie.  These white sand dunes seem to come out of no where.  The dunes are actually Gypsum sand.  Which is finer than salt.  It almost feels like a rough flour.  In the gift shop you can purchase plastic sled and sled down the dunes.  Some people were doing that.  All I could think of was the clean up!  This stuff gets every where!  That’s a little too outside my bubble for my taste.  I didn’t want to spend the next two weeks cleaning sand out of the rv.

Here’s some pics from White Sands National Monument.