Travelogue

Well, we were back at our home away from home and nearing the end of what was to be our longest time away from home – 32 days.

We spent the majority of our time doing final RV maintenance and prep to go home. Herb did manage to successfully replace the voltage regulator, so our generator was back in business. As Herb would say, “For one, what I am sure will be one very brief moment in time, everything is working in the motorhome.” Poor Herb. It is getting more and more difficult to maintain a 15 year old motorhome, especially when you live on the other side of the country from it.

That moment of peace was all too brief, however. On our last night, we were cozied up in the back watching a movie, when something made me go up to the front of the RV and check the vent above the cab. The California drought had finally decided to end, or at least take a short reprieve, and it had been pouring out for several hours. Sure enough, the vent was leaking and there was a steady drip drip of water onto the bed above the cab. We put a pot underneath it and by the next morning there was a quarter inch of water in it. This was not a situation that we could just ignore, as the rainy season was coming and we were headed back East for we didn’t know how long.

The next morning we went to a local hardware store and bought some plastic tarp and duct tape and tried to securely cover the vent. It was still drizzling though, so Herb was worried that the surface wasn’t dry enough to really guarantee that the tape would stick. We really didn’t have much of a choice though, so we just crossed our fingers and hoped that it would hold.

After trying to protect the vent, we drove down to Oakland to Andrew’s office to pick up his car. The last time we were out West, Andrew had come up with the idea of us staying at his apartment the night before we fly home and driving us to the airport the next morning, rather than us having to deal with a cab and the Sonoma County Airport Express. Plus, it gave us another night to spend together.

So, we got Andrew’s car, drove it back to Petaluma, loaded it with our luggage, stored the motorhome, and drove back down to San Francisco – a little bit of a logistics nightmare, but still better than doing it in the morning.

As we usually do when visiting them in San Francisco, we met them at Planet Granite, the rock climbing gym that they belong to and one that we have come to really enjoy during our visits. I can’t believe how much I like climbing these days!

After climbing we went back to Andrew and Celeste’s place where they cooked us a delicious pasta dinner. Their apartment has really come together so nicely. It is so cozy and adorable, and we absolutely love spending time with them there.

The next morning Andrew, good son that he is, dropped us off at the airport on his way to work. Saying goodbye wasn’t as tough this time, because Christmas and the boys arrival in New Jersey, was only 3 weeks away.

Description

The Petaluma KOA is an award winning camping resort located within an hour’s drive of San Francisco, Napa and Sonoma Valley Wineries, giant redwoods, and Sonoma County and California Coastal Beaches. It is considered to be the RV resort in the San Francisco Bay area.

On its 70 acres, there are 312 spacious RV sites, 32 camping cabins, and 10 Wine Country lodges.

Other amenities include:
• Guided tours of San Francisco (from May through October)
• Huge heated pool and spa
• Inflatable waterslide
• Rock climbing wall
• Huge playground
• Petting zoo
• Karaoke
• Hayrides and live weekend entertainment

The campground is open all year.