Laundry Day means Clean Clothes, Exploring the Park Amenities, Meeting the Glorified Rangers, Calm Day

Thursday, Feb. 2^nd at Silent Valley Club Resort, Banning, California. Bill was running out of clothes and I was a long way from it (what does that tell you after 2 weeks?) so we came up to the Laundry building at 8:30. This is one of those typical cabin type buildings normally found in a Provincial Park back home. I love it.

Laundry Facilities

Set up for waiting out the washers

There are 14 washers and 6 large dryers and no one else was here. That is an advantage of visiting in the winter. See? I’m finding perks already here at Silent Valley to replace our disappointments. Once Bill helped me load 3 washers up, we chatted up a couple of the park staff for a bit.

Bill even brought me a coffee

Bill went back to the Suite and I connected to their free wi-fi. Yay! This is how my blog will get posted while we are here, since it takes time to download the pics onto my blog. This is a bonus, not having to use our gigabytes. I’ve also got my book to read and direct connection to my sweetie with our 2-way radios.

And then came back to help fold

The sun is shining today and that is a plus since I thought we were supposed to get clouds and rain. Today consisted of a few walks and a lot of picture taking. The hot tub was open so Bill and I have made plans to go tomorrow afternoon if weather permits, since it is an outside Jacuzzi.

Tomorrow we'll check this out

Too bad this beautiful pool won't be open

On my 3^rd walk around, I stopped and picked up three novels for Bill and I to read. That should keep us busy for a few days.

Lounge at Adult Centre

Movies, puzzles

and a cozy area for 4 to curl up in

We had planned smoked pork chops for supper so started their prep around 5 or so. I made up a salad and steamed some cauliflower while Bill bbq’d. I was happy to see that Bill was working on a blog post today. You can check it out here.

These big trucks go in and out of here many times a day
We don't know what they're hauling, yet. 

Not sure what kind of bird this is but he posed for me

Truly beautiful scenery here

After eating and cleaning up I finished my book. Oh, my goodness, it was a nail biter and I have the thumbnail chewed down to prove it. Deliver Us From Evil by David Baldacci.

another big old tree

An abundance of squirrels

although some ran from me, the odd one seemed to
ask me what the heck was I doing there

Unusual bark on this small tree

Butt Rock? Hmmm.

Bill and I watched a couple of huge motor coaches pull in across the way and we both are amazed at how they climb this mountain. We’ll have to chat it up with them before they leave.

This unit is parked beside us. He obviously climbed
the mountain pulling this Charger

That is our rig back through this tree lined path

We watched some television before calling it a night. I’m falling in love with this park, despite the let-downs but unless Bill gets a better feel for the drive in and out, we probably won’t make it back anytime soon.

Biggest pine cones I ever saw

I take size 8 in case you're wondering

Well, how did I manage this photo? 

sometimes a gal has to get creative

I hope you’ve had a great day, as we have. Thanks for following. Any and all comments are welcome.

Making the Best of our Park, Steep Drive Down to Banning

Wednesday, Feb. 1^st was our first day to wake up in Silent Valley RV Resort. Because we gained an hour yesterday when we arrived, our bodies will need a day to adjust to the changes.

We woke up at 6 am and I had to reflect on why we felt so alert, so early. When I peeked out my bedroom window the sky was already becoming lighter and by 6:30 it was bright out there. Of course! That hour made a difference.

Our site, quite private

My view  across the drive, from my chair

As I mentioned yesterday, we have no cell service here so I didn’t hear from my sister, Donna, back home. I will miss that communication, we like to keep in touch. However, the wi-fi we have with Verizon is quite good and fast. I was able to get on and read blog posts, read e-mail and get into Facebook. Yay!

Back down the hill

Amazing views and snow capped mountains

One of the best things today was hopping into the shower. At Quartzsite we purchased one of those great Oxygenic shower heads. While boon-docking it increased the water pressure from our tank a substantial amount, making showers enjoyable. Here, while hooked up to water, OH MY GOODNESS! I don’t usually shower slowly, but today was the exception. That heat, that pressure was amazing.

We had a one slice toasted western for breakfast and left Clemson in charge of the house. We didn’t know what to expect from Banning but knew we’d find a grocery store at least. I went armed with a list, top of the list was bottled water.

Yup, that is where we're going, that road down there

Through rocky cliffs

The drive down the mountain was not as challenging as the drive up it with the Suite. I, personally, enjoyed the scenery more and Bill relaxed while making those twists and turns. He wants to drive it a few times so he’ll be comfortable going down in two weeks with that weight on behind.

The town did not disappoint us. We found Albertson’s on the west end, thanks to the truck gps and found the Post Office the same way. I was finally able to pop my post cards in the mail. Bill purchased more time for our Verizon account and I found the baskets I’d been searching for at Hobby Lobby.

While in Banning, we confirmed how far we needed to go to get cell service. Emergency calls were available at the Poppet Flats Road but we had to go right into the town to get texting/calling capabilities.

It was a good morning and we were home before 1:30 giving Bill an opportunity to work once more on our satellite connection. More configuring, moving and adjusting but it was being very stubborn. Finally, with one more move we got it! That made our day. We’d be watching tv tonight.

A Love Bug on the streets of Banning

The afternoon was warm with temperatures reaching 65F exactly as forecasted by the weather guessers. I read a bit outside and Bill did his own thing. I was able to take my camera out and about snapping a few pictures of the park. Tomorrow, I hope to explore even more and check out the book exchange.

Heading home again

Flying overhead

The rocks at Quartzsite were a bit hit, many people love the rocks. Here, I found another breed of rocks to love. They are huge around here, over the cliffs on the drive up here and all around the park. I’ve taken a few pictures of the large old trees and the rocks and thought I’d share them.

Beautiful old trees

I will miss the gorgeous sunsets of Quartzsite but will take what we can get here. 

Sunshine on the rocky peaks and snow covered mountains are pretty beautiful too.

Supper will be easy tonight, toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches sound really good for some reason. We watched our Wednesday night program, a new reality show called “Hunted”. We are enjoying it and learning a lot about just how easy it is to for someone to get into our lives. Scary too.

Note the sign in the back window

I was taking a picture of the crack in the rock but
this little guy stopped for a pose

After dinner, we settled in for more tv and tucked Jag back into the cupboard. It looks like some rain showers tomorrow and a bit cooler temps so it might be a good day for inside stuff. We’ll see.

I hope you have enjoyed the great weather wherever you are. Thank you for following our adventures here in the southwest. I love getting your comments.