Planning A Slower Couple-A-Months

A private view on a hike in hidden Santee hills, CA

For various reasons we’ve decided to stay put around San Diego for a few more months. You could call it an extension of our whole “take your time” motto that’s naturally becoming part of our 2012 travel plans. So far we’re loving it here. Weather is spectacular, natural beauty abounds and we’ve got tons of friends & activities in the area, plus there’s plenty of opportunity to do day-trips to interesting spots.

Burst of early flowers by the beach

Just to keep things fresh and the ol’ travel-bug fired-up we’re going to mix-up the months by moving around -> some time boondocking in the desert (this coming week), a month by the coast and more time in-land by the mountains. For the moment it all feels “right” and although it’s not quite the rapid pace of our previous 2 years it’s all part of the RV lifestyle. Move as you want and enjoy the spots you like while you’re there.

This is beautiful coast. Paul poses at Solana Beach, CA.

Another novelty of our longer-stay winter is that we’ve made firm friends with just about everyone around our rig. I’m a natural-born conversationist so I’m usually nosing my way into whatever is going on around me. We’ve got the snowbirders out back who’ve just taken Paul golfing for the day, the young Navy family in front of us with a cute lab-chow mix that’s become Polly’s new bestest-boyfriend, and the folks to the side of us who’ve got a new German Shepherd pup and are a bit overwhelmed (I’m going to give them some free dog-training lessons today). It’s this same sense of community which draws many RVers back to the same spots year after year, and I can certainly understand that attraction.

Golf by the beach anyone?

Oh, and for those of you who perked up like prairie dogs at the mention of golf let me say that so far it’s only Paul going that route. He was a rather keen player in his youth and has taken it back up this year with great enthusiasm. In my case, my lack of patience and complete absence of hand-to-eye coordination has (to the great boon of other players in my opinion) kept me happily off the greens. Of course, between grumbling about his swing and cursing the slice, Paul keeps trying to convince me it’s a fun sport. You should never say never of course, but I do tend to lean to Robin William’s view on the matter (if you’ve never seen this is definitely not PG, but it’s a classic!):

Having nothing to say that can beat that skit, I’ll leave you for a relaxing week-end in the sun. Next stop, the wide-open desert…..we’ll see you there!

Beer and Outdoor Frolicking (Golden, CO)

There’s something about being in a place that brews a lot of beer that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. The thought of all that water flowing down the mountainside feeding itself into happily fermenting vats, or rows of beer bottles clinking merrily on shelves. Ah yes, it gives the place a truly cozy feel. Now, the minor fact that we don’t drink beer (much) doesn’t distract from the outstanding atmosphere which can easily be supported by a few margarita’s and the  company of good friends.

And that was how we found ourselves in Golden, CO.

Located just ~10 miles outside of Denver this cute little town produces more beer per capita than any other city in the US, but boasts so much other play too. Set picturesquely in the foothills of the Rockies, it’s an adult playground with an outdoor feel. You can river-raft Clear Creek in the AM, go for a jaunt at the local Farmers Market and then top it off with a Mocha at the corner coffee shop. Then, in the afternoon you can drive on into Denver for a Rockies game and spice it up with a few pre-game drinks at one of the many local breweries.

Our friends from California, Matt and Tracie joined us for the week-end and we did all that and more. We’ve got another week here so plenty of time to get into trouble and do it all again. I gotta say, I’m starting to love Colorado….

A few margarita's for the atmosphere

Hanging out at a brewery in Denver w/ Matt & Tracie

Paul gets into the swing at Evergreen Golf Course

Modelling wetsuits for our river-rafting trip down Clear Creek

Great seats at Coors Field for the game