California here we come . . .

Our first destination back in California consisted of 2 relaxing weeks in Palm Desert. Of course our visit included a hike of the Big Split Rock Slot Canyon located in the Mecca Hills northeast corner of the Coachella Valley. This slot canyon was so tight, we had to take our backpacks off just to get through it.

We were lucky that the Jacqueline Cochran Airshow in Indio was taking place during our visit in the area, which was amazing up close. The video is a jet car racing an airplane… unbelievable!

We took the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway to spend the day and hike the Mt. San Jacinto State Park and Wilderness Area.

Joshua Tree National Park was so different than anything we had ever seen before with all the unique rock formations. These Joshua trees are only found in this area and were spread throughout the park.

We stayed at the Malibu Beach RV Park on a bluff overlooking the ocean. What a million dollar view! We had to play tourist being so close to Hollywood and took a tour of the famous Hollywood sign and visited some famous stars homes in Beverly Hills.

We finally made it to Huntington Beach, Sue’s old stomping grounds. She and her friends use to come down here every year in the 80’s to boogie board and play. The second week of our stay in Huntington parked us right next to the beach. The Huntington Beach Pier was in view right from our motorhome.

Sadly, the very first night in Huntington Beach, Sue tripped over a small bumper on the ground, fell and broke her wrist. Needless to say, the pictures tell the story. She had to have surgery 17 days later while down in San Diego, and had a plate and 7 screws installed. This was not how she wanted to spend Thanksgiving morning, that’s for sure!

The last days of our trip landed us in Chula Vista, just south of San Diego. Sallie’s mom Norma joined us for Thanksgiving. The two of them participated in the San Diego Turkey Trot, since Sue was in surgery during that time. Norma took 1st place in her age group… Congrats to her!

To recap our 8 month journey, we traveled 8,100 miles to 45 different RV parks, 2 countries including 2 provinces and 9 states. We hiked 165 miles over 70 different hikes, biked 40 miles and got saddle sore on mules and horses for 24 miles. Not to be forgotten, on our 15th anniversary, we were surrounded by our family for our wedding.

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!