GETTING READY TO OPEN

WE FOUND OUT WE WEREN'T GETTING PUMPKINS TODAY, AFTER ALL. SO, THIS WOULD BE OUR LAST DAY OFF FOR A WHILE. PUMPKINS WERE COMING THE NEXT DAY AT 11:00. WE FINISHED CLEANING AND PAINTING THE CASHIER'S BOOTH AND WENT TO THE LAUNDROMAT AND WASHED ALL OF OUR RUGS. WE HAD LUNCH AT  MARIA'S ITALIAN RESTAURANT, DELICIOUS!! WENT TO MICHAEL'S AND BOUGHT HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS FOR THE CASHIER BOOTH. WE  STARTED PUTTING THEM UP RIGHT AWAY.

WE BOUGHT ORANGE LIGHTS AND GARLAND.

WE FOUND SOME CUTE DECORATIONS FOR THE FRONT AND SIDES THAT COULD BE USED YEAR AFTER YEAR.

WE WERE VERY HAPPY WITH THE WAY IT TURNED OUT!

  DOUG AND GREG CAME BY AND BROUGHT US WHITE PUMPKINS AND SQUASH.

GREG IS JERRI'S HUSBAND AND DOUG'S RIGHT HAND MAN. THEY HAVE WORKED WITH DOUG AND DEIDRA FOR YEARS. WE HAD LUCKED OUT AGAIN TO BE WORKING WITH SUCH GREAT PEOPLE!!

I DON'T REMEMBER EVER SEEING WHITE PUMPKINS BEFORE TODAY.  I GUESS THEY ARE VERY POPULAR, THEY CALL THEM GHOST PUMPKINS.

THEY FINISHED SETTING UP THE SQUASH AND PUMPKINS. IT LOOKED REALLY NICE!

AGAIN, I  NEVER KNEW THERE WERE  THIS MANY VARIETIES OF  SQUASH.  I GUESS PEOPLE BUY THESE TO COOK AND DECORATE WITH.  GREG AND DOUG ANSWERED A FEW QUESTIONS WE HAD AND THEY MADE SURE WE HAD  EVERYONE'S  CELL NUMBERS,  IF WE HAD MORE QUESTIONS.
 THE BULK OF THE PUMPKINS WERE COMING TOMORROW.

THE PUMPKIN LOT, OUR NEW HOME FOR A LITTLE WHILE!

WE GOT UP EARLY, NEITHER ONE OF US HAD SLEPT WELL, WORRIED ABOUT THE HIGH WINDS PREDICTED FOR TODAY. THE WIND WAS NOT BLOWING AT ALL AT THE RV PARK IN VENTURA, SO WE GOT ON THE ROAD AS FAST AS WE COULD.
WE DROVE A LITTLE WAYS......AND THE WIND  STARTED  BLOWING  HARD!   WE TALKED ABOUT TURNING BACK, BUT DECIDED WE WOULD GO A LITTLE FURTHER. WE WERE DRIVING ALONG AND I LOOKED OVER THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS A TRAILER/TRACTOR UPSIDE DOWN, SMOLDERING AND BURNED. THAT SCARED ME!!  WE MADE IT SAFE AND SOUND, THANKFULLY!!".   HERE ARE OUR "NEW DIGS".

 ON THE NEWS THAT EVENING, WE LEARNED THAT A WIND GUST HAD BLOWN THE TRAILER/TRACTOR OFF THE ROAD INTO A CAR LOT AND STARTED ON FIRE, BURNED ALOT OF CARS!!   SOMEONE WAS LOOKING OUT FOR US!!
 WE GOT SET UP AND DARRELL CALLED DOUG TO LET HIM KNOW WE WERE THERE. HE WANTED US TO DRIVE TWO BLOCKS AND MEET JERRI, WHO WAS RUNNING A LOT. WE WERE CURIOUS, SO WE DROVE OVER AND MET JERRI, DOUG'S WIFE, DEIDRA, AND LATER ON DOUG STOPPED BY.  JERRI ALREADY HAD PUMPKINS AND ALREADY SELLING THEM. ALL VERY NICE FOLKS. DEIDRA SAID WE COULD GO BUY SOME HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS FOR THE CASHIER BOOTH.WE WERE EXCITED TO START THE PUMPKINS!!

WE WILL HAVE  BOUNCY CASTLES  FOR THE KIDS, POPCORN, AND MUSIC!!  IT WILL BE A PARTY!!
MAGGIE AND MARLEE SEEMED RIGHT AT HOME,  THERE WAS PLENTY OF ROOM FOR THEM TO RUN AROUND AND IT WAS FENCED. THEY COULD BE OFF LEASH IF WE WERE OUT WITH THEM.

MARLEE WAS ON THE HUNT AFTER FINDING THIS HOLE AND SEEING A GROUND SQUIRREL RUN DOWN THE HOLE.

WE DIDN'T GET MUCH SLEEP THE FIRST NIGHT. AS SOON AS IT GOT DARK ENOUGH,  A HUGE SECURITY LIGHT CAME ON, RIGHT OUT OUR BEDROOM WINDOW. I KEPT TELLING DARRELL TO TURN OFF THE PORCH LIGHT. WE WOULD HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. THE "DO IT BEST" HARDWARE STORE NEXT DOOR PLAYS MUSIC ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT IN THE PATIO AREA.  THAT WAS VERY ANNOYING!! WE WILL  TRY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT.
SUNDAY WE WENT EXPLORING, FOUND A LAUNDROMAT, ITALIAN RESTAURANT, GROCERY STORE, DRUG STORE, ALL VERY CLOSE TO US.
WHEN WE GOT HOME I STARTED CLEANING THE  CASHIER'S BOOTH  AND DARRELL FOUND SOME PAINT IN THE TRAILER AND PAINTED SOME OF THE PLACES THAT NEEDED IT.  HE FOUND QUITE A FEW THINGS IN THE TRAILER THAT WE WILL NEED.

PREVIEWING THE PUMPKIN LOT & VENTURA BEACH

WE GOT UP THE NEXT MORNING AND HEADED TO AGOURA HILLS AND THE PUMPKIN LOT. VENTURA BEACH AREA HAS ALOT OF FARMS AND ALOT OF CROPS GROWING. THIS WAS RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE RV PARK.

WE WERE  ANXIOUS TO SEE WHAT WE HAD GOTTEN OURSELVES INTO. WE WERE GRATEFUL, THERE  WASN'T ALOT OF TRAFFIC THAT MORNING.  I DID NOT REALIZE CALIFORNIA HAD SUCH LARGE HILLS.

AND BEFORE LONG HERE WAS THE TURNOFF TO AGOURA HILLS, OUR HOME FOR A LITTLE WHILE.

WE LOVED THE LOCATION AND IT LOOKED LIKE A NICE SETUP.

THIS WOULD BE OUR VIEW OUT THE FRONT.

THE PUMPKIN LOT IS BETWEEN A SHOPPING CENTER AND A HARDWARE STORE, THIS IS THE HUGE PARKING LOT FOR THE SHOPPING CENTER. WE WERE NEAR SHOPPING AND RESTAURANTS. WE WERE PLEASED. WE LOOKED THINGS OVER AND PLANNED HOW WE WOULD BRING THE FIFTH WHEEL IN THE NEXT DAY. 

THEN, IT WAS BACK TO VENTURA BEACH. WE WANTED TO GO DOWNTOWN VENTURA AND FIND THE OCEAN!!

WE FOUND A PARKING SPACE AND JUST TOOK OFF WALKING. VENTURA IS A BEAUTIFUL QUAINT LITTLE BEACH TOWN.

WITH LITTLE SHOPS HIDDEN DOWN LITTLE ALLY STREETS.

AND BEAUTIFUL HOMES BUILT IN THE HILLS.

WE JUST KEPT WALKING UNTIL WE FOUND THE OCEAN!!

AND VENTURA PIER.

WE WALKED THE WHOLE PIER.

LOOKING BACK TOWARD VENTURA.

VENTURA  BEACH IS A BEAUTIFUL AREA.

WE HEADED BACK TO THE TRUCK.....AND SAW THIS SIGN.......

AT LEAST THESE FOLKS HAD HIGH GROUND TO HEAD TO...UNLIKE THE FOLKS IN WESTPORT, WA.

WE LISTENED TO THE LOCAL AND WORLD NEWS THAT EVENING AND FOUND OUT THAT OUR HOMETOWN, RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA WAS HAVING A BLIZZARD. LOCAL NEWS PREDICTED HIGH SANTA ANNA WINDS FOR THIS AREA TOMORROW. WE KNEW WE HAD TO GET AN EARLY START....WE WERE HEADED TO THE PUMPKIN LOT WITH THE FIFTH WHEEL.

ALMOST THERE!!

 

WE WERE GETTING CLOSER!! WE WERE HEADED TO VENTURA BEACH RV RESORT TODAY. WE WOULD BE WITHIN 30 MILES OF AGOURA HILLS. THIS WAS THE CLOSEST RV PARK I FOUND TO AGOURA HILLS. WE LEFT BY 8:00, AND RAN INTO SOME HIGH WINDS  RIGHT AWAY, BUT THANKFULLY THEY DIDN'T LAST LONG.

 

WE DROVE BY SMOKEY BEAR ROAD.

AND DROVE THE  "GRAPEVINE". WE HAD BEEN WARNED ABOUT "THE GRAPEVINE", BUT WE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS BAD....AT LEAST NOT TODAY.

LOTS OF BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!

WE ARRIVED IN VENTURA AT 4:00.

WE FOUND THE RV PARK EASILY.

I WAS A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED....I THOUGHT WE WOULD BE CLOSER TO THE OCEAN.

IT WAS A NICE RV PARK, BUT THE WAY IT WAS DESCRIBED ONLINE YOU COULD SEE THE OCEAN. YOU COULDN'T SEE IT OR HEAR IT HERE.
WE GOT SET UP, MADE SUPPER, WENT TO BED EARLY, WE WERE HEADED TO FIND THE PUMPKIN LOT IN THE MORNING!! 

LODI, CALIFORNIA

WE ARE OFF TO LODI, CALIFORNIA TODAY.  I FOUND A BEAUTIFUL PASSPORT AMERICA PARK WITH A POOL AND HOT TUB. TODAY WAS GOING TO BE A LONG DRIVE, BUT WE WERE UP FOR IT. WE GOT AN EARLY START, LEFT AT 8:00. YOU COULD SEE THE SKIES STARTING TO CLEAR.

 

THE DRIVE WAS BEAUTIFUL AND BEFORE LONG, WE WERE IN CALIFORNIA!

WE GOT TO SEE MT. SHASTA THIS TIME, WHEN WE CAME THROUGH IN APRIL, MT SHASTA WAS IN THE CLOUDS.

SAW THIS SIGN ON THE WAY.....THIS IS HOW WE FELT!!

IT WAS A LONG DRIVE!! WE GOT TO FLAG CITY  RV RESORT AT 4:30. IT WAS WORTH THE DRIVE!!!

WE WERE GETTING SET UP AND I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AND MATT AND LYNETTE DILLON CAME DRIVING UP AND PARKED TWO SPACES  DOWN FROM US. THIS WAS A COUPLE WE HAD MET AT WESTPORT. WE WERE ALL SURPRISED TO SEE EACH OTHER!! 

IT IS A VERY SMALL WORLD!!!  DOUG BENNETT CALLED TO LET US KNOW WE HAD ALL THE HOOKUPS FOR THE PUMPKIN PATCH, AND THAT WE WOULD BE GETTING PUMPKINS MONDAY. WOW!  DARRELL TOLD HIM WE WOULD BE ARRIVING SATURDAY, HE SAID THAT WAS PERFECT! HE SOUNDS VERY NICE!!

WE WENT OUT FOR PIZZA AND THEN OFF TO BED, WE WERE TIRED!

WE WOKE TO SUNSHINE AND BLUE SKIES!!! FINALLY!!!

 

 WE HEADED TO WALMART AND TO EXPLORE.

 WE FOUND THIS "OLD MACDONALD'S". YEARS AGO WHEN THE FIRST MACDONALD'S CAME TO RAPID CITY, THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE. IT BROUGHT BACK SOME MEMORIES!!  THIS WAS ALL THE KID'S HANGOUT WHEN WE WERE "KIDS."

. WE JUST HAD TO HAVE A BURGER!

WE'VE SEEN A FEW OF THESE  IN OUR TRAVELS, BUT I BET THERE  AREN'T MANY LEFT.

THEN WE DROVE  TO DOWNTOWN LODI. 

 

WE STOPPED BY PHILLIPS FARM ON THE WAY HOME.

                                                  WE BOUGHT A FEW THINGS.       

                                               

THE GRAPES WERE SO SWEET!!

ON OUR WAY BACK TO THE RV WE NOTICED THERE WERE  GRAPES GROWING EVERYWHERE!!

AFTER DOING A FEW CHORES WE WENT OVER AND SOAKED IN  THE HOT TUB. WE HAD ANOTHER LONG DAY AHEAD OF US!! WISH WE'D HAD MORE TIME TO SPEND  HERE,  I LOVED THE AREA!