03-29-2025, Florida Key West Trip 3/27 – 6/30 2025, 96 Days, 7986 Miles, 44 Stops

29 March 2025, Santa Nella, California

I did not fall asleep until 4:00 AM, but Barry let me sleep until about 8:30 this morning. I wish I knew why I cannot sleep. I am turning into my mother. I walked out to see birds while Barry did his thing with the RV. I saw a Turkey Vulture, hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds and about eight Rock Pigeons. We packed up after breakfast and headed down I-5. 

We do not miss the road conditions in California. Not much has changed on I-5, other than more housing. We made it to Santa Nella around 2:30 PM. Uncle Richard and Aunt Laura met us at our RV park around 3:00 PM. They came from Uncle Richard's seventy-first Turlock High School reunion in Turlock, California.

Aunt Laura and I took off to the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in her new car. It is only about ten minutes west of the RV park. The whole reason we camped here is to visit this cemetery. My Uncle Sam Threet, Aunt Florence and Laura’s first husband, George Heiser, are buried there. I found Uncle Sam and Aunt Florence's gravesite quickly, thanks to Find A Grave and a map I found online. Find A Grave listed the section and site #. The cemetery is very well-marked, so it was easy to find. The great thing about this cemetery is that in the upper right corner of the headstones is the section number and then the site number. All the graves are in numerical order. You can see this information in the photo of his gravestone below, 9 965. The cemetery is a beautiful and peaceful place with a great history of how it came to be. 

We returned to the RV park, picked up the guys and drove across the highway to the Hotel Mission De Oro. The restaurant is in the back with beautiful gardens, firepits, and a substantial, gorgeous greenhouse where they grow vegetables for the restaurant. We were so impressed with the inside of the restaurant and the menu. This is not something you would think was in Santa Nella. If you ever get a chance, check it out. The food was delicious and plated nicely. 

It was wonderful spending time with Uncle Richard and Aunt Laura. I have missed them since we moved to Oregon, even though we call each other. 

Copyright © 2025 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.

2023-03-29 Wednesday Pismo Beach Oceano Campground

Today was another property search day with K & J, Santa Maria, Nipomo, and Orcutt. We drove through a few gated communities but nothing with room for RV and boat storage. We did see a few lovely older homes with large lots, but the houses need a lot of work. 

We ate in Orcutt at Blast 825 Brewery, Brussels sprouts, super tater-tots, steak bites, and onion rings. Don't worry; we did order a basket of fries. We love this place. Great looking brewery. Unfortunately, there were only a few homes to see in this area after lunch. 

Long-Billed Curlew

We were home by 4 PM. We decided to walk the campground to stretch our legs. Then we had a last-minute decision and walked to the beach. It was cool and windy, but a great time to be on the beach. Only a few people and lots of birds. Just to hear the ocean and birds was worth dealing with the cool air. 

Most of the clam shells were complete

Long-Billed Curlew

While we went on our walk. Jan put the lasagne in the oven and prepared a Caesar salad for dinner. 

We played Sequence after dinner. Barry and I won 3 out of 5 games. The first time we have played in a long time. I love this game. Check it out if you have never played. Sequence Board Game

We left their motorhome around 9:30 PM, just before the rain hit, and it was one heck of a good storm. 

I love drifting off to sleep listening to the rain. 

Copyright © 2023 by Jacqueline Threet Henderson, Jacqueline's Jaunts. All rights reserved.