Palomar Mountain State Park



This was our first true boondocking experience and it is a good thing that we did it before we left the general area of the Airstream dealer.  Boondocking or dry camping is what you call camping without any supplemental power or water and is typically what you find in National and State Parks.  It is a really good idea to test out your capabilities to boondock before you really need to!  We had previously determined that the propane hot water heater does not work.  This trip we learned that there is some sort of issue with one or both of our batteries.  We have been miserly with our usage of water and electricity since we are not hooked up to any facilities.  We stopped at Camping World on the way and bought a Honda generator (Jeff will tell you more about that later).  Jeff set up the generator with no issue and we watched a DVD on the TV before 8pm when you are required to turn off your generators.  They are noisy and even though we bought the quietest model possible, you don’t want to spoil the atmosphere for other campers for your luxury.  We have now decided to drop Betty off at the dealer on our way back from Palm Springs to have these issues taken care of.


Getting to our campsite was a real test of Sally and Betty’s capabilities to work together and keep me and Jeff safe.  It is a mountain and had I looked at the road map with all its switch backs, I may have voted for a different camping location.  Sally pulled hard and we turned off the AC about ¾ of the way up the mountain because the engine was overheating.  Sally is capable of towing Betty, and just proved it coming up this mountain, but she is by no means over powered for the job!  This is why we are not planning to drive over the Rocky Mountains in the winter.  Eventually we made it to the tippy top of the mountain and the ranger’s station.  Since the thermometer was over-reacting to the engine temp, it told us it was 113 degrees.  My phone said 98.  Fortunately, the forecast called for cooling into the 80s during the day and 60s at night or we would have turned right back around at that point.  These ‘firsts’ are learning experiences and we are glad to have them. 



The Chef
Jeff set up the new grill and we enjoyed our first real meal of tri tip and salad plus some amazing cabernet from Rob and Tess, our Ragnar buddies.

Our Dining Room
















We have no cell service here either and will really have to get used to doing without our electronics.  Fortunately, we can charge our computers and tablets off the batteries and generator, so I am using the time to type out my notes for the blog.  Jeff remains very industrious and has done some battery work, changed the tires on my bike, taken a bike ride himself, plus a shower and a nap.  I have busied myself settling in to my storage options for the kitchen, bathroom and my clothes.  All is now organized and I have WAY TOO MANY CLOTHES!  I have my France/Spain/Panama clothes which I will wear in civilization and I have running and biking clothes which I had better wear to get myself in shape and merit all the space that they take up in Sally and Betty!


Funny enough, when we got here, Jeff announced that he does not like bugs or bug spray.  I guess nobody does, but add to that my desire to not get dirty and being a certified clean freak, it made me wonder just how we have gotten ourselves into this adventure!?  By far the most memorable aspect of this stay was our departure.  The road inside the state park was paved, but narrow such that you would look for a wide spot in order to pass oncoming traffic.  For absolutely no reason that I can fathom, we encountered a tractor trailer on our way out!  I'm not kidding.  What in the ____ was he doing there?  I was absolutely positive that we were going to either rip off the driver's side panels on Betty or drop the passenger side tires off the road causing the entire rig to roll down the mountain with us in it.  I even did that thing where you lean in away from the door to make sure your weight is actually helping to keep the car from falling off the road.  I still can't believe that we didn't die!  Betty did suffer a small scratch in her top coat from the tree branches but we think we can buff that out.  I am seriously going to veto all other mountain top campgrounds from here on!!!


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