Day 2 running into Day 3

Sunday evening, January 16, 2011
The Tehachapi Moose Lodge welcomed me with open beer bottles at about 5:30 when I buzzed the door to ask if I might park in their lot for the night! They ran an extension cord out the back door "by the garbage bin" and I backed into the slot and hooked up.
So here I sit at 6:00 p.m., with the heater blowing at my feet, and plenty of light. I had hoped to make it farther today but didn't leave Fresno until around 2:00 p.m. Dan took it upon himself to check all the battery connections and make sure they were working and clean before he checked the battery charge (about 11.4) so we went to Pep Boys and got a new battery for the box, compliments of my darling friend BJ, who is very generous with her recent inheritance! She didn't tell me until yesterday that her mother had passed away on Christmas Day.
It has been overcast all day, a rather still wintery day with some fog sitting on the roadway along Hwy 58 from north Bakersfield heading to Barstow. Since I was in Tehachapi in October 2010, I remembered a fabulous Mediterranean cafe and had hoped they would be open, but since it's a family establishment, I rather expected they'd be closed. So that's ok. There's a Mexican place not far from here. I'm not sure if I should go into the Moose Lodge and have a beer with the locals or not... it would probably be fun... pool tables, etc., but I'm more introspective and after a visit with the Kramers, I feel more like holding my own counsel. I gave the Moose bartender $10 donation to stay here. They were so nice.
BJ gave me an ice cream dessert last night that I ate with my fingers and utter delight! It was green tea MOCHI, a Japanese treat. Mochi is a rice-flour confection and we nearly died laughing when she said it was like an ice-cream filled scrotum! BWAA HA HA HA... and if you haven't eaten this oral sensation, you'll probably (especially if you're a man) not be laughing! I'm still chuckling.... alot!
Living in such a safe place as Mendocino has lowered my guard in so many ways. Traffic for one. Big trucks, speeders, tailgaiters, etc. On the way to Bakersfield a very noisy motorcycle passed me so close to the rear-view mirror on the driver's side I though his head or shoulder would bump it, and he came from nowhere and was VERY loud and unnerving. Got my adrenalin pumpin' for sure! Actually just about scared the crap outta me! No other problems, though.
The morbid thing I've started to do is tally roadkill... 2 housecats today, several raptors in these two days, 2 coyotes, 2 skunks and 2 raccoons and a few UFO's Unidentified Flattened Objects.
I'm not able to get online from here, so have written this in a WordPad document and will put photos into Picasa now so they'll be there tomorrow night. A Moose patron said to allow 8 hours to get to Sun City! Long day's drive. But at least I'll head out in the morning!
My state of mind: calmer, needing greens, feeling great, happy to be on an adventure, reconnecting with the pre-2003 me!!!, glad I have so many incredibly wonderful friends!
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I finally arrived in Sun City with Linda and Dan Foss, techies from Livermore Lab and Linda is a family friend from babyhood, so we have a few things in common, like her sister, for example!  Their house in Sun City is luxurious and on the golfcourse and they were able to acquire it with the sale of their Clayton (Concord area) house a few years ago.  They are avid RV'ers who have gon all around the country in a HUGE bus-like rv... laughed when they saw me comin' with my tail draggin.  I'm exhausted after driving from Tehachapi, CA to Sun City.  The last time I got gas was over $50.  I doubt at this point that I'll be continuing on to TX to visit friends since that's the only reason to go there, and a valid one it is, but it's ridiculously expensive.  The CoCo Van is giving me issues with ... electricity.  I did have heat last night, but no refrigerator which I'll need in Tubac tomorrow and for the next 3 days; and water.  The main panel isn't working so I can't check battery power, but the lights work great inside, and since there's a brand new batter, well, great.  

I'm going to take a shower ................... yes, it's about time... and then sink into the luxurious bed they have for their guests!!! and let Dan show me HIS rv in the morning and send me on my way to Tubac with a new map, directions, and hope for a fun trip. 

I do like doing this.  Don't get me wrong... just need to work out a few kinks!