Bakersfield, California: Just a quick update from Bakersfield. After spending Sunday night stealth-camping on Brother Billy's street in Merced, we continued south on Highway 99 today and are now only about 240 miles from our paradise campsite at the Motorcoach Country Club.
Our internet router died, so I finally went out and bought a new wireless router. I can set up a wireless router and assign new network names and passwords in my sleep. It is so ridiculously easy. Except this time. Dang thing would not work. We had working internet and we had a working router. These two things were not getting along.I phoned our satellite internet provider. They said it was the router. I called the router manufacturer. They said it was my service provider. Heck with it, I put the satellite dish down and decided to deal with this problem after we were settled in Indio... except I had another random thought and phoned the internet provider again, asking if they had a new update or "change file" or something that maybe they had not sent my way?
B I N G O.
Five minutes later, a tech sent the file to our modem (via magic satellite). My system blinked, possibly farted burped, and then everyone was speaking to each other again.
I'm really too old for this - and certainly too old (and SHORT) to keep hopping up and down from the driver seat to unhook cables, wires and rewiring stuff crammed into the cabinets holding our internet hardware above the driver area. Every park we have camped in this trip has had decent wifi, but there is nothing like your own secure network - especially if you want to do online banking or download the latest episode ofHomeland.
Crisis over.
The Bakersfield RV Resort has an on-site cafe and bar, so we went up there to watch Monday Night Football and get some grub. Campers checking-in get a 10%-off coupon for food (not booze) at the restaurant.
The bar area was busy and the rest of the restaurant was completely full. The restaurant is popular with RVers and locals. Full bar, a ton of TV's, really friendly staff and a varied menu (from burgers to steaks to salads). Tonight they had a pit-BBQ beef taco salad special - $12.
After dry-camping the past two nights, we made full use of our 50 amp full-service campsite. Several loads of laundry. Long showers. Radiant floor heaters.If everything goes according to plan, we will arrive to Indio tomorrow. Maricella is cleaning our casita tomorrow before our arrival. Yellow flowers have been planted. Our golf cart will be delivered Wednesday. This is the plan. Let's see how everything goes.
Until my next update, I remain, your anxious correspondent.
RV PARK: Bakersfield RV Resort - We stay here several times a year. It is just a few blocks off Highway 99 and they have long pull-through sites that can accommodate our Big Rig without having to unhitch the tow car. No need for the car anyway, as the RV Park has a perfectly-fine restaurant and bar on-site - The Crest. Reasonable prices and campers get a 10% discount on food. Full service, paved, 50 amp, cable, free wifi, fitness center, laundry, bathhouse, pool, hot tub, store, ice, limited RV supplies, free warm cookies in the afternoon. We paid $39.60 with our Good Sam discount - same price as we paid in November 2013.