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Santee Lakes

16 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by Sergio Caltagirone in Travel, United States

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california, paddle boats, Santee Lakes, swimming, VanDeCampSeesAmerica17

11 – 16 March 2017 Santee, CA

Packing up the RV in Anaheim to pull away was less than smooth.  We lounged around longer than we should have and then while breaking down, we had a lovely older couple sharing their full-time RVer stories and telling us of the gentleman’s miraculous health recovery.  We loved chatting but realized the time, and we needed to get going!  We made quite a mess while dumping (gray, not black, thank GOD)!  The hose kept detaching, and there was wet sand all over the ground and thus our hands and then just all over us.  Good times!  Remind me to shower tonight.  Yikes!  We pulled away from Anaheim RV Park at 11:45 AM and hit the road!

We spent a wonderful week at Santee Lakes.  We pulled into spot #232 at 2:30 pm.  Check-in was a breeze.  The recreation area is run by the water bureau and is a set of 7 lakes used to manage and reclaim storm and runoff water.  It’s a fantastic place, and we regretted not spending more time there.

Our nighttime campsite in Santee Lakes – notice the bareness indicating our transient nature

It was our first real experience spent around full-timers who live there or spend most of their time, at the park.  We learned we’re called “transients” (those who move between parks regularly).  Interestingly, you can tell full-timers based on how much stuff they have on their porch (like potted plants, etc.) and bling (such as LED lights) around their RV.  We met some wonderful people like Clive (originally from West Lynn, OR) and Teresa, his mother-in-law (from Ontario, Canada).  Our children made fast friends with Megan and Ryan, their children and spent most of the day digging and chasing the plentiful lizards.

 

Sergio working outside in Santee Lakes

Our neighbor, Steve, also a full-timer was super helpful troubleshooting our leaking black tank flush.  He gave us two washers and hose quick-connect.  People have been so kind and helpful to us newbies as we learn the way.

 

They had a great pool.  The first day we went to the pool too late after the sun went below the hills, and even a pool heated to 76 degrees is cold when the temperature drops.  However, we found the best time at the pool was after 2 pm when it was hottest.  We also met a couple who lives in Denmark half the year but spends the winters at Santee Lakes.

 

Homeschool at Santee Lakes

At night and even early morning, you can hear the coyotes – an active bunch at the lakes not only howling at night but roaming around your campsite in the morning.  The sounds of their padded feet on the sandy soil easily distinguishable in the quite calm.

 

This isn’t all a vacation, although we try hard to balance, we work every day, and the kids keep up on their homeschool too 🙂

On Tuesday the 14th we went on the paddle boats and while it was at 10:30 am it was quite warm.

While in San Diego I’ve heard you have to try the Mexican food – so we went out to discover something awesome, and we found it at El Rancho in Santee.  HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!  The tacos and enchiladas are great.  We ate there for lunch both Tuesday and Wednesday.

While we spent most of our time at Santee Lakes and around the Van de Camp, we did get out to see the USS Midway on Wednesday.

We pulled up stakes at 11:30 am and headed to Lake Isabella, CA!

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Last Day in Hawaii – North Shore Swimming and Coconuts

25 Monday May 2015

Posted by Sergio Caltagirone in Travel, United States

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beach, Coconut, Hawaii, Oahu, Papaya, Sugar Cane, Sunset Beach, swimming

19 May 2015 – We decided to spend most of our time on our last day in Hawaii swimming.  I took the kids to the pool in the morning for an early swim and then we headed up to the North Shore for some lunch and beach time.

We had lunch at a Thai food truck near Giovanni’s shrimp truck surrounded by papaya trees.

Papaya tree on the North Shore

Papaya tree on the North Shore

Heading back south towards the better beaches we stopped for a quick treat – fresh coconut and sugar cane.  First the kids were given the coconuts to drink and then we had them split to eat the meat.  Isabella loved it but Aurelia and Lucas didn’t care for it too much.  Giuliana enjoyed chewing on her sugar cane.

Aurelia, Lucas, and Isabella drinking fresh coconut water

Aurelia, Lucas, and Isabella drinking fresh coconut water

Giuliana eating sugar cane

Giuliana eating sugar cane

Lucas eating sugar cane and wearing a bow in his hair

Lucas eating sugar cane and wearing a bow in his hair

Isabella eating fresh sugar cane

Isabella eating fresh sugar cane

Isabella eating fresh coconut

Isabella eating fresh coconut

After our snack headed back to Sunset beach so the kids could play in the waves.  The waves were perfect for the kids, except Aurelia who was sucked into the break a couple of times while trying to fetch water for her bucket.

After playing in the waves the kids tried to excavate the sand from the beach for a couple of hours.  It was a great time and a really nice time on the beach.

Giuliana at Sunset Beach

Giuliana at Sunset Beach

Aurelia, Isabella, and Lucas excavating the sand at Sunset beach

Aurelia, Isabella, and Lucas excavating the sand at Sunset beach

After time at the beach we headed back to the house to enjoy an hour in the pool (helpful in cleaning off the beach).  We also used the grills near the pool to enjoy hot dogs and sausages after swimming.

We will miss our time in Hawaii but really enjoyed the time we had with many memories of our adventures and time together.

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Disney Brunch

13 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by Sergio Caltagirone in Travel, United States

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Tags

Aulani, Disney, Hawaii, Oahu, pool, swimming

12 May 2015 – After a morning swim in the pool we surprised the kids with a Disney character brunch at the Aulani resort.  We all had our picture take with Mickey and then sat for a buffet brunch where Minnie Mouse and Goofy came by to visit.  The kids loved it.

The family with Mickey Mouse

The family with Mickey Mouse

Lucas, Aurelia, Isabella, and Giuliana with Mickey Mouse

Lucas, Aurelia, Isabella, and Giuliana with Mickey Mouse

Goofy visits the table!

Goofy visits the table!

A visit by Minnie Mouse

A visit by Minnie Mouse

The kids even got to join in on activities – which included a fish parade and a hula with Minnie (see video).

Lucas and Aurelia paraded through the restaurant as fish

Lucas and Aurelia paraded through the restaurant as fish

Lucas and Aurelia paraded through the restaurant as fish

Lucas and Aurelia paraded through the restaurant as fish

After the hula the kids showed off their Minnie Mouse ears

After the hula the kids showed off their Minnie Mouse ears

Then, we headed over to our nearby local pool for a couple of hours of more swimming.

Isabella enjoying the pool

Isabella enjoying the pool

Aurelia and Lucas enjoying the pool

Aurelia and Lucas enjoying the pool

Lastly, we got together with some wonderful friends from Yakima who now live in Hawaii.  It was great to see everyone.

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