Orangeland

January 16^th, 2014

Yeah, so, what happened between Christmas Day and now? We decided that the time between Christmas Day and now would be our “November 2013 ”, the month which we had planned to take to learn how this thing works. But first, we needed to find an authorized Thor dealer to begin making repairs on all the items under warranty that weren’t functioning. Half of these problems were us just not knowing how to use them, a few were because we rushed the dealer so much when we picked it up that they never really got a chance to explain how everything works (most RV dealers give a comprehensive two hour walk through explaining how it all works before they let you drive off their lot.) Some things though were just bad like the driver’s seat that’s tilted forward and which I kept sliding out of on the ride out here. The windshield wipers that quit on us during the Arkansas Typhoon, a water pump that may or may not be inoperable, part of the bathroom wall that had begun to peel way from its supports inside…and of f course, the passenger side mirror assembly (that one we have to pay for.) The dealership kept the RV for an entire week and fixed everything they could but parts had to be ordered so instead of traveling around after Christmas we decided to hugger down in Orangeland.

Orange land is only a mile from our kids’ apartment and it consistently gets high marks from its customers who contribute to the various sites that rate RV parks. It must have once been an orchard because between each space are one or two citrus trees from which you can literally pick oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes. On one of our first mornings here, Mary Ellen picked a Ruby Red grapefruit and cut it in half for my breakfast. I love grapefruit and have never tasted anything so sweet in my life. The stories about fresh fruit are true – you really can taste the difference!

Since that sunny day in Oklahoma described on our third day driving out here, we have had nothing but cloudless, deep blue skies with no humidity, highs between 70 and 80 and not a cloud in sight. There is always a slight breeze blowing which sometimes turns into a substantial wind; at night it calms down and cools off to 50. At first it seemed a little too artificial but now we are enjoying it more each day.  But as my son pointed out to us, you have to remember to stay hydrated because you really are still in the desert. We have been drinking enormous amounts of bottled water and Gatorade and should we forget to keep doing it, a dull headache, exhaustion and a cranky disposition are reminders to drink up.

We’ll be here until February 3^rd, then take two weeks to explore the rest of Southern California. We’ll be back at Orangeland by the 17^th for Maureen’s 30^th birthday and then begin our trek back towards Florida for our stay at Disneyworld which we missed out on in December. After that, it’s the Florida Keys. Below are some shots of our Orangeland “neighborhood.”

That first one is ours

Our Pride and Joy