Visalia

We're a bit over 300 miles north of the sunny and warm Palm Springs area, having just settled in at the Visalia-Fresno South KOA.

We left Indio at 8:00 AM in hopes of dodging crazy SoCal traffic. Less than two hours into our drive we were passed by a motorcycle doing what we guessed was at least 100 mph. This lunatic was jumping from lane to lane and, when that didn't work, splitting the lanes between two vehicles. Seconds later we were passed by two or three CHP cars and spotted a helicopter following the action. Hopefully, the speed demon is spending tonight in jail and nobody was hurt. With that kind of excitement on a Saturday morning we were eager to keep moving north. The rest of the trip was incident free, thankfully.

Our furry friends gave us the most pleasant surprise today. Overall, they were quite calm, peaceful and quiet on the road. They seem to be getting the hang of this!

Tonight's stop at the KOA is a bit sentimental for us. This is the spot where we spent our very first night ever in an RV. Once again, some 40-plus camping nights later, we're happy to be settling in by the cozy light of the red and yellow teepee.