The cup holders that are built in to our coach are a little small for some of our water bottles and travel mugs, so we added extended cup holders to enable fitting larger bottles:
shopping
Buying stuff.
Napa and Sonoma wineries: Domaine Carneros, Iron Horse, Korbel
Paso Robles isn’t the only wine region in California; while in Petaluma we visited three Napa and Sonoma wineries, sampling their sparkling wines.
First was Domaine Carneros, a fancy winery:
Charcuterie platter and sparkling tastings:
Wine list:
Jenn:
David:
Next was Iron Horse Vineyards:
Lastly, something a little different: the industrial Korbel winery:
We had lunch at their deli:
Then a tasting:
A bubble level helps us check when leveling our coach
Our coach has built-in hydraulic and air leveling systems, with a display that shows the level:
We pretty much always use hydraulic leveling, as it is more stable. In theory we just use Auto mode and it works… but sometimes on a rather unlevel site we have to switch to Manual to convince it to actually be level:
A useful addition to help check how level it is is a bubble level that shows two dimensions at once:
We put it on the floor to help see how level the coach is, and guide adjustments to get it level.
Paso Robles wineries: McPrice Myers Vineyards, Calcareous Vineyard, DAOU Vineyards, Parrish Family Vineyard, Le Cuvier Winery
While staying in Paso Robles, we visited a few wineries. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, we figured we’d just head out on a Saturday for a bit of wine tasting, stopping by wineries that looked good. Imagine our surprise when we learned that that is not how things are done in California — apparently one needs reservations pretty much everywhere.
We did manage to get an inside table at one place without a reservation, but that surprise really put a damper on the experience that day.
The place that took pity on our backward ways was McPrice Myers Vineyards:
We purchased a couple of bottles:
After that, we didn’t try any other wineries that day; instead we went to Rustic Fire for a tasty lunch:
Learning from our experience, we made reservations for some vineyards on subsequent days. The first was Calcareous Vineyard:
Inside the tasting room:
Outdoor table:
Tasting menu:
Food menu:
Order form:
View:
Outdoor seating:
Jenn:
Tasty food:
We bought three bottles (provided with a nice box):
Another vineyard, DAOU Vineyards and Winery:
Vines:
The security station on the driveway; we were turned away here the previous weekend, but this time we had a reservation (and nobody was staffing it this time, of course):
Fancy gate:
View:
Tasting room:
Patio:
Gardens:
Bottle list:
Flight and food menu:
Charcuterie platter:
Bottle:
Views:
We bought three bottles:
Another winery we visited (on another day) was Parrish Family Vineyard:
Patio area:
Tasting menu:
Food menu:
Price list:
Super tasty (and messy!) BLTA:
Our last winery in Paso Robles was Le Cuvier Winery:
They are situated on top of a hill, so have a nice view:
Though the covered patio is tucked away, not taking advantage of that view:
The experience there was a bit different, with wine and food parings to bring out the flavors:
Hat hooks
A minor addition to our coach is some hooks by the door for our hats. They are Command metal hooks, that use a convenient self-adhesive to mount without damage to the coach:
Open Roads fuel discount card
Our coach has a 150 gallon diesel tank, and gets about 7 miles per gallon, so we can use a fair bit of fuel in our travels.
We are glad that there is an option to save a bit of money: the Open Roads fuel discount card.
This service offers significant discounts off diesel fuel at select fuel stops, and enables paying at the pump, instead of having to go in to authorize the purchase (except in Oregon and Nevada).
It also includes an app that helps us find the discounted locations, and compare prices:
The detail page has additional information:
As a recent example, we filled about 76 gallons of diesel (half our tank capacity; we usually fill when it gets about halfway). The pump price was $376.66:
But we saved $92.82 on that fuel up, so “only” paid $293.77:
To learn more about Open Roads, take a look at this blog post and video on the Our Journey in Miles blog. They have a spreadsheet to help track the savings, too.
We don’t have a referral code or anything, so if you join, you could use theirs, or could enter “Jennifer Sinclair” as the referrer to give us credit.
Disney 2023: Disney California Adventure
After taking a day off (to work), we went to Disney California Adventure Park.
We enjoyed the tram again:
Entrance:
Trolly:
Spiderman:
Roving music:
Trolly:
100 year anniversary:
We had lunch at Wine Country Trattoria:
We got soaked on Grizzly River Run:
Video:
Music:
The Soarin’ ride was having a special show over California:
Model:
Cozy Cone Motel:
Popcone snack:
Mater:
Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree ride:
The Little Mermaid – Ariel’s Undersea Adventure ride:
We went to Pym Test Kitchen for dinner:
Back to Cars Land in the evening to enjoy the neon:
Captain America:
Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT!:
Radiator Springs Racers ride in Cars Land:
Mickey and Disney:
Magic Band light effects:
Locker:
Fountain:
Disney 2023: Disneyland
We visited Disneyland for Jenn’s birthday last year, and were in the area again this year, so decided to visit again, this time to celebrate our anniversary (28 years, if you’re curious). And just three days at the two parks, instead of five like last year.
First up was Disneyland, on our anniversary.
We were very pleased that the trams were running again; last year, they had suspended the trams due to COVID, so we had to walk the half mile or so from the parking garage to the resort. Which is not much compared to walking around in Disneyland, but not the best way to start or finish the experience:
On the tram:
First thing after entering Disneyland is a photo op below the train station (once again we got the Genie+ service, which includes PhotoPass photos all over the park):
Celebrating their 100 year anniversary:
Main street:
Castle:
No one selfies like Gaston:
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge area:
Another photo op:
We had a lunch reservation at Oga’s Cantina:
Ronto Roasters:
Shops:
The Mandalorian and Grogu:
We enjoyed the Rise of the Resistance ride (again; we did most of the rides last year too; we used the Genie+ service to snag LightningLanes for most of the rides, where available, to minimize waiting):
Then went immediately to the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run ride:
A snack at Docking Bay 7 Food and Cargo:
A duck and several ducklings:
Mark Twain Riverboat:
Mark Twain Riverboat and Sailing Ship Columbia:
Sailing Ship Columbia:
Pirates of the Caribbean ride:
Splash Mountain ride:
After that, a nice gentle Jungle Cruise was just the thing:
Then we went on the Mark Twain Riverboat for a cruise around the Rivers of America:
A duck on a moose back:
For our anniversary dinner, we had a reservation at Blue Bayou Restaurant, overlooking the start of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride:
Here’s the menu:
Castle at night:
Viewing area for the evening Fantasmic! show (included with the dinner package):
The show featured projections on water, fire (but not dragon on fire), fireworks, dancing, etc:
Mickey photo op:
A couple of days later, we went back to Disneyland a second time.
The Pixar ball at the parking area:
We bought Magic Bands, which were very useful; they can be used to get into the parks, access fast lanes, link photos, and have bonus interactions, among other things:
Main Street:
We used the lockers; a great way to bring in extra clothing, batteries, etc, but not have to lug them around all day:
The castle and Disney statue:
First stop was Toontown:
A new ride, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway:
A video of the fun entrance to the ride:
It was rather dodgy, though; near the end of the ride it shut down, and all the lights came on. We had to wait several minutes before being evacuated:
We were given a credit to come back later, which we did. The ride seemed to go down frequently. And when we went on it the second time, it had long pauses towards the end. Some more debugging needed, I think. Still, it was a mostly fun experience, and fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes peek.
Red Rose Taverne for lunch:
Try the grey stuff, it’s delicious (it really is):
Captain Hook:
Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage ride:
Matterhorn mountain:
We went for a sail on the Sailing Ship Columbia tall ship:
Below decks:
Pirates of the Caribbean, again:
We got Dole whip snacks from the Tiki Juice Bar:
Castle:
A ride on the King Arthur Carrousel:
Going for a spin at the Mad Tea Party:
Gotta subject ourselves to the earworm of It’s a Small World:
Tiny NZ representation:
Alien Pizza Planet for dinner:
Indiana Jones Adventure ride:
Nighttime Jungle Cruise:
Why not another kiddie ride, Winnie the Pooh:
Finishing the evening with fireworks:
A fun visit to Disneyland!
Engine compartment door stop replacement
One weak point in our coach is the door stop of the rear engine compartment. Twice I’ve had it break.
Here’s the rear door:
It is held closed with a couple of latches, that hook onto door stops like this (the left one):
Twice the right-hand one has broken off:
So I ordered some replacements from Tiffin, part number 5116094 (“REAR ENGINE DOOR STOP BRE 2016”):
I didn’t have any of the weather stripping padding, so I used some self-adhesive cupboard bumpers instead, which works fine:
I now have a couple more spare, so if it breaks again, I’ll be ready!
Phone holders
While driving our coach, we refer to maps on our iPhones, in addition to the built-in one.
To position the phones conveniently, we use phone holders from Amazon.
Jenn’s phone usually shows Apple Maps directions, in a holder suction-cupped onto the panel to the right of the AC controls:
My phone is usually showing either the RV Life GPS or Google Maps, while my Mac shows the Google Maps route. My phone holder is suctioned to a plate that is stuck on the edge of the pull-out passenger workstation:
It is easy to adjust them to the desired angle, or rotate them out of the way when not driving.