San Jose to Santa Barbara

1/22/05 - TheTech Museum in San Jose
Today we drove to San Jose and went to another Lens Crafters and then to TheTech Museum. It was a little cool and a lot disappointing. Many of the exhibits were not working properly and we were not provided with a good map of the exhibits, so we spent a lot of time looking at things we weren't that interested in and missed some things we were interested in. The best part was an IMAX movie on the Forces of Nature. They had some awesome footage of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tornadoes displayed on a seven story dome over our heads.

1/24/05 - Heat Pump Saga Continues
We finally got our coach repaired today. Alpine Recreation in Morgan Hill (Map) put in a new front heat pump and toilet. Unfortunately, when we got back to the Maple Leaf RV Park we discovered that the Furnace was no longer working, so we'll have to go back tomorrow and get that straightened out.

1/25/05 - Hot Pot City
This morning we dropped off our coach again at Alpine Recreation in Morgan Hill and they spent most of the day figuring out why the furnace would not work. We spent the day driving back up to San Jose to pick up some sunglasses that my wife had ordered at Lens Crafters.

This afternoon we picked up the coach and drove it back up to Milpitas (Map) where we spent the night. We found a great restaurant near there called Hot Pot City which serves a combination of Taiwan, Japanese and Chinese food. We selected from a wide variety of mostly raw food which we then cooked at our table on a small BBQ and in a boiling pot. It was quite an experience.

Downtown Solvang

1/27/05 - Solvang
Yesterday we drove back down US101, stopped in Gilroy for Diesel and Propane and continued down to Buelton (Map). We parked at the Flying Flags RV Park, set up camp and attempted to sign on to the Internet. After an hour or so of trying, we decided we went to dinner at Anderson's Pea Soup restaurant, which is world famous for its pea soup (of course). When we got back we still did not have an Internet connection.

This morning we tried the MotoSat DataStorm system again without any luck and so I called technical support. After about half an hour on the phone, they suggested we try a different location, so I pulled the coach into the middle of a big open field and tried again. After another half hour or so, I called them back again. They said they would have to do some research and call me back.

So we drove to Solvang which is a very picturesque town with a distinct Danish style. For lunch I had Danish pancakes and then we strolled around the town for awhile, checking out many of the restaurants and art galleries. One of our favorites was the Thomas Kinkade Gallery.

I left my wife in Solvang to get the car washed back in Buelton. On the way back I stopped and took some photos at Ostrich Land . Then I drove back to Solvang and took many more photos, including these of some great cloud formations as the sun went down.

Beautiful Clouds

When we returned to our coach the DataStorm had mysteriously started working again. However, because it was almost dark and we needed to move from the middle of the big field back to a camp site we lost our connection. After moving to a new campsite, we ran up the MotoSat and tried, without success, to get another connection. After another Anderson Pea Soup dinner we finally did get a good connection to the Internet.

1/28/05 - DataStorm Saga Continues
Today I called Mobile Satellite Technologies (my Direcway ISP) again but did not get much help. The tech support person said that he would make some phone calls and see what else could be done. FYI, Hughes provides the Direcway Internet Service by using a satellite system similar to DirecTV . MotoSat makes the DataStorm antenna, which is controlled by the D2 controller (which is installed on the roof of the coach) which works with a Direcway DW6000 modem to provide an Internet connection to a wireless router which communicates with our laptops.

While this system has many advantages (always on connection that is faster than dialup, works with any computer/router combination, no phone lines required, etc.) it does have some disadvantages (sensitive to severe weather both at the coach and at the Direcway/Hughes operations center in the Washington, DC area, slower than wi-fi connections, etc.).

So we went for a drive to Lake Cachuma, returning via Santa Ynez and Solvang because Hwy 154 was closed between Lake Cachuma and Santa Barbara. Here are some photos that I took on this beautiful afternoon.

1/29/05 - Casa Dorinda
We drove to Santa Barbara (Map) to have lunch with my Aunt Betty and Uncle John today. They live in a beautiful retirement community called Casa Dorinda. We had a nice lunch in the dining room and then spent a few hours chatting about this and that in their large 2 bedroom apartment. We also picked up a big pile of mail that we had forwarded to them. It was great to see them again. I hope that my wife and I are as active, healthy and mentally sound when we are their age (80+).

On our way to Casa Dorinda we stopped at the Center of the Heart in Santa Barbara where the movie Indigo will be showing this weekend. We got involved with the Beloved Community about two years ago when we were taking a course on Spiritual Peacemaking. James Twyman (the author of Emissary of Love-The Psychic Children Speak) and Neale Donald Walsch - (the best-selling author of the Conversations with God books) cowrote this movie and solicited small contributions from thousands of people to finance it. My wife and I contributed about $100 to the cause and so were excited to be able to finally see the finished product.

Indigo was actually finished about a year ago (after only 9 months and just in time for the Santa Fe Film Festival) but it took a long time to get it playing in regular theaters. Even at this point the film will only be seen on this weekend in select AMC Theaters and churches all over the world. We were happy to get tickets to the Sunday night showing.

When we were in Solvang the other day, my wife saw a quilt and a red purse that she really wanted. I sort of talked her out of the purse but bought her a red hat instead. When she got home, she did some research on the Internet and determined that she could not get the quilt anywhere else for less. So today she was excited to get back to Solvang and purchase the quilt, and of course the purse. They are both beautiful and practical.

1/30/05 - Indigo and the Center of the Heart
Tonight we returned to the Center of the Heart and had a great time connecting with some great people, watching the movie, eating pizza afterward, and then discussing the film for about an hour after that. I felt the film was a good primer for people who don't have much experience with psychic abilities, but fell rather short in its production value and message, especially for those of us who have considerable knowledge about Psychic Powers.