Golden Village Palms RV Resort in Hemet

After we got off the mountain on Friday we really didn't have anywhere to go because we were booked until Tuesday at Silent Valley Club. We are scheduled to arrive at Wilderness Lakes in Menifee on Tuesday. Although we were blessed to have our rig and be off the mountain we didn't know where to go. We really aren't very far from Menifee and we are already booked for 21 nights in the Thousand Trails there.

As soon as I got down the mountain I pulled over and looked on my Passport America Android Application for anything near. The Golden Village Palms Resort had great reviews but pretty pricey! Even with the 1/2 price we get with PA it was expensive, but frankly we were pretty exhausted from the last few days and didn't really care, besides we were just so overjoyed to have our rig back we just wanted to park it somewhere.

I called the park to make sure they had a space for us. They assured us they did and told us since we were evacuees we would even get one night free! The next three nights after would be 1/2 price. They have different prices on their sites, the most expensive being the LONG pull through sites at $80.00 per night ($40.00 at PA price).

I told her to just give us the least expensive back in. She said with the free night and PA price for four nights it would be $76.00 including tax. $19.00 per night which is a GREAT price! We drove the 20+ miles to the park.

Golden Village Palms RV Resort

When we checked in we were so spent from the whole experience from the last few days I asked how much they would charge to upgrade us to the pullthrough site. We just wanted to pull through hook up and go to the pool. She was nice enough to give us the site for no extra fee!

Here is our site # 821.

Pull through site # 821

After we setup we went to the pool and even the jacuzzi. It was very relaxing. They have three pools and hot tubs. The heated pools are perfect, probably about 85-86 degrees.

Pool area

We slept well Friday night. Saturday Dave, Elizabeth and Madeline Nees stopped by and visited us for awhile. Elizabeth used to work for Patty and UBS and they have stayed friends. The Nees' have moved to the Fresno area but happened to be in Hemet visiting relatives. It is fun catching up with old friends! :)

Sunday we went to Calvary Chapel in San Jacinto, and then went to breakfast at the Hanger One Cafe. After that we just goofed around at the pool for several hours. 

Monday we had an appointment to have our 5th wheel washed. It is amazing that there is no smoke smell at all from the fire! There was a smoke fog in the campground, but this rig does seal up tight! The rig was very dirty though, probably more from Acton then from the fire area. The rig is beautiful now, but that won't last long! :)

Clean Rig!

After they cleaned the rig, Patty wanted to go to the Sobona Casino. The Sobona Tribe is the tribe that opened their truck road that we used to evacuate the mountain on Wednesday evening.

We find that the "Indian Casinos" tend to be the most generous with their free slot play promotion when you sign up for their game cards. The Sobona Casino gives you $15.00 free play, so you are not even playing with your own money if you stop after you go through the 'bonus' $15.00 play.

I played first and found a lucky machine. These are considered penny machines but most of them you have to play at least 40 cents. This one you would play 56 cents to open up the Extra Play. The Extra Play seemed to randomly bring up a horse-racing track that would give you so many horse numbers based upon how much you were betting. Since I was betting the minimum I got one horse. There were four progressive dollar amounts. Somehow my horse came up and I won $180.00!!! It was the second to the best I could win. Remember I was playing completely on house money! At this point I still had their money left, so there was no reason to quit. If you quit now you lose out on their money.

Big Win

I then hit 10 free spins. This ended up bringing me up to the $223 you see below! 

Lucky machine

Patty couldn't find a lucky machine and lost all but $5.00 of her $15.00, but keep in mind that since we didn't have to use our own money we were still up $228.00 between the two of us! Not bad!!

We walked out and went into to Hemet to La Fogeta Mexican restaurant that Elizabeth and Dave and told us about. It was very good and we will go back if we come through here again.

Tomorrow we head to Menifee. This has been a crazy week, and we feel for those that have lost so much. We appreciate all of your prayers, they have helped us through this. God has been faithful and we know that!!!

God Bless you all,

Brian and Patty

 

We made it out! Hallelujah!

                        **** UPDATE*****
Just heard that they are finally going to allow people to pick up their rigs at Silent Valley tomorrow 'Sunday' morning between 6:00 and 9:00 am. They will need to be out by 11:00 am. They will also have to go up the much longer highway 74 route. This is almost 48 hours after we were blessed to be able to pick up our rig up the shorter highway 243. You can read our story below!
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Today started like yesterday, nobody knew anything! I told the motel manger that I wanted to stay another night IF there was hope we could pick the rig up on Saturday, but they are not telling us anything. We would check out at 10:00 but would like to stay again if we did not go stay at James and Crystal's house in Ventura.

He said just let him know by 3:00 and he would hold the room until then for us without charge. No problem if we cancelled, he did not take a deposit. That was very nice of him. They also had a free continental breakfast and he  made a mean waffle! :)

We called EOC, Riverside County Road services, 211, anyone that we could think of and nobody could tell us anything! Patty thought maybe we could come up the back way from Hemet through Idylwild, even though it was also closed. I thought why don't we go to the roadblock in Banning which is much shorter and see what they can tell us.

An extremely nice CHP officer said he didn't really understand why we couldn't go through because the road was fine. He thought we should be able to go get our rig. He was waiting for word from his boss which should come within the hour. He suggested I come back in about an hour. At least we were getting somewhere and had some hope!

We came back at 12:30. He said the word was not back yet, and he was thinking about just letting us go. He said he wanted to try and talk to someone up the hill and make sure it was safe. He asked us to give him one more hour.

We came back at about 1:25. He had a line but signaled us around the line. He said he still had not heard but told us to just go around and get our rig! Wahoo!!!!

We started up the road. Although the landscape was devastated the road was in good condition!

Highway 243

They should not be letting the general public in yet because there are still some smoldering spots, and there was some down lines that the electric company was working on, but the homeowners and people that could prove they had property up the road should be let in.

Road up the mountain

Although there were a lot of homes that were saved up here, the firefighters did an awesome job, there was also burnt homes. Very sad!

Burnt Homes

We got to the turnoff to Silent Valley. You can see that even the sign was burnt.

Silent Valley

The campground was burnt around it, the barn was burnt down and some of the sites were burnt, but overall the campsite and ALL the rigs were saved. Some of the rigs were covered with the red phos-chek. It is a liquid red slime! We were blessed and our rig was completely untouched!

Campground

The staff at the campground told us we were definitely the first ones in to pick up our rig. They were happy to see us. We told them how much we appreciated them!

On our way out we saw this water dropping helicopter. The fire is not out yet, it has just moved east towards Palm Springs.

Helicopter

Here we are going back down the 243 grade heading into Banning.

243 Grade

When we got to the bottom we thanked the CHP officer. We sure hope he was not in trouble for allowing us to go up. He is OUR hero! Thank you sir!

We went into Hemet to the Golden Village Palms RV Resort, It is a very nice place. We are going to relax here for a few days until we go to Wilderness Lakes in Menifee on Tuesday.

Again we thank you all for your thoughts and prayers! Obviously since it is not yet 5:00 and we are in our rig relaxing and the 243 is not yet open they really worked!!!! 

God Bless you!

Brian and Patty

Silver Fire and Silent Valley Club Part II

We spent Wednesday night in a very uncomfortable Motel in Hemet. I would like to say the bed felt like a board, but that would be insulting to the board.

We got no sleep, probably the fact that we did not know if we would still have our home on wheels did not help. We decided to go for breakfast after checking out of the motel. When we are in a place we are unfamiliar with and do not know where to go for breakfast I usually check the Mr. Breakfast website. It has NEVER let us down, and did not this time either. We found a small little cafe at the airport called "Hanger 1 Cafe". Awesome food at great prices. If I am ever here again we will eat at the Hanger again!

The fire has continued to grow. As of this time it has grown to 16,000 acres and only 25% contained! This picture was taken at the Cafe over one of the hangers.

Smoke Cloud

After eating we decided to go to Hemet high school where one of the two evacuation centers was. We thought maybe we could get some information there. Unfortunately although there were a few Red Cross volunteers there, there was no evacuees there. The volunteers had no info and suggested we drive to Beaumont High where there was the other evacuation center. There was more action there and a better chance of getting information.

Beaumont was in fact the spot. They had cots laid out, they were supplying razors and toothbrushes, and even 3 meals a day.

Unfortunately still no information. We were encouraged to check-in and have some lunch. The Red Cross was contracting to the school cafeteria to supply the meals. We had a burger, salad, fruit and chips and surprisingly it was good. 

A young man running for city council is the city liaison. As of yesterday afternoon he had not slept since the fire. He recommended a small Rodeway Inn in Beaumont. The bed was much better and the room was clean! 

We went back to the center for diner, Teryaki Chicken, and then went to Walmart to buy some more essentials since we had only gotten out with one extra pair of clothes.

Teryaki Chicken with Fritos

The most frustrating part is not knowing when we can get up the hill to retrieve our home. James has offered to have us stay with them until the road gets opened up. We greatly appreciate that. If we knew it would be two or three more days, we would be there. But if they allow escorted trips up the hill to receive the trailer today or tomorrow we want to go get it.

The fire is almost to Palm Springs, so it seems that they could open up the 243 on a limited basis, but I guess they know better then we do, I mean we don't know anything because nobody is saying anything! That's all we want is some information so we can decide what to do!

Having said all that, we are truly blessed, last count there are 26 homes that are destroyed, peoples lives are changed because of this fire. We believe that our home on wheels is fine, we are just a little inconvenienced. 

We were talking with a couple from Twin Pines who did not know if their house was destroyed but seriously believed it was. NBC interviewed them. During the interview the wife lost it and started crying. They probably lost everything but cannot go up to find out. 

I don't much care for the media and especially NBC but I want to give high praise to this reporter! He said he was going up to her area later and he took her address and phone number and said he would call her and let her know the condition of her house! 

Patty hugged her after the interview and tried to console her. What can you tell someone who may have lost everything. Sometimes a quiet hug is all you can give!

That's our update for today,

God Bless you and pray for those impacted!

Brian and Patty

Silent Valley Club RV and the Silver Fire

We left Acton and the Soledad Canyon Thousand Trails on Tuesday August 6th. We headed above Banning to the Silent Valley Club RV park which is an RPI affiliate park. I have been wanting to come to the Silent Valley Park for about 5 years but it was just not to be while we were working.

We got to Silent Valley Tuesday at about 1:30 in the afternoon and found a real nice pull through site. They had a problem with the check-in system so they told us to go find a site and come back to check-in, which we did. Because it is an RPI and not a TT park we pay $10.00 a night. Still a GREAT deal.

We settled in, and decided we would probably go up the hill further on Wednesday to Idylwild. There is also a TT park near Idylwild, but RV Bill told us it would be really hard to get our rig in there so we came here instead.

We got a late start this morning and decided to go back down to Banning instead to do some grocery shopping. Silent Valley is on Poppet Flat Road just off the 243. Sound familiar? Yep, as we were leaving we some some smoke across the road.

Smoke across the road

The rangers did not really have much information, but said the fire was not large yet. They said it could explode in the dry brush. They would not recommend going down the hill because we might not be able to get back up.

The fire quickly got larger! Soon there was a voluntary evacuation. The fire was heading directly at us! We started getting ready to leave. We hooked up the 5th to the truck and was ready to leave. The voluntary became mandatory. We were ready to pull out, but then both ways on the 243 became closed! We were trapped. The fire had reached Silent Valley!

Saving the campground!

The staff here as well as the brave fire crews fought valiantly to save the campground and the rigs and people in it. The fire got some of the campsites, but mainly the ones on the perimeter. 

E section

We had parked our rig against a hill, but more towards the center of the park. We felt pretty safe, but about 6:00 PM the Sheriff Department came through the park and said they were again forcing a mandatory evacuation, but because we would be going down a dirt single lane mountain road, rigs would not be allowed. We would have to leave our home on wheels! We were already hooked up ready to go, so we decided to move to a more central location away from trees and away from the hill we were against. We hoped we would give ourselves the best chance for our rig to survive without us. Because we were being rushed to leave, I just pulled forward into a "back-in" site, unhooked, and 4 x 4 out of the site.

It is hard leaving your home, not knowing if it will be there, not knowing where you will go, and when you can return!

Hotshot Crews in the staging area

We know God is in control of all! We are safe and the trailer can be replaced, so we left in faith. We went to the staging area and watched the helicopters use the pond at the RV park for refilling to fight the fire.

Chopper drops

The Hotshots also were out in force. Here they are with a dozer cleaning up the mess! A lot of people lost their homes today. So far we have not. Pray for those that have!

Dozeer

They lined us up to caravan down a very rough dirt mountain road called Soboro Road. Many of the senior citizens were very anxious about the drive, in fact at first refused. They were told they had no option! The Sheriff led us very slow down the mountain, but I am glad I had the truck and not a Honda Civic.

Waiting to Caravan

Here we are lined up ready to caravan down the hill.

Ready to go

By the time we actually left it was getting dark. I know it was hard for some of the older people because I saw how they reacted on some of the downhills. We thought later we should had offered to drive another car for someone.

We could have gone to a shelter set up at Hemet High School but we opted to stay at a Motel in Hemet. That is where I am writing this blog. Tomorrow I will need to keep an eye on things and see if we can go back up the mountain. If we have to stay another night here we will.

Well that's it for tonight, it has been eventful and it's time to go to sleep!

God Bless,

Brian and Patty

Blackbird Airpark, Palmdale, CA

On Saturday July 27th, we went into Palmdale to the Blackbird Airpark. The is the world's only display of a SR-71 Blackbird, an A-12 which is the Blackbird predecessor and really the Blackbird's test project, the U-2 spy plane which is what Francis Gary Powers was shot down over Russia in, and the D-21 reconnaissance drone.

The plane in the front is the A-12. It is a single pilot spy plane, while the SR-71 has room for two. You can see the small window behind the cockpit for second person.

SR-71 and A-12 Blackbird Spy planes

These blackbirds set altitude and cruising speed records by being able to fly at over 2,200 MPH (Mach 3.5)  and at over 80,000 feet in elevation.

Left: SR-71   Right: A-12

The D-21 was a  reconnaissance drone and an offshoot from the Blackbird family. It would be launched from a vehicle in international airspace, fly a pre-programmed course, fly back into international airspace and eject the camera and film. It would then self destruct.

D-21 Drone

The U-2 was developed in the 1950's. Although it had a low top speed of 500 mph it was able to fly at 70,000 feet. We thought that would not allow the Russian radar to detect it. Unfortunately they could detect it and shot it down with Powers flying it.

U-2 Spy plane

The shooting down of the U-2 caused us to find another way to fly over Russia. That is what caused the development of the A-12 and SR-71. With it's high tech titanium metals, higher speeds, and higher altitudes we never lost one on a mission. We did loose twelve of them during training missions however. The Blackbird was in service for 20 years but was pulled in 1980 due to budget issues.

Right next to the Blackbird Airpark is the Joe Davies Heritage Airpark. The amazing thing is that both of these Airparks are absolutely FREE to visit! They are truly remarkable and are worth the visit! You can walk on a dirt path between both parks.

Here is a map of the planes at the Airpark.

Joe Davies Airpark

I'm just going to show some pictures of some of the planes. Some of what we thought were the cooler ones. You will just have to come visit if you want to see them all! :)

Here is the C-46 Commando

C-46 Commando

View of the park!

More Jets

Reading about the F4 Phantom II.

F4 Phantom II

And of course here is the F5 Freedom Fighter!

F5 Freedom Fighter

Another view of the park!

Lot's of planes!

Here is the F86 Sabre.

F86 Sabre

The T33 Shooting Star looks like something from an old cheesy 50's space alien movie! :)

T33 Shooting Star

And of course we can't forget the B52! It is a very large plane!

B-52 with AGM-28 Houndog

Underneath the B-52 you can see an AGM-28 Houndog. This is a "Cruise Missile" that is launched from the B-52 that can carry a thermonuclear warhead. It got it's name Houndog from the Elvis Presley song, 

AGM-28 Houndog

Well that's it for today!

God bless you all!

Love you,

Brian and Patty