2 Apr 2019 - Last Day in LA - What?

2 Apr 2019
After serious consideration I threw in the proverbial towel this morning.  My back is screaming and we cannot realistically enjoy sightseeing  or anything that requires walking or standing, so why are we still here?  Last night was the worst so far, so this morning we discussed it and made the decision to cut our losses and head home.  I am very disappointed this happened, especially because we do not know why it happened.  We cannot put our finger on one single event - no falls or heavy lifting.  Because it is both sides radiating down my legs I assume maybe I popped a disc or something.  Well, it is not going to be fully diagnosed and treated until I get home, so lets make it happen.

So today we spent "unscrewing" the remainder of the trip, and there are many moving parts.  Luckily we got refunds for most everything, although the financial side of this was secondary. 

Our new itinerary eliminates stops in Barstow CA, Las Vegas NV and Wichita KS, and adds stops in Needles CA and Lawrence KS.  We had to delete the Hoover Dam tour and the Grand Canyon Pink Jeep tour.  This morning we turned in the rental car (that we rented yesterday...) and shorten the reservation here at Seabreeze RV Park departing on 3 Apr rather than 14 Apr.

This is our path home now (two nights at each stop):
3-5 Apr:  Needles CA
5-7 Apr:  Flagstaff CA
7-9 Apr:  Albuquerque NM
9-11 Apr:  Amarillo TX
11-13 Apr:  Oklahoma City OK
13-15 Apr:  West Kansas City/Lawrence KS
15 Apr:  Home
15-19 Apr:  RV at Cherry Glen to unload as we get time
19 Apr: RV to storage

We stopped by the RV Park to shortening our stay and request a refund.  I gave the staff our two Giants-Dodgers tickets for tonight and the parking pass.  I did not figure there was enough time to try to sell them.  Then we drove down to Enterprise to turn in the car and on the way I fuel the truck for tomorrow's trip.  Ouch, California!  $3.999 for diesel!  Most expensive diesel on our whole trip.

Then I spent much of the day making phone calls and working online on everything else.  Doreen did a final load of laundry and prepped our RV for departure. On the walk to the laundry facility, Doreen took a few more pictures of the ground squirrels. 

They look and act like a Midwest squirrel, but they burrow into the ground rather than climbing trees.

These holes are everywhere!

I was really disappointed as we had made plans with Rick and Suzette Nicklaus, my Air Guard buddy I served with  Des Moines.  The four of us were going to tour Hollywood and other areas together on Thursday until we decided to leave early.  So Rick and Suzette brought over a feast this afternoon for supper to include two different kinds of lettuce salads, beef tri-tips with barbecue sauce, bread sticks, two different kinds of pizza and birthday cake for Rick as it is his birthday today!  Also they brought us over some more grapefruits and the largest, most delicious strawberrys I have ever seen!!

Monster strawberrys!

 We had a lot more on our list to see and do in the Los Angeles area and on the way home, but it will have to be a different time.  We will definitely stay here at Seabreeze RV Park again as it is one of the nicest military campgrounds we have ever visited.

Next report from Needles CA tomorrow night!