The right to vote

I received my forwarded mail from Texas yesterday which is always a delight. Buried within the various magazines and bills was a notice from Sonoma County mailed to Texas with the residence address listed as the Cloverdale park where I worked. All I had to do was return the card to them with the address where I want my ballot sent. Best of all is the box to check that I want to be a permanent absentee voter.

Woohoo and hallelujah! I can vote.

Some of you may be wondering why all the fuss. I take my voting right very seriously. When I was in college at 16, it was 1965. My mother was a Republican and my stepfather a Democrat. We would have discussions at dinner about current events and politics: local, national and international. We covered communism, socialism, the peace movement, Vietnam, unions and the economy. Every time there was an election and they received their sample ballots, my parents would argue for weeks about their political preferences: "You Republicans don't care about the working man." "You'd vote for a monkey if he was a Democrat." Then they would go to the polling place, stick their chins out and cancel each other's vote. But they voted.

One of the worst problems I had being in college at 16 in the 60s was the fact that I couldn't vote until I turned 21. Five years was a long time to wait when you're politically active. I was thrilled when the voting age was lowered to 18: too late to help me when I needed it but a much more reasonable age.

Ever since I was able to vote in the 1972 election, I have never missed an opportunity to do so. My record is intact and my vote will be counted this year.

San Francisco by RV: free

I know what you're thinking: how can I take my RV to and through San Francisco? It has hills and narrow streets and is RV unfriendly. Well, I travel there quite frequently, know where to park and where all the free stuff is. Since I was setting up my calendar for next year, I thought I would share.

First, there are two ways to enter San Francisco with your RV from the north and east: over the Golden Gate Bridge via 101 or the Bay Bridge via 80. If you go over the Golden Gate, the basic fare for a two-axle vehicle is $6 and each axle is charged another fee. My suggestion is to leave the city by that bridge and enjoy the view going across for free.

After you cross the bridge, take the 19th Street/Highway 1 exit and travel south to Geary Blvd. Turn right on Geary and drive until you see the ocean. Stay on the big sweeping curve onto the Great Highway past the Cliff House and turn right into the large parking lot on Ocean Beach. That is Golden Gate National Recreational Area property and part of the National Parks Service. It's safe to park there and falls under the jurisdiction of the park rangers so you won't have to worry about a parking ticket.

Walk to the intersection of Balboa and the Great Highway, turn right or south on La Playa, and continue walking one block to the bus stop across from the Muni turnaround. There is a Safeway store with a Wells Fargo Bank inside. Take the 38 Geary, give the driver $1.50 and take the transfer. It will usually be good for at least three hours. The 38 Geary will take you across the city and the route ends south of Market Street where you can catch just about any bus or streetcar to your destination.

If you enter by the Bay Bridge, the basic fare is $4 with fees for each additional axle. Take the Ninth Street exit, turn right on Ninth, following it to the left onto Hayes Street, and turn right onto Van Ness Avenue. Stay on Van Ness until you reach Geary Blvd. and turn left. Follow the directions above to reach Ocean Beach.

If you're traveling north on 101, take the Ninth Street exit and follow the instructions above.

All streets have Muni buses traveling on them so you can safely travel on them with your RV.

If you want to leave your RV outside the city and are traveling south on 101, take the Sir Francis Drake exit, turn right and go past the Larkspur Ferry parking lot. There is no RV parking in the lot but you can park safely across the street from the stoplight facing west on SFD. I make a U-turn at the light but my RV is only 27 feet. Once you're parked, go to the ferry terminal and purchase a round-trip ticket which will be around $15. Take the ferry to the San Francisco Ferry Terminal and when you exit, take a free Muni bus ticket for your round-trip back to the ferry. When you leave the building, walk two blocks to Market Street and you can take any bus or streetcar from there. http://www.goldengateferry.org

Now what can you do in San Francisco for free?

First Saturday of every month: from 8 PM to midnight, singing sea chanteys on the Balclutha, a three-masted sailing ship at the Hyde Street Pier, the world's only floating national park. Bring a mug for hot cider or cocoa (donation if you wish). The Maritime Museum across the street from the pier is free every day. http://www.nps.gov/safr/

First Sunday of every month: free day at the Asian Art Museum. http://www.asianart.org

Beginning around the first weekend in May until the last weekend in September, weekly Sunday concerts from 1-3 PM by the Golden Gate Park Band in Golden Gate Park. Bring a blanket or chair and a picnic lunch. http://www.golden-gate-park.com

Beginning the second week of June through the second week of August, weekly Sunday concerts from 1-3 PM in Stern Grove. Bring a blanket or chair and a picnic lunch. http://www.sterngrove.org

First Tuesday of every month: free day at the DeYoung Museum, Palace of the Legion of Honor and Museum of Modern Art. (MOMA) http://www.famsf.org or http://www.sfmoma.org

First Wednesday of every month: free day at the San Francisco Zoo, Exploratorium and California Academy of Sciences. http://www.sfzoo.org or http://www.exploratorium.edu or http://www.calacademy.org

That should get you started on your very economical visit to San Francisco.

Winter in California

In my heart, I'm a Californian. I might have been born in New Jersey, lived in several other states, and my mail goes to Texas, but I'm here in California.

By practicing my frugal RVing tips and being very budget conscious, I've been able to take a position as a volunteer camp host at Brannan Island State Recreation Area on the Sacramento Delta. I work 20 hours a week selling firewood, helping at the kiosk, perhaps helping in the visitor center, and cleaning firepits. My perks are the RV site pictured below with free 30-50 amp electric, water and sewer. There is a phone connection if I want to add a land line.

The park is 17 feet above sea level, so just in case we have a problem with a levee break on the Sacramento River, it won't affect this location. It seems a bit strange to be concerned about flooding, but with the fires we had this year and the drought, it's a legitimate concern.

One of the best aspects of this locale is I'm three miles from Rio Vista with a grocery store, laundromat, propane and other services, so it won't be too bad to drive the RV for what I need. The nearest large store and bank are in Antioch 13 miles away across the bridge. Fortunately, one of the other volunteers does her shopping and banking there so I can hitch a ride with her.

I don't start working until Friday and I have time to enjoy this:

"But it's a PARKING LOT!"

That was the wailing teenage voice next door as the grandparents and I assume granddaughter were getting ready to leave the site. The grandmother had explained that they were heading for another Thousand Trails preserve in Oregon but they didn't want to drive straight through. They were planning to park overnight at Wal-Mart. Grandmother countered with, "Honey, we have to save a little along the way so we stop there sometimes."

"But it's a PARKING LOT!"

"I know, but it's free."

"No it's not. You always go inside and buy stuff."

"That's right. We're thanking Wal-Mart for letting us park there."

"Then it's not free."

Teenage logic was trying to argue with elder wisdom.

"Honey, we only get what we need."

"Last time you bought toilet paper. You didn't need toilet paper."

"Yes we did. You can always use extra."

"Grandma, you have 48 rolls of toilet paper. No wait--47. I changed one this morning."

"Really? That many?"

"Yes! And a whole bunch of paper towels. They're everywhere, even in the closet." She stomped into the motorhome and closed the door.

The grandmother saw me sitting in my RV at the laptop. "Teenagers. They don't understand."

I shrugged. "Do you like parking in Wal-Mart?"

"Sure. It's usually close to the freeway and easy to get in and out of. And they always have stuff I need."

"Are you going up 101 or I-5?"

"101."

I noticed she had the Wal-Mart Locator. "OK. Here are the Wal-Marts that don't allow overnight parking from the Free Campgrounds website." I read the names and she wrote them down.

"I thought all the Wal-Marts liked RVers."

"Most of them do but we have a listing of those that don't permit overnight parking due to city ordinance or some other reason."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Have you ever stayed at a truck stop or travel center? They're pretty nice."

"Oh, they're noisy and the trucks run their engines all night long."

"I see." I didn't, but I didn't want to point out the obvious.

"Do you travel much?"

"Sometimes. I've been in five states in the last year."

"Don't you stay at Wal-Marts sometimes?"

"Nope. Never stayed overnight and I've only been inside one once."

She looked at me like I just dropped in from Jupiter.

"But where do you spend the night when you travel?"

"I usually stay in a campground or RV park where I have a discount like Happy Camper, Passport America or Camp Club USA. The most I've paid is $12 a night. If there isn't an RV park nearby when I need to get off the road for the day around 2 or 3, I'll stay at a truck stop."

"2 or 3? We leave around noon and drive until it's dark or we're tired. Then we look for the nearest Wal-Mart. We don't need to pay for a campground just to sleep."

"You always go into the store and ask permission, right?"

"Oh yes! Then we buy something to thank them."

"How much do you spend when you do that?"

"Last time, I think it was $79, wasn't it, Ed?"

He yelled from the other side of the coach. "Yeah, you bought a bunch of stuff."

"That was an expensive campsite. You could have stayed at an RV park for half that and had full hookups."

Silence. Oops. I had said too much. "You have a safe journey."

"Thank you. And thanks for the stores that don't allow us." She went into the rig and they left.

Call me dense but I'm with the granddaughter. I still don't understand the attraction of a Wal-Mart parking lot. Since I maintain the Free Campgrounds website as well as Wal-Marts That Do Not Allow Overnight Parking site and book, I also don't understand why some RVers become so angry with a city that doesn't permit overnight parking at the Wal-Mart store. RVers have vehemently stated that they will not spend a dime in any city that doesn't allow them to park at Wal-Mart.

I'm a full-time RVer and appreciate all the amenities of my motorhome. I'm a big fan of electricity, running hot and cold water, a propane stove and oven, a refrigerator that runs on electric or propane, a furnace, an air conditioner, a flush toilet and a sewer hookup. I boondock when I must but I really enjoy hookups. I can work from anywhere using wi-fi (free or prepaid), an aircard and a comfortable location. Why would I pass up a reasonably-priced park with amenities for a Wal-Mart parking lot?

Be kind, Wally World fans. I know you're trying to save money and you travel later in the day than I do. Some of you use the lot as a base to explore the area for several days. And I'm sure there are items you need. I want to understand.

But it's a PARKING LOT.