Leaving Sun and Fun in the Rain

Even though we are camping in the Sun and Fun RV Park in Tulare, we seem to be spending more time in the nearby town of Visalia, California. We found they had a biking/walking trail that threaded through town, and we really enjoy these trails when we don't have to worry about car traffic. As an added bonus, we had blooming redbud trees along the trail.

We did have to stop at street intersections and watch for cars, so we appreciated this first-class elevated walkway over the railroad tracks. However, Denisa did not appreciate the long incline she had to pedal to get up to that elevated walkway.

One un-nerving part of this ride was the graffiti we saw on walls along the trail. We weren't sure what it meant, but we guessed it had to do something with territorial gangs.

It looks likes graffiti has been an ongoing problem, as we see that sizable areas of our asphalt path were also painted over. We saw that most fences in town were also a mixture of many colors of painted-over blocks. It looks like covering the graffiti around Visalia is a full-time job.

We also visited one of the county parks in Visalia. Like other states we have visited, California has county parks that usually charge an entrance fee. The one in Visalia had a flock of peacocks that didn't mind having their pictures taken. Denisa has determined that her favorite color is the royal blue on this bird's neck.

We even got to see the peacock unfurl his heavy tail feathers and strut around the park. That is another of God's wonders!

We had great weather for our bike ride and park visit, but we got rain for the Saturday morning farmer's market. But Denisa is a tough shopper, and she doesn't let a little moisture keep her from her fresh produce.

That big smile is evidence that she was rewarded for her toughness. This day she found one of her very favorite of all fresh garden prizes that is found only in early spring. She loves eating fresh garden peas raw, and she can hardly wait to start snacking on these beauties. Life is good even on a rainy day!

We were a little nervous about our four-night stay at Sun and Fun RV Park. This was another Passport American half-price campground, but it is sandwiched between a train track and a highway. We had read about the night-time trains that are required to blow their whistles for the nearby intersection. We are glad to report that we slept well in spite of the noise, but we were ready to head down the road toward our next destination. We are heading up in elevation to a little RV park nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains. On the drive we saw less crops and more rocks, like this narrow pass Mark drove the motor home through.