The Spring 2011 issue of Airstream Life magazine arrived just in time before we departed with our Airstream Safari for a trip to celebrate the festive season of Mardi Gras and see the beginning of the spring wildflowers in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park.  Seen on the cover of this issue are Tim and Margaret Frazier with their dog Lucy and their Airstream Westfalia.  Zach Woods writes in the cover story, “Big Fans of the Small (Airstream) Westfalia”, “By most estimates, there were 192 Airstream Sprinter Westfalias imported into the United States [for only two years, 2005-2006], all based on the Mercedes Sprinter diesel van… The number of owners is small, but their passion for these very efficient and effectively designed campers is huge.”

Passion also runs high for owners of the Airstream Interstate Sprinter,  first produced in 2003, a Class B van based on the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis and inline-five cylinder diesel engine.  While we were camping at Borrego Palm Canyon, we spotted an Airstream Interstate and had an opportunity to chat with its avid owners, David and Ann, from Oregon.  They are very private people, but are passionate about their 2007 Airstream Interstate and graciously shared information about it, even though they had just got back from a long hike up Palm Canyon.

According to David and Ann, ever since they bought it in May 2008, it’s been a head-turner.  Some have followed them down highways and into gas stations just to see it up close and to chat with them.  Streams of people have visited them while in campgrounds.  Indeed, while I was interviewing them, another couple in an RV stopped nearby and walked over to ask questions such as, “Is this really an Airstream?”

David laughs when he says, “It’s like a VW bus on steroids!”  Their 2007 Airstream Interstate is similar to the one shown here on Airstream Forums with specs detailed by Colonial Airstream here.  It features a Buff Ultraleather sofa bed that opens in the rear dinette area.  “It’s more comfortable than the one we sleep on at home,” David says.

The galley area features a flush-mounted round stainless steel sink with folding faucet and a 2-burner recessed cook-top with covers.

David loves to cook and has brought the Wolfgang Puck Induction Burner into their galley.  David says that induction cooking is a faster and more efficient method of cooking.

According to Wikipedia, “An induction cooker uses induction heating for cooking. Unlike other forms of cooking, heat is generated directly in the pot or pan (cooking vessel), as opposed to being generated in the stovetop by electrical coils or burning gas. To be used on an induction cooker, a cooking vessel must be made of a ferromagnetic metal.”

The galley area also features a 3-cubic foot refrigerator and microwave oven.

David says that fuel economy and affordability were two big selling points for them.  He says that he averages 21.8 mpg, which is important to them in light of the rising fuel prices and the fact that they live in Oregon and have to travel long distances to get to warmer climes when doing winter camping.  David says that they only had a few minor problems with their rig and says, “George M. Sutton RV provided excellent service, just as if we had purchased the Airstream Interstate from him.”

The 2011 Airstream Interstate 3500 is now available and is based on the Mercedes Sprinter Van Unibody Construction with a Mercedes 3.0 liter BlueEfficiency V-6 diesel engine.  According to Airstreamer (Official News and Articles from Airstream), “The partnership between Airstream and Mercedes-Benz has yielded a Touring Coach that fuses the legendary quality and design of the Airstream brand with the comfort, control, and luxury of Mercedes-Benz.”

And that makes this fan just want to whistle… while his heart races!

A tire losing air and going flat can often be felt in the primary vehicle, but if this happens while towing a trailer you might not become aware of it until expensive and possibly catastrophic damage occurs to the trailer tire, rim and trailer.  I purchased the Doran Tire Pressure Monitoring System and began using it in November, 2008.  See my comprehensive article, “Tire pressure monitoring system“, which shows how I set up the monitor in our F-250 Super Duty truck.

The system has performed flawlessly for over two years.  A few months ago, I began to notice an occasional loss of signal from one of the sensors.  I contacted Doran Mfg., LLC and received excellent customer service.  Per their instructions, I sent back the sensor for evaluation.  I was told the processing time would be about three weeks.  In the meantime, we already had camping reservations for an upcoming Agua Caliente Park trip and would not think of leaving home without a TPMS, which gave me an opportunity to purchase and try another popular brand, Pressure Pro, during the interim.  The Pressure Pro monitor and 4 sensors arrived quickly, were easy to program and install, and performed well.

Shortly after I returned from this trip, I received a new sensor from Doran.  See their YouTube video, “Doran Mfg. WTS Outdoor Adventure“.  Additional sensors can be purchased so that both the truck and trailer tire sensors can be monitored on one monitor.  But since I now have two separate monitoring systems (one for the truck tires and one for the trailer tires), I have the peace of mind knowing that should one fail, I can always use the other for those crucial trailer tires.  The two systems mount nicely in the truck as seen below.

Earlier this week, I used both systems for our return to Borrego Springs, California, for camping during the beginning of the desert wildflower displays.  Whether we go over or around the mountains to this location, there are often few turnouts, so it is important to know if a tire is losing air before damage occurs.

Over the phone, Doran Sales Representative, Debbi Gerdes (seen in the video mentioned above), told me that people tend to over-tighten the sensors when screwing them on the tire valve stem, which can cause the inner O-ring to bulge out or become loose and can lead to failure of the unit.  Debbie advised to just get them barely tight enough to seal.  She also said that the seal is not normally visible on the sensor, but if it is seen, it could be gently pressed back in place with a dental pick.

So even if a trailer tire blows out, I’ll know about it immediately. Both monitors emit an audible alert if tire pressure goes out of normal range, so I can keep my eyes on the road and my hands on the wheel and enjoy getting there.

Last week we hopped back out to one of our favorite desert camping spots, Agua Caliente, where I previously photographed up-close Bighorn Sheep.  We docked our Airstream Safari at the foot of the Tierra Blanca Mountains and put out a red (auspicious Chinese color for life and prosperity) tablecloth as we made preparations to celebrate the Chinese New Year 2011, The Year of the Rabbit.

According to Wikipedia, Chinese New Year usually falls on the second new moon after winter solstice and in China it is known as “Spring Festival“.  This year Chinese New Year’s Eve fell on Groundhog Day and even Punxsutawney Phil gave his nod that spring is near!  Although we had chilly weather at night, we did have beautifully sunny days and saw beginnings of spring wildflowers, such as the Ghost Flower.

The Ghost Flower, Mohavea confertiflora, is a native annual with beautiful, delicate, translucent cream flowers.  This one wilted the following day after our lowest night temperature of 29°.

For our Chinese New Year’s Eve dinner, Larry pulled out our rolling dinette table from under the credenza and made Chinese dumplings.

Seen next to the tray of dumplings is a round tray of Chinese sweets.

Seen on the dumplings tray are chunky peanut butter dumplings (with a pleated edge) and pork-Shiitake mushroom dumplings (with a smooth, flat edge).  These were cooked on our Volcano stove.  First the peanut butter dumplings were deep-fried.

These dumplings look like small gold ingots and seen nearby are two rabbits holding a gold coin, symbol for wealth and prosperity.

The pork-Shiitake mushroom dumplings were browned on one side with a small amount of oil.  Then a quarter cup of broth or water is added and the dumplings are covered with a lid and steamed for 3 minutes.

This results in dumplings that are crispy and chewy.

The peanut butter dumplings were then sprinkled with powdered sugar.

As you can tell by Larry’s Russian rabbit fur hat and layers of clothing, the weather got chilly in the late afternoons, especially when the sun dipped behind the nearby mountain ridge.

Gusty winds increased the chill factor.

Our outside dog water bowl had an inch of ice the next morning.

Our friends in Tucson had temperatures dip to 17° that night and considered winterizing their trailers for the first time.

The Arizona Daily Star reported that Tucson’s freezing weather caused ‘astronomical’ frozen-water-pipe damage.

Larry served hot soup (made with asparagus, ham, onion, cilantro, and chicken broth along with the dumplings, which warmed us as we welcomed the Year of the Rabbit 2011 and Punxsutawney Phil’s indication that an early spring it will be!

Although some say “It Never Rains in Southern California“, we who live here know that it pours.  We also have wind, ice, snow, hail, fire and thunderstorms that can quickly build and roll over our mountains.  We often find ourselves experiencing varying weather conditions as we travel along the coast and through our local mountains and desert.

Knowing weather conditions and forecasts is important to us before and during camping outings, and often becomes critically important in deciding the safest way back home to avoid possible local conditions of dense fog, rain, snow or high winds.  For the past three years we depended on the Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio, but the weather band failed earlier this year.

So the search was on for the best weather radio to meet our needs.  I learned that some newer radios come with SAME (Specific Area Message Encoding) technology that allows users to program codes for their designated area of interest, rather than the entire broadcast area. Specific Area Message Encoding is the protocol used to encode the Emergency Alert System (EAS), put in place in 1997, and NOAA Weather Radio‘s Public Warning System, which broadcasts continuous weather information from the National Weather Service (NWS), an agency of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

There are many forms of weather radios available.  In selecting one that was right for us, I was able to eliminate the larger or desktop ones and those that were loaded with gizmos that I did not need (such as a built-in flashlight, flashing warning/location light, and siren).  What I wanted was a small, easily transported weather radio that used minimal power and was dependable and got good reviews.  I chose the Sangean DT-400W AM/FM Digital Weather Alert Pocket Radio.

This radio is powered by 2 AA batteries and easily fits in my shirt or vest pocket.  Although it has a built-in speaker, I found that it is ideal (and saves battery power) to listen to its excellent sound through earphones (which also act as the antenna to receive FM and weather radio signals).  It comes with earphones, but I found that my iPod earphones (enhanced by ear jams by Griffin) work best for me.  Earphones also allow me to enjoy the radio without disturbing others. (Some campers do not realize how easily sound can travel and be disturbing.)

Although this radio does not have the SAME alert programmable feature described above, it does have all 7 NOAA Weather channels, including the new NOAA Weather Alert Emergency Channel that can sound a loud audible tone when an extreme weather condition is imminent.

My typical camping morning now starts by relaxing in a folding chair outside the Safari and sipping freshly brewed coffee, while listening to the weather followed by a NPR program or local jazz station.  We bring extra batteries (of various sizes) so that we will not be caught by surprise by weather changes.

This winter we prefer to frolic in the snow when we choose, rather than get stuck pulling a trailer through unexpected snow and black ice.

If you have read my previous article, you know that I’ve been Barefootin’ about this summer in San Diego.  And if you have not read the 12+ comments to this post, you have not read the rest of this story.  But now summer is coming to a close and the June bugs are winding down their wild mating rituals.

And our pond water is now warm enough for Tasha’s first swim test.

Autumn is approaching, which means that it is time to prepare our 2007 Safari Airstream for our fall and winter camping season.  Last June I washed the trailer after our beach outing and noticed a few drops of water had entered the trailer near the forward Fan-Tastic Fan.  It’s possible that I had manually not closed the cover all the way, but I also noticed that there seemed to be a gap in some of the exterior caulking around the fan and other places on the roof.

I have used Acryl-R for a small leak from a seam on one of the Vista View windows and Parbond on the top seam of the stove exterior exhaust vent, but I had not caulked anything on the roof before, so I searched and found abundant information on this Airforums.com thread, Caulking and Sealants.  For caulking Airstream roof seams, Vulkem (now called TremPro) and Sikaflex seem to be recommended the most (both are polyurethane sealants).  Sikaflex is now used by Airstream, Inc. on most exterior large seams and is available from the Airstream Store.  I decided to try TremPro (Vulkem) 635 in white for the roof and ordered this, along with a tube of TremPro 636 in aluminum color, from C & G Trailer Service (Airstream Certified Service Center in Bellflower, California).  TremPro is also available from Vintage Trailer Supply.

TremPro is made by Tremco, a company first started by William C. Treuhaft in 1928 in Cleveland, Ohio.  TremPro 635 is faster curing than 636.  Note that I used a standard, manual caulking gun (unlike the air-powered one used by John, resulting in an exploding tube of caulk, as reported by Lug in his “I Am Vulkem Man” posting).

I followed the directions and made sure the caulking surfaces were clean and dry.  (Our 2007 trailer’s caulking is still pliant, intact and did not have to be removed.)  I cut the tip of the tube at an angle and punctured the inner foil several times with a wire hanger.  Larry held the ladder while I went topside and applied the product, smoothing it with my dry finger.  Paint thinner (mineral spirits) easily removed the product from my hands.  While I was up there, I also applied 303 Aerospace Protectant to the rubber seal around the Fan-Tastic Fan, which I apply annually here and on the window seals to protect them and keep them from sticking.

I repeated this process around the rear Fan-Tastic Fan and bathroom air vent.

Success… now our trailer is as happy as a dancing robot under the Harvest Moon (Caravan Palace)!

While we are marking time, awaiting the passing of the Dog Days of summer heat and the beginning of our fall camping season, we continue to step out with our dogs on a healthy exercise program of brisk walks and trots around our local tree-lined lake.  I do this wearing minimalist footwear.  Summer is a great time to go about barefoot or almost barefoot.

As mentioned in my article, “Footnotes“, I enjoy going barefoot in our Airstream Safari travel trailer and about the house, and increasingly, out in the backyard, so last February I started wearing minimalist footwear, Vibram FiveFingers, on our walks around parks and campgrounds.

Seen above is my favorite style of Vibram FiveFingers (VFF) footwear, the Sprint.  (See Barefoot Ted run in them here.)

On the advice of a commenter to my “Footnotes” posting, I read with fascination the national best seller, Born To Run – A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen, by Christopher McDougall (Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2009).  I continue to be amazed at the growing interest in walking and running barefoot that was sparked by this book, such as this local San Diego article, “No socks, no shoes, no problem?“.  This article includes barefoot hiker and runner Glen Raines’ story and photo (read his article “Going Barefoot“).  See and listen to author Christopher McDougall and The New York Times’ The Roving Runner (and blogger) Brian Fidelman as they run barefoot in Central Park in this New York Times‘ video, “Health: Barefoot Running“.

For Christopher McDougall (hear his Authors@google talk on YouTube), “It all began with a simple question that no one could answer… ‘How come my foot hurts?’“  His book Born to Run takes us on a journey to the Barrancas del Cobre, the Copper Canyons of the Sierra Madre in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, home of the Tarahumara Indians, the Ráramuri – the Running People, the world’s greatest distance runners with uncanny health and serenity, who have few injuries wearing flat sandals cut from rubber tires compared to the sky-rocketing injuries of those who wear modern athletic shoes (invented in 1972).  There he learned their secrets and, with the help of Caballo Blanco (a.k.a. Micah True – see and hear him in the YouTube video, “Super Athletes Of The Sierra Madre“), Christopher participated in the first 47-mile Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon set up by Caballo Blanco.

For Ted McDonald (hear his Authors@google talk on YouTube), the problem was “Every time I ran for an hour, I had excruciating lower-back pain… It was so discouraging.”  His eureka moment occurred while reading Barefoot Ken Bob’s The Running Barefoot website.  He found by running barefoot, his form improved and he was able to run marathons.  He became one of the most famous barefoot runners in the world and is now known as Barefoot Ted.  He admits that there are some places that require some foot protection, so he brought along Vibram FiveFingers to run the Copper Canyon Ultra Marathon.  While there, Manuel Luna taught him how to make Tarahumara sandals.  Barefoot Ted now has a company in Seattle that makes Luna Sandals inspired by the Tarahumara Indians of Northern Mexico’s Copper Canyon.

I now have my own Luna Sandals from the first batch shipped in early July.  I tied mine using the Slip-On Tying Method #1.  I did not shorten the leather lace so that I have the option of tying my huarache running sandals in the Traditional Method.

This week I walked and trotted 4.8 miles in these sandals, which kept my feet cool and comfortable.  Going mostly barefoot since last February, I feel my feet are becoming stronger and healthier, and seem to know just what to do when coming in contact with anything; everything just seems to fall into place naturally and comfortably.

Christopher McDougall tells in Born To Run how the human body evolved as an efficient and exquisite running machine and how modern shoes encase and weaken our feet.  Modern running shoes with cushioned heels entice runners to take longer strides and land on their heels, resulting in more injuries.  He incorporates the foot strike and treadmill studies of Harvard anthropology professor Daniel Lieberman (The Barefoot Professor), who published a new study on toes, which gives credence to the endurance running hypothesis (the Running Man theory) that humans evolved as long-distance runners, enabling them to be successful in persistence hunting and their own survival.

The bottom line for me is that going barefoot can be joyful and fun and healthy (especially since I do not have a medical condition or sensory impairment, such as diabetic neuropathy, which could preclude it).

Barefootin’…  Even a five-year old knows how to do this intuitively.

Deep in the hot Sonoran desert, the city of Hermosillo, nicknamed “The Sun City”, capital of the Mexican state of Sonora, is considered the legendary birthplace of the Sonoran-style Mexican hot dog.  Some trace the history of the hot dog back to Frankfurt, Germany, where pork sausages (frankfurters) were served in a bun.  Vienna, Austria, is the home of the wiener, a sausage made of a mixture of pork and beef.  Around 1870, German immigrant Charles Feltman began selling pork sausages in rolls on Coney Island.  In 1900 Oscar Mayer and his brothers built a thriving sausage business in Chicago.

Sometime after WWII, the American hot dog made its way to Hermosillo, where it was wrapped in bacon, placed in a bolillo, and topped with Mexican and traditional American condiments.  See the informative and entertaining YouTube video, “Hot Dogs Hermosillo Sonora“.  The Sonoran-style hot dog, also known as the estilo Sonora or estilo Hermosillo hot dog, eventually traveled 217 miles north to “The Old Pueblo”, Tucson, Arizona.  Hear or read the NPR story, “The Sonoran Hotdog Crosses The Border“.  Some say the Sonoran hot dog is the quintessential food of Tucson, which possibly has over 250 hot dog stands.  In summer locals especially enjoy street food at night.

I got excited about this story while recently watching the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food program segment, “The Sonoran Dog in Tucson“, which follows Adam Richman on his culinary quest for the authentic taste of Tucson, while visiting El Güero Canelo, an authentic Mexican restaurant started by the Contreras family in 1993 and listed as one of the “Top 10 New Places for Hot Dogs” by Bon Appétit.  Some say that Philadelphia has its cheese steak, Chicago has its deep-dish pizza, and Tucson has the Sonoran hot dog.

Earlier this year the Travel Channel returned to Tucson to cover the epic Sonoran hot dog battle that has been raging on 12th Avenue on the south side since the 1990′s.  See the Food Wars video of Travel Channel’s visit to the contenders: El Güero Canelo and BK Carne Asada & Hot Dogs.  Some people become quite passionate about the Sonoran hot dog.  This war sometimes pits siblings against siblings, which is covered here in the Circle of Food Blog.

Here in San Diego, the Sonoran Dog is sometimes called the Tijuana Dog or TJ style hot dog.  Since all of the ingredients for the Sonoran-style hot dog are readily available in San Diego, I thought it would be fun making my own, based, in part, on this recipe.  Fresh, whole-wheat bolillos and hot dogs were purchased at Pancho Villa Farmer’s Market.  I then prepared the toppings, including chopped onions, tomatoes, avocado and grated Cheddar cheese.

I mixed the mayonnaise with a small amount of lemon juice and hot sauce and placed it into a squeeze bottle.  I brought out the mustard and put Larry’s homemade sausa verde (tomatillo sauce) into a small bowl.  I wrapped the main ingredient, hot dogs, with bacon and carefully placed them in a frying pan…

and cooked them until the bacon was crispy (about 7 minutes).

We then spooned home-cooked Mayocoba/Canary Beans (Peruvian beans) and chopped avocado inside a pocket cut into the steamed or grilled bolillo.  The bacon-wrapped hot dog is inserted into the pocket and covered with our favorite toppings and hot sauce.

This top dog is truly a Sonoran fiesta in a bun!

Temperatures are rising in our nearby deserts with current average highs over 100^o, so it was time to catch the mountains before they also become too hot for us.

Our F-250 easily towed our 23′ Safari up from the Pacific Coast to our favorite wooded mountain campsite in the Cuyamaca Mountains, near Julian, California, at an elevation of 4200′.

Julian, located in a mixed pine-oak woodland, was the seasonal home to the Native American Kumeyaay people, who were displaced after the American Civil War by displaced Confederate Veterans from Georgia.

We strategically backed the trailer into the sun for the solar panels and parked the unhitched truck near the shade, where we and the Corgis often relaxed and chilled out during the heat of the day.

We raised the American flag high in honor of Flag Day.

We bring a large cooler filled with food and ice on every trip, which we usually take out of the truck and place in a shady area.  But it periodically had to be moved out of the moving sun or protected from night creatures, such as raccoons in this case.  So we found that it is more convenient (and the ice lasts longer) to leave it in the truck cargo area with the Retrax locking cover retracted for ventilation and cover it with a large truck sun shade to keep it cool.

Since we had five nights reserved here, I brought along our REI dome tent that I had brought out here two years ago and set it up to relive the joys of tent camping and being close to nature and the elements, at least for a night or two (this might become an annual event).  The Tiki, which we renamed “Iz“,  also came along to enjoy the elements, especially the sun, which almost always makes him high.

This campground is known for its wild turkeys, and one morning I found one that likes to take a walk in the sun.

Later in the day, jumbo shrimp, bell peppers, onions, and leftover salsa fresca were stir fried on the Volcano 2 stove using the propane attachment.  As the sun set, we sipped Kahlúa in half and half cream in sherry glasses while we were entertained by bats dancing through the sky in search of insects.

Tasha and I spent two nights in a row in the dome tent guarded by Iz.

We listened to the evening breezes rustling through the hillside forest trees, sounding like the ocean surf at times, as the first quarter of the Strawberry Moon slowly descended the western night sky.

We awoke at first light to the chorus of morning bird songs as our midsummer night’s dreams lingered in our minds.

Two years ago my “Sun safety” article discussed the importance of protecting our skin from the harmful effects of the sun by using protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen.  I thought I had made a good choice in using a broad-spectrum UVA-UVB sunscreen, with a Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 30 or higher.  But now I am learning that there are many conflicting reports about the effectiveness and safety of sunscreen products.

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) released its fourth annual “Sunscreen Guide” last month, which recommends only 39 out of 500 beach and sport sunscreens for this season.  According to EWG, many sunscreen products contain red-flag ingredients, like vitamin A (retinyl palmitate) and oxybenzone.  The sunscreen that I had been using contained oxybenzone 6% as an active ingredient, so I now use one of EWG’s top rated sunscreens.

Of course, the best sunscreen is a hat, shirt and a good pair of sunglasses, which I wore while doing our annual big wash and wax job on our trailer, upon our return from the beach last month.

The hat is Tilley’s broadest brim hat, the LTM2 Tilly Airflo Nylamtium Hat.  It is comfortable, lightweight, and comes with a tuck-away Wind Cord.  The white shirt is Silver Ridge II by Columbia Sportswear Company.  It is lightweight, comfortable and super-ventilated.  My extra-large SolarShield sunglasses are comfortable while providing Advanced UV Protection (and can fit over Rx glasses).  These items always travel with me when camping.

EWG points out that their “sunscreen database is dynamic, which means that the sunscreen ranking numbers may change based on evolving science, new information on UVA, UVB radiation and sunscreen ingredients, marketing conditions, or other factors.”  Light might be shed on the sunscreen controversy over the effectiveness and safety of sunscreen products if, and when the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues sunscreen industry regulations, which they began drafting 32 years ago, according to The Huffington Post.  Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) has called upon the FDA to finalize sunscreen regulations.

One of the latest health concerns is the use of nanoparticles of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide in sunscreen products, as discussed in the AOL News article, “More Bad News About Sunscreens: Nanoparticles“.  This further underscores the importance and need for the FDA to develop and publish new sunscreen guidelines and regulations.

In the meantime, here are some tips for smart sunscreen shopping.  Also, see this excellent YouTube video, “Go Green with Sunscreen“, for tips on staying safe in the sun.

Now I think I’m ready for those bright, sunshiny days!

On the edge of a bluff 50 feet above our favorite beach, we and our dogs relaxed to the continuous sounds of crashing ocean waves and effervescing sea foam for 5 days.  A continuous breeze flows up and over the 3-mile stretch of bluffs as pelicans and seagulls soar in search of food. At times the breeze becomes gusty, so we secured the sun umbrella canopy to the nearby fence with small bungee cords and clips.

This year we brought along a hand-carved tiki, bought last August at the Tiki Oasis 2009 event held at The Crowne Plaza Hotel in San Diego.  This year the event, Tiki Oasis 10 Extravaganza, will be held August 19 – 22.  In Polynesian mythology tiki is considered the first man.

Our campsite is one of 222 sites at South Carlsbad State Beach (all are non-hookup sites).  Our two Airstream factory installed solar panels performed superbly, bringing our two Lifeline AGM Glass Mat batteries back from an early morning low of 80 – 85% to 100% each day by 10 a.m., even though there was a heavy marine layer most mornings.  We conserve electricity by turning off the water pump and refrigerator fan at night.

An Asian steamer was used to cook fresh zucchini and corn and to reheat homemade kalua pork in tomatillo sauce.

The kalua pork was served over a sliced telera roll.

Fresh salsa was made in our Vortex Hand Crank Blender attached to the trailer’s lobster sink counter top by the supplied C-clamp.

The two speed gear system crushes ice…

or works as a food processor.

We got ours from REI…

It is also available from GSI Outdoors.

This blender can be handy in making margaritas…

Which could be enjoyed while listening to “A Touch of Honey“.

We also brought along our Volcano II Collapsible Stove.  On our last outing we used the propane option to deep fry spring rolls.  This time we used charcoal to grill carne asada…

And jumbo shrimp on the barbie…

Seen on our tiki table setting is an immature green fruit of the Buddha’s hand citron, which had broken off from our tree at home.  The fruit is often used for its zest in Western cooking.

Four wooden stairways provide access to the beach.

In my next article we’ll take a walk down those stairs…

and take a look at the ocean and the condition of the beach.

Recent images of the Gulf oil spill were fresh in my mind…

as I strolled along and contemplated World Oceans Day, officially declared by the United Nations as June 8th each year beginning in 2009.

The beautiful sunsets and relaxing sounds of the surf were soothing…

Time seemed to slow down…

Like a slow dance.