The third RV Mobile visit for the hanging awning, was the cheapest yet, only $300.  I am really hoping it is the last.  Today we got our first tank of $200 gas, to be precise it was $194.80.  Well, it was LA. 

The last stop we were at was Lake Piru Recreation Area.  It is a dam for water release to towns south of LA.  The water is collected in the dam, and the ranger told me there was so much from the January through March rains, they released a record number of gallons this year.   The water is released from the dam to streams and rivers in the area that then flows to underground water tables.  As the water travels south in these water tables, it is later pumped for drinking water and other uses in southern towns in CA.   The dam was opened when I was about 3 weeks old and has been in constant use since that time.   You can see from the pictures the lake it forms is very large.   The area outside of the park area is very brown but the mountains around the lake are very green.

While I enjoyed learning about water management, there were so many other things to enjoy at the park.  We saw flocks of golden and bald eagles.  It was so peaceful and during our stay there were only 3 RV’s there including ours.  Today is Thursday, and when we left today, we saw so many reservation signs on so many spaces.  The park was once an olive grove and there were olive trees every place.  The CA Mule Deer, a very cute looking deer liked the olives and you could count on them coming at 7:30 am and 4:30 pm each day.  You could set your watch by them.  The deer and Ernie had a silent language they spoke.  Ernie knew when the deer were around and wanted to go for a walk.   He was able to get to within 10 feet of them, so was I, and they would look at each other and Ernie and the deer would both wag their tails.  I was having so much fun watching them I couldn’t take any pictures.

I did something foolish while we were there.   I really like black olives and there was so many hanging on all the trees.   I picked one off, rubbed it till it shone and stuck it in my mouth.  When I bit it, it was so bitter I spit most of it out but did swallow a small portion.  I found out you should not eat olives from the tree!  You need to cure them by boiling in salt water for several hours and then putting them in a brine for 3 to 5 months.  My colon was so mad at me.  I spent two days clearing my colon like I was going to go for a colonoscopy.  I should have booked it right then and there and had them send the results to my primary care doctor.   You think that would have cured me of my fascination with the olive trees but it did not.  I did not eat another one but I continued to inspect them for produce.

While we were there I spoke to some people about our trip in on Sunday and found out it is typical and there was no accident or disaster that caused it.  The Californians do not refer to the highway as US 5 or Highway 5 but just The 5.  So today we were concerned about traveling The 5.  The trip from where we were to where we needed to be should be 1 hour.   Depending on the time we leave we were told it could be several more.  Our check in time was 2 pm and we were advised to leave no later that 10:30 meaning we had no place to go for about 2 ½ hours.   I really wanted to go to a studio tour and we found that Warner Brothers Studios was 11 miles from the RV park.   I checked the tickets on line and bought some.  We went to the studio and discovered I had purchased tickets for Friday, no wonder there were so many available and it is Thursday.  They were very nice and honored the tickets.  Another win for being an old lady and everyone thinks you are confused and befuddled!  In my defense I was trying to find the tickets, give Jerry directions and find a Costco for the $200 gas stop all at the same time. 

It was really so much fun.   There are not a lot of places you are allowed to take pictures so there are not too many, but I learned about audio, digital editing and we saw an actual sound stage for a current TV show.   Bob ❤️Abisola  Jerry likes that show and we do watch it and we recognized all the sets and it was fun to see them.  We saw houses used in famous movies and how there are so many houses right next to each other and how they have to film so carefully to get the shot without the house next door.   We also saw the last remaining building used in the movie Casablanca and they told us how they film scenes that look like the road is very long but they use about 10 feet and edit multiple takes together. 

They have a whole Friends section of the studio and have recreated Central Perks which is where we ate lunch sitting in the coffee shop.  Some of the sets they showed us were from the 1930’s and still being used since they just repaint, redecorate and use again.  We stood in a living room used in a western staring John Wayne that was repurposed to be Monica and Ross’s childhood home in one of the episodes of Friends.

We are now sitting in the Hollywood RV Park and tomorrow we pick up our rental car.  It was really annoying driving the RV today to Burbank to the studio and trying to find parking.   Tomorrow, we have been invited to visit Andrew’s girlfriend’s family.  It is a coincidence that this trip was planned about 9 months ago and we were scheduled to be in LA the same time that Andrew and Krissy will be in LA to go to a wedding.  Krissy mentioned my blog to her grandmother who has become an avid reader and a friend and tomorrow I will get to met her. 

We are here till Monday and will check in again as we go around site seeing.