Tehachapi, CA

This is one of the windiest places in the world, an excellent location for wind farms, and Tehachapi Pass is the site of the world’s largest.  I don't know how wind farm size is determined, whether it’s the amount of energy produced or the number of windmills.  Anyway, there are about 5000 windmills in the Pass and more under way.  The first windmills erected here 30 years ago were 45' high; .  Wind power technology has evolved constantly in the interim, each generation of windmills getting larger and more efficient.  The newest ones are on 265' towers, have 143' blades and have a sweep area of nearly 1.5 acres. 

We’re camped at a small private RV park a couple miles southeast of Tehachapi, beside the local airport at 4200’ elevation.  From this vantage point you get a much better idea of the wind farm’s tremendous scope than you do when driving over the Pass on highway 58 – which I’ve done several times, each time thinking wow, that’s a lot of windmills, must be 3-400 of ‘em.  I had no idea there were 5,000!   

Our sunset last night.  'Say goodnight, Dick.'

This is our last night on the road.  We’d planned to extend our summer adventure several more days, hiding out in a cool, high-altitude AZ location while the high LHC temps eased off a bit.  But, a couple days ago we decided we’d had enough road time and were ready for the roominess and convenience of home – and Papa Murphy’s and Netflix and daily mail delivery and full size bathrooms and, and, and.

Central Coast, CA

The Central Coast is the stretch between the urban sprawls of San Francisco and Los Angeles.  It’s an attractive area, with a scenic coastline and much smaller towns and cities.  Highway 1 runs along the coast and has gorgeous scenery, especially in the Big Sur area.  It’s a slow drive through that part, 75 miles of ups and downs and dozens of hairpin turns at 15-25 MPH.  Most RVers avoid that stretch, saw only one other rig the entire distance.

We visited Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo and both are appealing towns.  MB has great views and the beach/port thing going for it; SLO has a rich history and an upbeat downtown.

The San Luis Obispo Mission, above and below, looks pretty darn good considering is was built in 1772. 

The foundation would benefit from new facing but maybe they like it that way for effect.

A stream runs through downtown SLO and they’ve made the most if it with plantings and trails and bridges along its route.  It's a park really, a very long, skinny, curvy one.  Many restaurants with outdoor seating areas border the stream at street level.

Morro Rock is at the northern end of Morro Bay. 

The waters off to the right (north) of the Rock are popular with surfers.

Poorly

Poorly designed and poorly managed: that’s our current campground in a nutshell.  The designer didn’t know shit about RVs, most likely was never even in one and was too stupid to get input from someone more knowledgeable.  The result: sites that are too close together, too narrow, too slanted and oddly spaced.  The frosting on the cake is that some of the sites have the utility hookups on the wrong side.  RVs have water, electric and sewer hookups on the left (driver) side, but some of the back-in sites here have the utilities on the right side.  Unbelievable!

Our site is so narrow, it took precise placement to be able to extend the slideout and still be able to open the entry door on the opposite side.  As it was, I had to remove several tree branches that were blocking the door.  Extend the awning?  No way in hell!  The site is quite slanted front to rear, so much so that it’s necessary to block up the RV tires to level the rig.

Poorly managed it definitely is.  When we arrived 3 days ago, there was no one near the entrance to check us in or direct us to our site.  That’s not uncommon and I have no problem with it; having someone sitting in an entrance booth twiddling their thumbs most of the day would be a waste of time and money.  We had reservations so already knew which campsite was ours.

Typically though, the ranger-type or camp host drops by your campsite on arrival day to check you in, answer questions, etc.  We’ve been here 3 days now, saw a ranger drive around the loop once, haven’t seen the camp host drive around the loop at all, and neither of them have talked to us.  For all they know, we aren’t the people who reserved the site at all, just drifted in, found a vacant site and moved in.

In well-managed parks the camp hosts come around and check out the campsites soon after they’re vacated.  They pick up trash, clean out the firepit, and in some parks they even rake the ground smooth and sweep off the paved RV pad.  Not here.  The firepit in the space next to ours was full of trash when we arrived 3 days ago and it still is.

And here it is, the subject of this richly deserved criticism: El Chorro Regional Park, between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo, CA.  If you’re ever in this neck of the woods, be sure to give it a miss.

Pebble Beach, CA

Our first stop today was the DIY dog wash facility.  This was a good one, coin operated like a car wash, towels and waterproof apron provided, even a hair dryer.  

While Trish did the dogs, I did Safeway and ACE.

Next on the schedule was one of the most scenic drives anywhere, 17 Mile Drive.  It’s a toll road, costs $10, which is reimbursed if you eat at one of designated restaurants along the route.  Above pix taken at one of the numerous parking/viewing areas.  All the following pix were taken on the drive.  

The Lone Cypress, 250 years old, is the official Pebble Beach symbol.

Note sign in upper right in picture below. 

Strolling along the row of shops en route to Pebble Beach Lodge, 

lovely bougainvillea and hanging flower baskets.

The Pebble Beach golf course has been famous forever it seems, has hosted the US Open 5 times, and is rated the best course in the USA by Golf Digest.  We had lunch at the Pebble Beach Lodge Restaurant, sitting on the patio directly in front of the 18^th hole.  My Sierra Nevada Pale Ale cost $10, had purchased a ½ case of the same stuff at Safeway earlier in the day for $14.  Location, location, location.

The 18th hole.

It’s a spendy course, of course.  Some would-be players might be teed off by the green fees: $495 + cart, certainly not my cup of tea.  But, they have a fantastic deal if you stay in an ocean view room at the Lodge for a mere $1030 per night (plus taxes and fees): you don’t have to pay extra for the cart!  Wow!  Who can turn down a bargain like that?   But wait, there’s more: they allow dogs – at only $70 per dog/night!  Bring your entire dog sled team and stay a week or two, what the hell. 

Turning 180 degrees from the 18th hole picture above, you see Pebble Beach Lodge, built in 1919.

Our lunch table was under the black umbrella on the far right.

Laguna Seca Recreation Area, CA

Once part of Fort Ord, Laguna Seca (dry lagoon) is now home to the Mazda Raceway, a campground, and a firing range.  It’s located a few miles inland from Monterey, in an area of steep hills.  The road to the campground and Raceway has a 16% grade, not VW van-friendly I’m thinking.

Priscilla, the converted bus, was parked across from us a couple days.

Some readers will get the connection of the bus name to a 1994 movie that was a hoot. 

The pix above and below were both taken from our campsite.  The Raceway is 1/2 mile north of us, picture taken at 10X zoom; one car on the track, one coming out of the pit area.

The Raceway is the real deal, a professional 2.2+ mile course with 11 turns and a steep stretch that has an 18% grade.  Grand Prix, CART, INDY car, Superbike, etc races are held here, plus numerous specialty events like the Aston Martin Festival later this month.  

Looking west towards the coast and Monterey you see upscale homes and a golf course.

Fort Ord proper, where all the buildings are located, is a few miles north of us.  The Fort was an army base from 1917 to 1994, when it was decommissioned. My brother, Gerry, did his basic training there in 1963.  Groundwater cleanup efforts started 25 years ago and have many years to go.  Several decades of careless use of motor pool solvents and lubricants, fire control chemicals, etc, left plenty of nasty stuff behind. We visited there yesterday and were briefed on the cleanup efforts.

Monterey, CA

The north end of Cannery Row

Cannery Row in Monterey, made famous by Steinbeck’s book and the movie that followed, was the home of the once flourishing sardine industry.  The fishery was decimated and the canneries went belly up in the early 50s.  Now, the Row is a string of chic (and not so chic) shops, restaurants, and various types of lodging.  Yesterday, we strolled along the Row and had lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking the Bay.  I did squid.  Trish’s dish was fish.

A kayak rental group gets briefed before paddling around in Monterey Bay.

This picture was taken about midpoint in Cannery Row. 

Artie, looking hangdog: I'm sorry I barked, Mom.  I just get so excited sometimes I can't help it.

Monterey Bay in background.

SCUBA divers and kayakers flock to the Bay.  

We saw about 30 divers in the water and another 100+ loitering on the grass above the beach. 

John Steinbeck

Yesterday was Steinbeck day.  We visited the National Steinbeck Center and then had lunch at the Steinbeck House, both in Salinas, CA.  The Center is a museum dedicated to his life and times, with posters and film clips from several of the movies adapted from his books, filmed readings, printed excerpts and various artifacts.  Trish was delighted with the Travels with Charlie exhibit, complete with pickup and camper and route map.  I vaguely recall hearing a rumor that Trish was fond of poodles (gee, ya think?); Charlie was a standard poodle.

Above and below, the pickup and camper in which John and Charlie traveled.

John and Charlie

Trish’s book club read The Grapes of Wrath awhile back and then watched the movie, which starred Henry Fonda.  Grapes, a bleak and depressing story about the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and early labor union days, may be John’s best-known work.  Many of his books were bestsellers and many were made into movies: East of Eden, The Red Pony, Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, plus several more.

The Steinbeck House is where John lived until age 17, when he left to attend Stanford.  The exterior and main-level interior have been restored but the upstairs has not.  The main level is now a restaurant, open for lunch only, with a matronly wait staff outfitted in colorful, floor-length dresses and prim little aprons.  The menu is limited to 4 items, which change every few weeks. 

The restaurant-interior of the Steinbeck House

Half Moon Bay, CA

I love these wind-sculpted cypress trees!

Allegedly, October is the best time, weather wise, to visit San Francisco, where it’s cool and foggy/cloudy much of the time – including now.  However, our usual summer itinerary has us returning home mid Sept and not ready to saddle up and hit the road again in Oct.  Besides, the weather in Lake Havasu City is perfect then; perfect for us, anyway, very warm and dry.

Trish and Mary Kay at Land’s End

So here we are and the weather is as advertised.  Actually, not advertised: you won’t find the Chamber of Commerce and travel industry folks trumpeting the dreary weather Trish and I are now ‘enjoying.’  Enough whining, we’re here visit family and friends who live in the Bay Area, and enjoying it immensely.

Looking across Half Moon Bay, Pillar Point in background, far left

We’re camped at Half Moon Bay State Beach, 25 miles south of downtown SFO.  Our campsite may be the best one here, our huge rear window looking straight out at the ocean, where we see the occasional northbound whale.

The Santa Cruz Mountains, above, are part of the Coast Range, not much as mountains go but towing the RV over them was tedious due to narrow, winding roads with lots of stoplights and suicidal cyclists zipping along, sans bike lane and road shoulder, coming within centimeters of our extended towing mirrors.

Niece Mary Kay moved here from Beijing several months ago; she lives with Lawrence in a lovely, spacious home near the Golden Gate Nat'l Recreation Area.  Mike, son of Patty (my ex), moved here several years ago after getting his EE degree at UC Davis.  He, his wife Flannery and 4-year old daughter Tabby have a home in Alameda.  Trish, Mary Kay and I visited them last night and were treated to a delicious dinner.

We're outta here this AM, heading south along the coast on highway 1 to the Monterey/Salinas area for a few days.

The Donner Party

The Donner Party got stranded near here (Truckee, CA) in the winter of 1846/47.  I enjoy parties but I‘m glad I missed that one: no music, no beverages other than melted snow, and no food except frozen mules, oxen, dogs and the corpses of the 40 pioneers who died from exposure and starvation.

The Donner brothers, George and Jacob, organized the train of 20 wagons in Springfield, IL and headed west in April, 1846.  The Donners and wagon master John Reed opted to take a ‘shortcut’ through the rugged Wasatch Mts of Utah and across Great Salt Lake.  Experienced mountain men warned them against taking the untried route but they ignored the advice.  The shortcut was mentioned in the book, The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, written by Lansford Hastings, an arrogant, unscrupulous lawyer who had neither seen nor traveled the dangerous route. 

The so-called shortcut added a month to the travel time, causing the travelers to reach the high Sierras late in the season.  They were stopped cold (very cold, indeed) by heavy October snows and were stranded for 4 months at an altitude of 6000’.  Rescuers finally reached the survivors, half the group that started out, in February, 1847.  

One wonders how many other pioneers read Hastings’ Guide and ran into trouble.  In today’s world he would have been found guilty of multiple counts of manslaughter and sentenced to a few thousand years in prison.

Lake Tahoe, CA and NV

Lake Tahoe is quite the happening place.   A dozen ski slopes bring the winter sports enthusiasts; the cool summer days draw in folks from CA and NV seeking relief from the heat in the lower altitudes – plus boaters, cyclists, runners and so on.  The great natural beauty is, of course, a major draw for one and all any time of year.  We’re camped on the Truckee River a few miles north of the Lake, at an altitude of 5868’.  Daily highs are in the low-mid 70s, last night’s low was a chilly 40.

Above and below are side-by-side granite sculptures of the Lake.

They're located in the town of Kings Beach on the north end of the Lake.

The Lake is large, 1645’ deep at deepest point, largest fresh water lake by volume in the USA, after the Great Lakes.  Above, Trish and Artie are sitting at the average depth of 1000’, while Ranger has his nose just above the surface.

The patio bar at River Ranch Resort on the Truckee River.

We stopped there for a drink one afternoon.

The entrance to Squaw Valley.

The winter Olympics were held in Squaw Valley in 1960, the first Olympics to be televised, the first and last time all Olympians were housed and fed under one roof, and the first time a computer was used to tally standings and scores.  

Approaching High Camp on the aerial tram.

An aerial tram, built in ’74, takes tourists from Olympic village, upward about 3000’ to the site of the main Olympic staging area, which is now called High Camp and has a museum, skating rink, swimming pool and hot tub, and restaurants.  We rode the tram, visited the museum, and had lunch at the poolside café, very enjoyable adventure.

Pix above and below were taken from High Camp, skating rink above, Lake Tahoe below.

The view from the front of the tram as we descend to Squaw Valley, where only a couple of the Olympics-era buildings remain.  What we're seeing in this picture is your typical upscale ski resort stuff: lodging, restaurants, shops, summer and winter sporting goods sales and rentals, etc.

Lassen National Forest, CA

We spent a couple refreshing nights at Merrill Campground on Eagle Lake in Lassen NF, refreshing because it was quiet and peaceful, warm and dry.  We needed that after 10 days of cool, damp, crowded and noisy campgrounds on the OR coast.  Eagle Lake is quite large, surrounded by timbered hills, at 5200’ altitude.  Bonus: white pelicans soar over the lake and hang out along the edges.  These huge birds fascinate me, so ungainly looking you’d think they couldn’t fly at all, but oh so graceful and pleasing to watch as they glide in loose drafting formations over the waves.

Looking across the mostly empty campground.

This is ponderosa pine country, which continues southward to Lake Tahoe.  Older readers may recall the Bonanza TV series, wherein the ranch was called The Ponderosa.  The series was filmed near Lake Tahoe and  the film-set buildings became a theme park after filming ended; the park closed in 2004, but the buildings are supposedly still there.  

Eagle Lake in background

‘Scratch, scratch, scratch.’  What the hell?  It was 1:30 AM when I heard the noise.  It wasn’t Trish and it wasn’t the dogs, had to be some little critter that found its way into the basement or lower framework of the Cougar.  I got up, dressed and went outside to investigate, opened all the storage area doors, but didn’t see it.  Trish came out and joined me.  We thought we heard it in the BBQ bag, opened it carefully, no critter.  We finally gave it up for the night, will investigate again in the morning.  

To RV or Not to RV?

So, you’re considering buying an RV and you’re wondering if: it’s a good move, you’ll love it or hate it, you’ll love it and she/he/it will hate it – or vice versa.  Here are some insights gained from several summers of RVing.  The scenario on which I’m basing my comments and calculations is: 2 people spending 100 consecutive days touring the US, driving 5000 miles in a pickup, towing a 30’ travel trailer or 5^th wheel, using mostly public campgrounds.  I’ll compare that scenario with this one: same 2 people and number of days/miles but driving a car and staying at motels/hotels/B and Bs.

Costs

1. The RV and tow vehicle will cost 2-3 times as much as the car – view the difference as prepaid lodging costs.  The folks touring in the car will spend 4-5 times as much for motel/hotel lodging, about $10,000 more in total.
2. RVers will pay about twice as much on gas but half as much on food.  They pretty much offset each other and aren’t big ticket items anyway.
3. I suspect in the long run, say 5 years of doing 100-day tours, the cumulative cost of the 2 approaches will be comparable.

Chores

The at-home chores don’t stay at home when you RV; except for the yard work, the chores go along for the ride.  Cooking and cleaning, maintaining and repairing: if you’re sick of it and have to get away from it, take the car.

Beds

RVers know who slept in their bed last night.  Motel users don’t.  Nor do they know what those people did in bed nor the residue thereof, nor how many bugs, viruses and bacteria they left behind.  RVers sleep in the same bed every night, they’re used to it, know what to expect.  Car tour folks sleep in a lot of different beds, most of them fine but some not.

The Outdoors

If you enjoy nature and outdoor activities and sitting around a campfire, go with the RV.  But, you don’t have to love the outdoors because the RV is self contained and you only need to be outside when you’re setting up or breaking camp.

Personal Convenience

RVers can pull off the road wherever there’s a wide spot if they want to grab a sandwich or a cold beverage or go to the restroom.  Car touring folks can carry edibles in a cooler but have to keep their legs crossed until they find a rest area, gas station or large bush.

In RVs the clean clothing is on shelves and hangers, the dirty clothing is in a laundry bag in the ‘basement’, and the toiletries are in the medicine cabinet, just like at home.  If you’re car touring, that stuff is jammed into a suitcase, unpacked and repacked at each stop.

Other Comments

1. Speed and time.  If you have to get there fast, take the car.  You’re gonna burn a lot more fuel and $ towing an RV at max freeway speeds.  We stay at 65 MPH.
2. Towing.  It’s easier than you think but not for everyone.  Borrow or rent a trailer, any trailer, take it to an empty parking lot and try it out.
3. Test it.  As noted above, renting before you buy is a good idea.  Determine what kind of rig you want and rent one like it for a week or two.
4. Buy used.  Odds are, your first RV won’t be your last and you’ll only have it for a season or 2 so buy a nice used one.  There’s plenty of ‘em out there.
5. Finding campgrounds.  Campground websites abound.  State and federal agencies have their own listings and there are several others also.  We have 2 favorites we use a lot.
6. Food.  Having your favorite foods readily available and being able to prepare them the way you like is a big RV plus.  I think RVers will have a more healthful diet and will be less prone to overeating than the car tour folks.
7. Questions.  I’ll answer them if I can, refer you elsewhere if I can’t.

Honeyman SP, OR

OR coast from southbound US 101 at 60 MPH

US Highway 101 runs the entire length of Oregon coast, some 340 miles.  State parks, heritage sites, memorials, scenic viewpoints and recreation areas abound along the highway, plus the feds have a mess of similar attractions and facilities.  You can’t drive for 10 minutes without seeing a road sign for something or other, and one wonders how and why so many players got into the act.  Within a few miles of us the feds have areas administered by the BLM, USDA, Forest Service and National Park Service.  Gee, I wonder: could this possibly be redundant and wasteful and totally asinine? 

A dense forest of magnificent tall trees, Sitka Spruce, Douglas Fir and Western Red Cedar, some of them 200’ high with trunks up to 4’ in diameter, surrounds us.  The picture below was taken with the camera pointing straight up.

                                                                                                                                          

Above: the outside seating area at a bay-front restaurant in Florence, OR, 3 miles north of us.  We had lunch there one day, clam chowder and a microbrew, but sat inside, too windy and cool outside.

Above: Oregon Dunes Nat’l Rec Area has long stretches of sand dunes up to 500’ high; Honeyman is right on the edge of it.  We rented a canoe and paddled around this little lake one day.  Below: The inside of Cleawox Lodge, across the lake from the sand dunes, built by the CCC in the 30s.  They built the outside, too.

In case you can’t read the sign in the above picture, it describes the cobra lily, aka pitcher plant.  It’s rare, grows wild in swampy areas along the CA and OR coasts.  This crop of about 500 SF is 5 miles north of Florence. 

The cobra lily.

Games We Played IV

Anti I Over

For this game you need a one-story building like a garage, a bunch of kids and a ball.  The kids split up into 2 teams, one team on each side of the building.  Team I throws the ball over the building and yells, ‘Anti I Over.’  Team II tries to catch the ball before it hits the ground.  If someone succeeds in catching it, they all sneak around the building and the player who caught the ball tries to touch opposing players with it before they reach the safety of the halfway mark.  Tagged Team 1 players become members of Team II.

If Team II did not catch the ball, one player of that team throws it back over the building, again yelling ‘Anti I Over.’  The team that captures all the players wins.  Players must be alert and watchful after they throw the ball, ready to run the second they see or hear the other team coming around the building.  The attacking team must be stealthy.

 Bird, Beast or Fish

The players sit facing the leader, who names one of the players and says ‘bird’ (or ‘beast’ or ‘fish’).  The designated player must name a bird before the leader counts to ten, a bird that has not been previously named in the same game.  If the player fails to come up with a name, he/she is ‘out’.  The game continues until only one player remains.  That player becomes the new leader.

Pump Pump Pull-away

Two teams would line up facing each other, about 100’ apart.  One member of Team I, the catcher, would stand between the 2 lines and shout ‘Pump, Pump, Pull-away, Come Away or I’ll pull you away!’  The two teams then dashed across the open area, changing sides.  The catcher tried to tag members of Team II as they ran across.  Tagged players then became members of Team I.  The game continued until everybody was on the same team.

Grade School Games

Small country grade schools were still common in the mid 1900s.  My siblings and I all attended the same 2-story school located 1.5 miles from our farm.  The grades were divided into 2 groups, 1-4 and 5-8, one teacher per group.  There were 6 kids in my class, average size at that time.  The students were free to do whatever they wanted during the lunch break.  The teachers orchestrated games during the phy-ed break, most co-ed.

On frigid winter days, we’d stay inside and play some of the games previously mentioned.  Outside games included softball, fox and geese, red rover, pump pump pull-away.  Teachers also coordinated track competitions: footraces, high jump, long jump, relays, softball throw and so on.  

Screwed Up

Yesterday, August 4^th, we left Newport and drove south on US 101, destination Honeyman State Park, just south of Florence, OR.  I emptied the holding tanks before hitting the road; in the meantime, Trish scanned the Honeyman reservation printout.  When I got back into the truck, she informed me that I screwed up when I made the reservation: it was for the 5^th instead of the 4^th.  ‘Mikey, you’re a dumbass!’ (she didn’t say that; I did).  So, we were homeless trailer trash.

T called Honeyman to see if they had a one-nighter available.  Nope.  We lost cell phone coverage a few minutes later so couldn’t check on other possibilities along our route.  We stopped at a Forest Service campground near Yachats which had open sites but none large enough for our rig.

 A few minutes further down the road, we stopped at a small private RV park on the ocean side of the road.  They had an open site and a laundry, which we needed, so Trish said, ‘We’ll take it!’  The check-in lady said, ‘That’ll be $72.67’.  T and I looked at each other in dismay, never having paid that much per night, nor anything close.  We told the lady that we’d check out the site before we signed up.  It had a partial ocean view but no privacy and, being only 50’ off Hwy 101, had big time road noise, definitely not worth $73.

Back on the road, we soon came upon a state park/camping sign with an arrow pointing to our right.  I got into the right turn lane and was one car length from the turn when a much smaller sign appeared: Day Use Area (arrow pointing right); Campground (arrow pointing left).  Shit!  I’m in the right turn lane, but have to turn left!  No cars coming either way, so what the hell, did a hard left across 3 lanes of traffic and made the turn okay.  ‘Dumb SOBs.  The signs suck!’  Good thing there were no state troopers around.

The state park, Carl G Washburne Memorial, had a few sites available but only one looked long enough (45') for us without unhooking.  We nailed it, full hookup, for $31, and became happy campers once again. 

Now, doesn’t this little story just make you feel warm all over, and - dare I say - renew your faith in mankind?  The heroes, faced with sudden horrendous disaster, staunchly soldier on, only to fail in their first attempt at redemption, yet valiantly persevering, failing again but still undaunted, keeping a stiff upper lip despite severe trials and tribulations, and finally, after a lengthy (at least 90 minutes!) and arduous struggle, finally succeeding in their quest.  Oh yeah!

O-Grill

A gusher I am not.  Just the opposite: I prefer understatement, thinking it’s better that people be pleasantly surprised than somewhat, or totally, disappointed when the rubber meets the road.  My unsolicited endorsements are few and far between but when I find a product or service that really nails it, I like to share it with others.

The grill fits snugly into this heavy duty nylon case.

Last spring I decided to get a new travel grill and proceeded to research them online, checking numerous websites, ratings, reviews and forums.  My criteria: compact, light, 8K minimum BTUs (our old one was rated at 5K, too wimpy), reasonably priced, easy to clean, preferably with its own protective bag/case.  I settled on the O-Grill.

The legs fold flat.  The orange tab on the upper handle secures the upper and lower handles together for transport and storage.

We’ve used it several times now and we love it.  It’s a little heavier than I’d hoped for but the performance and other features more than compensate.  And – bonus - Trish says it looks sexy!   Our model is the 500, which is rated at 9K BTUs – more than adequate for quickly searing a thick steak and cooking it to perfection.  There are other models but I don’t know how they differ.  If you’re in the market for a portable grill, this is one of the best.

The removable cooking surface is heavy duty stuff, brands things nicely.

"Prawns are on, Trish; dinner in 4 minutes."