Sunday, September 19, 2010
Having wireless access two days in a row must mean we are out of the woods. Port Angeles to Sequim to Port Townsend put us on the seashore and out of the drippy forest; today there may even be sun!
Sequim is a great little town, with only 14-17 inches of rain a year; a quarter of what we get in Nevada City. However, they don't advertise how many days of sun, but we're guessing 20 to 25. No rain today, but cloudy and foggy of course. Nonetheless it's a treat to be in a town with a good local market, Sunny Farms, where we bought among many other goodies a Juan Canary melon. And a Farmer's Market, coffee shop, bookstores, lavender shop. Yep, this area is the Lavender Capital of ??? the US, I guess. Surrounded by lovely lavender farms, there are myriad products available to cook with, bathe in and slather on. The area also has some lovely home developments, a couple of brand name motels, the Red Caboose B&B with several caboose of different bright colors, currently a Glass Art Festival going on...and miles of bike paths, walking paths and horse trails...22 miles to be exact from western edge of Sequim to the Spit. It would be a nice place to live if you didn't mind a little moss; the gardens are lovely with all the moisture.
One of the attractions other than lavender is the Railroad Bridge Park, where the oldest Audubon Society in the US is situated, and a railroad bridge preserved long after there was a railroad here. The area boasts an amazing habitat for birds, fish, and other wildlife. To count: 124 bird species, 22 critters who depend on the local environment, 7 kinds of salmon, or, more correctly, salmonids. And this is just a little picnic park on the edge of the Dungeness River. The Harvest Hosts includes the Purple Haze Lavender Farm where we could have stayed except they are closed during the week this time of year.
Heading for Hoodsport and Olympia, we took a detour to Port Townsend. Now spontaneity is sometimes lacking between the Driver, whom I am now renaming the Captain, and the Passenger, now renamed the Navigator. And confusion can reign when the gps and the maps and the Navigator are at odds. The Captain prefers to keep driving no matter in which direction; getting him to stop and reconnoiter is a major task and only successful when we are hopelessly lost in some out of the way neighborhood nowhere near the Historic Downtown or the uptown Victorians or the Port. We bumbled around grumbling as it was getting to stopping time (we hadn't left Sequim until after 3 p.m.) and finally found our way to the Fort Worden State Park. The signs leading to the campgrounds stopped well short of the destination, leaving us to more bumbling around until finding an open visitor's center. Campground in the trees was above a huge old hangar for blimps (not all wood) in which a local rock band was practicing for their concert that night, expecting as many as 1200 people. Not my idea of a restful night. The oceanside campground was full. The fairgrounds, hosting a quilt show, was an empty soggy grassy field of a campground with a few derelict trailers in it, not really appealing. A second run at the woodsy area at the Fort showed it completely full. By now we are snarling and snapping, with only two more options, one of which is another woodsy grassy Fort outside of town, and the other, portside downtown. Well, the port RV park had lots of appeal, including a short walk to town, a lovely restaurant/bar, a long beach walk, and lots of rvs side by side by side, crammed together for the weekend. One spot left...We cornered the camp host and he allowed as it wasn't really a regular spot, but he named it his emergency spot, it had water and electricity and a view of the ocean. We convinced him this was a true emergency as we were about to kill each other; he took our money and pointed out the way to the bar.
Least favorite things while traveling: signs to a destination you have in mind, only to leave you hanging with no more signs still blocks from where you want to be. Most favorite things: old cars/trucks planted with flowers; a sign on the back of a small rv...Past Tents.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Oregon to Washington
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Several of the great sights on the Oregon Coast are the bridges, built during the 30's in art deco style, of concrete and green steel. There are several as the traveler crosses the many rivers that empty into the Pacific...Pistol, Umpqua, Elk. Smith. And, of course, the dunes. But first, the fish....chowder in Brookings for lunch, fresh coho salmon from a local fish market for dinner. A stop at Fred Meyer's my favorite store in Oregon, an amble up 101 on a beautiful day, over the huge bay at Coos Bay and the south end of the dunes. More dune sightings through forests and along beaches, landing at Honeyman State Park at the north end. Oregon State Parks are terrific with water and electricity hook-ups; this one is huge and well populated even after Labor Day.
Monday, September 13
On to Heceta Light House, seen from below another wonderful bridge, with its nearby B&B. Innumerable creeks and streams run into the ocean, 75 in the Florence area alone, so there are plenty of small beaches and picnic areas. Our walk to one such showed us what 'drift logs' are like. There are warnings and warnings about not walking/sitting on the drift logs as they can turn and take you to the ocean in a heartbeat. They are more like drift trees to me, absolutely huge, and some riddled with holes made by a particular kind of clam that burrows into them.
Yachats, a cute small town, provided coffee and fuel; Newpoert and Lincoln City are big slurbs except for Salishan resort. We crossed the 45th parallel, announced the sign. South of Tillamook, there are miles of dairy land, green pastures, horses, surrounded by forest. Nestucca and Beaver, small towns. And the world's largest wooden structure, it says, one of two that housed blimps doing coastal reconnaisance during WWII. (Where's the spell check when I need it?) Now the one remaining houses an air museum. Cheese was our main stop, of course, Blue Heron French cheese and Tillamook, where we watched the cheese making process. The aged Extra Sharp White is just the best. And Tillamook Bay looked gorgeous in the setting sun. Overnight at Newhalem, another wonder OSP, with a playground for Lucy to chase her ball.
Tuesday, September 14
Breakfast at Wanda's in Newhalem has inspired me to make omelettes with smoked salmon, cream cheese and scallions. Yum yum.
Astoria, on the Washington border, offered Fort Stevens, and Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark wintered after 'finding' the Pacific Ocean...a good replica of the log structures where the party of 24 or so lived in the rain. I don't think I've ever crossed into Washington from Astoria before..astounding how huge the mouth of the Columbia River is! A small Hoaquim River spot provided an RV park with a laundry, about time, but no wifi working that day.
Wednesday, September 15
Woke to real rain, what did we expect as we drove on to the Olympic Peninsula? Quinault's old lodge was a wonderful stopping place for coffee, reminding us of the time we spent there years ago on a road trip with friends. It's one of four lodges in the National Forest and National Park managed by a concessionaire. The Hoh rain forest is a perfect environment for Douglas fir (250 feet tall), Western hemlock, Sitka spruce, red alder and red cedar trees, combining an ocean influence with mountain environment. Everything, and I do mean everything, is covered with epiphytes, air plants that live on trees and bushes. The Olympic National Park and forest comprise close to 1 million acres and are 95% wilderness. One of the not-wilderness areas is Sol Duc (I have no idea what THAT means) with a lodge and cabins, but most importantly, hot springs.
Thursday, September 16
Having spent the night in the campground, we arrived bathing suits it hand to check into the springs, just behind 50 college freshmen from Seattle Univ. on a getting-to-know-you trip. Happily, the pools were large and the people watching great. Noticed that several obsese girls didn't go into the pools but stayed in their sweats, but others did. On the whole, not much obesity but lots of cute YOUNG girls and boys. Lunch at the outdoor cafe, noticed leaves turning on the trees, bought sweatshirts, headed for Lake Crescent and Port Angeles. Passed up the Log Cabin Lodge...although we were thinking of staying indoors one night....as there was nothing appealing about a plain wooden structure with no fireplace, and one the lakeside in the rain. Port Angeles provided wonderful coffee, a chat with the barrista about using lavender in cooking, new windshield wipers, and a solution to the problem of why the Passenger's seat won't slide anymore, preventing the Blogger from getting to the laptop which is hidden in the hidey-hole. A Coke bottle cap, courtesy of Lucy, was lodged somewhere in the track and a new body shop guy pulled it out.
Friday, September 16
Chestnut Cottage for breakfast and the best french toast Gene has ever had; he is eternally on the search, and this Creme Brulee French Toast did it. My Dungeness crab omelette with cheese and an apricot walnut scone also got rave reviews, and half saved for tomorrow. We've been to Hurricane Ridge twice before always in the rain and fog, so were reluctant to try it this time, again in the fog and rain. But a stop at the visitor center in Port Angeles showed us the web cam at the top, with a ridge of mountain showing above the fog and below the clouds. And by gosh, that's what we saw after the 18 mile drive up the mountain. Lovely, lovely, and I can only imagine what the scene would show in the sunshine, when and if. On to Sequim (skwim) and the Dungeness Spit, a dinner of cracked crab after a visit to Sunny Farms the most fabulous grocery/nursery...looks like a roadside stand that grew out of all proportion, but stocked like Whole Foods or the Woodland Market. Marvelous, and worth another trip tomorrow.
Saturday, September 17
We're off to the Farmer's Market here in Sequim, to amble a bit on the Spit, see the Railroad Bridge park, and shop for lavender products on the main drag. After we clean up Lucy, mop up the spilled coffee, and toast some of last night's sourdough. Maybe the fog will even lift!
Several of the great sights on the Oregon Coast are the bridges, built during the 30's in art deco style, of concrete and green steel. There are several as the traveler crosses the many rivers that empty into the Pacific...Pistol, Umpqua, Elk. Smith. And, of course, the dunes. But first, the fish....chowder in Brookings for lunch, fresh coho salmon from a local fish market for dinner. A stop at Fred Meyer's my favorite store in Oregon, an amble up 101 on a beautiful day, over the huge bay at Coos Bay and the south end of the dunes. More dune sightings through forests and along beaches, landing at Honeyman State Park at the north end. Oregon State Parks are terrific with water and electricity hook-ups; this one is huge and well populated even after Labor Day.
Monday, September 13
On to Heceta Light House, seen from below another wonderful bridge, with its nearby B&B. Innumerable creeks and streams run into the ocean, 75 in the Florence area alone, so there are plenty of small beaches and picnic areas. Our walk to one such showed us what 'drift logs' are like. There are warnings and warnings about not walking/sitting on the drift logs as they can turn and take you to the ocean in a heartbeat. They are more like drift trees to me, absolutely huge, and some riddled with holes made by a particular kind of clam that burrows into them.
Yachats, a cute small town, provided coffee and fuel; Newpoert and Lincoln City are big slurbs except for Salishan resort. We crossed the 45th parallel, announced the sign. South of Tillamook, there are miles of dairy land, green pastures, horses, surrounded by forest. Nestucca and Beaver, small towns. And the world's largest wooden structure, it says, one of two that housed blimps doing coastal reconnaisance during WWII. (Where's the spell check when I need it?) Now the one remaining houses an air museum. Cheese was our main stop, of course, Blue Heron French cheese and Tillamook, where we watched the cheese making process. The aged Extra Sharp White is just the best. And Tillamook Bay looked gorgeous in the setting sun. Overnight at Newhalem, another wonder OSP, with a playground for Lucy to chase her ball.
Tuesday, September 14
Breakfast at Wanda's in Newhalem has inspired me to make omelettes with smoked salmon, cream cheese and scallions. Yum yum.
Astoria, on the Washington border, offered Fort Stevens, and Fort Clatsop where Lewis and Clark wintered after 'finding' the Pacific Ocean...a good replica of the log structures where the party of 24 or so lived in the rain. I don't think I've ever crossed into Washington from Astoria before..astounding how huge the mouth of the Columbia River is! A small Hoaquim River spot provided an RV park with a laundry, about time, but no wifi working that day.
Wednesday, September 15
Woke to real rain, what did we expect as we drove on to the Olympic Peninsula? Quinault's old lodge was a wonderful stopping place for coffee, reminding us of the time we spent there years ago on a road trip with friends. It's one of four lodges in the National Forest and National Park managed by a concessionaire. The Hoh rain forest is a perfect environment for Douglas fir (250 feet tall), Western hemlock, Sitka spruce, red alder and red cedar trees, combining an ocean influence with mountain environment. Everything, and I do mean everything, is covered with epiphytes, air plants that live on trees and bushes. The Olympic National Park and forest comprise close to 1 million acres and are 95% wilderness. One of the not-wilderness areas is Sol Duc (I have no idea what THAT means) with a lodge and cabins, but most importantly, hot springs.
Thursday, September 16
Having spent the night in the campground, we arrived bathing suits it hand to check into the springs, just behind 50 college freshmen from Seattle Univ. on a getting-to-know-you trip. Happily, the pools were large and the people watching great. Noticed that several obsese girls didn't go into the pools but stayed in their sweats, but others did. On the whole, not much obesity but lots of cute YOUNG girls and boys. Lunch at the outdoor cafe, noticed leaves turning on the trees, bought sweatshirts, headed for Lake Crescent and Port Angeles. Passed up the Log Cabin Lodge...although we were thinking of staying indoors one night....as there was nothing appealing about a plain wooden structure with no fireplace, and one the lakeside in the rain. Port Angeles provided wonderful coffee, a chat with the barrista about using lavender in cooking, new windshield wipers, and a solution to the problem of why the Passenger's seat won't slide anymore, preventing the Blogger from getting to the laptop which is hidden in the hidey-hole. A Coke bottle cap, courtesy of Lucy, was lodged somewhere in the track and a new body shop guy pulled it out.
Friday, September 16
Chestnut Cottage for breakfast and the best french toast Gene has ever had; he is eternally on the search, and this Creme Brulee French Toast did it. My Dungeness crab omelette with cheese and an apricot walnut scone also got rave reviews, and half saved for tomorrow. We've been to Hurricane Ridge twice before always in the rain and fog, so were reluctant to try it this time, again in the fog and rain. But a stop at the visitor center in Port Angeles showed us the web cam at the top, with a ridge of mountain showing above the fog and below the clouds. And by gosh, that's what we saw after the 18 mile drive up the mountain. Lovely, lovely, and I can only imagine what the scene would show in the sunshine, when and if. On to Sequim (skwim) and the Dungeness Spit, a dinner of cracked crab after a visit to Sunny Farms the most fabulous grocery/nursery...looks like a roadside stand that grew out of all proportion, but stocked like Whole Foods or the Woodland Market. Marvelous, and worth another trip tomorrow.
Saturday, September 17
We're off to the Farmer's Market here in Sequim, to amble a bit on the Spit, see the Railroad Bridge park, and shop for lavender products on the main drag. After we clean up Lucy, mop up the spilled coffee, and toast some of last night's sourdough. Maybe the fog will even lift!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Fall trip to the Northwest 2010
NEVADA CITY TO MT LASSEN NP
SEPT. 7, 2010Tuesday.
You know how some days just don't start right? And don't get much better as the day grinds on? The gardener didn't show up. The frustration of finding that the $1,000 fix on the automatic levelers isn't working properly was only surpassed by Gail spending over an hour trying to upload to the iPod the download from Audible books, with no luck. Which resulted in a very late start and then a trip to the library to get some books on tape for the journey. (Gene maintained his cool through all this and was very supportive...until later.)
And the shakedown of the first few miles didn't go so well either. I hadn't harnessed Lucy, the hood wasn't completely latched, and the drivers in the library parking lot were making the Driver crazy. Eager to get going, he drove off without his seat belt on and had to buckle up while managing our 6 tons of metal, fiberglass, rubber and household.goods. Which drives the Passenger crazy. It doesn't help that the 'jacks down' light came on, Gene's hat slid off the shelf above, boink, and the ear piece on Gail's glasses came loose. We had just reached Highway 20 in Grass Valley.
This east to west highway across our part of Northern California is much improved from its earlier narrow twisted route, but the sight of fresh scorched earth, a cross and flowers testified to its still dangerous nature. The frustrations of the morning and the pushing of cars and trucks behind leads the Driver to go faster than he might, and the Passenger in the second seat to express her terror in bad language. But, reaching Woodruff Lane, we entered a world of little traffic, lush greenery, and harvest machinery waiting near the grain silos for ripening crops. The occasional BUMP sign doesn't do justice to this beat-up road.
Highway 70, south to north between Yuba City and Oroville is a fruit and nut orchard corridor, with truck farms off to the side. Walnut, pistachio, olive, peach, nectarine, apricot, plum and kiwi...then signs for melons, corn, tomatoes, and lots of fruit stands and a roach coach or two. Names on the properties were Italian, Mexican, Mormon (Desert Farms), and others. Mariani drying sheds numbered at least three. There was a tree nursery of several acres . And suddenly we were out of green and into golden fields of baled hay with a second crop growing. Oroville Dam loomed ahead, signs for the casino flashed by, and Red Bluff was next.
Highway 36 heads east out of Red Bluff toward Manton, our destination for the night. Drove Manton Road to the Indian Peak Vineyards on Forward Road where Donna and Fred Boots met us at their wine barn and tasting room. We were their first Harvest Hosts guests, and this was our first www.harvesthosts.com try at dry camping on private property. The Boots were most gracious and over several tastes of wine they had made, from their own and neighbors grapes, we heard their story. And bought three bottles of wine, which they insisted we didn't have to do, but after 'tasting' the equivalent of a glass or two apiece, we decided it was a good idea. These grandparents and entrepeneurs have spent the last 7 years planting growing harvesting and wine making, while living in a small trailer next to the wine barn. Sold their Cottonwood home at the peak of the market, retired from their jobs, quit commuting, and settled in to work their buns off. Very good wine, by the way.
SAVE THE EARTH...IT'S THE ONLY PLANET THAT MAKES WINE
Wednesday. What do you know, it's raining! Woke to a downpour, but soldiered on over small country roads ever climbing to Shingletown (Hwy 44), past the Wild Horse Sanctuary, and Mt. Lassen National Park. Not a local rain this, reports from all over northern Northern California were the same. So there goes our plan to drive slowly and hike through Lassen. I mean it's pouring. As the ranger said, the mountain makes its own weather. Ah well, time to catch up from the rigors of packing and leaving, take the day off and read Sunday's paper. Settled down in an almost empty campground, levelers working OK now, and then discovered we were almost out of propane....which fuels the stove, the furnace, the hot water heater, the refrigerator. Bolted for the nearby store....no propane. Back to Shingletown, down the highway about 15 miles, and returned, mission accomplished. Still pouring. Good DVD, good wine, nice supper, warm and cozy.
Thursday. The plan is to drive, hike, picnic our way through this lovely park from the NW corner to the SW corner, and head for the coastal redwoods. Our ancient Interagency Senior Pass leaves us feeling a bit guilty for free admittance to all national parks and half price dry camping to boot, but then, we pay taxes, don't we?
Thursday con't. No rain! A late start on the drive/hike through Lassen, and on the first part of the drive we heard a mysterious thumping and bumping from underneath the kitchen. Although the Driver spread a blanket and crawled under Betsy by the side of the road, no reason for mysterious sound could be found. So on to Bumpass Hell overlook. Well done signs explained Mt. Tehama, a huge volcano, imploded eons ago, leaving a ring of mountain peaks surrounding the caldera in which we stood....Mt. Conrad, Brokeoff Mountain, etc. It looked daunting from where we stood, but the guide book said the 1.5 mile hike (3 mi. RT) was moderate, so off we went over rocky narrow trails on the edge of the caldera with views of forests below and beyond, peaks and valleys in the far distance. A small gain in elevation over the rocky scramble, then a sharp drop down into the steaming pools of sulfurous (read, stinky) and noisy fumeroles and boiling mud pots. The boardwalk kept us from straying into dangerous ground. Poor Kendall VanHook Bumpass lost his dream of turning this area into a tourist attraction in the mid-19th c, along with the leg that fell through the crust into the boiling liquid below. Plenty of people on the trail, although I thought it was cold, in the mid 50's. And surprisingly, lupine still in bloom on the sunny slopes. Huffed and puffed our way back out and felt good about our 1.5 hour excursion until we met a group who had already climbed Mt. Lassen and were going to amble to Bumpass Hell. Oh, well, we're old.
Mineral is the tiny town at the SW entrance to Mt. Lassen Volcanic NP, and we spent our third night of dry camping nearby at Battle Creek NFS campground. The Driver prefers hookups but is clever enough to bring a 'water thief' so we can put water directly into Betsy via our hose and this gadget, which keeps coming off the faucet-with-no-threads and dowsing the 'thief'. Another frosty night makes me glad to be in the woods in a fiberglass box with a furnace and not in a tent or a dreary freeway motel. For entertainment there are always other campers....the elderly couple (by that I mean even older than we are) riding around the campground loop on their fold-up bikes, the campground host(ess) dressed for work leaving at 8 a.m., men with long grey beards and cammies (the sign did say Hunters Welcome on a dreary rv park nearby), the squirrels carrying bright green moss for their winter nests, bird calls, tall trees.
Friday Sept. 10 In under an hour, we dropped 4000 feet in elevation and rose 25 degrees in temperature as Highway 36 took us into Red Bluff for emptying and filling. It's a very mild 75-80 degrees in this normally blistering part of the upper Sacramento Valley. The 'downtown' is somewhat threadbare; all the new shops are on the outskirts in the shopping centers with the big box stores you would expect, plus eateries and entertainment. Crossing both I 5 and the wide and beautiful Sacramento River, we chose Hiway 36 to the coast. The scenery along this route is why California is called green and golden, with dry grass hills, pastures and green trees and bushes. Add pines, manzanita, oaks, berry bushes and cottonwoods and you can see where the water flows. In the middle of nowhere is the R Ranch, with a store, an R Ranch RV lot, the R Wild Horse Ranch, and a few other enterprises. Evidence of a long ago forest fire travels alongside for miles and miles. Then the appearance of Digger Pines tells us we are at about 1,500 to 2,000 feet elevation as we climb and twist our way up the Coast Range. Higher elevations bring taller trees; signs point to Hayfork and Rat Trap Gap, both of which intrigue but don't take us off course. Roads have numbers, not names. The Traveling Wilburys and Bonnie Raitt provide background music. At Mad River there are increasing signs of habitation..farms, church, fire department, grazing horses, abandoned logging sites, trailer park and an air strip with a single orange wind sock. Past Dinsmore miles of narrow, bumpy, winding road with no center line, steep drops on the Passenger side, and at one blind curve, a semi coming the other way in the deep and towering forest. Time for this more than 100 mile trek to end! Brake check areas make me nervous especially when followed by a 10% grade sign and the heart-stopping twisting drop and 10 mph curves. After hours of this, Hwy 36 has begun to lose its charm. But the road levels a bit, shoulders and a center line reappear. Mellowed out with Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto we finally drop down at Hydesville into a lush agricultural valley, just before Hwy. 101, over the Eel River, past a thriving lumber mill at Scotia, on our way to Weott and the Humboldt Redwood State Park. I won't bore you with the details of landing for the night, but just know we went 14 miles out of our way searching for the campground, and once there discovered we had left the windshield privacy cover at last night's camp. And the fees for camping at CA state parks are now $45.00. Oh well. No more guilt feelings about not paying enough.
Saturday Sept. 11 The rumble strip on Hwy 101 N took our front right hub cap and although the Driver was good enough to turn around (twice) and we found two hubcaps, neither was ours. Now we have two left. Before the bad start to the day, we walked through magnificient Coast Redwoods, grove after grove named for major donors, mile after mile. Walked to the Giant Tree, the Flat Iron Tree, whose fallen oval trunk sections in places measures 7.5 feet high by 17. feet wide.
Scotia's lumber mill company town houses look well cared for. Lovely weather up the coast past Fortuna and the Ferndale turn-off, before the fog started. Through Eureka (no freeway bypass for this town) where the fog lifted, and 10 miles further descended again. The Scenic Byway took us through more magnificient redwood groves, past the Elk preserve, with warnings about how big they are and how fast they can run...35 mph. There are hundreds of REALLY BIG TREES, deep groves of tall redwoods, mile after mile. Sunlight filtered through and illuminated the trees and their understory of fern and dogwood...beautiful
A fuel and coffee stop in Klamath at the Yurok Tribe Fuel Mart Pem Mey, where discounts are only for tribe members. The young man behind the counter said folks around there think 9/11 was all a lie. Yep. Do those people vote? Crescent City seems a bit more sophisticated although the WalMart doesn't have a copy machine because people kept breaking it. Honest. Trying to find fresh salmon but the local stores don't carry it and the dock isn't open. Salmon season ends Wednesday, so we're hoping maybe in Oregon? And the Tsunami Area signs don't frighten us, but they are a little disconcerting. Cool campground on the edge of town, Village Camper Inn, private, quiet, wooded, with all the hook-ups necessary at half the price of the State Park.
Hard to imagine that we are so caught up in the mundane, after watching the History channel last night and seeing the archive of videos from 9/11. The flags at half mast all day reminded us of the horror of 9 years ago...and the heroism.
Sunday is Oregon.
SEPT. 7, 2010Tuesday.
You know how some days just don't start right? And don't get much better as the day grinds on? The gardener didn't show up. The frustration of finding that the $1,000 fix on the automatic levelers isn't working properly was only surpassed by Gail spending over an hour trying to upload to the iPod the download from Audible books, with no luck. Which resulted in a very late start and then a trip to the library to get some books on tape for the journey. (Gene maintained his cool through all this and was very supportive...until later.)
And the shakedown of the first few miles didn't go so well either. I hadn't harnessed Lucy, the hood wasn't completely latched, and the drivers in the library parking lot were making the Driver crazy. Eager to get going, he drove off without his seat belt on and had to buckle up while managing our 6 tons of metal, fiberglass, rubber and household.goods. Which drives the Passenger crazy. It doesn't help that the 'jacks down' light came on, Gene's hat slid off the shelf above, boink, and the ear piece on Gail's glasses came loose. We had just reached Highway 20 in Grass Valley.
This east to west highway across our part of Northern California is much improved from its earlier narrow twisted route, but the sight of fresh scorched earth, a cross and flowers testified to its still dangerous nature. The frustrations of the morning and the pushing of cars and trucks behind leads the Driver to go faster than he might, and the Passenger in the second seat to express her terror in bad language. But, reaching Woodruff Lane, we entered a world of little traffic, lush greenery, and harvest machinery waiting near the grain silos for ripening crops. The occasional BUMP sign doesn't do justice to this beat-up road.
Highway 70, south to north between Yuba City and Oroville is a fruit and nut orchard corridor, with truck farms off to the side. Walnut, pistachio, olive, peach, nectarine, apricot, plum and kiwi...then signs for melons, corn, tomatoes, and lots of fruit stands and a roach coach or two. Names on the properties were Italian, Mexican, Mormon (Desert Farms), and others. Mariani drying sheds numbered at least three. There was a tree nursery of several acres . And suddenly we were out of green and into golden fields of baled hay with a second crop growing. Oroville Dam loomed ahead, signs for the casino flashed by, and Red Bluff was next.
Highway 36 heads east out of Red Bluff toward Manton, our destination for the night. Drove Manton Road to the Indian Peak Vineyards on Forward Road where Donna and Fred Boots met us at their wine barn and tasting room. We were their first Harvest Hosts guests, and this was our first www.harvesthosts.com try at dry camping on private property. The Boots were most gracious and over several tastes of wine they had made, from their own and neighbors grapes, we heard their story. And bought three bottles of wine, which they insisted we didn't have to do, but after 'tasting' the equivalent of a glass or two apiece, we decided it was a good idea. These grandparents and entrepeneurs have spent the last 7 years planting growing harvesting and wine making, while living in a small trailer next to the wine barn. Sold their Cottonwood home at the peak of the market, retired from their jobs, quit commuting, and settled in to work their buns off. Very good wine, by the way.
SAVE THE EARTH...IT'S THE ONLY PLANET THAT MAKES WINE
Wednesday. What do you know, it's raining! Woke to a downpour, but soldiered on over small country roads ever climbing to Shingletown (Hwy 44), past the Wild Horse Sanctuary, and Mt. Lassen National Park. Not a local rain this, reports from all over northern Northern California were the same. So there goes our plan to drive slowly and hike through Lassen. I mean it's pouring. As the ranger said, the mountain makes its own weather. Ah well, time to catch up from the rigors of packing and leaving, take the day off and read Sunday's paper. Settled down in an almost empty campground, levelers working OK now, and then discovered we were almost out of propane....which fuels the stove, the furnace, the hot water heater, the refrigerator. Bolted for the nearby store....no propane. Back to Shingletown, down the highway about 15 miles, and returned, mission accomplished. Still pouring. Good DVD, good wine, nice supper, warm and cozy.
Thursday. The plan is to drive, hike, picnic our way through this lovely park from the NW corner to the SW corner, and head for the coastal redwoods. Our ancient Interagency Senior Pass leaves us feeling a bit guilty for free admittance to all national parks and half price dry camping to boot, but then, we pay taxes, don't we?
Thursday con't. No rain! A late start on the drive/hike through Lassen, and on the first part of the drive we heard a mysterious thumping and bumping from underneath the kitchen. Although the Driver spread a blanket and crawled under Betsy by the side of the road, no reason for mysterious sound could be found. So on to Bumpass Hell overlook. Well done signs explained Mt. Tehama, a huge volcano, imploded eons ago, leaving a ring of mountain peaks surrounding the caldera in which we stood....Mt. Conrad, Brokeoff Mountain, etc. It looked daunting from where we stood, but the guide book said the 1.5 mile hike (3 mi. RT) was moderate, so off we went over rocky narrow trails on the edge of the caldera with views of forests below and beyond, peaks and valleys in the far distance. A small gain in elevation over the rocky scramble, then a sharp drop down into the steaming pools of sulfurous (read, stinky) and noisy fumeroles and boiling mud pots. The boardwalk kept us from straying into dangerous ground. Poor Kendall VanHook Bumpass lost his dream of turning this area into a tourist attraction in the mid-19th c, along with the leg that fell through the crust into the boiling liquid below. Plenty of people on the trail, although I thought it was cold, in the mid 50's. And surprisingly, lupine still in bloom on the sunny slopes. Huffed and puffed our way back out and felt good about our 1.5 hour excursion until we met a group who had already climbed Mt. Lassen and were going to amble to Bumpass Hell. Oh, well, we're old.
Mineral is the tiny town at the SW entrance to Mt. Lassen Volcanic NP, and we spent our third night of dry camping nearby at Battle Creek NFS campground. The Driver prefers hookups but is clever enough to bring a 'water thief' so we can put water directly into Betsy via our hose and this gadget, which keeps coming off the faucet-with-no-threads and dowsing the 'thief'. Another frosty night makes me glad to be in the woods in a fiberglass box with a furnace and not in a tent or a dreary freeway motel. For entertainment there are always other campers....the elderly couple (by that I mean even older than we are) riding around the campground loop on their fold-up bikes, the campground host(ess) dressed for work leaving at 8 a.m., men with long grey beards and cammies (the sign did say Hunters Welcome on a dreary rv park nearby), the squirrels carrying bright green moss for their winter nests, bird calls, tall trees.
Friday Sept. 10 In under an hour, we dropped 4000 feet in elevation and rose 25 degrees in temperature as Highway 36 took us into Red Bluff for emptying and filling. It's a very mild 75-80 degrees in this normally blistering part of the upper Sacramento Valley. The 'downtown' is somewhat threadbare; all the new shops are on the outskirts in the shopping centers with the big box stores you would expect, plus eateries and entertainment. Crossing both I 5 and the wide and beautiful Sacramento River, we chose Hiway 36 to the coast. The scenery along this route is why California is called green and golden, with dry grass hills, pastures and green trees and bushes. Add pines, manzanita, oaks, berry bushes and cottonwoods and you can see where the water flows. In the middle of nowhere is the R Ranch, with a store, an R Ranch RV lot, the R Wild Horse Ranch, and a few other enterprises. Evidence of a long ago forest fire travels alongside for miles and miles. Then the appearance of Digger Pines tells us we are at about 1,500 to 2,000 feet elevation as we climb and twist our way up the Coast Range. Higher elevations bring taller trees; signs point to Hayfork and Rat Trap Gap, both of which intrigue but don't take us off course. Roads have numbers, not names. The Traveling Wilburys and Bonnie Raitt provide background music. At Mad River there are increasing signs of habitation..farms, church, fire department, grazing horses, abandoned logging sites, trailer park and an air strip with a single orange wind sock. Past Dinsmore miles of narrow, bumpy, winding road with no center line, steep drops on the Passenger side, and at one blind curve, a semi coming the other way in the deep and towering forest. Time for this more than 100 mile trek to end! Brake check areas make me nervous especially when followed by a 10% grade sign and the heart-stopping twisting drop and 10 mph curves. After hours of this, Hwy 36 has begun to lose its charm. But the road levels a bit, shoulders and a center line reappear. Mellowed out with Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto we finally drop down at Hydesville into a lush agricultural valley, just before Hwy. 101, over the Eel River, past a thriving lumber mill at Scotia, on our way to Weott and the Humboldt Redwood State Park. I won't bore you with the details of landing for the night, but just know we went 14 miles out of our way searching for the campground, and once there discovered we had left the windshield privacy cover at last night's camp. And the fees for camping at CA state parks are now $45.00. Oh well. No more guilt feelings about not paying enough.
Saturday Sept. 11 The rumble strip on Hwy 101 N took our front right hub cap and although the Driver was good enough to turn around (twice) and we found two hubcaps, neither was ours. Now we have two left. Before the bad start to the day, we walked through magnificient Coast Redwoods, grove after grove named for major donors, mile after mile. Walked to the Giant Tree, the Flat Iron Tree, whose fallen oval trunk sections in places measures 7.5 feet high by 17. feet wide.
Scotia's lumber mill company town houses look well cared for. Lovely weather up the coast past Fortuna and the Ferndale turn-off, before the fog started. Through Eureka (no freeway bypass for this town) where the fog lifted, and 10 miles further descended again. The Scenic Byway took us through more magnificient redwood groves, past the Elk preserve, with warnings about how big they are and how fast they can run...35 mph. There are hundreds of REALLY BIG TREES, deep groves of tall redwoods, mile after mile. Sunlight filtered through and illuminated the trees and their understory of fern and dogwood...beautiful
A fuel and coffee stop in Klamath at the Yurok Tribe Fuel Mart Pem Mey, where discounts are only for tribe members. The young man behind the counter said folks around there think 9/11 was all a lie. Yep. Do those people vote? Crescent City seems a bit more sophisticated although the WalMart doesn't have a copy machine because people kept breaking it. Honest. Trying to find fresh salmon but the local stores don't carry it and the dock isn't open. Salmon season ends Wednesday, so we're hoping maybe in Oregon? And the Tsunami Area signs don't frighten us, but they are a little disconcerting. Cool campground on the edge of town, Village Camper Inn, private, quiet, wooded, with all the hook-ups necessary at half the price of the State Park.
Hard to imagine that we are so caught up in the mundane, after watching the History channel last night and seeing the archive of videos from 9/11. The flags at half mast all day reminded us of the horror of 9 years ago...and the heroism.
Sunday is Oregon.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Basin and Range
We have been between mountain ranges for days, in deserts, high and low, and valleys narrow and broad. The basins and ranges of this part of the world are amazing, explained in visitor centers of several national parks (what a treasure they are!). I can hardly wait another million years or so to see how it all folds out.
We left Benson AZ after spending the evening with Barbara and Kent from Prescott AZ. We don't socialize much on these jaunts, but the burning-all-night-light from their Airstream drew us into conversation, like "would you mind turning off that light!" Turns out they were great people, amateur astronomer, consulting engineer, book restorer, volunteer. Also talked to Marty from Sequim and Rita from Carmel, traveling in their Sprinter and Roadtrek to Mississippi to bury their mom's ashes. Presumably mom didn't need anyplace special to sleep.
Kartchner Cavers State Park offered an above ground caving experience, with 'straws' in addition to the usual stalagmites and ...tites, plus a lot of water on the (non-slip) floor. Enough caves already.
Sights and Sounds: Silence of the caves, howl of wind, Traveling Wilburys and Bonnie Raitt on the IPod, whine of the diesel engine, thump of rough road, train whistles, bird song. Blooming cactus, ocotillo, barrel, prickly pear, saguro. Tow alongs...cars, sedans, SUVs, jeeps, Smartcars, 2 and 3 wheel motor cycles. Crosses and flowers marking long ago accident sites. Beige, terra cotta and brown stucco tracts with tile roofs and sound walls along freeways. High rises of sawtooth mountains out of deserts. Lucy's ears sticking straight out with static electricity. And Lucy running off her leash after a squirrel through the stickery bushes, requiring me to cut off the hair below her ears making her look much younger. Wonder if that would work for us.
Tales: High winds took us off main roads to Bisbee and Benson. Blew others off highways, a class A on its top, a semi on its side, both south of Flagstaff. Drivers with sore wrists from trying to stay on the road, frustration of going head to head with the wind. Best rv park in Tucson is Voyager. Horrible sun burns from one hour water aerobics in the pool; that got me out quick!
May 14, 2010 Gilbert Ray near Saguro National Park, a Pima county park provided a shelter over two tables, electricity, a water source nearby, views of all kinds of cacti, birdsong and mountain views. At the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, which is absolutely wonderful, we saw cacti (ocotillo, barrel, prickly pear, teddy bear cholla, jumping cholla, saguro, which blooms at 40-50 years old, and grows arms at 60-70 years old, lives to be 200, agave, yucca, soaproot yucca), bushes and trees (palo verde, creosote, mesquite (whose beans from the seed pods ground up taste like cinnamon sugar), creeper, jojoba, madrone. The animals in a show included coati, the military macaw, pelican, hooded skunk, ringtail. Saw lots of birds, but no road runner in sight. Enclosed natural environments contained bear, Arizona gray wolf, deer, ocelot, mountain lion, which the docent called panther, and desert turtle.
Decided to try Voyager RV park as a change from the desert. We were told it was the best in Tucson...big mistake! Asphalt and concrete lot designed to hold 1500+ rvs during the winter, now mostly empty. But the bar and restaurant were open and sad places they were too. Back to the desert!!!!
A trip to Kitt Peak National Observatory and National Solar Observatory, funded by NSF and operated by National Optical Astronomers Observatory. Celebrating 50 years of operation, Kitt Peak is the world's largest collection of research telescopes, with 25 optical and 2 radio telescopes on 200 acres of Tohono O'oldham land. We toured the 4meter Mayall telescope where the astronomers look at computer screens on the side at its base. New NOAO sites are being developed in Chile and on Haleakela to do complete surveillance every three days sof the southern and northern hemispheres skies respectively, to look for incoming.
Tucson has light ordinances to prevent illuminations upward and although only 75 minutes away from Kitt Peak, its lights don't interfere with observations, despite having increased population many fold over the last 50 years. Phoenix has no such regulations so in 50 years at the present rate of growth, KP will be unusable due to its light pollution.
From the campground at Gilbert Ray we went to Saguro NP, a short drive. A bumpy dirty drive over 9 mile Bajada Loop road and several short hikes took us to desert plants and petroglyphs of the Hohokam, thousands of years ago. A unique view of the desert 'back country' as much as we can get in a slowly moving vehicle and short hikes at 95 degrees F.
After a siesta in camp we headed over the mountains on Gates Pass Road to old town Tucson, artisans villa, and dinner at El Charro. Most of the way to town, Gene discovered we were trailing a flapping electric cord. OOoops! Having plugged in during nap time to run the air conditioner, we neglected to unplug as we drove away to town. Good for a chuckle and actually no harm done. Coming on the heels of driving off with the outside steps still out and knocking over a red cone in the process, with people signaling 'your step is out!' and tearing off the step covers, we decided we'd better shape up before we pulled out. A spectacular sunset ended the day.
On Monday May 17 we had a late start toward Blythe, going over Gates Pass Road again, past the beautiful homes there and across the windy interstate drive through the desert back to California. At Mayflower County Park we camped by the Colorado River, bringing water to the irrigation ditches criss-crossing sandy fields, feeding the alfalfa crop.
I didn't remember having been to Joshua Tree National Park before, so the yellow blooms, green plants, brittlebush, desert gold and purple asters at this time of year were wonderful. New were the smoke trees, dune primroses, purple verbena, missing was the prickly pear. The Joshua trees, actually yuccas, were so-named by the Mormons in the mid 19th century. In the Colorado desert part of the park, there is cactus; in the Mojave desert park, higher and cooler, the Joshua trees bloom and cluster among the huge boulders. At about 4300 elevation, Keys View looks over the Salton Sea to Mexico, past Palm Springs and San Jacinto mountain to the tallest mountain in southern California, San Gorgiono (sp?) at 11,000 feet. Wow.
Not having stayed in Barstow before, my impression being not that favorable, we were happy to take advice to stop at a county park. The Calico Ghost Town just outside had a nice if dusty camp. Noticed a sign for a solar generating plant, but we couldn't find it. There are two major Marine Corps logistics bases nearby, at Yermo and Lenwood, supplying sales tax revenue and civilian jobs, explaining why Barstow looks so much more upscale than we had anticipated.
We needed to find the California Welcome Center to get current info on going into Sequoia Kings Canyon NPs from the east side (can't do it) and found it in the middle of an outlet mall in Barstow. what? why? Situated in the customer service center of the mall was a knowledgable staffer with lots of maps and info, explaining to a Japanese couple that she had no maps of the Grand Canyon because it isn't in California, which they were having a hard time understanding. Noticed lots of Japanese couples, then people from India in saris, China, other Asian nations, and heard several European languages being spoken. What was going on? Turns out the parking lot held a dozen or so tour buses with the Tanger Outlets as their destination. Huh? Explained to me that the people were from everywhere and we were in the middle of everywhere,2 hours from LA and 2 hours from Las Vegas, and shopping at these prices was a major tourist attraction.
Back to the highway and off through yet another desert, this one not as interesting as the others. Borax mining and processing, Edwards AFB, major wind farms over the Tehachapis (and major wind), down into the brown hills of the already scorched southern central valley. But water soon took over and we were in the midst of retangular fields of alfalfa, citrus orchards, vineyards and row crops, with grasshoppers pumping oil. The terrain changed dramatically outside of Porterville and past Exeter as we drove highways 65 and 198 toward the parks. Through Three Rivers, a town spread out over the highway and along the Kaweah river, over a 1922 bridge named Pumpkin Hollow, past a Corps of Engineers dam and recreation area, and into Sequoia NP with suddenly blooming yucca (century plants) thrusting up the hillsides. Also hugging the mountainous terrain were oaks and deciduous trees and bushes, with more wildflowers at their feet. A stunning sight in front of peaks capped with snow. At every turn we were struck with the beauty of this entrance; could there be more to come?
Potwisha camp at 2000+ feet was our second choice of camps, but as there was snow on the ground at Lodgepole (6700 feet) and building cumulus clouds in the sky ahead, we pulled into this simple camp, our first without electricity. California seems to be the only state without electricity to the campsites in our state and county parks. Guess this park is managed by the National Forest Service, which is usually dry camping. The evening was cool and pleasant; our fellow campers were a school group from Sanger, several families on vacation, and a couple car camping their way west from Virginia, brave souls.
The Giant Forest is indeed a forest of giant sequoias, which are significantly different from coastal redwoods, and impressively dense and awesome. Even at 10:30 a.m. the parking lot near the General Sherman tree was filled with rvs and cars jockeying for enough time in a parking place to take the short walk to gape at the largest tree in the world. Really. It's 2200 years old, impressive on the face of it, and truly immense. These shallow rooted behemoths die when they topple over in high winds or from other causes, but they are resistant to insect infestations and other diseases.
The drive on General Highway from 2000 feet to summits at 7000 and 7300 feet is jaw dropping. A twisting, turning road, not recommended for anything over 22 feet (we are 24 and our driver is excellent), leads higher and higher through rocky mountains along a rushing river through wildflowers, yucca, conifers beginning about 5000 feet, road construction, and to closed campgrounds and open Lodgepole Visitor Center, campground (snow covered) and then down through increasing clouds to Kings Canyon NP and its General Grant grove. The Kings Canyon Visitor Center was populated with European visitors arriving by tour bus; apparently they can come up from the Fresno entrance without the twists and turns of the more southerly route. We didn't linger.
Out of the park with the promise that we would plan another trip, probably in September, to spend more time and do some hiking; it is absolutely beautiful. We rolled down into the oak woodlands and golden grassy hills, looking down on more citrus and stone fruit orchards, vineyards and row crops to the San Joaquin valley and our last stop along I 5 on our way home.
We left Benson AZ after spending the evening with Barbara and Kent from Prescott AZ. We don't socialize much on these jaunts, but the burning-all-night-light from their Airstream drew us into conversation, like "would you mind turning off that light!" Turns out they were great people, amateur astronomer, consulting engineer, book restorer, volunteer. Also talked to Marty from Sequim and Rita from Carmel, traveling in their Sprinter and Roadtrek to Mississippi to bury their mom's ashes. Presumably mom didn't need anyplace special to sleep.
Kartchner Cavers State Park offered an above ground caving experience, with 'straws' in addition to the usual stalagmites and ...tites, plus a lot of water on the (non-slip) floor. Enough caves already.
Sights and Sounds: Silence of the caves, howl of wind, Traveling Wilburys and Bonnie Raitt on the IPod, whine of the diesel engine, thump of rough road, train whistles, bird song. Blooming cactus, ocotillo, barrel, prickly pear, saguro. Tow alongs...cars, sedans, SUVs, jeeps, Smartcars, 2 and 3 wheel motor cycles. Crosses and flowers marking long ago accident sites. Beige, terra cotta and brown stucco tracts with tile roofs and sound walls along freeways. High rises of sawtooth mountains out of deserts. Lucy's ears sticking straight out with static electricity. And Lucy running off her leash after a squirrel through the stickery bushes, requiring me to cut off the hair below her ears making her look much younger. Wonder if that would work for us.
Tales: High winds took us off main roads to Bisbee and Benson. Blew others off highways, a class A on its top, a semi on its side, both south of Flagstaff. Drivers with sore wrists from trying to stay on the road, frustration of going head to head with the wind. Best rv park in Tucson is Voyager. Horrible sun burns from one hour water aerobics in the pool; that got me out quick!
May 14, 2010 Gilbert Ray near Saguro National Park, a Pima county park provided a shelter over two tables, electricity, a water source nearby, views of all kinds of cacti, birdsong and mountain views. At the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, which is absolutely wonderful, we saw cacti (ocotillo, barrel, prickly pear, teddy bear cholla, jumping cholla, saguro, which blooms at 40-50 years old, and grows arms at 60-70 years old, lives to be 200, agave, yucca, soaproot yucca), bushes and trees (palo verde, creosote, mesquite (whose beans from the seed pods ground up taste like cinnamon sugar), creeper, jojoba, madrone. The animals in a show included coati, the military macaw, pelican, hooded skunk, ringtail. Saw lots of birds, but no road runner in sight. Enclosed natural environments contained bear, Arizona gray wolf, deer, ocelot, mountain lion, which the docent called panther, and desert turtle.
Decided to try Voyager RV park as a change from the desert. We were told it was the best in Tucson...big mistake! Asphalt and concrete lot designed to hold 1500+ rvs during the winter, now mostly empty. But the bar and restaurant were open and sad places they were too. Back to the desert!!!!
A trip to Kitt Peak National Observatory and National Solar Observatory, funded by NSF and operated by National Optical Astronomers Observatory. Celebrating 50 years of operation, Kitt Peak is the world's largest collection of research telescopes, with 25 optical and 2 radio telescopes on 200 acres of Tohono O'oldham land. We toured the 4meter Mayall telescope where the astronomers look at computer screens on the side at its base. New NOAO sites are being developed in Chile and on Haleakela to do complete surveillance every three days sof the southern and northern hemispheres skies respectively, to look for incoming.
Tucson has light ordinances to prevent illuminations upward and although only 75 minutes away from Kitt Peak, its lights don't interfere with observations, despite having increased population many fold over the last 50 years. Phoenix has no such regulations so in 50 years at the present rate of growth, KP will be unusable due to its light pollution.
From the campground at Gilbert Ray we went to Saguro NP, a short drive. A bumpy dirty drive over 9 mile Bajada Loop road and several short hikes took us to desert plants and petroglyphs of the Hohokam, thousands of years ago. A unique view of the desert 'back country' as much as we can get in a slowly moving vehicle and short hikes at 95 degrees F.
After a siesta in camp we headed over the mountains on Gates Pass Road to old town Tucson, artisans villa, and dinner at El Charro. Most of the way to town, Gene discovered we were trailing a flapping electric cord. OOoops! Having plugged in during nap time to run the air conditioner, we neglected to unplug as we drove away to town. Good for a chuckle and actually no harm done. Coming on the heels of driving off with the outside steps still out and knocking over a red cone in the process, with people signaling 'your step is out!' and tearing off the step covers, we decided we'd better shape up before we pulled out. A spectacular sunset ended the day.
On Monday May 17 we had a late start toward Blythe, going over Gates Pass Road again, past the beautiful homes there and across the windy interstate drive through the desert back to California. At Mayflower County Park we camped by the Colorado River, bringing water to the irrigation ditches criss-crossing sandy fields, feeding the alfalfa crop.
I didn't remember having been to Joshua Tree National Park before, so the yellow blooms, green plants, brittlebush, desert gold and purple asters at this time of year were wonderful. New were the smoke trees, dune primroses, purple verbena, missing was the prickly pear. The Joshua trees, actually yuccas, were so-named by the Mormons in the mid 19th century. In the Colorado desert part of the park, there is cactus; in the Mojave desert park, higher and cooler, the Joshua trees bloom and cluster among the huge boulders. At about 4300 elevation, Keys View looks over the Salton Sea to Mexico, past Palm Springs and San Jacinto mountain to the tallest mountain in southern California, San Gorgiono (sp?) at 11,000 feet. Wow.
Not having stayed in Barstow before, my impression being not that favorable, we were happy to take advice to stop at a county park. The Calico Ghost Town just outside had a nice if dusty camp. Noticed a sign for a solar generating plant, but we couldn't find it. There are two major Marine Corps logistics bases nearby, at Yermo and Lenwood, supplying sales tax revenue and civilian jobs, explaining why Barstow looks so much more upscale than we had anticipated.
We needed to find the California Welcome Center to get current info on going into Sequoia Kings Canyon NPs from the east side (can't do it) and found it in the middle of an outlet mall in Barstow. what? why? Situated in the customer service center of the mall was a knowledgable staffer with lots of maps and info, explaining to a Japanese couple that she had no maps of the Grand Canyon because it isn't in California, which they were having a hard time understanding. Noticed lots of Japanese couples, then people from India in saris, China, other Asian nations, and heard several European languages being spoken. What was going on? Turns out the parking lot held a dozen or so tour buses with the Tanger Outlets as their destination. Huh? Explained to me that the people were from everywhere and we were in the middle of everywhere,2 hours from LA and 2 hours from Las Vegas, and shopping at these prices was a major tourist attraction.
Back to the highway and off through yet another desert, this one not as interesting as the others. Borax mining and processing, Edwards AFB, major wind farms over the Tehachapis (and major wind), down into the brown hills of the already scorched southern central valley. But water soon took over and we were in the midst of retangular fields of alfalfa, citrus orchards, vineyards and row crops, with grasshoppers pumping oil. The terrain changed dramatically outside of Porterville and past Exeter as we drove highways 65 and 198 toward the parks. Through Three Rivers, a town spread out over the highway and along the Kaweah river, over a 1922 bridge named Pumpkin Hollow, past a Corps of Engineers dam and recreation area, and into Sequoia NP with suddenly blooming yucca (century plants) thrusting up the hillsides. Also hugging the mountainous terrain were oaks and deciduous trees and bushes, with more wildflowers at their feet. A stunning sight in front of peaks capped with snow. At every turn we were struck with the beauty of this entrance; could there be more to come?
Potwisha camp at 2000+ feet was our second choice of camps, but as there was snow on the ground at Lodgepole (6700 feet) and building cumulus clouds in the sky ahead, we pulled into this simple camp, our first without electricity. California seems to be the only state without electricity to the campsites in our state and county parks. Guess this park is managed by the National Forest Service, which is usually dry camping. The evening was cool and pleasant; our fellow campers were a school group from Sanger, several families on vacation, and a couple car camping their way west from Virginia, brave souls.
The Giant Forest is indeed a forest of giant sequoias, which are significantly different from coastal redwoods, and impressively dense and awesome. Even at 10:30 a.m. the parking lot near the General Sherman tree was filled with rvs and cars jockeying for enough time in a parking place to take the short walk to gape at the largest tree in the world. Really. It's 2200 years old, impressive on the face of it, and truly immense. These shallow rooted behemoths die when they topple over in high winds or from other causes, but they are resistant to insect infestations and other diseases.
The drive on General Highway from 2000 feet to summits at 7000 and 7300 feet is jaw dropping. A twisting, turning road, not recommended for anything over 22 feet (we are 24 and our driver is excellent), leads higher and higher through rocky mountains along a rushing river through wildflowers, yucca, conifers beginning about 5000 feet, road construction, and to closed campgrounds and open Lodgepole Visitor Center, campground (snow covered) and then down through increasing clouds to Kings Canyon NP and its General Grant grove. The Kings Canyon Visitor Center was populated with European visitors arriving by tour bus; apparently they can come up from the Fresno entrance without the twists and turns of the more southerly route. We didn't linger.
Out of the park with the promise that we would plan another trip, probably in September, to spend more time and do some hiking; it is absolutely beautiful. We rolled down into the oak woodlands and golden grassy hills, looking down on more citrus and stone fruit orchards, vineyards and row crops to the San Joaquin valley and our last stop along I 5 on our way home.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
New Mexico and Arizona May 2010
As the iris and peony buds were fattening we left Nevada City on May 4, 2010, headed to the desert. After a long cold winter, the lure of warmer places was too much to resist. Over the passes, Donner and Spooner, past beautiful, if low, Lake Tahoe we moseyed down 395, going over so many 7,000 foot rises that they are not even calling them passes.
The rugged eastern side of the Sierras still had much snow. Passed Topaz Lake, Mono Lake with its tufas, dropping down into Round Valley and down to 4200 feet at Bishop. Browns Town RV campsite under bird nesting cottonwood trees, next to a lush golf course was a welcome overnight stop. The backdrop of purple folded granite frosted with powdered sugar was breathtaking. The town of Bishop always calls for a stop at Schat's Bakkery and we added the smoked meat place this time for pork chops. Bishop has a lovely little in-town park with flowing water and ducks. This greenery prepared us for the next trek...
We drove through Desert Gold covered Death Valley at 103 F to Pahrump (Paiute word for water from rock). Looked as if this outpost of Las Vegas had begun to boom before the recent bust, with some unrealized development dreams and a brand new post office. Indian casinos, gas station, several casino rv parks. We chose the lakeside resort where they allowed us to stay overnight but didn't invite us to the members only party, damn.
Skirting Las Vegas on May 6 we were boarded but not delayed at Hoover Dam. Awesome tower cranes finishing the flyover, which will eliminate the mandatory inspection for terrorists trying to cross the dam. The wonderful art deco pillars, elevator, sculptures and still in place and there were lots of people taking the tour of the dam. A newish visitor center, which we passed by, looks like a modern hillside pueblo. Numerous pull-out areas made it fun to stop and view the old and the new ways of crossing the dam.
Old Route 66 is available to travelers in bits and pieces; we passed Kingman and detoured to Seligman on 66, stopping for a cold frosty night on the high windy plateau. A newly hired couple at the KOA told us they found their jobs here through workingcouples.com....in case anyone is interested.
Seligman is all tricked up to look the tacky part of a Route 66 stop, having no authenticity at all, but drawing the tour buses. Mannequins, signs, colorful buildings, hokey this and that line the two blocks.
High desert turns to forest at Williams, one of the gateways to the Grand Canyon. I40 is truck heaven and the 75 mph speed limit makes us shudder and shake as they roar past. With the railroad paralleling the road, we can see how America moves its stuff, from containers to cars to huge tires, liquids of all kinds, mainly oil, to cattle,pigs, and suppliers of chain and big box stores.
Walnut Canyon National Monument in AZ shows how the Sinagua (without water) lived in pueblo and pithouse dwellings from 1125 to 1250 AD. We have forgotten that life used to be physical, with climbs up and down steep canyon walls to gather water and tend crops. We opted for the view from the first observation platform instead of the multiple hour round trip down and back. We never would have made it as pueblo dwelling native Americans.
The Petrified Forest NP and the painted desert are unfailingly beautiful with their many colors and rock formations. Visitors in heavy New York accents were stunned at the sights and heavily vocal about it all.
Heading for Silver City NM and a visit with Gail's brother Lee, we stopped for the night in a dusty little town whose name I'll remember eventually. Traveling down Hwy 180 to Silver City was beautiful, and took us over the Continental Divide. On Saturday afternoon we pulled into Lee and Chris' house in a development of very nice modular homes, theirs is 2300 sq. ft., so no small new home this! We had a good visit, good Mexican food, a very nice Mother's Day dinner at the Masonic Lodge (Chris is an active Eastern Star member), and a lovely drive up toward Gila Wilderness cliff dwellings. The 'closed' copper mine, is being reclaimed, they say, but some sites are still open with skeleton crews to avoid having to reclaim the land. They say more copper is extractable with new methods from the old tailings, so there could be a resurgence of activity there. These mines are mind-blowing, they are sooooooo large, terraced, and deep.
We stopped at a beautiful couple of campgrounds, and if the wind hadn't been so bad the next day we would have returned to stay at Mesa campground for a while, near Lake Roberts. Lee has been a host here in the past and I can see the attraction of this serenely beautiful spot. We had planned to go to the cliff dwellings the next day, but again the winds stopped us from making it to the end of the road.
Monday 5/10 we were off to Lordsburg and lunch at the Kranberry Kafe (no, it was really the Kranberry Family Restaurant, which was the only game in town. Through miles of flat sandy desert with green pastures, green brush, wildflowers, occasional trees, the 180 took us through Road Forks, Douglas, and Bisbee AZ. We passed abandoned and occupied buildings out in the middle of nowhere, a lone museum, closed, rv parks, a failed airpark with lots for sale. All looked pretty desolate to me.
Bisbee is a 'new town' (late 1870's) in the middle of an open pit copper mine and the pile of tailings which buried the original town. Old stone and stucco buildings, art galleries, B&Bs coffee shops, restaurants, and lots of steps. There is a theater, defunct, a grand old post office. The Queen Mine rv park on the edge of town allowed us to walk several blocks of this charming town.
A visit to Tombstone is said to be a must, but this fake touristy town is anything but authentic, although it could be fun for those less jaded than we are. The 'shoot out' at the OK Corral takes place in several places, and you pay to see the action. We found a quiet saloon, the 4 Deuces, where they sent across the street for Buffalo burgers for our lunch while drafting beers for the locals.
Moving along toward Benson and Tucson, we were stopped by the Border Patrol at the intersection of 80 and 82, the road from Nogales. They hardly bothered us, but the bus was there to round up the illegals and take them back when they get that far. In the 4 Deuces we were told that illeglas are easily spotted by their heavy long sleeved shirts and carpet on the bottoms of their tennis shoes. Lee and Chris told us the new AZ law requires probable cause to stop anyone and then ask for ID; it's not as random as it was made to sound on the national news and in California.
Benson has an rv resort complete with swimming pool and observatory, very near a WalMart and a Safeway. I think this is a place people come to spend the winter...While I would not like to do that, we are very happy to be stable and quiet while the wind howls across I10 and when it quiets down, we'll trek our way to Tucson.
Hugs from Gail and Gene and Lucy (whose new name will be Dusty if we don't get her bathed soon)
The rugged eastern side of the Sierras still had much snow. Passed Topaz Lake, Mono Lake with its tufas, dropping down into Round Valley and down to 4200 feet at Bishop. Browns Town RV campsite under bird nesting cottonwood trees, next to a lush golf course was a welcome overnight stop. The backdrop of purple folded granite frosted with powdered sugar was breathtaking. The town of Bishop always calls for a stop at Schat's Bakkery and we added the smoked meat place this time for pork chops. Bishop has a lovely little in-town park with flowing water and ducks. This greenery prepared us for the next trek...
We drove through Desert Gold covered Death Valley at 103 F to Pahrump (Paiute word for water from rock). Looked as if this outpost of Las Vegas had begun to boom before the recent bust, with some unrealized development dreams and a brand new post office. Indian casinos, gas station, several casino rv parks. We chose the lakeside resort where they allowed us to stay overnight but didn't invite us to the members only party, damn.
Skirting Las Vegas on May 6 we were boarded but not delayed at Hoover Dam. Awesome tower cranes finishing the flyover, which will eliminate the mandatory inspection for terrorists trying to cross the dam. The wonderful art deco pillars, elevator, sculptures and still in place and there were lots of people taking the tour of the dam. A newish visitor center, which we passed by, looks like a modern hillside pueblo. Numerous pull-out areas made it fun to stop and view the old and the new ways of crossing the dam.
Old Route 66 is available to travelers in bits and pieces; we passed Kingman and detoured to Seligman on 66, stopping for a cold frosty night on the high windy plateau. A newly hired couple at the KOA told us they found their jobs here through workingcouples.com....in case anyone is interested.
Seligman is all tricked up to look the tacky part of a Route 66 stop, having no authenticity at all, but drawing the tour buses. Mannequins, signs, colorful buildings, hokey this and that line the two blocks.
High desert turns to forest at Williams, one of the gateways to the Grand Canyon. I40 is truck heaven and the 75 mph speed limit makes us shudder and shake as they roar past. With the railroad paralleling the road, we can see how America moves its stuff, from containers to cars to huge tires, liquids of all kinds, mainly oil, to cattle,pigs, and suppliers of chain and big box stores.
Walnut Canyon National Monument in AZ shows how the Sinagua (without water) lived in pueblo and pithouse dwellings from 1125 to 1250 AD. We have forgotten that life used to be physical, with climbs up and down steep canyon walls to gather water and tend crops. We opted for the view from the first observation platform instead of the multiple hour round trip down and back. We never would have made it as pueblo dwelling native Americans.
The Petrified Forest NP and the painted desert are unfailingly beautiful with their many colors and rock formations. Visitors in heavy New York accents were stunned at the sights and heavily vocal about it all.
Heading for Silver City NM and a visit with Gail's brother Lee, we stopped for the night in a dusty little town whose name I'll remember eventually. Traveling down Hwy 180 to Silver City was beautiful, and took us over the Continental Divide. On Saturday afternoon we pulled into Lee and Chris' house in a development of very nice modular homes, theirs is 2300 sq. ft., so no small new home this! We had a good visit, good Mexican food, a very nice Mother's Day dinner at the Masonic Lodge (Chris is an active Eastern Star member), and a lovely drive up toward Gila Wilderness cliff dwellings. The 'closed' copper mine, is being reclaimed, they say, but some sites are still open with skeleton crews to avoid having to reclaim the land. They say more copper is extractable with new methods from the old tailings, so there could be a resurgence of activity there. These mines are mind-blowing, they are sooooooo large, terraced, and deep.
We stopped at a beautiful couple of campgrounds, and if the wind hadn't been so bad the next day we would have returned to stay at Mesa campground for a while, near Lake Roberts. Lee has been a host here in the past and I can see the attraction of this serenely beautiful spot. We had planned to go to the cliff dwellings the next day, but again the winds stopped us from making it to the end of the road.
Monday 5/10 we were off to Lordsburg and lunch at the Kranberry Kafe (no, it was really the Kranberry Family Restaurant, which was the only game in town. Through miles of flat sandy desert with green pastures, green brush, wildflowers, occasional trees, the 180 took us through Road Forks, Douglas, and Bisbee AZ. We passed abandoned and occupied buildings out in the middle of nowhere, a lone museum, closed, rv parks, a failed airpark with lots for sale. All looked pretty desolate to me.
Bisbee is a 'new town' (late 1870's) in the middle of an open pit copper mine and the pile of tailings which buried the original town. Old stone and stucco buildings, art galleries, B&Bs coffee shops, restaurants, and lots of steps. There is a theater, defunct, a grand old post office. The Queen Mine rv park on the edge of town allowed us to walk several blocks of this charming town.
A visit to Tombstone is said to be a must, but this fake touristy town is anything but authentic, although it could be fun for those less jaded than we are. The 'shoot out' at the OK Corral takes place in several places, and you pay to see the action. We found a quiet saloon, the 4 Deuces, where they sent across the street for Buffalo burgers for our lunch while drafting beers for the locals.
Moving along toward Benson and Tucson, we were stopped by the Border Patrol at the intersection of 80 and 82, the road from Nogales. They hardly bothered us, but the bus was there to round up the illegals and take them back when they get that far. In the 4 Deuces we were told that illeglas are easily spotted by their heavy long sleeved shirts and carpet on the bottoms of their tennis shoes. Lee and Chris told us the new AZ law requires probable cause to stop anyone and then ask for ID; it's not as random as it was made to sound on the national news and in California.
Benson has an rv resort complete with swimming pool and observatory, very near a WalMart and a Safeway. I think this is a place people come to spend the winter...While I would not like to do that, we are very happy to be stable and quiet while the wind howls across I10 and when it quiets down, we'll trek our way to Tucson.
Hugs from Gail and Gene and Lucy (whose new name will be Dusty if we don't get her bathed soon)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Pismo Beach, February 2010
The central valley via Highway 5 isn't the prettiest road on the planet. On February 19 it was downright ugly to go through Sacramento, Stockton to Tracy, with housing tracts, warehouses and feedlots on both sides of the road. Even the agricultural land is ugly and smelly with the feedlots; definitely not stopping for hamburgers.
Further south, along the California aqueduct it becomes more open and pretty. Green rolling hills, orchards in bloom, new vineyards, old vineyards, rampant mustard, and a mysterious fence and blocky building just north of Newman. What is that place, anyway? Then there are citrus groves, oaks on steams, leafless walnut orchards. Sights by the side of the road...tire treads, care tire marks, horses, electric poles and wires, electronic transmitting towers, solar powered call boxes, weigh stations, and a remarkable absence of litter. We crossed the Delta Mendota Canal at least twice, watching the water flow south.
Over Pacheco Pass, between Santa Nella, past San Luis Reservoir, the Casa de Fruta didn't merit a stop this time. Heading toward San Juan Bautista we drove through plowed and planted fields, past potato growers and shippers, antiques and collectibles shops, and those of artists and artisans, so advertised.
The Mission at San Juan Bautista is a lovely old (1797) church with worn and shiny floor tiles, a large courtyard with lots of chickens/roosters, a rose garden, plastic saints for sale, and a fine view of the San Andreas fault.
Castroville boasts french fried artichokes, yummy, fields of ripening artichokes, strawberry fields under plastic, cauliflower, sugar beets, tomatoes, rows of rich black soil ready for lettuces, spinach and other greens. And of course, vineyards.
Then..oil fields between King City and Bradley. South on 101 to west on CA 46 toward Cambria and Highway 1, we were surrounded be beautiful rolling green hills with sporadic ranches, an orange grove or two, hills furrowed with stock trails, past blooming lupine, passed Cayucos, arriving at Morro Bay State Park where the overnight fee is currently $50. Morro Bay is charming and provided a good breakfast in a nice coffee shop. We had skipped the wharf for dinner previous night, but will come back to do that someday.
Pismo Coast Village RV park, not our favorite kind of camping spot, but space #248 gave us quick access to the beach around tidal Pismo Creek at the north end of the State Park. Stayed there 4 nights, amusing ourselves with beach walks, gulls and brown pelicans, walks to town (good deli), reading in the rain in Betsy, and doing minor chores. This place must be packed in good weather and offers a swimming pool and various activities for kids.
Cayucos proved to be a darling little town, with historic Carrs Inn and Restaurant in a Victorian home with extensive garden, a more modest On The Beach B&B, and a walk up lunch at Duckies, corner of Cayucos and N. Ocean Streets. Yummy fish tacos. Lucy wasn't allowed on the pier so we ambled the small beach and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Driving south to north on hwy 1 is great for me because I'm not on the edge. Gene is a good driver and I'm a terrible passenger unless I'm doing needlepoint or reading, or gazing only sideways out the window. Passed through Cambria, San Simeon and Hearst Castle, visible on the green hill. North to the elephant seals seen by the road on the beach around Piedras Blancas lighthouse (1875). The Ragged Point Resort looked great, perched on a steep cliff over the ocean.
As expected, hwy 1 is narrow and winding the occasional new sections of road, old stone work bridges, many 20 mph hairpins and construction. Los Padres National Park boundary showed hiking trails; the road climbs several hundred feet above the sea. In Gorda there is a Whale Watchers Inn and Restaurant, further north several campgrounds in Los Padres National Forest. Past Esalen there is netting over rocks on the cliffs above the road; also Big Sur Inn, Henry Miller Library (funky woodsy and small), Nepenthe, and the Ventana Inn, Coast Ranch, Big Sur bakery, spirit garden/gallery. Pfieffer Big Sur State Park and Big Sur Lodge. Fernwood campground, several motels, Big Sur Roadhouse. At a certain point the highway goes inland for a few short miles, then back to the death defying coast road.
Handsome Bixby Bridge 1932, Rocky Creek Bridge 1932, Mal Paso Bridge 1934, edge of Carmel Highlands, Wildcat Creek Bridge 1933. Passed on the Vets Memorial Park campground (wet and dark) in favor of Laguna Seca near the race track. Very pleasant, with water and electricity.
One of the highlights of the trip was Salinas, yes, Salinas, with its new-ish Steinbeck Center, a handsome inter-active museum, and nearby Steinbeck House, all volunteer luncheon restaurant in an old Victorian which was John's house growing up. Inspired us to read Steinbeck...well worth a new look.
Going home up hwy 5 required an overnight at Kit Fox rv park, and as we prepared to leave, received word of the Chilean earthquake 8.8. The tsunami warning meant the Morgans left their canal-side home and headed for the higher ground of relatives on Oahu. We all arrived safely home.
Further south, along the California aqueduct it becomes more open and pretty. Green rolling hills, orchards in bloom, new vineyards, old vineyards, rampant mustard, and a mysterious fence and blocky building just north of Newman. What is that place, anyway? Then there are citrus groves, oaks on steams, leafless walnut orchards. Sights by the side of the road...tire treads, care tire marks, horses, electric poles and wires, electronic transmitting towers, solar powered call boxes, weigh stations, and a remarkable absence of litter. We crossed the Delta Mendota Canal at least twice, watching the water flow south.
Over Pacheco Pass, between Santa Nella, past San Luis Reservoir, the Casa de Fruta didn't merit a stop this time. Heading toward San Juan Bautista we drove through plowed and planted fields, past potato growers and shippers, antiques and collectibles shops, and those of artists and artisans, so advertised.
The Mission at San Juan Bautista is a lovely old (1797) church with worn and shiny floor tiles, a large courtyard with lots of chickens/roosters, a rose garden, plastic saints for sale, and a fine view of the San Andreas fault.
Castroville boasts french fried artichokes, yummy, fields of ripening artichokes, strawberry fields under plastic, cauliflower, sugar beets, tomatoes, rows of rich black soil ready for lettuces, spinach and other greens. And of course, vineyards.
Then..oil fields between King City and Bradley. South on 101 to west on CA 46 toward Cambria and Highway 1, we were surrounded be beautiful rolling green hills with sporadic ranches, an orange grove or two, hills furrowed with stock trails, past blooming lupine, passed Cayucos, arriving at Morro Bay State Park where the overnight fee is currently $50. Morro Bay is charming and provided a good breakfast in a nice coffee shop. We had skipped the wharf for dinner previous night, but will come back to do that someday.
Pismo Coast Village RV park, not our favorite kind of camping spot, but space #248 gave us quick access to the beach around tidal Pismo Creek at the north end of the State Park. Stayed there 4 nights, amusing ourselves with beach walks, gulls and brown pelicans, walks to town (good deli), reading in the rain in Betsy, and doing minor chores. This place must be packed in good weather and offers a swimming pool and various activities for kids.
Cayucos proved to be a darling little town, with historic Carrs Inn and Restaurant in a Victorian home with extensive garden, a more modest On The Beach B&B, and a walk up lunch at Duckies, corner of Cayucos and N. Ocean Streets. Yummy fish tacos. Lucy wasn't allowed on the pier so we ambled the small beach and enjoyed the beautiful weather.
Driving south to north on hwy 1 is great for me because I'm not on the edge. Gene is a good driver and I'm a terrible passenger unless I'm doing needlepoint or reading, or gazing only sideways out the window. Passed through Cambria, San Simeon and Hearst Castle, visible on the green hill. North to the elephant seals seen by the road on the beach around Piedras Blancas lighthouse (1875). The Ragged Point Resort looked great, perched on a steep cliff over the ocean.
As expected, hwy 1 is narrow and winding the occasional new sections of road, old stone work bridges, many 20 mph hairpins and construction. Los Padres National Park boundary showed hiking trails; the road climbs several hundred feet above the sea. In Gorda there is a Whale Watchers Inn and Restaurant, further north several campgrounds in Los Padres National Forest. Past Esalen there is netting over rocks on the cliffs above the road; also Big Sur Inn, Henry Miller Library (funky woodsy and small), Nepenthe, and the Ventana Inn, Coast Ranch, Big Sur bakery, spirit garden/gallery. Pfieffer Big Sur State Park and Big Sur Lodge. Fernwood campground, several motels, Big Sur Roadhouse. At a certain point the highway goes inland for a few short miles, then back to the death defying coast road.
Handsome Bixby Bridge 1932, Rocky Creek Bridge 1932, Mal Paso Bridge 1934, edge of Carmel Highlands, Wildcat Creek Bridge 1933. Passed on the Vets Memorial Park campground (wet and dark) in favor of Laguna Seca near the race track. Very pleasant, with water and electricity.
One of the highlights of the trip was Salinas, yes, Salinas, with its new-ish Steinbeck Center, a handsome inter-active museum, and nearby Steinbeck House, all volunteer luncheon restaurant in an old Victorian which was John's house growing up. Inspired us to read Steinbeck...well worth a new look.
Going home up hwy 5 required an overnight at Kit Fox rv park, and as we prepared to leave, received word of the Chilean earthquake 8.8. The tsunami warning meant the Morgans left their canal-side home and headed for the higher ground of relatives on Oahu. We all arrived safely home.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
SANTA BARBARA AND SOME NATIONAL PARKS
TRAVELS WITH BETSY 1
SANTA BARBARA AND SOME NATIONAL PARKS
Friday September 25, 2009
Down I-5...much of the land on either side is barren. Orchards, some bearing fruit, some withering in the dry heat, some dead and standing, some dead and bulldozed flat. Roadside signs..."Congress created dust bowl", apparently a reference to the water wars of the West. Ironic after several miles of running alongside and crossing the Delta Mendota and San Luis Canals, carrying water south.
Road work on Highway 41 W to Paso Robles is funded by the feds under the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Putting American to Work...bailout dollars.
The new gps isn't working and we have no maps for this area. AAA in San Luis Obispo saved us with maps including a detailed one of the Santa Barbara area, as we had no idea where we were going to this family wedding. Turned out to guide us beautifully to Goleta, Montecito and places in between. Goleta has a shopping mall that is the prettiest I've ever seen; even the Costco is barely recognizable, meeting the local building standards. Best Buy took good care of us and we now posses a new gps, which seems to be working fine.
The Cabrillo Drive along the beach in SB is terrific; place to park Betsy for a long walk and to meet the Barbaria/Seaton/Fox clan for lunch at Fess Parker's Doubletree. Palm trees line the grassy strolling/running area, the paved sidewalk thronged with walkers/bikers, the sand beautiful and inviting.
The rehearsal dinner at Stella Mara was wonderful, the wedding in Montecito was beautiful, relaxed, and lovely. Gene's grand nephew and his bride are off to a wonderful start with great plans for the future; amazingly mature at 24 years old. I didn't know people were married at that age any more.
Foggy Sunday a.m. found us traveling down 101 to meet Brian someplace between Corona and Las Vegas. We settled on Fontana and navigated the maze of freeways, feeling like pros as Gene drove from the 101 to the 210 to I-5. Have you ever had lunch at a Panera? Nice franchise of fresh food, good selection and yummy salads. After catching up with Brian and delivering some warm clothes to him, we headed off for Las Vegas over several 4,000 foot passes, crossing the desert in the blazing sun and Southern California heat. Amazed to find a solid string of cars buses trucks rvs coming toward us from Las Vegas, mile after mile, three lanes wide, all returning to So.Cal after a weekend in Las Vegas. Celebrated Brian's birthday without him by having dinner out.
On Monday we crossed over into the NW corner of Arizona, and at the last minute at the border of NV and AZ there sprang out of the desert a new community called Mesquite, complete with Del Webb Sun City, a grand casino pumping gallons of water through a lavish display of fountain and pools, inviting in this high desert of sandstone and sage brush. Acres of cars surrounding the casino. It seemed almost a mirage.
Route 59 out of Hurricane AZ took us over deserted desert to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, into forest and meadow, aspen lit by golden leaves. To the GC lodge and its 30's architecture and interior, light fixtures being particularly stunning. Walking toward the Bright Angel overlook, I felt the 8,000+ elevation, puffing and panting my way back up. Drove to Cape Royal, a 23 mile drive of several stunning overlooks including Angel Window and the delta where the Anasazi farmed thousands of years ago. A short hike at the end of the drive led us to a panorama of canyons and a glimpse of the Colorado River.
It was late, turning cold, and we needed to drive the 23 miles back, and then the 35 miles or so back to the campground when Gene discovered we needed fuel. Well, he knew we needed it and was sure he had seen a station somewhere on the beautiful drive in on the plateau. It was dark at 7:01 when we pulled into the station which closed at 7:00 p.m., lights slamming off. Happily, the people let us fill up, bless their hearts. A hairy drive back to the camp in the dark with deer browsing in herds and leaping in the lights. And then a side of beef standing immobile in the middle of the narrow road.
Tuesday took us to Zion via the East entrance, involving a narrow tunnel for which we were measured for fit. We fit. Through the narrow mile-long tunnel, and down a spectacularly steep road through stupendous sandstone cliffs and deep canyons. At the bottom, we parked and leaving Lucy in Betsy, took the 1.5 hour shuttle drive up the canyon to see this wonderful small park. Temperature back in Betsy was 98 F when we returned, but Lucy was fine with the shades drawn and the vent fan purring away.
Deciding to also see the NW corner, Kolob Canyon, we drove to the small town of Karranaville for the night, stopping to enjoy the sunset on the way.
Driving the next day on Highway 14 out of Cedar City UT through the Red Canyon was stunning. The red rocks were a perfect foil for the gold, yellow, red and green tree leaves, aflame with color matching the yellow stripes on the red chip seal highway. The Red Canyon is one of the most beautiful short drives we've ever been on, this time of year. Cedar Breaks National Monument is a huge natural amphitheater of deep canyons at about 10,000 feet. From the ranger station there we could see the gathering storm, predicting snow in Bryce NP, where we were headed. We were above sandstone but not above tree line as there were Bristle Cone pines there, one known to be 1,600 years old. We headed down past granite falls and lava fields. From 112 degrees in Las Vegas to 33 degrees at Cedar Breaks in two days.
At Bryce NP we found plenty of space to dry camp in the North Campground, and took off for the 36 mile round trip to the end of the park. Hoodoos, created from differential erosion of hard and soft layers of limestone, dolomite capstone, sandstone, are fantastical features of this park. Ice causes cracks in the stones during the 200 days where temperatures fall below freezing at night. Our night was freezing and shortly after going to bed, the carbon monoxide detector began to scream, causing no small amount of scurrying around to shut it up. Tucked back in we got colder and colder, finally realizing that the house batteries were not working, therefore the furnace was not working. No help there as turning on the generator during the night was a park no-no, so we just froze. It was 36 degrees in Betsy when we finally tumbled out and turned on the generator to power the furnace.
A hike the next day into the Kodachrome State Park showed us pipe stones of sandstone. The whole area was once dunes, from Wyoming to the southern tip of Nevada, compacted into stone then eroded away to form the etched rock faces and teetering spires. The Fremont Indians, Puebloans, 1,000 years ago used some of these rock faces as granaries.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a huge area surrounding several parks, national and state, including Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion and the GC. There is a terrific visitor center at Escalante, jointly created and manned by BLM, NPS, FS. There is a quote on the wall: "When we say 'there is nothing out there' it only means we cannot see." (Terry Tempest Williams) On to Torrey UT and Capitol Reef NP. This beautiful park has everything...towering cliffs, narrow canyons, petroglyphs, and a lush Fremont River area where the Mormons settled, planted orchards which still bear fruit, and created a community called Fruita. We took the 2 mile trek into the narrow canyon, saw the petroglyphs and then saw, high on the canyon wall the carved names of the surveyors who laid out a road there in 1911. The road is gone, except for a patch of asphalt, but the trail is a terrific rocky walk toward the water 'tanks'. Capitol Reef is unique geologically in being a 'waterpocket fold', where the land folded when being thrust upward during the formation of the Rocky Mountains. This miles long fold is best seen in the visitor center model. Unique formations include Capitol Dome and Navajo Dome. The weather was beautiful, the grass lovely, the aspen glorious colors, the campground wonderful (although we couldn't camp there due to no house batteries and the freezing night temperatures).
Saturday it was off to the desert again, going through the Great Basin stretching from Western Utah through Nevada, stopping at the new visitor center for Great Basin NP, but not going in. Needing to make tracks to head home, we drove this desolate area ('there is nothing out there') from Delta UT to Fallon NV, over 430 miles. There is NO PLACE to stop and camp between here and there. Gene did a masterful job of going up and over numerous passes, thankfully becoming lower and lower as we got into Nevada. The first several at 8,000, 7,000, 6,000 feet were hairy with switchbacks and no guard rails. I felt a lot better when we were going over the 4,000 foot passes; felt almost level.
We leave Fallon today Sunday and plan to go home via the Feather River canyon, to complete the fall trip in search of national parks, deep canyons, red rocks, tall towers, and fall foliage and land in our own backyard tomorrow, Monday, October 5Th, 2009. Photos will be added later.
SANTA BARBARA AND SOME NATIONAL PARKS
Friday September 25, 2009
Down I-5...much of the land on either side is barren. Orchards, some bearing fruit, some withering in the dry heat, some dead and standing, some dead and bulldozed flat. Roadside signs..."Congress created dust bowl", apparently a reference to the water wars of the West. Ironic after several miles of running alongside and crossing the Delta Mendota and San Luis Canals, carrying water south.
Road work on Highway 41 W to Paso Robles is funded by the feds under the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Putting American to Work...bailout dollars.
The new gps isn't working and we have no maps for this area. AAA in San Luis Obispo saved us with maps including a detailed one of the Santa Barbara area, as we had no idea where we were going to this family wedding. Turned out to guide us beautifully to Goleta, Montecito and places in between. Goleta has a shopping mall that is the prettiest I've ever seen; even the Costco is barely recognizable, meeting the local building standards. Best Buy took good care of us and we now posses a new gps, which seems to be working fine.
The Cabrillo Drive along the beach in SB is terrific; place to park Betsy for a long walk and to meet the Barbaria/Seaton/Fox clan for lunch at Fess Parker's Doubletree. Palm trees line the grassy strolling/running area, the paved sidewalk thronged with walkers/bikers, the sand beautiful and inviting.
The rehearsal dinner at Stella Mara was wonderful, the wedding in Montecito was beautiful, relaxed, and lovely. Gene's grand nephew and his bride are off to a wonderful start with great plans for the future; amazingly mature at 24 years old. I didn't know people were married at that age any more.
Foggy Sunday a.m. found us traveling down 101 to meet Brian someplace between Corona and Las Vegas. We settled on Fontana and navigated the maze of freeways, feeling like pros as Gene drove from the 101 to the 210 to I-5. Have you ever had lunch at a Panera? Nice franchise of fresh food, good selection and yummy salads. After catching up with Brian and delivering some warm clothes to him, we headed off for Las Vegas over several 4,000 foot passes, crossing the desert in the blazing sun and Southern California heat. Amazed to find a solid string of cars buses trucks rvs coming toward us from Las Vegas, mile after mile, three lanes wide, all returning to So.Cal after a weekend in Las Vegas. Celebrated Brian's birthday without him by having dinner out.
On Monday we crossed over into the NW corner of Arizona, and at the last minute at the border of NV and AZ there sprang out of the desert a new community called Mesquite, complete with Del Webb Sun City, a grand casino pumping gallons of water through a lavish display of fountain and pools, inviting in this high desert of sandstone and sage brush. Acres of cars surrounding the casino. It seemed almost a mirage.
Route 59 out of Hurricane AZ took us over deserted desert to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, into forest and meadow, aspen lit by golden leaves. To the GC lodge and its 30's architecture and interior, light fixtures being particularly stunning. Walking toward the Bright Angel overlook, I felt the 8,000+ elevation, puffing and panting my way back up. Drove to Cape Royal, a 23 mile drive of several stunning overlooks including Angel Window and the delta where the Anasazi farmed thousands of years ago. A short hike at the end of the drive led us to a panorama of canyons and a glimpse of the Colorado River.
It was late, turning cold, and we needed to drive the 23 miles back, and then the 35 miles or so back to the campground when Gene discovered we needed fuel. Well, he knew we needed it and was sure he had seen a station somewhere on the beautiful drive in on the plateau. It was dark at 7:01 when we pulled into the station which closed at 7:00 p.m., lights slamming off. Happily, the people let us fill up, bless their hearts. A hairy drive back to the camp in the dark with deer browsing in herds and leaping in the lights. And then a side of beef standing immobile in the middle of the narrow road.
Tuesday took us to Zion via the East entrance, involving a narrow tunnel for which we were measured for fit. We fit. Through the narrow mile-long tunnel, and down a spectacularly steep road through stupendous sandstone cliffs and deep canyons. At the bottom, we parked and leaving Lucy in Betsy, took the 1.5 hour shuttle drive up the canyon to see this wonderful small park. Temperature back in Betsy was 98 F when we returned, but Lucy was fine with the shades drawn and the vent fan purring away.
Deciding to also see the NW corner, Kolob Canyon, we drove to the small town of Karranaville for the night, stopping to enjoy the sunset on the way.
Driving the next day on Highway 14 out of Cedar City UT through the Red Canyon was stunning. The red rocks were a perfect foil for the gold, yellow, red and green tree leaves, aflame with color matching the yellow stripes on the red chip seal highway. The Red Canyon is one of the most beautiful short drives we've ever been on, this time of year. Cedar Breaks National Monument is a huge natural amphitheater of deep canyons at about 10,000 feet. From the ranger station there we could see the gathering storm, predicting snow in Bryce NP, where we were headed. We were above sandstone but not above tree line as there were Bristle Cone pines there, one known to be 1,600 years old. We headed down past granite falls and lava fields. From 112 degrees in Las Vegas to 33 degrees at Cedar Breaks in two days.
At Bryce NP we found plenty of space to dry camp in the North Campground, and took off for the 36 mile round trip to the end of the park. Hoodoos, created from differential erosion of hard and soft layers of limestone, dolomite capstone, sandstone, are fantastical features of this park. Ice causes cracks in the stones during the 200 days where temperatures fall below freezing at night. Our night was freezing and shortly after going to bed, the carbon monoxide detector began to scream, causing no small amount of scurrying around to shut it up. Tucked back in we got colder and colder, finally realizing that the house batteries were not working, therefore the furnace was not working. No help there as turning on the generator during the night was a park no-no, so we just froze. It was 36 degrees in Betsy when we finally tumbled out and turned on the generator to power the furnace.
A hike the next day into the Kodachrome State Park showed us pipe stones of sandstone. The whole area was once dunes, from Wyoming to the southern tip of Nevada, compacted into stone then eroded away to form the etched rock faces and teetering spires. The Fremont Indians, Puebloans, 1,000 years ago used some of these rock faces as granaries.
Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument is a huge area surrounding several parks, national and state, including Capitol Reef, Bryce, Zion and the GC. There is a terrific visitor center at Escalante, jointly created and manned by BLM, NPS, FS. There is a quote on the wall: "When we say 'there is nothing out there' it only means we cannot see." (Terry Tempest Williams) On to Torrey UT and Capitol Reef NP. This beautiful park has everything...towering cliffs, narrow canyons, petroglyphs, and a lush Fremont River area where the Mormons settled, planted orchards which still bear fruit, and created a community called Fruita. We took the 2 mile trek into the narrow canyon, saw the petroglyphs and then saw, high on the canyon wall the carved names of the surveyors who laid out a road there in 1911. The road is gone, except for a patch of asphalt, but the trail is a terrific rocky walk toward the water 'tanks'. Capitol Reef is unique geologically in being a 'waterpocket fold', where the land folded when being thrust upward during the formation of the Rocky Mountains. This miles long fold is best seen in the visitor center model. Unique formations include Capitol Dome and Navajo Dome. The weather was beautiful, the grass lovely, the aspen glorious colors, the campground wonderful (although we couldn't camp there due to no house batteries and the freezing night temperatures).
Saturday it was off to the desert again, going through the Great Basin stretching from Western Utah through Nevada, stopping at the new visitor center for Great Basin NP, but not going in. Needing to make tracks to head home, we drove this desolate area ('there is nothing out there') from Delta UT to Fallon NV, over 430 miles. There is NO PLACE to stop and camp between here and there. Gene did a masterful job of going up and over numerous passes, thankfully becoming lower and lower as we got into Nevada. The first several at 8,000, 7,000, 6,000 feet were hairy with switchbacks and no guard rails. I felt a lot better when we were going over the 4,000 foot passes; felt almost level.
We leave Fallon today Sunday and plan to go home via the Feather River canyon, to complete the fall trip in search of national parks, deep canyons, red rocks, tall towers, and fall foliage and land in our own backyard tomorrow, Monday, October 5Th, 2009. Photos will be added later.
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