Day 122

Central California's Pacific Coast

Sep 5, 2013, 4:08 PM

Steve and I drove to the Pacific Coast today. It was a really nice ride. The highway went through rolling hills and farms. We laughed when we drove past a field of broccoli. Oh they look so funny growing. Like stunted trees. Very comical. Then the rolling hills. They were covered with just a ground covering, at least that is how it seemed at 60+ miles per hour as we drove and they seemed so soft and pillowy. Like a downy comforter thrown over pillows on a bed. It made for a nice drive. When we got to Monterey we went to Old Fisherman's Wharf. That was lots of fun. We were able to park easily, we went and had lunch, no big surprise there. We ate at a nice restaurant on the pier that looked out over the marina. There was a floating dock that was just filled with sea lions and they were barking and carrying on. It was fun to watch. Lunch was really spectacular and we even had creme brûlée for desert. Oh and it was good!!!!! After lunch we walked further down the pier to where the sea lions were and watched them play their sea lion games. Some were in the water, some were on the dock and if the noise was any indicator they were having a blast. After watching for a bit we were anxious to get in the car and drive along the coast. We headed toward Carmel and we saw a sign for a Pebble Beach 17 Mile Scenic Drive, we didn't realize it when we turned off, but this was a fee scenic drive. I almost told Steve not to bother, but he was already paying and I figured what the heck. We will drive the 17 miles then get on with the drive down the coast. I was really disappointed when we got to the first stop, Shepherd's Point that was supposed to be a scenic overlook. You couldn't see a darn thing cause of trees. I thought for sure we were just taken for rubes and that was that. The second stop wasn't much better, the third stop was a golf course that was closed for renovations, stop #4 was a golf course too, and then on #5 we hit pay dirt. Stop #5 was called Spanish Bay and it overlooked the ocean and it was just beautiful. The only drawback was that when we got out of the car the wind was whipping so much and coming right off the cold pacific you needed a winter coat, at least this Florida girl did. Oh my gosh, but I soldiered on to get beautiful photos for you, my faithful friends. From that point on it just kept getting better. We saw beautiful vistas and rocks so full of sea lions and seals they looked like barnacles on a pillar and the sound. I think that is one of the things that will stay with me for a long time, the sounds I have heard on this trip; the bison in Yellowstone, the little squirrel in Glacier, the water rushing off the face of the moose, the quiet of some of the hiking trails, the sound of a barrier stand at Kennedy's Tomb being knocked over by kids, the solemn sound of the soldier marching at The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier, the birds that wake me up in the morning, and now the sea lions in the Pacific. 

After we were done with this we drove down a scenic road. It went right along the beach in Carmel By The Sea. We thought it was going to be a scenic drive, which it was, but actually it was a street named Scenic Rd. More than the view out over the ocean I enjoyed looking at the houses. Along the Pebble Beach 17 Mile Drive the houses were mansions. Huge affairs with names and gates to match. The kind of thing you'd imagine being right next to the Pebble Beach Golf Course, multi-multi millions of dollars worth of house. On Scenic Rd., although I'm sure these homes came with one hell of a price tag, they were much more regular people houses. There were even a couple that were fanciful. They looked like they were fairy tale story houses, there were multiple dormers and the roofs had a rolling effect, they would look perfectly at home on a Disney Studio lot. They were charming. I thoroughly enjoyed the day!

Tomorrow we are on our way to Utah. We will do a night outside of Barstow, then Kanab, Utah will be home for ten days. You have a wonderful night. I'll be checking in with you tomorrow evening, good night!!

Day 121

Yosemite National Park

Sep 4, 2013, 7:40 PM

Oh it was a good day. We went to Yosemite National Park and really had a good time. We had no traffic whatsoever on the way over. We drove out of the campground and down the road right out front past orchards, rolling hills, full of twists and turns. There were times we were the only car for as far as the eye could see in any direction. We wanted to see the giant sequoias first so we went to the Mariposa Grove. You know us, by the time we were pulling into the park it was lunch time so we had a nice lunch at the Wawona Village. The Village had the Wawona Hotel with a restaurant. After lunch we took the bus to the Mariposa Grove. We could have taken a tram tour and I wonder if we shouldn't have, but we wanted to be able to look around, I wanted to take pictures, I know I know you're shocked that I wanted to get pictures, we knew the tram wouldn't stop so we just decided to walk the .8 mile lower grove trail. It was grueling!! Steve and I first and foremost are sea level dwellers, the higher altitudes are tough. The Lower Grove trail was straight up till we got to the California Tunnel Tree. Oh my gosh, we could have died, but we made it I'm happy to say. These trees are so beautiful and that is so lame to even say. They are majestic, they stand so straight and tall in spite of damaging fires, bugs, birds, tunnels being carved into their trunks and they go on for more than 1,800 years. Almost two thousand years!!!!!!! The seed that started the Grizzly Tree came from a tree that would have been standing when Christ walked the earth. That is astounding!!!!!! There was a limb on the Grizzly Tree that was 7' in diameter, which is larger then the trunk of any non-Sequoia in the park. Just a few days ago here in California there was an 18 year old girl sitting under a tree and a 14" diameter limb fell on her and killed her. Oh my gosh, what would happen if the 7' limb fell. 

From the Mariposa Grove we drove to the Valley Village. That is where you are ringed by garnet mountains. Giants like El Capitan, Sentinel Dome, Clouds Rest, and Cathedral Peak. It was so amazing. The rock is so stark and shoots right out of the ground. Just so beautiful to see and another great day on our trip. 

Tomorrow we head to the coast, I can't wait. Enjoy the photos and have a good night.

Day 120

New Location

Sep 3, 2013, 8:18 PM

We are now poised and ready to go to Yosemite. We have decided our desire to go to Yosemite overrules our dislike of the local traffic boggle, so we are going to give it a try tomorrow. Today we left the Vacaville area and came to Chowchilla, just a bit further south. We are excited to be doing sightseeing again. This campground that we found is really nice. So all is good and hopefully tomorrow I'll have some really nice photos to share. 

Good night all!!!!

Day 119

Nothing, We Did Nothing

Sep 2, 2013, 7:52 PM

Since we decided there was nothing we wanted to do enough to deal with the traffic, we did nothing today. Well sort of, we did have to make a trip to Walmart. Our fan died last night and the little fan we had in the closet really didn't do the job, so we went to Walmart. On our way we realized we made such a great decision not going anywhere today because the traffic was HORRIBLE. We were only going about three miles down the road and we got off the highway right before the traffic stopped and it did stop, oh but that was just the beginning. We were looking for an electric fan, Walmart had ONE. That fan looked like it had been sold and returned ten different times. So we had to go elsewhere. We went across the street to Sam's, struck out there. We went to Target, no luck. I guess I shouldn't say we struck out, they did have fans just not one that was right. We went to Lowes and found something that will work. Yeah! Then going home the traffic was even worse than on our way to the store. Thank God it was all on the other side of the highway. We were good, but boy did we play it right. We would have been sitting in the terrible traffic if we'd gone anywhere. That was a nightmare I didn't need.

We came home, I'm happy with the fan, we are ready to leave here tomorrow. We are going a bit further south. We are still up in the air about our plans. I'll let you know when we decide. Good night all. I hope you all had a relaxing holiday weekend. 

Day 118

FREAKS

Sep 1, 2013, 12:17 PM

I have figured it out, there is probably a scientific name for it, but I'm not a scientist. I think there is a "freak" that comes in off the Pacific. Like a Bermuda High, or the Trade Winds, or the El Niño, there is a Freak that comes in off the Pacific, it can't get past the mountains so it just keeps building more and more Freak and it sits over California. That explains it, there really is no other explanation. 

We drove to Sacramento. We thought we would check out the Old Sacramento place. I looked like its a lot of shopping but other things thrown in too so it might be fun. As we were driving the 25+ miles on I-80 with relatively no traffic we noticed that the other direction was all bumper to bumper, we hadn't seen a wreck or anything so I was dreading the ride back, but I thought maybe when we are on our way home the traffic will be going the other way. Put that in the worry about it when the time comes compartment and move on. We get off the highway the GPS tells us to make a left and the road is blocked off. We go down the block and now the traffic is stopped dead, several lanes wide. Everyone trying to go to the left like we wanted to, GREAT!! We wait through three or four light cycles, nothing is moving. We figure we aren't that far maybe we should park somewhere close and walk. We pull into a garage, they have two lanes going in, one for daily use, one for monthly. The daily use is blocked off so we pull up to the monthly lane. Can't get in without a card, or sticker, or something, but the gate isn't going up. At this point I've had it with California, we are either in horrible traffic, or going in circles, or taking routes to avoid the traffic that make the traffic look like a soothing bubble bath. I'm done!!!! I told Steve "take me home". So we are making our way out of the city and there is a hotel that we pass, down the street from the Convention Center. Now I have no idea what was going on, but there were FREAKS all over. People carrying swords, people with Crayola colored hair, people wearing Viking costumes, people wearing fuzzy hands and hats, FREAKS!!!!!!! Steve wanted to know if I wanted to stop to get some pictures. I told him "Hell no, whatever they have is probably contagious". We headed home. On the way we decided we might like to go to a movie, so we grabbed lunch and went to see Getaway. It was one heck of a thrill ride. Car crashes from beginning to end, with car crashes in the middle. Nonstop action. In the end a lot of questions were left unanswered, but who cares when cars are rolling into intersections and four-wheel drifting. 

We have come to the conclusion that California isn't for us. Tomorrow we are going to get ready to move on Tuesday. Hopefully the next stop will be better, but I'm not sure how since we will still be in California. Good night all!!