744 March 5, 2022 The Road To Mojave

I had a peaceful walk in the Hanford Cemetery adjacent to the fairgrounds. 

Afterward, I wandered through the Saturday swap meet.  There were lots of people selling all kinds of odds and ends and there were several produce vendors with beautiful citrus fruits and chilis and dried beans.

This morning we took one last look at the weather.  In Three Rivers near Sequoia National Park, it was sleeting.  In the Sierras, there was snow and a forecast for more.  In Yosemite it was 16 degrees with a forecasted high of 23 today.  After considering all this data, we conformed our decision to go south and east. 

We drove on Interstate 99 through the heartland of America’s breadbasket past vineyards and farm fields and orchards.  We passed oil fields as well.  There is lots of wide-open space in the valley but it is all being used to harvest something.  We stopped for a break and I walked to the nearby orchard to use my app and identify the trees…peach trees…miles of peach blossoms!

Bakersfield is a trucking hub and train station.  There are all manner of industries and businesses to support the farming community.  There are lots of cold storage facilities and packing plants.

In Bakersfield, we turned onto Route 58 toward the Tehachapi Mountains and drove up and through the Pass.  At 3,793 feet, we saw snowcapped peaks.  Tiny snowflakes splatted on the windshield. 

We emerged on the other side of the mountains.  The wind had been a factor all day.  Here, there was a overhead road sign with a message for all campers and trailers to exit the highway in the next two exits because of high winds.  We knew better than to ignore this sign!  We exited and pulled over on the side of the road to make a plan.  Fortunately, there was Spaceport RV Park just 3 miles away.  We had phone service and we were able to call and they had two spots large enough to accommodate us…we went straight there.  The wind is supposed to blow strongly until 2am.  Meanwhile, we are safe and have a home for the night.

This afternoon we went to explore the town of Mojave.  We had seen a bunch of airplanes sitting in a large field and we went there first.  Mojave has the nation’s only inland Spaceport.  In this industrial complex, lots of businesses coexist to further the idea of space travel.  There is also a test pilot school and dozens of other enterprises to repair and construct aircraft.  The schools here in Mojave have a comprehensive educational program promoting aeronautics and engineering.  This begins in preschool and older students are able to apprentice or intern in the various aerospace facilities and at nearby Edwards Air Force Base.  

We went to see the wind turbines.  Apparently, Mojave is one of the windiest places in the WORLD!  Now we know.  This makes it an ideal location for windfarms.  The Mojave Desert has over 5,000 turbines.  The farm here in town is the third largest in the country. 

This town is also a mining town, a trucking center, and a train junction.

743 March 4, 2022 Curves and Hills

We had light rain this morning which made it really hard to go out and walk…but I did.

It was moving day again.  Our journey today took us through the fertile Salinas Valley past hemp fields and new cauliflower fields. 

We could also see red strawberries on the vine for acres.

We took Highway 101 to 198.  This is a scenic route.  We have never seen landscape like this before, rumpled hills, the Cholame Hills.  It was very pretty even on this cloudy drizzly day.  It was very curvy and hilly and the driving was intense for a while…but well worth it!

We passed lots of cattle ranches.

As we approached the town of Coalinga, the terrain changed again…more trees, rockier, and more mountainous.

Just before the town, there were a bunch of oil rigs.

We crossed Highway 5 and we entered the San Joaquin Valley.  This is another huge commercial agricultural area.  Lots of America’s produce comes from right here. 

We passed miles of pistachio trees.

Grape Arbors.

Rice fields.

Orchards in bloom…not sure what grows here.

And lemon groves and onion fields and lots of other stuff as well!

There were large solar farms, though today, they were not harvesting any sunlight.

We are staying at King County Fairgrounds.  We walked the property late this afternoon.

This evening, we went into the town of Hanford where we found Zaytoona, a Mediterranean restaurant.  Tim enjoyed lentil soup and a vegetarian platter with stuffed grape leaves, Fattoush salad, falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj, and tabbouleh.  I had a gyro with tzatziki sauce and Fattoush salad.  Really tasty food and again…something different!

742 March 3, 2022 Point Lobos

Happy Birthday David!!!  We love you and we are so proud of you!

We woke up before the sun this morning.  We watched the sky turn pink.  The valley was dense with fog.  The forecast for today was for clouds and rain.

I got out early to walk…these hills!!!  I walked around the racetrack and just when I was on the last portion back to the campground, I ran into a locked gate.  I turned back and walked the way I had come!

Today was our last day on the California Coast.  We have spent the last two weeks wandering along the water’s edge.  This part of America is very beautiful.  If you haven’t seen it…put it on your list!

We wanted to return to Point Lobos.  Last time we tried to go it was crazy busy.  Today was the perfect opportunity to see the park.  I think that the weather forecast kept people away.  First, we hiked the Cypress Grove Trail.  The Monterey Cypress trees only grow in two places in the world; here and Pebble Beach. 

The trees are battered by salt water and wind and here they thrive.  Biologists have tried to grow these trees elsewhere but they succumb to a fungus…they only grow here in this harsh Pacific environment.

The cypress trees drip with lace lichen.

This is a Natural Reserve.  The park service is very serious about protecting the natural beauty of this place.  Roads and signs are kept to a minimum.  There are severe penalties for breaching the fencing.

There were danger signs on the cliffs.  Visitors were advised never to turn their back on the ocean; to be vigilant and to watch for large waves that could sweep you out to sea. 

Next, we walked on the North Shore Trail.  Here we saw a group of harbor seals leaping through the water.  We sat to watch.

Old Veteran.

In the next cove, we saw a sea otter mom and her baby.

We stopped at the Jeep for a snack.  People always stop to ask where we are from.  They marvel at the fact that we have traveled across the country to be here.  There are not too many East Coast visitors out this way.  We get lots of questions about our roof top tent.  When we talk about selling our house and living our dream, we hope that we inspire others to follow their dreams.  Everyone says that they want to be doing this…we wonder though how many people will seize the chance and make it happen.

We took the Sea Lion Point Trail.  We could hear the sea lions barking no matter where we hiked.  Their noise could be heard over the roar of the crashing waves.

We also saw these pelagic cormorants nesting in the cliffs. 

The waves here are particularly violent.  I am not sure if this is normal or if it was exacerbated by the incoming storm.  The Devil’s Cauldron is an area of especially turbulent water.

Deer grazing in the nearby meadow.

We got back to the RV and just a short time later, light rain began to fall.

We are not entirely certain where we will go tomorrow.  We are going to head east and south.  We had hoped to go to see Sequoia National Park and the Sierra Nevada Mountians but the weatherman has forecasted 12-18 inches of new snow there.  The roads are likely to be closed and we are ready to go somewhere warm.

741 March 2, 2022 Monterey Bay Coastal Trail

My morning walk was down the hill from the campground to Route 68. The grade on this park road is 16% for 1 mile.

Once I was at the bottom, I turned around and walked back up. It was very hard work but it felt great!

We packed lunch and took the Jeep with the bikes to Lovers Point. This is the southern terminus for the Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Path.

We passed Cannery Row and the Monterey Aquarium. Steinbeck lived here in Monterey. His novel Cannery Row, is set here during the Great Depression.

A divers memorial. Fishing divers were instrumental in helping to pump sardines from the bay to the canneries.

The marina.

We had beautiful views of the bay as we rode on.

We had our lunch in a small park away from the wind.

We took the path, 5 miles, all the way through the town on Monterey. We stopped at a small produce market and found some dried figs and a papaya.

We cycled down the commercial wharf where the working boats were docked.

We walked our bikes on Old fisherman’s Wharf.

A statue dedicated to the fishermen whose labor made Monterey the “Sardine Capital of the World.”

We could hear the sea lions barking from benaeath this seafood processing plant across the water.

As we biked back, we saw harbor seals. There was an aqaurium volunteer answering questions and providing education. He said that it was almost pupping season. The females are nocturnal and fish all night. During the day, they rest on this beach.

This was a great place to ride and we enjoyed our day in Monterey!

Sunset.

740 March 1, 2022 Shopping Adventure

First thing this morning, I was walking along the beach in Marina.

I was walking by the water in the firmer sand, chatting with my mom on the phone, when a rogue wave crashed onto the beach and soaked me from the knees down…drenched shoes and socks and pants. Time to turn back. Everything was caked in sand by the time I walked the mile back to the RV. I met a couple walking the other way. They noticed my wet clothes. They told me that there were rough surf and high wind advisories today. Gotta laugh…always an adventure!

Today we moved again. We traveled just a short distance to Laguna Seca Recreation Area. On the way we passed trhough the very fertile Salinas valley.

This is a huge complex. It is most famous for the race track.

The campground sits on top of a hill. The views are incredible.

This afternoon, I set out for Monterey with the mission of looking at Macy’s for a gown for Kyle and Allison’s wedding. I always feel good when I navigate on my own in a new place. I found a beautiful dress! Remember when you could go to a nice department store and get really good care? I had great customer service from Linda and Cheyenne and they both worked in the luggage department!

I picked up salads from Chipotle and got back to the campground at sunset!

739 February 28, 2022 Marina Dunes

One last walk among by the Big Sur River, among the redwoods.

We moved today to Marina. This was a short drive north on 1. At several points, there was roadwork that stopped traffic. Near Bixby Bridge, the site of the wildfire earlier this year, we were waiting. We had a very close view of some of the fire damage.

We arrived in Marina early in the afternoon. Tim rested and I went to gather some groceries.

This evening, we packed our dinner. I walked to the beach using the access trail. It was 500 yards to the beach. I met Tim at the Marine Beach State Park.

We had quinoa bowls with purple sweet potatoes.

We walked on the beach and sat on a log to watch the tide.

We waited until sunset before heading home.

738 February 27, 2022 Partington Cove

I started some laundry and then walked in between switching loads from washer to dryer. It was a very effective use of time! I wanted to be able to play the rest of the day!

Today we went south on 1, again on the snake shaped road. We stopped at an overlook. The crystal clear shimmering water that gradually changes from turquoise to green and then out further to navy, the spouting whales, the bobbing and floating otters, the craggy cliffs, the evergreen fragrance, the churning sand and smashing waves, the buzzards and hawks and ravens soaring, the cormorants and gulls feeding…this is a very special place.

We have passed many elegant homes on these bluffs. I wonder who might live in these houses. The compounds are fenced in and gated with warning signs and security cameras. No matter what I imagine…there is no one living there that has a better life than I. I am so grateful. I have always wanted to see this part of the California Coast. We have spent days exploring and we are still not tired of it. We spent some time hopping from one overlook to the next.

We drove to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. We walked along McWay Creek and through a tunnel under Highway 1. We took the short walk to the overlook at McWay Falls. The water falls 80 feet to the beach below.

We drove again, back to Partington Cove Trail. This is a hike into a canyon that leads to the beach. It begins at 300 feet of elevation and descends for 1 mile.

We walked through a grove of redwoods.

This tunnel was constructed about 100 years ago by John Partington. The tunnel was used to transport tanbark trees from the nearby slopes down to waiting ships in the cove. Tannic acid was derived from these trees and was used to tan leather.

We spent time just sitting here…watching the waves coming into the cove.

We traveled back through the tunnel and down to the bigger cove.

We hiked the mile back up and out of the canyon without any trouble!

Another excellent day trip!

I

737 February 26, 2022 Big Sur

I began the day with a walk through the campground.

The campground isn’t very big and so I tried a trail in the woods but it became incredibly steep.

I went out on Route 1 and walked the shoulder as far as the River Inn. Here I learned two important pieces of information. The gasoline in Big Sur is $7.22 a gallon…WOW…JUST WOW!! The second thing I learned, is that the restaurant at River Inn doesn’t take reservations but also isn’t very busy at this time of year…YAY!

The redwood trees at the campground are gorgeous and so fragrant. The air smells fresh and clean.

We had a fabulous day exploring the California Coast from Big Sur to Carmel. Route 1 in Big sur was the first section of the highway to be completed. It was built in the early 1930’s. Now it extends for about 686 miles. It is the second longest state highway in the nation. It follows the coast and diverts inland only to avoid federal, military, and nature preserve areas.

We had planned to go to Point Lobos but when we got there, the parking lot was full. Not only that, but cars were parked along the road for a mile in either direction. We elected to forego the crowds. We drove to Carmel and got gas…only $4.99 a gallon…yipee!

We turned back toward Big Sur. We stopped at Garrapata State Park and walked the Bluff Trail

We stopped at several turnouts to get out and admire the view.

On January 24, 2022, a brush fire spread in the area from Bixby Bridge to Rock Creek Bridge. The scarred and charred hillsides span about 1,000 acres. The fire was remarkable because wildfires seldom occur in January and because there had been lots of rain earlier in the fall and winter and it was assumed that the fire danger was not as great. Scientists now theorize that because of the extensive nature of the drought it is more of a chronic long-term condition that may take many seasons of good rainfall to improve. Route 1 was closed for a while but is now reopened.

Point Sur.

The scenery here is amazing so even though we didn’t go to Point Lobos…I was NOT disappointed! I am so glad that we have the luxury of being able to spend some time hiking and exploring. As one fellow traveler today remarked “Being out here in nature sure does make you feel good!”

We did enjoy yummy butternut squash soup and salads at River Inn for our dinner.

736 February 25, 2022 Enjoy The Ride

The Morro Bay Harborwalk was the perfect setting this morning.  The air was brisk but the sun was warm and the sights were so pretty! 

I passed an otter nursery in the harbor.  I could have stood there all day watching them play.

We left Morro Bay and went north on 1, past San Simeon and Hearst Castle.  The castle is temporarily closed but I still had no desire to go and see it.

Yesterday, on our way to see the elephant seals, I swore that I saw a bunch of zebras running among the hills.  Today, I was watching to catch another glimpse.  There is a herd of 126 wild zebras that live here between San Simeon and Ragged Point.  William Randolph Hearst originally brought them to his property sometime before 1937. 

We continued on 1 for another 70 miles.  This portion of the highway is dubbed the most scenic in America.  We have driven on some beautiful scenic byways…Highway 1 in the Keys, Cabot Trail in Nova Scotia, the road along the Sea of Cortez in Baja, the Alaskan Highway, the Million Dollar Highway, Top of the World Highway, Blueridge Parkway, and Skyline Drive.  The road to Big Sur definitely belongs in our top ten drives!

There is a lot of information for RV travelers about this portion of road.  This is a turning, twisting, winding road cut into the mountainside.  It is famous for rock and mudslides, rough sections, and loose gravel.  It is quite the undertaking to try and preserve this place and to keep the road open.  There is fencing and netting and wire holding rocks back.  There are retaining walls and jersey walls.  The hillsides have been graded and terraced.  Dune grasses have been planted to stabilize the soil. 

Tim really did his homework, reading blogs and comments from other RVers and asking other people who had been here.  The soundest advice was to pay attention and take it slow.  We stopped frequently to get out and look.  We used the turnouts to allow more hurried drivers to pass.  We pulled over to let parades of cars go by.  We had no trouble.  If we had gone around the other way to Big Sur, we would have missed a whole lot of pretty.

Our breakfast spot.  I hiked to the cliff’s edge.  The ocean was calm and the air was crisp and chilly.

The sights long the way.

We arrived at Riverside Campground in Big Sur in early afternoon.  This is another lovely place.  We are parked right along the river among the redwood trees. The sound of the water rushing by is lulling.

There is nowhere on the east coast where you can get this kind of uninterrupted view of the ocean for miles and miles and miles.  I was sad when we arrived in Big Sur.  It was like reading a really good book or watching a great movie and not wanting it to end.

735 February 24, 2022 Elephant Seals

Today began with a chilly RV and instant coffee. Our batteries died early this morning. We were not able to use our generator to recharge until after 10am. I took my walk on the beach.

Pismo clams.

When I got back, both the generator and the RV engine were running. Tim discovered that the generator was not charging the batteries on its own. We left it run for a couple of hours. Tim went to visit a nearby gym and then I went to get groceries. Still, the charge was very low. We had one more night at Morro Strand with no hookups. We asked if there had been any cancellations for the electric sites…but there hadn’t. We made the decision to move to a full hookup campground only a couple of miles away. It was the right choice. Maybe the batteries died down because we kept the propane furnace on overnight…

Once we were settled, we jumped into the Jeep and headed out for today’s adventure. We drove about 30 minutes north on Route 1 to the Piedras Blancas Northern Elephant Seal Rookery in San Simeon. This isn’t a zoo. The animals here are living in their natural habitat doing their own thing. I love to see animals in the wild and I was totally jazzed by this experience!

These marine mammals are enormous. The dominant males are about 16 feet long and weigh as much as 5,000 pounds. The males have been here on these beaches since December. These seals are not social creatures. They arrive individually and the males spar and fight for territory. In January, the pregnant females come in and give birth. The new pups are 60 pounds when they are born and nurse for the first 24 days and then are weaned. At that time, they weigh about 300 pounds. Then, the moms are ready to mate. The males protect harems of 20-50 females. Once females have mated, they head out to sea, leaving behind the pups. The females haven’t eaten since their arrival and they will go north and west to feed in the ocean depths. The pups lay on the beach subsisting on blubber until they are 3 or 4 months old at which time the enter the ocean and learn to hunt. Once the females leave, the males go as well, swimming to the Aleutian Islands where they will feed until it is time for their return to San Simeon. Male elephant seals swim about 10,000 miles every year…that’s as far as we drove the RV in 2021!

We took lots of pictures but these animals are the same color as sand and are not terribly photogenic . They are on this beach to mate and rest and grow. They don’t move too much because it is a great expenditure of energy and the adults haven’t eaten. The exception to this is the males…on the hunt for partners. The lesser males wait until the dominant males are busy and then the try to engage females…until the alpha males become aware and come to chase them off. These animals are really ungainly on land and move kind of like huge caterpillars. In the water, they can dive to depths of 2,000-3,000 feet to feed on deep sea fish and squid and crabs and other delicacies.

The elephant seals make a lot of noise. The males bellow, the females screech, and the babies mewl and cry. The videos are the best way to show some of their behaviors.

We had started at the viewing platform and boardwalk but then we hiked on the Boucher Trail to more secluded beach areas. We could see drag marks and flipper prints and holes where the seals had dug into the beach as they flipped sand on themselves to stay cool…but there were no human footprints.

We were surprised at how many seals there actually were…thousands! In fact, 25,000 elephant seals come to haul out here on seven miles of beach. They are not all here at the same time…but that’s a lot of seals! There are seals all along this stretch of shore, as far as the eye could see.

We also saw whales in the distance and otters bobbing in the waves. It was a fabulous day that we both enjoyed!