Day 56...Nov 9
Today we finally got into some nicer travel weather...can you
say Los Angeles?
Our adventure today took us right into California, the last State on our Visit List. We drove through such
places as Thousand Palms, Desert Hot Springs, Palm Desert, Indian Wells, etc,
all the way through Riverside, Pasadena, L.A., and up to a State campground
just past Santa Clarita named Castaic Lake. Throughout the entire campground
there are only two other RV's...
As we neared our camp ground it was interesting to pass a guy who was leading his 3 pack mules down the main street. Only in California!
We quickly found our perfect spot to set up our home on wheels. As we settle in for a good night sleep we glance out the window
at the perfect view of a perfect lake beneath perfect stars...tons of stars.
Everything is just perfect...especially now
that we are off the snowy trails and frigid night time
temps. Tomorrow we tackle the Grapevine.
Interesting event on our way here as we were driving on highway 57.
As we came to exit from 57 to 210 we slowed down, turned on our turning
indicator and slowly made our way onto the left most lane of this three lane
exit. We were just saying how heavy the traffic on the 57 was...heavy but
steady. As we entered the exit, a car on the far right exit lane decided she
didn't want to go this way. She needed to go back onto the 57, even though she
had already committed herself to the 210 exit. Without slowing down she veered
to the left, crossing the middle lane and continued right behind us. I sped up to
avoid her. I watched her in my mirror as she crossed the divider that separates
the exit from the other highway. I said to Kerry, "That women is
crazy!" At that very moment you could hear the crunch. The white car she
cut off nailed her. As we continued along I could see both cars coming to a
stop, fender pieces skidding to the side of the road and all of the traffic
behind them coming to a stop...The Birth Of A Traffic Jam...L.A. style.
Day 57...Nov 10
We woke up today to the sight and sound of a Park Ranger putting an
invoice on our window. We had until 10:00am to pay for the camp site.
After having a great breakfast of cereal with almond milk for Kerry and with
yogurt for me, along with a cup of French Press coffee, we were rolling once
again by 7:30am, stopping at the Ranger station to settle our account.
I
am one who does not usually offer too much info on registration forms. I may
offer my street and city but no address or phone number. When the Ranger asked
for my name I replied, "R Hunter!" She, with a serious look on her
face asked how to spell my first name then immediately asked, "A, R, R?"
I so badly wanted to say, "Yes, Arr, just like the pirate." But
before I could have fun with this situation Kerry, the mature one of the group,
offered the correct spelling, ending the opportunity for further
jocularities.
Within a block or two of the on ramp we stopped at a Starbucks
so I could get a Coffee Mocha Frapp and Kerry could get a small bold blend to
add to her remaining French Press.
Once we got back onto highway 5 we were soon climbing up and
rolling down the Grapevine, putting us down into the Valley. We
caught the west bound highway 46 into the town of Paso Robles. From there we
headed to Cambria (near Hearst Castle) and caught highway 1, which will keep us
on the coast all the way north until Crescent City Oregon, our last stop before
heading back into Jacksonville, bringing this odyssey to a joyous conclusion.
By noon we were ready to stop and grab a bite to eat. There were vineyard wine tasting establishments around every corner. We saw one that advertised tasting as well as lunch. Sounds good to me. We pulled and were immediately impressed with the rolling hills of grape vines. Reminded both of us of back home in Jacksonville.
Kerry ordered a tasting as well as a beet
salad with herb crusted goat cheese. I ordered the the Panini with salami with a
side green salad. Oh my gosh. Wonderful meal! We will always remember the AronHill Vineyard and our bartender/server Gayle with a smile.
As we made our way north we were in awe of the spectacular
views...each time we turned a corner another breath taking photo op presented
itself. This was going to be a long coastal drive. By the time we reached the
point where we were 30 miles south of Big Sur, the rain started coming down
heavily. This windy road is not one that one should try to navigate with less
than optimal visibility. Remember, we just came off of the GREAT SNOWY death
road...you know we didn't survive that just to go flying off of some cliff into
the Pacific.
We found a great campground run by the state park system and
will spend the night here. We met a few interesting people while camping in
this park. We were drawn towards a regular van that was converted inside into a
full RV minus the bathroom. They were from South France and were on day two of
their own odyssey. The van they drove was a rental. They had fun showing us their
setup and we all enjoyed trying to communicate in French, English and
Spanish...with a little Portuguese for good measure. As we headed back to our
own van a girl approached us asking for advice. She needed to find a camp site
quickly because the sun was setting, cold rain was drizzling and she still needed to pitch her tent. We
took her to a spot next to us, so she would feel safe. Kerry and I showed her how to
register with the camp host. Her name was Cena. Then we said our goodnights. We
love helping people...way cool.
Tomorrow we continue this chapter...From here to Crescent
city is 425 miles and we have 5 days to make the trip. From now on, the daily
driving schedule will be a gentle one.
Day 58...Nov 11
When I woke up this morning I immediately got out to prepare the
morning coffee. I saw Cena at her site and asked her how she slept (it was a
pretty cold night). She came over to me and explained that she had a horrible
night, couldn't sleep for the cold and the anxiety of traveling alone in such a
remote and hard to navigate place. She said she felt ill and was somewhat confused.
I looked at her to see if she was showing any signs of illness...I only saw
stress. I suggested that she starts her car, turn the heater up high and gets warmed up. She said she will do that. I made an extra batch of coffee so she
could have something hot to drink. Meanwhile Kerry went over and talked with
her for a awhile, just to make sure Cena was okay. She was! As we pulled out of our camp site, we waved good bye...all
seemed well.
 |
| Big Sur Photo Op |
All the way from Japan
Continuing on our way up to Big Sur, we stopped many times for
those amazing photo ops. Just past Big Sur was a restaurant that came highly
recommended by our camp host and others. It was called Ripplewood. The food was
great. We ate well and loved the ambiance that Ripplewood offered.
Back on the
road we made our way up to Carmel By The Sea, the same town Kerry's mom and dad
went to on their honeymoon in 1945. This was a town full of prime real estate and home to the rich and famous. As we popped in and out of shops we were pleased to see
Kenny G walking by us with his lady friend. Sadly he didn't stop to chat or invite to his place for
coffee. Oh well, he must of had a lot on his mind.
\
Next stop was up in Monterey Bay. We drove the famous 17 mile scenic route along the shoreline and through some amazing neighborhoods. We took so many pictures ... Kerry and I will be busy once we get home, sorting the pictures out..Delete ... Delete ... Save ... Delete
Now we headed to the other side of the Bay to the town of Santa
Cruz. We walked up and down the downtown Main Street until we found a little
Thai restaurant. Lunch was delicious and luckily we had enough left over for
dinner.
It was now time to find a place to bunker down for the night. As we drove along, we were amazed at how many oil Derek's and farm workers we saw in the fields. We drove to an isolated State park and after inquiring about the cost and what that included, I came up with the bright idea of checking other local camp grounds to see if we can get more bang for our buck. The first place I called charged more...end of call. The next place charged the exact same as the state park but included full hook up. We put them in the GPS and followed the instructions. We got lost! We were lost in the town of Watsonville...not only lost but lost in the hood.
I told Kerry it would be alright We finally found the camp ground...in a parking lot, next to a school where kids were playing soccer. When I talked to the guy about checking in, the price started going up...Five bucks for a gate key (I didn't want a gate key...had no choice), more money for our poodle Rosie. They had wifi but I was now being told that it never really worked well. I could pay extra for wifi and get a good signal for up to 24 hours. "Kerry, let's go," We headed back to the state park where we started. Now as I write these notes we are once again parked by the sea with sounds of waves crashing against the rocks nearby. Our tummies are full and our bed is warm and comply. Life is good...really good
No comments:
Post a Comment