April 2001 |
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CALIFORNIA
Glen Ivy to Morro Bay
The shortest route to Morro Bay was to go right across LA which didn't appeal to us, especially on a Monday morning, so we skirted around that problem adding a few extra miles to our journey. One of the beauties of being retired is having the time to arrive at your destination without too much stress. (The cost of petrol here also helps!) Our chosen route meant we intersected the coast road at Ventura. Shortly afterwards we had left most of the heavy traffic behind and could enjoy the views of the Pacific coast on this warm and clear day. We followed the famous scenic Highway 1 as much as possible along the coast. When it diverted inland from the coast the plush green rolling hills were reminiscent of the western side of Scotland and Northern England.
Morro Bay
Morro Dunes RV Park was chosen because of it's close proximity to the beach, although our first visit to the beach on arrival (2 minutes walk) was a hard slog into the wind (all the bikini clad California Blonde's were still in storage). The main landmarks of Morro Bay are: Morro Rock - a huge rock just offshore, a power station (still working, but with California currently suffering power blackouts for how long?) and the sheltered Morro Bay itself. The "resort" town is alongside the bay with quite a few tourist shops, one being a "British" shop - needless to say we had to call in and see if they had anything interesting, and came out with a large jar of Branston Pickle at an even larger price of $7.50. There are also quite a few good seafood restaurants overlooking the sea, one of which we visited during our stay. Morro Bay also boasts a Brewpub but by clever scheduling and cunning changes of conversational subject Wullie kept Linda out of the grip of the evil brew, but as we progress through northern California, Oregon & Washington this will become a more difficult task as Microbreweries are rife in this part of the USA.
Montana De Oro State Park - this 3 mile trail on the bluffs is rated as one of the finest coastal walks in California. A flat trail that winds along the top of the Montana de Oro's shale and sediment bluffs, with non stop views of rocky offshore outcrops, colorful rock cliffs and arches, Morro Bay & Morro Rock, and the big blue Pacific. At this time of year we had the bonus of beautiful wild flowers throughout the walk. There is only one accessible beach where we could shelter from the very strong cool wind and have our lunch, but it seemed that everyone else had the same idea, so finding a comfortable sheltered seat was quite difficult. We shared our spot with a large Californian Gull who was very well mannered and just sat and watched as we ate our sandwiches.
The rest of our days were taken up hiking more coastal paths and when the tide would allow, along the beaches. we took a drive into Pismo beach to check out the RV site we had chosen for our September visitors. A nice spacious site adjacent to the beach and shopping area - an ideal place to for them to relax after a 12 hour flight from UK. We strolled along the beach, adding a few sand dollars to our collection, and finished up with fish & chips at one of the many restaurants.
Morro Bay to Monterey Bay
Our Mountain Directory book gives information on all mountain passes and steep graded roads in the West. Our intended route was on Highway 1 between San Simeon and Monterey, a narrow two lane road with sharp curves and switchbacks that may be difficult for long vehicles, but had no strong warnings. This road would be very scenic, cut into the rock face as it hugged the Pacific coastline. Rockfall warnings were frequent, luckily we met very little on-coming traffic which enabled us to make use of both lanes on the sharp curves of the road as it rose high above the coast. We arrived at some promised roadworks where we might have up to one hours delay. We spent 45 minutes alternately watching the workmen pulling loose rocks from the top of the cliffs onto the road, and loading it into waiting trucks, and watching the sea lapping against the rocks below. The 45 minute stop passed quite quickly.
The RV park we had intended to stay at was full so we ended up at Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay KOA. We don't often stay at KOA's but this one was neither near a major highway nor a railway. It was however a highway robbers hangout where to make our stay less expensive we paid a $10 fee to join KOA as it gave us a 10% reduction. This made the nightly fee $50 making it the most expensive RV park we have ever stayed in. The price is indicative of costs in this area, a spacious pitch but certainly not worth the price, and then it had the cheek to be dull/damp during our stay.
Carmel - Established in 1904 by a group of artists and writers who still make a big impression on the town. It's more recent claim to fame is the fact that "Dirty Harry Callahan" hails from these parts. Thats correct Clint Eastwood is resident here and was the Mayor for a few years. (We think he should have been Sheriff?).
Numerous well stocked shops with an International flavor make Carmel a very attractive place for anyone to visit, and there was certainly lots of visitors. We wandered around the shops and had lunch in a bakery shop where we got chatting to a local resident (neither the mayor or "Dirty Harry"). We left telling him that our two hours parking time was nearly up, as he had warned us that parking limits are very strict. When we returned to the truck we noticed that we were parked in a one hour zone and not the two hours we had thought. Luckily the towaway squad hadn't noticed so we made a quick departure on our lucky day! A short scenic drive around the Carmel coast was taken on our way to visit Monterey. Searched all the shops for a "Sand Dollar" fridge magnet our friends had bought here two years ago, to no avail, they must be out of fashion.
Monterey to Trinidad
The journey around San Francisco, across the Oakland area was far better than we anticipated. San Francisco was bathed in sunshine giving us a clear view of the city skyline and Golden Gate Bridge, something we did not have on our last visit. The San Rafael/Richmond bridge toll fee depends on the length of the vehicle and cost us $6.25. Alcatraz was visible from the bridge and San Quentin ("I hate every inch of you" - Johnny Cash) was just after the bridge, needless to say we didn't stop we just kept going. Stopped for the night near Willets, far enough off Highway 101 to lose the traffic noise.
Highway 101 winds through the famous Redwoods and although we have driven this road before it is still very impressive. Left Highway 101 to drive through the Avenue of Giants, visited Humboldt Redwoods State Park and picked up some useful literature for our stay in this area, then completed the journey to Midway RV Park, Trinidad.
This tidy RV Park's owner is Scottish (Bellshill - we were going to ask if she knew Pat Clarke, but we wanted to stay so didn't bother?) and although she has been over here for more than 30 years she has held onto her Scottish brogue, especially when talking to Wullie.
Trinidad - A relatively small, quiet fishing village, ideally situated for Redwood National Park, Trinidad State Beach within walking distance, Patricks Point State Park, just a few miles from Eureka and a Costco where we can replenish our food supplies and there a 3 Microbreweries within 15 miles. At Trinidad harbour there is a highly recommended seafood restaurant, overlooking the ocean, owned and operated by the local native American people. We visited Seascape Restaurant to celebrate the start of our third year of touring and it lived up to its highly recommended status.
Trinidad State Beach - Walked from the RV, through the village, to and along the beach. The further north we go the more rugged the coast becomes and on this beach when the tide is out there are lots of giant rocks and rock pools to venture around, but when the tide is it can be very dangerous. Took the trail around Trinidad Head with its wonderful sea views and added an Allen's hummingbird to our bird collection. Another very enjoyable retirement day.
Redwood National Park - As the NP name suggests the main attraction here is the coastal redwood trees. The Tall Trees Grove hike is reckoned to be the premier hike to view these magnificent trees. The hike is so popular the NP service controls entry and you must obtain a permit to visit. With the free permit you are given the combination of the padlock on the gate which allows vehicle entry to the trailhead. You can walk all the way in without a permit but this makes the hike around 13 miles almost completely through trees. By driving in the hike is reduced to 3.5 miles round trip amongst the more interesting specimens of redwood. The hike took us amongst some of the tallest trees in the world, ranging between 200& 300 feet tall with estimated ages up to 600 years. During this hike the path took us past numerous gigantic trees, along Redwood Creek where we participated in a light lunch, before returning to the trail which took us through a mini 'rain forest' . As the rays of sun shone through the trees we took lots of photo's and video film for our treasure chest. We both agreed it was good to get the boots on once again and hike amongst these beautiful trees. We are so lucky!
Prairie Creek state Park - This is a very secluded State Park with 8 miles of sometimes rutted dirt track on route to the trailhead. We decided to hike the Ossagon Trail and hike Fern Canyon after returning to the trailhead. The trail initially took us through trees with a couple of hidden waterfalls cascading down the canyon wall before opening out to lagoons & marshes between us and the beach. The highlight of our trip was the long awaited sight of a pair of Wood Ducks swimming on one of the inland lagoons - they are such colourful and handsome ducks. Other wildlife encounters included a few Pacific Tree Frogs and lots of Roosevelt Elk. The path became quite waterlogged near the end so we ventured onto the beach and decided to follow the Pacific back to the trailhead. The sand was very soft, the wind very strong in our face and halfway back it started to rain quite heavily so we abandoned the beach in favour of the original trail which was more sheltered. As a result we never did get up Fern Canyon, oh well perhaps the next time?.
Patrick's Point State Park - This gem of a state park was just five miles from our RV park and is a MUST visit if you are in the area. If you are visiting with an RV less than 30' and you come at a quiet time of year, although it has no hookups, it is well worth stopping for a couple of nights. There is a very long beach to walk along but it is a bit of an uphill walk back. We hiked the Rim Trail that has numerous short side trails with terrific views of this very rugged coast. Sea Lions were barking & basking on the rocks beneath us. We completed the loop by walking through some of the campsites. Added a Black Phoebe to our bird list, and the flowers throughout the hike were amazing. Chatted to a family from Reno, Nevada - this was their first visit to Northern California and they could not get over how beautiful and rugged it was, not to mention all the plants they were seeing.
OREGON
Trinidad - California to Bandon - Oregon
It was very wet as we packed up and left Trinidad but the further north we got the brighter it got, and by the time we arrived at Bullards Beach State Park it was a nice bright, warm sunny day. Travelled mainly on Highway 101, although we did take a short detour on the Newton B Drury scenic parkway just north of Orick which journeys through more of those beautiful redwoods. This would be our first visit to Oregon since they canceled our vehicle licenses, due to their residence laws. Now that we are Texans, although we can still buy goods in Oregon free of sales tax, when we visit Washington we won't be able to avoid their sales tax by producing our Oregon driving licence - as they took it away! We have no hard feelings however and are still avid Portland Trailblazers fans.
Bandon
Is one of the places we are going to re-visit. The first time was May 1999, we were novices and still rushing about trying to see as much as possible. This time we made our way to Bullards Beach State Park, a nice spacious RV Park with a special offer for staying the week and "fire rings" - in the evening sit around the wood fire and listen to Linda's tall stories. We set everything up, hung the bird feeder and a seed bell on branches near the living room window, then took the short drive back to Bandon to see if the fish 'n' chip shop by the harbour was as good as we remembered, and it was. By the time we had eaten the fish & chips, strolled on the pier and waited for a harbour seal to pop his head above the water, the sun was going down and it was getting chilly, so we made our way back to the warmth of the RV.
Next morning while eating our breakfast a pair of bush tits were eating insects on a branch that was touching the living room window. Occasionally one of the Bushtits would knock on the window with his beak and then flit back. When we returned his light knock on the window he would return and knock again - are we easily amused?
Our bird seed offerings attracted a lot of Chickadee's on top, Towhee's underneath, the occasional squirrel (one finished off the seed bell) and Steller Jays. The last named caused problems as our bird feeder is for small birds with perches too small for the Jays, so early each morning they pulled at the feeder until it tipped up and all the seed fell out on the ground where they could get at it.
Bandon Lighthouse - The weather forecast was for a wet start to the day but we woke to another clear & sunny blue sky. Walked from the RV through the trees & sand dunes to the Pacific Ocean. Walked south along the beach to the Lighthouse near the mouth of the Coquille river. There were numerous shore birds around the jetty and some harbour seals foraging for food. Had a look around the light house (no longer in service, but maintained by the Oregon State Parks) before walking back via the wildlife refuge area. Another enjoyable day finished perfectly by Wullie's BBQ on the open wood fire and Linda's tales of her youth in the Victorian era? We went to bed smelling of smoke but very happy to be back sitting round the evening campfire.
Bandon Beach State Park - It is possible to walk several miles along the beach as we had done on our previous visit. This time we parked the truck at Coquille Point and walked along a different part of the beach for about 1 1/2 hours. As the day went on the sun came out, another nice retirement day.
Cape Arago - is another MUST repeat visit as this was the first place we saw crowds of Sea Lions making lots of noise. Wullie sorted out the more direct Seven Devils road for the drive to Sunset Bay State Park. It started off as a very good road but after Agate Beach deteriorated quite a bit, into a twisty, hilly dirt road, enough to rule it out as the return path. Parked at Sunset Bay state park by the beach and followed the coastal path towards Arago State Park via Shore Acres State Park with its Botanical gardens. Again many different wildflowers lined the path and short side trips allowed views of this wild, rugged and cruel coastline. We terminated our outward journey looking down on Seal Rocks which were of course covered in Sea Lions still making as much noise as they were two years before. During the return trip the sea haar lifted just long enough for us to spot the Cape Arago Lighthouse. The haar kept drifting in and out all day, such a pity as this is a great easy walk.
Bullards Beach - Decided to access the beach by a different route than the one we used previously and as a result got somewhat lost in the trees/dunes. Eventually found a recognizable landmark, the equestrian area, and made our way over the dunes to the beach. The sea haar was thick so we didn't walk very far but found time to eat our lunch in the shelter of a large piece of driftwood (like a tree).
Bandon to Cape Kiwanda
A gie dreich day to move to Cape Kiwanda RV Park, Pacific City. An extra task was added to moving day, up on the RV roof with a brush and try to remove all the pine needles from the top of the slide-outs - the beauty of parking in a tree lined site. The farther north we travelled the brighter it got. A nice RV park in a lovely setting, just over the road from the sea and the Pelican Brewpub & Restaurant. Linda is convinced Wullie chose this RV park so she could stagger back and forth to the pub? A big sand dune protects the road from high tides.
When everything was setup we took advantage of the cleared skies crossed the road to the beach, climbed a huge sand dune and looked down on the waves as they came crashing over rocks into the various coves. Since we had to pass the Pelican Brewpub on our return it was impossible to keep Linda out so Wullie gave in graciously and sampled the McPelican (Scottish type ale) which was very nice. After trying a free sample of a few of the beers Linda settled for the Stout.
The next four days were the worst continuously rainy days we have had but at least Wullie had time to complete the planning of our Colorado visit this summer. A lot of hard work reading about hikes, where to stay and for how long and accommodating two lots of visitors during our stay.
Tillamook/Bay Ocean Peninsula - After doing some essential shopping in Tillamook drove to Bayocean peninsula near Cape Meares, a good spot for wildlife. Hiked through sandy grassland to the ocean and walked along another long, lovely beach. Called into the Cape Meares Lighthouse and Oceanside State wayside to try and spot some Tufted Puffins on our way home, but no luck.
Linda insisted on taking Wullie out for dinner and surprise, surprise ended up in the Pelican Brew Pub & Restaurant for a very nice Halibut dinner and two delicious pints of IPA (Indian Pelican Ale). Wullie has decided Linda's habit of visiting Brewpubs has some merit and will probably join in with more enthusiasm in the future.
Cape Lookout State Park - The trail is an easy path through a spruce forest with magnificent views of both Cape Meares and Cape Kiwanda throughout the 2 1/2 mile trail to the point. A seat at the point is an ideal place to relax, eat lunch, watch for sea lions, look down on sea birds, if you are lucky spot a whale in the distance, while enjoying the wonderful view of Cape Kiwanda. The songs of robins and the pecking of the downy woodpeckers kept us company on the homeward trail. Another lovely sunny day.
Cascade Head Scenic Research Area - Must be one of the best coastline hikes on the Oregon Coast - in fact we spoke to a man on the trail who has wandered along this path more than a hundred times, that is praise in itself. It must be a year since we walked through a forest like this - old growth spruce trees with a carpet of very colourful wild flowers throughout. The path took us over numerous small waterfalls cascading through the forest before emerging to a viewpoint above the cliff-lined cove, where Chilwood Creek drops into the sea. The elevation gain of 1100 feet in less than two miles was the most strenuous we have done for a while, but the southward view of Lincoln Bay and beyond, on this very clear day was just breathtaking. While looking for Sea Lions on the rocks we spotted a hawk hovering but weren't sure if it was over land or sea. It hovered for about 15 minutes making small changes in position, then dived to ground, picked up its prey, soared up again, killed its prey in flight before taking it back to the family for lunch. While trying to determine what sort of hawk it was a Bald Eagle flew into our binocular vision, carrying a large fish clutched in its talons, also for the young uns' lunch. Both sightings were wonderful but were made extra special because we were looking down on these magnificent birds which is quite unusual. All these raptors catching lunch reminded us we too had to eat so we shared our picnic spot with some of the butterflies this area protects. On the way back we stopped to view a mule deer grazing in a forest clearing. An extra special day out and the weather joined in by making it the warmest and clearest for sometime.
On April 15th we started our third year with a celebration meal. When we first decided on this trip it was to be two years with a possible third year if we were enjoying the following:
These are just a few of the reasons we have come to a unanimous decision to struggle through yet another year, also we will be entertaining friends for seven weeks during the summer, so we can't go home just yet.
Numerous friends have asked us how will we settle down to one house in one place after being on the move for such a long time. Answers on a postcard please, because we just don't have an answer yet.
The start of a new year means annual bills:
Miles travelled this month: 1,875
Accumulative miles: 49,298
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