October 2001 |
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We made reservations at Pismo Coast Village RV Park as we travelled northwards along the California coast in the Spring. A very nice spacious park alongside a lovely long sandy beach, seems the ideal spot for our annual Scottish visitors to overcome jet lag and relax before getting involved in the L.A./San Diego traffic. We can wander along the beach, catching up with all the news from back home and keeping an eye out for Sandollars. The shops are within walking distance, which will suit Margaret as she has a lot of grandchildren and adults to buy presents for. The two days before their arrival were spent cleaning & tidying the RV, doing laundry etc. while Linda visited the Supermarket?
We left for LA Airport in plenty of time, at least we thought we had. Stopped at Ventura/Oxnard for lunch and took Highway 1 through Malibu (what a disappointing place?) to Santa Monica. At this point all was going well but then we hit I-405 and almost came to a stop, a crawl all the way to LAX. Because of last months events we needed to park away from the airport and take the bus in. Should be no problem, in fact it means we won't have long to wait at the airport. We arrived 15 minutes after their flights arrival time but they had arrived about 45 minutes early. They were extremely relieved to see us as all sorts of thoughts were running through their minds. We had the choice of booking into a Motel for the night, or heading back to Pismo Beach which would take about four hours. Margaret & Jim felt fresh enough to get the journey over and wake up at the beach the next day. The journey back was not as busy as our drive into the airport. After stopping for dinner they both slept like lambs until we arrived home. The next two days were spent relaxing & blethering while enjoying the seaside sunshine.
Hearst Castle - This Castle was commissioned by a "peculiar" multimillionaire. Hearst was a Media tycoon with more money than he could spend. He loved this spot on the California coast so he had this little holiday home built here on 250,000 acres overlooking the Pacific Ocean. As he said to his lady architect we are tired camping out in the open at the ranch and I would like to build a little something? Complete with Roman swimming pool, a Cinema, 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, Hearst entertained the rich & famous, many from nearby Hollywood. The invitations were open ended and you? could stay as long as you wished as you were expected to have sufficient class not to overstay your welcome. There is a choice of 4 different tours and we were advised to take #1 as it was our first visit.
The guided tour took in the Casa Del Sol guesthouse overlooking the Pacific, the Esplanade & gardens, the main house (Casa Grande), the Assembly Room (the largest of 14 sitting rooms), the Refectory (only dining room in the house), the Morning Room, the Billiard Room and the Theatre. Paintings, tapestries, statues, Roman & Mediterranean architecture were all over the buildings & grounds. The visit was well worth the admission charge and the whole Castle is a breathtaking sight. Some visitors might wonder why one man needed such an extravagance to live in? The fact that California State Parks are maintaining the Castle and allowing visitors to view its magnificence is perhaps more important than the residence itself?
After all the opulence of Hearst Castle we located a picnic table by the Pacific (free from the general Haar) and enjoyed our salad lunch washed down with some Californian wine. We visited the touristy shops in Morro Bay before calling into the SLO Brewing Company Brewpub in San Luis Obispo. The special was Sirloin steak dinner, $8.95 for two people (6 pound 25) so the menu didn't take a lot of studying. SLO brewing's
IPA (India Pale Ale) had just won a Gold Medal at the Colorado Beer Festival and Wullie reckoned the judges had made a good choice.
This was the busiest move we have had over the past 29 months as our route took us through part of the L.A. road system. An exciting diversion occurred when 3 police cars surrounded a Greyhound bus and forced it over to the side of the highway. We were unable to observe the outcome, but when the Greyhound bus passed us further along the highway we reckoned the bank robbers had been removed from the bus and arrested without a shot being fired? (It's as good a theory as any!). The busiest part of the journey turned out to be around San Diego, as we hit the rush hour traffic. We arrived at Bernardo Shores RV Park in the late afternoon, ate dinner outside, played domino's and did not go inside until it was time to go to bed. A Lovely temperature.
Hotel Del Coronado - We had previously visited this circa 1888, turreted hotel and thought our visitors would enjoy its grace & beauty. We spent 2 or 3 hours wandering around including a short stroll along the hotel beachfront. This warmed us up for a visit to Silver Strand State Beach on the way home. This is yet another huge beach which stretches from Coronado to the Mexican border via Imperial Beach. On another warm sunny day we strolled for an hour or two picking up the occasional Sanddollar.
Sea World - 
We had all agreed that we should visit Sea World on a Friday, which unknown to Linda was a set-up. Wullie had a surprise for her - today she could interact with the dolphins, something she has wanted to do for many years. We all had a wonderful day, especially Linda, who as the films show, never lost her silly grin all day. Linda was in a group of 4 people sharing Sami the Dolphin. The trainer had to restrain her or else no one else would have got near Sami.
San Diego City Tour - We decided to pick up the trolley bus in Coronado as that was the nearest stop for us. To take a break from driving we took the local bus from the RV park gate into Coronado. The first trolley bus never appeared so we had a further 30 minutes to wait. Part of Balboa park was closed because of an Aids charity walk but we got off at the Zoo and seen enough of Balboa park to decide we would visit later on in our stay in San Diego. Back to the trolley stop to continue our tour, stopping next at the Old Town, a State Historic Park. This park commemorates the founding of the first permanent settlement in California and contains many of San Diego's original buildings. The next stop is Harbor Drive, home to the Coronado Ferry, whale watching trips (out of season), Dinner Cruises, and an old Tea Clipper sailing ship. The Tea Clipper was pretty active with a trainee crew learning how to raise & lower the sails. They were due to set sail in a few days time, an exciting adventure. At Linda's insistence we dined in the English Pub within the Holiday Inn, where she enjoyed a pint of Bass. Next and probably final stop (won't have time to do city center shopping area) is Seaport Village a collection of shops & restaurants around a Marina. The major feature here was a Jazz band playing at the outdoor entertainment area and lots of people dancing to their music, including one local lady with a pushchair. We need to catch the last bus from Seaport Village to Coronado and our tour organizer Wullie keeps us right and hurries us back to the trolley stop. The "eejit" got the time wrong and the trolley bus went 5 minutes ago. No problem we will take the Coronado Ferry, giving lovely views of San Diego harbour, which will get us to Coronado in time to catch the same bus back to the RV park as we would have done had we caught the trolley bus. The theory is good, the ferry trip is most enjoyable but the bus never turns up and neither does the next one (can this tour organizer read a bus timetable?) Eventually a bus arrives and 4 weary travelers embark, but now we face another potential problem. The RV park gates are locked at 7.00 PM and our electronic gadget to open them is in the truck, inside the RV park. Surely pedestrians would not be locked out? The first attempt to gain pedestrian entry is unsuccessful but Jim perseveres, lifts the latch and we all trot in for a light supper & refreshment.
Cabrillo National Monument/Pacific Beach - Started off with the intention of visiting the Zoo, but light rain on arrival led to a change of plan. Admired the views of San Diego city & bay, which even on a murky day are quite impressive from Cabrillo National monument. Took a lunch break at Pacific Beach and strolled along the beach, watching lots of surfers (undeterred by the dull weather) riding the waves. It did brighten up for a short while in the afternoon.
Balboa Park - This is a beautiful park with numerous gardens & museums and some outstanding architecture . The Spreckels Organ Pavilion, houses what is reputed to be the largest outdoor organ in the world? We sat & listened with a handful of others as the organ was played in the afternoon. Lunch was a BBQ in the park, cooked by Wullie on the old tabletop BBQ. It seemed to take forever as it's a long time since we used it. It was no hardship to wait enjoying the sight and warmth of the sun.
For the journey from San Diego to Long Beach we settled on the slower coast route (Highway 1). To pass over San Diego meant a few miles on I-15 where we saw the aftermath of an accident, a truck was sitting on a roof of a car with a few other vehicles involved. It had only just happened as Police & emergency services had not arrived yet. 
The intention was to stop alongside Highway 1 and picnic by the beach. However when travelling north this is relatively awkward as it is mainly dual carriageway and we were on the wrong side. We eventually managed to stop at Doheny State beach for our picnic lunch and a wander along the beach marvelling at the heavy surf and various seabirds including loads of Pelicans.
Golden Shores RV Park is in the downtown area of Long Beach, overlooking an inlet with the docks far behind. Considering this RV Park is in downtown Long Beach it is remarkably attractive set amongst palm trees and grassy areas.
Queen Mary - Long Beach has a free bus system which takes you to most of the tourist spots FREE. It stopped just outside the RV park so we took that to 1st street and then another bus to visit the Queen Mary. I can remember when the Queen Mary was sold and we all thought those American's will buy anything. Well it is still here attracting tourists although not as many as they would like. Part of the ship is given over to a Hotel which contains most of the more luxurious rooms, which means you cannot view them. We spent quite a few hours wandering around the "Old Queen", learning about it's activity during WW2 without getting hit once although it transported more than 80,000 soldiers. Various companies have owned the Queen Mary but none have really made a big success with it. At present it is being operated by a private company in conjunction with the city of Long Beach.
Hollywood/Beverly Hills/Universal Studios - Set of early for the drive to Hollywood and only got lost once on the L.A. highway system. The morning tour bus visited the famous Hollywood sites, including Hollywood Bowl, Graumanns Chinese Theatre (rich & famous footprints & handprints in the pavement), Sunset Strip, Rodeo Drive and the famous houses of Beverly Hills (Frank Sinatra's, Englebert's large mansion, Rod Stewart's Marble Mansion and Braveheart Mel Gibson's cottage? The tour bus dropped us at the Farmer's Market for lunch. Unfortunately we only had 30 minutes as we could have spent an hour or more wandering around all the stalls. The afternoon bus picked us up and deposited us at Universal Studio's for the afternoon. We wandered around like lost sheep until our tour guide got us organised (no bus timetables for him to misread this time!) This was a visit well worth the admission fee. The highlights were most definitely, the Studio tour complete with all its "Special Effects" and the spectacular Water World show - full of non-stop action. The advertising blurb says "Extreme Jet-ski action, death defying feats, (and thats the spectators?) breathtaking pyrotechnics. You'll be sweating bullets, immersed in this adrenaline drenched adventure" Go once to get caught up in all that happens so quickly. Go the second time to fully savour those bits you missed the first time. The Wild Wild Wild West stunt show and Animal Planet were nice and relaxing for us "Oldies" after Water World. We spent the afternoon there but if you want to take in all the rides, exhibits & shops a full day would be advisable - but it was very hot when we attended with little or no shade (plenty of water in Water World though, especially if you sit in the right place?)
Long Beach Waterfront/Marina - The free bus dropped us off at the Aquarium, a good point at which to start our walking tour. Passed the Harbour tour boats and the Water Taxi pick-up points as we wandered through the shops & restaurants along the way. Admired the yachts tied up in the Marina, as well as some early arrivals for the Power Boat show which was on later in the week. Strolled along the beach but we all concluded that it wasn't too clean! so we didn't go in for a dip. Called into the Rock Bottom Brewpub/restaurant on our way home just to check out the quality of the beer and catch the end of the Baseball game between Seattle & New York.
Disneyland - Today we do battle with the L.A. highway system again. Decide to eat breakfast out as it's better to tackle L.A. on a full stomach. We are so confident around here now we decide to visit the Crystal Cathedral on our way to Disney. Our visitors are very impressed with the cathedral and we spend a good hour around the grounds. Disney is still very well organised, park your car & follow the arrows to the train type shuttle, choose between the traditional Disney (Mickey Mouse etc.) or the new California theme Disney. It's Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy & Donald Duck for us. Spent the rest of the day there enjoying the Disney experience although Wullie wonders if it would take a whole day if you went without a camera? He knows this is a revolutionary idea (some would say stupid?) but think about it. This is the second time we have visited Disney and once again we were disappointed in the fast food outlets. They are very busy, but it seems only half of them are open at any given moment, thus given the number of visitors they must be busy?
Rock Bottom Brewpub & Restaurant - Since it was Wullie's birthday on the 18th October (a date for your diary) he decided to treat us to a Birthday dinner. After much agonising over which restaurant to choose he settled on Rock Bottom. We opted for a patio table (pavement in other words) as it was a lovely, balmy evening but we had sweaters with us in case it cooled off later. We arrived just in time for the unveiling of the weekly Special Brew, all pints $1 and since it was a Pale Ale the birthday boys face was a joy to behold. We all enjoyed an excellent meal, one of the best we have had for a long time although Linda was disappointed they had no cream for a Drambuie coffee.
The following day we took Margaret & Jim to LAX for their flight home, and remembering the traffic volume when they arrived, left in plenty of time. Drove round & round trying to find the same parking lot as we used previously but since we approached the airport from a different direction couldn't get to it. We settled for the one the road signs pointed us to. This meant the Grand Prix bus driver whose idea of travel with a full bus and loads of heavy luggage was more suited to Universal Studios than LAX. However we survived the driver and our visitors got checked in no problem. The 3 weeks seems to have passed so quickly and we will miss their company. Called into Costco on the way home for for some supplies to see us through the Arizona & New Mexico mountains.
A painless short move from the busy L.A. sprawl to countrified Glen Ivy RV Park near Corona, CA. We stayed here in April and knew what to expect, a nice quiet resort. The next few days were spent relaxing, playing tennis and cleaning the RV & Ford Tough truck outside and inside.
Initially we set out for Prescott, but as we progressed, changed our mind and headed for Camp Verde. A roadside sign suggested that our intended route was not suitable for trailers over 40 feet. We took that to mean a combined length of 40 feet and although Camp Verde would mean a journey of 400 + miles we reckoned we would be there by 5.30.
Everything was going well until we had a tyre on the RV blow out on I-17, just 55 miles from our destination. The first thought that came into our mind was "I bet the useless cell phone won't work out here in the wilds" but it did! We contacted A.A.A. and as we were stranded on the Interstate we were top priority. 90 minutes later we were on the way to the RV site we had booked while waiting for the breakdown guy. It was dark by the time we arrived but the site owners were waiting for us to get us settled in. The following day we drove into Prescott, had a new tyre fitted to the spare wheel and bought new shower taps & head as the high water pressure in California had damaged the old one. An expensive day out but it was offset by petrol at $1.13/gallon from Costco, the cheapest since we arrived in the U.S.A. Wullie reckons by the time we reach southern Texas they will be paying us to go in and fill up? The reason for this decrease in cost is a difficult concept to explain to you folks back home but I will try!
1. International Cost of Crude Oil falls
2. International Spot price of Petrol falls
3. Oil companies reduce price of Petrol at pumps (thats the difficult part to comprehend, especially since its the same oil companies - Shell, Texaco, Esso, Chevron etc. as you have back home?)
Montezuma Castle N.M.- 
built in the 12th century by the Sinagua native Americans, this five story, 20 room building was built in a cliff recess a hundred feet above the valley. The dwellings were sited such that the cliff gave shelter from the elements whilst allowing the sun to provide the equivalent of central heating (early solar power?) Ladders were used to access the fortress. Other dwellings at ground level are now in ruin. It is believed that the Indians used this area because of the reliable source of water produced daily by the nearby Montezuma Well. The Well is really a limestone sink fed by springs which provide thousands of gallons of water /day at a constant temperature. The Sinagua people built irrigation ditches to channel the water to their fields and these are still visible today. More Sinaguan dwellings are visible around the well and housed up to 200 people. All the Sinaguan dwellings, like many others in Arizona & New Mexico, were deserted around 1400 and nobody really knows why. Drought/famine? disease? war? superstition?
A scenic and easy 130 mile move across the Mogollon Rim to Sun Valley. The RV site was very basic and close to I-10, but at $10 a night with full hook-ups it will do. It's a handy location for those attractions we want to visit during our stay.
Petrified Forest National Park - Another fascinating N.P. which dates back to the late Triassic period (For those of you not familiar with the terminology that's about the time Linda started kindergarten!) it was in fact nearly 225 million years ago before dinosaurs ruled the earth. The 28 mile road through the park allows views of the Painted desert, Petroglyph's dating back to 12th century, Blue mesa where a foot trail meanders through colourful clay hills which have been eroded by the wind & rain, Jasper Forest,Crystal forest and Long Logs provide close up views of the very colourful petrified trees. This area was once a vast floodplain. Tall, stately pine trees flourished along the headwaters of the many streams. The trees fell and were washed by the swollen streams into the floodplain. Silt, mud & volcanic ash (presumably volcanic eruption caused the flood?) covered the the uprooted trees, cutting off the oxygen supply and slowing the decaying process. Gradually, silica bearing groundwater seeped through the trees, replacing the original wood tissue with silica deposits. The process continued and the silica crystallized into quartz preserving the trees as petrified wood. These 180 million year old fossils are amazingly beautiful when cut & polished as a variety of minerals such as Iron Oxide have added many different hues. Another National Park well worth a visit (surprise, surprise). We visited twice to take in all the views and exhibits and trails but it could be done in one day.
NEXT MONTH: Arizona - Canyon de Chelly NM. New Mexico - Gila Cliff Dwellings NM. Texas - San Antonio, Port Aransas.
Miles travelled this month: 2,170
Accumulative miles: 63,126
Interesting Hyperlinks:
Petrified Forest National Park
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