Tijuana Estuary

Visitor Center at estuary

The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (or Tijuana Estuary, for short)

San Diego Zoo and it's Animal Ambassadors

This was not my first visit to the San Diego Zoo, but the last visit was about 15-20 years ago.

For Gary, it was a first.

Balboa Park - "Where Culture and Nature Meet"

Though we are staying a month in San Diego, there are an overwhelming number of choices on what to see and do.

Leaving the AZ Desert in the Rearview Mirror

It’s been quite a while since we did an RV trip outside of southern AZ.  Usually we plan a trip for summertime – when we are more than ready to move to cooler climates. Last year we had to postpone our usual migration due to a freak accident Gary had while barbequing (resulting in a shattered collar bone, surgery, etc.).

Back to the Fifties

In late July, on the return portion of our trip to OR and CA, we entered the Mojave Desert heat, and focused on driving with little time allotted for side trips.  However, I did want to see a bit of the old Route 66. So we stopped just east of Barstow, staying in a park on this famous route.  Unfortunately, Route 66, in that area, didn’t have many old buildings or museums for a “tourist” to visit. 

Devil’s Postpile National Monument (DPNM)

Traveling to Devil’s Postpile during the busy summer season, requires use of a shuttle bus system. The shuttles are a good idea – the road into this area is one lane and winding, going over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and down the western slope of the mountain range. 

Mammoth Lakes, CA

The town of Mammoth Lakes, located just east of Highway 395, on the eastern side of the Sierras, is a great stopover while traveling south on our way back towards Arizona.  This town is very much a tourist/resort destination. 

East Side of Yosemite NP

After arriving in the Mammoth Lakes area we decided to get a look at the eastern side of Yosemite National Park. Leaving Hwy 395, we traveled on Rt. 120 over Tioga Pass.  The road was very curvy with steep upward grades, plus there was some construction ongoing (quite a trip).  At the park entrance, the elevation was 9900+ feet.  This entrance put us into the high Sierra portion of the park.

Stopover in Alturas CA

From Crater Lake we overnighted in Alturas, CA.  It was a small park just off the highway, however getting directions from the park manager, who did not know street names, was an interesting exercise.  Complicating the matter was a festival in the city park which adjoined the RV park.  After many detours and tight squeezes we managed to get settled into a nice site.

Patrick's Point SP and the CA Coastal Redwoods

We stopped just north of Trinidad, CA, to begin our side trips into this land of the redwoods.

A Relaxing Sunday Drive with Jerry Jeff Walker in my Head

This post is about our drive a few days ago from Kings City to the Sonoma county park, just north of San Francisco.  Outlaw Country fans will understand the reference to Jerry Jeff Walker.   Although this drive was not in Los Angeles, I could not get the song lyrics out of my head. 

Pinnacles National Park, CA

In planning our trip we noticed that a former National Monument had become a National Park.   We decided we would plan a short stop on our way to Oregon.  This was a great stop, however, it was entirely different than we had expected.  For some reason we thought we saw photographs of large rugged rocks sticking out of a barren desert landscape.  It was much different.

Hearst Castle and More!

While in the Paso Robles area, there is more to see than vineyards.  So, we had planned a day to take one of the Hearst Castle tours - or as Gary would say - "another old house tour”!  However, he has admitted that this tour, and "house" was worth the time and effort to get there.

 

Rio Seco Vineyards - Our first Harvest Host experience!

If you are unfamiliar with the Harvest Hosts network, check out their website.  This network enables RV travelers to park and enjoy an overnight at a farm, vineyard or other agri-business location and learn a little while you are visiting.  One detail is that the site is usually “dry” camping  - a first for us, and I was a bit wary about trying no hookups. 

RV Park Review - Orange Grove RV Park, Bakersville, CA

Our one night stop in Bakersfield, CA, was planned to visit a dear 'ole friend.  I based the choice of Orange Grove RV Park on several positive RV review postings, and also a favorable blog posting by Wheelingit.  And, we found the park to be more than adequate, better than average, and just plain great!

High Winds and Burned Bridges

We are early risers, but not usually fast to  " break camp" and hit the road.  Today was an exception.  The local (LA) news last night was focused on the bridge under construction burning with I-15 underneath closed and traffic backed up for hours on this artery from LA to Vegas.  One route we were considering on our next leg would have been right through that mess.

More Rocks, Joshua Trees, and other Pictures

Thought I would share more pictures from our day at Joshua Tree National Park.   Hope you enjoy.

Joshua Tree NP - a Botanical Viewpoint

Living in the Sonoran Desert south of Tucson, AZ, for the past 7 years has provided quite an education to someone who has lived most of her life in the eastern US.  First, I now understand (TOTALLY) that globes portraying brown on the western part of the US and green on the Eastern, are based on reality.  Or, at least, so it would seem to many of us transplants. But, over time you find that vegetation, mostly of the "native plants" variety, can provide beautiful gardens and landscapes wherever you are.  The trick, if there is one, is to "go with the flow" and not try to fool Mother Nature!

Summer 2014 Trip to the Pacific NW and Beyond

 We are not full timers, but we are moving toward longer RV trips - this one planned to be around 3 months. Where we live in Green Valley, AZ, between Tucson and our border with Mexico, we recognize that summer comes early.  Temperatures begin to hover around 100 degrees F during May, so we consider May as summertime, a great time to visit more northern parts of the US.