Tag: California

Movie star lifestyle and the T-bird.

These down days in California…..we actually stayed in one spot for a couple of weeks….were very welcome. It doesn’t take long to learn your way around, correct highway exit for the campground or grocery store and back road home from there, or just being in the correct lane to make that turn without trauma in the endless congestion.

We did a rare ‘divide and conquer’ day where Scott drove in to SF to meet up with an old university pal…..and I stayed in Sonoma and spent the day touring wineries in Paul’s 1957 baby blue Thunderbird convertible. I know….you feel bad for me…..!!! (Editor, her ladyship slipped very easily into the movie star lifestyle, while I trekked around Downtown SF with Derek. Hit all the tourist spots and ended up in the ‘Tenderloin’ district, only scary if you didn’t grow up in Fife.)

Paul has always been an automotive enthusiast…..but he has collected some real gems. There’s the restored 1943 Ford GPW, very similar to a Willys Jeep……which is an experience….( Scott got to drive….I didn’t dare…..)…..and the T-bird which is truly a thing of beauty.

Both vehicles arouse the same kind of response from other drivers on the road….and pedestrians in the town……they turn heads and illicit many smiles and waves. Reminded me of driving my Mini or pulling the Airstream, People just love to see these icons.

It was great fun…..and a terrific excuse to go for ice-cream in the town square where we were joined by one of Paul’s vintage car friends ….with her rather supercool car for a bit more head turning….

…..and in truth…the winery trips were on foot. Paul, very conveniently, lives 10 minutes walk from two very acceptable California vineyards. I’m not actually sure there are any I would turn down.

All very civilised I have to say….!!!

Our next trip out in Sonoma was a gem of a trail up through the grounds of the old Sanitorium, the “Sonoma Developmental Center” which closed in ~2018. Its original name when it was founded in the late 1800s was the somewhat non-PC “California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble Minded Children”.

After an epic effort by an army of volunteers the grounds of this former centre were cleaned up after many years of neglect and added to the neighbouring Jack London Historic State park in Jan of 2024.

The trail through the grounds reveals a more compassionate approach to care than the name of the place might suggest. Play areas, outdoor activity areas….and wilderness camp areas for both residents and staff. Not all residential care was cruel and inhumane.

It was a lovely afternoon hike/walk….mostly shaded..and through some big ( if not giant) redwoods….always such impressive trees. There were many which had burned out in the past and several new trunks were emerging from the old root stock.

Thanks Paul for another great day out……and some lovely memories.

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Further adventures on the Pacific Coast, Salt Point and Fort Ross

One of the best benefits of being in Santa Rosa was the chance to spend some time with a long time friends who have made this area their home.

On this day it was a trip to the seaside with my good friend Paul, who knows the area so well, and the roads. (The roads in these parts are not for the feint of heart..!!) While we were away for the day our truck was being dismantled, repaired and rebuilt just in time for our return.

With Paul driving us to one of his favourite spots it was an opportunity for both of us to sight see…..and this was such a great road for sight seeing. (Editor. Being chauffeured around is rather rare for me and the world is fascinating out of the side windows)

The first stop was a long drag up a very windy hill to reach a fabulous lookout point with a view down into the reservoir at Lake Sonoma overlook.

It’s quite sobering to see the black from previous years wildfires.

From there we followed the Pacific Coast Highway, No 1 up to Salt Point State Park…all the while feeling very glad we were not towing.

Salt Point State Park is a little piece of heaven on earth.

There is something about being by the ocean that is simply good for the soul.

The power and random beauty of waves crashing on the rocks just never loses its thrall.

Looking south…the rock outcrop you see may be familiar to anyone who was a fan of ‘The Goonies’ . The sandbar gave us a spectacle of a sealion colony. This is the mouth of the Russian River which drains 1500 Sq miles of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties in Northern California.

For us, after the last months of being boiled alive, the coolness of the ocean breeze had an extra special delight.

We walked the cliff path through the park with many stops to examine almost alien looking rock formations, watch the birds….or just simply stare at the crashing surf.

In our youth Paul and I were part of a group who often hiked seashore paths or forest trails. It was a joy to be able to lapse back into such easy company.

It would be easy to spend a lot of time here……a comfy chair, a flask of tea and a good book…!!

Following the coastline south again…the next stop on the agenda was Fort Ross.

Fort Ross is an intriguing place to say the least…..and we don’t usually do the selfies….but here goes…!!!

Russian ships came down from the Alaskan colonies in 1803 and settled at Fort Ross from 1812 to 1841. It is a very well preserved site, has a fascinating history and is well worth the visit. The aforementioned Russian River is named for Ivan Kuskov of The Russian-American Company who established the Fort Ross Colony.

There is a big bell ( which, of course, one HAS to ring….LOL)

A grand day out…love you Paul… 😁

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Muir Woods. Another Planet (No Apes..!!)

As I have said before, the list of things to see/places to go from this very central point of California….is long.

On this day the pick was the Muir Woods National Monument. ,one of the last remaining Pacific Coast ancient redwood forests sitting just across the bay from the big city of San Francisco….and a step across the threshold into wilderness. Named for John Muir, an interesting Scottish fellow who along with Roosevelt was instrumental in the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

Muir Woods is the setting for the new habitat for the Apes in the Planet of the Apes reboot……but the movies were actually filmed in the Redwoods outside Vancouver …and not here.

The proximity to the city makes it a popular spot…so the mechanism used to control the flow of people….is that you have to book your parking spot in the park online in advance, not many spots hence not many people. Pretty clever really.

We had picked a very early slot to try and beat the commuter traffic headed to the city. This tactic scored us a plum parking spot mere yards from the visitor centre.

The road up to the park gate is not for the feint of heart…..certainly not with any kind of trailer…..the truck barely made it round some of those corners. It’s a residential zone with driveways I can only describe as terrifying. (Steep and barely off the very narrow twisty road)

From the access road back down into the valley where the parking area and visitor centre is located….is just as terrifying. Sharp switchbacks down a sheer drop. Once you reach the gate multiple cars were being turned around as they had not secured their advance parking pass. Strict enforcement protects the forest from overuse.

As you step out of the vehicle the size of the trees and the height of the canopy makes you feel like you have been miniaturised somewhere along the road.

…and that wonderful slightly dampish, cedar-y forest floor aroma belies how close you are to vast residential developments.

As always…I have to hit the visitor centre to add another National Park/monument/forest pin to my ever growing collection.

At the beginning of the trail there is a network of boardwalks making this immediate area very accessible.

The scale of these ancient trees is beyond my ability for meaningful description. It would not be a surprise to here that Jurassic Park thud thud of the brontosaurus strolling by.

The Canopy trail and up through Tamalpais peak was the trail pick today….

..following switchbacks up to the edge of the park for the canopy view.

My trusty blogtographer never misses an opportunity to catch me falling in water…or mud…..

At the top of the trail, the last switchbacks take you right to the edge of the park.

The view is atmospheric rather than spectacular as the sea fog sits on the trees.

We have done forest hikes before….but the Muir Woods have a different feel of ancientness.

There are many moments where you just have to stop …gaze upward at the trees and just breathe.

Its the same kind of feeling as standing by the ocean just breathing the air……

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Sonoma Valley and the Presidio

After our epic run from Barstow to Santa Monica Pier, and the End of the Trail sign, we were feeling mighty pleased with ourselves for doing that chunk in the early hours of the morning…missing all the commuter traffic. (we were just trying to beat the heat…the traffic was bonus…!!) We were back at the trailer for 8.30 am…..and collapsed back into bed and slept through the hottest part of the day.

The plan for the next bit of the journey….essentially the road home, with a few stops…was a couple of days at a KOA in Visalia California.

Visalia is the jump off point for Sequoia National Park. It seemed like a good idea to utilise my National Park pass and get a hike in….we had been sadly lacking much physical activity.

The best laid plans of mice and men however……it was still just too hot….low 40’s celcius…..and the bit of the park closest to the gate we would be accessing….was on fire……

So…Sequoia went on the growing list of places to go back to……in cooler season.

Next leg of the journey was north to the Sonoma Valley to meet up with a couple of high school friends of mine and a university buddy of Scott. They were telling us how hot it was but by that time…33 Celcius sounded almost chilly….LOL.

I booked a spot at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds….its reviews were mixed…but I have learned that reviews reflect peoples expectations as much as the reality of the place. We had a well shaded spot, it was clean, the showers were clean, the laundry was clean and the staff were helpful and friendly. Plus the campground was a stones throw from Santa Rosa and close to the highway so pretty convenient.

The big shock entering California is how expensive it is, gas , groceries…eye wateringly expensive….but the wine, good wine, incredibly inexpensive…..

I have been in California before…but I flew into LAX and really only saw the coast…..I had no concept of how mountainous California is. and the roads……the paved surfaces are mostly in good condition….but windy, twisty, narrow and steep…….and busy…everywhere is busy.

Two of my good friends from high school live in the Sonoma valley…conveniently for me just 5 minutes apart from each other.

The beauty of reconnecting with friends from ones’ youth….you may not have seen these people for may years…..but when they are people you have known for so long its like there was no gap. A bit of a homecoming sense…like finding your favourite old jeans at the back of the closet…and they still fit….

Our first foray out from Sonoma , on a recommendation from my good friend Paul, was a trip back to San Francisco to take a short hike through the Presidio on the south side of the Golden Gate Bridge.

It was a beautiful day and the view of the bridge and the beach from the trails is quite impressive.

It was a pleasant stroll down the trail to the beach.

….and the chance to get all the way down to the beach was very attractive

……..we got to watch these huge flocks of pelicans take flight…

There was a small boat beached just a little down from where we were. We were kept entertained by the arrival of a coastguard boat and their ensuing effort to (unsuccessfully) free the boat from the grip of the sand.

It felt very agreeable to be in milder temperatures and to have a little exercise…even on that short little trail.

We did a short jaunt into the big city itself, parked at the chocolate factory to meet Scotts friend for a late lunch and a welcome beer.

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Needles California, boiling in Barstow and searching for a Sign. The Mother Road Episode 29

With the truck repaired and the test run to Seligman completed successfully, we were hitched up and ready for the next leg of the journey. Across the Mojave Desert …my sister asked if the truck had a name….(🎵 I’ve been through the desert in a truck with no name🎵)

Arizona surprised me by being greener than I expected……vivid colours with red rocks and the painted desert type rock formations……and California surprised me by not being flat…….I don’t know why I expected it to be flat….but let me tell you it most certainly is not…!!!!

I must have blanked on the fact that the Rockie Mountain range extends all the way from Alaska down to Mexico.

The backdrop of the desert was always mountains…. spectacularly beautiful and impossible to photograph, you just can’t encompass the sheer scale and the wrap around nature of the landscape.

California welcomed us with an inspection station (like a border crossing) on the highway to enter the State…and palm trees. The sand turns from red to mostly white /beige….and the plant life switches from impressive cacti to palm trees and yuccas.

Then there is the road. The road has several long slow serious climbing grades. The shoulder lane punctuated by dying and dead transport trucks unable to manage the combination of the grade and the heat, and perhaps the patience to get up those hills without blowing the transmission, the engine or the tires…!!! Given our experience in Kingman…there was a bit of breath holding happening as we hauled up those grades carefully watching the transmission temperature.

The early travelers of the 66 must have despaired when they hit Needles (The eastern edge of California……) They had made it to CA and the promised land… but now there were a whole bunch more mountains and desert to go (and not a lot of water sources) CA is even drier than AZ.

Just before Barstow is Daggett…I hesitate to describe it as a town…but it is part of the original road.

We made it to Barstow in 46-degree heat…. the worst of the heatwave already behind us. We had changed our plans slightly to not linger here in the heat…but to find the sign…take the picture of it, and head north.

We did a bit of a tour through the old town of Barstow to take some pictures of the remaining relics of the road..

It was a daytime version of me slow rolling along the main drag and the guy with the camera screaming ‘PULL OVER’ at the worst traffic moments and leaping in and out of the truck…..🤣

Barstow’s other piece of interesting trivia…..Its military base, Fort Irwin….considered to be one of the top training bases for the US military. It is also the only part of Route 66 not accessible to the public as it runs right through the base itself. (Fort Irwin has its own fascinating history for those interested)

One of Barstow’s legends is the El Rancho Hotel which burned to the ground in 2022 under questionable circumstances.

In these temps…when you get out of the truck it’s hard to tell what’s worse…the crushing heat of the sun from above or the furnace roasting of the tarmac from below. Whichever it is…moving quickly is just not an option. An added bonus as you hit California….the gas prices are as eye watering as the heat….but the wine is incredibly excellent and inexpensive…. unfortunately the truck doesn’t run on Chardonnay.

We made the decision to rise in the early hours and do the last 2 ¼ hour drive in to LA…Hit Santa Monica Pier at sunrise and get the heck back out of the city.

I had had my doubts about finding a campsite a bit closer to the city of angels. It turned out that Barstow was about as close as we wanted to get and was an ideal launching point for the final push.

There was heavy commuter traffic all the way, I was very grateful for the quick reflexes and nerves of steel of my driver guy as the traffic weaves from lane to lane with commuters dodging in and out of the transport trucks while the whole throng of traffic moved down the seemingly endless grade, well in excess of the posted speed limit. This would not be the case just a short time later.

I don’t think I did much breathing the whole way in. There was no real sunrise because of the morning fog of the beach. But we did pass Muscle Beach, several ‘bodies’ on the steps of the pier and on the shoreline.

Much to our delight, arriving in LA at 5am is perfect……because street parking is free until 7am…….we were long gone by then. Luckily for me I had a sweatshirt in the truck (not so much the other guy…LOL)…from the scorching temps in Barstow….it was a balmy 18 degrees C (64F) in Santa Monica…Brrrr…!!! Shivering in cold was a bit of a welcome change….!!!

The sign which we have been seeking was before us, marking the end of the trail..quite an emotional moment in fact. We had the pier to ourselves to soak in the accomplishment.

Did one of our very few selfies….

then jumped in the truck to head back to the trailer.

It was a much easier drive back….well it was for the passenger anyway..!!

The grade was not huge….but it was unrelenting…and the temp was 47 degrees (I am imagining that the tarmac was a bit hotter yet.) we did a quite a bit of finger crossing and some silent praying for smooth driving, which we were granted. On the way home we were very glad that we set off at that ungodly hour…..the commuter traffic was nose to tail into the city all the way back to Barstow, just like you see in the movies…..but plain sailing for us returning east for a big nap.

We got back before 8.30 am and fell back into bed…

Mission accomplished…!!!!

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