Week 3

Oh my. So much in so little time! This week brought us farther south down the California coast, across the state of California into Nevada and Arizona. A lot of real estate and a lot of diversity in our wanderings this past week.

We started the week out by basing ourselves in Malibu ... parked right on the coast!  

From there, we toured around 

(Santa Monica)

and 

 (Beverly Hills)

and 

 (Hollywood)

 No ... we didn't see any stars. Didn't look too hard, though! Greater L.A. has sooooo many people and sooooo many cars and traffic jams for no apparent reason. After 3 days we were ready to leave the congestion of southern California and head inland. But before doing that we made sure we swam in the Pacific Ocean!   

Shortly after Harry took this picture ... mere seconds actually ... I went under! Even that small wave carried a lot of force. Harry was much better in the waves and managed to jump them and ride the top of them.

Our next destination was Las Vegas via a stop in Barstow, California. While in Barstow we toured a real mining ghost town. Mostly a tourist shopping trap, but we were able to glean some information about the mining that supported the area and some of the people who lived there. It was HOT and we were now fully in the desert. Thankfully the campground had a swimming pool where we could cool off at the end of the day.

Our journey from Malibu to Vegas took us from 

to 

 The pictures say it all!!

We rolled into Las Vegas where we stayed at a luxurious RV resort. Not because we were looking for the pampering but because it was on the right side of town for us! We took a car tour of Vegas in the afternoon, then went to the old downtown area for some supper. After a nice dinner we drove back to our RV via the "strip" which took FOREVER because of road construction. As I put on Facebook earlier in the week, Las Vegas really is "over-the-top". I couldn't help but wonder how much power and water that place uses in just one day. Maybe the U.S. could reach their greenhouse gas emission reductions just by shutting down Las Vegas! 


At any rate, one day and one night was enough for us so off we headed for the Hoover Dam. It was big.  

From Hoover Dam there's only one logical destination: the Grand Canyon (or "the big hole" as Renee called it).  We camped about an hour's drive from the canyon.  In the RV next to us was "Almost Willie", a Willie Nelson impersonator! Check him out:  http://www.almostwillie.com/  


We have spent the last 2 days hiking around various points of the south rim. There are not adequate words to describe what you see.

"O Lord my God, when I in awe-filled wonder 

consider all the works Thy hands have made ... 

How great Thou art."

A comical end to our day at the Grand Canyon included a raven who was a bit of a show off.  This raven spread it wings and glided over us, then with a loud squawk he tucked his wings in and rolled onto his back -- in mid flight -- then back to his front and the wings came out again.  The silly thing was doing aileron rolls!  And he did a lot of them as he swooped back and forth over us.  Amazing to watch!

Soon we'll turn north for the last leg of our journey. -K

Week 2

Another week of traveling ... another weeks of visual overload!

We continued our way down the coast . From Florence, Oregon, we headed for Eureka, California.

(You gotta love the name!) We did a lot of beach wondering along the way.

We had planned to go watch the sunset from a beach in Eureka. As we ate supper, we noticed a wall of fog rolling in over the hills just outside of the city. By the time we headed for the beach the city was completely socked in!

Wednesday we hurtled down the highway to Petaluma (just north of San Francisco). It was not such a good day of driving. The road was particularly bumpy and curvy and I actually suffered motion sickness ... something that hasn't bothered me for years. I was happy to see the RV firmly parked and NOT moving. That evening we wandered out purchase a new camera. Yes ... I just got a new one about 6 months ago. But, Harry did a classic move and in the process rendered our camera useless! He was stepping backward to get a picture framed "just right". Behind him was a large driftwood log. He did a big bum plant over the back of the log. The camera did a sand dive and sand wedged its way into the lens. We got some canned air and tried to blow the very fine sand out of the lens mechanism. It didn't do the trick. :-{ The new camera works very well and Harry is not allowed to hold it when we're on the beach!! (kidding)

We boarded the dogs for Thursday and Thursday night so we could really tour San Francisco. It was FANTASTIC! We went a little nuts photographing the Golden Gate Bridge. We toured the area around the bridge -- lots of parks and places to wander around.

Then it was off to Fisherman's Wharf for a stroll and some lunch. We feasted on seafood at Fisherman's Grotto. The main floor of the restaurant is a pretty typical restaurant. But we went upstairs where we were seated by a window overlooking the harbor with the Golden Gate in the distance. It was a true old-style classy dining experience; right down to the gentlemen waiters in their jackets and bow-ties. The dining room looked like a 60's supper club! What an enjoyable lunch.

What would a tour of San Francisco be without a cable car ride? We rode the cable car from one end to the other and back. And both ways, we rode on the running boards on the outside of the car! It was so much fun and we got a really great "hills of San Francisco" ride.

Next a cruise through the Haight-Ashbury district -- the birthplace of the peace movement. We finished off San Francisco with a drive up to Twin Peaks for a panoramic view of the city. What a great city to visit!

The last two days we've been in the Monterey area (this includes the cities of Seaside, Monterey, Pacific Groves, Pebble Beach and Carmel). Tres expensive! The weather was somewhat blustery, but we had a nice day touring around anyway. I visited an amazing yarn shop while Harry walked the dogs. Later in the day, I walked the dogs while Harry explored Pebble Beach golf course. At $500 for a round of golf, he didn't golf! He just looked at the 18th and drooled.

A significant heat wave (100F) is expected for the next week all over southern California. We're re-evaluating our planned route since the RV has great AC while driving ... not so great when parked. Another day of driving along the coast will keep us in cooler temperatures.

Still having a wonderful time! -K