Monthly Archives: October 2014

October 27, 2014 San Clemente, California

We left San Juan Capistrano and the coyotes behind and headed back to the beach for a five night stay at San Clemente Beach State Park.  We didn’t know what to expect after our stay at Huntington Beach in the cramped and noisy state park there.  We were pleasantly surprised to find a nice park with fairly spacious sites and best of all, the park was practically empty.  The campground is located on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean with train tracks at the bottom of the cliff running right along the beach, and I-5, the busy freeway on the other side.  To our relief, neither the train noise or freeway noise was a problem.  There was a nice buffer of trees and the freeway was far enough away to not be a problem, and since the trains did not blow their whistles, we could sleep at night with the windows open with no problems.

It was a bit of a hike down to the beach from the campground, but there was a nice paved trail and we saw some beautiful sunsets from the bluffs.

Sunset from San Clemente

Sunset from San Clemente

Sunset from San Clemente

Sunset from San Clemente

While here in San Clemente we made the jaunt two hours north to Castaic to see Bill’s Aunt Emily.  She flew from her home in Illinois to spend the winter with her son in California.  We saw Aunt Emily last year when we traveled through Illinois and we so happy to have another chance to see her.

Aunt Emily, Bill and George Selph

Aunt Emily, Bill and George Selph

October 25, 2014 San Juan Capistrano

We left Huntington Beach and drove the short distance inland to Caspers Wilderness Regional Park in San Juan Capistrano.  It is hard to find a campground with available space on the weekend, so we settled on this campground for a three night weekend stay.  It turned out to be a great campground at a reasonable price with spacious sites where we could hear coyotes howling at night.

On Saturday we drove into town to the Mission San Juan Capstistrano.  This mission was founded on All Saints Day, November 1, 1776 by Spanish Catholics. IMG_2685  It is a beautiful mission and is the oldest building in California, the site of the oldest ironworks in the state, the oldest winery in the state. IMG_2697  In 1812 a massive earthquake destroyed the Great Stone Church and the ruins of the church are visible today.  Ruins such as these are usually only seen in Europe and these are the only such ruins in the United States. Because of the Great Stone Church’s decay the walls and ceiling were not rebuilt. Today there is a new chapel and school next door.

A close-up view of the ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano's "Great Stone Church," destroyed by earthquake in 1812

A close-up view of the ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano’s “Great Stone Church,” destroyed by earthquake in 1812

A view of the ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano's "Great Stone Church," destroyed by earthquake in 1812. These bells are located where the bell tower stood.

A view of the ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano’s “Great Stone Church,” destroyed by earthquake in 1812. These bells are located where the bell tower stood.

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The two original small bells and copies of the large bells from the destroyed bell tower

The two original small bells and copies of the large bells from the destroyed bell tower

The two original small bells and copies of the large bells from the destroyed bell tower

The two original small bells and copies of the large bells from the destroyed bell tower

Located in the Serra Chapel is its spectacular retablo, a masterpiece of Baroque art, the altarpiece was hand-carved of 396 individual pieces of cherry wood and overlaid in gold leaf in Barcelona and is estimated to be 400 years old. It was originally imported from Barcelona in 1806 for the Los Angeles cathedral but was never used and was installed in the Serra Chapel around 1924. This chapel is still being used today.

The centerpiece of the chapel is its spectacular retablo which serves as the backdrop for the altar

The centerpiece of the chapel is its spectacular retablo which serves as the backdrop for the altar

The centerpiece of the chapel is its spectacular retablo which serves as the backdrop for the altar

The mission is most famous for the return of the swallows each spring on March 19th, Saint Joseph’s Day.  Swallows always return to their nest and they return to the town from March until October when they fly south to Argentina for the winter.  Each spring the entire town celebrates the return of the swallows with a parade and celebration.  One problem the mission and town are encountering is that during efforts to preserve the mission ruins, some of the swallow nests were destroyed and many swallows stopped coming to Capistrano.  The mission has tried various ways to persuade the birds return, including building fake nests, creating mud puddles to provide nesting materials, and throwing ladybug, their favorite food, on the ground to entice them to come back.  Nothing has worked.  Some swallows do return to the town each spring but are choosing to build their nests in the eaves of downtown buildings, under freeway overpasses and along creek beds.  Experts say Southern California is seeing a sharp decline in swallows due to urban sprawl.

In 1939 songwriter Leon Rene wrote a love ballad called “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano” which was later recorded by The Ink Spots, Pat Boone, Glenn Miller and Gene Autry.

San Juan Capistrano was a lovely, quaint town and we enjoyed lunch on a balcony overlooking the town after taking a guided tour of the mission.  We had a really nice weekend stay in the area.

October 20, 2014 Huntington Beach, California Part 2

While staying at the Bolsa Chica State Beach campground in Huntington Beach, we decided to make the forty minute drive over to Yorba Linda to tour the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, Museum and Birthplace.

The library is located on the former site of the Nixon family nine acre citrus farm and includes the birthplace our 37th president.  We were able to tour the house where Nixon was born and lived as a small child.

Nixon was born and lived as a child in this very house on this very location

Nixon was born and lived as a child in this very house on this very location

The library and museum had many exhibits beginning with his birth and childhood to his years as a lawyer and naval officer as well as his early years in politics. IMG_20141023_125753 There were large exhibits on his years in the White House, including his foreign travels and diplomacy with China and the Middle East, IMG_20141023_141034 as well as space travel including the moon landing.  And yes, there was a large exhibit on Watergate.  Other presidential libraries had replicas of the Oval Office and how it was decorated during each presidency, but Nixon chose to have a replica of the Lincoln Sitting Room which is where he enjoyed working and spent a lot of his time.

This is the Lincoln sitting room, Nixon's favorite place to work on the second floor of the White House

This is the Lincoln sitting room, Nixon’s favorite place to work on the second floor of the White House

We were also able to climb aboard the Marine helicopter used by Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford and was the helicopter Nixon boarded when he departed the White House for the last time.

This is the helicopter that Nixon used when he left the White House for the last time

This is the helicopter that Nixon used when he left the White House for the last time

On display was also the armored limousine used during the Nixon presidency.  The grave markers for President and Mrs. Nixon are located near his birthplace. IMG_20141023_160013

It was very interesting to see the library and museum of this complex man during such a tumultuous time in history.

October 18, 2014 Huntington Beach, California

We left our beautiful campsite in Ventura, California after ten wonderful days overlooking the ocean where we could hear the waves crashing against the rocks and watch surfers riding the waves.  We drove south to Bolsa Chica State Beach Park in Huntington Beach.  While we could see the ocean, this campground was not nearly as nice as the county park at Ventura.  The camping sites were similar to a parking lot with sites very close together.  The worst part of this campground was its very close proximity to Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway.  Traffic noise was constant with only some relief in the early morning hours.  We have found that while the beach campgrounds offer beautiful views of the ocean, they are also located close to the Pacific Coast Highway and therefore have traffic noise.  The breathtaking views we enjoyed while driving along the coast earlier this year come at a cost to beach campers.  We did enjoy a few beautiful sunsets while we were there.

Sunset from the shores of Huntington Beach

Sunset from the shores of Huntington Beach

Sunset from the shores of Huntington Beach

Sunset from the shores of Huntington Beach

While in the area we decided to drive to Long Beach to do some sightseeing.  Our first stop was the USS Iowa battleship. IMG_2629  It is known as the Battleship of Presidents and is the only battleship on the West Coast.  She was the lead ship in her class of battleship and the fourth in the US Navy.  She is the last lead ship of any class of the U.S. battleships and was the only ship of her class to have served in the Atlantic Ocean IMG_2670 IMG_2669during World War II. During World War II she carried President Franklin D. Roosevelt across the Atlantic to Algeria for an important meeting in 1943 in Tehran with Winston Churchill and Josef Stalin.

President Roosevelt used the USS Iowa in 1943

President Roosevelt used the USS Iowa in 1943

They installed a bathtub and elevator on the ship to accommodate Roosevelt.  In 1944 she was sent to the Pacific Fleet where she shelled beachheads in advance of Allied amphibious landings.  She also served during the Korean War and was reactivated in 1984 in response to an expanded Soviet Navy.  The Iowa was decommissioned for the last time in 1990 and was moved to her current location in 2012. IMG_2626

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This is a 2,000 pound 16 inch shell

This is a 2,000 pound 16 inch shell

The USS Iowa guns shot 16 inch shells with six bag of powder

The USS Iowa guns shot 16 inch shells and six bag of powder

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Phalanx system protects the ship with firing 3,000 22 mm rounds per minute

Phalanx system protects the ship with firing 3,000 22 mm rounds per minute

The protected bridge area of the ship is a vault with 16 inch walls

The protected bridge area of the ship is a vault with 16 inch walls

The bridge is enclosed by 16 inch walls

The bridge is enclosed by 16 inch walls

Next we drove seven miles to the RMS Queen Mary  where we took a guided tour of the transatlantic ocean liner.

She primarily sailed on the North Atlantic Ocean from 1936 to 1967.  She was officially retired in 1967 and has been moored in Long Beach since October 31, 1967.  The ship now serves as a tourist attraction with a hotel, museum and restaurants.  The ship is on the National Register of Historic Places and is also listed as a part of the Historic Hotels in America.  In 2008 the ship was listed by Time Magazine as one of the 10 most haunted places in America.  The Queen Mary’s original professionally manned wireless radio room was removed and later an amateur radio room was created and is manned today by volunteers from a local amateur radio club.

Established in 1979, W6RO was the first permanent amateur radio station to be installed aboard a museum ship and is manned most days by volunteers

Established in 1979, W6RO was the first permanent amateur radio station to be installed aboard a museum ship and is manned most days by volunteers

Bill particularly enjoyed touring this room.  We learned during the ship’s tour that legend has it originally the ship was to be named the Queen Victoria but when ship representatives asked King George V if they could name the ship after Britain’s greatest queen, he assumed they were talking about his wife, Queen Mary, and no one had the nerve to tell him otherwise.

The one and only Queen Victoria - SORRY - Queen Mary cruiseliner

The one and only Queen Victoria – SORRY – Queen Mary cruiseliner

IMG_2671  It was interesting to hear how the ship had first class sections of the ship that were off limits to non-first class passengers.  Each afternoon, while the first class passengers were enjoying high tea, the other passengers were allowed access to one of the ships two swimming pools.  Of course each day the water had to be drained and refilled since the first class passengers could never swim in water where other passengers had been swimming!

We enjoyed our time in Long Beach touring these two historic and very different ships.

October 12, 2014 Ventura Beach, California

Hello from beautiful Ventura Beach!  We thought we would do a quick blog update to fill you in on what we have been doing since leaving Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park.

We headed first to Santa Maria, California, a farming community about twelve miles from the ocean.  We planned on hanging out there for a few days until the beginning of the Winnebago rally we had signed up to attend.  While in Santa Maria we stayed at their nice fairgrounds with full hookup sites.  Even though the fairgrounds was right across the street from the Santa Maria High School, it was very quiet and peaceful and we certainly enjoyed our stay there.

Craving the beach, we spent a few days at the state park in Pismo Beach enjoying the ocean views and incredible sunsets.  IMG_20140928_184428~2

Next we headed to Paso Robles, in the wine country of central California.  We attended a California state Winnebago rally there.  We were a bit like fish out of water because everyone else was from California and knew and traveled with each other on a regular basis.  We were the strangers from Florida, but everyone was very welcoming and friendly.  Each night at dinner we were able to sit at a table with new people so we got to meet a lot of people and learn about their beautiful state.  California was having record breaking temperatures while we were there and daytime highs were near 100 each day.  The saving grace was it would cool down to the 50’s at night.  Even so, we longed to get near the ocean.

Our next stop was Ventura Beach.  Bill read where Ventura County had several county parks right on the beach with full hookups.  The tricky part was they are first come first serve and you take whatever site is free when you get there.  We decided to take a chance since we had a back up plan in case the park was full.  As it turned out the first night we had to take a less desirable site but the next morning someone left and we were able to grab a site facing the ocean with full hookups.  We fell in love with our site where we could see the ocean all day and  go to sleep at time to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore.  We loved it here so much we decided to cancel our reservation at an RV park in Malibu and stay in Ventura Beach for ten days instead of the scheduled three.  IMG_2562

On Sunday the waves were higher than usual and we watched surfers riding the waves from our front window. IMG_2595 Suddenly we saw several dolphins swimming along with the surfers, occasionally jumping high out of the water.  It was an amazing sight and it was as if the dolphins were showing the surfers how it really should be done.  Every time a dolphin would leap from the water the crowd of people standing nearby would cheer.  It was all very exciting but unfortunately it all happened too quickly to grab a camera as the dolphins quickly disappeared from sight and continued on their journey.

The beach here at Ventura is different than any we have been to thus far.  There are huge piles of rocks which form a barrier between the water and the land.  Normally there are steps at the campground which take you down to the beach.  But during high tide the waves crash on theIMG_2579 IMG_2560 rocks and block access to the beach since the bottom steps are covered with water.  Once the water subsides and you can access the beach, the sand is very hard and easy to walk on.  You are literally walking on the bottom of the ocean floor.  There is no loose sand to walk through to get to the water.  We loved it because it made for great beach walking.  On Sunday during high tide some campers were standing on the top of the steps fishing and watching the surfers.  Suddenly a huge wave came crashing in and splashed water over top of them.  It was the first time I had seen the waves that high and it was funny to see the startled looks on their faces.  Nobody was hurt but they were drenched and the first thing they all did was check their cell phones to see if they were damaged.  That was another one of those times when I wished I had gotten a picture of their startled faces.  This is the first beach we have been to that did not have 24 hour beach access, and we did have to plan our beach walks around low tide when the steps and beach were accessible.

We loved, loved, loved our time here at Ventura Beach.  We easily could have stayed a monthIMG_20141008_150819 IMG_20141008_151105-1-1-1 or longer, but they have a 14 day limit and we had reservations at other parks we didn’t want to change.  There have been many places in our sixteen months on the road that have been hard to leave, but leaving this beautiful area was downright painful!  IMG_2557