Category Archives: National Landmark

National landmark or historical place

June 20, 2014 Port Angeles, Washington

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We left the town of Forks and headed northeast on Highway 101 where we passed beautiful Lake Crescent, a 650 foot deep, 12 mile long glacially carved lake that is part of the Olympic National Park. 20140620_110905 The lake is the second deepest in Washington and in order to keep it environmentally friendly, quiet and peaceful, it only allows kayaks, canoes and row boats. We turned onto the Strait of Juan de Fuca Scenic Byway, following the shoreline of the glacial fjord connecting Puget Sound to the Pacific Ocean.  The Strait of Juan de Fuca separates the Olympic Peninsula from Vancouver Island, British Columbia and reaches farther into the cold North Pacific than any other mainland point in the lower 48 states. We arrived at our campground in the Salt Creek Recreation Area.  This was once the location of Camp Hayden, a World War 2 harbor defense military base.  The campground has three tiers of campsites and our site was on the highest tier with a marvelous view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Crescent Bay, and Vancouver Island, British Columbia.  In the distance we could see snow capped Mt Baker, which looked more like a cloud than a mountain. 20140622_142907           Our first night there we had a cloudy, but still beautiful sunset.20140620_213908 20140620_214007     Our first full day we drove to Port Angeles and caught a ferry over to Victoria, British Columbia.  Port Angeles was a 19th century mill town and today is a bustling harbor with a population of around 19,000.  Murals throughout the town document the town’s history. IMG_0852         We caught the ferry which took us eighteen miles across the Strait of Juan De Fuca to Victoria in Canada. IMG_0836           Both on the way over and on the way back we had magnificent views of snow capped Olympic mountains.  IMG_0811 IMG_0822       On the ferry we saw many people with suitcases, bikes and tennis rackets, going for an overnight adventure.   IMG_0809                   We saw several seaplanes which transport people to and from the city of Vancouver. IMG_0812 Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, has a population of 300,000.  It goes back to colonial days with the first government building erected in 1859.  Even though it is a metropolitan city, it still had a small town feel.  It was clean and felt very safe. At one point we were stopped by a volunteer ambassador who could tell we were tourists and stopped to ask if we were enjoying our visit and had any questions. Since we decided not to take our car on the ferry, we figured the easiest way to see the island was to take the Hop On, Hop Off buses.  The hour and a half tour included the impressive Empress Hotel,IMG_0837           the magnificent Parliament Building,IMG_0835 Chinatown, Fishermen’s Wharf,         and Mile 0 which is the start of Canada’s Highway No. 1 which stretches through all ten provinces of Canada between the Pacific and the Atlantic coasts. IMG_0825           We also saw Craigdarroch Castle as well as a statue of James Cook IMG_0838 IMG_0839               and Queen Victoria.  IMG_0842 IMG_0841 IMG_0833                                   The bus driver stopped at Christ Church Cathedral and gave us time to go inside. IMG_0829 IMG_0832 IMG_0826 IMG_0828                         He pointed out the cornerstone of the church which had been laid by Sir Winston Churchhill. IMG_0830           With the price of our bus ticket we also had access to the water taxis going back and forth in the harbor. IMG_0844         We had a delicious lunch at an Irish Pub and did some geocaching and shopping before catching the ferry home.  We enjoyed the totem poles throughout the port area IMG_0845 IMG_0840               as well as a statue of a girl welcoming her father home from war which was placed in honor of World War 2 veterans.  IMG_0814         The next day we drove to Hurricane Ridge,IMG_0876 elevation 5,242 feet, in Olympic National Park         with some of the most magnificent views of snow capped mountains I have ever seen, IMG_0886 IMG_0883including Mount Olympus with an elevation of 7,980 feet.             IMG_0859                 Of course I had to have my picture taken in the snow with my flip flops. IMG_0863Bill bought a shirt at the gift shop which said “The Mountains Are Calling and I Must Go” IMG_0875which is very appropriate for him since he is drawn to the mountains.  I am drawn to the ocean which is very ironic since I grew up in Virginia and Bill grew up in Florida!  We toured the Visitors Center which you can see in the background in one of the pictures. One interesting thing we learned from the movie there was that the mountains in this area were not formed by volcanic activity as are most of the mountains in the Pacific Northwest, but instead by the moving of tetonic plates which pushed the ocean floor up and formed the mountains.  They are not continuing to grow, yet they are also not eroding as do most mountains. While driving up to Hurricane Ridge we passed a deer along the side of the road, as well as seeing numerous elk and deer at the Visitors Center. IMG_0856 IMG_0879                       Knowing my love of the water, Bill ended the day by finding a beautiful waterfall in the park on the way home.  Madison Falls is a wondrous 60 foot waterfall in a peaceful setting with only a short walk on a paved trail to get there. IMG_0928 IMG_0921 IMG_0912                         Our last day in Salt Creek Recreation Area ended with a glorious sunset.  IMG_0942 IMG_0954 IMG_0991

June 12, 2014 Ilwaco, Washington

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We awoke to the sound of showers which is becoming a more frequent occurrence in this part of the Pacific Northwest.  We prefer not to pack and move in the rain, but you do what you have to do on move day.  It was not a steady rain but intermittent showers, so it could have been worse.

This was an especially exciting day because we were finishing our time in Oregon and entering Washington, the Evergreen state.  We passed through Oregon rather quickly in our quest to finish our travels before the cold weather returns in October.  We will continue our travels in central and eastern Oregon in the coming weeks and months, as we return south.

We traveled up Highway 101, also known as the Pacific Coast Byway.  The two lane road became more and more winding as we headed north, with farmland and cattle along the roadside.  We passed through many small villages advertising upcoming chainsaw sculpting contests and rodeos coming to town.  We saw a small lumberman museum but didn’t take the time to stop.  I suffer from motion sickness which doesn’t usually affect me in the RV, but for some reason this road made me feel very nauseous and we had to pull over while I took some Dramamine and waited for my stomach to settle.

We reached the large port town of Astoria, the northernmost Oregon city on Highway 101.  Astoria, the oldest settlement west of the Rockies, dates back to the winter of 1805-1806 when the Lewis and Clark Expedition made camp at nearby Fort Clatsop.  We crossed the four mile long Astoria-Megler Bridge which joins Oregon and Washington and is the longest continuous three-span, through truss bridge in the world.  When it was finished in 1966 it completed Highway 101 and made it an unbroken link between Canada and Mexico.  The Welcome to Washington sign is located about two thirds of the way across the bridge.

We arrived at our destination, Cape Disappointment State Park near Ilwaco, Washington.  Ilwaco is a small fishing village near the mouth of the Columbia River.  This area was named Cape Disappointment by John Meares who was trying to find the mighty Columbia River. After a storm he turned his ship around just north of the cape without finding the Columbia and therefore named the area Cape Disappointment.  The area is far from a disappointment with its stunning ocean views and unspoiled beaches.

IMG_0767 We had a great campsite and certainly enjoyed staying in the park, even though we could not get cell phone service or satellite TV in the park.  It was amazing camping at the location where the Corps of Discovery had their first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean.  Our campground was located in the Cape Disappointment State Park which is also part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park.

The park had a nearby Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center and after settling in we stopped by for a visit.  It was a pretty steep walk from the parking lot but we were rewarded with beautiful views as the Center sits on a cliff with views of the Pacific Ocean and nearby Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. IMG_0771

The Center was built here because it was also the site of Fort Canby established in 1875 to protect the mouth of the Columbia River from enemies.  The fort continued to be improved until after World War II and there are still gun batteries visible in what remains of the fort.  At the Interpretive Center we were greeted by enthusiastic, friendly volunteers and enjoyed touring the Center and seeing the movie there.

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Since the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park is located in both Oregon and Washington, the next day we drove back across the bridge to Fort Clatsop in Oregon. This is where Lewis and Clark’s Corps of Discovery ended their 4,000 mile westward journey.

Here they built a fort and

IMG_0751rested during the winter of 1805 and 1806 before their journey home.  At Fort Clatsop the Park Service has a replica of the fort as well and an interpretive center and exhibit hall

IMG_0761with an excellent movie and many interesting exhibits about their journey.   It just so happened that the day we visited was Flag Day and they had a special flag ceremony down at the fort. IMG_0757 IMG_0759 Ranger Larry gave a dramatic retelling of how Francis Scott Key, after watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry during the War of 1812, wrote the poem “The Defence of Fort M’Henry” after which part of the lyrics later became our national anthem.  We then all sang “The Star Spangled Banner” together which was a very moving experience.  Ranger Larry pointed out that without Jefferson’s vision and the bravery of the Corps of Discovery led by Lewis and Clark, we would very likely have been standing on land owned by British Columbia rather than the United States.

While in Astoria we also rode on the historic Riverfront Trolley, a restored 1913 trolley that runs 4 miles along the Columbia River.

IMG_0762 For the big sum of $1 each we got to ride the trolley and listen as the conductor gave us information about the history and attractions in the area.

We also learned that the movie “The Goonies” was filmed in Astoria as well as “Kindergarten Cop”.  The conductor pointed out the elementary school used in the film.

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Some thoughts:

In the Eastern U.S. signs say “Hurricane Evacuation Route”.  In the Pacific Northwest the signs say “Tsunami Evacuation Route”.

In the Pacific Northwest a sign that says “Slide Area” can mean the hillside and rocks are sliding OR the road is sliding.  We saw a road that had slid off the side in our travels.

April 24, 2014 Alcatraz, San Francisco, California

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We really looked forward to touring Alcatraz Island.  Luckily we went online ahead of time and bought our tickets which included the ferry ride over and back because tickets usually sell out a week or more in advance.  For example when we went on Thursday there was a sign at the ticket office that the next available tour was Sunday.

Once again we rode BART into the city and our first goal of the day was to ride a cable car.  When we went into the city the first time, the line to ride the cable car near the BART station was very long and we didn’t want to take the time to wait.  Luckily today the line was shorter and we only had to wait about 10 minutes.  As the cable car fills up you have to wait for the next one to come by.  We wanted to catch it at the BART station and ride it to Fisherman’s Wharf.  At $6.00 one way, we wanted to get our monies worth! Once the cable car arrived it was very interesting to see how the conductors get out and turn the car around.   The ride was really cool as we sat sideways while the car climbed up and down hills. IMG_0055 Once we got off at the end of the line, Fisherman’s Wharf,IMG_20140424_103037 IMG_0064we walked down to Pier 33 which is where we caught the Alcatraz ferry. IMG_0068The ride over was quick and it wasn’t too cold to sit on top and see the beauty of the area.

The island is owned by the National Park Service and they had a very interesting and informative tour which included a self guiding tour using an audiotape with former Alcatraz inmates, correctional officers and residents reminiscing about their time there.  The tape was very well done and it was nice to be able to pause the audio if we wanted to spend longer in an area.  It was both fascinating and very sad to spend time there.  Fascinating to hear about the history of the island and prison, but very sad to see how the men lived there and spend their last days.    As we pulled up to “The Rock”, I imagined what must have gone through the mind’s of the men as they arrived here and saw the desolate island and large guard tower and lighthouse.. IMG_0083 IMG_0072 Several times the audiotape mentioned how the men could look out the windows at San Francisco just across the bay and see what they were missing.  On New Year’s Eve, if the wind was blowing just right, they could hear the party goers celebrating the New Year.  Yes, these were hardened criminals, including Al Capone, but it still struck me as very very sad.

The island has an interesting history including being an army fortress and a military prison.  It became a famous maximum security federal penitentiary in 1934, many people who worked at the prison also resided on the island, including the children of the workers who would ride a ferry each day to and from school.  One such child, now grown, talked about growing up on the island and how it was a really a nice childhood in which children of the workers all played and went to school together.  They did not see or come in contact with the prisoners, though occasionally they would hear them if they caused a ruckus.  There is a theater area on the island with a 17 minute film detailing the history of Alcatraz.

The prison closed on March 21, 1963 due to deteriorating buildings including a lack of a sewage system and high operating costs.  One interesting fact was that several Native Americans from 1969-1971 took over and occupied the island in an attempt to take back some federal land.  IMG_0075 IMG_0073

The main area to explore was the Cell House and we had to walk up four rather steep hills from the dock to get there.   IMG_0084

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One prisoner per cell

In the 29 years that Alcatraz was open, 36 prisoners tried to escape.  All but 5 were recaptured or otherwise accounted for.  Three who were never found were immortalized in the Clint Eastwood movie “Escape From Alcatraz” in 1962.  The two main reasons why escape was practically impossible was the strong currents and very cold water which surrounded the island.  An interesting and rather humorous tidbit is that in 1974 at the age of 60, fitness guru Jack LaLanne swam from just outside the perimeters of Alcatraz to the Fisherman’s Wharf handcuffed, shacked and towing a 1,000 pound boat!  He wanted to leave directly from the Alcatraz pier but the prison refused to allow him to come onto the island for security reasons.

After taking the ferry back to shore we caught a streetcar back to BART and rode home, grateful for such a fascinating experience.

 

April 23, 2014 Walking the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, California

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One thing we wanted to do while in San Francisco was walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.  I did some research and found out where we could park.  Even though the day was beautiful and sunny, knowing how the weather in San Francisco is windy and the fog rolls in quickly and the temperature drops in a matter of minutes, we bundled up in layers including hats and scarfs and headed to the bridge.  There was a very nice visitors center and paid parking lot at the south end of the bridge.  Many people walk or ride their bikes across and there is a nice wide walkway which walkers and bikers share.  As it turned out it really wasn’t that cold and the views were beautifulIMG_0025 IMG_0026 IMG_0037 IMG_0033including a view of Alcatraz.  IMG_0040We saw surfers in the water belowIMG_0027 and watched a helicopter fly under the bridge. IMG_0046 Another dream marked off the bucket list! IMG_0050

 

 

 

 

April 18, 2014 San Francisco, California

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After a short drive from Lodi which included waiting in a long line of cars and paying a toll, P1050063 we crossed the Bay Bridge P1050067and saw the San Francisco skyline come into view!  P1050075

We arrived at our next destination which was the San Francisco RV Resort in Pacifica, about 40 miles from downtown San Francisco.  Our camping spot had a great view of the Pacific but the spots are

View looking North from our campsite

View looking North from our campsite

very close together.  They manage to crowd a lot of people into a relatively small area.  But this is the San Francisco area, and if you look at the high density housing everywhere in this area, it is not surprising that the campground would be the same way.  Immediately we notice a change in temperature to chilly and windy.  The day ended with a beautiful sunset over the Pacific.  IMG_20140420_175735IMG_20140420_175650P1050112P1050110

Saturday we decided to do a scenic drive around San Francisco.  We debated whether or not to pay the high price to take the sightseeing Hop On, Hop Off bus around San Francisco, but the campground office gave us a map of a self guided 49 mile scenic drive which highlighted famous San Francisco sights and we decided to give it a try.  If the drive didn’t give us a good overview of the area, we could always do the bus later.   The first stop on the map was Twin Peaks, which provided us with a gorgeous view of the entire San Francisco area. I kept hearing the sound of Tony Bennett singing “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” in my head.P1050091 It was extremely windy up there and we felt as if we were going to be blown away!  We drove through the streets of San Francisco and went to Nob Hill IMG_0059 IMG_0058 and drove down Lombard Street which is the most crooked street in the world. 20140419_155232 We actually had to wait in a line of cars to drive down the street.  We loved driving through Chinatown, 20140419_152021 Golden Gate Park and across the Golden Gate Bridge.  IMG_0022

Monday we took the BART into downtown San Francisco and rode a streetcar to Fisherman’s Wharf and walked around Pier 39 where we came across a sea lions viewing area with sea lions barking and sunning themselves. 20140421_144819 We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe where Bill picked up a shirt to add to his Hard Rock collection.  By the time we headed back to the BART station the streetcars were jammed full and we were sandwiched in like sardines.  Just as it seemed as if another person couldn’t possibly fit in the door, one or two squeezed themselves in at each stop and we bumped and jerked our way down to BART.  Since traffic is heavy and parking in San Francisco is at least $6.00 an hour, not to mention the price of gas IMG_0063 it turned out well for us to ride BART from our campground and take public transportation in the city.  Plus, riding the streetcars is fun, even when jam packed!

April 9, 2014 Santa Cruz, Carmel-By-The-Sea, Monterey, CA

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We left beautiful Big Sur and headed toward Santa Cruz along the coast.  We could see wisps of fog and sea mist along the coast. P1050007P1050013 The road eventually took us inland and we began to see huge fields of strawberries and farmland with beautiful wildflowers.  P1050008  We arrived at the KOA in Watsonville, a short distance from Santa Cruz.  KOA’s are not our favorite place to stay as they tend to be expensive and the sites are close together.  Since KOA’s are family oriented they also tend to be crowded and rather noisy.

We headed first to Santa Cruz to explore the area. P1050039 We drove down to their pier which is very much like an amusement park with all kinds of rides and food booths. P1050026P1050016 This boardwalk and pier did not appeal to us as much as the one in Santa Monica.  We did drive to an area where we spent some time watching the surfers. IMG_20140410_150123 P1050032 P1050033The first surfing in the mainland U.S. began in Santa Cruz.  Apparently in 1885 three Hawaiian princes came over and made surfboards out of redwoods planks.  The surfboards were made in the shape of traditional Hawaiian o’lo boards which in Hawaii was reserved for royalty.  The three princes had been taught to surf by their uncle on Waikiki Beach in Oahu.  Some Santa Cruz locals saw them surfing in the waters and the fad caught on. Some say much of this is local lore, though some or most of it is believed to be true.  Regardless, we enjoyed watching the surfers and seeing the beautiful views.  P1050023 P1050028

The next day was overcast with sea mist and not a great day for sightseeing.  But since it was our last day and we can’t always expect beautiful weather every day, we drove to Carmel and Monterey.  First we went to Carmel-By-The-Sea and drove through the small, elite village of Carmel.  Clint Eastwood was mayor here for 2 years back in the 1980’s and it is home to Doris Day, Brad Pitt and many others.  Unfortunately we didn’t see any of them.  We did drive through Pebble Beach which is a famous “17 Mile Drive” which took us by beautiful homes and several golf courses. P1050046 P1050048 We expected the drive to be along the coast but to our surprise much of it was in a forest called Del Monte Forest.  There were some beautiful views along the coast and they had a brochure with 21 points of interest to see along the route.  Our favorite was a lone cypress tree which is over 250 years old. Pebble Beach uses it for their symbol.P1050041 P1050043 We did not get great pictures of out travels this day because it was very cloudy.

We ended our day with a rather hurried trip through Monterey since daylight was fading fast.  We did see the famous Monterey cannery and pier.

We are certainly enjoying our time in these beautiful coastal areas!  On Saturday we left Santa Cruz and headed northeast.  We stopped at Moss Landing and had brunch with Bill’s college friend Tom and his family.  Bill and Tom went to undergraduate engineering school together in Florida in the 1970’s and last saw each other 11 years ago!  Bill certainly enjoyed seeing Tom and catching up on how he is doing,  and I enjoyed meeting Tom, his wife, son and daughter.

March 31, 2014, Pismo Beach and San Simeon, California

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We left Malibu and headed to San Simeon State Park.  Upon arriving and setting up we encountered something we had not experienced since leaving Houston in November….RAIN!  We actually enjoyed listening to the rain on the roof, especially at night as it lulled us to sleep.  We used the time inside to work on future reservations.  It is amazing how time consuming it is to not only plan out a route, but also find campgrounds along the way.  We try to carefully research each campground and read reviews so as not to be surprised or disappointed down the road.  We have found that website pictures can be old and/or deceiving and they are not always as they appear on their website.  With the rapidly approaching summer vacation travel season, as well as holidays such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day, we have to think way ahead and book early.  All these wonderful places we want to go are also popular with everyone else!

The rain did stop in time for us to get in some time at the beach before heading to San Simeon State Park on April fourth.  The main reason for stopping here was to see Hearst Castle.  Our first day at San Simeon we decided to take a drive around the area and made an amazing discovery….an elephant seal rookery. P1040875 This area along the beach about four miles north of Hearst Castle has hundreds of elephant seals which come to the area beginning in late November and early December to mate and or have their pups.  The babies are born in late January to mid February.  By the time we arrived the males had left and the females and young pups were still on the beach.  The park service has built a very nice boardwalk where you can walk out and view the elephant seals.  From the pictures it looks like they are dead, but they are very much alive. P1040886 P1040890 P1040889 P1040888 They were mainly sleeping while we were there, though occasionally they would use their fins to throw sand on their backs. P1040893 P1040892 During this time of year they will begin to molt.  The seals first began coming to this area in 1990.  One pup was born in 1990 and 5,000 were born in 2013.  Most of the rookeries are on islands along California and Baja, Mexico, with the largest rookeries on the Channel Islands off of Santa Barbara, California.  Because they were heavily hunted in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries for the oil from their blubber, their numbers were reduced to fewer than 50.  They were protected by Mexico and the U.S. in the early twentieth century and the development of kerosene and refined petroleum left them with no commercial value the today the population has grown to approximately 175,000.

The next day we toured Hearst Castle.  We bought the tour tickets online and arrived for our 10:00 tour at a very nice visitors center with gift shop, restaurant and small theater.  Bill told me we would take a bus to the castle on top of the “hill”, but I had no idea the ride would be 5 miles long on a curvy, narrow mountainous road!  These types of roads seem to be my destiny now!  In 1919, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst hired San Francisco architect Julia Morgan to build a “house” on his San Simeon ranch.  The project lasted until 1947!  At that time female architects were rare but Julia Morgan proved herself to be a very talented and hard working architect.  The castle is of a Mediterranean revival design and is filled with art 20140405_104339 and antiques from Hearst’s personal collection. 20140405_111232 20140405_120624Everything was very ornate from the wood carved ceilings in the dining room 20140405_104605 20140405_104504the huge fireplace 20140405_103731 20140405_103642to the light fixtures 20140405_110312The tour guide took us into the theater and we watched a collection of home movies of Hearst and some of his famous guests including Charlie Chaplin, Clark Gable and Carole Lombard.  The grounds had beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean with gardens 20140405_111519  as well as a Neptune Pool on the outside20140405_113050 20140405_112914 and a Roman Pool on the inside 20140405_121619 20140405_121803 which was 10 feet deep throughout and gold inlaid tile.

After our tour and spending some time enjoying the gardens, we rode the bus back down the “hill” which was even scarier with the narrow road and no guard rails.  Once back at the Visitors Center we watched a forty five minute movie on the life of Hearst which was very interesting and talked about how he toured Europe as a small child with his mother which gave some insight into why he built this castle on the hill.

Upon Hearst’s death, his heirs honored his request to share the castle with people, and thereby gave the castle to the state of California in the early 1950’s and today it is a state park and managed by the California park service.

January 29, 2014 San Diego, California Part 2

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A visit to San Diego is not complete without a visit to the world famous San Diego Zoo. 45-IMG_20140129_094416 46-IMG_20140130_092553 The zoo is huge and we began the day by taking a tour of the zoo on a double decker bus which helped us get an idea of the layout of the zoo so we could better plan our day. 42-P1030981 The zoo is hilly in many places and they provide express buses that run throughout the park so you can hop on and off at various stops in the zoo.  It sure was nice to have the buses since they saved us many steps and hills.

First stop was Lost Forest with flamingoes, 01-P1030868monkeys, apes and hippos.  The monkeys kept us entertained as they picked each others hair and played with one another. 09-P1030870 10-P1030874 The apes played hide and seek with their blankets. 11-P1030876 12-P1030884 The hippos were underwater and came up for air.  We were amazed at their enormous size. 23-P1030921 24-P1030922

Africa Rocks had warthogs, lions which we unfortunately did not get a good picture of because they were sleeping when we saw them, leopards 30-P1030948 and tigers. 13-P1030888

Panda Canyon showcased panda bears. 19-P1030914 20-P1030917 18-P1030911 21-P1030918

Outback was home to koalas which were adorable, 17-P1030904 16-P1030902 15-P1030899 wombats, wallabies, kookaburros and kangaroos. 40-P1030974 41-P1030977

Urban Jungle had giraffes 08-P1030962 07-P1030866zebras 39-P1030973 rhinos which were probably one of the ugliest animals in the zoo and who decided to relieve herself as we took her picture, 37-P1030969 38-P1030972 and cheetahs.

We were fascinated by the camels 35-P1030957 36-P1030960 31-P1030953

Elephant Odyssey showed us huge elephants. 06-P1030951 05-P1030952 The zoo is very clean and the animals all looked very well taken care of.  We were told that the elephants were given manicures to prevent foot problems.

One of the most entertaining animals at the zoo were the polar bears who did a backstroke for us in their pool.  04-P1030855 03-P1030854


02-P1030943Near the polar bears we also found reindeer who didn’t look at all like Rudolph!  28-P103094129-P1030942We grabbed a quick lunch at one of the many restaurants in the park and had some friends join us.  14-P1030891

We saw several different birds at the zoo including the very unattractive California condor33-P1030955 34-P1030956 and a sea eagle. 25-P1030933 26-P1030934

Bill got to sit in a helicopter 27-P1030940and had his picture taken with a few of his friends. 22-P1030907 43-P1030982 44-P1030983 After spending the entire day at the zoo we probably only saw about 60% of what was there.  But we both agreed it had been a full day and I went home with only one wild thing. 47-20140129_160937

 

 

 

January 20, 2014 San Diego, California

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We arrived at our next destination at a Thousand Trails RV park about 20 miles east of San Diego. 01-IMG_20140122_133740 They did not have a full hookup site available so we were directed to the north side of the campground where we had our choice of several electric and water sites.  They have an unusual way of providing full hookup sites, and we discovered that a reservation did not mean you have full hookup upon arriving.  If all the full hook up sites are taken, your name goes on a list and the next morning at 8:30 you go back to the ranger station.  They write on a board all the site numbers of people who are checking out that day.  When your name is called, you get to choose which site you want.  We knew we were #9 on the list for the day, and since there were only 7 sites available and  many people waiting, we didn’t hold out much hope of getting a site that day.  To our surprise, our name was the third name called and we chose a site.  We went back and got our RV and moved to our new site.  This whole process is called “Crossing Over”.

We very much liked our new site.  It was a corner lot so we only had neighbors on one side  and across the street.  There was an access road near us which was used by the border patrol and it was interesting to see them come and go and we sometimes heard helicopters at a distance flying overhead, but nothing at all annoying.  It was actually very quiet during the day and at night, and the only sound we heard was the occasional coyotes howling at night.  One day we saw a couple coyotes roaming several feet from our campsite, but they hurried on in their quest for prey. 02-IMG_20140124_183313 We also found some interesting geocaches around the campground.  The only problem we had with this campground is there is no cell phone or internet service with our Verizon phones.  They provided free 30 minutes of internet per computer each day, with more available for purchase, but we found it to be very slow, and it still did not solve our cell phone problem.  Several times we had to make a call and had to drive several miles toward the nearest town to make a call.  We think this problem can be solved with a cell phone booster which we hope to purchase before possibly returning to this campground in the future.

One day we rode over to Coronado Island which is a resort city across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego.  It really isn’t an island, but is instead a peninsula, and to access the city we had to cross a 2 mile bridge.  Oh, how I have missed the water of Florida, and San Diego has given me my water fix. 04-P103081903-P1030817 Hotel de Coronado is located there and is considered one of the world’s top resorts.  The Marilyn Monroe film, “Some Like It Hot” was filmed at this hotel. 14-P1030844 16-P1030841 Frank Baum, author of “The Wizard of Oz”, could see the hotel from the front porch of his home, and some say The Emerald City in the movie was inspired by the hotel.  Baum also designed the crown chandeliers in the hotel dining room.  Because of this connection with Oz, Coronado is often called “The Emerald City”.

A visit to Coronado wasn’t complete without putting our feet into the cold Pacific Ocean.  They had beach advisories that day because of windy conditions, but it didn’t feel that windy to us. 05-P1030820 07-P1030826 08-P1030829 09-P1030830 06-P1030822 10-IMG_20140127_140044 11-IMG_20140127_140203 12-IMG_20140127_140809 15-P1030840 13-IMG_20140127_141137

We finished the day with a visit to Imperial Beach where we grabbed the most south westerly located geocache in the continental United States.  We could see Mexico in the distance and several helicopters were flying low overhead to patrol this section of the US/MX border. 17-P1030847 18-P1030850 We assume they were border patrol monitoring the border.  We have seen a lot of border patrol over the past couple months and it is amazing when you think about the amount of land they have to monitor.

Next stop:  San Diego Zoo!

January 13, 2014 San Dimas, California

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We left Palm Desert and headed west toward the Los Angeles basin area.  It has been fun seeing all the street names in the Palm Desert area! 1-P1030708 Not far from Palm Desert, in the community called Cathedral City, we came upon an amazing sight.  There were thousands of windmills as far as the eye could see as we drove along the interstate. 2-P1030715 3-P1030722 4-P1030725 5-P1030744 Some of the windmills were operating and some were not working on this particular day.  We had been seeing windmills in our travels for quite some time, particularly in Arizona and California, but none compared to this sight.

We pulled into the East Shore RV Park, a regional park in San Dimas, about a 30 minute drive from Los Angeles, If you pick the right time to drive the freeway.  I have driven on many traffic clogged roads in and around D.C. as well as throughout the country, and I have never been as unnerved by traffic as I was by the California freeways!  Bill, on the other hand, is unfazed by the traffic.  I don’t know how he drives an RV through all that traffic!!!  We were totally in love with our campsite which had a breathtaking view of the valley below, as well as a paved pad, shade trees, and even grass! 6-IMG_20140113_135842 It has been awhile since we saw much in the way of grass and trees!  At night we could see twinkling lights from the valley below, clear skies shining with stars, and a beautiful full moon.

On Tuesday we drove into the Los Angeles area 01-P1030766and toured the Brer Tar Pits, 02-P1030776  and then drove through Beverly Hills past a statue of John Wayne, 03-P1030777 11-IMG_20140114_135918 05-P1030782 cruised down Rodeo Drive, 04-P1030780 10-IMG_20140114_134318and enjoyed the sights in Hollywood. 06-P1030786 We then went over to Studio City to be part of the audience during the taping of “Last Man Standing” which airs on ABC on Friday nights. 09-P1030803 08-P1030801 Miriam Trogdon, a high school friend of mine, is a writer on the show and got us VIP tickets to the taping.  We had great seats; front row, center, and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing how a tv show is taped.

While in the LA area we spent some time shopping around for some solar panels for the RV so that we too can be desert boondockers!

Thursday morning we awoke to the sound of helicopters flying overhead and when we opened the curtains we could see a considerable amount of smoke in the distance. 1-IMG_20140116_095319 A fire, started by some careless campers, spread during the day to over 1700 acres and more than a dozen homes were destroyed.  We were about 6 miles from the area of the fire and just outside of the evacuation area.  We watched helicopters land on the lake below us to reload water and we kept a watchful eye on the local news throughout the morning.  California is suffering from a 3 year drought and there is a constant threat of fire.  The entire southwest seems very dry…in fact we can’t remember the last time we had rain.  Every day brings clear, bright blue skies with no hint of clouds or the possibility of rain.

Thursday evening we drove the short distance to Sierra Madre where we had dinner with Miriam and her husband Michael. 5-IMG_20140116_223449 3-IMG_20140116_221846 They have a beautiful home in the foothills.  It was so good seeing a high school friend and reminiscing about the past and sharing details about our lives today.

You never know what you will see in California! 2-IMG_20140117_100749 Our time in San Dimas went by much too quickly and we have plans to return in November.  With the exception of freeway traffic, we love California!!