Marina State Park, just north of the old Seaside State Park. Marie and I did a lot of flying there.
Sand dune photo follows.
Downtown Monterey was awash in tourists, so I chose to say hello to the sea lions next year. Plus, the smoke was getting in my eyes.
...
Retreated to Modesto from an attempt at a brief visit to Yosemite, no tent spaces left. Even on a Sunday, it seems, no space available without a reservation, even on a Sunday evening.
Three very young cats passed by in the twilight while I was eating. I greeted them without rising or offering food (duh....) They studiously ignored me, as felines will, while deciding if I was Food or Foe.
Tomorrow (Monday) I plan to travel to the Dunn's new home, stay there overnight, and leave for the airport about 3 a.m. PDT. Next post should be from Poulsbo, Washington, about mid week.
Since I will mostly be doing training hikes out of the same location, my posting schedule will ease off to two or three times a week, whenever anything of general interest happens. Comments? -- suggestions, complaints, disagreements, all appreciated!
Monday, June 29, 2015
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Jade Cove
Rolling north up the Coastal Highway this morning, lost in memories; stopped at Jade Cove to take a few photos and remember. It was a happier time.
A search for an open campsite near Monterey led well to the east on narrow (but paved!) roads, so I set up camp, took a hike up to the top of the hill (puff, wheeze), paid my respects to John Frémont, who ignored laws, orders from his military superiors, and the welfare of his troops in the service of this Nation's Manifest Destiny and his own personal gain. It's a recurrent theme for the leaders of America's military.
Tomorrow, touring the Monterey Peninsula. Plan for Monday's drive will take me back to the Dunn household in Castro Valley, and Tuesday morning will find me airborne for northwest Washington State.
A search for an open campsite near Monterey led well to the east on narrow (but paved!) roads, so I set up camp, took a hike up to the top of the hill (puff, wheeze), paid my respects to John Frémont, who ignored laws, orders from his military superiors, and the welfare of his troops in the service of this Nation's Manifest Destiny and his own personal gain. It's a recurrent theme for the leaders of America's military.
Tomorrow, touring the Monterey Peninsula. Plan for Monday's drive will take me back to the Dunn household in Castro Valley, and Tuesday morning will find me airborne for northwest Washington State.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Sunshine on the Ventura highway
Worked clear of the City of Freeways this morning to head west on State Route 126, also known as the Ventura Highway. It leads to the ocean beaches and Route 1, which explains the song ... I felt more like heading north to get clear of the Friday diaspora than kicking sand, and US 101, the King's Road, took me north along the coastline.
Good thing that the traffic was enough of a distraction to keep me focused on the road, or I might have driven right off the edge. The sea was giving the mountains their daily watering in great belts and tendrils of fog that blurred the differences between them -- where did the sea end and its gift to the land begin? Was it the mountain drinking the fog, or the other way around? Wonderful to watch.
And why did that RV driver think that s/he could pass an 18 wheeler on a downhill slope? Something to do with Kant's view of space and time as things we cannot learn from experience, may be.
Stopped in a mountain campsite east of Santa Margarita this evening. Dusty, with aggressive biting flies. Good enough for one night.
Good thing that the traffic was enough of a distraction to keep me focused on the road, or I might have driven right off the edge. The sea was giving the mountains their daily watering in great belts and tendrils of fog that blurred the differences between them -- where did the sea end and its gift to the land begin? Was it the mountain drinking the fog, or the other way around? Wonderful to watch.
And why did that RV driver think that s/he could pass an 18 wheeler on a downhill slope? Something to do with Kant's view of space and time as things we cannot learn from experience, may be.
Stopped in a mountain campsite east of Santa Margarita this evening. Dusty, with aggressive biting flies. Good enough for one night.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Lotusland invasion, southern front
Southbound on Interstate 5 this morning, headed for First Street in Los Angeles -- an unplanned detour to check in with the leading half of the family expansion intothe land of the Great Drought. Exits for Monterey, Paso Robles, Yosemite, and other names full of memories passed by before the road swept up and over the steep gradients going in to Greater Los Angeles.
After a third cycle through one of the freeway mixing bowls, I found myself looping by the correct address; as Katie advised, I pulled out the emergency cell phone and called Brian for parking guidance. He, Katie, and Poptart made me welcome in their new apartment -- moving up from their Brooklyn days, now on the top floor!
After a third cycle through one of the freeway mixing bowls, I found myself looping by the correct address; as Katie advised, I pulled out the emergency cell phone and called Brian for parking guidance. He, Katie, and Poptart made me welcome in their new apartment -- moving up from their Brooklyn days, now on the top floor!
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| PopTart on watch |
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
California arrival
Easy start to the day, somewhat stressful spin through the Sacramento and Oakland area freeways to reach Castro Valley. Will helped us document the successful completion of our twelve state fifteen day 4697 mile trip, and then walked us "downtown" for ice cream.
I will be leaving tomorrow for the Los Angeles area.
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Ghost towns and desert leviathans
On the road quickly again, with eager help from Sean once he realized that quick departure meant earlier biscuits and gravy at a small local restaurant in Austin, Nevada -- a town that flourished in the days of the region's big silver mines. Good food.
Last sightseeing stop, the Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park. More miles of desert highway ending in another crawl up marginally maintained dirt roads clinging to the sides of steep hills -- were we the only visitors to the fossil exhibit today? No traffic on the dirt road but a State Park truck that came barrelling down the one-lane road from the exhibit, so I pulled over to let it pass.and then continued up.
The ranger truck turned around, followed us up the hill, and pulled up right behind us. "Your timing is perfect!" he announced cheerfully, "I just locked up!" At 10:30? He reopened to let Tess and Sean tour the icthyosaur fossil mound containing 25 icthyosaur skeletons. Although one would think that the icthyosaurs were related to the dinosaurs, they were actually descended from land - based reptiles. Aggressive looking creatures, giant tarpons with toothy jaws instead of a long spike.
The current guess on the cause of the mass die off here is a toxic algae bloom that prey mollusks concentrated and passed on to the icthyosaurs. Sounds like an aquatic version of "Seymour" to me!
Down the road to the mining town and plant that hit peak production and quickly folded in the early 20th century. Nevada tourism promoters are trying to build interest in the region's history by restoring what's left of these monuments to thensure days when riches came out of the ground. In the absence of design plans, restorers have been depending on the memories of former workers still living in the area,
One interesting historical note there relates to the arrival of the horseless carriage. Two of the three drivers who brought passengers to Berlin were early adopters of the Ford Model T, but the third hung on to horse drawn carriages until 1915. Naturally, the car broke down on his first attempt, and he had to be rescued by the other drivers. (There were no details about how he was rescued, but it was likely a team of plow horses that pulled the auto back.) There is another auto that must have failed on the mountain and is still waiting for repairs.
Tess drove us away from the ghost town and down US 50, "the loneliest road in the USA" to Fallon, NV, our last stop before Hayward. We are showering and avoiding the casino co-located with the motel (or vice versa); laundry is around the corner (past another casino), and the hotel Wi Fi would not let us connect until I had a friendly insider conversation with their IT staffer. Unlike Angel Lake and Kingston Canyon, we cannot recommend Fallon for return -- but it will do well enough for tonight.
Last sightseeing stop, the Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park. More miles of desert highway ending in another crawl up marginally maintained dirt roads clinging to the sides of steep hills -- were we the only visitors to the fossil exhibit today? No traffic on the dirt road but a State Park truck that came barrelling down the one-lane road from the exhibit, so I pulled over to let it pass.and then continued up.
The ranger truck turned around, followed us up the hill, and pulled up right behind us. "Your timing is perfect!" he announced cheerfully, "I just locked up!" At 10:30? He reopened to let Tess and Sean tour the icthyosaur fossil mound containing 25 icthyosaur skeletons. Although one would think that the icthyosaurs were related to the dinosaurs, they were actually descended from land - based reptiles. Aggressive looking creatures, giant tarpons with toothy jaws instead of a long spike.
The current guess on the cause of the mass die off here is a toxic algae bloom that prey mollusks concentrated and passed on to the icthyosaurs. Sounds like an aquatic version of "Seymour" to me!
Down the road to the mining town and plant that hit peak production and quickly folded in the early 20th century. Nevada tourism promoters are trying to build interest in the region's history by restoring what's left of these monuments to thensure days when riches came out of the ground. In the absence of design plans, restorers have been depending on the memories of former workers still living in the area,
One interesting historical note there relates to the arrival of the horseless carriage. Two of the three drivers who brought passengers to Berlin were early adopters of the Ford Model T, but the third hung on to horse drawn carriages until 1915. Naturally, the car broke down on his first attempt, and he had to be rescued by the other drivers. (There were no details about how he was rescued, but it was likely a team of plow horses that pulled the auto back.) There is another auto that must have failed on the mountain and is still waiting for repairs.
Tess drove us away from the ghost town and down US 50, "the loneliest road in the USA" to Fallon, NV, our last stop before Hayward. We are showering and avoiding the casino co-located with the motel (or vice versa); laundry is around the corner (past another casino), and the hotel Wi Fi would not let us connect until I had a friendly insider conversation with their IT staffer. Unlike Angel Lake and Kingston Canyon, we cannot recommend Fallon for return -- but it will do well enough for tonight.
Monday, June 22, 2015
Nevada is a sometime thing
Idle day today, pacing our travel across northern Nevada. We rose at 6:30, though, after a blustery night that slapped the tent walls against our heads, tried to lift the rent corners, and alarmed Cocoa into rising from her place. (It's okay, Cocoa, lie down, don't step on my knees.) After a quick breakfast, we went for a walk to see the lake and the falls at the apex of the ice-carved bowl; Sean took the lead. Grand wonders were waiting for us!
After a cheery goodbye to the campground hosts, we headed off on an idle day of wandering around northern Nevada, originally looking for points of interest near Battle Mountain. What we found was a completely different part of the world.
Museums? Closed. Visitor center? Sorry, no one manning the receptionist desk at the open and silent Chamber of Commerce info center. The featured exhibit was a letter written by a graduating senior explaining how, while cities like Reno offer more entertainment and opportunity, teens growing up in rural areas like Battle Mountain forge a bond that will last forever after they leave.
Grocery store? There might be one open somewhere. Gas stations -- either go back to Battle Mountain, or try California . Since California is still a few hours away, we did backtrack, and then found our way to a Forest Service campground in Kingston Canyon. Two days ago, this site would have seemed magnificent; After Angel Lake -- well, it was okay for a night.
Tomorrow, the ghost town of Berlin -- and icthyosaurs!
After a cheery goodbye to the campground hosts, we headed off on an idle day of wandering around northern Nevada, originally looking for points of interest near Battle Mountain. What we found was a completely different part of the world.
Museums? Closed. Visitor center? Sorry, no one manning the receptionist desk at the open and silent Chamber of Commerce info center. The featured exhibit was a letter written by a graduating senior explaining how, while cities like Reno offer more entertainment and opportunity, teens growing up in rural areas like Battle Mountain forge a bond that will last forever after they leave.
Grocery store? There might be one open somewhere. Gas stations -- either go back to Battle Mountain, or try California . Since California is still a few hours away, we did backtrack, and then found our way to a Forest Service campground in Kingston Canyon. Two days ago, this site would have seemed magnificent; After Angel Lake -- well, it was okay for a night.
Tomorrow, the ghost town of Berlin -- and icthyosaurs!
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