We are headed back west today. An hour or two to the beach town of Pismo Beach.
Before the envy sets in too much the latest weather forecast is for the "highs" to not get out of the 60's.... What gives here.....
We walked down the the beach and tested the water, which was the coldest yet. Then headed over to one of the local restaurants to sample some of their world famous New England style clam chowder. It "was" pretty darn good. We came out stuffed.
Perhaps we can drag some of the 80/90s we have had at Paso down to the beach with us... We shall see.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Day 49 - 55 May 11-17 Paso Robles, wine country
The Pass of the Oaks.
We were looking for a place to unwind after the weeks in SD and LA. Just seemed like we needed some time to just relax and chill from our hard vacationing. While we did know what we were in for before we rolled into this snallish town, we were totally unaware of this area before we started researching it.
Any wine connoisseurs in the audience are probably up in arms about now. Seems this region surrounding Paso Robles was voted 2013 wine region of the year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine at its annual Wine Star Awards. They vineyard folks to seem to be rather proud of the award.
While wine making has been going on here since 1797 by the Spanish conquistadors and Franciscan missionaries the region has just exploded with vineyards since the late 60's and early 70's. The area now boasts somewhere in the neighborhood of 200. There are only a few that produce enough to be called large, many just produce a few thousand cases are year. Small by Napa standards I suppose. But it's gold rush all over again except rather than gold it's the grape that is sought after.
So, rather than sitting in the trailer, sitting out side the trailer, sitting by the pool, sitting in the hot tub, our chosen form of relaxation was to visit a few wineries (no not all 200) to see what the hub hub is all about. They were having one of the several wine festivals during our stay so we opted to add a day or two to our stay.
Fortunately the downtown festival area was off limits to children so we could not go. I say fortunately as almost all of the folks manning the tasting rooms indicated they personally would not have gone, just too much of a mad house and it had turned into just wine tasting booths, apparently none of the other things one thinks of when one thinks of a festival.
Several of the wineries had a bit more going at their tasting rooms Friday and Sat so we opted to visit the wineries instead. We only had to put Rosalie in the corner at a couple of the rooms. Some had coloring stations for the kids (which is greatly appreciated), others had live music which seems to fascinate the girl these days.
We spend one day running over to visit Hearst Castle just over the mountain ridge on the coast at San Simion. It looked to be a testament to excess but I suppose it was a form of wealth transfer as Hearst did manager to keep a number of builders busy for several years.
The castle grounds have been donated to the state to preserve as a park of sorts. Apparently efforts to sell the place were unsuccessful so it was donated. No funding to provide for upkeep/repairs was provided with the deal. If it were not for the many works of old, some ancient pieces of art work that Hearst had collected over the years that was included in the donation, one might be thinking that the Hearst Corp managed to unload a white elephant. But, one supposes sale of the artifacts might help fund the place for a good while. Fortunately that has not had to happen, on a large scale at least.
On the way back from the castle we stopped at an Ocean overlook and managed to spot a couple of whales off the beach just a bit. We have no idea what kind all we could see was a bit of their back and spouts as they surfaced for a breath. But, at least we were not totally skunked as far as seeing whales is concerned.
Some pictures of the area: Picasa Web Album
We were looking for a place to unwind after the weeks in SD and LA. Just seemed like we needed some time to just relax and chill from our hard vacationing. While we did know what we were in for before we rolled into this snallish town, we were totally unaware of this area before we started researching it.
Any wine connoisseurs in the audience are probably up in arms about now. Seems this region surrounding Paso Robles was voted 2013 wine region of the year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine at its annual Wine Star Awards. They vineyard folks to seem to be rather proud of the award.
While wine making has been going on here since 1797 by the Spanish conquistadors and Franciscan missionaries the region has just exploded with vineyards since the late 60's and early 70's. The area now boasts somewhere in the neighborhood of 200. There are only a few that produce enough to be called large, many just produce a few thousand cases are year. Small by Napa standards I suppose. But it's gold rush all over again except rather than gold it's the grape that is sought after.
So, rather than sitting in the trailer, sitting out side the trailer, sitting by the pool, sitting in the hot tub, our chosen form of relaxation was to visit a few wineries (no not all 200) to see what the hub hub is all about. They were having one of the several wine festivals during our stay so we opted to add a day or two to our stay.
Fortunately the downtown festival area was off limits to children so we could not go. I say fortunately as almost all of the folks manning the tasting rooms indicated they personally would not have gone, just too much of a mad house and it had turned into just wine tasting booths, apparently none of the other things one thinks of when one thinks of a festival.
Several of the wineries had a bit more going at their tasting rooms Friday and Sat so we opted to visit the wineries instead. We only had to put Rosalie in the corner at a couple of the rooms. Some had coloring stations for the kids (which is greatly appreciated), others had live music which seems to fascinate the girl these days.
We spend one day running over to visit Hearst Castle just over the mountain ridge on the coast at San Simion. It looked to be a testament to excess but I suppose it was a form of wealth transfer as Hearst did manager to keep a number of builders busy for several years.
The castle grounds have been donated to the state to preserve as a park of sorts. Apparently efforts to sell the place were unsuccessful so it was donated. No funding to provide for upkeep/repairs was provided with the deal. If it were not for the many works of old, some ancient pieces of art work that Hearst had collected over the years that was included in the donation, one might be thinking that the Hearst Corp managed to unload a white elephant. But, one supposes sale of the artifacts might help fund the place for a good while. Fortunately that has not had to happen, on a large scale at least.
On the way back from the castle we stopped at an Ocean overlook and managed to spot a couple of whales off the beach just a bit. We have no idea what kind all we could see was a bit of their back and spouts as they surfaced for a breath. But, at least we were not totally skunked as far as seeing whales is concerned.
Some pictures of the area: Picasa Web Album
Day 48 May 10 - Leaving LA behind, off to Paso
We are off to a place called Paso Robles (The Pass of the Oaks).
We were fortunate to get out of LA without incident. The driver of the crew will not miss that LA traffic. It was not so much that there were problems maneuvering the 50 foot beast, it was just the potential of it. I suppose the truckers do get used to it, though I'm not sure we would.
It's off to Paso Robles just a hop skip and a long jump north of LA.
We were fortunate to get out of LA without incident. The driver of the crew will not miss that LA traffic. It was not so much that there were problems maneuvering the 50 foot beast, it was just the potential of it. I suppose the truckers do get used to it, though I'm not sure we would.
It's off to Paso Robles just a hop skip and a long jump north of LA.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Day 47 - May 9 Anaheim, Ca - Day 7 - The great whale hunt
We headed to Newport Beach Pier to hop on a whale watching tour. But alas, we were skunked. I think the first skunk trip in awhile for these folks. We did manage to see a large number of dolphin that followed the bow of the boat for a good distance. That and some great views of the coast line from Newport Beach south.
 |
| We are here, where are they??? |
 | |
| No whales, might as well be cute then.. |
After the boat returned we walked the pier abit. The ladies rode on the "could be the worlds longest Ferris wheel ride", as it was billed, on the pier.
 |
| Could be the worlds longest ride |
We had appetizers and libations at a nice place overlooking the marina, topped off with an ice cream Sunday. Then a last drive through LA rush hour traffic back to the trailer.
Los Angeles pics : Picasa web pics
Day 46 - May 8 Anaheim, Ca - Day 6 - Laguna beach day
It's beach day....
Finally a day at the beach, well the closest we come to a day at the beach.
We headed off to the artsy town of Laguna Beach with the intent to find a nice spot to play in the water and sand then watch the sunset with a libation in hand and perhaps a dinner over looking the beach.
We did manage to pack all that into a single day and not have to veer to far off of the main beach area of Laguna.
 |
| Sunset in Laguna Beach |
Day 45 - May 7 Anaheim, Ca - Day 5 - Recover from Disneyland
A day to relax/recover from the mouse experience, do a bit of laundry, empty the tanks, the usual mundane stuff that makes blogs rather boring to read....
Day 44 - May 6 Anaheim, Ca - Day 4 - Disneyland
Today was mouse day. Well mouse, duck, dog, etc...
 |
| Time to get up |
The RV park where we are staying has a stop off point for the local shuttle. For a few dollars they will come by ever 25 mins or so. The nice thing is this park is the first pick up and first drop off point. So, we knew we would have a seat going and not much of a ride coming home.
Disneyland was as expected and a bit disappointing I suppose. For the most part the line were long, though I suppose the length is relative. Probably longer mid summer, shorter when it snows...
 |
| waiting.... |
The iconic It's A Small World and Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland were closed for repairs. I suppose getting ready for the summer season. Some of the larger ride, Space Mountain, Thunder Mt Railroad apparently broke down mid afternoon. We talked to one fella who had raced to get the quick pass tickets only to have the majority of rides (3-4 or so) having close/broken by the time they were to ride.
The wait to see the movie "Frozen" characters was 5 hours at opening time and had shortened down to 4 hours by the time we got there about 10:30 or so. Needless to say we skipped it.
All in all leads one to ask "Is this any way to run a railroad?" Guess so, they have been doing it for a long time and do not seem to be suffering for lack of attendance..
Bottom line for visitors: Be strong, be patient, be strong.
We did however have a great time. Did not get to see all we wanted, but enough for this trip. I'm sure we will get to one of the D's again some day.
 | |
| Texas Trio at Disneyland |
Day 43 - May 5 Anaheim, Ca - Day 3 - ???
The trouble with getting up there in years, combined with not taking notes, combined with having sooo much fun has finally taken it's toll....
We cannot recall what we did today (does not help that this was written a week later.. :o) )..
Oh well, I'm sure it was a grand time....
We cannot recall what we did today (does not help that this was written a week later.. :o) )..
Oh well, I'm sure it was a grand time....
Day 42 - May 4 Anaheim, Ca - Day 2 - Central Farmers Market
Today we ventured to the down town area of LA to visit the central farmers market.
We were interested in seeing what they had going on for the Cinco De Mayo celebration down at the market so we headed out and made it there about noon time. The market seems to be a daily market with three - 4 vegetable vendors and a plethora of food vendors from all over, Mexican, seafood, Chinese, German, Japanese, etc.
We had a rather large burrito and Rosalie had a few custom fried shrimp. We walked around a bit but did not find anything out of the ordinary so headed of toward Santa Monica and Malibu.
The drive up the coast highway from Santa Monica to Malibu was a busy one, lots of traffic to contend with and only a few glimpses of the actual beach area.
We turned around somewhere in Malibu when we stopped to check out a misbehaving tire.
We went back to Santa Moncia and found a parking spot a mile or so south of the pier and amusement park. The pier looked to be soo crowded that we were not too interested in visiting it anyway. To be expected on a Sunday I suppose.
The pier at Santa Monica
We were interested in seeing what they had going on for the Cinco De Mayo celebration down at the market so we headed out and made it there about noon time. The market seems to be a daily market with three - 4 vegetable vendors and a plethora of food vendors from all over, Mexican, seafood, Chinese, German, Japanese, etc.
 |
| At the central farmers market |
We had a rather large burrito and Rosalie had a few custom fried shrimp. We walked around a bit but did not find anything out of the ordinary so headed of toward Santa Monica and Malibu.
The drive up the coast highway from Santa Monica to Malibu was a busy one, lots of traffic to contend with and only a few glimpses of the actual beach area.
We turned around somewhere in Malibu when we stopped to check out a misbehaving tire.
We went back to Santa Moncia and found a parking spot a mile or so south of the pier and amusement park. The pier looked to be soo crowded that we were not too interested in visiting it anyway. To be expected on a Sunday I suppose.
The pier at Santa Monica
Day 41 - May 3 Anaheim, Ca - Day 1
Today was our first adventure into the LA traffic pulling a 38 foot box behind us.
Fortunately it was a quick/short hop up to LA from Chula Vista, traffic was moving for the most part, slow at times.
The RV park we are staying at is just outside of the Disneyland gates, so if we sat out our chairs and looked off in the distance we could see the aerial portion of Disneyland's Friday - Sunday night fireworks. We took advantage of it each night we were there.
While here we are planning to visit Disneyland, a couple beaches, perhaps Universal Studios and who knows what else..
Fortunately it was a quick/short hop up to LA from Chula Vista, traffic was moving for the most part, slow at times.
The RV park we are staying at is just outside of the Disneyland gates, so if we sat out our chairs and looked off in the distance we could see the aerial portion of Disneyland's Friday - Sunday night fireworks. We took advantage of it each night we were there.
While here we are planning to visit Disneyland, a couple beaches, perhaps Universal Studios and who knows what else..
Day 40 - May 2 San Diego, Chula Vista RV park day 7
Today is the last day in San Diego.
We headed up to La Jolla for the afternoon. After much driving around the Seal Rock, La Jolla Cove area we headed down to the main beach area where we managed to soak up some sun and surf. Then we headed off to another area where we took in one of the seal and sea lion sun soaking areas. We did manage to see a few.
Back to the RV park to prep for tomorrows trip to LA.
San Diego Pics: Picasa San Diego
We headed up to La Jolla for the afternoon. After much driving around the Seal Rock, La Jolla Cove area we headed down to the main beach area where we managed to soak up some sun and surf. Then we headed off to another area where we took in one of the seal and sea lion sun soaking areas. We did manage to see a few.
 |
| La Jolla Seals |
Back to the RV park to prep for tomorrows trip to LA.
San Diego Pics: Picasa San Diego
Friday, May 2, 2014
Day 39 - May 1 San Diego, Chula Vista RV park day 6, The zoo
Today was Zoo day.
Link to the Zoo. San Diego Zoo
We managed to last about 8 hours with the animals before they closed and chased us out. We were a bit concerned when we got there as there seemed to be about 10 bus loads of school kids. But for the most part it was not crowded at all.
We managed to see lots of reptiles, and other animals such as the polar bears ( in San Diego???) and Pandas and of course lots of monkeys with a rhino and hippo thrown in. We did not get to the elephants or the big cats. We got stuck in the lost forest area, an aptly named section of the park. I think they purposely made that area very confusing. They definitely need to fire the folks that made the maps for that section of the park.
If you ever plan to go to this zoo, be prepared. It has to be the hilliest park in existence. Lots of up and down trails. While it does make for a nice backdrop behind the exhibits the hills can get to be a bit much.
Back on the San Diego freeway at the tail end of rush hour and the starving crew was back home for a great crock pot chicken courtesy of our own on board master chef... (hint: it's not the Minnesota boy..)
Link to the Zoo. San Diego Zoo
We managed to last about 8 hours with the animals before they closed and chased us out. We were a bit concerned when we got there as there seemed to be about 10 bus loads of school kids. But for the most part it was not crowded at all.
We managed to see lots of reptiles, and other animals such as the polar bears ( in San Diego???) and Pandas and of course lots of monkeys with a rhino and hippo thrown in. We did not get to the elephants or the big cats. We got stuck in the lost forest area, an aptly named section of the park. I think they purposely made that area very confusing. They definitely need to fire the folks that made the maps for that section of the park.
If you ever plan to go to this zoo, be prepared. It has to be the hilliest park in existence. Lots of up and down trails. While it does make for a nice backdrop behind the exhibits the hills can get to be a bit much.
Back on the San Diego freeway at the tail end of rush hour and the starving crew was back home for a great crock pot chicken courtesy of our own on board master chef... (hint: it's not the Minnesota boy..)
Day 38 - April 30 San Diego, Chula Vista RV park day 5, Soak some sun
Nothing to report today. A day at the RV park.
We had a warning message come on the truck a few days ago, said to check the coolant additive. Seems these diesel engines are particular about their coolants. So, it was off to the local deal bright and early to get that taken care of. Add a bit of the "special" stuff, pay the bill, and back on the road.
The rest of the day was dedicated to soaking/swimming/relaxing, that stuff one is really supposed to do when on vacation.....
We had a warning message come on the truck a few days ago, said to check the coolant additive. Seems these diesel engines are particular about their coolants. So, it was off to the local deal bright and early to get that taken care of. Add a bit of the "special" stuff, pay the bill, and back on the road.
The rest of the day was dedicated to soaking/swimming/relaxing, that stuff one is really supposed to do when on vacation.....
Day 37 - April 29 San Diego, Chula Vista RV park day 4, Silver Strand and Imperial Beaches
This afternoon was a real honest to goodness beach day.
We finally made it to the beach for some play time. Silver Strand is a stretch of Beach that connects Coronado to the main land. Much of the southern spit had been taken over by the Military for a training ground but there is a good stretch none the less.
So we played, soaked, played and soaked. Rosalie had a blast running into the waves and pretending she was scared to death of he tall waves coming in. (Tall = about 6" to 1 foot). The water was typical Pacific beach, on the cold side not at all like the Gulf waters. But once we got in we sort of got used to it. Had to drag the little one out when the neighbors started complaining about the loud teeth chattering sound coming from our direction.. ( not really).
After a sand rinsing we headed down toward Imperial beach were we managed to snag a decent parking spot and made a bee line for the pier. The surfers were out in force next to the pier so they made for some rather enjoyable entertainment while waiting for the sun set off the end of the pier.
We are happy to report that the sun did indeed set without too much havoc being reigned.
We had a hard time finding a place for dinner. Seems this part of Imperial Beach is not a strong hold of beach side restaurants. So, we settled for getting out of our comfort zone a bit and tried a Tia restaurant. After some consternation with the menu we settled in for a nice (successful) meal.
Silver Strand State Beach
Imperial Beach Pier
We finally made it to the beach for some play time. Silver Strand is a stretch of Beach that connects Coronado to the main land. Much of the southern spit had been taken over by the Military for a training ground but there is a good stretch none the less.
So we played, soaked, played and soaked. Rosalie had a blast running into the waves and pretending she was scared to death of he tall waves coming in. (Tall = about 6" to 1 foot). The water was typical Pacific beach, on the cold side not at all like the Gulf waters. But once we got in we sort of got used to it. Had to drag the little one out when the neighbors started complaining about the loud teeth chattering sound coming from our direction.. ( not really).
After a sand rinsing we headed down toward Imperial beach were we managed to snag a decent parking spot and made a bee line for the pier. The surfers were out in force next to the pier so they made for some rather enjoyable entertainment while waiting for the sun set off the end of the pier.
We are happy to report that the sun did indeed set without too much havoc being reigned.
We had a hard time finding a place for dinner. Seems this part of Imperial Beach is not a strong hold of beach side restaurants. So, we settled for getting out of our comfort zone a bit and tried a Tia restaurant. After some consternation with the menu we settled in for a nice (successful) meal.
Silver Strand State Beach
Imperial Beach Pier
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Pictures for various dates
I'm trying, seems there still is not enough hours in the day.
Below are some links to a Picasa web album. I'll get these moved back into the appropriate days eventually. Just wanted to get them up here for now. No captions on the pictures... There may be more to come later...
Carlsbad Nm.
Alamogordo, Nm:
Tombstone, Az
Tucson, Az
Desert Hot Springs, Ca
Temecula, Ca
San Diego, Ca
Update: The original posts have been updated to include these picture links. They typically will be on the last page for a given location. ( unless they are not.... )
Below are some links to a Picasa web album. I'll get these moved back into the appropriate days eventually. Just wanted to get them up here for now. No captions on the pictures... There may be more to come later...
Carlsbad Nm.
Alamogordo, Nm:
Tombstone, Az
Tucson, Az
Desert Hot Springs, Ca
Temecula, Ca
San Diego, Ca
Update: The original posts have been updated to include these picture links. They typically will be on the last page for a given location. ( unless they are not.... )
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)