Return to Camping - Lake Havasu Area

Thursday - Monday, January 5-9, 2017

We're feeling better and it's time to get back to camping.  We have about a week before we head back to Tucson so we spend most of that time camping at River Island State Park in Parker, AZ.  The odd thing about this area is that the time changed at the CA/AZ border, but our phones did not recognize that we were in AZ, so they did not change.  For me...no big deal because I'm generally clueless :) We planned on spending 3 nights at the campground but ended up adding a 4th night because it was said that the temperature was scheduled to get to 70° and we wanted to go on a couple little hikes in the area.  Again, the weather was unseasonally cool for the area...we're beginning to think it's us :)

During our stay here we did a short hike at River Island and a longer one at Buckskin Mountain State Park, 1.5 miles up the road.  We also spent a bit of time at Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge.  It had been a while since we hiked and/or walked much of any distance and Wilson and I both agreed that it was nice to get back at it.  My body certainly felt the absence of exercise and any thing that I might have gained and/or built up felt like it was lost...the only good thing was that the next day I didn't feel sore :)  It was on these hikes that Wilson and I began our education on various cacti and desert plants.  It was a good base for one of our upcoming stops.

Buckskin Mtn. Trail

Buckskin Mtn. Mine

There are interesting things wherever you go and always a story that goes along with it.  In Havasu City there is a bridge that was originally built in the 1830s which crossed the Thames River in London, then taken apart and put back together here in 1967.  The bridge is a working bridge that crosses the Colorado River.  The Colorado River is one of the most heavily dammed rivers in the world.  There is a dam here as well and it was interesting to learn a little bit about how the dam works as well as where the water flows to.

London Bridge - Arizona

                                       
Bluewater Resort and Casino is also located in Parker.  Wilson and I both signed up for new cards which gave us each $10 in free play along with a buy 1 lunch and get the second free, which we took advantage of as we left this area.  Wilson and I both left with a little of the casinos money, covering our lunch bill and a couple of beers from the night before.

Leave Needles, CA - 11:07am (CA Time)
Rte. - 40E►95S►Exit 9 toward Havasu City
Arrive - River Island State Park, Parker, AZ - 12:45pm(CA phone time)/1:45pm real AZ time
Miles Traveled - 68.3

In Search of Warmer Weather

Tuesday - Thursday, January 3-5, 2017

The weather on the coast of California was a chilly and wet, so after only a couple of nights there Wilson and I had had enough, we wanted warmth and sunshine.  The only plan we had was to drive east toward Arizona in the hopes of finding warmer weather and less rain.  California really needs the rain so we couldn't really begrudge their weather, but we didn't have to endure it either :)  We packed up Alex and headed east....of course we had to stop by a local bakery and Starbucks before we left.  If you are ever in Los Osos, CA I would suggest you stop at Carlock's Bakery, which is right next to the Starbucks.  They have so many yummy treats there...filled pastries, donuts, bagels, cakes, cookies....you name it, they make it.  Wilson and I sampled a German Bierock which was filled with ground beef, onions, and cabbage, a giant bagel, and some Asian filled thing that was basically a giant dumpling...the texture of the last one was a bit doughy and odd, but the filling was delicious.

Anyway, back to the trip....Wilson and I ended up on the road for nine hours.  It didn't really seem that long.  We ended up on the border town of Needles, CA.  We didn't plan for a campground and there wasn't a local Walmart that allowed camping so we ended up at a Quality Inn.  It was a nice room and our plan was only to spend the night but we ended up spending two.  I woke up feeling fine but ended up getting a 24hr bug of some sort so we decided not to chance being too far away from a bathroom :) Wilson explained the situation to Jessy at the desk and she was very sympathetic and used her own hotel points to give us the extra night at no charge...She was incredibly generous, going above and beyond to help us out.  She also guided Wilson to a local garage, as we had picked up a nail or something the night before and one of Carrie's tires had a leak.  It's so nice to meet such wonderful people while on our travels.  I spent the day in bed while Wilson explored the area a little bit...of course, wouldn't you know it, he also picked up the bug and spent the later part of the afternoon in bed too.  

If you are ever in Needles, CA and in need of a place to stay you should stop by the Quality Inn. There isn't much in Needles which we found out.  We wanted to get Jessy some flowers as a thank you and stopped by a local business to ask for a florist or grocery store, something like that, and was informed that the grocery went out of business a year or so ago...Needles is on Historic Route 66.  We travelled 70 miles on this historic route and boy was it depressing.  I had expected the route to be filled with businesses with flashy neon lights highlighting Route 66 but on the stretch that we drove all we saw were desolated areas that clearly had had a Hey Day, but were now abandoned heaps of junk.  I'm sure there are areas along the route that would fit my imagination and we actually found a bit of that in Needles....still "progress" can have such depressing end results.

     

Conversation Topics:

• Interesting to see Pistachio Trees side by side and across working oil fields....how do pistachio and other nuts grow?  We know that the cashew grows on top of a fruit that looks sort of like a bell pepper, having seen them in Brazil.
• When we see grapes growing we automatically assume they are being grown for wine, but what about eating grapes?  Are they grown in the same way?  Where are the grapes that we eat grown?
• General thoughts on roads and such
• Did you know that in Texas they have secondary roads that are marked as FM, or Farm Road?  On Farm Roads animals have the right of way, so if you run into a cow or horse on one of these roads it is considered the fault of the driver and they can be sued by the farmer.
• California Speed Limit for vehicles towing as well as tractor trailers is 55mph
• In the west you don't say Interstate 10 or I-10 you just call it the 10

Leave Montaña de Oro Campground - 7:44am

Arrive Carrlock's Bakery & Starbucks - 8:00am

Miles Traveled - 5.4

Leave Starbucks - 8:55am

Rte. 1N to Morro Bay (Exit 278) 

Gas - Morro Food Mart - $2.61/gal - a steal, as the average gas price was probably $2.99/gal or a little more

Rte. 1N►41N►101N►46E►99S►58E►40E►Historic Route 66 (exit 50)►40E (Rte. 66 for approximately 70 mi)

Gas - AM/PM (Arco) - approx. 30 mi west of Barstow - $2.49/gal

Arrive Needles, CA - 5:51pm

Miles Traveled - 439.1 

The California Coast

Sunday - Tuesday, January 1-3, 2017

It's weird to writing 2017 especially for me because I have a very poor sense of time.  The beginning of a new year always holds such promise.  I do hope that 2017 proves to be the best year ever!

January 1, we left the hotel life to get back on the camping circuit.  Many of the campgrounds that we looked at staying along the coast were booked.  Apparently a lot of people camp during the holiday week.  After looking online we decided to head to Montaña de Oro , a California State Park in Los Osos, CA ($25/night - Senior discount $23/night).  We stayed here for two nights and would have probably stayed longer had it not been so rainy and cold.  The park itself is right on the coast with gorgeous views.  For those of you who think the gorgeous views include me, as shown in the picture below, you would be absolutely right :)

                                             

While Alex was set up here at this campground we spent a day with Carrie travelling up the coast on Route 1, which follows the coastline.  The day was overcast and drizzly but we still enjoyed it. We stopped by Hearst Castle in San Simeon.  Well we didn't actually see the "castle", but we did peruse the visitor center for a while.  Neither of us felt that we needed to spend the money to tour a rich persons garish home as we saw a enough of a sampling of the opulence at the Visitor Center.  We also learned a bit about the Hearst family and their philanthropic work, especially William Randolph's mother, Phoebe, who donated not only money but also her time to various educational endeavors for women and children.  She actually started an organization called the National Congress of Women, which was a forerunner of the modern PTA.

While at the Hearst Castle Visitor Center we found out about an observation area for Elephant Seals a few miles up the road.  We spent quite a bit of time watching the seals, as there were hundreds, maybe thousands on shore.  During this time of the year the female seals are giving birth on shore....this is also a mating time as well.  The seals are not cute by any stretch but they were interesting to learn about and watch.  We just missed having seen a baby born...which we knew based on the flock of gulls swarming the area.  Apparently when a seal is giving birth the gulls swarm because they eat the afterbirth.,,,yum, yum...When giving birth to Gabriela one of the delivery nurses spoke of people in Plainfield doing this...not something that particularly interests me :)

Check out the schnoz on this seal and you'll know why they're called elephant seals.

For more information about the Elephant Seals check this website - Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

Leave Camarillo, CA - 11:10am
Rte. 101N to Exit 200B for Osos Valley Rd.
Arrive Montaña de Oro Campground - 2:18pm
Miles Traveled - 160

Where the heck are you?

I must apologize to my faithful blog readers as I have been remiss in my postings.  Several reasons for this which include, but are not limited to; poor Internet connections, Wilson and I both got sick for a couple of days, the proper writing environment, time, and of course pure laziness on my part :)

Wilson and I are currently in Mexico now visiting a friend.  The Internet is fast, I'm feeling good, and the environment is conducive to writing....of course the laziness part may settle in again so please be patient with me.  Luckily I had the last three posts in queue waiting to be published and I have a couple drafted so all I will need to do is copy and paste....so you'll definitely have something to read, even if my laziness takes over :)

As I play catch up with the blog, I'm also thinking about the past and the fact that this is the anniversary of my mother's death...she visited me in my dream last night :)  She is with me, always.

So...back to the blog - Happy New Year!  Actually I say that because I wanted to post the picture I took at dinner, where I was celebrating East Coast New Years....finally, I was able to stay up to watch the ball drop, but the tv got changed too late and I missed it :(

Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum & Library Pictures

From Left to Right:

1. 1980 Presidential Campaign Question
2. At the inauguration podium 
3. 10,000 jelly bean portrait
4. Air Force One and motorcade - actual plane that served presidents Nixon, Carter, Ford, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, and George W. Bush (I wasn't that impressed, I expected it to be a lot more lush :)
5. Picture of me going into Air Force One - a memento to remember my trip that I could purchase for $25...of course you don't know how much it will cost til you get to the counter - an excellent marketing/sales tool as most people didn't wait in line and then not buy.  I on the other hand had no intention to purchase but I wanted to see the picture....because I was along the people behind me could still be seen vs. making it look like it was just me...Being too cheap to purchase I went online to view it and took a picture of it from the laptop :)
6. Ariel view of Marine One helicopter that flew President Johnson
7. Side view of Marine One - check out the special driver inside the cabin
8. The suit that President Reagan's wore the day he was shot - check out the two white bullet holes.  The suit was brand new and he was making jokes about it while at the hospital. 
9. Replica of the Oval Office as it was during Reagan's tenure
10. A piece of the Berlin Wall
11. A 1926 Nikola Tesla quote regarding innovation and future communication technology - It's amazing how accurate he was
12. The final resting place for Nancy & Ronald Reagan

 

Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum & Library

December 30, 2016

We were told that we should go to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum & Library so we set out to do that on Friday the 30th.....getting there the line of cars was way down the hill which promised to be a very crowded experience.  We decided against fighting the crowds and set off to explore the area on our own.  We ended up finding the Strathearn Museum run by the Simi Valley Historical Society, which includes the Strathearn house and other buildings as well as a display of various farm tools large & small.  It was a quaint museum, which you can tell was put together by a group of well intentioned people who love their town.  There was not a lot of cohesiveness to it which was a big part of it's charm.

December 31, 2016
I head off to the Ronald Reagan Museum on my own today.  Wilson has decided against the possible crowds and prefers to watch the college bowl games.  That works out fine as I think it's good that we have time a part sometimes to do the things on our own.  I also tend to like to spend more time in places like this...indeed I spent 4.5 hours touring the museum.

The day started out great!  I got to the museum at 10:30am and had no problem parking.  I parked in the main lot vs. down the hill where a shuttle is used to transport.  I then walk to the main doors and as I approach I'm offered a membership ticket from a woman who picked up too many tickets...Yeah! That saved me $21...gotta love that!  Random acts of kindness are so appreciated on the receiving end as well as the giving end.

That savings and the fact that I got 10 ¢ off gas because of my SafeWay card...it's my lucky day! Looks like dinner out for New Years!

Reagan was an interesting man...amazingly popular and filled with ideas that were often times unpopular, but he got a lot done...The whole experience felt as if he was narrating as there were so many video and audio clips of him.  Much was also made of his relationship with Nancy, apparently it was a true love affair.

Paterson - A Movie Review

There was a limited release of a new movie called Paterson and Wilson and I were very excited to be able to see it at The Landmark Theater in Los Angeles. I felt as if I was practically going to a premier of the film (look I even dressed up for the occasion).

    

Why was I so excited to see it you might ask?....go ahead and ask....ok, I'll tell you...The poems that were used in the film were written by our poet friend Ron Padgett.  He is a well respected, well published poet and author...but most of all, he's just a really good friend.

The movie is about a bus driver who writes poetry in Paterson, NJ.  Ironically the bus driver is named Paterson (Adam Driver). The movie chronicles a week of his life with much of the focus on his daily routine and the composition of poems which he keeps in a little notebook.  The supporting characters, which include his wife Laura (Golshifteh Farahani), a lovesick friend from the local bar, Everett (William Jackson Harper), and his dog Marvin (Nellie) offer a bit of comic relief from Paterson's day to day life.  The various "randomness" of people Paterson encounters during his day also lend a surrealness to his daily experiences.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the movie, as I really was just excited about it because Ron's poems were being highlighted.  I must admit that I spent the first half hour or so waiting for something to happen until I realized that I was actually missing the point of the film.  In a Seinfieldish way I could describe it as a movie about nothing, but that would be far from the truth.  I think it would be better described as a movie that highlights life as we all know it, a life of routine with bits and pieces that add color to it each day if you stop to pay attention.  Ron's poems highlight the ordinary while adding a layer to the subtle and not so subtle aspects of the movie.  I left the movie feeling hopeful and appreciative of the little things of everyday life.

I also left the film thinking that I could also write about the everyday or the little things that one might not notice in daily life...I have actually been inspired in the past to write a couple of poems based on my observations while waiting in NYC for a computer from the Apple Store...I thought they were pretty good but they are long gone now, so I can't share those (I'm sure you are disappointed).  What I can share are a few random thoughts that I wrote down while Wilson drove the 50 minutes back to where we were staying....who knows I may be inspired to attempt my hand at poetry again...:)

• "As a courtesy to our neighbors please refrain from honking" - a sign I read while listening to several cars honk their horn in the parking lot of the theater
• Hiccup
• Mulholland Drive, Ventura Boulevard, Santa Monica Boulevard - California seems so familiar - the influence of movies & television even when you don't realize it
• Car lights travelling both lanes of the highway are reminiscent of red & white strands of Christmas lights - depending on which direction you are looking from - traffic, traffic, California traffic
• Sense of confidence, feeling of strength in reference to California drivers - of course they're crazy drivers and often inconsiderate as I've noted before, but they do it with great confidence :)

Thanks Ron!

Goodbye San Diego, Hello Camarillo & Penny, Mike & Family

Wednesday-Sunday, December 28, 2016 - January 1, 2017 

It's time to move on...so it's time to say so long to Gabriela and San Diego.  Wilson wants to tour the coast a bit and I want to meet up with one of my friends from Randall Street, who now lives outside of LA.

We decide to go to Camarillo which is located in an area that suits both purposes.  Camarillo is a agricultural area..huge farms cultivating all sorts of vegetables on a large scale.  Driving by this area makes me realize how much work goes into growing the food we eat.  I've always appreciated farmers, but my thought process was always on dairy farmers as that was what I had personal experience (no not me, but my father's family) with.  Watching people work the fields, picking produce gave me a new appreciation for the produce farmers....plus the fields were very beautiful...although there is drought in California, this area is lush and green.

Leave San Diego, CA - 10:45am
Rte. - 8E►15N►91W►71N►57N►210W►134W (turns to 101N)
Arrive Camarillo, CA 3:25pm
Miles Traveled - 198

Thursday, December 29, 2016
After some back & forth with my friend Mike, who happened to live two doors down from me growing up, we have decided to meet in Santa Monica.  Wilson and I feel like we know Santa Monica a little bit because we spent a night there last year and explored a bit.  We met Mike, his wife and three kids and his mother Penny who was visiting.  Penny still lives two doors down from where I grew up.  It was a treat to see her and I think she enjoyed seeing a familiar face from home...crazy that we have to cross the country to have lunch together.

Our time was short, but I was happy that we had the opportunity to visit.  Perhaps next time it can be longer.  We had a delicious lunch at a place called Tender Greens...think Chipolte but for salads...everything was so fresh and delicious, I would recommend to anyone.  I had a salad with falafal and Wilson had a seared tuna..actually I think it was a Nichoise, filled with olives, capers, quail egg and more...Yummy!

Old Town & Torrey Pines State Park

San Diego has been a mix of sun and rain.  Between the rainy times we worked in a little sightseeing.

December 26, 2016

San Diego, like many cities is divided into various regions.  We were staying with Gabriela at a house that she was house sitting in Mission Hills.  A short walk from there is an area known as Old Town. There are many shops set to look like the old west.  We actually walked into a tobacco shop that was very aromatic and which there were many old style pipes on display.  The man working behind the desk was smoking a cigar dressed in the style of an old west bartender...very cute.  We basically walked around absorbing the scene.  We were told that there would be bonfires down there but we could not find them and the cigar guy didn't know anything about them :)  There is an area of shops called Fiesta de Reyes which was an enjoyable area to people watch.  Wilson had a couple of tacos from a stand which were quite delicious.

Old Town:

      

 

 


December 28, 2016

Torrey Pines State Park is one of the places that Gabriela likes to go.  We decided since it was such a nice day that we should go to the park, where we could hike and enjoy the beach.  Matthew (american spelling), a friend of Gabriela's from France, is here now visiting and he joined us on the hike....prior to hiking we went to The Holiday H.S. Basketball Tournament sponsored by Under Armour at Torrey Pines H.S. (fancy, fancy).  The tournament is by invitation only and incorporated national teams from Ohio & Maryland.  The play was very good and it was actually pretty enjoyable even if we didn't know anyone.  Lucky for us we sat behind the ass who is constantly calling the refs out on their missed calls and beside a parent for the visiting team who throughout the game was Whoooo Hoooo in a very high pitched tone....of course I attempted to mimic multiple times :)

Torrey Pines S.P. - even squirrels like a day at the beach :)