Saturday, November 4, 2017

Santa Barbara

So, there we were in sunny Southern California, driving in to Los Angeles on the 5 with four lines of 60 mile an hour traffic. Out of no where, "Boom"! Turns out we touched mirrors with a tractor trailer. No damage and no harm, but it sure got our attention. Driving an RV takes a full time commitment, no letting you eyes wonder looking at the landscape. 

The plan was to meet our son Scott, his wife Leigh and our granddaughter Julia in Santa Barbara as they had rented a house there for a week. It had a rough start when we discovered the campground we had reservations at was far north of Santa Barbara on top of a mountain with no Internet, cell service or even 50 amp electricity which we need to run our air conditioners.  We quickly checked in, checked out, and headed back down the mountain. We were able to get the last spot in a campground in Ventura but we didn't get there until after dark. We pulled in and say that there was a party going on. Dozens of kids on bicycles with glow ropes on their wheels and musical entertainment. If we weren't so beat, it would have been exciting. As it was, they had a guide lead us to our space that required a back in. We disconnected the car and then spent 20 minutes trying to get into the space led by a kid who didn't know right from left. In order to get in, we had to drive forward between trees and twist back into the space. Ultimately, two guys came out of the RV's in the spaces on each side of us and within minutes we were hooked. RV folks are pretty nice.

Next morning, we drove up to Santa Barbara. Over the next few days, we did a lot of sight seeing and hiked to the top of a park for a great view of the Pacific.


We went on a whale watching boat ride but saw no whales, froze our backsides off, and turned off our granddaughter to boats probably forever.  


We strolled through Ventura and visited one of the early missions.


We had a nice lunch in the harbor in Ventura with great weather and terrific view.


The best surprise of this part of the trip was the visit to the Presidential Library of the "Great Communicator", Ronald Reagan. The library is atop a hill in Simi Valley that was one of the prettiest places I have seen.
Even though he wasn't one of my favorite Presidents, compared to Trump, he is looking a lot better. The library was wonderful with excellent exhibits and displays.



And to top it off, a visiting exhibit called Vatican Splendors was there as well. There is no way to describe it. Artifacts from the beginning of Christianity to spectacular painting, statuary and jewelry were all on view. Even as a non-Catholic, you couldn't help but be blown away.









 Words can't really describe it. We were lucky to have seen it.

Santa Barbara lived up to its reputation and we had a great time. Next stop, San Francisco.



 



 

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

California

Well, it has been quite some time since my last blog, but we have been busy. We spent a month in San Francisco with our son, Mark, his wife and our newest granddaughter, Cassidy. She is now three months old and doing great. We then drove to Idaho and wanted to go to The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone, but the day before we were supposed to leave Idaho, Yellowstone got 18" of snow and closed the south gates. Apparently, Sept. 20th is when winter starts in Yellowstone. We changed our minds and headed south for a week in Denver and then on to Santa Fe.  We are now back in Clearwater for a month to be with my mom. Leaving on the 15th for Thanksgiving in Texas.

I last blogged as we left Arizona for California. Our first stop along the way was Joshua Tree National Park.  It is 792,500 acres of preserved Mohave and Colorado Desert.  The drive from the north visitor's center to the Cottonwood Springs visitor center at the south entrance takes you through a variety of environments and geology. And, of course, thousands of Joshua Trees. The tree is twisted and spiky and looks like something out of Dr. Seuss. The Joshua tree is a monocot, in the subgroup of flowering plants that also includes grasses and orchids. Whatever it is makes for an interesting plant.



Next stop was a couple of days in Indio, CA to rest up and enjoy the California sunshine.

 We then drove to Fresno, using it as a central point to visit some of the big National Parks. Fresno is about an hour from Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon. We took several days to explore these parks where some of the most iconic landmarks have been photographed. 

We visited Yosemite on an overcast day that allowed us to avoid the giant crowds normally associated with the park.  Parts of the park were first protected in 1864 but the park was really created when John Muir convinced Theodore Roosevelt to set aside the land now known as Yosemite. Known for Half Dome and El Capitan, the park is much more.











This was really our first major park and it impressed us the way we expected. Simply amazing.

Next, we returned to the Yosemite area but visited Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The two parks are connected so it is a pretty easy day visiting both. Sequoia is the second oldest national park and seeing the world's largest trees makes you understand why. Although Redwoods are taller, Sequoias have the largest volume of wood.  One of the most famous trees is  the General Sherman. The tree is estimated to be 2,200 years old, seven feet in diameter and each year grows enough new wood to produce a 60' tall tree of usual size. Little hurts them; insects, lightning,  fire just are a bump in the road for these giants. Breathtaking just doesn't cut it.






Our last stop in the Fresno, was a visit to the Fresno Chaffee Park Zoo. We had a private tour conducted by a friend that I worked with at the Palm Beach Zoo who is now the Curator of reptiles and amphibians.  The zoo was simply surprising for Fresno, or anywhere else actually. They have an amazing collection of animals with outstanding exhibits.




The city of Fresno isn't much to write home about and has seen better days, but the attractions nearby can't be beat.