Wednesday Sep 13, 2023 - Lassen Volcanic National Park to Kino Camp

 

There were four of us in the parking lot in front of the Lassen Volcanic Visitor Center this morning. A car came in last night with one or two people sleeping in it and a cooler outside the passenger door. The cell service was almost non-existent and the WiFi was pretty poor. We called Jake and Nath in Tijuana last night and could just get a short conversation together. We did do Wordle this morning on the bench out front. 

Today we drove the road through the park which is actually S.R. (State Road) 89 and is very twisty and pretty long. We stopped and hiked into the Devastation Area, where they had big rocks that were blown from three miles away and freshly cooling in 1915. A photographer named Loomis took pictures in the days leading up to the big eruption, but he ran out of film (plates) before the big eruption on May 22. Great display to point out the awesome power of an erupting volcano. It’s 30 miles of twisty and beautiful road before you exit the park.

Then north on Rt 89, stopping for breakfast at the Blackberry Patch diner in Burney for a late breakfast of blackberry pancakes. A breakfast all day kind of joint. 

We had a lot of down time today waiting for flaggers and pace cars since they seem to be maintaining all of the roads up here. The scenery is changing as we go north. We are slowly getting out of the Dixie fire area and into more rolling forest land where every other truck is a logging truck. They seem to be cutting a lot of burned trees that are not going to live and hauling them off to the mill I presume. Workers are also cutting fire breaks at the same time so they’re in better shape next time there’s a fire. We read that because they worked the last 30 years on clearing fuel out of the national park forest, those areas didn’t fare nearly as bad. 

After breakfast we stopped for WiFi next door at McDonald's, and then filled up with gas ($5.49). Next stop was Mt Shasta with more construction on the way. We stopped at the Forest Service visitor center and got some maps, and then found the road that climbs Mt Shasta as far as we could take it, which is about 7500’ in elevation. We hiked into Panther Meadows (thanks to our friends Shirley and John for the idea), which is a mountainside alpine meadow with some water and lots of beautiful wild flowers growing everywhere. This mountain attracts a real spiritual element and we saw folks there soaking in the mountain’s energy.

Then down off the mountain and north on I-5 for a short stretch to Weed, CA where we picked up Rt 97 north. Deb found a free roadside sculpture park that was created by a Korean War Vet and it was very thoughtful and seemed well supported. A group of people were there in silent circles we assume paying respects to lost veterans.

Then Rt 97 where we crossed giant flat irrigated fields growing something?? The big mountains are now gone and we rolled across the border into Oregon and Deb found a nice campground belonging to a local power company next to a dam. Only us and one other RV here tonight so nice and quiet except for the chirping from the peepers near the Klamath River. This place has flush toilets and hot showers for $20. Dinner and bed.

Odo = 17233

Tuesday Sep 12, 2023 - Zephyr Cove Resort to Lassen Volcano National Park

 

The Resort was fine and they did have showers and hot water and we did use the dump station and refill all our fluids (water tank and toilet). End goal was Lassen Volcano National Park and google maps said there were three ways to get there. We chose door number 2 which is Rt 89 for the most part. This road appeared to go right through the upper Sierra Nevadas and sure enough it did.  A little note on gas prices. The prices vary from $4.95 all the way to $6.19 and it seems the remote places are cheaper which makes no sense. Just say’in…

Our route today first took us to Truckee, CA which is not as near Lake Tahoe as we thought. We stopped there to get WiFi at Micky D’s (and coffee, orange juice and a couple of breakfast McThings. We have had pretty spotty to non-existent cell service. Deb has AT&T and I have Google Fi and sometimes she gets a little service and sometimes I get a little service so WiFi is welcome whenever we can get it.

We saw off and on road construction which makes sense since the weather is great. Nice sunny skies all day. And little did we realize that we would be spending most of the day in what was left after the Dixie Fire in 2021. Wow, was that a big fire. It was almost a million acres and it burned from July through October. Deb here… we passed through the town of Greenville, CA which was devastated by the Dixie Fire. Very sobering to see burned down houses and all of the new construction. Apparently the fire swept through the historic town and destroyed houses within a 30 minute period. Now that we live in a historic town that has had fires sweep through, I have new respect for the power of wildfires.

After a bunch of road construction delays and twisty road, we reached Lassen Volcanic National Park by about 2:30 pm. We asked the ranger on the way in if there was any camping available, and after saying “probably not” he offered that for $10 ($5 with John’s senior pass) we could park outside of the visitor center for the night. They leave access to their bathrooms and water open all night, and there’s a bit of WiFi, so we jumped on that deal.

We then visited the visitor’s center, which turned out to be one of the nicer national park visitor’s centers we’ve seen. After looking at the exhibits, stamping our passport, and watching the 20 minute park film, we decided to head out on the 30 mile road, stop at a trailhead, and go for a hike.

The park road is stunning, filled with twists and turns and beautiful vistas. We stopped at the trailhead for the Bumpass Hell trail, a 2.7 mile trail down to the largest hydrothermal area in the park. It was a beautiful day and lovely trail, and a boardwalk down around the thermal area made it all super interesting. The trail was named after a man, Mr. Bumpass, who guided folks into the thermal areas back in the 1860’s. Apparently on one of his guiding trips he accidentally stepped into a hot area and burned the skin off of one of his legs! That’s how the name Bumpass Hell Trail originated. Poor guy, and what an awful last name.

By the time we finished the trail it was 5:30. We decided to head further up on the park road, but the shadows were encroaching and dinner was calling us, so we turned around and headed back to the visitor center and our camping spot for the night.

There are three RV’s here tonight and it’s really peaceful. We managed to get enough wifi to call Jake and Nath, and then made our dinner. We’ll start tomorrow morning by following the gorgeous park road for the full 30 miles through the park, and then who knows where the road will take us after that?

Monday Sep 11, 2023 - Twin Lakes Campground to Lake Tahoe

Deb here. After two days of clouds and some rain, it was great to wake up to bright blue skies once again. We wanted to get a better look at the Twin Lakes, so we drove up the west side of the lower lake (bumpy dirt road) and then crossed a small bridge and drove on the east side of the upper lake (lovely paved road) to Twin Lakes Resort at the dead end of the furthest lake. The term “resort” is used with a lot of these old-time fishing/camping/boating places, but unlike a glitzy resort they’re all filled with rustic cabins, a small cafe or store, and camping spots. We have loved this whole area, which feels a lot like the Adirondacks in upstate New York. We ate breakfast at the Twin Lakes Resort Cafe (right on the lake) to start our day.

We’d originally planned on driving the most direct route to Lake Tahoe, but we changed our minds after chatting with a man camping in our campground as we packed up. He was a wealth of info about the area, and highly recommended taking the slower and longer way to reach the lake, via Carson Pass. 

So we headed north, turning left on Rt. 89 and driving up and over Monitor Pass, the first pass of the day. We’d thought that maybe we were out of the big mountains, but we were wrong. Yet another stunning snow covered mountain pass. From there we drove to Markleeville, where we stopped at their local visitor’s center and gathered some intel from their exuberant and talkative employee. She let us know that we were at the county seat of Alpine County, California’s smallest county. She commented that what Alpine County had to offer is campgrounds, and wow, National Forest Service campgrounds were indeed everywhere. She also told us that there was only one cell phone tower in the whole county (Verizon), so that’s why cell service is so poor (make that non-existent!)  everywhere.

We continued north on 89, eventually turning on Rt 88 to go to the top of Carson Pass. Once there, I had to stop to see where the Pacific Crest Trail crossed. There’s a sweet visitor center at the top of the pass, with a log book and snacks for hikers, along with a hiker box of supplies out front. I chatted with the volunteer staffing the place and told her she had my dream job! 

From there it was back down the pass, and over one more pass (Luther Pass) before dropping down into the overdeveloped mess that’s South Lake Tahoe. What an assault to the senses after a week of no cell service and very little shopping to drop into an endless strip of every outdoorsy store and restaurant imagineable. The Markleeville visitor center woman had encouraged us to try the Nevada Beach campground, right on the lake over the Nevada border, so that was our destination. We crossed into the Nevada part of the city on Rt. 50 (the main drag and the Lincoln Highway) and it was sadly comical to see the casinos. California on one side with lots of development but no highrises, and bam, there’s Nevada with huge high rise casinos (think Harrah’s, Hard Rock Casino, and Lucky Beaver). I bet the Californians have lots to say about that part of the strip!

No room at Nevada Beach, so we drove another mile to Zephyr Cove Resort, a huge campground, restaurant, cabins, and hotel with beachfront. We were able to score a spot in the RV park (for $$), parked, packed some snacks, and headed over to the beach with our chairs. I was in my happy place, swimming, sitting in the sun, and listening to the water lap against the shore. I got rather teary, thinking back to all of the time spent on Lake Ontario over the years. There’s something about the sound of gentle lake waves on a beach that really get the memories flowing. John took advantage of the great cell service and spent some time catching up with his brother from further up the beach.

Post-beach it was showers, dinner at Casey’s down the street, shopping at Safeway (2, actually, since the first wasn’t stocked well), filling up with gas ($$$), and a load of laundry. Another great day and back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Sunday Sep 10, 2023 - Big Bend Campground to Lower Twin Lakes Campground

It rained a bit last night but not very hard. The campground was wet and the sandy ground tracked easily into the van so lots of sweeping this morning. A doe and her fawn were strolling through the campground enjoying the tender grass the caretaker unintendely provided when they occasionally mow the campground. Getting turned out of the other campground was a good thing since this one is much cozier and the bathrooms are much cleaner.

Breakfast in the van and then back up Rt 120, Tioga Pass toward Yosemite again. Our first destination was Saddlebag Lake, the trailhead for the Twenty Lakes Basin hike that Deb had heard was spectacular. When we arrived at the lake, however, it started to rain and the weather looked iffy, so we instead opted to hike another recommended 2 mile hike in and out to Middle Gaylor Lake, at the top of the pass. The parking was just inside the park so we had to wait briefly in line to get in. There was an annual foot race (the Tioga Pass Run  that went all the way up Tioga Pass road, so we saw every level of runner/walked/hobbler on our way up the hill and also on the way back down midday. Must be a fundraiser of some kind with all the skill levels we saw.

The hike up to the lake wasn’t long but it was straight up . Deb took off and I somehow took a wrong turn, so I had a little backtracking to do half way up. We were so high up that you can see everything so no biggie. At the top of the climb you drop back down to the lake and we had nice cool weather and no rain (that came later today). Then back down the hill, into the van, and back down Tioga Pass to stop for “world famous” fish tacos at the Whoa Nellie Deli which came as a must not miss by our friend back in Bisbee.

Next stop was the Mono Lake (pronounced Moan-o) South Tufa area. Mono Lake is a salt water lake which means that water flows into but not out of and any water loss is from evaporation. In the late 1940’s they diverted water from here to Los Angeles and the lake halved in volume and doubled in saltiness. In 1994 Los Angeles lost a lawsuit and they agreed to let Mono Lake refill, but 30 years later it has only refilled a little. Birds love it here because it’s huge and there are lots of brine shrimp and alkali flies to eat. The California Seagulls nest primarily here on an island in the middle (no predators), but when the lake level dropped the coyotes could get to the island and eat the birds. So some people put fences up to slow the coyotes down until L.A. can get the water level back up.

A tufa is a buildup of coral looking stuff that happens wherever a fresh water spring rises through the salt water. So when the lake level dropped, these big anthill or coral looking things came out of the water.

Next stop was the ghost town of Bodie which is about 13 miles (10 paved, 3 washboard) off Rt 395. It is a state park now and they charge an $8 entrance fee. In 1877 they discovered gold and the town grew to 8,000 people within a couple of years, but then the mine went bust in 1882 and most people left. A couple of smaller mines survived until 1942 and they left. By 1962 there were only 5 people living there and the state bought it and has been trying to preserve it. They call it “arrested decay”, which means they keep the roofs, doors, and windows intact but they don’t do any real renovation. They have a great movie running continuously and the whole town is a museum. It looks like when they closed the original mines, they just left all of the furniture and closed the doors. So some odd people stayed with the small mines running but after 1942, only a few hard core people were left. Oh, and it rained off and on (along with major lightning and thunder)  the whole time we were there. Fortunately we had a couple of umbrellas (stolen from my brother last summer, guilt guilt) which kept the bulk of it off us, but we were both pretty cold and wet by the time we left.

So now, where do we stay tonight? Well, just north is a canyon with 5 first come first serve Forest Service campgrounds so we headed there. Deb picked the 2 or 3 right on the Twin Lakes and the first one had two empty sites. $14 with my lifetime senior park pass. So 6:00 and we are in for the night.

Odo = 16648

Saturday Sep 9, 2023 - Silver Lake Resort to Big Bend Campground

The RV Resort was a good one. We have stayed at some that are kind of iffy but this one is 100+ years old and they take good care of everything. The people we met who stay there come every year and speak highly of the owners. And the general store next door is super cute and we gave their restaurant attached to the general store two thumbs up this morning with good diner breakfast, nice folks, and knotty pine everywhere with giant stuffed fish hanging on all the walls. We got to breakfast just as the doors opened at 7am and there were already 6 guys in line to get in. They filled the bar stools before we could get to them. Obviously this is their morning ritual.

Chatted with a couple, Mike (female Michaela) and her husband Joe from Flagstaff. Very chatty and very fun folks. It rained the first time just as we finished breakfast and it would rain off and on all day, though not very hard.

So goodbye Silver Lake and north on June Lake Loop until we got back out to Rt 395. Then a short hop to turn west on Rt 120, aka Tigoa Pass Road. But first we had to stop at Whoa Nellie Deli (aka Mobil station) to get a sandwich for lunch. We found a roast beast sandwich and I found pretty good coffee. A lot of younger people around here we assume for all the hiking, biking, and kayaking opportunities. We left just as a giant bus full of Japanese women tourists arrived which swamped the place.

The climb up to 9,900 ft is steady and two lane and crooked and beautiful. Lots of “wow”, just “wow” moments. We noted all of the Forest Service campgrounds on the way up where we hoped to snag a site this afternoon. The Yosemite Park east entrance is at the top of the pass and there was a short line of 6 or so cars, probably because we were early (9:00 ish). The senior pass got us in for free (getting old is like printing money) and we made the long descent down the other side into the park proper.

Coming in the east entrance is great because it is a long curvy beautiful road with very little traffic and lots of Yosemite sites. There is some snow left up on the mountains but nothing below. The lakes are all full and the meadows are all green and the conifer trees smell wonderful. The temperatures were in the 50 to 70 degree range. The road is good pavement with lots of pulloffs. Speed limit is 45 but it was the kind of road begging for you to drive slower (hence the pulloffs). 

We said we would continue until the traffic got yucky and we actually made it past Bridal Veil Falls and turned onto the Yosemite Village Loop. The traffic got yucky just as we hit the Half Dome part of the park so we did not see it. It became like a busy city with multiple lanes and pedestrians everywhere so we turned around and headed back out. We did get to go by El Capitain on our way out, which was awesome.

The trip back up Tioga Pass was very un-busy and we got all of the reverse views. We stopped at the Tioga Pass entrance and asked what time the park entrance opened and they said 24 hours. So next time, we could get up at the butt-crack of dawn and get down into the heart of the park before the toursts (that would be us) wake up. 

Next came the hunt for a campsite. This is a very busy area with Yosemite right here and there are 5 Forest Service campgrounds on this road that are first come first serve, which means no reservations ahead of time. You have to drive through and look for an empty site, and put your tag on the post in front of the site and it’s yours. The first two campgrounds were full but the third had a few sites, so we grabbed one next to a brook and decided to stay right there. It was a very rocky site so special care not to drag the oil pan on anything. At around 6:30 a young couple arrived saying that they had reserved this site. It appears they had paid for 2 nights earlier in the day but the tag had gone missing on the post, so we packed up and found an even better site just up the road at the fourth campground. So we are out the $7 for the first site. It all worked out. And bonus, there was a guy with a KTM 1090 camping next to us which Milo of course had to chat up. Nicer bathrooms (no smelly port-a-potties), the same brook, and fewer other campers. Things just work out.

Odo=16,541

Friday Sep 8, 2023 - Convict Lake Campground to Silver Lake Resort

The bed in this van is amazingly comfortable. We woke from a dead sleep at 7am and had coffee/tea, then a quick stop at the dump station before heading down the couple of miles to Rt 395, then north. We stopped at Stellar Brew in Mammoth Lakes (the town name) for coffee, chai latte, and WiFi. Mammoth is not that big a town but it has the huge developed ski area, Mammoth Mountain. We tried to go to Devils Postpile National Monument but were stopped by a helpful young woman in a small Forest Service toll booth. She told us the only way we could go would be to take a shuttle bus that we could catch down at the base of the ski area. Kind of makes sense since this area is flooded with people, even this time of year, and they have limited parking spots which limits how many people can be in the area at the same time. Maximum capacity at these parks is limited to how many cars they can park. We opted not to go and instead returned down the hill (Rt 203) and then back north on Rt 395. Next stop was the June Lake Loop, which is called the Swiss Alps of California. It’s a small road (Rt 158) which is very beautiful due to the crystal clear lakes with the Sierra Nevada Mountains as backdrop. 

We decided to hike into Parker Lake, about 4 miles round trip, and first we had to drive 2 miles to the trail head on a washboard dirt road. The parking lot was full but we found a wide spot in the road to pull off. Quick climb up the first ½ mile or so and then a nice easy walk through pine forests with a pleasant breeze blowing and 70-something temperature. Parker Lake (elevation 8,300 ft.) was lovely and we ate our lunch sitting on a sunny log overlooking the lake. Then back down the hill and returned to Silver Lake where Deb found a spot (only 2 left) in the Silver Lake Resort. This is an RV park, but a clean and well-run one with laundry and hot showers, the two things we needed and usually stay at a hotel to get. Hotels near here are pricey and full so at $56 for the night this was a win-win. Our neighbors at the park come here from Southern California for 12 weeks /year and have been doing so for 14 years. Very nice folks. We walked to the general store which is super quaint. Silver Lake Resort has been here since 1916 and it seems to be doing great. The hot tip is to go to the general store for breakfast at the Silver Lake Resort Cafe. Best breakfast in the Sierras, according to our neighbor.

So tonight we sit with clean bodies and and clean clothes in our cozy van. Life is good.

Thursday Sep 7, 2023 - Sabrina Campground to Convict Lake Campground

Deb here. It was a frosty morning, with frost covering the picnic table and bear box. I guess that’s what happens when you camp at 9,000+ feet in September. So very clear, but cold until the sun warmed things up. I’d wanted to hike up to Blue Lake, about a 6 mile round trip hike from Lake Sabrina, so John dropped me off at 8 and up I went. He decided to drive up to Lake Sabrina, and he spent his time while I was hiking chatting up fishermen and working on some van improvement projects. The lake was heavily stocked with brown trout so there were som happy fisherman there.

The hike up to Blue Lake (elevation 10.400 feet) was stunning, spending the first 2+ miles walking way up above Lake Sabrina, before cresting another ridge. I arrived at the lake and enjoyed the gorgeous views and the blues of the lake. Snow, blue sky, mountains, and clear water equaled a perfect morning for me! On the way down I ran into a couple of women who had a wealth of info about the area to share, and then I ended up walking down with Eric and Franca, a sweet couple in their 30’s from Monterey who also had a lot of intel about the area.

Once down the mountain at 11:45 John was there to meet me and we drove into Bishop for lunch. Judy Perry had recommended eating at Jack’s, and it was the perfect lunch spot. We then walked up Main St. to check out Erick Schat’s Bakery, a rather iconic spot recommended by many. We each picked out a pastry for later and walked back to the van.

We needed gas ($5.59/gallon, gasp) and then drove to Laws Railroad Museum. We strolled around the grounds looking at the displays in the old buildings, and John particularly enjoyed looking at all of the old farm equipment and everything old and mechanical. He could picture himself as an engineer in the late 1800’s coming into work each day inventing the new machines.

We then drove on to Convict Lake, a recommendation from Cooper and also John’s new fishermen friends, and we were lucky to score a campsite in the USFS campground. Only $15.50 with John’s golden access pass, an easy walk to the lake, and even running water in the toilets. We arrived a bit before 4, and I struck out to soak my feet in the lake and check out the Convict Lake Resort for a possible dinner later.

We walked to the Convict Lake Restaurant for dinner in their lounge at 6 and shared a delicious pizza and salad. Back to our campsite for reading and bed - a wonderful day!

Odometer = 16311

Wednesday Sep 6, 2023 - Diaz Lake Campground to Lake Sabrina Campground

Woke up to blue sky and bright sunshine from the eastern side of this valley we are in. Morning coffee and tea while we wake up. It never got cold enough for the heater so maybe tonight since it is asking to be run. The Wabasto heater wants to be run at least once a month to keep everything lubed and operating and it blinks when it’s been a month.

Pretty much nobody came in after us last night so the campground is pretty empty this morning. We closed everything up and then headed into Lone Pine for MacDonald’s for breakfast and coffee and wifi. The plan had been to have breakfast at Alabama Hills Cafe, which came highly recommended by Judy Perry, but Wednesday (today) is the one day of the week they’re closed. Next stop was the Inter-Agency Park Visitor Center. Really nice BLM center with a very cool exagerated 3D topo map that made us realize how we really are in a deep valley between two mountain ranges. And Mt Whitney is the highest peak at 14,500 something feet high and Langely is right next to it at over 14,000 ft. We noticed the road to Death Valley (140 miles east) is closed since the hurricane (Hilary) came through and dumped a year’s worth of rain in a single day. Lots of washed roads and lots of now dried up mud in a lot of the roads we are ending up on.

Next stop was the Museum of Western Film History. The Alabama Hills area, where we are today, is famous for Hollywood and Westerns. Since the 1920’s they have been coming here to shoot movies. Some non-westerns were filmed here as well. They said that George Lucas shot some parts of Star Wars there and at one point put a call out to the elementary school to hire first graders for a scene where they needed short aliens of some kind carrying R2D2 around. They got paid $25 for the day and the teacher made a project out of it. The heyday seems to have been the 20’d through the 50’s and then it tapered off as the market for westerns tapered off.

We then went to Manzanar, the Japanese internment camp where 10,000 Japanese-American citizens were rounded up in 1942 and kept until 1945. They built a small city with pretty rough conditions and the park service did a nice job with old pictures and peoples’ stories of their years here. Like the other sad histories it is important to remind people how far we have come. Lets not go there again.

Next stop was Keough Hot Springs which did not turn out as enticing as Deb thought it might. They have natural hot springs bubbling out of the mountainside with a couple of pools and they also have a campground, but we opted to keep going and look for one of those beautiful Forest Service campgrounds of which there are plenty around here.

Just before Bishop we turned west and took Rt 168 about 16 miles until it ended at Lake Sabrina. A beautiful mountain lake with snow capped mountains and a campground nearby. Lots of fishermen up here and a few campers so we had our choice of sites. This place is only about half full.

Then supper, reading and bed. OK, I had a little nap..

Odometer = 16246

Tuesday Sep 5, 2023 - Palm Spring CA to Diaz Lake Campground

 

The Hideaway Motel was pretty fun. Sixties retro with a small pool, only 10 rooms, and mid- century modern furniture (aka 60’s stuff). They even had a record player and some LP’s (Peggy Lee, Edith Piaf, Sinatra, etc) to complete the travel back in time.

We made a reservation for the wind turbine museum for 11:00 which was 30 minutes away so we had time to walk into downtown Palm Springs and find a place for bagels and coffee.  Somehow they have 400 tiles on the sidewalks with famous people on them (think Hollywood Stars, sidewalk theme). Palm Springs is pretty upscale but it’s really sparkly clean. Stores with all the high end brands.

Then off to the wind turbine museum. A couple of road detours because of the hurricane a week or two ago. Lots of now dry mud in the roads, but we got there only 10 minutes late and we were the only ones there. So I spent my career in the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s in the wind energy business and it’s places like this that make me realize how old I am. They have a 15 minute movie and Tom, who ran the place, realized I was an old timer so he also set up the “old 5 minute movie” in the next room. Wow, blast from the past with names like Carter, Jacobs and Kennetek represented, long out of the commercial wind energy business, but important pioneers that did the hard startup stuff.

We did the drive through tour in the van and I got to see all of the old machines with no covers on, and engineers' delight. The biggest machines they had were modern 3.5 MW Vestas (Danish) machines. Man I’m old…

So next we filled with gas, $5/gal since California taxes the crap out of fuel, and then Google took us north toward our end destination, some where around Lone Pine. 

It is surprising how much desert we had to drive through today on primarily 2 laners but the weather was nice, the temperatures were not too crazy and as the day progressed, we climbed out of the desert and into the higher mountains with a bit of greenery. It is amazing that there are not many people in this corner of California after driving through the San Diego area and suburbs, but traffic was sparse up here.

We picked a small county campground just south of Lone Pine, Diaz Lake. We had no idea how full or big it is, but when we arrived it was mostly empty and only $14 a night with lots of sites right on the lake and mountains to the east and west. The sun was just setting as we parked so we got a nice end of the day light shot over the lake to the mountains east of us.

Soup and sandwiches for dinner and we spent some time organizing since we stopped for groceries today in Palm Springs (at Ralph’s), and we have not camped for a month or more.

Cozy tonight and ready to sleep in our very comfy van bed. And we hit Rt 395 this afternoon so we are on our way!!

Odometer = 16128

Monday Sep 4, 2023 - Goodbye Tijuana, Hello Palm Springs

Light breakfast at J and N’s then we hit the street market right in their neighborhood. It seems the “market” arrives here once a week and then rotates to other Tijuana neighborhoods other days. At first I though it was just a dozen or so vendors on their street but it must be a couple of hundred booths and it stretches for block after block. You can buy anything you might need. Clothes, shoes, fishing supplies, dishes, appliances (yup, even refrigerators and washing machines), toys, meat, vegetables, fans, plumbing supplies, tools, you name it. The streets get taken over and a couple of streets still let cars through, but very slowly and carefully. Lots of families out with their kids and grandparents. It’s kind of a weekly social gathering with coffee and baked goods in there somewhere.

We feel like we got a well rounded tour and introduction to Mexico and especially Tijuana. It seems very safe. The car traffic acts very differently than in the states. Everything moves very slowly because everyone lets others into traffic, and everyone lets pedestrians cross. Jake described it as chaos, but in a good way. I don’t think Mexicans are as angry as people are here in the U.S. and it shows in the driving culture. Sure, things are in rough shape like roads and septic systems, but people work around it.

After the market we loaded all 5 of us (Tyler came too) in the car to drive us back to the border crossing. More traffic today so it took 45 minutes  to get to the pedestrian crossing. Jake found a place to park (miracle) and all 5 of us walked to the pedestrian crossing so they could show us where the Global Entry line was. Global Entry means we paid $100 (good for 5 years) and they finger print you and do a background check and give you a credit card looking thing that you present. If we had not had these passes it would have been and hour and a half to cross. With these passes it took about 5 minutes. Wow!!

We said goodbyes and 5 minutes later we walked out on the U.S. side and then walked the 10 minutes to our van in the parking lot. It cost $160 for 3 days parking, yikes!

Then Google Maps took us the 2.5 hours to Palm Springs and it took us through the coolest and twistiest mountain roads. Beautiful. We arrived in Palm Springs around 4:30 and checked into our room (The Lucy and Desi Getaway room) in The Hideaway motel here. Staying here is a little time travel back to the 60’s. Quick dip in the pool, chatted up some nice Canadians, and then walked downtown to see what we could find to eat. We went to LuLu’s American Bistro and sat at the bar. Deb chatted up a local couple who gave us some tips on the town and then two other couples from Portland joined us. Nice big salads, beer, wine, fries, and then a long walk down the strip. Lots of people on the street since it was a warm night and lots of chi-chi stores open. Then back to the room for a good night's sleep.

Odometer = 15845

Sunday Sep 3, 2023 - Day trip to Guadalupe vineyards

Yesterday we got a sample of downtown Tijuana and today we drove down an hour and a half into the wine country in Guadalupe Valley. Last New Year's we were here and we drove down the coast road to Ensenada so we are familiar with the coast road. Lots of new apartment buildings right on the ocean going up mixed with lots of old single family homes. Everyone wants a view of the beach! The coast road is in good shape and we turned east after Santa Rosa and took the windy mountain road toward Guadalupe. This road is also in pretty good shape but very curvy. When you get up into the Guadalupe Valley you find yourself surrounded by vineyards and lots of small casitas you can rent. A lot of California people come down for the weekend and do wine tastings and get out in the country. We stopped for coffee at Almagre Cafe and Deli, a place Nath and Jake had been before, and the breeze and temperature made sitting outside lovely, coffee was delicious and everywhere you looked was vineyards. Next stop was the Adobe Food Truck for lunch, again outside and delicious.

Right next door was the wine tasting room and we did a tasting, but this part of Mexico mainly makes dry wines, and all the ones we tasted were red wines so no bottles were bought. But very nice folks just the same. Then the drive back to home in time to do the evening beach walk with Tyler. Nice sunset and Tyler got to run with the other dogs on the beach so he is a happy camper tonight. Jake ordered take out tortas which were delivered from a place just down the street. Uber Eats works really well and we have seen the delivery guys on 125cc motorcycles all over the city since we got here. Dishes, some talking and bed.

Odometer = 15701

Saturday Sep 2, 2023 - Day in Tijuana Mexico

Good sleeping in Jake & Nath’s comfy home. The cats don’t know what to make of us but they are slowly getting used to us being around. Tyler (the dog) is our old friend since he spent a couple weeks in Bisbee with us a while ago. 

Today was get to know Tijuana day. We are only about 20 minutes from downtown and traffic was normal. Drivers here are actually very good. Everyone jostles for position but everyone lets you change lanes when you need to and they let pedestrians cross. There are less angry self-righteous drivers. Kind of what I remember about China. People watching out for each other a bit more.

We found a parking garage and started our exploration. Lots of street markets selling anything you could think of. Tourist stuff for sure, but also every kind of fruit or vegetable so I assume lots of people get their produce on Saturday. You have to watch where you are walking as the sidewalks have lots of holes and missing covers so it's easy to twist your ankle or worse. Bisbee has some rough spots to be fair. People seem happy and pleasant and we did not feel like we stuck out as gringos. No homeless folks for the most part. Feels very safe.

We stopped at the restaurant where the Caesar salad was invented in 1924. Apparently they were running low on supplies and the chef whipped something up from what he had in the kitchen. We ordered one of those and also another less famous salad called the Victor salad, invented in 1955. It’s kind of a fancy place with the entire staff crisply dressed and seemingly identical hair cuts and hair gel. Jake & Nath got Italian dishes and Deb and I split a burger.

Next stop was the Museum of the Collections of Tijuana. The difference between being a hoarder and a collector is organization. A fun trip through all the things, images, and toys of our childhoods. Eight track tapes to Barbie dolls to comic books. Also a big section on lucha livre wrestling and the action figurines that went with it. Think early black and white professional wrestling with lots of body suits and masks, lots of masks.  Then more walking through the outdoor and indoor markets.

Back to the house and Jake and Deb took Tyler for his evening beach walk while Nath and I caught up. A great get to know Tijuana tour.

Friday Sep 1, 2023 - Yuma AZ to Tijuana Mexico

The hotel breakfast started at 3am for the dove hunters but we strolled in around 7:30. Great hotel breakfast which should hold us until supper.

We found the local Micky D’s for coffee and then filled up with gas ($3.79). Then hit the freeway (Rt 8) and crossed the bridge into California. We have both been across southern California on Rt 8 before but we forgot how many sand dune / desert miles there are before you climb from sea level to 4000+ feet in altitude. We stopped at one of the few rest areas (not much going on there) and then easy going until it got more challenging after we left Rt 8. Google maps is wonderful normally but she got her panties in a bunch just when we went from 2 lanes to 4 lanes, then 5 lanes. It lost GPS and then seemed to use a Ouija board after that. Deb came to the rescue with her iPhone until my phone straightened out again. Grrrrr for you God fearing folks out there and @#^%$ for you others!!

We ended up in the same US side of the border parking lot that we parked in on our last Tijuana trip, packed enough stuff for a few days at Nath and Jacob's, and walked over the pedestrian bridge. 10 minutes later we were standing on the street in Tijuana and Jake and Nath were there to meet us. They took us out for a delicious lunch at Restaurante Chichos, and then we walked around a lot of markets in downtown Tijuana. Mostly food, pottery, clothes, kids stuff and lots of chiles. The power was out in that part of the city but everything kept on going. I get the sense that power going out was not unusual.

We left the hot temps in Yuma and now we are near the ocean so it was a nice cool 80 degrees here, but more humidity.

We then drove to Jake and Nath's new home about 15 minutes south and got a tour of their house. They have a garage with an electric door which creates an inside open yard. Downstairs are the dining and living room and the kitchen, second floor is two bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and Jake's office. The cool thing is the third floor rooftop patio with a view of the ocean (small view) and a view of the big apartment towers overlooking the ocean. The other fun thing is they are only a block and a half from the beach with stairs that drop you right onto the beach. We took Tyler (the dog) for a long stroll on the beach and thanks to another dog, the two dogs wore each other ragged running up and down the beach.

The beach is mostly just people going for walks, a few fishermen reeling some big perch looking fish, and dogs and owners getting their evening exercise.

Nath made dinner and we all caught up. A great first day! 

Thursday Aug 31, 2023 - Bisbee AZ to Yuma AZ

 

We loaded the bulk of our van stuff yesterday like food, supplies, clothes, etc. This morning we added all of the things we forgot yesterday, and whatever we forgot today we'll have to pick up elsewhere! I brought Sally Ann in for an oil change, tire rotation, and other routine maintenance at the Dodge dealer in Tucson last week, so we are good to go. 

P.S.: Do not read any Facebook van users groups for anything. They will convince you that you won't make it out of the yard without the transmission blowing up, or squirrels eating all the wires, or aliens inhabiting your fuel tank.

I stopped in Tombstone to fill up the tank since for some reason gas is cheaper there than either Bisbee or Tucson ($3.79). Since it’s been awhile I got confused when it only took 2.5 gallons. Being an engineer I came up with an elaborate but logical experiment as to why I could only get 2.5 gallons in the tank. After trying a second pump and verifying there were no aliens in the gas tank fill hole, I realized I was looking at the temperature gauge and not the gas gauge. Worse than that, I am writing this blog entry to tell you all how stupid I am. Engineers...

Then a quick stop at Micky D’s for coffee, oj, and breakfast sandwiches (official road food), then up on Rt 10 through Tucson and a turn onto Rt 8. We stopped at  Dateland for a delicious date shake (Deb) and some ice cream (me). All highway, not too much traffic, no slowdowns, new playlists, and even a podcast. It hit 107 degrees as we pulled into Yuma and you don’t notice it because of those engineers that invented air conditioning, until you open the door.

We found the motel, La Fuente Inn and Suites, that was recommended by our good friends Dan and Lindsay, and their rec was spot on. And the bonus was that it's Dove Hunt weekend!! OK what the hell is dove hunt weekend?  Well, you drive every year to Yuma with all of your buddies and a truck load of shotguns, and you party and shoot doves. I grew up hunting so I completely understand the hunting tradition and during a particularly poor (aka hungry) stretch back in the late 70’s, I got through a winter eating pigeons, and doves are first cousins, so it was kind of nostalgic for me. We hit the pool, which was maybe only 80 or 90 degree water, but a hell of a lot cooler than the air. We chatted up a retired man and his girlfriend who were in town for the hunt and got all the details. Like my deer camp years when I was young, they were having a good time bonding with family and friends.

When we checked in we were given two tickets for free drinks at the 5-7 happy hour, which we cashed in, along with free nachos. My free Manhattan was pretty much free of anything but booze, so a good little unintended buzz. Then off to dinner (Deb drove) to River City Grill (another Koehler/Ringers Yuma must do) which was only 3 miles away. Small place but packed and very delicious. Back to the room (lots of grilling and pool action tonight, not by us) and off to bed.

Tomorrow we go to Tijuana to stay with Jake & Nath for a few days. We'll park on the US side and walk across.

Have to get some sleep because the hotel hunter breakfast starts at 3am!!