Day 30-32 - Sequoia National Park to Death Valley

We are into the heat.  The air conditioner is working overtime and we are finally in shorts - hopefully for the remainder of the trip.  We had a relaxing day - had fresh strawberries and beer/milk as we marveled at the heat.  We are at a place called Visalia and we're off to see more trees.  Sequoias are the biggest in the world and man, are they huge!!  We are camping just outside the park and thank goodness!  We passed through fields and fields of oranges and lemons...these relatively small trees (maybe 7 feet tall and about the same wide) are chuck full of fruit.  It seems a shame to see how many are on the ground!  Then once inside the park, it was the craziest road we've ever been on!  The road just kept climbing and climbing...about 7,000 feet.  If you are afraid of heights, this isn't the road for you.  It felt like we were in Costa Rica...so green and no firs/evergreens...we weren't sure we were in the right place!  Then once we crossed over one mountain, we were into evergreens and big ones!  To get a sense, look at the trees beside "General Sherman" (the world's biggest tree)...the ones beside "him" are big by our standards and look like twigs.  We hiked around there for a while and forgot that it takes about 2 hours to get out of the national park so had a late night and stayed at now the ugliest campsite so far.  The Beast was about 20 feet away from California's main highway.  One good thing - Jack could look out the window and point out trucks!

Spent yesterday traveling to Death Valley.  So far I feel like we are going to Hell Valley.  The heat is crazy, the landscape is now desert conditions.  There isn't many campgrounds and we went to California City to try and get a few groceries...sounds like a big place....but there were just crappy houses, blistering heat, dust, no trees or any businesses to speak of and of course, a McDonalds.  We couldn't get out fast enough.  It was a long travel day but the end was ok...just when we thought that we were not going to have any fresh food while in Death Valley, we got to a town that there was life again!  Stores and everything.  It was quite a funny feeling...so happy to see a Walmart that we stayed our first night in the parking lot!  There is a Staples right beside it and found out that it has a wi-fi hot spot!  Free camping and internet connectivity - what is better than that?

Off to Death Valley...Jack is in his seat with his usual trucks surrounding him - he's ready.   Gotta go.

Day 28-29 - Yosemite National Park

We took our sweet time heading to Yosemite...stopping at fruit stands and small little amusement parks along the way.  Now, what am I supposed to do with a fresh artichoke?  The garlic ice cream was actually pretty good...however, you could smell my breath for miles!  Scenery was beautiful but bizarre...miles of rolling green hills with barely a tree on them, then fruit orchards and flat land like Saskatchewan, and then into the hills again to the high Sierras.

Today we drove into Yosemite National Park (we are camping just outside since there have been rock slides and the temporary roads cannot handle the Beast because it is too long).  Yosemite is the park where Ansel Adams took many of his famous black and white photography (PJ...you would have loved it!).  The rock formations and waterfalls where absolutely incredible.  This is the right time of year for waterfalls...spring runoff...at the base of the falls we were getting wet from the splashing of the incredible force of the water.  Yosemite Falls (in the background of Mr. Independent hiker) is the 4th tallest waterfall in the world.  Went on a few short hikes...too bad there are so many people...can't imagine what this place is like in the summer!  Was a beautiful day (25 degrees C).  Came back for bbq steak...Jack finally ate his first meat that wasn't blended into mush...so much for the vegetarian!

No worries Judy...I don't think the Eskimos have made the playoffs (never mind the Grey Cup) in years!  

Of course the coupe is with us!  It has its own compartment in the storage area of the Beast!  It has had a good life since we rescued it from your garage Patti!  Jack loves it...we use it almost every day.  And...the tix were $125 each...seems worth it at the time but now....I don't know.

Thanks for the comments everyone...its nice to know we haven't been forgotten...yet.

Day 25-27 - Carmel to the Shark Tank

Well, that sucked.  Game 7…all the hype, lots of Flames fans at the game – including us!  But the Flames sure didn’t come out to play!  We got there quite early which made it very fun cruising the concourse..enjoyed all the jibes for wearing red (my Stampeders sweatshirt had to do) and all the high 5s from all the loud Flames fans on the street.  Jack was filmed by Hockey Night in Canada camera – zeroed in on his face a few times and his little flames shirt!  I hear Hockey Night in Canada has no taste and cut out Jack’s Flames cuteness.  The nerve.  He was also filmed by another camera guy because we met another mini Sharks fan and we got them together…they actually ended up sitting right beside us.  Weird. 

The shark tank actually had great fans and good gimmicks…the noise and cheering would rival the dome.  They have shark fins on the zambonis and huge remote control blow up sharks circling the fans.  Very surprising since I couldn’t get a hockey game on any channel leading up to the game and only found 1 sharks fan prior to the game (a lady in a travel info booth).  At one point, we had 4 sports channels and no game 5.  The game sucked but the event as a whole was enjoyed by us all (even John the oilers fan who wore a red t-shirt but never did take his black jacket off I noticed).

Monday, we went to North America's best aquarium in Monterey.  Then cruised the expensive shops in Carmel and then spent the rest of the day on the beach.  Jack points out all the birds (loves the seagulls) and thought is was funny that his feet would disappear in the sand.  It sure would be nice if we could be in beach clothing soon!  I know, it is much colder there - but still - we are on holidays!  Picked up freshly caught Crab (my favorite) and had a little coastal feast in the beast before heading inland.

On Tuesday we made our way to San Jose for the game but had issues with the Beast…it was making a horrible noise when John hit the brakes so we traveled separately (to lessen the load and keep Jack safer!).  We got to a town about 30 miles south of San Jose called Gilroy and had great service at an RV/truck stop…apparently it was just power steering fluid issue.  Jack thought we had already arrived at Disneyland...a place where there were tons of  semis coming and going - I bet he said "truck" about 500 times that day.

 So, since we had a crappy travel day and then a crappy end to the game (and Jack stayed awake the entire game) we decided to stay in Gilroy today…it is the Garlic capital of North America so why not!  Nothing better to drown my sorrows of the Flames losing than a day of shopping!  Jack had a good 3 hour nap while I shopped and John relaxed  Good for all.  Gilroy just happens to have more stores than people I’m sure.  There is an outlet here that has 150 stores.  It was even overwhelming for me!  That just means I buy things for Jack because its easier to zero in on kid’s stores.  Like he needs anything but how can you resist??   Went swimming and out for dinner for Vietnamese (almost a whole month without it – was too long!).

Heading to Yosemite National Park tomorrow so we are heading further inland.  We will miss seeing the coastline as we travel I’m sure.  California coast was beautiful as well…it was strange to see farms right on the coast.  Fruit and vegetables deserve a view too I guess.  Lots of Mexicans can be seen working in the fields picking the fruit and veges.  It was artichoke season as we went through.  Now we are camping right by a garlic plant and a field of broccoli.  Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have such fresh fruit/veges all the time!

I also included a picture of how I get to spend my mornings!

 

 

 

Day 23-24 - Monterey/Carmel, California

Yesterday we went to Monterey and walked and walked and walked along the coast.  There is miles of recreation trail along a beautiful bay.  A marina, old fishermen's wharf (filled with tacky tourist shops and people offering you clam chowder samples), cannery row (more seafood restaurants and shops), harbor seals barking in the bay, and more Americans in their white white "tennis" shoes (what is up with that??  even John notices it - they are so ugly and they all wear them!).  We didn't realize how long the trail was - Jack enjoyed it but it went on past nap time so he just flopped in the knapsack!

The tacky tourist shop had one funny item - the Zoltar psyhic machine from the movie "Big".  Apparently, "I will dream about sun and that will be the beginning of a bright future".  I guess I won't be turning 9 again.  Darn.

Had to take Gus to the vet since he couldn't open his eyes.  Turns out he just has allergies.  At least it isn't anything serious.

Went along the "17-mile drive" today along the coast - you have to pay $9.25 to drive it.  It has dramatic coastal views, bird/seal rocks, and goes through the famous Pebble Beach Golf Resort.  We stopped and cruised the 18th hole and the famous Cypress Tree.  Jack had a meltdown (because we wouldn't let him push his stroller over the cliff) right in the galley of the 18th hole.  Note to self:  don't bring a toddler to watch the US Open... especially  if Tiger is playing!  Debated whether to golf...either one of us could get on as a single.  But for $500 + cart, I think I'd like to be golfing with friends.  Even at that price, it is tempting!  So historic and beautiful.  Then we played on the beautiful white sand beaches of Carmel.

I'm watching the news and San Francisco has the highest gas prices in the country.  $4.39/gallon.  That figures we just happen to be in the biggest vehicle we will ever drive - in the most expensive area of the country!

Staying in this area again tomorrow.  Then Tuesday, we heading to San Jose for Game 7!  Look for us on TV - however, I didn't pack the Jerseys...Jack has a Flames T-shirt but that's it...I will wear red at least (I'm not sure about John!).  Game starts at bedtime so it should be interesting...

Day 19-22 - Redwood, Napa, Monterey & Carmel, California

We thought we had seen all the Redwoods but we traveled alittle farther south and there were more!  We read (in our "1,000 places to see in USA and Canada" book - thanks Jen & Ben!) about a little Victorian town called Ferndale, and so we checked it out.  It was like traveling back in time - the shops were set up and had all the turn of the century shelving etc. - it was like shopping in the stores at Heritage Park but they had up to date things in them.  Very cute!  

We camped right in the Redwoods...this time of year is great to camp - there was us and only one other camper in the entire campground!  The next morning, we did another little hike and then headed for the Napa Valley.  Travelled a lot and ended up at our first KOA up in the rolling grassy hills of Napa Valley...we are obviously getting into the more populated and ritzy area as this campground was $60/nite!  I thought the chick was joking.  It was 5:30pm and everyone was getting hungry and grumpy and they had a pool, so we set up camp.  Jack went to bed early and we headed with our baby monitor to the hot tub under the stars.  Ok, maybe it was worth the $$.  

Had a morning swim (in the hot tub as the pool was freezing!) and travelled the miles and miles and miles of grape vines.  The valleys are beautiful and green - like the Okanagan a bit but much more lush and green.  Stopped at a Robert Mondavi winery for some wine tasting.  Yum.

Travelled further south and camped just north of San Francisco.  It was hopefully the ugliest campground we will see on this trip.  It was difficult to figure out if it was an RV park, a RV storage facility or trailer park/parking lot.  Our trailer was about 6 inches from our neighbors (no joke).  

Got up early (for us, this is 7:00 am), did laundry (yes, again) and were on the road by 10:00 - the earliest yet!  We needed to miss rush hour going into San Francisco.  All this meant was that we weren't in grid lock but wow, there were still a zillion cars!  At times there were 6 lanes of traffic going in one direction.  Yuck.  We spent $18.75 in toll charges going over 2 bridges (yikes!).  That is reason enough to live in Canada - no tolls (that I know of).  We drove over the Golden Gate bridge and then through San Fran on our way to the coast highway.  We didn't stop because we have already been there (although I do love it)...but I don't know if we would have anyway...it is not a city for a 35 foot RV towing a car.  I thought we were going to take off the mirrors of a few cars parked on the side of the road!  I had to switch to John's side of the Beast because it was making me sick.  Kudos to John that we didn't sideswipe anything.  

We traveled along the coast which was beautiful.  Stopped for a great lunch and did some tide-pooling and watched the kitesurfers.  We are now high in the hills at a nice campground near Carmel-by-the-sea.  

Jack had fun "helping" me put the sheets back on the bed.  I bet you can't see him..."Where's Jack"  is his favorite game in the pile of pillows.  

The people here seem extraordinarily nice and we plan to relax for a few days and see the area.

Day 17 & 18 - Redwood Forest, California

Yesterday was a travel day and we are now in the Redwood Forest in Northern California.  We spent the day hiking the trails and Jack now has a new word...Wow!  He said it over and over all day - very funny since that is exactly what you think as you hike next to these Redwoods.  They grow to 360' tall, the largest one (they fondly call "Big Tree" - that Jack & I are standing in front of in the picture) is 24' in diameter and they range from 600 to 2,000 years old.  You realize both literally and figuratively how small we really are!  Jack loves the backpack traveling...thanks for the backpack Carol!

We also had a lot of playground time at the campground.  All in all, a great day.  

Tomorrow is another travel day...we just don't know where yet!  Thought I'd include a few shots of Captain & Number 1 in the front seats.  Number 1 sets the tone & then goes to sleep.  Then upon awaking, they have a drink together!  Once we arrive, Number 1 becomes Captain and he gets a new sidekick to take over his spot.

John has actually agreed to go to the 7th game of the Flames series if it goes to that (hopefully we don't need it)...we figure we will likely be near San Jose on the 22nd.  Last night was painful...even though we are in California, there was baseball on 2 different channels and no mention of the game.  It was very frustrating getting real time updates from the Flames statistics page on the web!  Go Flames!

Day 10 to 16 - More Amazing Oregon Coast

We have been traveling south (albeit quite slowly) down the coast.  We have been only traveling a max. of 2.5 hours a day.  Jack sleeps for about an hour each day in the Beast.  There are so many Oregon State Parks and they are all so nice!  None of them have services so that is why we haven't blogged (is that a word?) in awhile.  

On Day 10, we saw the beginning of the Oregon Dunes Recreation Area.  I have never in my life seen so much sand!  There are 47 miles of it.  It is ATV heaven.  We stopped for lunch and climbed a huge hill of sand probably 100m high.  It is so soft, that if you fall you'd never hurt yourself and it doesn't have sticks or rocks so you can climb in your bare feet.  So cool.

In Newport, we went to a great aquarium with glass tunnels, so you are surrounded by fish. Along the way, every town has its claim to fame - we have seen the world's smallest navigable harbour (Depoe Bay), the world's shortest river (D River at 120 feet), the world's largest sea lion cave (Florence) - all within a couple of days!  There is also tons of Salt Water Taffy stores.  Figures.  It's about the only candy I don't really like.

We went for a hike from our campground in Florence and it led us to more dunes overlooking a lake.  I just love these dunes.  It's worth an entire family vacation some day to come here with some ATVs and cruise down the beaches and hills.  We took a dune buggy tour thru the dunes and along the beach...it was great.  It was so bumpy and rough, I was worried about Jack.  Not necessary - I look down beside me and he's asleep!  Hilarious.  There is so much sand, they have sandboarding.  Basically, snowboarding on sand.  We missed the opening of the place by a few days - we are coming back here some day anyway!

Campgrounds are full of dog people.  We have seen a ton of Corgis (Mac type dogs) here...Oregonians seems to know what John has known for 16 years...what a great dog Corgis are.  Gus seems to be a big hit here in all the campgrounds as well.  I feel like making him a sign saying..."Hi, I'm a purebred Drever.  From Sweden.  Yes, I do look like a basset hound and a beagle.  Yes, I know I'm cute."  Then my sign would say "take him for a walk, and then tell me he's cute".  Gus has not lost his puppy energy.  However, I did take him on a run and half way through I was dragging him!  Ah, the revenge.

Then we were in Bandon, Oregon for a few days.  The weather finally was sunny (still a bit cold due to the wind from the ocean) but sunny!!  We biked to the beach and Jack loved it.  For some reason, he shoved his face in the sand - he had sand in his ears, hair, nose and mouth.  Quite funny.  They have an amazing golf course here along the ocean but it is really windy and it is $220/round and we'd have to play on our own since we don't have anyone to look after Jack so we opted out.  Plus you have to have a caddie.  With the wind, I'd be so embarrassed about my play, I wouldn't enjoy myself!

We left Bandon today after having fish & chips (Jack loves the chips part) and playing along the most beautiful beach we've seen yet.  We are in a hideous campground tonight (how can they possibly screw up when you are 200 feet from the ocean but they did)  but we are inside reading, doing laundry and catching up on emails anyway.  This campground didn't even get their wifi connection working properly...can't upload pictures again.  Will try again next log on day.

Heading to California and the Redwoods tomorrow.

Day 9 - Cannon Beach, Oregon

This is the cute face we wake up to each day peeking out of his bunk bed!

It is cold, rainy and windy.  We went to the quaint village of Cannon Beach & took in the great views of the huge beach and rocks off the shore.  The huge rock is called Haystack Rock for obvious reasons!  Flying kites is a big thing here - with such wide open beaches and they had no problem keeping them flying with the wind today!  Walked among the shops and homes...the whole village seems as though they have a rule that all houses have to be shingled with cedar shakes.  The houses look great.  What a nice place for a weekend getaway if you live in close by Portland.

Then we headed south to Tillamook.  Famous for a huge cheese factory (apparently).  We toured the factory...very cool.  One must remember jobs on an assembly line when one is complaining about their cushy office job!  We indulged on some cheese and they also happen to make great ice cream!  We are camping tonight right on the ocean in a little bay called Netart Bay.  Jack loves it here.  I spent the first hour here standing in the rain and watching him run and dance in all the puddles...ah, the beauty of having a little boy!  John is out doing the laundry...ah, the beauty of having a little boy with diarrhea in an RV!

Day 8 - Seaside, Oregon

We awoke to a lot of rain but the day turned out to be quite nice.  It is just muddy and cold.  John just wants to get to warmer climates but the rest of us want to hang out here for a while.  Puddles and mud are great things for a 15 month old and a puppy! Just before we left, Jack lost his footing and plopped himself butt first into a puddle...then later today he was playing in the motorhome and fell butt first into Gus' water dish!  

We unhooked the Jeep and headed down the highway to Seaside today to walk on the beach, watch the kite flyers, wander the streets and shop a bit.  It was a nice day.

Life in the motorhome...makes us laugh at ourselves.  In 10 years, I have gone from backcountry camping to RV resort.  Not, that I am complaining too much...coffee and baileys in the morning, wine & movie watching & map reading at night is hard to complain about.  It is actually working out great but as we walk around the campsite, we joke that we have the Beast, but we still need the American flag hanging at the entry to our campsite, the patio lanterns and the piece de resistance...the palm tree in neon lights!  

Jack loves to play with his trucks in the Beast and spends most of his time climbing in and out of the drivers seat.  He leans on the horn every so often and startles us and our fellow campers I'm sure.  The bunk bed is working great...thanks Lisa and Pete for the bedrail!  We awake each morning with Jack poking his head out talking up a storm.  So cute!

We are spending the day at Cannon Beach tomorrow.

Day 5, 6 & 7 - Spokane to Oregon Coast

After a nice dip in the indoor pool & hot tub at the campsite (yes, a pool!) and some laundry (yes, already!), we headed towards the coast along the Columbia River Gorge.  We are trying to travel during Jack’s nap time…starting around 11:30.  He seems only to sleep for about an hour and that’s it.  The rest of the time I spend trying to entertain him.  We point out trucks for about an hour and the rest is playing waitress…do not be surprised if Jack finishes this trip as a big chub chub.  The only thing that keeps him happy is to eat constantly!  The motorhome is a good vehicle for this!  I have only cut myself once…pretty good considering the grapes run off the counter with every bump in the road.

 The only problem with not having an itinerary is that we don’t know when the campgrounds are…today we past one thinking we will stop in about an hour…well, the next campground was about 3 hours away.  Jack was not happy.  But, the Columbia River Gorge road is beautiful…the river itself is the border between Washington and Oregon.  We took the Washington side (the old highway) and the interstate is on the other side.  So it was a windy road high above the river.  Traveling along volcanic rock…no trees in sight!  Lots of wineries along the way as well.  Camped along the river at a state campground  - very peaceful.

 We started Wednesday with a hike around the huge volcanic rocks to  an area with Native American hieroglyphics.  Very cool.  Jack ran around in the park and played peek-a-boo from behind the trees.  Traveled along the Gorge again today on our way to Mount St. Helens.  Passed by Mt. Hood…huge volcano near the Gorge…very cool looking as it appears to be all by itself…a perfect triangle poking its head to the sky.  The Columbia river in this area is famous for the best windsurfing in North America.  Too bad we didn’t have our board with us!!  But I guess that one needs to master staying on the board for it to matter!  So, I guess it was too bad for John!  They also kitesurf here which sounds very cool too. Camped up by Mt. St. Helen for the night.

Went to the interpretive center for Mt. St. Helens yesterday morning.  Learned a lot.   All I remember is a bit of haze in the air that day in 1980 but so many people’s lives were and still are impacted by the blow.  Now these people that lived in such a tranquil spot have to deal with tourists and all the wonderful tourist traps that go with them!  T-shirt anyone??  Jack didn’t want to go in the lodge to learn about the volcano…he was happy in the parking lot pointing out trucks going by.  He’s at he stage where he lies in the middle of the road if he doesn’t want to go anywhere!  It is hard not to laugh.

 The rest of the day was spent traveling to the coast.  We have finally made it the famous Oregon coast.  Staying at Cannon Beach for a few days.  The forecast is for rain.  Big surprise…the west coast in the spring…but hopefully it won’t dampen our spirits too much.  The daffodils and tulips are out to brighten things up.

 Campground wi-fi is sketchy at best.  I think I was spoiled for the first while.  It is more and more difficult to get internet access but I will do my best.

That’s all for now.