Central Oregon

5^th May

We drove the 50 odd miles to the gates of the Lassen Volcanic National Park. There was no one at the gates but they wanted a $10 fee to drive the only 10 mile stretch of the road that was open. We ignored this as we wanted to buy a yearly pass for all the national parks but even the visitor’s centre was closed. The road as far as we could drive was beautiful climbing up the side of the volcano. It started to snow very gently!. Unfortunately the clouds were down and we could not see the peak. A short distance back down the road we stopped for lunch and the cloud slowly lifted to give us a glimpse of the top of Lassen Peak. We drove out of the park and slowly descended thru forests to our overnight stop at McArthur-Burney Falls State Park.

We found a camping spot under the huge redwoods before walking to the falls. It was not the highest we had seen (Sutherland) it was not the biggest we had seen (Niagara) but these were the prettiest. The water going down the falls was from two sources. The Burney Creek was the source of most of the water but about ½ way down the falls lots of water was also coming from underground springs and squirting thru cracks. Very unusual! A trail downstream took us to Lake Britton and then back to the camp. It was a cold night as we were at 4500ft.

6^th May

Before leaving camp we walked back to the falls for a last look. Our drive today was thru a mixture of farm land and forest. We stopped at a small town (Fall River Mill) for a few bits and pieces. These small towns are fascinating and talking to the locals is great. We continued on and ended up on a very rough road into the Lava Beds National Monument. The visitors centre was open so we bought our National Parks pass. There was a nice camp in the trees and after selecting a site we walked back to the visitors centre to watch a short video about the lava beds. This is also a significant site of a battle between the local Indians and the US army. (more about that later).

This area is part of the volcanic system that stretches from Lassen to Crater Lake. In the lava beds the earths crust was soft so the many volcanoes are just like large bubbles. There are also many lava tubes. We walked to the closest tube which had been lit. We will explore some more tomorrow. Another very cold night with the gas furnace (US talk for heater) on before bed.

7^th May

The furnace on again this morning. It was around freezing we think. We drove up to the visitors centre where they lend out torches to explore the lava tubes. We selected a couple of caves,(there are hundreds) and descended down into the earth. We have been in lava tubes in Australia and Idaho, but these were quite different. They are formed by the molten lava forming a crust at the surface and continuing to flow underground. In the others we had seen the roofs had collapsed and but these were in tact and stretched for a very long way. At some points it is hard to credit that they are not man made as the floor, walls and ceiling form a near perfect tunnel until you come to where the ceiling has fallen down and then you have to climb and crawl to the next section. All a bit claustrophobic for me. I have decided, like Line Dancing, Spelunking is not a hobby I will be taking up!! Back to the visitors centre to return our torches and a short drive to a battle ground. The settlers around 1870 were being hassled by the local Indians, the Modac tribe. The army was sent in. 60 Indian braves held off 1500 army troops for 5 months in the lava beds using the unusual rock formations as cover. Eventually the army wiped out the tribe. We learned all this on a short walk around the battle ground.

Back on the road and across the border into Oregon. We have been in California for a very long time, counting last year’s trip inland and all of this year so far. We decided to stay in the city of Klamath Falls (45,000) and found a great cheap site at the County Fairgrounds. We had a great meal at Wubba’s Barbeque. I had a burger and a beer and Val had a chicken salad.

                                                      8^th May

Our plan today was to try and see the Crater Lake National Park. After a stop at the Klamath Falls Information Centre we drove around Lake Klamath and slowly climbed up to the Crater Lake. By the visitor’s centre we were in deep snow either side of the road. We watched a 20 minute video explaining the Crater Lake. Here is that explanation! There are two unique geographical features that have changed this area. 7000 years ago there was a volcano called Mt Mazama 15,000ft odd high. In 24 hours the volcano exploded causing the top 7000ft to collapse forming a huge depression. This depression was filled with snow melt creating a lake. This area has the largest snowfall in the USA. (15 metres/year) Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the USA.

It also has the purest water. There are no streams following in or out of the lake. It is totally dependent on the snow falling mostly on the lake surface. The snow they clear off the National Park roads every year would form a path 1m wide by 150mm deep that would go around the equator. (have not worked out why it would not melt!!) We left the visitors centre and drove up to the rim. Now the bad news starts!

The lake was totally fogged in. We sat and had lunch hoping for a clearance but with no luck. Eventually we accepted the inevitable and drove back down the road to a camp 15 miles away. Our plan was to hopefully drive back up and see the lake tomorrow. Our camp was on the banks of the Rogue River. The rain really set in and we watched the river rise but were quite safe.

9^th May

It was still raining off and on. We drove to a village near our camp and a kind lady looked at the web cameras situated at the Crater Lake rim. It was just the same as yesterday. Bugger!! We bit the bullet and accepted the fact that we were never going to see this natural wonder. Before leaving the area we walked to a viewpoint where the Rogue River rushes down a steep gorge. In flood, this was spectacular. Reluctantly we drove north around the National Park thru thick snow and on to a State Park at La Pine where we found a site with “electric”. It is pretty cold so “electric” makes life a bit easier. Val did a wash as a watery sun was shining. We did a nice walk along the Deschutes River in a mixture of sun, rain and even a little snow. It was very cold and we were glad of the oil column heater that Nicola and Gary had left behind from their trip

10^th May

We woke to a winter wonderland as it had snowed lightly in the night leaving a dusting on the fir trees. We drove out of the mountains and onto a plateau thru the large city of Bend. As the forecast is still for cold today we headed to another State Park with “electric” but it was full. We continued on a short way to Redmond where we are in another County Fairground. Eventually a weak sun broke thru and we ventured out for a quick walk. The internet here was supposed to be “down” but we found some and successfully Skyped the girls, Lynne and Mum. There was a horse show on so the Fairground is full of unusual 5^th wheelers, part horse float/ part accommodation. Plenty of Stetsons, boots and jeans around!

11^th May

A beautiful sunny day and we could now see all the mountains surrounding us. We drove west thru great farming land with a mountain range called the Three Sisters in the background. We continued thru the town of Sisters and found a great forest camp at the beautiful Suttle Lake.
 We set off for a walk around the lake (4 miles) and had great views of Mt Washington, which is nowhere near the State of Washington. This mountain is very steep and reminded us of the Matterhorn. There were camps and lodges around most of the shoreline. A very cool wind stopped us from sitting outside when we returned.

12^th May

Still a cold wind off the lake in the morning. We drove a very short trip over the Santiam Pass, stopping to take more photos of Mt Washington and into the Willamette Forest to another stunning little lake where we camped above it with a great view. We were 1200ft lower but the temperature was very warm and there was no wind. We did a short bike ride up the Smith River before walking the length of the lake along part

of the McKenzie Trail. This trail goes for about 26 miles and a few were biking or hiking its length. The forest in this area was quite different from the higher altitudes. The spring growth is on the deciduous trees (oaks and aspens) and the contrast of this light green with the very dark green of the redwoods was beautiful. It was still warm after the sun set so we gathered some firewood and lit our first camp fire.

                                                      13^th May

We decide to walk the McKenzie Trail in the other direction before returning to our great camp site and lunch. It was another very short trip down the valley to our next campsite in the Willamette Forest. We were right beside the very swiftly following McKenzie River with trees all around us covered in moss. A couple of rafts went passed but I was too slow to photograph them. It was very warm now and we sat outside until it was dark at around 8:30pm.

14^th May

It was a very pleasant 55 mile drive following the McKenzie River to the twin cities of Springfield and Eugene. Before finding our RV Park we did a huge shop at Wal-Mart. We made the most of the internet and Val has done a large wash! When it cooled a bit around 5:00pm, we road along the cycleways following the Willamette River thru the University of Oregan to downtown Eugene. Eugene is a university city a bit like Dunedin in that most of the students come from out of town. Lots of the students were swimming in the Willamette River. (much bigger than the Leith!) We went to a bar and had a beer. They had a promotion on and we won a tee shirt. Back on the bikes and a much more direct route back to “Ernie”. It is a beautiful evening and I am outside writing this blog which we will publish tonight.

Northern California

28^th April

After another laundry and publishing the last blog we followed the Sir Francis Drake Blvd northwest and around a nice harbour, formed by the San Andreas Fault Line, to Point Reyes lighthouse. The last 8 miles were along a very rough narrow road past historic farm houses which reminded us of Southern Ireland. The lighthouse is right on the point and down 300 steps. The views were spectacular. We talked to a ranger who had lived in Kaikoura and where she studied whales. The Grey Whales migrate around this point going north with their cubs at this time of the year. She had seen 7 this morning but unfortunately, despite hanging around for some time, we saw none! Back down the bumpy road to the N-1 again and north to Bogeda Bay and the Sonoma Coast State Park.

29^th April

The weather has really warmed up and we enjoyed the N-1 north passed some stunning coastline and some cute little towns. We stopped at Manchester State Park in an isolated camp. After lunch we followed a trail passed a lake to the beach. This was like a S.I. West Coast beach with white sand and bounding surf. The evening was warm and we had dinner outside watching the sunset.

30^th April

We took advantage of the isolation and both had haircuts before heading north again along this great coast line. More cute coastal towns, Little River, Mendocino and Fort Bragg. Just passed Fort Bragg we stopped at the MacKerricher State Park. This was another great camp and we set off on our bikes along the old forestry tramway back to the town of Fort Bragg. We stopped at various points to enjoy the view and then wandered around the town.

The ice-creams here were great! Before dinner we returned to the beach and walked out to Laguna Point and watched the sun set and seals and their pups on the rocks. I am not a great seal fan, but these were less smelly than their NZ cousins.

 

1^st May

We have been away for a month now. Time is really flying and we are worried that we have not travelled as far as we should have. Never mind it all seems to work out in the end. This was a long drive today firstly along the coast before heading inland on the N-1 and then eventually turning further inland on the 36. We are heading towards Redding and the Lassen Volcanic National Park. We are not sure if it will be open but regardless there is some nice country to see in this area. It will take us a couple of days to get there and we have stopped at Grizzly Creek Redwood State Park for the night.

The ranger said the river was too cold for swimming but when have we let that put us off. It was really warm and we enjoyed a great swim and a sunbathe back at our site. This has been another really warm day (25C)

2^nd May

Overnight we have had a rethink of our route thru Northern California. As well as Lassen Volcanic National Park we also want to go to the Redwood National Park on the coast and only 60 miles north. We retraced our drive on the 36 and passed the town of Eureka and north along the coast passed Humboldt Bay to the Redwood National Park.

After checking out the visitors centre we found a camp site. It was not quite what we imagined as we were in a meadow where elk roam. Before lunch we set off on our bikes thru the coastal redwoods on a spectacular ride. These coastal Redwood trees are the tallest living things in the world! Back to “Ernie” for lunch and off again on foot for what Val described as a 3.5 mile loop track. What she neglected to tell me was that we had to follow a series of tracks thru the forest for 2.5 miles to get to the loop. It ended up as glorious walk of about 8.5 miles and we deserved our drinks when we got back at about 6:30pm. All in all the decision to come to this National Park was a great one!

 

3^rd May

There are three main roads heading north. The N-1 follows closely up the coast line. The 101 parallels the N-1 but is a much more developed route. The I-5 is about 130 mile east of the 101 across the coastal mountains. We drove inland for our longest day yet up the 299 to the city of Redding on the Interstate 5. The road was great following the

Trinity River and winding thru the valleys between the 101 and the I-5. We have had a slight problem with our fresh water pump and I had eventually figured that it was a faulty pump. We drove to Redding where we bought a new pump. The new one was cheap around US$65. It took a bit of installing it however. One of those jobs that never goes the way you think. After a return visit to Camping World for another part we now have the pump working properly. We are camped just out of Redding in a pleasant RV Park.

4^th May

After yesterday’s long day we have decided to take it a bit easy. We drove into town and followed the great Redding cycleways either side of the Sacramento River, this included the lovely Sundial Bridge. We hope someone from Christchurch is taking note of the these great cycleways and bridges across the river. After a shop “Ernie” got a well deserved wash later in the day. It has just started to rain but the temperatures are still very warm. Our hope tomorrow is to venture as far as we can into the Lassen Volcanic National Park which in theory is mostly still closed due to the snow. As we have good internet at this camp we will post this blog tonight. 

San Francisco

21 April

Before leaving the camp Val did the laundry and we booked a RV park in Vancouver. Our drive north on N-1 took us thru an agricultural area of strawberries and artichokes to our next State Beach at New Brighton. This camp had an unusual booking system where they took your name and told us to be back at 2:00pm for the site “draw”. We went down to the beach for lunch and returned for the “draw” done in order of arrival. All very strange as there were heaps of sites. This camp was on the cliffs

overlooking a sandy beach. After hanging up the washing we enjoyed a long walk along the beach past some multi-million $ holiday homes just waiting to fall into the sea. It was a warmer night and we had tea outside.

22 April

We turned inland at Santa Cruz and on to a narrow winding road to the Big Basin Redwood State Park where we were allocated a very sloping site. After a chat with the “Camp Host” we returned to the park HQ and selected a great site right in the huge Redwoods. (why they allocate these sloping

sites to RVs with only a limited ability to level up is a mystery to us!) We had been hanging out for a decent long walk and we had a beaut thru the Redwood forest for about 6 miles. (Rewoods and Sequoias are the same tree so we have discovered.) It was a very cold night and we used the gas heater for the first time in anger.

23 April

We continued on the very narrow road thru the remainder of the park and, on better roads, down to the coast again for a shop before continuing on to an RV Park at Pacifica, a southern suburb of San Francisco. The camp overlooks the Pacific Ocean.  We are here because this camp is a very short distance to the golf course where Lydia Ko is playing in an LPGA tournament tomorrow. Unfortunately she has a late tee off time which does suit our plans for tomorrow.

24 April

We woke to dense sea fog. Our plan was to get to the Lake Merced Golf course early and spend as much of the day as possible watching the world’s best lady golfers. After a slightly delayed start finding the parking area for the spectators proved to be a bit of a challenge, due to the fog and the lack of an address. Eventually we found the park and boarded the bus to the course. (about a ½ hour trip!) The tickets were $30 which we thought was not too bad. It was a really easy course to walk around with very wide rough and trees. Unfortunately the tee times had been pushed back 2 hours so Lydia’s tee time was now 3:00pm. All the big names were there and we followed Inbee Park, Karrie Webb and Anna Nordquist for a few holes. (Inbee’s swing is worse than appears on TV. Unbelievable!!) The course to us did not seem that difficult with many undulations and unsighted greens but wide fairways. We worked our way back to the 1^st tee to see Lydia tee off. The fans sung “happy birthday” as it was her 17^th birthday today. She was with Michelle Wei and Stacey Lewis. Unfortunately as we had to be at the other side of San Francisco at the end of the day we could only watch Lydia for a few holes. (bogied the 1^st and played a great recovery to par the 2^nd.) She ended the day in second place at 4 under.

Sorry no photos as cameras were banned. Back on the bus to “Ernie” and the long drive in rush hour traffic to Martinez where we were to visit Cam and Patricia Carrington. (Cere’s uncle & aunty who we had met at Cere & Gareth’s wedding). It took us 2 hours to travel 44 miles including crossing the Oakland Bridge. Cam and Patricia live in a lovely slightly rural area and have a great house set in trees. They had arranged for parking and we received a terrific welcome. After lots of chatting, a great meal and a few wines we were exhausted.

25 April

We had a long and relaxing late breakfast, and after meeting Patricia’s daughter Laurel and granddaughter Zoe, we set off to the Napa Valley. Unfortunately heavy rain set in but we managed to go to 2 different wineries without getting wet. The first winery was Silverado. Their wines were very nice and we bought a bottle of red. The valley was just as we had imagined it would be with miles of vines and beautiful wineries. The other winery we visited was Sterling where we caught a gondola up to

the winery. Despite the weather the views were spectacular. Our return was via St Helena, a cute town, where we went to a beautiful restaurant for an early dinner. It was a great day. Thank you Cam and Patricia.

26 April

After breakfast and farewells, we headed across the top end of the San Francisco Bay to the ferry at Tiburon. This is across the bay from the city and where the cycleway ends.

We had a windy rough crossing to Fishermans Wharf and the hustle and bustle of this tourist area. We cycled along the water front where we had stayed with Lynne and Paul. After a short wait we boarded the famous cable cars for a ride up San Francisco’s hilly streets. We stood at the back & were fascinated by the brake man winding on the wooden brakes with the smell and smoke of burning wood. What a great way to see a little of the city! Back to our bikes and a head wind ride to the

Golden Gate Bridge. It had changed slightly since our last time with a better route to the bridge and cyclists

and pedestrians being now separated on either side of the bridge. Down thru the charming town of  Sausalito and a great ride around the bay back to “Ernie” a distance of 18.5 miles. It was only a short drive to an RV park, a good thing as we were pretty tired!

27 April

It rained in the night and was drizzling this morning. We have decided to stay here another day so Val did the laundry and I had another go at easing the bathroom door and fixing a slight problem with the pump. Door great but pump the same! The sun came out so after lunch we walked across a bridge to a shopping area at Larkspur. They had lots of food trucks there (like the TV series) and many up-market specialty shops around courtyards with a great country duo playing. We had an ice-cream and enjoyed the atmosphere. On our return we got on the internet to find that Lydia Ko had won the inaugural Swinging Skirts golf tournament in San Francisco which we had been at on Thursday. We will publish this tonight and head north tomorrow.

2014 USA Trip

3^rd April

Kate, our taxi driver friend, took us to the airport for our evening flight to Auckland where it was raining “cats and dogs”. We caught the shuttle to the International Terminal (first time ever, usually walk). We had applied for a free upgrade to Premium Economy but assumed we had missed out until we were upgraded at the boarding gate. Air NZ have changed the design of these seats and they are now very good with huge leg room (wasted on us) but much more comfortable. The food has also been upgraded so not the hassle with packages that you get in zoo class. All much nicer making for a comfortable flight. Our prebooked shuttle took us to Ernie who was in good nick (thanks Nicola and Gary). Everything was great and in an hour we were unpacked and ready for the next 6 month adventure. Off to bed early!!

4^th April

Our first priority was to get our cellphone working again. We walked to the Outlets of Orange where there was an AT&T shop and soon had a new number and could communicate again. We had a couple of minor issues to sort out including a flat tyre and a buggered bike. A careful drive to the tyre shop sorted out the flat tyre (faulty valve) and a visit to the bike shop where we bought a bike for Val last year after the rear wheel was stolen from the Wal-Mart bikes we had bought. The bike shop staff were very helpful and fascinated with our trips. They did a great deal on a second hand mountain bike for me. After lunch we shopped up for groceries and enjoyed a movie on our new DVD player that we had bought over with us.

5^th April

This was going to be a “fix it day” at camp. We started off by stripping the old Wal-Mart bike for all the usable parts. Never buy a cheap Wal-Mart bike!! As the guy in the bike shop said “they are great unless you want to ride them!” With a few bits swapped over we now have 2 very good bikes. The other minor job was fixing the bathroom door which has always jammed. I had brought my plane over and after removing the door took a couple of mils off the hinge side. What a difference!

6^th April

We left Ponderosa RV Park, where Ernie has been stored for 6 months (excluding the 7 weeks Nic, Gary and the boys used it over Christmas) and had a huge drive of 3 miles to an RV park near the gates of Disneyland where we will visit tomorrow. The reason for this huge journey was so that we can visit Disneyland for the day and the evening but come back for a break around dinner time returning for the fireworks at 9:00pm. After settling in to the new camp we walked the 10 minutes to Disneyland gates and bought tickets for tomorrow. The temperatures are rising and today is around 27C so we had a swim before dinner. Very pleasant!

7^th April

We were at Disneyland by 10:00am. The first impressions were great with Main St leading down to the castle. Nicola had wised us up to using our fast passes (front of the queue for rides) so we hot footed it to Adventureland and the Indiana Jones ride only to find that it was closed!!!  We were close to Splash Mountain, so decided to take the ride on  a log flume which tested our thrill level with the finale being a vertical 50ft drop! We were both drenched but lots of laughs. The Pirates of the Caribbean (our best ride of the day), the Haunted House and The Mark Twain paddle steamer (very relaxing) finished our morning rides. We did not have to wait more than 10 minutes for any of these rides, surprising as there seems to be a huge number here considering it is a Monday. After lunch at Mickey’s Toontown, we caught

the show at the Fantasyland Theatre, a 20 minute song and dance performance which was a mixture of animation and live actors. Unfortunately “It’s a Small Word” and  “Nemo” were also closed so we went to Tomorrow land and drove cars on the Autopia ride. It was time for the 4:00pm parade so we had an ice-cream and found a seat to enjoy this fantastic cavalcade of floats featuring lots of the Disneyland characters. By now we were whacked so we walked back to “Ernie” for a break (nearly fell asleep) and dinner. Back to Disneyland by

8:00pm and Mickey’s show on the Rivers of America - a spectacle on the land and water including ships and monsters. Some of the fantasy bits were projected onto spray from the river. This was followed by the fireworks over the castle. What a show!! Disneyland can certainly handle huge crowds and do some fantastic lighting, sound and visual

effects. You would have to be a huge cynic not to have a big smile on your face for the whole day. We really enjoyed our “one day” experience at Disneyland.

8^th April

Off to Wal-Mart for some supplies and then to Camping World for a valve that had crapped out on Ernie before driving across L.A. to the coast at Dockweiler Beach where we will stay for a couple of nights. This camp is right on the beach. It is also on the end of the LAX runways so there is a constant stream of aircraft flying overhead. We had a flat tyre on my new bike so we spent the afternoon fixing punctures on it, and the tyres I had rescued off the old bike. (5 in total). We did a test ride on the 22 mile cycleway which runs past all the beaches on this northwest side of L.A. Lots more riding tomorrow!

9^th April

Another beautiful day, cool in the morning but warming to mid 20Cs. We headed north along the 22 mile cycleway toward Santa Monica passing Marina Del Ray, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica Pier to the end of the cycleway at Will Rogers Beach. We returned to the Santa Monica Pier where we sat and had lunch. The usual crowd of walkers, runners, skaters has to be dodged! Venice Beach is quite a seedy area with the homeless and tattoo parlours etc. It was a great ride of about 26 miles. The bikes are great! Back at our camp we went down to the beach for a sunbathe and a read. Only the really hardy are swimming. A sea fog came in this evening so we dined inside.

10^th April

After leaving the beach camp we joined highway 1 to Malibu where we headed inland up into the Santa Monica Mountains to a State Park at Malibu Creek. This was a peaceful spot - what a contrast from the hustle and bustle since we arrived. Sometimes we have stumbled on an unexpected bonus. This was another of those occasions! After a bike ride and a short walk we were on the site where they recorded the exterior shots for M.A.S.H. This was an isolated gorge and instantly we recognised the hills and ridges from this TV series. There were some old vehicles which had been left behind and a map of the 4077 camp. We even walked up the hill where the helicopters landed with the casualties. Back at Ernie, the camp host bought us a King Snake to have a look at.

11 April

We drove back thru the Malibu Canyon to the Pacific Coast Highway (1) and north to a series of State Beaches where we thought we would get a camp site only to find they were all full! It is the “spring break” for some schools. The ‘1’ goes inland thru Oxnard, which seems to be a strawberry growing area. We stopped at McGrath Beach State park where there were plenty of camping sites. We discovered that it was not a very nice part of the coastline. After a walk to beach, back at Ernie, we found that we both had a thick sticky oily tar on our feet. It turns out that it is a naturally occurring oil seepage on the beach in this area. It took a hell of a lot of scrubbing to remove it! Not our best choice of camps!

12^th April

Back on the N-1 and thru the coastal town of Ventura where the boats leave for the Channel Islands (Santa Cruz etc) and after a shop we continued north where we spied some RVs parked on the beach at Emma Woods State Beach. A quick “U” turn and we checked in and found a great spot backed up to a sandy beach. We sat and enjoyed

watching the surfies doing their thing. After lunch, at low tide, we walked the length of the RV camp (90 spots all on the beach). More relaxing, reading, and surfer watching before watching the sun set over the sea. It had got pretty cool so we sat inside for the evening.

13^th April

Such a great spot we have decided to stay for another day. It was a bit warmer today but still a cool breeze off the ocean in the afternoon. A very relaxing day doing much the same as yesterday. We walked in the opposite direction today passed a lot of families on the beach enjoying their Sunday.

14^th April

We drove north along the coast to Santa Barbara where we turned inland onto the “154” and to a camp in

the Los Padres Forest Park. We had a great peaceful camp under trees. It is much warmer inland and Val did a huge wash which dried quickly in the warm breeze. Three young guys arrived next door. They turned out to be Kiwis, one from Cheyenne St. (we had lived 2 streets away). What a small world.

15^th April

We continued along the “154” thru a quaint little Scandinavian town called Solvang, with Danish flags everywhere. A lovely drive thru farming land and back on the coast to Pismo Beach. We had trouble finding the state park where we were to stay. The camping ground had the “full” sign out and we could not find the second camp. We retraced our steps and found that the camp was not in fact full. The wardens were too lazy to take in the “full” sign!! This is a huge camp with many family groups. After lunch we off loaded the bikes and rode to the main beach. The place was chocker! There is a long pier with many people fishing and a busy shopping/restaurant water front. All very vibrant. Lots of people on the beach, surfing, swimming and sunbathing.

16^th April

The sea mist was back today but it cleared by lunch time. We walked to the main beach in our bathing suits and towels for a couple of hours of sun bathing, people watching and reading. The water is still a bit cool for swimming. After tea and a walk around the camp, the cool breeze set in.

 

17^th April

The weather has deteriorated with low cloud and quite cold. We left Pismo State Beach and did a shop up at Wal-Mart. We visited the Outlet Shops and Val bought two pairs of Levi Jeans for $40. Not bad!!  Because of the Easter break there are lots of people on the roads, so we had booked a couple of nights at San Simeon State Park. Our camp is on a hill about 1 mile from the beach. As we have not seen the sun today we will walk to the beach tomorrow.

18^th April

The morning dawned misty and cold. We had bought a new picture frame and Val had some new photos printed yesterday at Wal-mart so she spent the morning mounting them. Much better than last years picture frame effort. After lunch we decided we could not wait for the sun and walked along a track to the beach. It has to be a great beach to look good on a dull day but this beach would not have been impressive on the best of days. Walking back the sun at last came out and we spent the rest of the day enjoying it.

19^th April

We drove up to the Hearst Castle visitors centre. This is a palatial mansion built by Sir William Randolph Hearst. Again the Easter crowd was huge with long lines for tickets. We decided to “flag it”. Back on the Pacific Coast Highway and suddenly the road became a twisting hilly narrow road with huge seas pounding onto a rugged coast - very spectacular and not unlike the Kaikoura coastal road. We had no booking for this night (Easter Saturday) and were relieved to get a site in a great camp at Plaskett Creek  (again with the “full” sign out.) After lunch we walked to the coast down a set of steps to a beautiful wild sandy beach with many families on it.  Later in the day we walked a track along the cliff tops giving us fantastic views.

20^th April

The road became even more spectacular and in some places was cantilevered out from the cliffs.

At the Monterey Peninsular we had thought we would take a detour past Pebble Beach and Spyglass Golf courses only to find it was a narrow toll road. We are now in an RV Park which we booked earlier for washing and the internet. We walked over the sand dunes to the beach and back past a resort with a restaurant where we booked a table for dinner tonight. It had an Hawaiian theme and the food was great. I had sword fish and Val had salmon. We will now publish the blog.