Saturday, January 14, 2017, Move to Hemet, CA

We enjoyed a really nice breakfast with Maggie and Jim yesterday morning. They make visiting California really special!  I had planned to clean up the coach before our next stop but the weather didn't cooperate - you know my feelings were sorely hurt.

The River's Edge RV Park had a nice pool and spa. Even though it was cool cold enough that I was the only one in the hot tub, I was not going to pass up the chance for a nice long soak after roughing it at Pinnacles.

It was a good thing I was so relaxed because today's move to Hemet, CA was brutal! It was about our recent average at 194.9 miles (81,210.3 miles total) but the traffic and the poor condition of the pavement - WOW!  I can't remember how many times I said: "never again". I could be wrong, but I think a lot of the potholes were 6 or 8 inches deep. Of course, the deeper they were, the slower I drove when I was able to actually move. Joani followed our trek through the Los Angeles quagmire on Google maps with traffic updates that never failed to depress. Usually, we like to have a picture or two of the scenery as we drive, but we really didn't want any reminders of this trip. I was one happy camper when we finally reached Golden Village Palms RV Resort.

Our site was very tight but nice. It helped a great deal that Joani found a special allowing us a half-price stay. The park catered mostly to snowbirds so we were the oddballs with a one-week reservation. At the rear corner of our site was a tree loaded with lemons the size of your fist. They were delicious, so I picked a half dozen to add some freshly squeezed zest to our drinks. This week will be the polar opposite of our roughing it in the backwoods and maybe I can forget about the California highways.

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Our two weeks in Pinnacles National Park went by too quickly.  Still difficult to believe there was a place so remote in the middle of California!  I need to have a plan to better view the Condors when we visit the next time.

Today we moved to Bakersfield, CA.  The 188.2 miles (81,015.4 miles total) went smoothly once we cleared the narrow roads leading away from Pinnacles.  I'm afraid it was almost depressing driving into Bakersfield with all of the oil pumps, but the sun was out and it was a nice warm day.

Of course, the reason for our stop was a quick visit with Maggie and Jim, Joani's aunt and uncle.  Maggie had us over for a great dinner. Joani's cousin, Mindy, and her three grown kids joined us and we all had a great time talking and reminiscing around the table.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

On Monday, even with overcast skies, we tried to hike up Bear Gulch in Pinnacles National Park.  We didn't make it much more than a half mile before the rain turned us back.  We chose not to include those soggy pictures and instead tried again today.  It was still cloudy, but today we stayed dry.

Hoping to get a close look at Whitebark Sycamore trees was one of the reasons we hiked this trail.  We got close, but there was no good vantage point to capture these beautiful specimens.

The California Sycamores look amazing from the road above the gorge, but from this perspective, they looked far less impressive.

With all of the rain, we had plenty of running water in the gulch.  I suspect the park will be covered with wildflowers this spring.

Only one pine species was growing in the park.  It was really pretty small (compared to the giant Redwoods we recently visited).  These trees, maybe 30 to 40 feet tall, had the largest pine cones I have ever seen.

We crossed 7 or 8 bridges on the trail up to the Nature Center (which unfortunately was again closed).

Below, a collection of California Buckeyes gathered in the stream.  We never identified the source of the Buckeyes.  One of the Rangers said they dropped long ago and could not point out the trees without seeing the leaves.

The Buckeyes were the size of a tangerine.

Nature had painted this tree with a pallet that includes moss and fire.

I think there was one other RV in the campground with us after the holiday week ended.  It was almost eerily quiet walking Sam - nothing but wind and birds.  Not complaining, it was really nice!

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

The early morning turkey stroll through Pinnacles National Park was augmented by a number of deer checking out the area.  I believe, by this time, there was only one other RV in the park, so the deer were not quite as shy as they had been.

The California Ground Squirrels would pop up all around.  They were noisy!  Their chirping and screeching drove Sam crazy on our walks.  I was tempted to let him off-leash just one time to see if he could bring me back a trophy.

It was a little cool and damp this morning so when the sun peaked through the clouds the Turkey Vultures all spread their wings to soak up a little warmth.

Originally adjacent to the park and now included as part of the park is the Bacon Farm.  Ben built the house for Orea when they were married in 1894.  I love how photogenic old barns are.  I don't believe this barn was as old as the house, maybe only 50 or 60 years old. Unfortunately, there was no indication of its exact age but I thought it was nicely weathered.

The tree below was just behind the barn.  I don't believe I have ever seen a more impressive burl in a tree!

I thought maybe I was seeing a large flock of Condors but no - they were just Turkey Vultures, nine altogether.

Friday, January 6, 2017

I heard the sound of wild turkeys and saw they were making their way through the Pinnacles National Park campground again.  I decided to follow them for a while.  They were a little skittish with me watching them, so I never got closer than about 50 feet.

I believe there were three or four toms herding the flock of close to 50 hens.  I'm afraid I did not catch them fanning their tail feathers very well - maybe they felt it was too much of an invitation to show off in front of a stranger.  The Rangers told me the turkeys were not native to the area and we were welcome to take a few with us when we leave.

Everywhere in the park, we found the ubiquitous California Quail.  What a strange bird - it will try its best to run away as you approach and will only fly as a last resort for escape.  As they run, the top knot will bob with every step and their head seems to stay level.  Since they scurry along quite quickly it makes an unusual sight.  Their flight is a frantic all-out flapping fury and one will usually trigger several others making quite a racket whenever they are flushed.

We decided to re-visit the Bear Gulch Cave trail since today it was sunny and we, by ourselves, could take our time.  It had rained again since our first visit so there were a lot of puddles along the trail.

More of the Manzanita bark that we found so fascinating.

How many species of lichen were on these rocks? - I have no idea, but they were certainly colorful!

On a drive to King City, about 30 miles south and west of the park, we saw a lot of farmland and very little else.  I bet I could have counted the houses along the way on one hand.

This combination of rolling hills, cloud drama, derelict farm implements and windmill just hit me as a really nice composition.  It also happened to be near one of the few places along the highway where I could safely pull over.  Very serendipitous!

I don't think beautiful sunsets ever get old.  Someday I might capture the perfect sunset, but until then I will just keep adding to my collection.