Although it has only been 27 days since I posted our last update, I couldn’t let too much more time go by before updating again because we have been very busy! I actually have to back up to where I left off on March 30th when we first reached the West coast. We have been moving VERY slowly through southern California and only put 151 miles on the coach in April!
Our first stop back in California was Mission Bay in San Diego. We found a great RV Park right on the Bay and close to all the San Diego attractions. We only had a couple of days to spend here but we did visit the USS Midway and the famous Torrey Pines Golf Course.
The USS Midway has a long and impressive 47 year history. It was commissioned in 1945 as the largest ship in the world, the first ship too large for the Panama Canal!
A few of the notable facts include that it was the 1st carrier to operate extensively in the Arctic, the 1st to launch a V-2 rocket with the dawn of naval missile warfare and the Midway pilots shot down the first and last Migs in the Vietnam War. It is huge, having 4 lower decks plus the 4.2 acre flight deck. It weighs 69,000 tons and used 100,000 gallons of fuel each day. That makes our motorhome travel getting around 8 or 9 miles per gallon look pretty good compared to it’s 260 gallons per mile! It was a great tour and you should definitely add it to your “Bucket List”.
The Torrey Pines golf course is more spectacular than it looks on TV. It stretches out across the coastal bluffs of La Jolla and has breathtaking views of the ocean below.
We were thinking about playing a round and we were even willing to pay the $100.00 per person fee but it just didn’t work out in our schedule this trip. We did try the driving range a couple of times so our game will be ready the next time we stop here!
The golf course is just down the road from the Torrey Pines Glider Port which for over 75 years has been the learning place for aviation greats including the Lindbergh's, Boyles, and many more. The Gliderport was first established as a soaring site in 1928 and has defined the history of motorless flight. Today the Gliderport is home to hang gliding, paragliding, scale models, and sailplane flight.
Even though they offered tandem flights and claimed they have provided over 35,000 injury free tandem flights since 1997, we decided to play it safe and stayed on the ground. It does make me wonder what happened in 1996?
We did take advantage of the great weather and hiked down the 700 foot cliff to the black sand beach below. Tom was a little concerned after the hike down, but after we enjoyed the beach for a few hours he and his new knee made it back up with no problems!
On Friday night Tom’s daughter Laura was flying in from Massachusetts. We picked her up at the San Diego and on Saturday morning headed for our next stop in Oceanside, CA. Here we stayed at Paradise By The Sea RV Resort on a beautiful site just a short walk from the ocean.
This is one of the few places that we had made advanced reservations as we had planned for a big family get-together. Tom’s sister, Mary Jo, from Minnesota was flying out to visit her daughter Kelly, who lives in Oceanside so we planned to be here for the same week. Mary Jo brought her only granddaughter Rachel with her so she could visit with her Aunt Kelly. Another one of Tom’s sisters, Roberta, decided to join us and her daughter-in-law Kelley, also came along. That made for 7 women plus Tom! He was a real trooper and got through the week of shopping and eating and sightseeing trips to La Jolla and San Clemente with no complaints.
On Sunday all of the girls participated in the Carlsbad 5,000 which is a big event with over 12 thousand of walkers/runners. This was my first official 5K event! I even got an official T-shirt and a race number! The fastest woman finished the 5K (3.1 miles) in 15 minutes and 13 seconds! Our team members took a little longer but we had fun and we looked great in our matching shirts!
After the busy family week ended, we moved a few miles down the road to Guajome Park, a beautiful San Diego County park where we stayed for 2 weeks. It was time for a little R & R so we stayed close to home, played a little golf and Tom got in a few flights at a local flying club. Abbey & Jameson were both sick for a few days so it was nice place for them to relax and recover. Not sure what it was but they are both fine again!
From there we moved to Aguanga, CA to Jojoba Hills, an Escapees RV Park. Escapees is one of the RV Travel Clubs we belong to. We were not sure what to expect as some of their RV parks that we had seen were a little on the older side. We were pleasantly surprised! They have a beautiful resort that was built about 20 years ago as a cooperative by about 100 of the original members. The sites are huge and have beautiful landscaping.
They also built a big clubhouse that includes a fitness room, a card room, a library and a billiards room. Outside they have a huge pool and hot tubs overlooking the mountains.
It ended up being a great place to stay except for the fact that is was about 15 miles to the nearest store for anything!
After 5 nights at Jojoba we moved just 2 miles down the road to a very upscale resort called Outdoor Resorts-Rancho California. We don’t usually stay at these types of resorts as they are a little pricy but we had a coupon for 50% off for 5 days so we decided to try it. It was a very luxurious resort that offered a model airplane flying club and a 14 hole executive golf course as part of the amenities. We asked one of the staff why they called it Outdoor Resorts Rancho since it was really in Aguango, CA and his answer was that it made staying in the middle of the desert sound nicer! We enjoyed our stay here. Tom got to fly a couple of days and we played one round of golf. I was a little nervous playing golf there after one of my errant tee shots bounced off one of the motorhomes! Those windshields are pretty expensive! (no damage done!)
Both of these resorts were close to Hemet, CA which was our real reason for staying there. Tom had to travel to Hemet on 2 evenings to completed his indoctrination and initiation into the Elks Club! I attended the Indoctrination but was excluded from the Initiation, an hour & half secret ceremony - only Elks allowed! Our friends Bill & Vi and some new friends Larry & Patty that we met in Las Vegas joined us for the big celebration after he was “Official.”
During our stay here we visited the Mt. Palomar Observatory and spent an evening with a couple who are both old classmate of Tom’s who have a beautiful home in nearby Temecula, CA.
The Palomar Observatory is located on a 720 acre plateau high on top of Mt. Palomar at an elevation of 6,126 ft. As the crow flies it was only 20 miles from our RV park, but that would have required driving an ATV up the dirt roads over the mountain. We decided to take the more traditional 50 mile route around the mountain and up the “Highway of the Stars.” The main feature of the observatory is the 200 inch Hale reflective telescope. In 1949 when it was first used it was the largest telescope in the world. Now it is only 16th largest.
The story of George Ellery Hale is very interesting. His true interest in astronomy, his vision and his determination drove him to build the world’s largest telescope.... four different times! He was able to convince first his father and then others, including the Rockefellers to believe in and finance his dream. His motto was “Make No Small Plans..Dream No Small Dreams”.
We are very blessed to be able to follow our dreams and see this beautiful country!
The American astronomer Edwin Powel Hubble, one of the most important astronomers of the 20th century, was given the honor of being the first astronomer to use the telescope. The 200 inch glass weighs 14.5 tons! It is made of Pyrex and was manufactured in Corning NY and shipped by railroad and truck to the West coast. After it arrived on Palomar Mountain, it took them 11 1/2 years to polish the mirror to the perfect optical shape. The entire telescope weighs 550 tons but you could move it with one hand as it rides on bearings that are immersed in a bed of oil. In reality it is moved by an electric motor using only 1/12th HP.
Traveling a little further north, our next stop was in Chino, CA. Our goal here was to see the Nixon Presidential Library in nearby Yorba Linda. We found another county park called Prado Regional Park.
There was a big Dog Show going on in the park so Abbey & Jameson had lots of new friends! Our visit to the Nixon Library was our first to a Presidential Library. Although he is often remembered as the President who resigned as a result of Watergate, as we toured the exhibits we were reminded that he had many other accomplishments including the famous “Kitchen Debate” with Russian Premier Khrushchev, the welcoming home the Apollo XI astronauts in 1969 after their historic landing on the moon and the launching of the War on Cancer in 1971 with the creation of the National Cancer Centers and his visits to China to open trade relations with the Chinese. (Walmart must have financed those visits!). A little editorial comment by Tom!
We stayed a few days at Prado Park and found a great golf course right across the street. It was only $20.00 for 18 holes, with a cart! I enjoyed this course as there were no motorhomes to hit! There was also a local model plane club and Tom got in another successful flight! We also spent a few hours at the Planes of Fame Air Museum. It is an interesting place with over 150 WW II aircraft, more than 50 of which are flyable and are the sole surviving examples of their type. On display we saw the B-17E Flying Fortress known as Swamp Ghost and the B-17G known as Piccadilly Lilly II.
From Chino it was a short 75 miles to our next stop in Simi Valley. It was not very many miles but it was a bit of a challenge as it was our first venture onto the notorious LA Freeways. Tom did his usual outstanding driving job and we came through without a scratch. I do give myself some of the credit for my excellent navigation skills and diligently looking out for traffic entering the freeway! About 15 minutes after we got parked and set up, a woman pulled in with her motorhome which was missing part of the front corner which had been pulled off in an encounter with an 18 wheeler out on the freeway. Glad it wasn’t us! Simi Valley was our first stay at an Elks Lodge! We had full hook-ups for $15.00 a night and dinner at the Lodge (cheeseburger, fries and a drink (iced tea for us but we could have had a beer!) for only $3.00. It was a very friendly group and they gave us some great tips about other Elks Lodges along our planned route.
The main purpose of our stop here was to visit the Reagan Library.
It is a beautiful setting perched on 100 acres on a mountaintop overlooking the California valleys with a view of the Pacific Ocean. The exhibits cover over 100,000 square feet of space and included highlights from his life including his childhood, the Hollywood Years including his role in the Knute Rockney Story ( “Win One For The Gipper!”), his years as Govenor of California and his 8 years as President. One of the exhibits is a full scale reproduction of the Oval Office as it appeared during the Reagan years, including the ever present jar of jelly beans on his desk.
We also got to tour Air Force One, The Flying White House, which carried Reagan to 26 countries flying over 660,000 miles. After the current Air Force One was in use, this plane was disassembled and transported by truck up the hilltop to the Library. With the library’s roof and 2 walls already constructed, the segments of Air Force One were towed into place and the remaining walls were built around it. Then the workers reassembled it. As we walked through the plane it was remarkable to think of all the important world leaders who had traveled in this aircraft including 7 US Presidents (Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, HW Bush, Clinton and GW Bush.)
Our next stop was Santa Barbara. We had no real plan for this area, we had just heard from many that it was a beautiful area. There is another Reagan Museum here with information about his nearby ranch, but it was only open Tuesdays & Fridays so we missed it. Here we stayed at another Elks Lodge. On Friday night they offered a “Cook Your Own Steak Dinner”. For only $15.00 they provided big trays loaded with NY sirloin steaks. You could pick out the one you want and cook it just the way you like it on the big charcoal grills. Then you went to the buffet which included salad, veggies, baked potato & dessert. A very tasty dinner for a great price!
We took one day to explore Santa Barbara’s waterfront and downtown shopping area. A beautiful area to visit but we didn’t find anything in the shops that we couldn’t live without. We also stopped to see the Santa Barbara Mission and saw a very interesting RV parked near the beach!
From here we made a day trip to Solvang, an old Danish Village set in the mountains above Santa Barbara. Most of the town’s buildings reflect traditional Danish style and there are a number of bakeries, restaurants, and shops offering a little taste of Denmark.
There is also a copy of the famous Little Mermaid statue from Copenhagan as well as one featuring the Danish fable writer Hans Christian Andersen. President Ronald Reagan’s ranch which served as the "Western White House" during Reagan's two terms in office, is located about six miles outside of Solvang but it is not open to visitors! We were lucky as we visited Solvang on the day of the Rancheros Visitadores Ride. There were over 750 horses and riders parading through town on their way to the Santa Inez Mission for the blessing of the horses. This has been a tradition since the first ride in 1930. Ronald Reagan often rode with them.
On our way home we stopped in Buellton, CA so Tom could pick up some famous Anderson’s Split Pea Soup. Although pea soup is not high on my list, it is a local favorite. Their sign boasts they have been Splitting Peas Since 1924 and they currently use 50 tons of peas each year, enough for three-quarters of a million bowls of soup!
Our next stop was the Elks Lodge in Atascadero, CA. a location not too far from the Hearst Castle which is a National Historic Landmark. We did two different tours of the castle so I think we covered most of it. It is huge and spectacular including the location, the size and the vast collection of art on display.
In 1915, William Randolph Hearst first approached American architect Julia Morgan with ideas for a project shortly after he took ownership of the 83,000 acre San Simeon property from his father, George. George had become one of the wealthiest men in America during the 1800’s by investing in gold, silver and cattle. William’s original idea was to build a bungalow. A draftsman who worked in Morgan's office remembered Hearst saying: “I would like to build something upon the hill at San Simeon. I get tired of going up there and camping in tents. I'm getting a little too old for that. I'd like to build something that would be a little more comfortable.” A little more comfortable ended up being a castle featuring 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, 127 acres of gardens, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, an airfield, the world's largest private zoo and one of the worlds largest art collections with over 25,000 items. It is hard to describe with words, so hopefully a few photos will help. There are still about 65 descendants sucking off the family trust. The Hurst Corp. still runs the ranch including a few thousand head of cattle.
The next day we took a scenic drive down to the Pismo Beach and Morro Bay area and enjoyed a relaxing lunch watching the seals playing on the rocks. When it was time to go home, we found a very patient seagull on our car, looking for a handout. He did not move, even when we turned on the windshield wipers.
On Friday we were on the road again but just for 125 miles to the Elks Lodge in Monterey. It was a little tricky getting in on the winding uphill road, but a good stop for a few days once we got parked.
On Saturday we took off for a scenic drive to Big Sur and the "Scenic 17 Mile Drive". Although Big Sur has no specific boundaries most consider it to be the 100 mile section of Route 1 along the coastline from Carmel to San Simeon. Recently there was a big rock slide which pushed a big section of the road right into the ocean! The road was closed just north of San Simeon for about 30 miles but we were able to drive the rest of it. The highway winds along the coast with the mountains just a few miles inland. The road varies from near sea level up to a thousand-foot sheer drop to the water. Because gazing at the views while driving is inadvisable, there are many strategically placed vista points allowing for stops and to admire and take photos. Big Sur is widely considered as one of the most scenic driving routes in the United States. It was a little cloudy when we started off, but the sun popped out eventually and it was a beautiful drive.
From there we continued onto the 17 Mile Drive, a scenic road from Carmel to Pacific Grove, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes by famous golf courses and mansions. Carmel-by-the-Sea, often called simply Carmel, is known for its natural scenery and rich artistic history. After our visit there it is also known as a town with lots of expensive shops and restaurants. We were searching for a place for lunch but most of the restaurants wanted $17.00 for a tuna melt! We finally did find a more reasonable place. At the other end is Pacific Grove is known for its Victorian homes, its artistic legacy and the annual migration of the Monarch butterflies. Unfortunately we did not time our stop to see the butterflies as they have already gone north. It is a beautiful city with more Victorian houses per capita than anywhere else in America. The city is also known as the location of the Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast. The 17 Mile Drive also serves as the main road through the gated community of Pebble Beach. There are numerous turnouts along the road to stop, take pictures, or get out and stroll along the ocean. One of the main attractions is the Lone Cypress Tree, which is the official symbol of Pebble Beach.
We did stop at the Pebble Beach Golf Course but at $495.00 per round, we opted not to play. We did take a stroll through the Lodge and watched a few golfers finish the 18th hole.
On Sunday we spent a relaxing day at the Monterey Aquarium. This aquarium is unique in that it circulates fresh ocean water into the indoor tanks by pumping it in through pipes coming from Monterey Bay. We saw a huge assortment of fish, sharks, jelly fish, penguins, seahorses, flamingos and sea otters.
In our travels through southern California, we also visited four of the Old California Missions: the San Luis Rey near Oceanside, the Santa Barbara, the Santa Inez in Solvang and the San Carlos Borromeo de Carmelo in Carmel. The purpose of the Missions was to claim land for Spain and to bring Christianity to the Native Americans. The chain of 21 missions are located along the 600 mile El Camino Real ("The Royal Road") also known as the Kings Highway which is now part of Highway 101.
This part of our journey ended on May 15th, Jameson’s 10th birthday! Now I have three 70 year old traveling companions!
Wow, this was a long update for only 6 weeks of travel! I think we should slow down and take a week or two off. Next stop, the National Parks (Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Yosemite)
A Few More PhotosPHOTOS
