Central California Coast, Ca

Lompoc
After one more trip to Solvang for a Danish and a trip to Buellton for gas, we took the less traveled path through Lompoc to reach the coast. Lompoc claims to be the city of flowers and murals and indeed it is. West of town we took a wrong turn and passed flower fields filled with vibrant colors. More photos.

Pismo Beach
We found our way back to Highway 1 near Vandenburg Air Force Base and then stopped in Pismo Beach where the scenery changes from remote countryside to people intent on having fun. We watched the toy haulers roll to and from the Oceano Dunes where quads, motorcycles and dune buggies cavort in the sand. The streets in Pismo were lined with tourists and RV parks. This is where we met the guy with the pink mohawk and clothes to match who is riding his bike around the world. I am not sure he will make it with pink hair. More photos of Pismo.

Morro Bay
We had a nice visit with friends John and Judy in Morro Bay. John and Leon had worked together in a past life. We then drove out to the beach alongside Morro Rock and watched the beach activity. A little further south in Los Osos we drove out to the rugged cliffs at Montana de Oro State Park and looked out over the Pacific. From there a drive through the lovely countryside filled with Monterey Pines along the coast led us to San Luis Obispo.

San Luis Obispo
We went inland about ten miles and stopped by the Madonna Inn, an inn with a Victorian castlelike appearance that overused the color pink. The entire place reminds you of icing on a cake. Even the sugar in the sugar shakers is pink! The gardens were full of blooming roses in front of the inn. The bathrooms are not to be missed. In the men's a waterfall entertains. It is quite a lavish place. We couldn't resist returning the next morning for breakfast. More photos.

In the older part of town we strolled the streets, visited the mission and had dinner. There were lots of young people in town but evidentally nothing as compared to when Cal Poly is in session. We then located the Moose Lodge, our parking spot for the night.

Cambria
After driving north again we stopped at this is quaint little artsy community just south of San Simeon. We toured through one of the neighborhoods where the houses seem to cling to the sides of the hills on tiny lots, all trying to get a view of the ocean. In town the streets are lined with cute little specialty shops. Up nearby Hillcrest Street is Nit Wit Ridge, a multi level house with terraced patios built from abalone shells, old wheels, auto parts and other salvaged materials on 2.5 acres. Supposedly an eccentric hermit built the place and lives here. More photos.

San Simeon
The Hearst Castle, begun in 1919, is a lesson in extravagance. We toured a guest house, the outdoor pool, the lower level of the 115 room house, the indoor pool and some of the terraces. There is a 5 mile bus drive up the hill to the mansion which is owned now by the state. Every 10 minutes a busload would ascend the hill with another tour group. We also viewed an excellent big screen movie about William Randolph Hearst's life and the building of the castle. It was a few hours well spent. More photos.

Ragged Point
We drove further north along the coast to Ragged Point, the gateway to Big Sur, where the steep cliffs rise high above the shore and the narrow coastline and winding road provide breathtaking views. This was our furthest point north. More photos.

Piedras Blancas
Heading back south we passed Piedras Blancas lighthouse and then stopped at the viewing area where the elephant sea lions bask in the sun on the beach. They weigh up to 5,000 pounds and return to this area from Alaska to have their young, to mate, and to molt. They shed their coats once each year and once again don shiny silver coats. More photos.

Nearby we spent the night at the Washburn Campground in San Simeon State Park. The next morning. after a stop at the tide pools at Laffingwell Beach and a drive along Moonstone Beach near Cambria, we passed wineries, horsefarms, mountains, oil fields, and desert before descending into the San Joaquin Valley and Bakersfield, Ca. We stopped to look at the Tule Elk, native to California, at the Tule Elk Preserve west of town and then arrived at our home for five days at the newly opened Bakersfield RV Park.

Santa Barbara, Ca

Our goal in Santa Barbara was to visit with Brett, Leon's son, and what a fine visit it was. We got a nice spot at the Lake Cachuma County Park 24 miles northeast of Santa Barbara. It seems the county parks were our best bet all along. It is in the 6,600 acre Cachuma Lake Recreation Area and the lake provides the water for Santa Barbara. The first afternoon was a bit warm, aka hot, so we went down the mountain through the Los Padres National Forest and shopped in Goleta. Then we had supper with Brett on Stearn's Wharf on Santa Barbara Bay, quite a scenic spot for some seafood. The pier was built in 1872 to serve cargo and passenger ships.
Santa Barbara is a nice coastal town with a Mediterranean climate and the red tiled roofs and white washed buildings reflect the Spanish heritage. It is on a narrow strip of land bordered by the ocean and the Santa Ynez mountains which leaves little room for all the traffic. More photos.

After joining us for breakfast in the campground, Brett played tour guide on Saturday and what a fine quide he was. We first toured Solvang, a tourist town begun by Danish immigrants in 1911. It has traditional half-timbered housing and architecture complete with windmills. There are also bakeries and lots of shops. The tourists flock to the place.
We then went back up the hill above Santa Barbara and hiked among the rocks to a place known by the locals as Lizard Head. What a view of the Pacific coast it provided!
Another winding mountain road nearby took us to the Chumash Painted Rock State Historical Park. On a cliff alongside the road are pictographs left by the Chumash Indians. Some of the drawings are thought to depict an eclipse that occurred in 1667. After having fajitas at the campground we once again hiked part way to Lizard Head to find Leon's phone!!! It was a truly awesome day. More photos of Solvang.

Santa Monica, CA

Early July 5 we headed north again and passed through the quiet coastal towns of Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach. The strand ran alongside the beach with multicolored small houses filling the side streets to the sand and water. In Marina del Rey we came to an upscale area alongside the marina before arriving at Venice Beach, a different kind of place. There is an eclectic group of people - the homeless mingle with those working out at Muscle Beach while others play tennis and use the other exercise facilities provided. Tourists mingle in the shops filled with cheap Chinese merchandise while others skateboard by. And this is at 9 am. This was the center of the beatniks in the 1950s and the hippies in the 1960s.

Further north on Highway 1 we stopped near the Santa Monica Pier and rode the bikes down on the pier to people watch and eat lunch. The pier is lined with small shops, eateries, pier vendors, fishermen, carnival rides, and people enjoying the ocean air.
Near Santa Monica Blvd. we strolled along the 3rd Street Promenade enjoying the shops, tourists, dinosaur fountains, and street performers. This is quite a popular shopping area.
Back on PCH the flat terrain changes to mountains alongside Highway 1 which follows along the beach. Many large homes with big gates line the road.
We got a spot for the night at the Sycamore Creek Campground in Point Magu State Beach but only because we "are handicapped." The state beaches seem to have many open spots each night that they don't release, either because Reserve America "might have made a mistake" or because someone "left early." It makes it very hard to find spots without reservations but most of them charge too much anyway for a site with no amenities. More photos.

Long Beach, Ca

We crossed the river from Seal Beach and found ourselves in Los Angeles County in the 5th largest city in California. The harbor and downtown area of Long Beach has gone through a major revitalization since 2000 that leaves a modern city along the Pacific shore. We drove along Shoreline Drive and past the lighthouse to the marina where they have an awesome bicycle path across the bay from the Queen Mary. We unloaded the bikes, rode the path, ate yogurt, walked the boardwalk, and spent the night at the marina. We didn't anticipate the noise in the middle of the night from people fishing on the pier behind the van.
We had bought VIP tickets online for the 4th of July on the Queen Mary and spent much of the 4th touring the boat. I was delighted to stop in the radio room and operate their amateur radio station as W6RO. The Queen Mary went into service in 1937 as a luxury liner and then was used to transport troops across the Atlantic during WWII. After the war she again became a first class cruise ship before retiring in 1967. In the afternoon we enjoyed a buffet and then had seating on the aft deck for the fireworks display over the bay. What a memorable 4th!! We watched thousand of cars leave the parking lot to cross the bridge back into town while we settled in for the night in the Queen Mary parking lot. More photos.

Orange County, Ca

San Juan Capistrano
After one last breakfast at Cafe 101 in Oceanside we traveled north on PCH past Camp Pendleton and through San Clemente detouring through Dana Point before we arrived at San Juan Capistrano. The mountains were closer to the beach but it was now about cute towns and historical areas. We did not see any swallows but we did enjoy a tour of the San Juan Capistrano Mission.
This mission was established by Father Junipero Serra in 1776, the seventh of 21 Spanish missions. Spain controlled California until 1821 when Mexico won it's independence. Abraham Lincoln returned the mission to the Catholic Church in 1865. The magnificent Great Stone Church inside the Mission walls was destroyed in the 1812 earthquake. Every spring the swallows return to Capistrano in March to nest and have their young. At one time they nested at the mission but are more widespread throughout the area now.
We also toured the historical Los Rios District, one of the oldest neighborhoods in California. Three adobe homes there were built in 1794. More photos.

Laguna Beach

We then traveled north to Laguna Beach, a hilly little town with steep cliffs and art galleries, which is a popular art community. The traffic on Sunday afternoon was as we expected = bumper to bumper and crawling at a snail's pace. We stopped at a beach access and toured a beautiful little beach with tidal pools that trapped fish, crabs, and other little sea creatures. More photos.

Newport Beach
From Laguna we creeped north to Newport Beach but it was a vain effort to get down to the beach due to the traffic. Later when the traffic dwindled we did return to the beach and pier. The area was packed with young people partying. Many small rentals lined the beach near adjacent clubs and restaurants. How the locals manage the traffic on this small peninsula is unimaginable. We spent the night in Newport Beach and the next morning drove with ease alongside the beach and Balboa peninsula. More photos.

Huntington Beach
20 miles north on July 2nd led us to a lovely beach - Huntington. We paid the $10 entrance fee for all day parking in the beachside lot where there was plenty of room to accomodate the traffic and plenty of beach for all to enjoy. There is a revitalized downtown area that boasted huge buildings with sidewalk restaurants, shops and hotels. There is a long asphalt path along the inside of the beach where crowds were bicycling, skateboarding, rollerblading, jogging, and strolling. The town should be very pleased with their accomplishments. There was a festive attitude as the town was gearing up for a large fourth of July celebration. At dusk fires lined the beach and at 10 the beach was closed and all got quiet, unlike Newport Beach. We spent a lot of time riding the bike path and then bought an umbrella and put in a few hours on the beach. We spent the night parked next to the bridge that crosses the PCH to the Hyatt. More photos.

Seal Beach
On July 3 we continued 8 miles north to Seal Beach, a quaint small town passed by time. It is pretty much surrounded by a river, the beach, and a naval station therefore it has kept it's small town charm. We walked out on the pier and watched surfers, life saver schools and sunbathers. We also visited the library and city hall trying to find information about a distant cousin to no avail. A disconnected phone number left us at a loss.

San Diego County, Ca

Oceanside
We scheduled one week at the Guajome County Park in Oceanside, California in order to visit with Leon's daughter. Our first day in town started with a wine tasting with Trisha and Steve in Carlsbad and then we went to their place to continue visiting and for a bite to eat. On Tuesday we went back to their place for Steve's birthday cookout. It was great to visit with them and worth every mile of the long hot drive getting there.
The county park and campground seems to be a well kept secret. Two Indians from the nearby Mission San Luis Rey received the 2200 acre Rancho Guajome as a land grant from the Mexican governor in 1845. A later owner built a lake and marsh in the area and in the 1970s the County of San Diego bought the land to create a county park. Many of the locals come to the park area to walk, bike, picnic, and fish in the lake. We were only seven miles from the fun town of Oceanside alongside the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and her 3.5 miles of white sandy beaches. More photos.











We enjoyed several hiking trails in the park after spending all of our days out touring the countryside.

We especially liked to go down to Oceanside, possibly have breakfast at Cafe 101, park alongside the beach and ride the bicycles on the path that borders the beach. Then we might drive further down the coast to another beach and watch the surfers or catch a nap. The Oceanside Pier is nineteen hundred and sixty feet long and is the longest wooden pier on the west coast.

Escondido
North of Carlsbad is an arid desert-like area in the San Pasqual Valley that is suitable for animals native to Africa and here we visited the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. It began 30 years ago as a breeding facility for the San Diego Zoo. The 180 acre sanctuary has settings similar to the animals' natural habitats. We saw most of the 3500 plus animals and 140 species. The day started with a tram tour among the larger animals: giraffes, water buffaloes, etc. in a natural setting. We decided that after seeing this we would forego the planned trip back into San Diego to visit the zoo. Included in our packet was a coupon for a wine tasting at the nearby Orfila Vineyards & Winery so we obliged before leaving the area. More photos.

Carlsbad
Leo Carillo, known as Pancho in the 1950s tv series "The Cisco Kid," bought over 2500 acres where he restored and added to the existing rancho beginning in 1937. It became a large working ranch with many vaqueros keeping it in working order. 10 acres are part of the historic park owned by the City of Carlsbad with restored buildings from his ranch which include a hacienda, pool, cabana, cantina, carriage house, stable and barn. We had a fun tour of the rancho which gave us a hint of what life would have been like in the area in past years. Peacocks running about the grounds also kept us entertained.

San Diego
An express train runs from Oceanside to San Diego, the eighth largest city in the U.S., with several stops along the way. For the senior price of only $5 each we could take the Coaster to San Diego so we took a one day whirlwind tour of the city. As we rode south we viewed the beach from the upper deck and disembarked in Old Town San Diego. In 1769 an expedition arrived and built the first of the California missions. The mission period ended with Mexico's independence from Spain in 1821 and the era of great ranchos began. Adobe homes were built in what is today known as Old Town. In 1848 California became a territory of the United States. After touring Old Town and eating fish tacos at Cafe Cayote we boarded the big red double decker tour bus where we viewed San Diego from the top level. We hopped off to tour the USS Midway at the harbor (embarcadero). We then continued through the gaslight quarter, once the main business distict which later became the city's infamous red-light district and later a skid row area before it's revitalization; Mission Hill, an affluent area next to Old Town; and Hillcrest, a bohemian village-like neighborhood with a mix of architectural styles and a shopper's paradise. I was surprised to find the town so hilly. We then boarded another bus for a tour through Balboa Park. In 1868, 140 acres of barren, cacti filled, pueblo land was set aside for a city park. It is now a cultural and recreational center which contains about 1200 acres of lush vegetation. In 1915 it was the site of the Panama-California Exposition. The ornate buildings constructed for the exposition and a later one in the 30s now house a myriad of museums. Balboa Park is also home to the San Diego zoo. More photos.

Aguanga, Ca

We reached the mountains outside the Palm Springs area by noon and were happy to climb to a higher elevation in search of cooler weather. The high desert provided plenty of sunshine and an ocean breeze in the little community of Aguanga. Our reason for stopping here was an Escapees Campground and we were delighted with what we found. It is the Cadillac of the SKP parks in many people's opinion. We enjoyed the library and both days made use of the pool and hot tubs. We might have ventured more in the area during our two day stay but driving the mountain roads was like a road race as the locals always seem to be in a hurry or think they are driving the Grand Prix. Therefore we opted to not go to nearby Julian for Apple pie or to the Mt. Palomar observatory, also in the mountains.
We did drive down into Temecula for groceries and learned that we were in wine country. Who knew? We enjoyed a visit to ards and other Leonesse Winery on a hillside overlooking the vineyard and neighboring wineries. More photos.
On Sunday we left for our reservation in Oceanside.

Laughlin, NV

Hot only got hotter as we made the 310 mile trip from Zion to Bullhead City, Arizona. We took the scenic backroad through the desert that ran alongside Lake Mead part of the way. The water is so low in Lake Mead that many of the marinas in the Lake Mead Recreational Area are closed. We drove across Hoover Dam and back but opted to not park and walk in the 104 degree temperatures to the visitor's center. More photos.

When we arrived at Bullhead City it took no time to check into the Riverview Campground and head over the Colorado River to Laughlin, Nevada to get in the a/c and out of the 110 degree weather. We visited several of the casinos but were surprised to find that shuttles do not run between casinos. We enjoyed a fine buffet at Harrah's and then saw a pretty good Elvis impersonator, Don Rose at the Riverview. After the show it was cool enough to enjoy walking alongside the Colorado River before calling it a day. More photos.

Zion NP, UT

After a morning bike ride in Red Canyon and a hike among the pines and red sandstone cliffs we completed scenic byway 12 and traveled all of 73 miles to Zion which became a National Park in 1919. The first white settlers to live in Zion were Mormons who were sent from Salt Lake City in the 1850s and in the 1860s to grow cotton, which was not available due to the Civil War, hence the area has been referred to as Utah's Dixie.


We entered down the steep incline and through the narrow tunnels on the east side of the park. The road was an engineering marvel in the 1930s but hardly accomodates today's rvs. They have to stop traffic and lead large rvs through the tunnel so that they can drive in the middle. We knew it would be hot and the 100 degree temperatures proved that. We also knew we wouldn't stay long. We got the last electric spot available and made use of the a/c until late afternoon at which time we boarded the shuttle at the visitor's center and marveled at the sheer cliffs that arise 2,000 to 3,000 feet in the canyon alongside the Virgin River. After dinner on the patio at the lodge we shuttled up to the Temple of Shinawa stop and took the delightful 2 mile riverside walk to the Narrows. This path follows along the Virgin River through a narrow canyon past hanging gardens. Some Evening Grosbeaks entertained us along the way as they were feeding in our path. A large buck with velvet still on his antlers also surprised us and didn't seem bothered by tourists walking by. More photos.

Bryce Canyon NP, UT

Bryce Canyon is the home of hoodoos, pinnacles of rock, often oddly shaped, left standing after millions of years of erosion. The Paiutes have a legend that people who lived here in the old days were turned to stone for their evil ways by the powerful Coyote. The cliffs, windows and arches in the deep ampitheaters are all colored in shades of red, brown, orange, yellow, and white which change with the rising and setting sun. With elevations rising from 6,620 feet to 9,115 feet, Bryce is cooler than the other Utah parks. John Wesley Powell conducted the first thorough survey of the region in the 1870s. Mormon pioneer Ebenezer Bryce moved to the area and raised cattle shorthly thereafter.

Sunset Campground was a suitable spot in Bryce Canyon where we spent two days enjoying the weather and hiking the trails. Our first morning we drove up to the end of the road to Rainbow Point where we hiked the one mile Bristlecone Loop trail looking at Bristlecone Pines along the way. We spent the rest of the morning working our way back down the drive stopping at the many pulloffs to view various configurations of sandstone.
The most popular trail in the park perhaps, the Navajo Trail, is closed due to a landside of boulders of giant proportions. At dusk we descended the trail down 1/4 mile to the point where you could go no further. I call it a steep and strenuous hike coming back up but the park labels it moderate. Sleeping was optimum in the cool temperatures with gentle breezes blowing through Hernando's bedroom.
On the second day we took the 1.5 mile hike along the rim from Bryce Point to Inspiration Point. We caught the show at the visitor's center where I checked the bird book and learned I had indeed seen a Western Tanager. The red head, yellow body, and black wings made him a most colorful creature.
We also took the Moss Cave hike, .8 mile round trip, that is outside the park. It led to a mossy cave and a waterfall on the stream that flows down the mountainside and provides water for the town of Tropic. At one time the Mormons built a 10 mile ditch to direct the water to their settlement. More photos.

Thirteen miles down the highway we arrived at Red Canyon, a campground in the Dixie National Forest. It is a most peaceful place even though it is right along the road. We ended the day with hot dogs and s'mores cooked outside.

Before leaving the area we biked a short way up the trail alongside the road and hiked among the vivid red cliffs near the visitor's center. We were only 73 miles from Zion National Park but we knew it would be summertime once we went down the big hill.

Capitol Reef NP, UT

Capitol Reef National Park has lots of driving paths and hiking trails with pulloffs at various spots of interest. A giant wrinkle in the earth's crust called the Waterpocket Fold stretches for 100 miles across south-central Utah. This was created 65 million years ago by the same tremendous forces that later caused the uplifting of the Colorado Plateau. We started the first morning with a drive down the Grand Wash and then drove down the Capitol Gorge wash, two deep, twisting, water-carved sheer-walled canyons. We hiked further down the wash to see the signatures of pioneers, miners, and settlers who had come through the area beginning in 1871 and carved their names high on the sandstone cliffs.
The Mormons settled in Fruita by 1917 and planted fruit orchards as they moved west. The area was set aside in 1937 as a National Monument. In 1969 the Giffords, the last family in Fruita, sold their land to the National Park and moved away.

We viewed the Behunin cabin, the old Gifford homeplace, the schoolhouse, Indian petroglyphs, hiked along the Fremont River beside the campground, and climbed the ladder in one of the orchards to sample some deliciously sweet mulberries. We had paid $10 for two nights but once we realized it was 90 degrees early in the afternoon we decided one night had been enough and headed on down the road. More photos.

Not far from Torrey there are several forests with campgrounds and fishing streams. The area is full of quads and areas for 4 wheeling on trails that include the Great Western Trail that runs from Canada to Mexico. We stopped less than 20 miles from Capitol Reef at Single Tree, a campground in the Dixie National Forest. We had climbed to a higher elevation and the weather was delightful. Our camping spot at 8,000 feet provided a delightful view.
We made a treacherous hike though a meadow and down a steep hillside to view the Single Tree Waterfall. Even though the sign said .5 miles it seemed like forever due to the slippery footing. More photos.

From Single Tree we had a leisurely drive through the Dixie National Forest and Grand Staircase-Escalante. The Grand Staircase covers 1.9 million acres of red-orange canyons, mesas, plateaus, and river valleys and became a national monument in 1996. It is known for its rugged beauty and was the last place in the continental US to be mapped.

The views high in the mountains were spectacular and the narrow road with dropoffs on either side were a bit nervewracking. It felt like summer in Utah and elevation became the key to comfort.

Canyon Country, UT

We decided on the spur of the moment to go to Utah before the weather got too hot as we had planned to visit in August. So we left Cortez on a narrow 2 lane road, McElmo, which provided a 40 mph speed limit. We decided to tour some more ruins and detoured to Hovenweep. What a great idea! We walked along the canyon observing many of the ruins of the Ancient Puebloans. There are tall towers, outlines of multi-room pueblos, tumbled piles of shaped stone, small cliff dwellings, pottery sherds, and rock art that lie scattered across the canyon landscape. There was a sizable population here but noone has lived in the area for 700 years. There is a campground at the national monument which would be a nice place to stay on a cooler day (if there are no gnats) and then taking a morning hike in the canyon. More photos.

We then decided to go south to Monument Valley for lunch.

One just can't do it all if you proceed in only one direction. We enjoyed the various shades of greens in the Mormon Tea, the Utah Junipers, the sage and other desert plants in the mostly red soils. After lunch at Monument Valley's Visitor's Center we drove part way down the drive that weaves among the giant monuments of rock. We didn't go the entire way as we had other places to go. I was surprised they no longer had the campground but are building a hotel to open in 2008. The area is just over the border in Arizona and is part of the 16 million acre Navajo Reservation. No one knows when the first Navajo settled in the valley but for generations they have herded sheep and other livestock and raised crops in the area. More photos.

We stopped in Mexican Hat at one of the boat launches on the San Juan River and watched kayakers and rafters disembark. The float looked like a great idea for a hot day.

The rock formation at the right is supposed to look like a Mexican Hat.

Our next stop was to look out over the San Juan River at Goosenecks State Park. This is an amazing canyon that winds back and forth where the canyon was cut deeply by the river. Not far from there it was time to ascend the mesa. We climbed the steep gravel mesa that includes many 5 mph hairpin curves along the mostly single lane Moki Dugway. It tests my nerves each time I take that route. The photo is looking down at the road we just came from.

Once on the mesa we drove three miles down a dirt road to the Muley Point overlook where we could look across the desert floor from high above. We then had a quiet drive on a good two lane road to the Natural Bridges National Monument Campground. We got one of the 14 spots available and were pleased that the gnats were not too bad. We surely saw a lot in the 256 miles west, south, and north of Cortez.

In 1883 a prospector discovered the three magnificent bridges and in 1904 the National Geographic publicized the bridges. Theodore Roosevelt establed Natural Bridges National Monument in 1908. It sits high on Cedar Mesa, 6,500 feet above sea level. Two deep canyons were cut in sandstone formed from what was once the shore of an ancient sea.

There is a nine mile driving tour to view the natural bridges. Along the way are many pulloffs where you can hike to an overlook or even hike down to the bridges. The bridges were all created by water which distinguishes them from arches which are caused by other erosional forces. We hiked down under one of the bridges, Owachoma, which created a steep climb back up the desert terrain in the Utah sun. There is also an overlook that provides a view of one of the Ancient Indian ruins, Horse Collar Ruin, along the bottom of the canyon walls. More photos.


After enjoying the morning hikes we drove north through the Glen Canyon Recreation Area. (More photos.) We detoured through an old mining town, Hite, and down to look at Lake Powell. After we crossed the Colorado River the steep canyons included many shades of red. It is amazing that anyone ever managed to cut a road through the area. 155 miles this day found us at Capitol Reef National Park in Fruita, Utah.

Cortez, CO

We stopped in Cortez, Colorado to visit with friends Greg and Elaine enroute to California. We drove alongside the Dolores River up to Telluride for the day on Friday. Town was full of tourists and locals enjoying the sunshine and 70ish degree temperatures. This was an old mining town that became a popular ski resort. We strolled the main street and stopped for a fine lunch. Then we toured the city park where we learned there are small camping sites. At the end of the road we stopped to watch the waterfalls caused by the snow melting on the mountains. Days like this don't come along often enough. More photos of Telluride.

There is no grass growing under our feet in Colorado. On Saturday, 8 of us drove out to the BLM canyonlands area near Cortez. Here we unloaded the quads and took off down the sideroads in the high desert and former homeland of the ancient Anasazi Indians. We stopped in Yellowjacket Canyon for lunch with our friends and the gnats and then crossed the creek successfully but we balked at the second crossing. We drove back to Cannonball Mesa and viewed some other ruins. This area was settled even before Mesa Verde. After 32 miles of dirt roads we loaded up the quads and reflected on what a fine day we had! This canyon land full of unexplored ruins has been designated a National Monument: Canyons of the Ancients. More photos.

AR, OK, TX, NM

It is June and time to head west! This time it is a back country drive along highway 70 through southwest Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The first night stay at the Red River Ranch near Thackerville, OK was uneventful. The drive was nice among the green countryside filled with wildflowers in shades of yellow, red, purple and white. The herd of camels was a surprise. The campground was a disappointment in need of repair and maintenance in the middle of nowhere.

The second day ended with a real treat at a Coast 2 Coast campground, Roaring Springs Ranch Club near Roaring Springs, Texas. We found a nice camping site alone on the top of a mesa with quite a view.

The travel this year is taking place in the Roadtrek due to the high price of gasoline. The highest paid in Texas was 3.44 / gallon. My new quad rides along with Leon's on the new trailer which also has room for the bikes.

We were surprised to find such a lush green campground full of wildflowers, a golf course, a fishing pond, and 750 acres over which we could ride the quads. So ride we did! There is also a small bubbling spring and some rocks where the Indians used to grind corn.

The third day we meandered along the back roads for 368 more miles in wind and more wind and more wind gusting at 40 mph much of the time. We spent the night at Hidden Valley campground in Tijeras, NM, just outside Albuquerque. Here we don't even have a picnic table, just a pull thru spot and electricity which will suffice for the night.

St. Martinville, La

We spent a fantastic 10 days in the swamps of southern Louisiana camping with the FreeRoader RV group at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park. Driving twenty three miles down the paved levee road south of Henderson will take you to the park entrance. Alongside the levee road is the Atchafalaya Basin through which flows the river by the same name. The Cajuns used to live out in the basin and travel by boat, living off the land and it's resources. It is quite interesting to take a swamp tour and learn about the history but we did not choose that option on this trip. We would have liked to have ridden the quad up on the levee but it is private property. (more photos)

One of our first trips was to the bakery in St. Martinville. We then went around the block to the park by the most photographed tree in America, the Evangeline Oak. This is supposedly where Emmeline Labiche, Longfellow's Evangeline, found her long lost lover after they had been separated in Nova Scotia. The Acadians who became what we call Cajuns were French who were exiled from Nova Scotia and eventually found their way down Bayou Teche to this area. They are the most wonderful people to know and have a unique culture based on their history and customs which have survived two centuries in this area. (more photos)

Much of our time was spent sightseeing. Breaux Bridge, which is famous for it's crawfish festival held later in the year, is a tourist friendly small town. We stopped at Cafe des Amis on Saturday morning for their zydeco breakfast. We began our meal with beignets while listening to Little Nathan and his band perform. The dance floor stayed packed as is a custom on Saturday mornings found at many venues throughout Cajun country. (more photos)

Another fun place to visit is the Tabasco factory at Avery Island, located south of New Iberia. Fourteen of us caravanned to take a factory tour and see the peppers being processed to produce their well known Tabasco products. We saw them bottle products that would be shipped to Europe and then sampled many of their sauces next door at the Factory Store. (more photos)
We drove over to the Jungle Gardens, begun by the McIlhenny family who started Tabasco, and took a driving tour through the grounds among the giant live oaks with Spanish moss hanging from their branches. Underneath were azaleas and camelias in bloom flashing all shades of pink and red. The alligators basked in the sun alongside the ponds and the egrets were nesting in their rookery.



Lake Martin, located at Parks between Breaux Bridge and St. Martinville, is the largest bird rookery in the United States. Seventeen of the FreeRoaders took a seat in Bryan Champagne's boat for an upclose look at alligators, nutria, barred owls, yellow bellied turtles, snakes, white egrets, roseatte spoonbills, and little blue herons. (more photos)

The remainder of our time was spent eating: crawfish, chowder, Cape Cod stuffies, crawfish etoufee, gumbo, hobo stew, biscuits and gravy, and potluck dishes and desserts. (more photos) On our final night the LEOs (Let's Eat Out) prevailed and we all went to Pat's Fisherman's Wharf for a seafood feast. Between meals we visited with old and new friends, kayaked, rode the bicycles, went geocaching, watched the many brilliant red cardinals, and basically just kicked back and relaxed. We had to extend our stay for one day just to find time to ride the bikes on Trail C, a 3 mile trail among the swamp in the park. As we left town I started down to Bayou Ann, across the bridge from Pat's in Henderson, to gather a few water hyacinths for my pond. I have never seen so many large snakes in one gathering. There will be no water hyacinths blooming in my pond this summer!

There is work to be done at the dead end before we go north to Mountain View, Arkansas in one month.

Bossier City, La

The toy hauler is full of toys (bikes, kayak, quad) and we are off to meet with the FreeRoaders in Louisiana. We decided to travel a few hours and overnight in the Shreveport, La area. There are 5 casinos alongside the Red River in Bossier City and with our luck the RV park at Diamond Jack's was full. For us that is good luck as we got to stay in the parking lot alongside which is where we wanted to be anyway. Why pay $30 for a little electricity we don't need!

We visited Boomtown Casino and Bass Pro Shop and then wandered along the beautiful new boardwalk they have along the Red River. No vehicles, just walkways among the shops and restaurants. Then we settled in at Diamond Jack's and paid our "camping fees. "

We stopped at noon yesterday at a great little place in Texarkana, Arkansas, Fat Jack's Oyster Bar, and watched the Razorbacks advance to the finals in the southeast conference basketball tournament while we nibbled on some of their specialties such as catfish and shrimp.

South of Bossier the fresh green of spring greeted us as we pass trees with new young leaves. The red of the maples are interspersed in the forests along I 49. The sun is warm and the temps are in the 70s.

As the French say in cajun country "Laizzes les bon temps rouller!" or Let the good times roll!

Al, Ms, Ar

We left Montgomery, Al early and blew across Mississippi, literally, as there were tornadoes about 45 miles to the south of us at one point. The dark ominous clouds overhead provided heavy rain showers and windy conditions a few times. We later learned of a deadly tornado in Enterprise, Alabama at about the same time, which was along our path yesterday.

March: In like a lion, out like a lamb. We shall see.

We stopped in Greenville, MS to put a few nickles in the machines on the "riverboat" and left with enough money for lunch in Lake Village, AR.
Dumas was along the way so we did stop and observe the devastation from the recent tornado there. We are now back at the dead end waiting for the next adventure (after taxes of course) - Louisiana in ten days!