The repairs on the motor home were finally completed on Friday, October 18th. We left Saturday morning and are now working our way east. Today we are in Needles, California. By Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
We are VERY fortunate to have our friends Freddie and Sally travelling with us. It certainly provides some comfort to know we have company on our first trip after the REALLY scary incident. It has been more than 5 months since we've travelled in the RV so we have to once again acclimate ourselves to everything.
We will be going to Charlotte, Michigan to have the right side of the suspension dis-assembled, inspected and re-installed by the chassis manufacturer and then look forward to getting back to Florida.
Happy Thanksgiving to all. Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Monday, November 21, 2011
Friday, November 4, 2011
As most of you are aware, on June 12th of this year we had a very serious “incident” occur while coming out of Yosemite National Park in California. The front, left suspension failed resulting in the entire wheel, hub and all associated components coming off. We skidded 880 feet before being able to stop and were very fortunate that we stayed upright and were not injured.
We spent until July 9th meeting with insurance adjusters, inspectors, claims processors and everyone else trying to get the repairs underway. We finally flew back to Florida to await the completion of the job. Since we flew home, we not only had to leave the motor home in California but also our car, many of our clothes, house wares and everything else that we had with us for a 4 month trip.
Shortly after returning home we learned that the insurance company, the warranty company and the manufactures of the motor home (Newmar), the chassis (Spartan) and the suspension (Reyco-Granning) were all refusing to pay for the repairs. After more than 4 1/2 months, and countless hours of phone calls, emails, letters and lawyers it has been resolved to the point that the repairs can be done but there are still MANY outstanding issues that still have to be litigated.
We are finally returning to California next week (November 8th) and hope to be back on the road heading east by Tuesday, November 15th. As part of our return trip we want to go to Charlotte, Michigan to the Spartan chassis plant, to have the front right suspension inspected to confirm that we are not susceptible to the same failure. Obviously, the coast-to-coast trip will be very contingent upon the weather and we will have to navigate around the approaching winter storms. It would not be our chosen time to drive all the way back from California but we want to get DreamCatcher home. Our friends Freddie & Sally are already on the road to California and are graciously going to accompany us back across country to lend both moral support as well as any other assistance we may need. As you may imagine, the “incident” was rather frightening and there is a bit of trepidation about getting “back-in-the-saddle”, thus, we are very grateful for their company.
Prior to leaving California we did do a little more sightseeing and we have included some pictures. They can be found at the following link:
http://www.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMsk
They include:
• a couple more shots from Yosemite, specifically El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. We really like Yosemite in spite of all the issues.
• Mono Lake, which is home to the spectacular "tufa towers", which are calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by the interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. It is a majestic body of water covering about 65 square miles. A truly ancient lake, over 1 million years old -- one of the oldest lakes in North America – which has no outlet. Throughout its long existence, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams. Freshwater evaporating from the lake each year has left the salts and minerals behind forming the odd and picturesque tufa towers. The lake is now about 2 1/2 times as salty as the ocean and very alkaline.
• Bodie which is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. The town is named for Waterman S. Body who had discovered small amounts of gold in the hills north of Mono Lake. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed pay dirt, which led to the purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown of more than 10,000. The town bustled with families, robbers, miners, store owners, gunfighters, prostitutes and people from every country in the world. At one time there was reported to be 65 saloons in town. Among the saloons were numerous brothels and 'houses of ill repute', gambling halls and opium dens - an entertainment outlet for everyone. When the gold ran out the residents moved on and left Bodie in a state of "arrested decay." Today interiors remain as they were left and are still stocked with goods.
• We have also included pictures of several other sights, including downtown Lodi, Mount Shasta, Lassen Volcanic Park, McArther-Burney Falls and the Jelly-Belly jelly bean factory!
This is an update of what we are to referring as our “hellacious summer” which was spent arguing with insurance and warranty companies and waiting, waiting, waiting…
Hopefully we are now about at the end of all this and we will update this Blog as we actually get on the road again.
Again, we love hearing from you and the email is still: Pferraro1@cfl.rr.com
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
We spent until July 9th meeting with insurance adjusters, inspectors, claims processors and everyone else trying to get the repairs underway. We finally flew back to Florida to await the completion of the job. Since we flew home, we not only had to leave the motor home in California but also our car, many of our clothes, house wares and everything else that we had with us for a 4 month trip.
Shortly after returning home we learned that the insurance company, the warranty company and the manufactures of the motor home (Newmar), the chassis (Spartan) and the suspension (Reyco-Granning) were all refusing to pay for the repairs. After more than 4 1/2 months, and countless hours of phone calls, emails, letters and lawyers it has been resolved to the point that the repairs can be done but there are still MANY outstanding issues that still have to be litigated.
We are finally returning to California next week (November 8th) and hope to be back on the road heading east by Tuesday, November 15th. As part of our return trip we want to go to Charlotte, Michigan to the Spartan chassis plant, to have the front right suspension inspected to confirm that we are not susceptible to the same failure. Obviously, the coast-to-coast trip will be very contingent upon the weather and we will have to navigate around the approaching winter storms. It would not be our chosen time to drive all the way back from California but we want to get DreamCatcher home. Our friends Freddie & Sally are already on the road to California and are graciously going to accompany us back across country to lend both moral support as well as any other assistance we may need. As you may imagine, the “incident” was rather frightening and there is a bit of trepidation about getting “back-in-the-saddle”, thus, we are very grateful for their company.
Prior to leaving California we did do a little more sightseeing and we have included some pictures. They can be found at the following link:
http://www.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMsk
They include:
• a couple more shots from Yosemite, specifically El Capitan and Yosemite Falls. We really like Yosemite in spite of all the issues.
• Mono Lake, which is home to the spectacular "tufa towers", which are calcium-carbonate spires and knobs formed by the interaction of freshwater springs and alkaline lake water. It is a majestic body of water covering about 65 square miles. A truly ancient lake, over 1 million years old -- one of the oldest lakes in North America – which has no outlet. Throughout its long existence, salts and minerals have washed into the lake from Eastern Sierra streams. Freshwater evaporating from the lake each year has left the salts and minerals behind forming the odd and picturesque tufa towers. The lake is now about 2 1/2 times as salty as the ocean and very alkaline.
• Bodie which is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. The town is named for Waterman S. Body who had discovered small amounts of gold in the hills north of Mono Lake. In 1875, a mine cave-in revealed pay dirt, which led to the purchase of the mine by the Standard Company in 1877. People flocked to Bodie and transformed it from a town of a few dozen to a boomtown of more than 10,000. The town bustled with families, robbers, miners, store owners, gunfighters, prostitutes and people from every country in the world. At one time there was reported to be 65 saloons in town. Among the saloons were numerous brothels and 'houses of ill repute', gambling halls and opium dens - an entertainment outlet for everyone. When the gold ran out the residents moved on and left Bodie in a state of "arrested decay." Today interiors remain as they were left and are still stocked with goods.
• We have also included pictures of several other sights, including downtown Lodi, Mount Shasta, Lassen Volcanic Park, McArther-Burney Falls and the Jelly-Belly jelly bean factory!
This is an update of what we are to referring as our “hellacious summer” which was spent arguing with insurance and warranty companies and waiting, waiting, waiting…
Hopefully we are now about at the end of all this and we will update this Blog as we actually get on the road again.
Again, we love hearing from you and the email is still: Pferraro1@cfl.rr.com
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Well, it has been a VERY INTERESTING 2 ½ weeks since our last Blog. First we spent a couple days at the southern end of Yosemite and then we left that area on June 12th to drive to the northern entrance of Yosemite where we intended to continue our time in this gorgeous park. That’s when things got VERY INTERESTING. Twenty-five miles after leaving our campground, while coming out of the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, we experienced a SERIOUS problem with the RV. The motorhome has been laid up ever since! In the intervening couple weeks we have 1) been trying to get repairs started on the motorhome; 2) flown to Iowa for Pat’s Aunt Maxine’s funeral; and spent a few days in San Francisco. We said it had been a VERY INTERESTING 2 ½ weeks!
• We really enjoyed the days in Yosemite where we began viewing this fantastic National Park. It is a very special Spring in Yosemite because this year they experienced 200% snow-pack and, thus, the waterfalls and river rapids are EXCEPTIONAL. Many folks told us that the falls are the best that they have seen in their lifetime. Our visit to Bridal Veil Falls was awesome. There was so much water coming down that we got absolutely soaked while viewing it. Next we went to Tunnel View which is a viewpoint east of the Wawona Tunnel. The vista from here looks east into Yosemite Valley and includes an unparalleled panorama of the southwest face of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridal Veil Falls. We were very fortunate to drive up to Glacier Point since the road was just finally cleared of snow and opened two days before we arrived. Glacier Point is a lookout located on the south wall of Yosemite Valley at an elevation of 7,214 feet. From this perspective we had a superb view of Yosemite Valley, including Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Clouds Rest. It was very awe-inspiring. Next we headed to Mariposa Grove which is a sequoia grove located in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of Giant Sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of its trees are among the 25 largest Giant Sequoias in the world. We also visited the Yosemite Pioneer Village which consists of historic structures from different eras of Yosemite history. As we walked among the structures, it was fascinating to see each building that represented a different chapter in the Yosemite story. Our last evening in Yosemite we were privileged to view a movie entitled "Return to Balance" which examines the life of Yosemite legend Ron Kauk, who, through imagery and soft-spoken narration, shares insights and stories of his life of climbing in Yosemite. He strives, in his own ingenuous way, to awaken us to our connection with nature and our responsibility to preserve it. Ron was there to introduce the movie himself and then answered questions and interacted with the audience for a long time after the viewing. It was a very inspirational and moving evening. We also visited Curry Village and drove around the floor of Yosemite Valley experiencing our first close-up views of Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. We were reserving this area for several more days of exploration once we got to the northern entrance to the park. This will now have to wait a while.
• We spent several days in San Francisco where we were joined by Mary and MarieElena, friends of ours from Florida, and Sal and Alan, friends of ours from Houston. Firstly we went to a GREAT dim sum restaurant in China Town with Mary and MarieElena. It was delicious and great fun selecting plates from all the enticing dishes that kept coming by. Thanks to our friends M&M for a great time. Next we had a delicious dinner at a wonderful Mexican restaurant with Pat’s brother and sister-in-law. The next day we started a whirlwind three days of sightseeing. This included visits to the waterfront and Fisherman’s Wharf; Ghiradelli Square for some scrumptious hot chocolate; a ride on the historic San Francisco trolley, a drive down Lombard Street, best known for the one-way section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being called the crookedest [most winding] street in the world; China Town; Little Italy and it’s North Beach Festival; Golden Gate Park with it’s gorgeous Japanese Tea Garden and the Palace of Fine Arts; the Golden Gate Bridge; Muir Woods; and Point Reyes National Seashore. We also had time for a great sushi dinner with Pat’s niece, her husband and daughter. This is just a quick synopsis of some of the many things we saw and did while in San Francisco. We REALLY enjoyed having the opportunity to experience everything with our friends and family.
• After San Francisco we flew to Iowa where we spent a few days with Pat’s family. Her great-Aunt Maxine, who turned 100 this past December, passed away. She had requested that Pat deliver the eulogy at her service so, of course, we wanted to be there.
• We are now in Lodi, California where our motorhome has been since we broke down on June 12th. As mentioned above, while leaving the southern entrance of Yosemite we encountered some serious problems. The front-left wheel came off the RV! All four bolts that hold the wheel assembly on the A-arms of the axle sheared off and we skidded 880 feet until SAFELY coming to a stop. We had to be towed twice, first 47 miles to a locked yard, and then 115 miles to the repair center here in Lodi. We have now spent the last 2 ½ weeks trying to get insurance adjusters here, estimates prepared, authorizations for repairs, confirmations that parts are being ordered, etc. The repairs are pretty extensive and the current consensus seems to be that it will be six to eight week before all the work will be completed!!! We have been staying in the RV in the parking lot of the repair center without air conditioning or hookups and we certainly cannot remain here for another couple months. So, this Sunday, July 3rd we are going to fly back home to Florida. Our current plans are to fly back out here around the middle of August and resume this trip where we left off. After all, we still have northern California, Oregon, Washington, Vancouver/British Columbia and Glacier National Park. It’s a REAL BUMMER but we have not lost sight of the really important fact and that is that NO ONE WAS HURT. We consider ourselves VERY FORTUNATE and we will just go on from here.
So, this will be the last Blog for a few weeks but tune back in and we’ll pick up where we left off.
Below is the link to the pictures for Yosemite and San Francisco.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMsG
As always, drop an email at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com we’d love to hear from you.
So, in the mean time, take care and stay safe.
SOON,
Pat & Judy
• We really enjoyed the days in Yosemite where we began viewing this fantastic National Park. It is a very special Spring in Yosemite because this year they experienced 200% snow-pack and, thus, the waterfalls and river rapids are EXCEPTIONAL. Many folks told us that the falls are the best that they have seen in their lifetime. Our visit to Bridal Veil Falls was awesome. There was so much water coming down that we got absolutely soaked while viewing it. Next we went to Tunnel View which is a viewpoint east of the Wawona Tunnel. The vista from here looks east into Yosemite Valley and includes an unparalleled panorama of the southwest face of El Capitan, Half Dome, and Bridal Veil Falls. We were very fortunate to drive up to Glacier Point since the road was just finally cleared of snow and opened two days before we arrived. Glacier Point is a lookout located on the south wall of Yosemite Valley at an elevation of 7,214 feet. From this perspective we had a superb view of Yosemite Valley, including Yosemite Falls, Half Dome, Vernal Fall, Nevada Fall, and Clouds Rest. It was very awe-inspiring. Next we headed to Mariposa Grove which is a sequoia grove located in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of Giant Sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of its trees are among the 25 largest Giant Sequoias in the world. We also visited the Yosemite Pioneer Village which consists of historic structures from different eras of Yosemite history. As we walked among the structures, it was fascinating to see each building that represented a different chapter in the Yosemite story. Our last evening in Yosemite we were privileged to view a movie entitled "Return to Balance" which examines the life of Yosemite legend Ron Kauk, who, through imagery and soft-spoken narration, shares insights and stories of his life of climbing in Yosemite. He strives, in his own ingenuous way, to awaken us to our connection with nature and our responsibility to preserve it. Ron was there to introduce the movie himself and then answered questions and interacted with the audience for a long time after the viewing. It was a very inspirational and moving evening. We also visited Curry Village and drove around the floor of Yosemite Valley experiencing our first close-up views of Yosemite Falls and El Capitan. We were reserving this area for several more days of exploration once we got to the northern entrance to the park. This will now have to wait a while.
• We spent several days in San Francisco where we were joined by Mary and MarieElena, friends of ours from Florida, and Sal and Alan, friends of ours from Houston. Firstly we went to a GREAT dim sum restaurant in China Town with Mary and MarieElena. It was delicious and great fun selecting plates from all the enticing dishes that kept coming by. Thanks to our friends M&M for a great time. Next we had a delicious dinner at a wonderful Mexican restaurant with Pat’s brother and sister-in-law. The next day we started a whirlwind three days of sightseeing. This included visits to the waterfront and Fisherman’s Wharf; Ghiradelli Square for some scrumptious hot chocolate; a ride on the historic San Francisco trolley, a drive down Lombard Street, best known for the one-way section on Russian Hill between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets, in which the roadway has eight sharp turns (or switchbacks) that have earned the street the distinction of being called the crookedest [most winding] street in the world; China Town; Little Italy and it’s North Beach Festival; Golden Gate Park with it’s gorgeous Japanese Tea Garden and the Palace of Fine Arts; the Golden Gate Bridge; Muir Woods; and Point Reyes National Seashore. We also had time for a great sushi dinner with Pat’s niece, her husband and daughter. This is just a quick synopsis of some of the many things we saw and did while in San Francisco. We REALLY enjoyed having the opportunity to experience everything with our friends and family.
• After San Francisco we flew to Iowa where we spent a few days with Pat’s family. Her great-Aunt Maxine, who turned 100 this past December, passed away. She had requested that Pat deliver the eulogy at her service so, of course, we wanted to be there.
• We are now in Lodi, California where our motorhome has been since we broke down on June 12th. As mentioned above, while leaving the southern entrance of Yosemite we encountered some serious problems. The front-left wheel came off the RV! All four bolts that hold the wheel assembly on the A-arms of the axle sheared off and we skidded 880 feet until SAFELY coming to a stop. We had to be towed twice, first 47 miles to a locked yard, and then 115 miles to the repair center here in Lodi. We have now spent the last 2 ½ weeks trying to get insurance adjusters here, estimates prepared, authorizations for repairs, confirmations that parts are being ordered, etc. The repairs are pretty extensive and the current consensus seems to be that it will be six to eight week before all the work will be completed!!! We have been staying in the RV in the parking lot of the repair center without air conditioning or hookups and we certainly cannot remain here for another couple months. So, this Sunday, July 3rd we are going to fly back home to Florida. Our current plans are to fly back out here around the middle of August and resume this trip where we left off. After all, we still have northern California, Oregon, Washington, Vancouver/British Columbia and Glacier National Park. It’s a REAL BUMMER but we have not lost sight of the really important fact and that is that NO ONE WAS HURT. We consider ourselves VERY FORTUNATE and we will just go on from here.
So, this will be the last Blog for a few weeks but tune back in and we’ll pick up where we left off.
Below is the link to the pictures for Yosemite and San Francisco.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMsG
As always, drop an email at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com we’d love to hear from you.
So, in the mean time, take care and stay safe.
SOON,
Pat & Judy
Friday, June 10, 2011
We have spent the last 5 days in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. It is a place where one truly feels small - in a good way - while walking among some of the worlds largest living things and viewing the wild Kings River. The GIANT Sequoia trees are incredible masterpieces created by nature. We first viewed the Sequoia groves in the early morning mist and it was just awe-inspiring. We covered all of the highlights in the parks and did several wonderful hikes.
Some of the sights we enjoyed:
Some of the sights we enjoyed:
· The Giant Forest, which was so-named by John Muir, the famous conservationist, who was so impressed by the sheer beauty of this area, he often compared it's similarity to the phenomenal terrain of Yosemite. In The Giant Forest we saw beautiful meadows, complete with several bears, recently appearing from their winter hibernation and grazing on the tender shoots of sledge. We viewed the cinnamon-colored Sequoias, members of the redwood family, just as Muir found them, "Giants grouped in pure temple groves, or arranged in colonnades along the sides of the meadows". Among these majestic trees stands The General Sherman, the LARGEST tree in the world. While neither the tallest nor the widest, it is considered the largest living tree in the world because of its volume. It weighs approximately 2.7 million pounds, has a height of 275 feet, a circumference of 103 feet and is estimated to be 2,200 years old! We also drove through Tunnel Log, saw Hospital Rock and picnicked at Crescent Meadow which John Muir called “a lovely, grassy, open area which is the gem of the Sierra”.
· We spent a great day driving up to Mineral King. We were very fortunate because the 25-mile winding road had just re-opened from the winter snows the day before. Actually, at one point we had to wait while the snow plow finished digging up some remaining snow. A quote in a journal we were reading before we went, read as follows when describing this remote subalpine world: "For those who find comfort in numbers: there are 698 curves on the 25-mile road from Three Rivers to Mineral King in southern Sequoia National Park. Our family clearly was flirting with danger on 1 1/2 lane-wide Mineral King Road, part paved, part potholed and more kinked than a Slinky. By the time we completed the drive to this 7,800-foot-high mountain oasis I was exhausted from pushing the passenger-side brake pedal. But sometimes a place that takes some effort to reach is all the sweeter". This absolutely explains our experience except we didn’t really count the number of curves, though we agree it was a LOT, and Judy says she only hit the passenger-side brake pedal once. It was, however, DEFINITELY worth the effort. J As an aside, while at Mineral King we had an “interesting” showdown with the marmots. What, you ask, could we have against the cute little furry animals? (You’ll see a picture of one in the attached photos) The problem is that these seemingly harmless little guys are EXTREMELY destructive. They will chew just about anything but seem to be quite fond of automobile insulation, wiring, belts and even brake lines. They have been known to completely disable a car in just a couple hours. To lend credence to this reputation the Ranger showed us the underside of the hood where the heat insulation was completely shredded! But, they’re SO CUTE…
· Grant Grove is another fascinating area of the park where we viewed the General Grant Tree named for the leader of the Union Forces during what Judy prefers to call “the war of Northern aggression”. The General Grant is the world’s third largest living thing. It has a base diameter of 40.3 feet, however, due to its tapering trunk, it is not considered as large as the previously mentioned General Sherman Tree. In Grant Grove we also viewed several other trees such as the California Tree, the Tennessee Tree, the Lincoln Tree and several other sequoias of significant size and notoriety. We also viewed the Fallen Monarch which fell centuries ago but because of the resistant composition of a sequoia, has experienced very little decay. Over the years the Fallen Monarch has served many uses. It has been used as a living space by the Gamlin brothers as they built their cabin, as a hotel and saloon, as a stable for the horses of the U.S. Cavalry and as a home for the Native Americans who inhabited this area for hundreds of years.
· We were also fortunate to be able to drive to the easternmost portion of Kings Canyon all the way to Road’s End. Fortunate in that the road, like the road to Mineral King, had just re-opened after heavy winter snows. Due to an unusually high snow accumulation this past winter, all of the rivers and waterfalls are running at extremely high and ferocious levels. We enjoyed several falls, especially Grizzly Falls and Roaring Rapids, which both were phenomenally powerful. John Muir compared the glacial canyon of Kings Canyon as “A rival to the Yosemite”. The Kings River is an awesome sight to behold with the white water rushing between the granite canyon walls. At one spot the granite cliffs rise 8,000 feet from river to ridge. At this point it is actually thousands of feet deeper than the Grand Canyon.
This, again, is just a snippet of some of the many wonderful sights that we
have seen. The sheer beauty of the trees of Sequoia and Kings Canyon is
humbling.
We especially like a quote that we read from Dennis Woods that says “Big
trees are just little trees that don’t give up” . We are glad the GIANT
sequoias have not given up!
The link for some pictures is
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMra
From here we’re off to Yosemite for a week.
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
This, again, is just a snippet of some of the many wonderful sights that we
have seen. The sheer beauty of the trees of Sequoia and Kings Canyon is
humbling.
We especially like a quote that we read from Dennis Woods that says “Big
trees are just little trees that don’t give up” . We are glad the GIANT
sequoias have not given up!
The link for some pictures is
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMra
From here we’re off to Yosemite for a week.
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Big Sur is not a town; it's a 90-mile stretch of land defined by the Santa Lucia Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. The suitably named Highway 1 is the only road that runs through it. It is an especially rugged stretch of oceanfront comprised of a rocky world of mountains, cliffs and beaches. There are NO words to adequately describe the sheer beauty of this drive. A mid-March storm sent several sections of the highway into the water. We had to drive through a few single lane repairs but for other than a short stretch around Gorda, which is still closed for repair, we traveled the entire magnificent stretch from San Simeon to Carmel. What a fantastic experience. Big Sur has long been a retreat of artists and writers and the ancient forests and rugged shoreline have, to a great extent, been protected from over-development. To use a well-worn expression: “IT IS AWESOME”!
One of the more iconic Big Sur landmarks is the Bixby Creek Bridge. It is one of the world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges at more than 280 feet high and 714 feet long. The bridge is quite identifiable because it is frequently featured in TV shows, movies and commercials. The Bixby Creek Bridge, which was opened on November 27, 1932, is important historically because it introduced automobile travel to Big Sur, connecting the remote coastal towns to each other. It was virtually impossible to select a few photographs, from the scores that we took, that will do this area justice, but we have selected some that, hopefully, will reflect the sheer beauty and magnificence of this stretch of coastline. The photos are included in the link below.
Some more of the highlights along the way were:
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park with some lovely hikes that culminated in incredible vistas. The view high above the beach, with the 80-foot McWay Waterfall that drops into the ocean was especially incredible. This was an astounding place to sit and contemplate nature.
Not enough can be said about Carmel, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove and Monterey. They are all stunningly beautiful and unique in their own personalities and charm. The 17-mile drive, which traverses a surf-pounded landscape, complete with cypress trees, sea lions, seals, HUGE estates and the infamous Pebble Beach Golf Links was just gorgeous. Also, all over the coastline, the vivid pink-purple ice plant groundcover is just stunningly beautiful as it cascades over and down the rocks to the shore below.
In Monterey, a visit to Cannery Row, which was made famous by John Steinbeck, was quite informative. Additionally, the campground where we are staying is near Salinas, California where Steinbeck was born and grew up.
Speaking of the campground where we are staying; it is filled with wildlife including a mother bobcat and her four cubs. We have had the thrill of watching them romp and play and gradually become more daring and frisky. Check out their pictures on the link below.
We also visited Point Lobos State Reserve for MORE incredible scenery and also enjoyed a trip to Point Pinos Lighthouse.
There was also a side trip to Asilomar Conference Grounds, touted as Monterey Peninsula's "Refuge by the Sea". Pat attended a conference here back in the ‘80s and she has always fondly recalled its 107 acres as a spot of breathtakingly gorgeous and ecologically diverse beachfront land, situated within the quaint and scenic town of Pacific Grove.
We continued to view more of the California missions with visits to Mission San Antonio de Padua, where we examined olive trees that have survived for more than 240 years and are still bearing fruit, and Mission San Carlos Boromeo del Rio Carmelo.
We also enjoyed a visit to Pinnacles National Monument, which is highlighted by the eroded leftovers of half of an extinct volcano. The rock formations provide for spectacular pinnacles which are not only breathtakingly colorful but are also a favorite of rock climbers AND the nesting habitat of the California condor and several breeds of falcons.
A visit to San Jose, the heart of the Silicon Valley, where Pat has spent considerable time in her working days, was capped by a visit to the INCREDIBLE Winchester Mystery House. It was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester and was continuously under construction for 38 years. Deeply saddened by the deaths of her daughter Annie in 1866 and her young husband in 1881, Winchester consulted a medium on the advice of a psychic. The "Boston Medium" told Winchester that she believed there to be a curse upon the Winchester family because the guns they made had taken so many lives. The psychic told Winchester that "thousands of people have died because of it and their spirits are now seeking deep vengeance”. She also told Winchester that she had to leave her home in New Haven, CT and travel west, where she must "build a home for yourself and for the spirits who have fallen from this terrible weapon, too. You must never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will live forever. But if you stop, then you will die”. The medium continued that otherwise the spirits that killed her family members would come after her, too. After hearing this, Sara Winchester began construction on the maze-like house that is full of twists, turns, and dead ends, so that the spirits would get lost and never be able to find her. Under Winchester's day-to-day guidance, its "from-the-ground-up" construction proceeded around the clock, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, without interruption, from 1884 until her death on September 5, 1922, at which time work immediately ceased. The cost for such constant building has been estimated at about $5.5 million dollars which would be equivalent to over $80 million today. There are 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms and two ballrooms, one completed and one unfinished. The house also has 47 fireplaces, 52 skylights, 10,000 window panes, 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others), two basements and three elevators. Winchester's property sat on 162 acres. There are gold and silver chandeliers and hand inlaid parquet floors and trim. There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials. The house also has many conveniences that were rare at the time of its construction, including steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights, a hot shower from indoor plumbing, There are three elevators, including one with the only horizontal hydraulic elevator piston in the United States and a Séance Room where the spirits are said to have directly inspired her as to the way the house should be built. The number thirteen and spider web motifs, which had some sort of spiritual meaning to her, reappear around the house. For example, an expensive imported chandelier that originally had 12 candle-holders was altered to accommodate 13 candles, wall clothes hooks are in multiples of 13, and a spider web-patterned stained glass window contains 13 colored stones. The sink's drain covers also have 13 holes. This place was quite a remarkable sight and lays credence to the fact that there is a thin line between genius and insanity!
We have also been enthralled with the miles and miles of agricultural land which includes the BEST lettuce, strawberries, cherries and a plethora of other fruits and vegetables.
SO, this is an overview of some of the amazing sights that we’ve experienced and below is the link to some pictures for you to enjoy.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMq8
From here we head back southeast across the state to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and then into Yosemite.
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
One of the more iconic Big Sur landmarks is the Bixby Creek Bridge. It is one of the world's highest single-span concrete arch bridges at more than 280 feet high and 714 feet long. The bridge is quite identifiable because it is frequently featured in TV shows, movies and commercials. The Bixby Creek Bridge, which was opened on November 27, 1932, is important historically because it introduced automobile travel to Big Sur, connecting the remote coastal towns to each other. It was virtually impossible to select a few photographs, from the scores that we took, that will do this area justice, but we have selected some that, hopefully, will reflect the sheer beauty and magnificence of this stretch of coastline. The photos are included in the link below.
Some more of the highlights along the way were:
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park with some lovely hikes that culminated in incredible vistas. The view high above the beach, with the 80-foot McWay Waterfall that drops into the ocean was especially incredible. This was an astounding place to sit and contemplate nature.
Not enough can be said about Carmel, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove and Monterey. They are all stunningly beautiful and unique in their own personalities and charm. The 17-mile drive, which traverses a surf-pounded landscape, complete with cypress trees, sea lions, seals, HUGE estates and the infamous Pebble Beach Golf Links was just gorgeous. Also, all over the coastline, the vivid pink-purple ice plant groundcover is just stunningly beautiful as it cascades over and down the rocks to the shore below.
In Monterey, a visit to Cannery Row, which was made famous by John Steinbeck, was quite informative. Additionally, the campground where we are staying is near Salinas, California where Steinbeck was born and grew up.
Speaking of the campground where we are staying; it is filled with wildlife including a mother bobcat and her four cubs. We have had the thrill of watching them romp and play and gradually become more daring and frisky. Check out their pictures on the link below.
We also visited Point Lobos State Reserve for MORE incredible scenery and also enjoyed a trip to Point Pinos Lighthouse.
There was also a side trip to Asilomar Conference Grounds, touted as Monterey Peninsula's "Refuge by the Sea". Pat attended a conference here back in the ‘80s and she has always fondly recalled its 107 acres as a spot of breathtakingly gorgeous and ecologically diverse beachfront land, situated within the quaint and scenic town of Pacific Grove.
We continued to view more of the California missions with visits to Mission San Antonio de Padua, where we examined olive trees that have survived for more than 240 years and are still bearing fruit, and Mission San Carlos Boromeo del Rio Carmelo.
We also enjoyed a visit to Pinnacles National Monument, which is highlighted by the eroded leftovers of half of an extinct volcano. The rock formations provide for spectacular pinnacles which are not only breathtakingly colorful but are also a favorite of rock climbers AND the nesting habitat of the California condor and several breeds of falcons.
A visit to San Jose, the heart of the Silicon Valley, where Pat has spent considerable time in her working days, was capped by a visit to the INCREDIBLE Winchester Mystery House. It was the personal residence of Sarah Winchester, the widow of gun magnate William Wirt Winchester and was continuously under construction for 38 years. Deeply saddened by the deaths of her daughter Annie in 1866 and her young husband in 1881, Winchester consulted a medium on the advice of a psychic. The "Boston Medium" told Winchester that she believed there to be a curse upon the Winchester family because the guns they made had taken so many lives. The psychic told Winchester that "thousands of people have died because of it and their spirits are now seeking deep vengeance”. She also told Winchester that she had to leave her home in New Haven, CT and travel west, where she must "build a home for yourself and for the spirits who have fallen from this terrible weapon, too. You must never stop building the house. If you continue building, you will live forever. But if you stop, then you will die”. The medium continued that otherwise the spirits that killed her family members would come after her, too. After hearing this, Sara Winchester began construction on the maze-like house that is full of twists, turns, and dead ends, so that the spirits would get lost and never be able to find her. Under Winchester's day-to-day guidance, its "from-the-ground-up" construction proceeded around the clock, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, without interruption, from 1884 until her death on September 5, 1922, at which time work immediately ceased. The cost for such constant building has been estimated at about $5.5 million dollars which would be equivalent to over $80 million today. There are 160 rooms, including 40 bedrooms and two ballrooms, one completed and one unfinished. The house also has 47 fireplaces, 52 skylights, 10,000 window panes, 17 chimneys (with evidence of two others), two basements and three elevators. Winchester's property sat on 162 acres. There are gold and silver chandeliers and hand inlaid parquet floors and trim. There are doors and stairways that lead nowhere and a vast array of colors and materials. The house also has many conveniences that were rare at the time of its construction, including steam and forced-air heating, modern indoor toilets and plumbing, push-button gas lights, a hot shower from indoor plumbing, There are three elevators, including one with the only horizontal hydraulic elevator piston in the United States and a Séance Room where the spirits are said to have directly inspired her as to the way the house should be built. The number thirteen and spider web motifs, which had some sort of spiritual meaning to her, reappear around the house. For example, an expensive imported chandelier that originally had 12 candle-holders was altered to accommodate 13 candles, wall clothes hooks are in multiples of 13, and a spider web-patterned stained glass window contains 13 colored stones. The sink's drain covers also have 13 holes. This place was quite a remarkable sight and lays credence to the fact that there is a thin line between genius and insanity!
We have also been enthralled with the miles and miles of agricultural land which includes the BEST lettuce, strawberries, cherries and a plethora of other fruits and vegetables.
SO, this is an overview of some of the amazing sights that we’ve experienced and below is the link to some pictures for you to enjoy.
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMq8
From here we head back southeast across the state to Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks and then into Yosemite.
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Monday, May 30, 2011
The drive up California’s legendary Highway 1 has been touted as “The Ultimate Road Trip” and it is certainly living up to its reputation. From Santa Barbara we traveled a short distance to Oceano which is just below San Luis Obispo. The campground where we stayed is located right on the sand dunes at Pismo Beach. These dunes, known as the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes complex, stretch for 18 miles and are a biologically diverse ecosystem that includes dune, scrub, wetland, riparian and aquatic habitats. It is the home to hundreds of species including the Western Snowy Plover which is endangered and was currently nesting in the park. While in this area we have done several exciting things, some of which are:
• Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is the largest colony (more than 15,000 members) of elephant seals that come ashore at this locale to enact their entire lifecycle. The males or bulls can weigh more than 5000 pounds and have a large nose or proboscis resembling an elephant’s trunk, thus, their name. The entire lifecycle of mating, birthing and molting takes place on this beach and there are literally hundreds of animals at any given time. When not here at Piedras Blancas the males head to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to put on weight in anticipation of the winter birthing and breeding season. The pups are born mid-December to early February and then the mating regime starts anew. This time of year the animals are “molting” where they are sloughing their dull tan or brown coats and will have silvery new coats. This molting process is like peeling a bad sunburn and is an annual process among all elephant seals. The newborns have been weaned and are learning to swim and the sub-adults males, like all teenage boys, are sparring and playing and challenging each other with their changing voices. It is a fantastic show to watch and we spent hours just enthralled by all the dynamics of this vast colony. There is a boardwalk built along the bluffs, just a couple yards above the beach, that stretches for several hundred feet and affords a fantastic opportunity to witness every aspect of these magnificent animals.
• Hearst Castle which is at San Simeon and is also known as La Cuesta Encantada (“The Enchanted Hill), was built by William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnet, from 1919 to 1947. Developed as his private retreat, this magnificent Mediterranean-style country house features 3 huge guest “cottages”, extensive gardens, two spectacular pools, lavish terraces and the main building (Casa Grande) which is comprised of 115 rooms. In its heyday the castle, which sits in solitary splendor atop a hilltop, in the midst of a 250,000 acre ranch that also included an exotic animal zoo, its own airport and a mile-long equestrian pergola, was a playground for Hearst and his guests, many of whom were Hollywood celebrities. What an unbelievable spectacle. The attached photos do not even begin to show its grandeur.
• Madonna Inn a lodging and dining extravaganza which for nearly 50 years has been one of California’s landmark attractions. Each of the 110 rooms has its own special theme, i.e. the Moonshine Still, the Caveman, the Golfer’s Paradise, etc. This place must be seen to be believed and to say that it’s “over-the-top” would be an understatement!
• Nitt Witt Ridge was a complete opposite from Hearst Castle and The Madonna Inn. This “interesting” example of folk-art architecture was home to a colorful character named Art Beal (aka "Captain Nitt Witt" or "Der Tinkerpaw") before he passed away in 1992. Nitt Witt Ridge has the appearance of a trash heap from afar, but up close it is an imaginative assemblage of sculpted junk - stone walls inlayed with bottles, rusty metal, busted TV sets, toilet bowls, wheel rims and any other imaginable piece of debris. Often called the Poor Man's Hearst Castle. Where Hearst may have been spending the family fortune right up the coast, Beal was trying to concurrently build the cheapest castle he could. Starting in 1928 and continuing for 51 years, he collected junk, trash, and recycled goods to use in his castle. A favorite material seems to be old Busch beer cans, which were always in supply. He also used washer drums, abalone shells, TV antennas, car rims, shells, tile, car parts, an old stove and about anything else people wanted to throw out. The property, which is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, is now owned and being “maintained” by Michael O'Malley who appears to be equally eccentric as the original builder.
• Morro Rock, located at the mouth of Morro Bay, is a 581-foot-high volcanic plug (or morro) that is the nesting home and reserve for the Peregrine Falcon as well as numerous other shore birds. We enjoyed hiking around the rock and viewing the birds and the "angry" surf.
• Moostone Bay, with its crashing waves, tidepools and driftwood-strewn sand, is also the home to Moonstones. These white or translucent stones are formed in the earth by the patient dripping of water through the ages. They are then swept downstream where they are tumbled and polished in the turbulent surf and produce a smooth stone that the ancient Greeks believed would arouse “the most tender of passions”. They also believed that they foretold the future and could guide a person in making decisions. We were fortunate enough to find a few Moonstones, so we shall see…
• We also visited Harmony, a lovely little haven of 18 people which was a pleasant contrast to Los Angeles with its 8 million people!
• Mission San Luis Obispo, another of the 21 Spanish missions in California, was founded in 1772 by Father Junipero Serra. It is unique in its design in that its combination of belfry and vestibule is found nowhere else among the California missions.
So, as you can see, we’ve had another very busy week; and this isn’t even half of it!
The link to see pictures of some of these wonderful sights is at
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMqe
Until next time from further up the coast and BIG SUR,
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
• Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery is the largest colony (more than 15,000 members) of elephant seals that come ashore at this locale to enact their entire lifecycle. The males or bulls can weigh more than 5000 pounds and have a large nose or proboscis resembling an elephant’s trunk, thus, their name. The entire lifecycle of mating, birthing and molting takes place on this beach and there are literally hundreds of animals at any given time. When not here at Piedras Blancas the males head to the Aleutian Islands in Alaska to put on weight in anticipation of the winter birthing and breeding season. The pups are born mid-December to early February and then the mating regime starts anew. This time of year the animals are “molting” where they are sloughing their dull tan or brown coats and will have silvery new coats. This molting process is like peeling a bad sunburn and is an annual process among all elephant seals. The newborns have been weaned and are learning to swim and the sub-adults males, like all teenage boys, are sparring and playing and challenging each other with their changing voices. It is a fantastic show to watch and we spent hours just enthralled by all the dynamics of this vast colony. There is a boardwalk built along the bluffs, just a couple yards above the beach, that stretches for several hundred feet and affords a fantastic opportunity to witness every aspect of these magnificent animals.
• Hearst Castle which is at San Simeon and is also known as La Cuesta Encantada (“The Enchanted Hill), was built by William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnet, from 1919 to 1947. Developed as his private retreat, this magnificent Mediterranean-style country house features 3 huge guest “cottages”, extensive gardens, two spectacular pools, lavish terraces and the main building (Casa Grande) which is comprised of 115 rooms. In its heyday the castle, which sits in solitary splendor atop a hilltop, in the midst of a 250,000 acre ranch that also included an exotic animal zoo, its own airport and a mile-long equestrian pergola, was a playground for Hearst and his guests, many of whom were Hollywood celebrities. What an unbelievable spectacle. The attached photos do not even begin to show its grandeur.
• Madonna Inn a lodging and dining extravaganza which for nearly 50 years has been one of California’s landmark attractions. Each of the 110 rooms has its own special theme, i.e. the Moonshine Still, the Caveman, the Golfer’s Paradise, etc. This place must be seen to be believed and to say that it’s “over-the-top” would be an understatement!
• Nitt Witt Ridge was a complete opposite from Hearst Castle and The Madonna Inn. This “interesting” example of folk-art architecture was home to a colorful character named Art Beal (aka "Captain Nitt Witt" or "Der Tinkerpaw") before he passed away in 1992. Nitt Witt Ridge has the appearance of a trash heap from afar, but up close it is an imaginative assemblage of sculpted junk - stone walls inlayed with bottles, rusty metal, busted TV sets, toilet bowls, wheel rims and any other imaginable piece of debris. Often called the Poor Man's Hearst Castle. Where Hearst may have been spending the family fortune right up the coast, Beal was trying to concurrently build the cheapest castle he could. Starting in 1928 and continuing for 51 years, he collected junk, trash, and recycled goods to use in his castle. A favorite material seems to be old Busch beer cans, which were always in supply. He also used washer drums, abalone shells, TV antennas, car rims, shells, tile, car parts, an old stove and about anything else people wanted to throw out. The property, which is officially listed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks, is now owned and being “maintained” by Michael O'Malley who appears to be equally eccentric as the original builder.
• Morro Rock, located at the mouth of Morro Bay, is a 581-foot-high volcanic plug (or morro) that is the nesting home and reserve for the Peregrine Falcon as well as numerous other shore birds. We enjoyed hiking around the rock and viewing the birds and the "angry" surf.
• Moostone Bay, with its crashing waves, tidepools and driftwood-strewn sand, is also the home to Moonstones. These white or translucent stones are formed in the earth by the patient dripping of water through the ages. They are then swept downstream where they are tumbled and polished in the turbulent surf and produce a smooth stone that the ancient Greeks believed would arouse “the most tender of passions”. They also believed that they foretold the future and could guide a person in making decisions. We were fortunate enough to find a few Moonstones, so we shall see…
• We also visited Harmony, a lovely little haven of 18 people which was a pleasant contrast to Los Angeles with its 8 million people!
• Mission San Luis Obispo, another of the 21 Spanish missions in California, was founded in 1772 by Father Junipero Serra. It is unique in its design in that its combination of belfry and vestibule is found nowhere else among the California missions.
So, as you can see, we’ve had another very busy week; and this isn’t even half of it!
The link to see pictures of some of these wonderful sights is at
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMqe
Until next time from further up the coast and BIG SUR,
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Thursday, May 26, 2011
What a wonderful place. As we start north up the California coast we are encountering one beautiful city after another. Santa Barbara is truly a jewel. It has long been an oasis for Los Angelenos seeking respite from the hectic big-city life. The weather is glorious and the homes and beaches are beautiful. Many celebrities now call this area home, including Oprah Winfrey who, by the way, did not invite us in for tea at her 42-acre Montecito estate!
We stayed in a great campground, Rancho Oso, right on the Santa Ynez River. In addition to a RV park it is a working ranch. We’ve stayed in some really nice, and fun, campgrounds and this will certainly rate up there as well.
While in the Santa Barbara area we enjoyed the downtown area including the great wharf and beachfront. Several interesting sculptures, parks and gardens abound. The architecture is really phenomenal and we especially enjoyed touring the Courthouse which has the grandeur of a Moorish palace. The Santa Barbara Mission, which is referred to as the “Queen of Missions” is another architectural beauty with its twin bell towers, extensive artwork and beautiful altar.
We did several driving tours and side trips including a visit to the quaint village of Solvang. Settled in 1911 by a group of Danish educators, the town is comprised of half-timber buildings and windmills with several great restaurants and bakeries. We feasted on Danish pancakes which are thin like crepes but large in diameter and have a vanilla taste. We ordered the plain, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, but they also came with a variety of toppings. They were delicious but so were the Danish pastries that we took to go! Thank goodness we’re doing a lot of walking.
Another real treat of the Santa Ynez Valley is the large number of vineyards and avocado groves. We didn’t partake of any wine tastings but we have gorged ourselves on fresh avocados and guacamole. They are so creamy and good and we have bought them right off the tree for as little as 30 cents apiece! As we stated on the previous blog, we are REALLY enjoying all the fruits and vegetables that California has to offer.
This is a shorter Blog than usual but we want to get this posted. Our next stop is in Oceano/San Luis Obispo as we continue north on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Here’s the link for the pictures of Santa Barbara and the surrounding area
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMpw
We’d love to hear from you. The email address is
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Until next time, as always, take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
We stayed in a great campground, Rancho Oso, right on the Santa Ynez River. In addition to a RV park it is a working ranch. We’ve stayed in some really nice, and fun, campgrounds and this will certainly rate up there as well.
While in the Santa Barbara area we enjoyed the downtown area including the great wharf and beachfront. Several interesting sculptures, parks and gardens abound. The architecture is really phenomenal and we especially enjoyed touring the Courthouse which has the grandeur of a Moorish palace. The Santa Barbara Mission, which is referred to as the “Queen of Missions” is another architectural beauty with its twin bell towers, extensive artwork and beautiful altar.
We did several driving tours and side trips including a visit to the quaint village of Solvang. Settled in 1911 by a group of Danish educators, the town is comprised of half-timber buildings and windmills with several great restaurants and bakeries. We feasted on Danish pancakes which are thin like crepes but large in diameter and have a vanilla taste. We ordered the plain, lightly dusted with powdered sugar, but they also came with a variety of toppings. They were delicious but so were the Danish pastries that we took to go! Thank goodness we’re doing a lot of walking.
Another real treat of the Santa Ynez Valley is the large number of vineyards and avocado groves. We didn’t partake of any wine tastings but we have gorged ourselves on fresh avocados and guacamole. They are so creamy and good and we have bought them right off the tree for as little as 30 cents apiece! As we stated on the previous blog, we are REALLY enjoying all the fruits and vegetables that California has to offer.
This is a shorter Blog than usual but we want to get this posted. Our next stop is in Oceano/San Luis Obispo as we continue north on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Here’s the link for the pictures of Santa Barbara and the surrounding area
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMpw
We’d love to hear from you. The email address is
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Until next time, as always, take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Monday, May 23, 2011
This place is HUGE; the second largest city in the U.S. Judy was VERY apprehensive about coming here and was not looking forward to experiencing the LA Freeway system but she has done great. We tried to be smart and time our journeys outside of rush hour and after a couple days she was just reeling off directions like “take the 57 to the 210 to the 134 to the 101 or the 5 or the 405…”
We have seen some really fantastic stuff but we have also really enjoyed all the produce. The fruits and vegetables are phenomenal. Everything is so fresh and lasts so long. We are eating the sweetest strawberries and crispest lettuce ever. On two different occasions we went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and we have also hit several local farmers markets and roadside stands. Judy is in her glory with all the bounty to choose from.
We drove all over Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, experiencing Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, all the mansions up in the hills (a lot of people still have a LOT of money), Burbank, Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice (and Muscle) Beach and lots of other places. It has been very exciting.
Here’s a brief synopsis of some of the things we’ve seen and also a link to some pictures.
• La Brea Tar Pits where about 40,000 years ago deposits of oil rose to the earth’s surface, collected in pools and coagulated into asphalt. In the early 20th century geologists discovered the largest collection of Ice Age fossils ever found in one place. Roughly 100 tons of fossil bones have been removed. There are many pits all around the area and bits of tar continue to ooze up on streets and sidewalks. There are ongoing excavations and the Page Museum tells the fascinating story.
• Grauman’s Chinese Theater where there are scores of famous feet, hands and even the “schnoz’ of Jimmy Durante and the horse-shoed hooves of Trigger, ensconced in concrete.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame where for a mile-long stretch of Hollywood Boulevard we saw the Stars of more than 2400 entertainment folks, each embossed in brass at the center of a pink star. It was fun picking out all the folks we knew.
• We walked along Rodeo Drive and peeked into all the VERY trendy and EXPENSIVE stores along the way.
• We saw the red carpet and setup for the Kung-Fu Panda II movie but we didn’t get close enough to glimpse Jack Black or Angelina Jolie.
• As mentioned above, we went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, known locally as “Third and Fairfax”, where the Hollywood elite mingle with us common folk. There is not only every beautiful fruit and vegetable you can imagine but also a phenomenal international food court where we had breakfast one day and lunch another. The Farmer's Market was originally started by a guy named Gilmore and his old homestead and gas station are still on the property. Note the price of gas :)) We have seen a few celebrities while we’ve been here – Jay Leno, Jack Black, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bush, etc. but, sadly, no one has invited us for tea or to “do lunch”. We did, however, have the privilege of meeting up with Freddie and Sally and Mary and MarieElena, our RV friends from Florida who are also out here on a Western trip. It was great to see them and compare notes. We will hopefully cross paths with Mary and MarieElena next month in San Francisco.
• One night we had dinner – the “World-Famous” hot dogs” and fries - at Pink’s, which has been a Hollywood institution for more than 70 years. Stars frequent here and have their own dogs named for them. It has lots of great stories and it’s even rumored to be the place where Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore. (Fortunately Pink’s has out-lasted their marriage.) The hot dogs are REALLY good. Judy had her favorite chili-slaw dog but Pat got more adventurous with the guacamole dog. There is every possible concoction with scores to choose from. The “Martha Stewart” is a 9” dog with relish, onion, bacon, chopped tomatoes sauerkraut & sour cream and the LA Philharmonic dog is a 9” dog with guacamole, American & Swiss cheese, fajita mix, jalapeno slices and topped with tortilla chips, just to name a couple.
• We did a tour of NBC Studios and then went to a live taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was fun to experience all the behind-the-scene workings and to be part of the production. The night we were there Jay’s guests were Jack Black, Mike Huckabee and the band Parachute. The Ricky Minor Tonight Show band is great and Jay is a very down-to-earth guy. He talks to the audience before and after and on the tour we were surprised to hear that every penny he makes from the Tonight Show is donated to charity and he lives off of the money he gets from special stand-up gigs that he does in Vegas and all over. Also he has over 250 vehicles in three hangers at Burbank Airport and every day he goes and picks up a different vehicle to drive. They day we were there he showed up in a classic, blue Fiat convertible.
• We drove up to Griffith Park which affords spectacular views of Los Angeles and also visited the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium which has not only been a working scientific facility but was also featured in “Rebel Without a Cause” with James Dean.
• We drove the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, checked out the oceanfront homes of the rich-and famous and watched surfers and great waves along the way. We joked that here, just like in Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Hills and canyons, most of what we saw was phenomenally landscaped grounds and exquisite gates; the homes are strategically placed out of sight, but it was fun to see how the other half lives. Judy said she would just like the $$$ spent on gardening
• We also drove to Santa Monica and went on the famous Pier and then walked the Boardwalk at Venice Beach, which is really a several block long paved walkway. What an experience!! You see EVERY form of entertainment, exhibitionism, decadence and fun you can imagine. We were even offered our very own "Medical Marijuana Cards" if we wanted them; we declined…
• Our last evening in LA, May 21st, happened to not only be Pat’s birthday but it was also the day we all survived the Doomsday end-of-the-world predictions. We were REALLY lucky in that our FAVORITE baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, were in town playing the Anaheim Angels. We went to the game and the BRAVES WON in extra innings. It was a GREAT night.
Next we’re off to Santa Barbara. We continue to have a FANTASTIC time and we hope you enjoy sharing our travels.
Here’s the link to some pictures from the Los Angeles area
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMpS
And, if you wish, drop us an email at
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
We have seen some really fantastic stuff but we have also really enjoyed all the produce. The fruits and vegetables are phenomenal. Everything is so fresh and lasts so long. We are eating the sweetest strawberries and crispest lettuce ever. On two different occasions we went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market and we have also hit several local farmers markets and roadside stands. Judy is in her glory with all the bounty to choose from.
We drove all over Los Angeles and the surrounding areas, experiencing Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, all the mansions up in the hills (a lot of people still have a LOT of money), Burbank, Malibu, Santa Monica, Venice (and Muscle) Beach and lots of other places. It has been very exciting.
Here’s a brief synopsis of some of the things we’ve seen and also a link to some pictures.
• La Brea Tar Pits where about 40,000 years ago deposits of oil rose to the earth’s surface, collected in pools and coagulated into asphalt. In the early 20th century geologists discovered the largest collection of Ice Age fossils ever found in one place. Roughly 100 tons of fossil bones have been removed. There are many pits all around the area and bits of tar continue to ooze up on streets and sidewalks. There are ongoing excavations and the Page Museum tells the fascinating story.
• Grauman’s Chinese Theater where there are scores of famous feet, hands and even the “schnoz’ of Jimmy Durante and the horse-shoed hooves of Trigger, ensconced in concrete.
• Hollywood Walk of Fame where for a mile-long stretch of Hollywood Boulevard we saw the Stars of more than 2400 entertainment folks, each embossed in brass at the center of a pink star. It was fun picking out all the folks we knew.
• We walked along Rodeo Drive and peeked into all the VERY trendy and EXPENSIVE stores along the way.
• We saw the red carpet and setup for the Kung-Fu Panda II movie but we didn’t get close enough to glimpse Jack Black or Angelina Jolie.
• As mentioned above, we went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market, known locally as “Third and Fairfax”, where the Hollywood elite mingle with us common folk. There is not only every beautiful fruit and vegetable you can imagine but also a phenomenal international food court where we had breakfast one day and lunch another. The Farmer's Market was originally started by a guy named Gilmore and his old homestead and gas station are still on the property. Note the price of gas :)) We have seen a few celebrities while we’ve been here – Jay Leno, Jack Black, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Billy Bush, etc. but, sadly, no one has invited us for tea or to “do lunch”. We did, however, have the privilege of meeting up with Freddie and Sally and Mary and MarieElena, our RV friends from Florida who are also out here on a Western trip. It was great to see them and compare notes. We will hopefully cross paths with Mary and MarieElena next month in San Francisco.
• One night we had dinner – the “World-Famous” hot dogs” and fries - at Pink’s, which has been a Hollywood institution for more than 70 years. Stars frequent here and have their own dogs named for them. It has lots of great stories and it’s even rumored to be the place where Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore. (Fortunately Pink’s has out-lasted their marriage.) The hot dogs are REALLY good. Judy had her favorite chili-slaw dog but Pat got more adventurous with the guacamole dog. There is every possible concoction with scores to choose from. The “Martha Stewart” is a 9” dog with relish, onion, bacon, chopped tomatoes sauerkraut & sour cream and the LA Philharmonic dog is a 9” dog with guacamole, American & Swiss cheese, fajita mix, jalapeno slices and topped with tortilla chips, just to name a couple.
• We did a tour of NBC Studios and then went to a live taping of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. It was fun to experience all the behind-the-scene workings and to be part of the production. The night we were there Jay’s guests were Jack Black, Mike Huckabee and the band Parachute. The Ricky Minor Tonight Show band is great and Jay is a very down-to-earth guy. He talks to the audience before and after and on the tour we were surprised to hear that every penny he makes from the Tonight Show is donated to charity and he lives off of the money he gets from special stand-up gigs that he does in Vegas and all over. Also he has over 250 vehicles in three hangers at Burbank Airport and every day he goes and picks up a different vehicle to drive. They day we were there he showed up in a classic, blue Fiat convertible.
• We drove up to Griffith Park which affords spectacular views of Los Angeles and also visited the Griffith Observatory and Planetarium which has not only been a working scientific facility but was also featured in “Rebel Without a Cause” with James Dean.
• We drove the Pacific Coast Highway to Malibu, checked out the oceanfront homes of the rich-and famous and watched surfers and great waves along the way. We joked that here, just like in Beverly Hills and the Hollywood Hills and canyons, most of what we saw was phenomenally landscaped grounds and exquisite gates; the homes are strategically placed out of sight, but it was fun to see how the other half lives. Judy said she would just like the $$$ spent on gardening
• We also drove to Santa Monica and went on the famous Pier and then walked the Boardwalk at Venice Beach, which is really a several block long paved walkway. What an experience!! You see EVERY form of entertainment, exhibitionism, decadence and fun you can imagine. We were even offered our very own "Medical Marijuana Cards" if we wanted them; we declined…
• Our last evening in LA, May 21st, happened to not only be Pat’s birthday but it was also the day we all survived the Doomsday end-of-the-world predictions. We were REALLY lucky in that our FAVORITE baseball team, the Atlanta Braves, were in town playing the Anaheim Angels. We went to the game and the BRAVES WON in extra innings. It was a GREAT night.
Next we’re off to Santa Barbara. We continue to have a FANTASTIC time and we hope you enjoy sharing our travels.
Here’s the link to some pictures from the Los Angeles area
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMpS
And, if you wish, drop us an email at
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
We spent a FANTASTIC week in the San Diego area and REALLY enjoyed it. The last Blog posting dealt with just the animals of the San Diego Zoo so this one will address some of the other things we did while in San Diego and the surrounding area.
One of the first things we did was take a 25-mile narrated trolley ride which gave us a GREAT overview of everything in the immediate area. We like to do these types of tours when we arrive somewhere new because they give us a good overview and we can decide what things we want to go back and re-visit. For the next several days we visited many AWESOME sights and, as usual, there is a link below that will show pictures of just some things we enjoyed. Among these were:
• The Embarcadero where we viewed the US Navy aircraft carrier, Midway; the ferry boat Berkley, built in 1898 and used to ferry people to safety after the 1908 San Francisco earthquake; the Star of India, a square-rigged sailing vessel that was built in 1863 and has circled the globe 27 times; the luxury yacht Medea that was built in Scotland and served during WWII; and the HMS Surprise that was built for the motion picture "Master and Commander", starring Russell Crowe. We also saw a great statue park that paid tribute to Bob Hope and an interesting 25-foot tall statue entitled Unconditional Surrender. It recreates the image of a sailor in Times Square on V-J (Victory over Japan) Day grabbing the nearest gal -- a nurse -- and planting a kiss. In our photo notice the ‘person’ holding on to the girl’s leg
• Harbor Island, Spanish Landing and Shelter Island where we were treated to beautiful views of San Diego Bay, several military installations, including two giant Navy bases and lots of other interesting sights. Among some that we found quite impressive were the large park and multi-statue and exhibit area of the cancer survivor’s park named Cancer…There’s Hope. It was designed to disassociate cancer from death and was inspired by the creator’s successful treatment and recovery from what was thought to be terminal cancer. The park not only encourages current patients to have the will to fight but subconsciously gives healthy people the will to fight should they ever subsequently be diagnosed with the disease. It is truly a tribute for the living. We also saw some other great tributes like the Yokohama Friendship Bell and the Tuna Man’s Memorial. Another interesting sight was the USS Recruit (aka the USS Never Sail, a two-thirds scale mock-up of a real Navy ship which served as a school for thousands of recruits going through basic seamanship indoctrination. The ship's deck is an exact replica of what a Sailor could expect in the fleet. It’s quite interesting, especially when you see it sitting in the middle of a huge gravel parking area!
• Cabrillo Monument, situated on a hilltop high above San Diego Bay, commemorating the site of the Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, who first landed here in 1542 and named the area San Miguel; Old Town, site of the first town which was later moved down to the waterfront; Little Italy, home to thousands of Italian immigrants who settled in the area and were responsible for the tuna industry in the Americas; The Gas Lamp Quarter, home to the historic area of present-day San Diego including the Stingaree District with its shadier past of gambling, prostitution and other sordid forms of vice; Balboa Park, home to 15 museums (including the Model Railroad Museum which Pat loved), gorgeous architecture, flora and fauna and the previously mentioned PSan Diego Zoo; PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres; and we saw lots of other GREAT sights in San Diego proper.
• Coronado, home of another huge Navy base and the beautiful old Hotel Del Coronado which was built in 1888 and is one of the world’s largest wooden structures and is an absolutely gorgeous example of elegant Victorian architecture and lifestyle.
• LaJolla, home to many beautiful homes, many famous residents and the LaJolla Gliderport where we watched engine-less parachute gliders take off, sail over the ocean and return back to the same spot. They were so beautiful and graceful. We also spent a long time at Children’s Pool, a protected cove that is home to a large harbor seal rookery. It is the middle of pupping season so there were lots of babies around. What fun, we could have stayed forever watching their antics.
• Escondido, where we spent the day at the San Diego Safari Park, sister park to the San Diego Zoo. We thought it would be somewhat anti-climatic after the Zoo but it was equally as fantastic. It encompasses 1800 acres, spread out over the valleys and canyons in areas created to replicate their natural habitats. It is mostly a research facility and also part education and part entertainment facility. They have a huge collection of 100s of animals. We were treated to many exotic and rare animals but probably the one’s that had the greatest impact were the two Southern White Rhinos. These two magnificent beasts are one pair of ONLY SEVEN that remain on Earth. It is truly frightening to stand this close to something that is SO CLOSE to final extinction. Sad…
• Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, two of the crown gems of the California coastline steeped in surfing tradition.
• Long Beach, home to the Queen Mary, one of the most famous ocean liners in history. The ship is huge and the tour was several hours in length and very informative.
• Oceanside, which is home to The Flower Fields, which are fifty acres of ranunculus flowers, blooming in every conceivable color. We also visited Mission San Luis Rey which is the largest of California’s 21 missions and also Mission San Juan Capistrano which is home to the famous swallows who return every March.
This is only a partial listing of the MANY awesome things that we did in the San Diego area but now it’s on to Los Angeles. Hollywood awaits us!!
Here is the link for the pictures that accompany this Post:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMoW
As usual, we would love to hear from you at:
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Until next time, stay safe and take care,
Pat & Judy
One of the first things we did was take a 25-mile narrated trolley ride which gave us a GREAT overview of everything in the immediate area. We like to do these types of tours when we arrive somewhere new because they give us a good overview and we can decide what things we want to go back and re-visit. For the next several days we visited many AWESOME sights and, as usual, there is a link below that will show pictures of just some things we enjoyed. Among these were:
• The Embarcadero where we viewed the US Navy aircraft carrier, Midway; the ferry boat Berkley, built in 1898 and used to ferry people to safety after the 1908 San Francisco earthquake; the Star of India, a square-rigged sailing vessel that was built in 1863 and has circled the globe 27 times; the luxury yacht Medea that was built in Scotland and served during WWII; and the HMS Surprise that was built for the motion picture "Master and Commander", starring Russell Crowe. We also saw a great statue park that paid tribute to Bob Hope and an interesting 25-foot tall statue entitled Unconditional Surrender. It recreates the image of a sailor in Times Square on V-J (Victory over Japan) Day grabbing the nearest gal -- a nurse -- and planting a kiss. In our photo notice the ‘person’ holding on to the girl’s leg
• Harbor Island, Spanish Landing and Shelter Island where we were treated to beautiful views of San Diego Bay, several military installations, including two giant Navy bases and lots of other interesting sights. Among some that we found quite impressive were the large park and multi-statue and exhibit area of the cancer survivor’s park named Cancer…There’s Hope. It was designed to disassociate cancer from death and was inspired by the creator’s successful treatment and recovery from what was thought to be terminal cancer. The park not only encourages current patients to have the will to fight but subconsciously gives healthy people the will to fight should they ever subsequently be diagnosed with the disease. It is truly a tribute for the living. We also saw some other great tributes like the Yokohama Friendship Bell and the Tuna Man’s Memorial. Another interesting sight was the USS Recruit (aka the USS Never Sail, a two-thirds scale mock-up of a real Navy ship which served as a school for thousands of recruits going through basic seamanship indoctrination. The ship's deck is an exact replica of what a Sailor could expect in the fleet. It’s quite interesting, especially when you see it sitting in the middle of a huge gravel parking area!
• Cabrillo Monument, situated on a hilltop high above San Diego Bay, commemorating the site of the Portuguese explorer, Juan Rodriquez Cabrillo, who first landed here in 1542 and named the area San Miguel; Old Town, site of the first town which was later moved down to the waterfront; Little Italy, home to thousands of Italian immigrants who settled in the area and were responsible for the tuna industry in the Americas; The Gas Lamp Quarter, home to the historic area of present-day San Diego including the Stingaree District with its shadier past of gambling, prostitution and other sordid forms of vice; Balboa Park, home to 15 museums (including the Model Railroad Museum which Pat loved), gorgeous architecture, flora and fauna and the previously mentioned PSan Diego Zoo; PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres; and we saw lots of other GREAT sights in San Diego proper.
• Coronado, home of another huge Navy base and the beautiful old Hotel Del Coronado which was built in 1888 and is one of the world’s largest wooden structures and is an absolutely gorgeous example of elegant Victorian architecture and lifestyle.
• LaJolla, home to many beautiful homes, many famous residents and the LaJolla Gliderport where we watched engine-less parachute gliders take off, sail over the ocean and return back to the same spot. They were so beautiful and graceful. We also spent a long time at Children’s Pool, a protected cove that is home to a large harbor seal rookery. It is the middle of pupping season so there were lots of babies around. What fun, we could have stayed forever watching their antics.
• Escondido, where we spent the day at the San Diego Safari Park, sister park to the San Diego Zoo. We thought it would be somewhat anti-climatic after the Zoo but it was equally as fantastic. It encompasses 1800 acres, spread out over the valleys and canyons in areas created to replicate their natural habitats. It is mostly a research facility and also part education and part entertainment facility. They have a huge collection of 100s of animals. We were treated to many exotic and rare animals but probably the one’s that had the greatest impact were the two Southern White Rhinos. These two magnificent beasts are one pair of ONLY SEVEN that remain on Earth. It is truly frightening to stand this close to something that is SO CLOSE to final extinction. Sad…
• Huntington Beach and Newport Beach, two of the crown gems of the California coastline steeped in surfing tradition.
• Long Beach, home to the Queen Mary, one of the most famous ocean liners in history. The ship is huge and the tour was several hours in length and very informative.
• Oceanside, which is home to The Flower Fields, which are fifty acres of ranunculus flowers, blooming in every conceivable color. We also visited Mission San Luis Rey which is the largest of California’s 21 missions and also Mission San Juan Capistrano which is home to the famous swallows who return every March.
This is only a partial listing of the MANY awesome things that we did in the San Diego area but now it’s on to Los Angeles. Hollywood awaits us!!
Here is the link for the pictures that accompany this Post:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMoW
As usual, we would love to hear from you at:
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Until next time, stay safe and take care,
Pat & Judy
The San Diego Zoo - FANTASTIC!!!
We have been in San Diego since Sunday and we are REALLY enjoying the city, the weather and all the great things to do. We left the desert and 104 degree weather to wake up here to 57 very pleasant degrees! Every day has been sunny and in the seventies; just IDEAL.
We will have another Blog to cover all the great things we're doing here but this Post covers just the San Diego Zoo. We spent the entire day there on Monday and it was awesome. Neither of us are usually too keen on zoos and the whole concept of caging animals BUT the San Diego Zoo, which we had heard so much about, is really the exception. It encompasses more than100-acres and is home to over 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies. The zoo also has a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. It is laid out on several levels within Balboa Park and is HUGE. We arrived as the gates opened and spent the ENTIRE day.
We will have another Blog to cover all the great things we're doing here but this Post covers just the San Diego Zoo. We spent the entire day there on Monday and it was awesome. Neither of us are usually too keen on zoos and the whole concept of caging animals BUT the San Diego Zoo, which we had heard so much about, is really the exception. It encompasses more than100-acres and is home to over 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies. The zoo also has a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. It is laid out on several levels within Balboa Park and is HUGE. We arrived as the gates opened and spent the ENTIRE day.
Thursday, May 12, 2011
We have been in San Diego since Sunday and we are REALLY enjoying the city, the weather and all the great things to do. We left the desert where it had been 104 degrees to wake up here to a very pleasant 57 degrees! Every day has been sunny and in the seventies; just IDEAL.
We will have another Blog to cover all the great things we're doing here but this Post covers just the San Diego Zoo. We spent the entire day there on Monday and it was awesome. Neither of us are usually too keen on zoos, and the whole concept of caging animals, BUT the San Diego Zoo, which we had heard so much about, is really the exception. It encompasses more than 100 acres and is home to over 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies. The zoo also has a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. It is laid out on several levels within Balboa Park and is HUGE. We arrived as the gates opened and spent the ENTIRE day. We found it both interesting as well as enjoyable. It is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world and is extremely active in conservation and species-preservation efforts.
Attached is a link of some pictures from "Our Day At The Zoo". They represent just a few of the MANY that we took! It has been a very productive Spring at the zoo and we were treated to LOTS of new babies - including new additions to the koala, panda, elephant, giraffe and many other families. Hopefully you'll enjoy these photos:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMnI
As always, we would love to hear from you, the email is
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
We'll try to get another Post done after the weekend.
In the mean time, take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
We will have another Blog to cover all the great things we're doing here but this Post covers just the San Diego Zoo. We spent the entire day there on Monday and it was awesome. Neither of us are usually too keen on zoos, and the whole concept of caging animals, BUT the San Diego Zoo, which we had heard so much about, is really the exception. It encompasses more than 100 acres and is home to over 4,000 rare and endangered animals representing more than 800 species and subspecies. The zoo also has a prominent botanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. It is laid out on several levels within Balboa Park and is HUGE. We arrived as the gates opened and spent the ENTIRE day. We found it both interesting as well as enjoyable. It is one of the largest and most progressive zoos in the world and is extremely active in conservation and species-preservation efforts.
Attached is a link of some pictures from "Our Day At The Zoo". They represent just a few of the MANY that we took! It has been a very productive Spring at the zoo and we were treated to LOTS of new babies - including new additions to the koala, panda, elephant, giraffe and many other families. Hopefully you'll enjoy these photos:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMnI
As always, we would love to hear from you, the email is
PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
We'll try to get another Post done after the weekend.
In the mean time, take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy
Sunday, May 8, 2011
This Blog will cover April 30th through May 7th.
We spent four wonderful days in Twentynine Palms, California and REALLY enjoyed Joshua Tree National Park.
Humans have occupied the area encompassed by Joshua Tree National Park's nearly 800,000 acres for at least 5,000 years. The higher, drier, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua Tree for which the park is named. In addition to Joshua Tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are popular amongst rock climbing enthusiasts. We did several hikes within the park including a visit to the Oasis of Mara. The Chemehuevi Indians moved to the oasis in 1871. This was also a Serrano campsite in ancient times. This was the only water for miles around . Food was provided by waterfowl and desert dwelling animals that came for a drink. Next was a trek to Barker Dam which was constructed by early cattlemen, including rancher William F. Keys whose homestead is available for a tour. The dam and watering trough are gathering places for desert wildlife such as Desert Bighorn Sheep and also includes many species of birds, e.g.the Greater Roadrunner, Cactus Wrens, Mockingbirds, Le Conte's Thrashers, Verdins and Gambel's Quails. We also saw Native American petroglyphs. We were also fortunate enough to see two Desert Tortoise. They spend 95% of their time in burrows so we considered ourselves very lucky to be able to view them. They are only found in this locale and are, unfortunately, on the endangered list. The scenary in Joshua Tree NP is awesome as you'll hopefully see in some of the attached pictures. Twentynine Palms, is home to our LARGEST US Marine Base, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center so, as you can imagine, there were a LOT of happy faces after the news of last Sunday evening. While in the area we also went to Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, which is an internationally-recognized birding site. Several rare or unusual species are known to nest here, and many other species are abundant during the spring and fall migration seasons. Additionally, we went to PioneerTown which was built in 1946 as a movie set for western movies, including the movies of Gene Autry, The Cisco Kid, Annie Oakley , Judge Roy Bean, Range Rider, Buffalo Bill. We also had an enjoyable lunch with Robbie and Jerry, some fine folks whom we met last year while in Oklahoma City and capped off the four days with a trip into the desert at ten o'clock at night to view the skies. We're here to tell you that we saw MORE stars than we ever imagined were in our heavens. The clean, crisp air of the high desert, coupled with the lack of any surface or city light really provides a star-gazers dream. It was fantastic and was the perfect way to cap off our visit to Joshua Tree.
Next it was on to Palm Springs where we spent another terrific four days. We started with a visit to the Salton Sea which was formed between 1905 and 1907 when the Colorado River burst through poorly built irrigation controls south of Yuma, Arizona. Almost the entire flow of the river filled the Salton Basin for more than a year, inundating communities, farms and the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Sea is currently 228 feet below sea level. Interestingly, the bed of the Salton Sea is only five feet higher than the lowest spot in Death Valley. Fish were introduced to the lake, and by 1920 it was a major tourist destination. As with any lake without an outlet, the Salton Sea became salty. In the 1950s, the Salton Sea was a greater tourist draw than Yosemite National Park. The saline levels continued to increase and spawned an algae bloom. In 1960, California’s Fish and Game Commission announced that they feared the Salton Sea would be dead within fifteen years. The water and the fish were deemed “unhealthy” and by the 1970s the resorts and tourists were history. The entire area was relegated to use only for irrigating and a wildlife preserve. There are miles and miles of deserted buildings, dilapidated structures and plat after plat of “ghost developments”.
The next day, Thursday, we attended a performance of the FABULOUS Palm Springs Follies; what a delight! The Follies are a world-famous, Broadway-caliber celebration of the music, dance, and comedy of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s with a cast old enough to have lived it! That's right, the Long-Legged Lovelies and Follies Gentlemen all range in age from 56 to 81 and they are INCREDIBLE. Also on the bill was the comedy of Riff Markowitz (he was hilarious), the juggling of Rejean St.Jules (whose juggling sequence was both high tech and impeccably choreographed to a dynamic musical score) and several songs from the Four Preps, whom I'm sure many will remember from the sixties (when they performed their hits like Santa Catalina - Twenty-nine Miles to...). It was an all-around GREAT show and we would recommend it to all. Thursday evening was spent at VillageFest. Once a week the City of Palm Springs closes off seven blocks of their downtown area and it becomes a street fair complete with all kinds of vendors. There was fresh produce, home-baked goods, LOTS of street food, art and many musicians and street-performers. It was a fun time, we bought some neat things and capped the evening off by dining outside where, even though it was still in the 90s, it was quite pleasant - there is virtually NO humidity. Did we mention that every day the temperature has gone over 100 degrees? But, it really has not been too unbearable. We feel fortunate to be here now. Within the next couple weeks many shops and shows are closing for the season because the mercury will really start rising!
Friday we went on tours of the Date Farms in Indio which account for nearly 100% of all dates produced nationally. We went on tours, viewed videos, ate dates and even drank date shakes; which weren't too bad but we thought they were a little too sweet to make a steady diet. We learned that Date Palms are grown from offshoots of the mother tree. Date palms are said to live with "their feet in water and their heads in the sun," which means they must have plenty of ground water, yet thrive in arid, high heat to produce fruit. This is why date palms grow only in hot, dry desert climates throughout the world. It is a very labor-intensive crop necessitating hand-pollination of every fruit-bearing tree.
On Saturday we started the day at 8 AM with a three-hour ranger-led hike up Tahquitz Canyon. Centuries ago, ancestors of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla (pronounced Kaw-we-ah) Indians settled in the Palm Springs area. The Agua Caliente Indians were industrious and creative with a reputation for independence, integrity and peace. The hike was pretty strenuous but the spectacular 60 foot waterfall at the top of the canyon, the rock art, ancient irrigation systems and artifacts, along with cultural and educational exhibits made the trek well worthwhile. Next we went to Desert Hot Springs where we visited one of Peter Toth’s Indian carvings. Toth escaped the Soviet invasion of Hungary with his family and as a gift to his adopted country, he has carved a giant log into a sculpted head in every single state to honor our Native American past. Collectively these are known as the "Trail of the Whispering Giants" and this one, Waokiye (meaning “Traditional Helper” in the language of the Lakota Sioux), in Desert Hot Springs, is the 27th in the series. We have viewed Peter Toth’s carved Indians in other states during our travels and hope to continue to see as many as possible. We also saw
Cabot's Pueblo Museum which is a Hopi-inspired Pueblo located in the heart of Desert Hot Springs. The structure is hand-made and was created from reclaimed and found objects. It was built by Cabot Yerxa on property he homesteaded in 1913. He worked on the property until his death in 1965. Cabot journeyed through the desert; gathering reclaimed materials from as far east as the Salton Sea, north to Morongo Valley, south to Palm Springs and west to White Water. The Pueblo is four-stories, 5,000 square feet and includes 35 rooms, 150 windows and 65 doors. There are many unique features: including windows and doors collected and reassembled from abandoned homesteads, old telephone poles, buck board wagon parts and many other materials used creatively. Another stop in Desert Hot Springs was to see the VW Spider. This giant "black widow" guards the entrance to a warehouse known as "Hole In The Wall," which was formerly a welding shop and a Volkswagen repair shop. The shell of an old Volkswagen Beetle provides the body for the huge spider. The legs were crafted from large tubes, and it has a menacing "mouth", a red “hourglass" on it’s underbelly and a series of barbs at various leg joints. Quite a sight to behold! We just love these offbeat sights of “Americana”. Our last treat in Palm Springs was the Aerial Tramway. This is the world’s largest rotating tramcar. We left from the desert floor and experienced a breathtaking journey up the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon, ascending in ten minutes to the the Mountain Station at an elevation of 8,516 ft! What an experience and what a view.
So, as you can see, we've had a VERY EXCITING week-and-a-half and now it's off to San Diego. We're leaving the desert but it has been very beautiful in its own stark way.
Here is a link to enable you to see some pictures of everything I mentioned:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=12d75a4ec4dce698bcfd7207a7b1fe91&sid=0Sbs27hoxZMmu
And we welcome any email correspondence at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Stay safe, take care and keep in touch,
Pat & Judy
PS - we'll send more news down the road...
Humans have occupied the area encompassed by Joshua Tree National Park's nearly 800,000 acres for at least 5,000 years. The higher, drier, and slightly cooler Mojave Desert is the special habitat of the Joshua Tree for which the park is named. In addition to Joshua Tree forests, the western part of the park includes some of the most interesting geologic displays found in California's deserts. The dominant geologic features of this landscape are hills of bare rock, usually broken up into loose boulders. These hills are popular amongst rock climbing enthusiasts. We did several hikes within the park including a visit to the Oasis of Mara. The Chemehuevi Indians moved to the oasis in 1871. This was also a Serrano campsite in ancient times. This was the only water for miles around . Food was provided by waterfowl and desert dwelling animals that came for a drink. Next was a trek to Barker Dam which was constructed by early cattlemen, including rancher William F. Keys whose homestead is available for a tour. The dam and watering trough are gathering places for desert wildlife such as Desert Bighorn Sheep and also includes many species of birds, e.g.the Greater Roadrunner, Cactus Wrens, Mockingbirds, Le Conte's Thrashers, Verdins and Gambel's Quails. We also saw Native American petroglyphs. We were also fortunate enough to see two Desert Tortoise. They spend 95% of their time in burrows so we considered ourselves very lucky to be able to view them. They are only found in this locale and are, unfortunately, on the endangered list. The scenary in Joshua Tree NP is awesome as you'll hopefully see in some of the attached pictures. Twentynine Palms, is home to our LARGEST US Marine Base, the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center so, as you can imagine, there were a LOT of happy faces after the news of last Sunday evening. While in the area we also went to Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, which is an internationally-recognized birding site. Several rare or unusual species are known to nest here, and many other species are abundant during the spring and fall migration seasons. Additionally, we went to PioneerTown which was built in 1946 as a movie set for western movies, including the movies of Gene Autry, The Cisco Kid, Annie Oakley , Judge Roy Bean, Range Rider, Buffalo Bill. We also had an enjoyable lunch with Robbie and Jerry, some fine folks whom we met last year while in Oklahoma City and capped off the four days with a trip into the desert at ten o'clock at night to view the skies. We're here to tell you that we saw MORE stars than we ever imagined were in our heavens. The clean, crisp air of the high desert, coupled with the lack of any surface or city light really provides a star-gazers dream. It was fantastic and was the perfect way to cap off our visit to Joshua Tree.
Next it was on to Palm Springs where we spent another terrific four days. We started with a visit to the Salton Sea which was formed between 1905 and 1907 when the Colorado River burst through poorly built irrigation controls south of Yuma, Arizona. Almost the entire flow of the river filled the Salton Basin for more than a year, inundating communities, farms and the main line of the Southern Pacific Railroad. The Sea is currently 228 feet below sea level. Interestingly, the bed of the Salton Sea is only five feet higher than the lowest spot in Death Valley. Fish were introduced to the lake, and by 1920 it was a major tourist destination. As with any lake without an outlet, the Salton Sea became salty. In the 1950s, the Salton Sea was a greater tourist draw than Yosemite National Park. The saline levels continued to increase and spawned an algae bloom. In 1960, California’s Fish and Game Commission announced that they feared the Salton Sea would be dead within fifteen years. The water and the fish were deemed “unhealthy” and by the 1970s the resorts and tourists were history. The entire area was relegated to use only for irrigating and a wildlife preserve. There are miles and miles of deserted buildings, dilapidated structures and plat after plat of “ghost developments”.
The next day, Thursday, we attended a performance of the FABULOUS Palm Springs Follies; what a delight! The Follies are a world-famous, Broadway-caliber celebration of the music, dance, and comedy of the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s with a cast old enough to have lived it! That's right, the Long-Legged Lovelies and Follies Gentlemen all range in age from 56 to 81 and they are INCREDIBLE. Also on the bill was the comedy of Riff Markowitz (he was hilarious), the juggling of Rejean St.Jules (whose juggling sequence was both high tech and impeccably choreographed to a dynamic musical score) and several songs from the Four Preps, whom I'm sure many will remember from the sixties (when they performed their hits like Santa Catalina - Twenty-nine Miles to...). It was an all-around GREAT show and we would recommend it to all. Thursday evening was spent at VillageFest. Once a week the City of Palm Springs closes off seven blocks of their downtown area and it becomes a street fair complete with all kinds of vendors. There was fresh produce, home-baked goods, LOTS of street food, art and many musicians and street-performers. It was a fun time, we bought some neat things and capped the evening off by dining outside where, even though it was still in the 90s, it was quite pleasant - there is virtually NO humidity. Did we mention that every day the temperature has gone over 100 degrees? But, it really has not been too unbearable. We feel fortunate to be here now. Within the next couple weeks many shops and shows are closing for the season because the mercury will really start rising!
Friday we went on tours of the Date Farms in Indio which account for nearly 100% of all dates produced nationally. We went on tours, viewed videos, ate dates and even drank date shakes; which weren't too bad but we thought they were a little too sweet to make a steady diet. We learned that Date Palms are grown from offshoots of the mother tree. Date palms are said to live with "their feet in water and their heads in the sun," which means they must have plenty of ground water, yet thrive in arid, high heat to produce fruit. This is why date palms grow only in hot, dry desert climates throughout the world. It is a very labor-intensive crop necessitating hand-pollination of every fruit-bearing tree.
On Saturday we started the day at 8 AM with a three-hour ranger-led hike up Tahquitz Canyon. Centuries ago, ancestors of the Agua Caliente Cahuilla (pronounced Kaw-we-ah) Indians settled in the Palm Springs area. The Agua Caliente Indians were industrious and creative with a reputation for independence, integrity and peace. The hike was pretty strenuous but the spectacular 60 foot waterfall at the top of the canyon, the rock art, ancient irrigation systems and artifacts, along with cultural and educational exhibits made the trek well worthwhile. Next we went to Desert Hot Springs where we visited one of Peter Toth’s Indian carvings. Toth escaped the Soviet invasion of Hungary with his family and as a gift to his adopted country, he has carved a giant log into a sculpted head in every single state to honor our Native American past. Collectively these are known as the "Trail of the Whispering Giants" and this one, Waokiye (meaning “Traditional Helper” in the language of the Lakota Sioux), in Desert Hot Springs, is the 27th in the series. We have viewed Peter Toth’s carved Indians in other states during our travels and hope to continue to see as many as possible. We also saw
Cabot's Pueblo Museum which is a Hopi-inspired Pueblo located in the heart of Desert Hot Springs. The structure is hand-made and was created from reclaimed and found objects. It was built by Cabot Yerxa on property he homesteaded in 1913. He worked on the property until his death in 1965. Cabot journeyed through the desert; gathering reclaimed materials from as far east as the Salton Sea, north to Morongo Valley, south to Palm Springs and west to White Water. The Pueblo is four-stories, 5,000 square feet and includes 35 rooms, 150 windows and 65 doors. There are many unique features: including windows and doors collected and reassembled from abandoned homesteads, old telephone poles, buck board wagon parts and many other materials used creatively. Another stop in Desert Hot Springs was to see the VW Spider. This giant "black widow" guards the entrance to a warehouse known as "Hole In The Wall," which was formerly a welding shop and a Volkswagen repair shop. The shell of an old Volkswagen Beetle provides the body for the huge spider. The legs were crafted from large tubes, and it has a menacing "mouth", a red “hourglass" on it’s underbelly and a series of barbs at various leg joints. Quite a sight to behold! We just love these offbeat sights of “Americana”. Our last treat in Palm Springs was the Aerial Tramway. This is the world’s largest rotating tramcar. We left from the desert floor and experienced a breathtaking journey up the sheer cliffs of Chino Canyon, ascending in ten minutes to the the Mountain Station at an elevation of 8,516 ft! What an experience and what a view.
So, as you can see, we've had a VERY EXCITING week-and-a-half and now it's off to San Diego. We're leaving the desert but it has been very beautiful in its own stark way.
Here is a link to enable you to see some pictures of everything I mentioned:
http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=12d75a4ec4dce698bcfd7207a7b1fe91&sid=0Sbs27hoxZMmu
And we welcome any email correspondence at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com
Stay safe, take care and keep in touch,
Pat & Judy
PS - we'll send more news down the road...
Monday, May 2, 2011
Our Western Adventure 2011
FINALLY – a new blog posting. This is the first entry since May of last year! Okay, we haven’t been idle, just sloughing and not keeping up with our posts. As a matter of fact, in the last ten months we’ve been to Scotland for three weeks, spent a couple months in Texas, Oklahoma and the fabulous Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and several other shorter trips over the winter. We also spent a great deal of time getting caught up with chores around the house. And now we are on the road again for the Summer.
We left Flagler Beach on Thursday, April 7th, made a quick stop in Orlando to have a fast little repair done to the motorhome and then drove up to the Florida panhandle and spent the night in Quincy.
On Friday, we arrived in Bayou La Batrie, Alabama where we spent three enjoyable days with Judy’s sister Kathleen and her family. We had a great visit, had some delicious food (including the BEST gumbo) and even enjoyed a karaoke party that was fun. It was great to see everyone and it made a nice start to our summer adventure.
We continued westward to Houston, TX where we visited with Alan and Sal, friends we met at the Balloon Fiesta last fall. We enjoyed wonderful company, some delicious food and informative tours of Houston and Galveston. Hopefully the guys will meet up with us somewhere in California later this summer.
From Houston we went on through Abilene, Texas and Santa Rosa, New Mexico on our way to Flagstaff, Arizona where we spent Saturday and Sunday, the 16th and 17th of April. While traveling through Texas we did experience smoke from some of their terrible wildfires and we hope they can get them under control soon.
While in Flagstaff we toured many things including:
- Meteor Crater where 50,000 years ago a meteor ended its 500 million year long race through space resulting in a spectacular collision with Earth. This impact left a crater nearly a mile across and nearly 550 feet deep. To put the immense size into perspective, the crater would accommodate two million people seated on the walls watching 20 football games being played simultaneously on the crater floor!
- Walnut Canyon, where we hiked in the footsteps of people who lived there more than 700 years ago. We peered into their homes, cliff dwellings built deep within the canyon walls, and learned of their agrarian society.
- Wupatki Pueblo which was constructed in the years following the eruption of nearby Sunset Crater sometime between 1040 and 1100. For its time and place, there was no other pueblo like Wupatki. Less than 800 years ago, it was the tallest, largest, and perhaps the richest and most influential pueblo around. The largest structure was a multi-level, high-rise that had about 100 rooms. It was home to 85-100 people, and several thousand more lived within a day’s walk. It was built in one of the lowest, warmest, and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. Human history here spans at least 10,000 years.
- Sunset Crater Volcano which erupted sometime between 1040 and 1100 shows the powerful forces that shape the earth.
Next it was on to Las Vegas where we spent five fun-filled, as well as informative, days. First we went to see Rita Rudner’s show at the Venetian. She is SO funny and we laughed for the entire 90 minutes. The next evening it was off to The Wynn where we saw La Reve. It is an absolutely awesome show that was developed by Franco Dragone, one of the original founders of Cirque du Soleil. It is set in a one million-gallon (water) capacity theater and features diving and feats of strength with state-of-the-art special effects. No seat is more than 40 feet from the stage and it was just PHENOMINAL. We have seen several Cirque shows over the years and we both agree that this is, by far, the VERY BEST and MOST SPECTACULAR of all!
Other sights in the Las Vegas area:
- The Ethel M Chocolate factory and Cactus Garden where we toured the factory, learned the process, ate samples and purchased more additional confections to take with us. Ethel M is the high-end chocolatier of the Mars Co. (M&Ms, Snickers, etc.) and their products are delicious.
- The Valley of Fire which derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs. These features often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays. Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Ancient Pueblo Peoples, also known as the Anasazi. They left examples of petroglyphs which can be found at several sites within the park.
- The Pinball Museum, a 10,000 square foot dedicated museum, with pinball and nothing but pinball machines from the past. The machines are all restored to like-new playing condition by people that love pinball and understand how a machine should work. All older pinballs are set to 25 cents per play, and newer 1990s models are set to 50 cents per play, which, in our opinion, is a far better return on fun than any Las Vegas casino environment!
- We also spent significant time walking the “Strip”, viewing the shows outside of all the extravagant casinos and also viewing the show at the Fremont Street Experience which includes the Viva Vision canopy and light show. The canopy towers 90 feet above the ground and spans the length of five football fields. It features more than 12 million LED modules and a 555,000-watt sound system and has hourly tribute shows. The night we were there the show was dedicated to Jim Morrison and The Doors. It was very bright and very LOUD!
- The last day in Las Vegas we took a paddle-boat cruise on Lake Mead which took us right up to Hoover Dam. Later we drove through Red Rock Canyon and saw several wild burros. It was a GREAT five days; we saw a lot, did a lot and managed to NOT lose any money
Next, it was on to Death Valley, California where we spent five days. Among the fascinating things we saw were:
- Harmony Borax Works which was the central feature in the opening of Death Valley. After borax (known as “Desert White Gold”) was found near Furnace Creek Ranch in 1881, William T. Coleman built the Harmony plant and began to process ore in late 1883. Getting the finished product to market from the heart of Death Valley was a difficult task, and an efficient method had to be devised. The Harmony operation became famous through the use of large mule teams and double wagons which hauled borax the long overland route to Mojave. The romantic image of the “20-mule team” persists to this day and has become the symbol of the borax industry in this country. Many of us still remember “Twenty Mule Team Theatre” on TV, with that unknown announcer (Ronald Reagan) as the host! At Harmony we enjoyed an informative Ranger-led program that provided a great insight into all that we were to see for the next several days.
- The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the highest of which rises about 200 feet, cover a vast area. This dune field includes three types of dunes: crescent, linear, and star shaped. Many first time visitors to Death Valley are surprised it is not covered with a sea of sand, however, less than one percent of the desert is covered with dunes, yet the shadowed ripples and stark, graceful curves define "desert" in our imaginations.
- Salt Creek which is a stream of salty water that is home to a rare killifish known as pupfish. The name is said to derive from the mating habits of the males, whose activities vaguely resemble puppies at play.
- Mosaic Canyon, Golden Canyon, Titus Canyon, 20-Mule Team Canyon and Natural Bridge Canyon were all hikes that we did. Each was of varying lengths and each had their own beauty and unique features.
- Wildrose Charcoal Kiln, constructed in the 1800s to provide a source of fuel suitable for use in two smelters for a group of lead and silver mines in the Argus Range. These ten beehive shaped masonry structures are about 25 feet high and held 42 cords of pinion pine logs which would, after burning for a week, produce 2,000 bushels of charcoal.
- The Devil’s Golf Course which is a large salt pan on the floor of Death Valley. It was named after a line in the 1934 National Park Service guide book to Death Valley National Monument, which stated that " Only the devil could play golf " on its surface, due to a rough texture from the large halite salt crystal formations.
- Ubehebe Crater which is a half a mile wide and 500 to 777 feet deep. The age of the crater is estimated at 2,000 to years old. "Ubehebe" (pronounced YOU-bee-HEE-bee) is a Timbisha Shoshone Native American word meaning "Big basket in the rock”. It was so windy at the rim we literally almost got blown over!
- Badwater Basin which is the lowest place in North America and one of the lowest places in the world at 282 feet below sea level.
- Dante’s View which is a viewpoint terrace at 5,475 feet on the north side of Coffin Peak, along the crest of the Black Mountains. It provides a panoramic view of the southern Death Valley basin which appears like a great sparkling ocean - instead it is solid halite salt. The crust of salt is 1 to 2 yards thick and changes form after rain in the winter season dissolves the salt, to be re-crystallized as the water evaporates.
- Artist’s Drive with Artist’s Palette which is noted for having various colors of rock. These colors are caused by the oxidation of different metals (red, pink and yellow is from iron-salts, green is from decomposing tuff-derived mica, and manganese produces the purple).
- Scotty’s Castle is a two-story Spanish Colonial Revival style villa built by Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson, his wife and his friend Walter Scott also known as “Death Valley Scotty”. Scott initially convinced Johnson to invest in his gold mine scheme and although the riches from gold never “panned out”, a life-long friendship was forged and together they built a desert oasis complete with underground hydro-electric power, gardens and castle in the desert.
- Zabriskie Point which we went to at sunrise and we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the valley bed, mountains and colorful rock formations of this varied land. This vista was one of our favorite spots in Death Valley.
We saw several more sights and did several more things in the land of GREAT extremes but after five days we moved on to the Mojave Basin and the heart of the Mojave Desert. We were met with a genuine desert sandstorm which whipped the sands so viciously that it made driving difficult and even had Interstate 15 closed for a while. Fortunately we only had about 100 miles to drive but on the road into our next stop at Newberry Springs the sands of the Mojave Basin had completely obliterated the road and were it not for some construction barricades we would have not even been able to discern the pavement from the sand! The first night was rather raucous with gust upwards of 60 mph and we were constantly bombarded with the incessant sand-blasting, however, midway through the next day it did start to subside and we were able to resume normal activity. WOW, last fall it was tornadoes and this year sandstorms. You gotta love Mother Nature!
In addition to enjoying the Mojave National Preserve we went to Goldstone Deep Space Communications Center, Kelso Depot and Sand Dunes, Calico Ghost Town and Baker with the world’s largest thermometer. Its 134-ft height matches the highest recorded temperature of 134 degrees which was set in Death Valley. Goldstone was really fascinating as it evoked visions of Jodie Foster in “Contact” where she was communicating with folks way out in space. It is a network of antennas that support interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. It was from here that Apollo missions were tracked and it is currently communicating with Voyager, the Mars Odyssey and many other spacecrafts. There are several antennas at Goldstone but the 70 meter (230 feet) one is quite impressive. We even went inside “Mission Control” and watched all the scientists pour over their monitors and extrapolate inter-planetary data. Also, the computer arrays were phenomenal. It really brought out Pat’s “geekiness” and we even received official NASA lapel pins! Goldstone is located on the Fort Irwin military installation which is the world class training center for America's military, known for its excellent desert training and armored, ground and tank assault troops. One of the more fascinating, and moving, sights on base is “Painted Hill”. Many years ago one of the squadrons visiting Ft. Irwin climbed to the top of a rock pile and painted their company colors on one of the rocks. As time went on other squads painted their colors on the rock pile as well and over the years it has grown into the spectacle it is today. This unique monument to all of the units that have been sent there for training bears paintings of hundreds of unit insignias. The troops transport these monster rocks to the spot themselves. It is quite a sight to see
The last fascinating sight in the Mojave Basin was the acres and acres of pistachio farms. We didn’t know what the trees were initially, they resemble Georgia peach trees in size and shape but our campground host filled us in. The nuts are not harvested until October but they were currently on the trees and we enjoyed seeing them
WOW, this has been a LOT. Hopefully we have learned our lesson and won’t spread these out so far. We are now off to Twenty-nine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park. It has been an exciting start to our summer adventure where we will travel all over California and then on to Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and eventually to Glacier National Park. It promises to be an awesome summer and we hope you’ll enjoying traveling along with us.
As usual, we are including some pictures which can be enjoyed by clicking on:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMli
And we welcome any email correspondence at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com.
Stay safe, take care and keep in touch,
Pat & Judy
FINALLY – a new blog posting. This is the first entry since May of last year! Okay, we haven’t been idle, just sloughing and not keeping up with our posts. As a matter of fact, in the last ten months we’ve been to Scotland for three weeks, spent a couple months in Texas, Oklahoma and the fabulous Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta and several other shorter trips over the winter. We also spent a great deal of time getting caught up with chores around the house. And now we are on the road again for the Summer.
We left Flagler Beach on Thursday, April 7th, made a quick stop in Orlando to have a fast little repair done to the motorhome and then drove up to the Florida panhandle and spent the night in Quincy.
On Friday, we arrived in Bayou La Batrie, Alabama where we spent three enjoyable days with Judy’s sister Kathleen and her family. We had a great visit, had some delicious food (including the BEST gumbo) and even enjoyed a karaoke party that was fun. It was great to see everyone and it made a nice start to our summer adventure.
We continued westward to Houston, TX where we visited with Alan and Sal, friends we met at the Balloon Fiesta last fall. We enjoyed wonderful company, some delicious food and informative tours of Houston and Galveston. Hopefully the guys will meet up with us somewhere in California later this summer.
From Houston we went on through Abilene, Texas and Santa Rosa, New Mexico on our way to Flagstaff, Arizona where we spent Saturday and Sunday, the 16th and 17th of April. While traveling through Texas we did experience smoke from some of their terrible wildfires and we hope they can get them under control soon.
While in Flagstaff we toured many things including:
- Meteor Crater where 50,000 years ago a meteor ended its 500 million year long race through space resulting in a spectacular collision with Earth. This impact left a crater nearly a mile across and nearly 550 feet deep. To put the immense size into perspective, the crater would accommodate two million people seated on the walls watching 20 football games being played simultaneously on the crater floor!
- Walnut Canyon, where we hiked in the footsteps of people who lived there more than 700 years ago. We peered into their homes, cliff dwellings built deep within the canyon walls, and learned of their agrarian society.
- Wupatki Pueblo which was constructed in the years following the eruption of nearby Sunset Crater sometime between 1040 and 1100. For its time and place, there was no other pueblo like Wupatki. Less than 800 years ago, it was the tallest, largest, and perhaps the richest and most influential pueblo around. The largest structure was a multi-level, high-rise that had about 100 rooms. It was home to 85-100 people, and several thousand more lived within a day’s walk. It was built in one of the lowest, warmest, and driest places on the Colorado Plateau. Human history here spans at least 10,000 years.
- Sunset Crater Volcano which erupted sometime between 1040 and 1100 shows the powerful forces that shape the earth.
Next it was on to Las Vegas where we spent five fun-filled, as well as informative, days. First we went to see Rita Rudner’s show at the Venetian. She is SO funny and we laughed for the entire 90 minutes. The next evening it was off to The Wynn where we saw La Reve. It is an absolutely awesome show that was developed by Franco Dragone, one of the original founders of Cirque du Soleil. It is set in a one million-gallon (water) capacity theater and features diving and feats of strength with state-of-the-art special effects. No seat is more than 40 feet from the stage and it was just PHENOMINAL. We have seen several Cirque shows over the years and we both agree that this is, by far, the VERY BEST and MOST SPECTACULAR of all!
Other sights in the Las Vegas area:
- The Ethel M Chocolate factory and Cactus Garden where we toured the factory, learned the process, ate samples and purchased more additional confections to take with us. Ethel M is the high-end chocolatier of the Mars Co. (M&Ms, Snickers, etc.) and their products are delicious.
- The Valley of Fire which derives its name from red sandstone formations, formed from great shifting sand dunes during the age of dinosaurs. These features often appear to be on fire when reflecting the sun's rays. Prehistoric users of the Valley of Fire included the Ancient Pueblo Peoples, also known as the Anasazi. They left examples of petroglyphs which can be found at several sites within the park.
- The Pinball Museum, a 10,000 square foot dedicated museum, with pinball and nothing but pinball machines from the past. The machines are all restored to like-new playing condition by people that love pinball and understand how a machine should work. All older pinballs are set to 25 cents per play, and newer 1990s models are set to 50 cents per play, which, in our opinion, is a far better return on fun than any Las Vegas casino environment!
- We also spent significant time walking the “Strip”, viewing the shows outside of all the extravagant casinos and also viewing the show at the Fremont Street Experience which includes the Viva Vision canopy and light show. The canopy towers 90 feet above the ground and spans the length of five football fields. It features more than 12 million LED modules and a 555,000-watt sound system and has hourly tribute shows. The night we were there the show was dedicated to Jim Morrison and The Doors. It was very bright and very LOUD!
- The last day in Las Vegas we took a paddle-boat cruise on Lake Mead which took us right up to Hoover Dam. Later we drove through Red Rock Canyon and saw several wild burros. It was a GREAT five days; we saw a lot, did a lot and managed to NOT lose any money
Next, it was on to Death Valley, California where we spent five days. Among the fascinating things we saw were:
- Harmony Borax Works which was the central feature in the opening of Death Valley. After borax (known as “Desert White Gold”) was found near Furnace Creek Ranch in 1881, William T. Coleman built the Harmony plant and began to process ore in late 1883. Getting the finished product to market from the heart of Death Valley was a difficult task, and an efficient method had to be devised. The Harmony operation became famous through the use of large mule teams and double wagons which hauled borax the long overland route to Mojave. The romantic image of the “20-mule team” persists to this day and has become the symbol of the borax industry in this country. Many of us still remember “Twenty Mule Team Theatre” on TV, with that unknown announcer (Ronald Reagan) as the host! At Harmony we enjoyed an informative Ranger-led program that provided a great insight into all that we were to see for the next several days.
- The Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes, the highest of which rises about 200 feet, cover a vast area. This dune field includes three types of dunes: crescent, linear, and star shaped. Many first time visitors to Death Valley are surprised it is not covered with a sea of sand, however, less than one percent of the desert is covered with dunes, yet the shadowed ripples and stark, graceful curves define "desert" in our imaginations.
- Salt Creek which is a stream of salty water that is home to a rare killifish known as pupfish. The name is said to derive from the mating habits of the males, whose activities vaguely resemble puppies at play.
- Mosaic Canyon, Golden Canyon, Titus Canyon, 20-Mule Team Canyon and Natural Bridge Canyon were all hikes that we did. Each was of varying lengths and each had their own beauty and unique features.
- Wildrose Charcoal Kiln, constructed in the 1800s to provide a source of fuel suitable for use in two smelters for a group of lead and silver mines in the Argus Range. These ten beehive shaped masonry structures are about 25 feet high and held 42 cords of pinion pine logs which would, after burning for a week, produce 2,000 bushels of charcoal.
- The Devil’s Golf Course which is a large salt pan on the floor of Death Valley. It was named after a line in the 1934 National Park Service guide book to Death Valley National Monument, which stated that " Only the devil could play golf " on its surface, due to a rough texture from the large halite salt crystal formations.
- Ubehebe Crater which is a half a mile wide and 500 to 777 feet deep. The age of the crater is estimated at 2,000 to years old. "Ubehebe" (pronounced YOU-bee-HEE-bee) is a Timbisha Shoshone Native American word meaning "Big basket in the rock”. It was so windy at the rim we literally almost got blown over!
- Badwater Basin which is the lowest place in North America and one of the lowest places in the world at 282 feet below sea level.
- Dante’s View which is a viewpoint terrace at 5,475 feet on the north side of Coffin Peak, along the crest of the Black Mountains. It provides a panoramic view of the southern Death Valley basin which appears like a great sparkling ocean - instead it is solid halite salt. The crust of salt is 1 to 2 yards thick and changes form after rain in the winter season dissolves the salt, to be re-crystallized as the water evaporates.
- Artist’s Drive with Artist’s Palette which is noted for having various colors of rock. These colors are caused by the oxidation of different metals (red, pink and yellow is from iron-salts, green is from decomposing tuff-derived mica, and manganese produces the purple).
- Scotty’s Castle is a two-story Spanish Colonial Revival style villa built by Chicago millionaire Albert Johnson, his wife and his friend Walter Scott also known as “Death Valley Scotty”. Scott initially convinced Johnson to invest in his gold mine scheme and although the riches from gold never “panned out”, a life-long friendship was forged and together they built a desert oasis complete with underground hydro-electric power, gardens and castle in the desert.
- Zabriskie Point which we went to at sunrise and we were rewarded with a beautiful view of the valley bed, mountains and colorful rock formations of this varied land. This vista was one of our favorite spots in Death Valley.
We saw several more sights and did several more things in the land of GREAT extremes but after five days we moved on to the Mojave Basin and the heart of the Mojave Desert. We were met with a genuine desert sandstorm which whipped the sands so viciously that it made driving difficult and even had Interstate 15 closed for a while. Fortunately we only had about 100 miles to drive but on the road into our next stop at Newberry Springs the sands of the Mojave Basin had completely obliterated the road and were it not for some construction barricades we would have not even been able to discern the pavement from the sand! The first night was rather raucous with gust upwards of 60 mph and we were constantly bombarded with the incessant sand-blasting, however, midway through the next day it did start to subside and we were able to resume normal activity. WOW, last fall it was tornadoes and this year sandstorms. You gotta love Mother Nature!
In addition to enjoying the Mojave National Preserve we went to Goldstone Deep Space Communications Center, Kelso Depot and Sand Dunes, Calico Ghost Town and Baker with the world’s largest thermometer. Its 134-ft height matches the highest recorded temperature of 134 degrees which was set in Death Valley. Goldstone was really fascinating as it evoked visions of Jodie Foster in “Contact” where she was communicating with folks way out in space. It is a network of antennas that support interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions. It was from here that Apollo missions were tracked and it is currently communicating with Voyager, the Mars Odyssey and many other spacecrafts. There are several antennas at Goldstone but the 70 meter (230 feet) one is quite impressive. We even went inside “Mission Control” and watched all the scientists pour over their monitors and extrapolate inter-planetary data. Also, the computer arrays were phenomenal. It really brought out Pat’s “geekiness” and we even received official NASA lapel pins! Goldstone is located on the Fort Irwin military installation which is the world class training center for America's military, known for its excellent desert training and armored, ground and tank assault troops. One of the more fascinating, and moving, sights on base is “Painted Hill”. Many years ago one of the squadrons visiting Ft. Irwin climbed to the top of a rock pile and painted their company colors on one of the rocks. As time went on other squads painted their colors on the rock pile as well and over the years it has grown into the spectacle it is today. This unique monument to all of the units that have been sent there for training bears paintings of hundreds of unit insignias. The troops transport these monster rocks to the spot themselves. It is quite a sight to see
The last fascinating sight in the Mojave Basin was the acres and acres of pistachio farms. We didn’t know what the trees were initially, they resemble Georgia peach trees in size and shape but our campground host filled us in. The nuts are not harvested until October but they were currently on the trees and we enjoyed seeing them
WOW, this has been a LOT. Hopefully we have learned our lesson and won’t spread these out so far. We are now off to Twenty-nine Palms and Joshua Tree National Park. It has been an exciting start to our summer adventure where we will travel all over California and then on to Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and eventually to Glacier National Park. It promises to be an awesome summer and we hope you’ll enjoying traveling along with us.
As usual, we are including some pictures which can be enjoyed by clicking on:
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMli
And we welcome any email correspondence at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com.
Stay safe, take care and keep in touch,
Pat & Judy
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