Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home!

April 25, 2016

Our California Road Trip officially ended today, but we'll have memories to last a life time. We set out on this journey to see more of our own country, however, we gained far more than just the amazing natural sights we saw.  We gained a new respect for the people of California, and their incredible respect for this land we call home.  We now understand why Californians work so hard to protect and preserve our precious natural resources.  Some how, we never realized the magnitude of farming done in the state of California.  Naturally, these farmers rely on the land.  We drove past many farms displaying hand painted banners asking, "Pray for rain" next to their American flags. It made us re-think leaving a faucet running longer than necessary. Local folks talked about their land with reverence and pride.  The state itself has protected so much of it's land for future American generations to enjoy.  Truly, the Californians that we met were as close to Native Americans as any "fair skins" we've ever met.

So, as we boarded our flight back to our home, we left with a new appreciation of the beauty of our country, as well a respect for the land and people of California.

Post Road Trip

April 24, 2016 - Final day in Phoenix

Rachelle and I started our day with an awesome hike at Deem's Hill!

We enjoyed another gorgeous morning with plenty of sunshine and only one little "uh-oh" when I spotted a snake.  It was a rather skinny snake with orange, black and white stripes.  It was partially obstructed in a dessert shrub.  The shrub hid the creature that was "involved" with the snake.  I don't know who was the victor, but someone was making a horrible sound.  Now, I observed all of this in a nanno second, because after that I ran!

The scenery was lovely and our fellow hikers were friendly.

Afterwards, we went by Walgreens to pick up some prints to complete a project.  We enjoyed a delicious breakfast, and then I headed outdoors to read in the sun.  After a bit, I became distracted by the sweet birds landing in a nearby palm tree. So, I took out my Merlin app and started identifying the birds.  I know, what a nerd!

   We decided to have a healthy lunch because we knew that our dinner would NOT be considered healthy.  Rachelle showed me how to personalize a t-shirt using her silhouette machine, which was really cool!  Rob worked at his computer, completing two projects, while Connor and I worked on his puzzle some more.  That puzzle HAS to be the most challenging puzzle ever created!

   And for dinner, we HAD to go to a local In-n-Out Burger place because I had not tried this California chain restaurant.  I have to admit, my burger, deemed the protein version since there was no bread involved, was quite tasty, and the fries were delicious!  Our evening was made complete with a trip to Starbucks.  It's hard to believe that this trip is ending.  We've had such an awesome trip seeing our beautiful country, as well as spending precious time with our family.

Post Road Trip - Phoenix

April 23, 2016

Love spending a Saturday with our family in Phoenix!  First, Rachelle and I accompanied Connor for his guitar lesson.

I'm most impressed that on a Saturday morning, Connor is willing to set an alarm clock, giving up precious teenage sleep, to be on time for his guitar lesson.  Then, I meet his instructor, and it all makes sense.  This guitar teacher is positive and sincerely cares about his student.  Made me smile.

Rachelle and I drop Connor back at the house to babysit Zaydie, while we continue with a few errands.  What a treat to spend time together.

Back at home, we had lunch, and then I retreated to the backyard to read by the pool, as well as play toss with Roxy, their sweet dog.

Zaydie, Connor, and I went to see "Jungle Book" and then enjoyed dinner together at Paradise Bakery.

Again, spending this time with Connor is a very special treat!

California Road Trip - Day Twelve

Friday, April 12, 2016 - And the journey ends!

Today, as were checking out of The Motor Lodge, the owner presented us with two bags of homemade chocolate chip cookies, in case we got hungry on our drive home. This was the BEST place to stay!  We had such a remarkable last night of our California Road Trip.

As we traveled out of Prescott, we quickly returned to the desert drive.  We started recalling the many "washes" we had driven past with NO water underneath.  My personal favorite was "Holy Moses Wash" with a close second being "Rattlesnake Wash" !  These washes are necessary for when it rains in the desert. The sand is so dry that it can't hold the water, so the wash serves as a storage place for the water.

We decided to have lunch in Anthem, AZ.  So, after a quick stop, we were back on the highway.  We arrived back at Rich and Rachelle's around 2:00 PM. Actually, Rich had just left for his business trip to Berlin, but Rachelle and Connor were home.  Everyone helped to unload the car, then Rachelle and I drove to Enterprise to return our rental car.  It was rather sad leaving our car.  Thanks, Enterprise, for a great trip with no problems.

Everyone worked on computers until it was time for dinner.  Connor picked tonight's restaurant, a great Chinese place called Abacus.  Afterwards, we went to DQ for blizzards.

Now, we're back at home, relaxing. I find myself humming, "America, the Beautiful" and feeling extremely grateful for our road trip exploring many of the beautiful places in this incredible land we call home.

California Road Trip - Day Eleven

April 21, 2016

Different day, different desert.  We left the California desert, and now we're traveling through the Arizona desert.  The terrain is definitely different, with a few more shrubs cropping up here and there.  As we're driving along, Rob needs to go to the bathroom just as we pass the sign that reads, "Next service area, 79 miles" - oy.  So we drive, and we drive, and we drive, and FINALLY we see the exit for Seligman, AZ.  As we approach the gas station, we see signs everywhere that we have arrived at the birthplace of famous, historic Route 66.

Naturally, we have to purchase a few souvenirs, then travel on down Route 66 to get back on I-40.  However, we DID NOT stop at the Roadkill Café for lunch!

We arrived in Prescott, AZ and quickly found our adorable hotel, The Motor Lodge.  This place has more personality than anyplace we've ever stayed in.  Our bed headboard is from the honeymoon suite at the Star Dust Hotel (no longer around) in Las Vegas.

Rob needed to rest, so I walked three blocks into town and began exploring.  First place I visited was a cute quilt store where I found a great pattern.  As I walked around the town, I was super impressed with the friendliness of the locals.  The weather was perfect for strolling around Prescott.  I learned lots of history while shopping, such as Prescott was the first capital of the territory of Arizona.  Once it became a state, the capital changed to Tucson and then eventually to Phoenix.  One of the shops that I made a purchase was once the original bank of Arizona.

We enjoyed a fabulous dinner at the Prescott Station!  I will be searching the Internet for recipes for blackberry BBQ sauce and roasted corn.  This truly was the perfect town for the last night on our road trip!

California Road Trip - Day Ten

April 20, 2016

Whew!  We made it across the Mojave Desert!  We did have one little side trip.  Rob needed to use the restroom, so the next exit was to Edwards AFB.  I'm beginning to think that his bladder recognizes anything military-related.  So, Rob said, "Want to go to the BX?" and I certainly couldn't turn down that offer, because I'm well aware that Air Force Exchanges are usually pretty good.  So, when we asked the gate guard how far it was to the BX, we knew we were in great shape when he said, "It's right by the Starbucks, off of Fitzgerald Road."  Starbucks??????  On a military installation????  In the middle of the desert???  It was beginning to sound like a mirage!  We found the BX, and just as I suspected.  It was awesome!  Naturally, I had to check out the shoe selection, and I just happened to find an adorable pair of shoes.  So, Rob will certainly tell everyone that his wife managed to buy shoes in the middle of the Mojave Desert, but, for the record, the entire stop/shopping suggestion was HIS idea!  We did get our Starbucks and continued our journey.

We drove past the "twenty-mule team Borax" plant and a "Marine Logistics Base" (sounds mysterious) as we strived to find different scenery in the desert. As we crossed over into Arizona, we noted that an Inspection Station was situated for the folks driving into California.  Very bizarre!  It was a LONG stretch, but we made it safely into Lake Havasu City, AZ where we checked into the Hidden Palms. Rob took a nap while I read by the pool to relax after our drive.

Before heading out to dinner, I did notice how gorgeous the sunset was today.  I LOVE these Arizona sunsets!

We made reservations at La Vita Dolce, thanks Lori and Don for the recommendation, and enjoyed an amazing Italian dinner!  I had butternut squash ravioli and salted caramel chocolate gelato, while Rob had the veal parmesan and tiramisu.  Awesome!

California Road Trip - Day Nine

April 19, 2016 - Happy Birthday, Beatrice!

This weather just can't get any better, and we're not complaining!  Our tour guide, Steve, with Sequoia Sightseeing, picked us up promptly at 8:30 this morning, and we headed out to Sequoia National Park & Kings Canyon.  He explained that the first road into Sequoia was built by a group of original hippies, called Kaweah, who wanted to use the Giant Sequoia trees for lumber.  He also pointed out that all  of the melted snow running into the rivers is used for agricultural watering. He shared a quote from the early gold mining days, "Gold is worth fighting for, and water is worth dying for."

As we drove into the park we saw Tunnel Rock, which cars are no longer allowed to drive through, since one of the Cruise America (he affectionately called them Crash America) RVs side swiped the rock.

Steve dropped us off at the Visitor's Center/Museum while he went to pick up the other four folks on our tour. We learned a great deal about the trees, and I made a few purchases to help the local economy.

The next stop still has me thinking.  As we were getting out of the van, Steve said to ONLY me, "I call this tree, The Giving Tree, based on the book by Shel Silverstein.  Are you familiar with it?"  Well, I immediately had chills running up and down my spine because, today is Beatrice's birthday, and years ago, for Mother's Day, I gave her that exact book, which she later gave back to me, the last time I saw her.  Not only that, but Pearl posted a picture on Facebook of Beatrice planting a tree in Israel, and here we were looking at trees all day.  Coincidental?  Not so sure.

Anyway, here's the outside of The Giving Tree, as well as a shot from the hollow inside.

Next we traveled to "overhang rock" where Rob and I posed.

Then, while we drove over to Moro Rock, Steve gave us some more history of the park. Hale Thorp was the first European to come into Three Rivers (a very small town outside of the park) after his gold mining attempts failed. He took his cattle from Three Rivers to the park for summer grazing.  While in the park, he worked with the Yocut Indians, creating the Hospital Rock, where he used herbs and bear fat as medicine.  The Native Americans in the park were called the Manatchee, and they did not speak the same dialect as the Yocuts, but they were both peaceful tribes and traded obsidian, rabbit skins, and sea shells.  Like many other Native Americans, the US Government, moved them onto reservations via a treaty for the Sierras all the way to the Pacific Coast.  In 1903, the Army built the road from the Visitor's Center, using the Buffalo Soldiers under the command of an African American Captain (third of his race to graduate from West Point) Young.  CPT Young was the park's superintendent from 1890 - 1916.  Prior to the National Park Service being created in 1916 (we're lucky enough to be in some of our National Parks during this Centennial Celebration), the U.S. Army ran the parks.  Once last trivia fact, Sequoia, is one of the few words in our language that contains all the vowels.

     We arrived at Moro Rock, and I decided to hike to the top.  What was I thinking?  The elevation is 6,700 ft. and time after time as I rounded each corner, I was convinced that I reached the top!

The view was worth the hike up (which I officially counted as gym time) and I could see The Great Western Divide.  What we didn't see were bears!  Everyone kept looking, but no luck.  So, Steve gave us some bear facts.  Black bears are prevalent throughout the park, but they are actually many different colors ranging from black to blonde.  The mother bear delivers her cubs while sleeping, and the babies are less than one pound each, and around eight inches long.  She typically delivers two cubs, but can have any where from one to four.  Now THAT is the way to have babies!

This is a picture of Rob standing at the roots of a tree that has toppled over.  His caption - This is my brain trying to figure out Lana!

John Muir loved this meadow.  So did we!

We had a delicious lunch at the Wuksachi Lodge, and Rob even made a friend!

We then hiked over to see the world's largest living thing - The General Sherman.

Sadly, it was time to leave this gorgeous park, so Steve took one last picture.

What an amazing, gorgeous day!

California Road Trip - Day Eight

Monday, April 18, 2016

      Today was a very easy travel day as we left Oakhurst to reach our destination of Three Rivers. The drive was only took a little over two hours, but the journey was filled with farm after farm.  We now have a new appreciation of why Californians cherish the Earth.  We rode past olive groves, avocado groves, strawberry fields, broccoli fields, lemon and orange groves, apple orchards, and endless vineyards.  Rob noticed that we drove by the Sun-Maid Raisin firm, located in the middle of yet more vineyards.  We hadn't thought about the grapes being made into raisins until his discovery. We're back in the land of the palm trees wearing hula skirts.  We discovered these crazy trees as we drove from San Simeon to Monterey, but then they disappeared when we went up towards Sacramento.  Now, they're back.  I must get a picture of them.

     We enjoyed a lovely outdoors lunch, next to one of the three rivers in Three Rivers, at a place called River's View.  The weather was perfect, and the food was delicious.  We've made a few observations about the food and restaurants in California.  First of all, everything seems very fresh.  Next, the portions are HUGE!  Finally, most restaurants promote the local wines, then other California wines. After our late lunch, we decided to stop at the only grocery store in town to buy a few snacks so we could skip supper.

    So, back at the hotel, I worked out in the fitness center. Now it's computer time, catch up on some reading, then go to bed early since tomorrow we have another full day tour, this time in Sequoia National Park and Kings' Canyon.

California Road Trip - Day Seven

April 17, 2016

What a day!  We began our full day tour with Discover Yosemite picking us up at our hotel at 8:05 AM.  After a few more pickups, our tour only had 16 people with our naturalist, Glenn, we drove past fish camp, which really wasn't a fish camp, but back in the day, it was a logging camp. We entered Yosemite National Park and drove past several "prescribed fires" which actually are fires set up to help the park.  Along the way, we also saw "Bear Clover" a ground covering that the deer and bear roll in because it deters fleas and ticks.  We drove past the Merced River, named by the Spanish as Lady of Mercy on our way to Wawona Lodge, the oldest lodge in the park.  We also drove past a golf course, over 100 years old, in the park.  Everyone remarked about all of the dead trees.  Unfortunately, 80% of the trees, mainly Ponderosa Pines,  will be lost due to the recent drought AND the pine beetles. Years ago, when the Native Americans lived on this land, there was a ratio of 20% trees and 80% valley.  Now, it is 80% trees and 20% valley. We stopped to cross a beautiful covered bridge that is over 160 years old!

   Glenn gave us a few history lessons about CPT Wood, the first military superintendent, and Chief Tenaya.  These two leaders compromised while attempting to reposition the Native Americans to the reservation in Oakhurst.  While driving, we saw blue flowers called Lupines, dogwood trees, and forget-me-knots, as well as metal "Bear Boxes" for storing excess human food.  A Mule Deer raced across the road which was our first animal sighting. Several ravens were spotted along the way.
   The name Yosemite is believed to be a combination of the  Native American name for Grisly Bears and Yosemotos (bad guys) who savaged the early settlers.
    We drove through the Wawona tunnel to be greated by El Capitan, Half Dome Rock, and the Bridal Veil waterfall.

We traveled closer to Bridal Veil waterfall and then hiked even closer.  We opted to stop when the spray was beginning to threaten Rob's hearing aids.  The scenery was amazing.

Next, we traveled over to Yosemite Falls where we watched someone attempt to cross a slack line high above the waterfall.  It made me a total nervous wreck!

From there, we ventured over to the former Ahwahnee Lodge, currently known as the Majestic Lodge while a battle is going on over the copyright for the name.  Whatever the name, the lodge is gorgeous and we enjoyed lunch in a fabulous setting.

We traveled around the park, admiring various gorgeous scenes, when Glen brought us to an area where rock climbers were scaling incredible heights.  Even with my binoculars, these people looked like ants on the rock!

On the average, it takes rock climbers three days to scale these rocks!

It was an amazing day, and we must agree with John Muir, who said, The grandest of all the special temples of Nature is Yosemite."

    We ended our wonderful day with an awesome dinner at Crab Cakes in Oakhurst. 

California Road Trip - Day Six

Saturday, April 17, 2016

Waking up at Oro Vista was like waking up in an incredible resort. While breakfast was cooking, Jim asked if I'd like to go work with him in his vineyards for a bit.  I raced upstairs, grabbed my camera, and joined him in the Merlot vineyards.  It was an experience I will treasure forever.  The sun was toasting the air to perfection, and I was working in a vineyard.  Wow!

Jim patiently explained how each section should have only two growths, thus he would remove any others, which he called "thumb pruning" as you could easily remove the unwanted growths with your thumb and fingers.  It was fascinating to see the tiny little grapes forming.

I began thumb pruning the unwanted growths below the cordon, the "t" of the vine, or the long part that runs perpendicular to the ground.

We worked together until Jim thought that it was time to return to the house for breakfast.  I'm truly grateful for this awesome experience.  Thanks, Jim.

Connie, once again, had prepared a fabulous meal.  Afterwards we drove over to the Gold Discovery Museum in Placerville where gold was originally discovered in California.  We were fortunate enough to have a museum dossent who was a decedent of one of the original 49ers!  He explained all about the covered wagons used by the pioneers.

We learned that the majority of the pioneers walked next to the covered wagon because the ride inside was AWFUL!  They covered about 20 miles each day, and it took approximately 5 - 6 months to travel from Missouri/Kansas to California.  One of the leading builders of the covered wagon was a freed slave.

Next, we went into the quaint little town of Placerville and had lunch at the Old Towne Grille where we truly enjoyed our elk burgers.

Afterwards, we returned to Jim and Connie's only to discover that the two deer were sniffing around our rental car, sort of like guard deer.  Sadly, we said farewell and began our trip down to the Yosemite area.  We rode on Highway 49 which felt like playing a video game with swerving left and right, up and down steep mountain roads with no guard rails.  The view was spectacular and we arrived at the Comfort Inn, Oakhurst with no problems.

We opted to go to Starbucks for coffee and oatmeal, rather than another big meal.  We're very excited about tomorrow's tour of Yosemite.

California Road Trip - Day Five

Friday, April 15, 2016

Sadly, we said farewell to the Monterey area and the gorgeous Pacific coast, as we traveled on to our next destination.  We had lunch in San Jose, then kept humming, "Do you know the way to San Jose?" Unfortunately, the traffic was REALLY heavy and our four hour trip took six!  However, our travel weariness was soon forgotten when we arrived at Oro Vista Vineyard, the gorgeous home of Connie and Jim Ramos, a very lovely couple that we met while on our Viking River Cruise.

The views from both the front of the house, as well as the back, were so spectacular.  Both overlook the vineyards, consisting of over 200 vines of cabernet, zinfandel, merlot and primitevo grapes.  I was like a photo maniac snapping pictures constantly.  While taking pictures of the back vineyards, I happened to see two deer roaming around.  Jim and Connie DO NOT like the deer because they munch on the vines, causing much destruction.

We enjoyed some of Jim's wine, along with cheese and crackers on their charming patio.  Then we were served an amazing meal of chicken caccatori, a very fresh green salad, bread, and a super moist apple cake.  That home cooked meal in the middle of our road trip was THE BEST!  Afterwards, we sat around talking until I was simply too tired to update the blog.  Better late than never.

California Road Trip - Day Four

April 14, 2016

Definitely brings back memories, listening to the bugler playing Reveille this morning at 0700 hours.  Only difference was, back in the day, Reveille was played at 0600 hours.  Must be that we're on California time!  It was a great way to start our day. 

After breakfast, we drove over to the famous 17 Mile Drive skirting Pebble Beach Golf Course on our way to Carmel.  If I were to pick one city in California to live in, it would definitely be Carmel!

We strolled around this charming town until it was lunch time.  We had already decided to have lunch at Clint Eastwood's Hog's Breath Inn, since it was a recommended place.

So, we enjoyed Dirty Harry burgers, which were "lick your plate delicious" and fries.  My wanna-be Harry justified our lunch claiming that we certainly had walked off plenty of calories during our 40 mile walk this morning!

We drove back to Monterey to visit their aquarium, which was delightful!  I especially enjoyed the "wave" experience where you stood underneath a plexi-glass bubble while a huge wave crashed overhead.  I kept thinking how much David and Lily would love that!

The exhibits were fabulous.  We even found Dori and Nemo playing!

Again, Rob claimed that we walked another 40 miles!  Once back on the Presidio, we decided to visit the Post Exchange.  Back in the room, it was nap time for Rob and laundry time for me. Tonight we opted to skip dinner, trust me, we could afford to skip a meal.  So, we're snacking on fruit, coffee, and protein bars. Time to repack our suitcases for tomorrow!

California Road Trip - Day Three

April 13 - Driving along CA 1, the Pacific Coastal Highway

We left around 0930 hours this morning, traveling along CA 1 on another sunny California day.  Our first stop was Morro Bay to see the Pacific's Rock of Gibraltar.

Our next stop was just a little north of San Simeon, at a "vista" where hundreds of elephant seals were out sun bathing. 

This was one of those stops that we could have stayed for hours watching these mammoth creatures.

However, we had several other stops to make, so on we traveled. The scenery was absolutely amazing, and it was difficult not to stop at every "vista" for pictures.

Every time we turned a corner, there was another scene that could have been on a postcard!

We stopped in Big Sur for a lunch at Nepenthe, which was delicious and included a setting that a picture just can't do justice.  The restaurant is perched on the mountain side overlooking the Pacific Ocean complete with birds flying around chirping.  Paradise!

We reached Monterey around 1500 hours and checked into The Army's Hotel on the Presidio of Monterey.  Rob took a nap while I did some laundry.  Then, it was time for dinner.  We selected the Fish House of Monterey and began our destination, only to find that three of the posts' gates were closed.  Eventually, we found an open gate, and asked the guard if it would be open later.  He informed us that only one gate would be open, and luckily we remembered the name - Boleo gate.  After a great seafood dinner and Starbucks, we tried to get back on the Presidio.  We tried THREE gates, but all were closed.  Finally, we parked our rental car outside one of the gates that also had a bar next door, and went in for help.  A very sweet gentleman wrote out the instructions, which we managed to screw up.  Eventually, almost one hour later, we found our way back home.  Whew, and another day ends.

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Calinfornial Road Trip - Day Two

April 12, 2016

Another glorious, not a cloud in the sky day, for our California Road Trip.  We enjoyed a poolside breakfast, complete with birds chirping.  Time to drive past those windmills as we drove out of the desert and over to coastal California.  We traveled along US 10 until we were close to LA, then headed north on US 210 and 101.  We traveled along the Ventura Highway, through many places that we've heard about - Loma Linda, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Burbank, Riverside, etc. We saw endless vineyards as this area is one of California's top wine producers.  One of our favorite sights is the palm trees that look like they are wearing hula skirts.  We also got a few glimpses of the Pacific Ocean while on US 101 which were gorgeous!

We arrived at our destination, San Luis Obispo around 3:00 PM, so we decided to walk around the cute little town.  Eventually, we enjoyed awesome coffee at a Peet's Coffee House, before returning to the hotel for a rest and then showers.

We went back into town to Moe's BBQ for a tasty dinner. We finally have Internet again, but it is painfully slow, so pictures will be added once we have decent Internet speed.

California Road Trip - Day 1

California Road Trip officially began at 0915 AZ time on April 11, 2016!  We left in our KIA Cadanza with glorious sunny skies!

The traffic was light as we headed out on US 10. In the middle of the Mojave Desert, Rob decided that he needed a bathroom break.  We pulled off at the next rest stop, only to discover that it was closed.  Not good.  We continued to drive, and drive, and drive.  Finally, one stop prior to our scheduled destination, we found an exit with a gas station and food, AND a General Patton Museum! 

This was too good to be true since Rob was formerly stationed with General Patton's Third Army.  So, Rob has his bathroom break, we fill up the car, and eat lunch in a cute coffee house next to the museum.  We then dash into the museum just as a thunder shower begins.  It turns out that Chiriaco Summit was General Patton's training camp for soldiers going to fight in WWII.  The museum showed an informative video about General Patton and the training camp, as well as being filled with Army artifacts.

Back in the car, we headed to our intended destination, the Joshua Tree National Park.

We stopped at the visitor's center to purchase our Senior Lifetime pass, then began our two hour drive through the park.  We saw NO wildlife, but the rocks and Joshua trees were amazing.  It almost felt as if we were on a different planet.  A Joshua Tree isn't really a tree, but rather a species of yucca.  The rock piles were formed underground about 250 million years ago ago as a result of volcanic activity due to the North American tectonic plate riding over the Pacific Plate,

After leaving the park, it was time to go to Palm Springs to overnight at the Best Western.  Just prior to entering Palm Springs, we saw an abundance of windmills.  In fact, more windmills than we've ever seen!  Note to self - research those windmills! 

We enjoyed one of the best meals EVER at Spencer's.  The calamari was by far, the very best we've ever had, followed by truffle French fries which a description can't do them justice.  I had amazing scallops and Rob's coconut shrimp were beyond delicious.  We finished our meal with carrot cake that was heavenly.  The ambiance in this restaurant was incredible.  It was an open ceiling with trees within the seating area.  The large glass windows showcased the mountain that was in the background.  All in all, we felt that it was a dining experience that we'll always remember.