San Francisco

Sunday, Mar 10

This morning we met Bill and Jan who have been visiting their daughter Wendy at her and Jeff's home in Danville.  Their kids had swim practice, so we went to watch, then had lunch at the club where they swim. After lunch, we went back to Wendy's and visited awhile, then took off for a little wine tasting at one of the local wineries. Sure hope we will be around to see Emma and Chase swim in the Olympics!

Monday, Mar 11

We met Bill and Jan at the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) terminal in Pleasanton for a 45 minute ride on the train into San Francisco.

Clara DID NOT enjoy the BART train ride into San Francisco. There were few seats, and she got one, then this guy promptly goes to sleep on her shoulder.  Not a happy camper.

So far, our trip has been about seeing the natural wonders of the West.  When we realized that we were only a 45 minute train ride from San Francisco, we decided we might as well take it in.  We had been here when we were in B-52 transition training 45 years ago and wanted to see it again.

First of all, San Francisco is just another big city (I don't like big cities), however, it is on the San Francisco Bay and it has the world famous Golden Gate Bridge.  That made it different enough from every other large city to make it worthwhile to visit.

A big city

As soon as we got off the BART, we went to the Ferry Terminal and took a ride across the bay to Sausalito.  Primarily, we were interested in the ride across the bay.  We stayed in Sausalito about 30 minutes and caught another ferry ride across the bay back to Fisherman's Wharf.

The Golden Gate Bridge

As soon as we arrived back in San Francisco, we immediately took in a crab lunch.  We have really enjoyed the dungeness crab.  It's second only to Maine lobster.

After lunch, we went walking out to the end of the pier and saw Oracle, one of the Americas Cup sailboats out practicing maneuvers on the bay.

Oracle passing Alcatrez

Oracle passing an ordinary sailboat whose mast is probably 45 feet high

The seals are prolific in the bay waters.

Then we decided that the best way to see the most in a short period of time was to take one of the bus tours.  Unfortunately, the bus tour that I wanted which goes across the Golden Gate Bridge also went to Sausalito.  So for the second time in one day, we went to Sausalito.  But it was a fun tour.

 The Golden Gate Bridge in the clouds

Under the arches

San Francisco skyline

Alcatrez

We made a full day of it, arriving by BART back in Pleasanton around 7:30 pm - worn out.

Pleasanton, Calif

Saturday, Mar 9

We left Heidi and Farrel's around lunch and headed North.  We really had no idea what kind of RV park we would find because we are near San Francisco.  We had picked out the only place in a reasonable distance from Wendy's, which is a fairground RV park.

Wow! Are we pleasantly surprised.  This a real nice park, and the camp host is the most friendly we have ever met.  We are set up on a grass field with full hookups.

After we got settled in, at the recommendation of the camp host, we headed for Main Street Pleasanton for a mexican lunch.

We had never heard of Pleasanton before today, and had no expectations.  Another big surprise!  Pleasanton has a unique and fun downtown.  It reminds us of Stuart, Florida, another of our favorite downtowns.

We enjoyed a great meal, some shopping (I bought the most unusual art piece I have ever seen), and yogurt, topping off a great day.

A morning with Heidi and Farrel

Saturday, Mar 9

Heidi and Farrel invited us up to their home for breakfast this morning.

Heidi's Mom and Dad have been friends of ours since our days in the Air Force at Blytheville AFB, Ark.  Heidi and our son, Slade, were born within a couple months of each other.

Getting to their home is an adventure by itself.  Although they live only a few miles from where our motorhome is located, it's another world.  After meandering along country back roads a few miles, we came to the GPS address, a group of mailboxes on the side of the road.  Then we start to 2 mile trek up the mountain on a dirt road.  The CRV got a real workout!

Heidi and Farrel's home

They live on a 20 acre tract of land in a home on top of a mountain.  Farrel designed and built the home and it's energy systems.

Farrel's company, Apex Solar (www.apxsolar.com) designs and builds solar systems.  Their home is a model of "off-the-grid" homes.  Their only connection to any utility is a phone line (they can't get good cellular service).  They produce all of the electrical needs from solar and wind (with a generator for back up).  It is really an amazing home - and Farrel's business is growing rapidly designing and building solar systems for homes across California and the Western US.

Their two children, Avala (5 years old) and Nash (3 years old) are wonderful.  We immediately became Auntie Clara and Uncle David.  We spent of wonderful morning with them.

Farrel, Avala, Heidi and Nash

From Atlantic to Pacific

Friday, Mar 8

We finally made it to the Pacific Ocean!  It was nice to see the left coast.  We have completed the journey across the continent.  We left Front Street in Beaufort in late January and have meandered across America, seeing impressive sights and experiencing new adventures.  Now we will head East.

In the past few days, we have decided that we will take our motorhome back East.  It had originally been our intention to leave it in Albuquerque at least one - maybe two - more years.  I still want to experience the Northwest of the country, but this can only be accomplished in the summer.  And our summers back in North Carolina are too precious for us to take off for the West.

We also want to go to Dylan Lantz's graduation in Ohio in late May, and to see Cole and Amy's new baby.  There is also the chance we may go to Jill and Tony's in Maine in conjunction with the trip to Ohio.

The thought of undertaking these journeys in a car and staying in motels just doesn't appeal.  It will be much more pleasurable in our home on wheels.

So we will meander back East over the next few weeks, taking in the sights as we do so.  We will probably leave the motorhome at the mountain house in Spruce Pine, and leave from there in May for Ohio.  

We had no schedule today.  I went to the local Y for some much needed exercise.  After I returned and had breakfast, we decided to head West to the ocean which is only 30 miles or so away.  I just want to be able to say that I had made it to the Pacific.

We finally made it to the Pacific Ocean

As we got closer to the ocean, we decided to head South and see what we could discover.

We stopped at seafood restaurant, Sea Harvest, and had a great fresh seafood lunch while enjoying a great view of the ocean and local harbor.  At the restaurant, we were able to buy fresh local crab, which we picked up on our way back later in the afternoon.  We haven't had any fresh seafood for a long time, and this was a real treat.

Seals completely cover the docks near the restaurant.  It's surprising that they don't sink the docks with their weight

After lunch, we ended up on the Monterrey Peninsula.  We followed the signs to "Cannery Row", parked the car and enjoyed walking around the tourist shops.

A painting on the footings of an old building on the waterfront of Monterey

A chilly Mimi

We finished up with a drive along the scenic oceanfront road on the peninsula and really enjoyed seeing big water again.  It was a windy, cool day and we ventured out of the car at some of the overlooks for a few minutes.

This ended up being a fun day.  It has been one of the few on this trip that we haven't had something in mind to do and could explore.

Yosemite National Park

Tuesday, Mar 5

We had a nice drive down from Sequoia National Park to the valley at a lower elevation and then back to 7,000 feet  in Yosemite National Park.  This is another park that Clara and I had visited 45 years ago.  It was spectacular then, and its spectacular now.

We had planned to stay in the Wowona Campground at the South entry to the park (the closest one for us coming from Sequoia).  However, when we got to the entrance and talked to the ranger, she discouraged us from staying there.  Snow is predicted tonight and tomorrow at this elevation (7,000 feet), and she warned we may be snowed in for a couple of days.  She suggested we drive the additional 25 miles to the main part of Yosemite Valley, where the elevation is only 4,000 feet and there probably wouldn't be as much snow, if any at all.  We took her advice!

Thanks goodness she didn't warn us about the tunnel or else we would have turned around and left.  Near the end of the 25 miles, there is a tunnel about 1,000 feet long.  The height at the edges is only 10 feet - we're 12.5 feet high.  We had to drive the entire length of the tunnel in the center. Thankfully, we didn't meet anyone!  I don't know what we would have done if we had.

The Tunnel!!

After coming out of the tunnel is one of the more photographed views of Yosemite Valley.

Lunch with a view of Half Dome Rock

The view of Yosemite Valley from the Tunnel Overlook on Tuesday, and on Wednesday

Bridal Veil Falls

We had a beautiful, but very winding drive to where we are tonight, the North Pines Campground. We arrived around 3 pm and immediately unhooked the CRV and started taking in the sights.  And they are again incredible sights.

The North Pines Campground has a couple hundred spaces for RVs, but there are around a half dozen here tonight.  We are within a couple thousand feet of the base of Half Dome Rock.  We have to move to the front windshield and look straight up to see the top of the rock.

Wednesday, Mar 6

It was bound to happen sooner or later.  For only the second time in our travels in the motorhome, it is raining.  The other time was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan 3 years ago.  It rained all night and looks like it may rain (or snow) all day.  On the positive side, we got to see a lot of the beauty spots yesterday while it was clear, and it gives us a chance to catch up on some housekeeping chores and get up to date on e-mail, blog, etc.  We didn't have any phone/internet service for 3 days when in Sequoia NP, but we do have service here.

And at least it's not snow at this elevation!  If this had been snow, we'd have had over a foot I'm sure - and we'd be here for several days - which isn't all bad.  Just hope it doesn't snow tonight.

We decided to go the the village (yes, there is a village in the park with lodges, hotels, restaurants, grocery store, etc. - really more like a town.  Somewhat like Grand Canyon).  We enjoyed having time to really take in the exhibits at the visitor center.  There is also a museum, art gallery, and other gift shops.  Then we decided to ride around for a while.  Even though it has rained off and on, the views have been incredible.

We are very fortunate to have been here when the weather isn't perfect.  It has given us a chance to see Yosemite from a different, and quite frankly more unique perspective.  It is snowing at the higher elevations around the valley.  The clouds are continuously changing, making every one of the landmark views change as the clouds drift around the valley.  Although it is raining at our elevation (3,800 feet), it is snowing only a couple hundred feet above us.  The granite walls surrounding the valley go up to 8,000 feet, so we are able to dramatically see the weather changes with altitude.  The pictures that we took today are some of the most interesting and special that we have ever taken.

For Evan and Anna:  Yosemite National Park was established by Abraham Lincoln in 1864 as the first land set aside by the Federal Government as a park.

More than 3.7 million visitors visit each year, mostly in the summer.  There are very few people here now.

Yosemite is internationally recognized for its spectacular granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams Giant Sequoia groves and biological diversity.

The park has an elevation range from 2,127 to 13,114 feet.  Where we are camped is about 3,800 feet.

The geology of the Yosemite area is characterized by granitic rocks and remnants of older rock. About 10 million years ago, the Sierra Nevada was uplifted and then tilted to form its relatively gentle western slopes and the more dramatic eastern slopes. The uplift increased the steepness of stream and river beds, resulting in formation of deep, narrow canyons. About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today.

The granite walls surrounding Yosemite Valley are hidden behind the mist of the clouds

Our campsite is only a short distance from a massive granite wall

On the way back to our campsite this afternoon, we spotted a coyote along the roadside.  As we pulled over to stop and take a picture, he immediately trotted over to our car and stood just a few feet away.  As we watched, another car pulled over near us and he trotted over to that car.  This happened several times as we watched.

It was obvious that he had been fed from cars before by tourists (which is against park service rules) and had figured out that if he stood around long enough, someone may throw him some food.

We went to the ranger station and told them.  They were familiar with the problem and were going to send a wildlife officer out to move him - again.

The coyote trots over to our car

He waits for us to throw him some food (which we don't do)

Another car pulls over and he trots off to them

He waits patiently for a handout

Then starts to look for the next car

No one fed the coyote while we were there.  Hopefully no one does.  He could become dependent on receiving handouts from tourists, and may not be able to survive in the wild. 

Thursday, Mar 8

We got up early anticipating an early departure to go to Morgan Hill to visit Heidi, Ferrell and their kids.  Heidi is Jill and Tony's daughter, old friends from our B-52 days at Blytheville AFB. 

About the time we got up, it started snowing.

We weren't surprised that it snowed, but it did delay our departure from Yosemite

I took the CRV down the road a ways to check on the status of our departure route.  There is a status board on all the roads near the village center.  Thankfully, our planned route was clear.  All the other routes required snow chains.  I also found that the roads were clear only a mile or so from the RV park, where the altitude was about 100 feet lower.

We hooked up the CRV and got ready to leave while we could before it could get much worse.

Our trip to Morgan Hill was pleasant, but some of the bridges coming out of Yosemite were rather intimidating.

The bridge was only slightly wider than the motorhome

Heidi, Ferrell and their two kids came out to the campground where we are staying after we got settled in.  What a great family.  We had gone to their wedding in Utah year ago and were really looking forward to meeting the kids.  After some getting reacquainted sitting around the RV (while the kids drove and played with all the switches), we went into Morgan Hill and had a great meal an Italian restaurant.  We look forward to spending more time with them before moving on.