4/29/13

We are still in California.  Actually we are still in Santa Rosa. Wait, weren't we in Santa Rosa last week? Well, yes.  We drove a few miles forward and a few miles backwards. After my last entry we went North to Cloverdale and spent a few days with our friends Tonny and Ireene.  While we were there Ireene's son Allan came over.  Tonny and Allan both like to cook and we got to enjoy some delicious meals. Many thanks to Tonny and Ireene for being such wonderful hosts and forever friends.

While staying in Cloverdale we returned to Santa Rosa for a day and went to the Charles M. Schulz Museum and (finally) California Carnivores. Both very interesting places. We went wine tasting and saw the house in Bodega Bay where 'The Birds' was filmed.

When we were ready to continue our journey North from Cloverdale I found out that my cousin, who lives about 100 miles South and had been out of town, was back in town. So we back tracked to Mountain View and spent some time with my cousin Bob and his wife Margaret. They are very active in the community and with their children and grandchildren. Thank you Bob and Margaret for your great hospitality and delicious meals.

By this time the brakes on the RV were making some very ugly noises so we stopped at a Midas and got new brakes for the Enterprise. Got a new muffler while we were there.

So we are back in Santa Rosa, ready to continue the forward motion. Stay tuned

4/24/13

Today is the first anniversary of my back surgery.  Hard to believe. The surgery was a success, if not perfect. The doctor warned me before the surgery that this was not the final, total solution to my back problems, just a quick fix to relieve the pressure and get me going again. It got me back on my feet and made this trip possible.

Since last entry we spent a few days in Half Moon Bay.  This is a very quaint town, not too touristy, although tourism is its main industry.  They have some great restaurants and bakeries.  The pie in the picture is real.

Then we went to Antioch to visit a former coworker and her family. (Yes, we bypassed San Francisco).They were all happy to see us and made our visit very enjoyable. A delicious home-cooked meal renewed our strength.

In Santa Rosa i intended to visit California Carnivores, where they sell Venus Flytrap and other carnivorous  plants.  But when I got there I found out it is only open Thursday through  Saturday.  I should have called ahead. Duh! I might backtrack later and try again.

I also visited the national headquarters of Canine Companions for Independence at the recommendation of my friend Patty. It is a big and beautiful campus. This is where they train dogs to be service dogs. Patty has one of their dogs. He helps her a lot.

So that is our progress.  We are still in California and probably will be for another couple of weeks. Stay tuned.

4/21/13

We continue to inch our way northbound along the California coast.

Since the last update we stopped at Cafe Kevah which is part of Nepenthe in Big Sur.  We had stopped in this restaurant during a previous trip and decided we needed to stop again.  It has not changed any, which is a good thing. I had Eggs Benedict and Diane had Cafe Kevah Eggs Benedict with a twist - dungeoness crab and avocado. 

From there we drove through Carmel-by-the-Sea.  There we were mostly looking for a Starbucks with WiFi and we found it.  We saw several people that looked like famous people, one looked like Robert Redford. No Clint Eastwood. Does he even live there anymore?

Then we went to Monterey. We had been to the wharf in a previous trip so we went to Cannery Row instead. There we saw a guy that looked a lot like Denzel Washington.  Maybe it was.  He was buying expensive jewelry and having it shipped somewhere else.

Santa Cruz was next.  They have an awesome boardwalk with roller coaster and Ferris wheel.  Traffic was pretty bad and parking places pretty scarce so we we drove on through.

Along the way we stopped in Pescadero Beach, with a view towards Half Moon Bay.  All beaches here are fantastic, and there are hundreds of them.

We finally arrived at our temporary destination, Half Moon Bay.  We had intended to go into San Francisco in the next few days but that might change.  A friend of ours lives in a little town that is about as far as San Francisco but inland.  We might go there instead.  I am not big on big cities and crowds. We'll see and we'll let you know in the next update.

Breakfast of Champions!  Mine is on the left...

Birthplace of canned sardines

Pescadero Beach on a windy day

4-17-13 (Happy Birthday Cris)

Hello, all

We have not had Wi-Fi for about a week.  For most of that time I did not even have phone signal. So here is a brief update of what has happened since our last entry.

First and foremost, Matilda has made a full recovery from her snake bite and has no residual effects. I don't think she even has a memory of it, judging by how she still dives after anything that moves in the bushes.

We took a guided tour of Santa Barbara.  This city has a lot of history, both during the Spanish mission times and recent times when rich and famous people moved in and did great things for the city.

We spent some time in Morro Bay, a cool little town by the ocean.  Morro refers to a big rock island right outside the bay.

We stopped at a Sea Elephant viewing site.  They all go onto the beach to work on their tan.  Major cute!

During our brief periods of contact with civilization I hear the heartbreaking news of the bombing at the Boston Marathon and the tensions with North Korea.  Makes me more determined to complete this trip.

Thanks all for your good comments.  They mean a lot.

Surfer or Land Shark?

Wipe Out!  Where did all the surfers behind me go??  There were about a dozen of them surfing in the waters of Malibu in Leo Carrillo Beach.  Guess I'm the only one who could stay on the "curl" - whooooa, Duuuude...

Matilda is back at [Motor] Home

I just picked up Matilda at the vet. I expected to find her groggy, confused, weak. Wow! Its like nothing ever happened. She is back to her usual busy, curious, Border Collie. The swelling is mostly gone.  She has a bit of a fat lip and double chin. But her personality is all there. The vet does not anticipate any long term effects.

Thank you everybody for the good thoughts and prayers.  Hopefully now the trip can continue without further setbacks.

Matilda

Matilda got bit by a rattlesnake.   Unfortunately not joking :-(  She ran into a ditch after something,  I went to see what she was after and saw (and heard) the rattles.  I brought her to the the RV and saw the blood on her lip. Her face started swelling.  She is at the vet in Malibu, Ca with iv painkiller, antivenom, etc. No guarantees but good chance she will be OK. Vet is optimistic.  Matilda got the antivenom less than 1/2 hour after the bite.

Meeting Murphy...

Matilda's insatiable appetite for adventure got her a trip to the vet about an hour ago.  She had an encounter with a rattlesnake and was rushed to animal hospital.  She's received treatment and is staying overnight.  please keep her and Jose in your thoughts.  Will update more details as soon as he returns.  Thanks Andrea for being there via phone during the crisis. ..

Malibu, Baby!

Spent the night at Malibu Beach RV Park. Pretty ritzy place for an RV Park.  They are still on winter rates so we got a pretty good deal.

The Hollywood Sign

I have always wanted to see the Hollywood Sign. I did today.  The drive up there is pretty spectacular too. Some pretty fancy houses. 

Huntington Beach - Windy City

Garden flags, RV canopies, and palm trees are being whipped by 40 mph winds here at Huntington Beach.  We can barely open the RV door to go outside due to its force.  Wind started up this morning...

Here's a brief recap of the first 2 weeks on the road:
U-turn signs are welcome and used frequently
Smart cars are everywhere - LOVE!
Starbucks coffee on every corner
WalMarts are not so RV friendly anymore
Wifi is minimal unless you want to hang out in Starbucks all day.  I can honestly say that they are so plentiful, I'm almost getting tired of lemon loaf and mocha frappuccinos!
Palm Springs is gorgeous but HOT - at least for me...but it was SO awesome to see and hang out with Michelle and Amy!
So far, I've found that Mentone/Redlands is my favorite: green, hilly, mountains in the distance, pleasant weather,remote enough but civilization is within 10-15 minutes instead of an hour and a half like Kanab. a big plus!  We and the dogs had a great time with KC, Brett and Dallin.
In San Diego, we met up with Joyce (those of you who know Best Friends will remember her as an Old Friends caregiver in DT Heights).  She and her husband Ed are extremely busy with petsitting and walking business.  So great to catch up with them!
Coronado Bridge over to the island was awesome; challenged again to find a place for the night, we parked near the beach and about 11:00 PM flashing, blue lights woke us up and told us to move along.  So off to find a rest area on the highway - not as pleasant as the sound of the ocean but at least we slept.
Our run in with the PO-lice did not dampen our good mood the next day when we spent the day at Pt. Loma lighthouse, Cabrillo Monument and San Diego Coastguard location (yay Mikey - took a photo for you!).
So far, the most dangerous road that we were warned NOT to take that we thought we had already driven days ago, was our only route to find a place to stay overnight yet again.  And Michelle was right - you especially don't want to drive Ortega Highway at night in an RV when you have no clue where you are.  Later informed by Joseph that there are a number of Youtube videos that feature motorcyclists driving too fast and ending up over a cliff! Switchbacks with no guardrails...
And this weekend began with a great recommendation from Joseph: Doheny Beach - inspiration for Surfin' USA and then a couple of nights in Huntington Beach.  Spent both days with Joseph which was very cool.
Our hope from this point on is to be able to provide more frequent updates with more details and photos.

Some other quick stats and observations:
# of dogs Maguire has barked at - at least 1 a day and counting
# of bodies of water Matilda has jumped in with no prompting - 1 creek and 1 ocean
# of surfers - at least 20-30
# of 4 mile hikes - 1 (from Jose: do not walk with anyone who is under 50 and/or has not had some kind of surgery as this is their definition of a short hike - LOL Joseph!)

But we are safe, having fun and have learned to make our overnight plans well ahead of time.  Onward ho to get a photo of the HOLLYWOOD sign and a stop at the Gentle Barn, a farm animal sanctuary!

(of Jose trying to get WiFi!)