Author: kimspathway

Wed 20/6 – 5097 steps
We headed south.  We stopped a historic mission, Mision La Purisima Concepcion de Maria Santisima. It was founded in 1787,  on land that was home to the Chumash people, as the 11^th of the 21 Spanish Missions established in what later became California. The mission was known for its hides and blankets, and at its peak, inhabitants herded as many as 24,000 cattle and sheep.

Californian history is very interesting. In a nutshell, Spain claimed territory they had never even been in, then years later they decided to control it by establishing missions. Their introduction of livestock and Western diseases destroyed the way of life of the Native Americans, who then came to live at the missions. The Spanish colonial period was followed by Mexican rule and then after the Mexican-American war, (1846-48), Mexico was forced to give California to the United States. Then in 1848 gold was discovered and nothing has been the same ever since.
We passed through many farmlands, mostly strawberries and veg, such as cabbage and cauliflower as well as something in tunnels. Wherever there is water, there is farming. The operation is so impressive. The cabbages and cauliflowers are picked, washed and packed in boxes on the fields. (Not sure about the other veg)

By chance, whilst looking for a place to have lunch, we arrived in a historic Danish village, Solvang, in the Santa Ynez Valley.  Solvang dates back to 1911 when Danish immigrants  purchased 9,000 acres to preserve and promote Danish culture. They constructed a Danish folk school and church and some years later, all buildings have been built in same tradition. Most of the restaurants were closed (it was 2:30) but, ironically, we found a Greek restaurant which was great. You can also buy your Christmas decor year round.

Having seen all the RVs parked in state beaches, we decided to try that for a night. There are no hook ups (electricity, water, waste), but our batteries and tanks were full and empty respectively. The first spot was full,  but we found a spot in one down the road called Emma Wood state beach. It is only $40 a night which makes it much cheaper than private campsites.

Chuckles of the day: Americans, their cars and their dogs

What I learnt: David loves historical places.
There was a gold rush in 1849, hence “was a miner, 49-er, and his daughter Clementine.”

Tues 19/6 – 7859 steps and a good cycle (16 flights of stairs)
We drove a short distance to Monteray, where we stopped to walk along the pier and visit some museums and have lunch. It was very interesting. David reckons maintenance of the pier is not great if you look at columns below.

All the restaurants display their wares and offer free samples of chowder. We had lunch at one of them who had the most delicious sample, (I think it was the added bacon). We order a small bowl of chowder to share and also got a complimentary side of calamari. And this was just the starter! We obviously boycotted the restaurant which did not allow the high chairs. Not all little ones are badly behaved.

What amazes me is the amount of candy stores here. Not sure where USA stands on sugar tax, but eating sweets seems to be a way of life. Along the short pier, there were at least 3 candy store. The cherries in chocolate were delicious.

I also love the wooden fisherman you find all over the place.

We also saw the first brick house in California and went to Cannery row, which is the old sardine factories which have been transformed into trendy stores and vibey restaurants. We had great fun in a mirror maze. I am sure the whole space was only 3m x 4m but it took at least half and hour to find our way out.

The route we travelled on covers part of the original route between the 11 missions of California. There are commemorative bells all along the way – very interesting history. Again the scale of farming was amazing. You often see long lines of cars parked along the fields. All the workers who pick and pack strawberries, lettuces etc, drive to the field they are working on. There are also trailers with portable toilets.
We also came across Camp Roberts, a military not a party place. We did not visit.

Finally we arrived at our camp and it was early enough to still go for a cycle. They have an awesome cycle track which took us through a forest, along a golf course and onto the beach. We did a great cycle and I beat David up a hectic hill. I did have to pedal very hard in lowest gear with highest motor power and I am sure my heart rate hit the roof, but I got to the top first! We cycled out on a wooden pier that loads ferries and found Fatcats and lazy, noisy seals. Epic day.

What I learnt: We were surprised to see oil wells, but apparently California is the fourth largest provider of oil in USA.
It is hard to get David out of a museum!

 

Mon 18/6  14077 steps

Laundry day. David set off to explore and found some interesting spots, but some of the roads he cycled on were very busy. He especially enjoyed the cactus nursery.

Later that morning, we could not help but be impressed when a huge RV, equipped with a huge motorbike, towing a car with 2 bicycles, pulled in. They also travel with their cat.

Later in the day we went for a long walk through the village, along the lake and back home along the beach. The whales and dolphins were out again. We also spent some time watching seagulls dive-bomb a large seal or otter. Not sure which or why, but is was interesting to watch. Once again, and not to harp on about toilets, but even the public porta-loos along the beach side are so usable. They even have loo paper!

For the foodies, we ended a lovely day by dining at a local Mexican restaurant called the “Whole Enchilada” which was probably one of the best meals I’ve had in USA and completely restores my interest in Mexican food.  I had Carnitas Enchilada in Oaxacan Mole which roughly means pulled pork in a beurito with delicious sauce containing chocolate. David had Mariscos Chile Relleno Verde, ie a poblano chile stuffed with cheese and prawn. Delicious!

What I learnt: In Moss Landing there is a very interesting “learning center” run by the Shakespeare Society of America. In 1972 the SSA built and operated a replica of the 1599 Globe Theatre, where they staged all 38 Shakespeare plays  repeatedly. In 2007 they had to relocate and now have thousands of original artifacts, props, books, anything you can imagine available for the public to view, for free. Quite fascinating and well worth a visit.

Sun 17/6 – 6367 steps
Happy Father’s Day
From Lake Tahoe we took a treacherous road back to the coast. It was very narrow and twisted and there were roadworks along the pavements, which made negotiating the turns in a RV quite challenging to say the least. In addition, there was a large group of cyclists tackling the hills and no bike lane. We had one or 2 near misses, but managed to get to the other end unscraped. California is huge and the scenery is so varied. Dry as anything, unless there is irrigation. Then the farming is on a scale we cannot even begin to comprehend.

There was a KOA RV camp in Moss Landing, so we decided to go there for 2 nights. KOA is a RV campsite chain and you can prebook, you know what you getting, laundry facilities, etc. When we arrived, my heart sank, I was expecting a beach side camp, and we were stuck in the middle of a small harbor, next to a power station with 2 chimneys. However, the owners were so pleasant and the campsite so well organized, they told us where to go and watch  the whales, where to eat etc.
So we walked to the  beach, it was humming with families enjoying the last of the sun. Then we saw the water sprays, dolphins and whales. Loads of them. We sat on a log and lost ourselves for a while.

Then we went to Phil’s Fish market.  When we saw the queues out the door we thought we should find somewhere else. Everywhere we have been to date, they make you wait to be seated and we thought the queue was for a table. But Phil’s works differently. You queue up, place your order, find a table and they bring you your food. So I found a table and David found the bar and we sat down to a bottle of wine till most of the rush was over. Phils is famous because his cioppina beat Bobby Flay’s in a Throwdown challenge. So we decided to try it, along with clam chowder in a breadroll and fish and prawns, most of which took home for lunch.
It ended up being a most pleasurable stay and the chimneys of the unused power plant, became quite poignant in the skyline.

David’s comment of the day: “Why is it whenever there is a cyclist in the middle of the road, it is an old man?”
What I learnt: Four daughters need more space than three sons

Sat 16/6 – 4245 steps
We left Eagle Lake and headed further south. We crossed the California/Nevada state lines several times, each time you stop and they ask you if you carrying firewood or produce. We had naartjies, but that seemed to be ok.
We stopped for lunch at Mels Diner. It was really good. Watching Americans eat is amusing. They hold their knife and fork in the wrong hands, jab the meat to hold it down, cut everything that needs to be cut up and then swap hands and only use their fork to eat it, or something like that. I don’t think Oupa farm would have allowed such lack of “manners” back in the day. I tried to surruptiously take a photo, but you can’t see much.

We went shopping at Walmart, again. I bought a really good American Whisky. We couldn’t help thinking of Uncle John when we saw this display of Jack. David also found some wine which perfectly describes our marriage, him, me and his bike!

So we thought maybe different counties have different rules and since cannabis is advertised on almost every corner, perhaps we could find anti-inflammatories for David’s back and anything for my lingering cramps (side-effects of the Imodium). No chance, only pain pills available.
We got to the first campsite on our list at Lake Tahoe at about 4pm, but not surprisingly, it was full. It was a state park, which are cheaper than private, but they work on first come first serve basis. It was Saturday and it is a lovely area for water sports, cycling, hiking etc. Luckily we got the last spot at the next camp. It was in Meeks Bay and is the only camp along Lake Tahoe that is on reservation land. It was lovely, with sandy beach and very chilled vibe.
We went for a 9 mile cycle on a lovely trail through the woods.  I was nervous, it was getting darker, there was no sight or sound of other people and they had made such a fuss about bears when we checked in, I was sure we would go around a path and there would be one facing us. Not sure what I would do in a situation like that. However, we went around a corner and found loads of happy campers instead, little tents popped up all over the place. I relaxed and enjoyed the rest of the ride, inspite of a rather sore bum. I miss my gel seat. We also saw some amazing flowers. David escourted me home and set off again. He came back happy about an hour later as he had found a hectic hill to cycle up. He took a view pictures of the view, trees for miles and miles.

What I learnt: Meeks Bay was once a gathering place on ancestral land, home of the Wa She Shu people, now more commonly Washoe, who believe the land, language and people are intrinsically intertwined.

Fri 15/6 5948 steps
Happy birthday Ady
We slept late, both a bit buggered from our cycle. It was too cold for us Swazis so we headed south down route 62 and onward through farming land and more forests. We had brunch at Klamath Grill. They were so friendly and did not object when I ordered the pastrami on a hashbrown instead of a roll. The hash brown was fresh and delicious, but the size of the plate. Excellent pastrami!
At some point, we pulled over on the side of the road, so David could have a nap. We camped at Eagle Lake near Susanville. David had a short cycle and was chased by a dog.

What I learnt: Not every day can be exciting or memorable.

 

 

Thurs 14/6 – 4484 steps PLUS about 36km cycle, equivalent of 53 flights of stairs

It was very cold in the morning. They had recently had snow in the area and there was a lot of snow still lying around.
We drove to lake and had breakfast at the village on the rim road. It was not exactly what we had in mind, but there was nowhere else to go. The fridge reminded us of the boys moaning about soggy hot dogs for school lunch. My “Nathan’s 100% pure beef dog” was not too bad and at least it was warm. David had a freshly made boiled egg and ham square croissant.
The lake is stunning, real high energy spot with the most incredible clear blue water.

Most of the rim road was still closed to motorists due to snow, which suited us. We drove to where the road was closed to cars and got out our bikes. Off I went, enthusiastically trying all the settings on my bike, whizzing ahead. After a while I realised that I had left David behind. I went back to find him with a “broken” bike. My heart sank. The whole reason for us to come here was for him to cycle.
We returned to the RV and he took out his trusty multi-tool, tightened a few nuts and we were back on track. The original plan was for me to cycle a short way and David to do the whole circle.  However, my bike was so easy to ride and after a very long (glorious) downhill, the thought of turning around and going back was too daunting. Like those early pioneers it was upward and onward.

It was a wonderful cycle. There was no-one else around, apart from one or 2 other cyclists. David filled our water bottles from a little waterfall of melted snow. After about 3 hours of cycling, we were back on the road open to cars. David went ahead to complete the loop and fetch the RV, I slowly made my way to the visitors centre to wait for him.  It was the only place he could have stopped and turned around. Without a real plan of where to meet, when I got to the visitors centre, I sat on a rock at the stop street, so he would not miss me. It was fine for the first hour, then the sun started setting and the mosquitos started waking up. I learnt to identify oncoming vehicles by the sound they made over the rumble strips approaching the stop street. Just before I got really miserable and just after the rangers had stopped to find out if I was OK, David came around the corner. It had taken him a good hour and a half to do the uphill back to the RV. He had not expected to cycle for 5 hours on 1 croissant. Glad I stopped when I did, even though my bike still had some battery power left.
We got home and I cooked pork sausages on my new griddle and bacon in new air fryer, which works like a dream, other than setting off the over sensitive smoke detector.

Chuckle of the day: USA idea of sausage and David: “Yay, tomorrow’s Friday. It’s weekend!”
What I learnt: Crater lake was formed when centuries of rain and melting snow filled a crater formed by a massive volcanic eruption 7700 years ago. It is the deepest lake in USA and holds nearly 5 trillion gallons of water. The volcano, Mazama, is sleeping but not extinct.
I can sit comfortably on a rock for about an hour.