Eastern Sierras
| Daily Summary | May 3 |
|---|---|
| Day | 22 |
| Start | Pioneer Point Campground (Sequoia National Forest) near Lake Isabella, CA |
| Finish | Boulder Creek Campground in Lone Pine, CA |
| Today’s Miles | 111.7 |
| Trip Time | 02:37:02 |
| Moving Average | 54.8 mph |
| Speed Max | 71.4 mph |
| Time Moving | 02:04:23 |
| Odometer | 1533.9 |
| Location | https://share.delorme.com/Judice |
Highlights
- Windshield replaced right at our campsite. Couldn’t have been more convenient
- Sunrise from our bedroom at our elevated campsite over Lake Isabella.
- Sunny warm day chased us over Walkers Pass to the desert side of the Sierras.
- Ross located the Pacific Crest Trail crossing – too early in the year to sight thruhikers
- Landed at a nice commercial campground, Boulder Creek in Lone Pine. Robin needs a night of ‘supported camping’ every now and then. (e.g., a nice clean, hot shower)
Lowlights
- None
Observation
- Travel in teardrop with the pets means limited temperature range. Optimal temps between 40 to 75.
- Must remember to carry checks in our checkless world for odd campground fees (state/national parks you just put check in envelopes), for insurance deductibles to repair broken windshields, etc.
- Spock is the dirtiest dog he’s ever been. He loves it.
It's Neither Here Nor There
| Daily Summary | May 2 |
|---|---|
| Day | 21 |
| Start | Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles, CA |
| Finish | Pioneer Point Campground (Sequoia National Forest) near Lake Isabella, CA |
| Today’s Miles | 173.3 |
| Trip Time | 04:54:33 |
| Moving Average | 47.9 mph |
| Speed Max | 69.4 mph |
| Time Moving | 03:44:02 |
| Odometer | 422.1 |
| Location | https://share.delorme.com/Judice |
Highlights
- We rose to a lovely morning on the lake. Very quiet and serene. Robin went for a run while Ross paddled on his board.
- We drove through America’s nut belt where almonds, pistachios, cashews, and walnuts are grown. Lots of olives are grown here too. It’s amazing that so much grows in this arid climate. Meanwhile we’re shriveling up like California raisins unless we drink constantly. And they say drinking water helps too.
- Lake Isabella is a small one-Prius town on the shore of Lake…oh, we forget the name. Anyhoo, we asked the grocery store cashier if there was a laundromat in town and she pointed out the door and said, “It’s just up the street right next to the car wash.” We drove up and down the street looking for the laundromat or the car wash. No luck. We searched Google. No. We asked Siri. No. We stopped and asked pedestrians who said, “It’s just up the street right next to the car wash.” We snickered as we drove off for another pass. And then we gave up and drove to the campground. Robin would later pack 5 days of rations and set out to find the laundromat. She was successful and planted a flag at the site being the first native Virginian to ever set foot there. Robin really liked the laundromat because of the pride the owners took with cleanliness and the efficiency of the machines. You start noticing these things…
Lowlights
- A big rock hit our windshield and scared the crap out of us. Since there was no car in front of us, we came to the logical conclusion that we were shot. Upon further analysis it was probably just a rock. On the bright side, the insurance claims people and the windshield repair people were friendly and efficient. The repair is scheduled for tomorrow at our campsite.
- The campground is loaded with Bromus tectorum, or “cheat grass”, known to get in animals ears and become a problem. If you’ve ever seen the satellite-dishes-for-ears Mr. Spock sports, you know it’s a concern. He had a small Cessna accidentally land in his left ear once.
3.14159265359 and That's It
| Daily Summary | May 1 |
|---|---|
| Day | 20 |
| Start | Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles, CA |
| Finish | Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles, CA |
| Today’s Miles | 0 |
| Location | https://share.delorme.com/Judice |
Highlights
- We got up at first light to beat the other campers and boaters. We played classical music very loud from our boom box as repayment for yesterday’s rap music. Ross got on the lake while it was still glass and the sun was rising over the hills in the east. Robin enjoyed running before all the campers got up for morning constitutionals. The joys of rising early.
- We drove over to Tobin James Vineyards for wine tasting. This winery has the largest wine club in the world. We tasted several whites including their oaked Chardonnay and their flagship Zinfandel. We left with a bottle of Château Le Cacheflo because the name says it all. And it was tasty.
- We drove around the countryside looking for a recommended winery/vineyard that had shaded parking near their tasting room. The temperatures were approaching the 80s and Mr. Spock and T'Chat were in the jeep. In the end, rather than subject them to the heat we simply drove the long and winding roads around the countryside, enjoying the vineyards up on the hillside and the sights. We decided we need to come back to Paso Robles with our friends and a limousine driver instead of our pets.
- The weekend campers packed up their tents and left. We noticed some strange behavior among our fellow camper compadres. They have no compunction about taking hatchets to chop down campground trees for firewood (which me thinks is against the campground regulations). Also, the boys/men use towels like scarves around their necks to keep warm in the early morning to guard against the cold. At first you think everyone is heading to the showers, but later realize that they are just very large terry cloth scarves.
- Our fellow campers believe leashes are optional resulting in two dog fights and at least one dog scaring the shit out of a man walking by. To his credit, Mr. Spock did apologize. Just kidding, Spock is a very gooooood booooyyyyy! Seriously, some largish dog lunged at some smallish man and the dog owner initially couldn’t get the dog to back off. Ross ran to get a suture kit and was disappointed when the dog gave up.
- As we were enjoying the first totally quiet evening after the weekenders emptied out, we looked across the small cove and noticed a woman hiking down a trail. Ten steps behind her was her cat running along obediently. It was a funny sight to see. We pointed out the good behavior to T'Chat as a teaching point. We’re pretty sure she’s considering changing her behavior. It will be so awesome when T'Chat chases us for a change.
Lowlights
- It is clear that the water drought has affected the landscape in this area. The lake is very low compared to what appears to be historical norms. One of the boat launches doesn’t even reach the lake. At the wine tasting today, the pourer mentioned that there was a moratorium on any new vineyards and wineries. It will be interesting to see what Paso Robles looks like in 10 or 20 years. We keep hearing that the grapes just love harsh conditions. Of course it’s always someone speaking on behalf of the grapes. LET THE GRAPES SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES, DAMMIT!
- After a long streak of the most excellent pie, our streak ended today with very average pies from Cider Creek Bakery in Paso Robles where they clearly use canned peaches and sad little frozen blueberries. The horror of it all. We always heard that pie went to infinity, so we’re sad to see our pie (streak) end.
You Snooze, You Win
| Daily Summary | April 30 |
|---|---|
| Day | 19 |
| Start | Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles, CA |
| Finish | Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles |
| Today’s Miles | 0 |
| Location | https://share.delorme.com/Judice |
Highlights
- We spent a lazy day at the lake soaking up the sun and enriching ourselves with vitamin D.
- Robin had a short run around the campground and Ross took a nice paddleboard trip around the lake.
- We drank a bottle of wine and took a long afternoon nap in our hammock. We woke up just in time for happy hour. Thank goodness we didn’t oversleep.
Lowlights
- None
Sound and Fury
| Daily Summary | April 29 |
|---|---|
| Day | 18 |
| Start | San Simeon State Park near Cambria, CA |
| Finish | Lake Nacimiento near Paso Robles |
| Today’s Miles | 92.9 |
| Trip Time | 06:09:42 |
| Moving Average | 36.2 mph |
| Speed Max | 67.9 mph |
| Time Moving | 02:45:42 |
| Odometer | 1248.8 |
| Location | https://share.delorme.com/Judice |
Highlights
- During our morning exercise, Robin went for a run around the campground and Ross walked over along the ocean. While Robin was running she had a close encounter with a stinky kind, a skunk. She sprinted out of there.
- At the recommendation of our campground neighbors, we had an awesome breakfast at Linn’s Restaurant in Cambria. Cambria is a charming little town just north of Morro Bay.
- After breakfast we stopped at Linn’s Easy as Pie Cafe for a few slices to go: peach-blueberry, ollalieberry, and raspberry-rhubarb,
- We visited Morro Bay and drove around sightseeing. We came across some sea otters frolicking in the shallow water. A busload of schoolchildren were sitting on the shore watching attentively and giggling.
- Another recommendation sent us to Ruddell’s Smokehouse in Cayucos for smoked salmon and smoked ahi tuna sandwiches. We enjoyed these delicious sandwiches later for dinner.
- Leaving the Pacific coast we crossed over the Los Padres Mountains to the Paso Robles’ wine country. The drive was gorgeous: pastoral lush views, vineyards, and beehives. We would finally settle at a county campground on Lake Nacimiento. Our campsite sits on a bluff overlooking the lake.
Lowlights
- Friday drew quite a crowd of families coming to the lake to enjoy a weekend of skiing, barbecuing, and playing their boomboxes. The most annoying sound is competing loud songs with varying genres of music, including hip-hop, country, and Latin. The brain does not enjoy the mix.
Big Sur, If You Please
| Daily Summary | April 28 |
|---|---|
| Day | 17 |
| Start | Veterans Memorial Park in Monterey, CA |
| Finish | San Simeon State Park in Cambria, CA |
| Today’s Miles | 108.5 |
| Trip Time | 05:04:27 |
| Moving Average | 30.0 mph |
| Speed Max | 61.2 mph |
| Time Moving | 03:46:41 |
| Odometer | 1155.9 |
| Location | https://share.delorme.com/Judice |
Highlights
- The drive along the Big Sur coast was magnificent. The colors of the ocean are hard to describe ranging from dark greens to baby blues. We enjoyed the rugged profile of the coastline while meandered along Highway 1. Loads of fun and beauty.
- We barely missed a camping spot by 15 minutes at Kirk Creek Campground right on the oceanfront. We took a side trip into the Los Padres National Forest to find some dry camping opportunities. It was a beautiful diversion and we had lunch up on the mountain overlooking the ocean. In the end, we finally camped at San Simeon State Park right next to a terrific couple from San Diego, Mark and Laurie. They have been traveling up the coast in their 19 foot airstream for a few years and educated us on many good restaurants and wineries to visit. We broke bread together. They were a joy to get to know.
- The campground at San Simeon State Park came with a beautiful view of the mountains.
Lowlights
- After 17 adventure days, we are still plagued with high winds and a damp cold that gets you right in the marrow of your bones.
Wash Day
| Daily Summary | April 27 |
|---|---|
| Day | 16 |
| Start | Veterans Memorial Park in Monterey, CA |
| Finish | Veterans Memorial Park in Monterey, CA |
| Today’s Miles | 0 |
| Location | https://share.delorme.com/Judice |
Highlights
- We visited a local laundromat and washed everything. To be clean again. Virtuous.
- Bend has not met our seafood needs and we are in the midst of a seafood deficit and require a seafood bolus every 48 hours. Rx: The Monterey Fish House. Robin had the special: linguini with fresh artichoke hearts, shrimp, scallops, clams, and mussels all served in a cream sauce. Ross had the cioppino with fish, mussels, clams, shrimp, and calamari in a rich tomato broth. Add a couple of glasses of wine and coffee afterwards. Next treatment: 2 days.
- After Ross washed/cleaned 2 weeks of filth off/out of the Jeep, we reconfigured our gear storage again.
Lowlights
- Robin broke the news to Ross that he has been misspelling “Monterey” - one “r” not two.
