San Francisco and Beyond

Wednesday 9th June



Allen and I rarely agree on anything but this was unanimous we both LOVED San Francisco. It was so interesting with heaps of history and things to do. We went on a fantastic City day tour with “Angela” who organized a 20 minute ride through the centre of town on an original 1873 tram. The town is built on very steep hills so the tram is a great way to travel. The houses are all painted different colours and usually 3 storeys high and the lucky ones at the top have some amazing views of the Bay. Of course we photographed the Golden Gate Bridge from every possible angle.














Had lunch at Fisherman’s Wharf and was spoilt for choice but Clam Chowder won again. There was a live band playing, street mime artists and lots of crazy people to watch. Even some die-hard hippies came out of the woodwork to make my day.


Shopped at Pier 39 – amazing atmosphere. Viewed some more seals in the Harbour and could see Alcratraz Island in the distance. The place was buzzing, shops, music, fresh fruit, street performers….wonderful memories.

Thursday 10th June 

The RV was due for a 3,000 mile service so while that was being done we hired car for only $28 per day. Cheap eh?

Decided to visit the notorious Alcatraz!! It was only a mile from Pier 33 but as the boat approached Alcatraz we could feel the harsh prison atmosphere. Firstly we watched a 20 minute video to give us an overall understanding of prison reality not only for the inmates but for the guards too. Then we went on a walkabout through the prison cells, wash rooms, dining room and grounds. We all had ear phones for the audio tour and as we listened to the voices and sound effects we only had to close our eyes and we were there.

A past inmate called Darwin E Coon (bank robber) was visiting Alcatraz promoting his new book. He was one of only 5 surviving inmates left. Got a photo of Al talking to him. He signed the book adding his prison number and the years he served. What a trip!

We used the hire car to drive to Tomales Bay – pretty little village, English wild flowers and stunning coastline scenery.  Good job we had the car because the RV could not have coped with the winding coastal road.

  We bought some wine at the General Store and walked around the grounds of the 1834 Pub, so much character.  With the little church perched high on the hill and the wild west colonial buildings I wished I had a wagon rather than an RV.  

Lucas Wharf – An amazing place to stop for lunch.  Lots of little wooden shacks selling fresh seafood/oysters caught only hours before. Hawaiian music playing in the background.  Smokey Joe was BBQ-ing the fish outside his shack and you could choose from about 10 different sauces to have with the oysters.  Ate Mahi Mahi washed down with a couple of Coronas. Smokey Joe posed for a photograph. Bliss.

 

That evening we drove into Windsorland RV Campsite. The crappiest site I have ever seen. It was so run-down, the grass was knee high and the pool had been empty for years. Nobody in the office so we hooked up to water and power but when we inspected the Toilets/Showers there was no hot water. The daily rate was $30 per night but we only gave them $20 because we could not have a shower – no one could argue with that.           No Photos necessary!!

Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe 

Heading to Lake Tahoe and stopped all along the road to take photographs of the snow capped mountains, pine trees, lakes and scenery. It's Spring here at the moment and the snow is just melting and flowing down into the township.

We saw lots of people dressed in medieval costume just outside Camp Richardson so we decided to stop and see what was going on. It was the annual Valhalla Renaissane Faire so we went inside the grounds. Holy Moley – what is normal?

Al saw enough buxom wenches to last a life time. Everyone was dressed in period costume and talked funny like…"aye", "nay" and "fare thee well". There was jousting, music, story telling, shows, sword fights, gypsy dancing. And best of all real Ale!! Milord and Milady had a great day.

Actually we had so much Ale we had to stay the night at Camp Richardson, our little RV was nestled safely amongst the tall pine trees. Smells beautiful. Lots of squirrels around the place. Found out we are in Bear country. Apparently if you leave any food outside the RV the bears will come and help themselves.

 
Got up early and went for a walk around the Tallac Historic Site. Saw a friendly raccoon who posed for a photograph. The grounds are beautiful with lots of wild flowers.

Las Vegas to Lake Tahoe

Las Vegas to Death Valley

Took the long hot road to Death Valley (hottest place in the world) so aptly named because of the extreme temperatures. 3.3 million acres of desert wilderness. We drove to Stovepipe Wells a remote camp surrounded by mountains and sand dunes.  

We discovered that not many people stay here during the summer months because of the soaring heat.  But we were ready to give it a go.  The young girl in the office took our money and gave us our camp site number and then we realised she had kindly put us miles away from the Resort and campsite facilities.  Why?   Perhaps we looked like raucous Aussies.  Who knows? 

Drove through some picturesque scenery and spent our first night off road. We were right on the border of California and Nevada.. I think we were in a truck stop but we had the most magnificent views across Lake Topaz.

Some of the best campsites are free, this is Lake Topaz at the end of the day after a long hot drive.
Magic.

Lake Topaz

Al got the BBQ smoking and in no time at all we were joined by Mernah and Dale from Oregon!! Lovely couple. Had a wonderful night of good food/wine and company. 

Moved on to Lake Tahoe after Allen insisted I watch the sunrise at 5.00am.  

                                               Thanks Al.

San Diego to Las Vegas

San Diego to Las Vegas
Allen drove like the clappers for the next 5 hours through a vast expanse of desert helped only by his Ipod belting out.  Daniel had to get to Caesars Palace by 3pm to get measured up for his tux.  The pressure was on.   I was so proud of Al, he drove along The Strip weaving in and out of  limousines, hummers, taxis, open top buses and all sorts of crazy looking vehicles. What an experience.  I don't think many 24ft RV's venture into The Strip.  The Hillbillies have arrived!!      

Time to check out the Trailer Park.

The Oasis RV Park is like a 5 star hotel. Not only did it have 2 swimming pools, a jacuzzi, gym, mini golf, a restaurant and shop but it also had a theatre and ballroom!!  I have to keep pinching myself that I am really here. The temperature is around 34 degrees and the blue sky goes on forever. Heaven.

 

For the next 7 days we went to The Strip either by bus or taxi as unfortunately  there's no RV parking available in town. John and Indira (Allen's brother and wife) joined us in Vegas for a couple of days and that was truly wonderful.

On the 3rd June the 4 Gauts went on a fantastic trip to the Grand Canyon. We travelled by coach to the local airport and boarded a small aircraft that flew over the Hoover Dam. We then got on a helicopter that flew down into the Canyon and then had a boat trip, it was so quiet and peaceful down there. The canyon is breathtaking. Saw some people from the Hualapai tribe. Words fail me on occasions like this. Over to Allen and his spectacular photographs. We also went on the Skywalk…Indira and I were hanging on to each other but we made it….even if we didn’t look down!! Haha

The day was over so quickly but we managed to have a meal and a show called Paris at the MGM Casino – what a night.

                                       What A Day.....yet another one...Wow..

.

San Luis Obispo to San Diego

San Luis Obispo

It's RV day!!  Great to finally meet Rudi and Gladys (Highway Campers) who Allen has been liaising with over the past couple of months. The RV is only a year old and in pristine condition. After a general briefing of the do's and dont's of motorhome living, we drove our new abode away, on the wrong side of the road!!! aarrgghhh

That evening we went to the Farmer's Market in town, it's a weekly event which turns Higuera Street into a festive street party with live music, street stalls and delicious local produce.  Awesome atmosphere even though it was freezing cold.

Our first night in the RV was spent at Ocean Canyon Resort in Avila (Pronounced Aveela) Beach. We had only ventured approximately 5 miles - didn't want to go too far from Rudi and Gladys in case we had problems. We need not have worried as everything was perfect.  Really love our new life style.

Avila Beach to Morro Bay

Stopped for lunch at this trendy place and decided to try the local Californian brew, "Firestone".  It was very easy to drink and it complimented the Mahi Mahi (fish dish) beautifully - thought we were in heaven. We travelled only a little way down the road and we had to stop for a nana nap. Pulled off the road at the first convenient place and into a large car park....oh my god....it's a prison!!

Morro Bay is a delightful little fishing town, it has a volcanic peak sticking out of the ocean and 3 smokestacks for all to see.  Shame about the icy wind blowing across the Pacific.  We consumed copious amounts of clam chowder to keep warm.

We met a great guy at the camp site called Andy. He was a tour guide at Hearst Castle (San Simeon) and kindly arranged for us to go on his tour. What a magical place. I don't think I can describe how amazing this hilltop castle really is with it's European architecture, antiques, lush gardens and statues. I'll let Allen's photographs tell the story.

Andy

Hearst Castle

After the castle we discovered a place called Vista Point that is home to an enormous elephant-seal colony. We saw hundreds of big fat seals sprawled out on the beach. The smell was unbelievable. I was almost glad it wasn't a hot day!!

Came back through a beautiful place called Cambria, a quaint little village of boutique shops, Tudor style accommodation, colourful flowers and white picket fences. The best car wash I have ever seen. Love it.

 

Carmel-by-the-Sea to Los Angeles

A breath taking rocky, winding coastline to Carmel and once you arrive you are not disappointed. Unfortunately we couldn't stay long as we were on a mission to get to Los Angeles to meet Daniel. He was arriving in LA to spend 3 days with the "oldies" before meeting up with friends in Las Vegas for a Bucks Party.  

Los Angeles to San Diego

We introduced Daniel to the RV and he thought it was great. We settled down for the 3 hour drive to San Diego. Stopped at Long Beach to see the Queen Mary.

  

Next stop, Sea Port Village where Allen wanted to investigate the Aircraft Carrier USS Midway. Daniel and I went to Downtown San Diego for some retail therapy. 

Our journey continued into San Diego Old Village and we stopped for lunch at the oldest (and best) Mexican Restaurant. It was called La Pinata and we sat outside in the courtyard and the staff wore traditional costume. I struggled with the Menu and asked Daniel for guidance - ended up with Chicken Tostada Grande....bigger than Ben Hur.

Went to the Museum of Old Town San Diego it was an original Indian reservation turned into a tourist attraction. We decided to take a 1 hour guided tour with Dick (mistake number one) who was a retired Park Ranger and could only talk at one speed  S.…L….O….W!!  Daniel disappeared within the first 10 minutes, we lasted 12 minutes, it was painful.   Such a shame as the grounds were steeped in history. 

Checked out the surf beach at La Jolla, pretty spectacular. More smelly seals posing for photographs. In the evening Daniel dragged us around the Gaslamp area which is the hub of nightclubs and restaurants. We had a mighty night at an Irish pub entertained by Eamon Carroll who sang Danny Boy just for us.  Memories are made of this......if only we could remember them!

This little fella came to visit our campsite, so we invited him to dinner!