San Francisco Christmas

Christmas, San Francisco style!!!!!

Kendra and Ryan have arrived for Christmas and so we are San Francisco tourists for a week. Our first stop was a tour of The Rock- Alcatraz! It was first a fort, the third defensive to San Francisco Bay, the first two being either side of the Golden Gate Bridge. The lighthouse was built first, during the Gold Rush days in 1847, to protect the harbour and the increased ship traffic and population. In two years, San Francisco ceased to be a "sleepy outpost of 300" to a "bawdy, glittering home to 20 000". When Civil War broke out in 1861, Alcatraz had 111 smoothbore cannons, rows of open gun emplacements carved out of the island's slopes and a fortification gateway or sally port, protecting the brick citadel that crowned the island's highest point. Military technology advanced too quickly and Alcatraz's defenses became obsolete and so the army formally decomissioned Alcatraz as a fortification in 1907.

However, during the Civil war, soldiers requiring punishment for such offenses as theft, desertion, rape, murder treason etc were confined in a dungeon of sorts in a windowless basement below the sally port. Within a year of the decomissioning, a cellhouse was constructed as the " United States Disciplinary Barracks, Pacific Branch" for objectors of WW1; during the Great Depression, the newly created Bureau of Prisons became interested in the island as a place for a high profile and maximum security facility. In 1934, Alcatraz reopened for the worst of the worst...Al Capone, "Doc" Barker, "Creepy" Karpis, "Machine Gun" Kelly and Robert Stroud, the "Birdman of Alcatraz", all notorious convicts with escape risks and behaviours. Many stories of "escape attempts" have remained with Alcatraz, but to this day, it is believed hat no one ever succeeded. Being isolated with restricted visitations and surrounded by water with strong, cold currents made it difficult for the 14 attempts. In 1963, the prison closed due to increased operating and maintenance costs and inmates were transferred to other institutions.

For a five year period following its closing, Native Americans occupied Alcatraz, but by 1971 it became increasingly more difficult to supply food and water to this isolated community and so they were forced to leave. Thus, in 1972, Congress created the Golden Gate National Recreation Area of which Alcatraz became a part, which is now administered by the National Parks Service.
It is estimated that about one and a half million people visit Alcatraz per year of which we were four. It was a sunny, but cold and windy day today and so we were very happy to end our day with a sourdough bowl of delicious clam chowder from the famous Boudin Sourdough Bakery at Fisherman's Wharf! Do we look a little chilly??????
Merry Christmas from our house to yours! B&B

Sunny California?????

Even in California, where the sun usually shines and the skies are bright blue, we can have snow!!!!!! Monday was a Winter Wonderland! However, by Tuesday morning the snow was totally gone, even though it was still cold. Higher elevations had feet of snow; Oakhurst, the closest town to Yosemite, twelve miles from where we are staying, had a "Chains Required" flashing sign, warning us to install chains for use beyond town. We do not have chains and don't plan to purchase any either! We are NOT supposed to be in snow!!! Even today, chains are required to travel anywhere in the Sierra Nevada Mountains where Coarsegold and Yosemite and many other small towns are located. Of course, Muskoka has much more snow (four feet in two days) than we have seen. This just gives us a "taste" of what we are missing! NOT!!!!!
The citrus farmers were very worried about their crops, a billion dollar business in the San Joachim Valley, and so, irrigated and operated wind turbines to keep the warmer air circulating in sub zero temps, lasting more than six hours. Black ice and snow squalls causing visibility problems closed the nearby Interstate for two days; further south, the "Grapevine" as it is called, over the Tehachapi Mountains, a treacherous section of I-5, is often and was closed because of snowy and windy conditions.
Today, we are back to sunshine and 60 F with reported warming trends...what a welcome treat!

Yosemite Valley

Friday, Dec 2nd, we travelled through Yosemite National Park to Yosemite Village, a 27 mile but one hour drive because of twists and turns and switchbacks. Already many of the roads within the park are closed to traffic and warnings to carry chains are posted.

From Tunnel Vista , these stunning rock formations rise above the Yosemite Village floor 4-6000 feet. El Capitan on the left of Pic 1, described as a "massive granite monolith" measures 3593 feet from base to summit. Rock climbers from all over the globe come to scale this rock face.

Cathedral Rock appears further away but the most famous and distinctive monument is Half Dome, the curved rock on the right of this picture, a strenuous 4733 foot upward climb, not for "the faint of heart". Even pioneer women, although remaining in the family background, hiked this with the advent of bloomers in the late 18oo's.

The year round Bridal Veil Falls, plunges over this precipitous cliff. Winds swirling about the cliff lift and blow the falling water in a delicate free-fall. Although this can easily be seen by car, the best viewpoint is a short hike to its base. Yosemite Falls can also be seen from the valley floor. Yosemite Village includes several businesses...the Welcome Centre, a lodge, a museum and cemetery of pioneers, a medical facility, and the Ansel Adam's gallery of photography and other art exhibits. April - June is reported to be the best time for a visit as waterfalls rage and wildflowers abound. By July, many of the water features are dried up and will only recharge from rain or later, snow accumulation. Because we had an hour's return trip, we had to forgo any hikes in the valley, with a promise to return soon, perhaps earlier in the Fall, a benefit of travelling fulltime.

Yosemite National Park

Not only have we driven among the Giants, we have also walked among them...the majestic Sequoias of the Mariposa Grove number 500 in Yosemite National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sequoias are none other than California Redwoods with redder bark or tannin, unbelievable in size...diameter, circumference and height. They develop from very humble beginnings, seeds, the size of a flake of oatmeal numbering 2-300, from cones that are about 2 1/2 inches(egg-sized) in length, quite incredible, given the size of these stately trees; in fact, the ponderosa pine cones, are huge by comparison. Bill stands before the root of a fallen tree, just to give size and also to indicate the shallow root system for this giant. We enjoyed a three hour, four mile hike under beautiful, sunny skies, strenuous at times given the elevation, yet exhilerating. Temperatures are cool at the 5000 foot elevation, with some icy sections on the curves of the road. Some of the roads in the park are already closed to traffic in preparation for snowfall expected Monday, Dec. 6th. and will not reopen until late April or May. Thursday, we had driven to Yosemite Village in the Valley, about 25 miles from the gate, a drive that took a good hour because of the twists and turns in the road. At Tunnel Vista, we stopped for the view of the enormous rock formations that protect the Valley.

This is the tree to beat all trees, well named,the Grizzly Giant, 2800 years old. It stands 293 feet tall, 28 feet in diameter with an 88 foot circumference. Its lower limb is a tree in itself, measuring 7 feet in diameter, bigger than any tree in proximity. The "bark" appears spongy, but is very hard and tough at 18 inches thick, protecting the tree from insect infestations, the pileated woodpecker and fire. Control burns occurin the park that clear out the underbrush, allowing new trees to root. Many of these trees stand together as in the Bachelor and Three Graces, which had to share the space and compete for water and nourishment, yet grew to be enormous. Trees of note were named by John Muir and other pioneers of Yosemite in the late 1800's.

The sequoia is fire-resistent and many are scarred by forest fires due to lightning strikes. This California Tunnel Tree, carved out in 1895, is the second; the first, the famous Wawona, carved out in 1881, fell in 1968/69 due to wet and soggy soil conditions, erosion, high winds and the weakening tunnelling itself, and can still be found along the hike. A huge fire scar can be seen above this tunnel and is gradually healing itself as it grows inward over its wound.







An interesting tree formation known as the Clothespin, below, greeted us at the far end of our hike loop. It does remind me of the wooden clothes pegs I used for crafts with children and the ones my grandmother used for hanging laundry on the line. On our way back, we found a sequoia, at
whose base was an inscribed wooden placard, a monument to a Yosemite pioneer, Samual Mather 1867-1930. We look forward to another such hike, if not again this trip, certainly one in the future. Glacier Point, Mirror Lake and a trail to the base of Half Dome are top on the list. There are over 800 miles of hiking trails within Yosemite. Of course, nothing could be better than to eat the calories that we had just burned. We opted for bacon and cheese Angus burgers with zucchini fries from Pete's Place in nearby Oakhurst, enough for leftovers. Simply delicious!










For more pics, take a look at: (copy and paste into address bar)

http://picasaweb.google.ca/brenda.southwood/YosemiteNaptionalParkPt2?authkey=Gv1sRgCLyXwsDoobO88wE#

Sunny Skies

It is so good to finally shed the coat and long sleeves during the daytime. Temperatures are very comfortable at 72 F/22C during the daytime, but there is always frost on the ground in the morning. We are loving it! The sunny beach in the picture above, became a lunch stop on our way to Lakeport CA.

This unusual sky was captured at Nice CA, facing east. A rainbow had formed itself at the cloud's base. Earlier the sky had been very black, but no rain developed. Here in CA, the skies are so bright blue, so clouds of any kind really are a contrast.

From the viewing point at the highest elevation in the town of Lakeport, and at the base of Konocti Mountain sits Clear Lake( Upper and Lower), a very large lake, the recreational area for the Napa Valley. Grapes grew here many years ago; pears replaced them in the 60's and 70's and now the area is back to grapes and wonderful wines. Wine-tasting vineyards and cellars aboundalong both sides of Hwy 29, a very scenic route through the Valley, south toward Sacramento.

Crescent City CA

We love the Pacific Coast so we take any opportunity to travel to the beach. This is shipwreck reef in Crescent City. A working lighthouse at Battery Point, an island at high tide, warns ships and boats; as well the fog horn warns of a rocky shore close by. Further up the beach at Pelican Bay, the beach shoreline is sandy and one is able to walk it. A seawall protects the yachts in the nearby harbour, but at high tide, the water swells over the wall. In fact, the lighthouse was inaccessible because the tide was coming in. This is a favourite area for surfers and indeed the swell was perfect. Couldn't quite photograph when "on the board"; fun to watch them dive into the swell. Hard work!
Experienced coffee from Dutch Bros., begun and made famous by two Dutch farmer brothers from Grant's Pass, OR in 1992. Now there are a large number of drive-thru coffee kiosks dotted all over OR, with a few in CA. Bill's was white chocolate mocha and mine was ordinary regular coffee...bought some beans, too!

The Redwood Highway, Grant's Pass OR to Crescent City CA

A beautiful travel from Grant's Pass OR to Crescent City along Hwy 199, took us among the Giants...the redwoods. Their amazing girth and height can only be believed when seen. This highway took us through the Redwood National and State Park, the Smith River Recreational area, the agricultural inspection at the CA border and at times around narrow curves between redwood trees, as the bottom picture shows. In fact, one redwood was notched so that high vehicles would not hit. I love the yellow markers at the foot of the tree, warning to not get too close. This is one road I would not want to travel in fog! There are many areas warning of rockslides also. It was a tense ride at times, but fortunately we did not meet anything on the tight curves.

Seven Feathers Casino RV Resort

A newly opened RV Resort nestled in the valley of Myrtle Creek, near Canyonville, OR, offered full hookups and a very private site, complete with gardens. Concrete pad and full 50 amp hookup with wifi made for a very complete setup. A little more exepensive than others we have visited, but well worth the stop. Once notified, the shuttle transported us to the casino for a tasty steak dinner.

Timber Valley, Sutherlin OR

This was the entrance to our first Escapee Park visit, Timber Valley located in Sutherlin OR just off I-5, about 5o miles south of Eugene. Beautiful area of pastural farmland, rocks, lakes and trees. The nearby city, Roseburg, 12 miles away, has everything anyone would need and of course, we tripped to Eugene as well. We enjoyed our stay at this park...sure can't beat the price of $90.00 for a week!

Shore Acres State Park and Gardens

A beautiful State Park and botannical gardens right on the ocean! Different service groups from the nearby towns are responsible for a section of the gardens. A very rugged shore line in this area, yet a few yards away, this beautiful garden. Even from here, we could hear the sea lions barking. This would make a wonderful painting. Love the ocean and the Oregon coast!

The lights were being installed, but not on yet as the gardens would be illuminated from Nov 26th 'til Christmas. Beautiful! Hard to believe the Pacific is only a few yards away


The entry to the pond where herons and leaping frogs in Christmas lights were installed. Lush and green, a symmetrical garden of shubbery and flowers was a beautiful contrast to the ruggedness of the coast, a few yards away . Leaves are falling, but there is still colour. Hydrangeas, cannas and red hot pokers were still in bloom.

Simpson Reef and Cape Arago near Coos Bay, OR

If you look very closely, you will see the Sea Lions on the central rock, sunning themselves and barking their lungs out. What a din in the cove as we arrived at this spot! What a wonder to watch them vie for position on the rocks, sleep, then awaken to bark again. Not sure if it's a bark of displeasure or joy! Not far from here is the Shore Acres State Park where we visited a beautiful botannical garden.

Lincoln City Beach

We crossed into Washington State October 31st, after a brief agriculture inspection at Peace Arch. We travelled uneventfully through Seattle to Rochester,WA, near Tacoma and then on to Tillamook, OR , our favourite cheese producer, where we stayed at a campground adjoining the local Best Western. Then it was on to Lincoln City where we stayed at the Logan Road, Chinook Casino's RV park. A ferocious storm developed that produced huge ocean swells and foam. Rangers and firefighters guarded the seawall so that tourists would not park next to the rail as the waves flooded the parking lot during high tide. We lost our power to the rig; our surge protector even shut down the office breaker.

Museum of Glass, Tacoma WA

This is the outside of the Museum of Glass, student studio, called the Hot Spot, where children's designs are created into glass by student glassblowers and then put on display. It would appear to be a very successful programme given the number of completed pieces. Can you imagine being a famous 5 year old?

Blown Glass by Dale Chihuly

This beautiful ceiling is extremely difficult to describe, but suffice it to say, it was incredibly beautiful. This is one panel of about 50 and all depicted an underwater scene, all in blown glass created by world renowned glass blower, Dale Chihuly. The colours with the sun were awesome. A kids' programme where student glass blowers take children created designs and replicate in glass for display is extremely successful. The studio is very large and found in a cone shaped, bee hive type building, called the Hot Spot. Tacoma WA, November 6, 2009

White "Bums"

These white "bums", about 50 in all, were spotted on the Yellowhead 16 in Jasper National Park along the rivershed. Eastbound vehicles had to stop and as you can see, eating for these guys was more important than worrying about any traffic. Quite a site! Further on, three elk watched as we passed through. We love to sight wildlife when coming through this park and we are usually successful. That night we stayed in Irwin's at Valemount BC after running through a rain, slush shower. We are on our way to Vancouver to visit with our daughter, Kendra.

Atcheson AB

Our visit to Glowing Embers RV Resort was a snowy one. Our trip from Strathmore was quite a ride. Sunshine when we left developed into flurries, then sleet, then a snowfall complete with black ice under the overpasses and and a significant accumulation. We were certainly glad to get to the campground. Of course, we needed to wash the rig first. The front legs were elephant- sized and were unrecognizably coated with ice, grit, slush and road debris. In order to do this, after filling the diesel tank at Flying J, we headed to downtown Edmonton to a rig-sized truck wash; our locks froze on the way to the resort, so we were "locked out" temporarily.

We visited with our daughter, Nadine and her husband Michael over Thanksgiving along with daughter, Kendra, who had flown in for the weekend from Vancouver. Saturday night, when we started the truck, air was being released from the air pressure relief valve every 3-4 seconds. Sunday morning found us on the phone to First Truck in Edmonton for a valve repair which took most of the day. So much for a family brunch! However, Thanksgiving turkey was absolutely delicious, thanks to Michael and the girls. The turkey?... all 18 pounds of it, was very moist and we ate a hearty meal with all the fixings.
It snowed most of the week; we waited it out until October 16th, much later than anticipated. In northern Canada, one needs to be prepared for whatever comes.
Travels from here will take us to Vancouver through Jasper National Park and down the Coquihalla. Hope the weather cooperates.

September/October 2009

Let's begin with September 1st, the day, finally, that "Ruby", a nuisance kidney stone, was removed, the reason that we did not travel much all summer. A trip to Ottawa followed immediately, to visit with our New Brunswick friends, Joan and Blair, Ottawa friends Ron and Marlene and of course, Ryan. We travelled to Killaloe to visit with Nini and Wes and then off to Indiana for some upgrades and minor repairs. Before travelling west we were back to Rama for a followup appointment with the urologist who wanted a metabolic urinalysis to determine what in my system is creating "Ruby and her friends".
September 29th found us travelling North to our favourite and new spots...Spragge, no longer in the KOA family, Wawa, Thunder Bay and Kenora. Too cold for Casino stays! Then off to Brandon and Swift Current before landing at the Heritage Rodeo RV Campground in Strathmore for a few days to visit Aunt and Uncle Doreen and Fred and friends, Joe and Lynn whom we met last April, around a campfire at Davis Lake on the Natchez Trace. October 8th, we were off under bright sunny skies ('til N Calgary) and then flurries, which turned to snow, hail, sleet, black ice under overapasses, to accumulations of snow. Once out of Red Deer, sunshine again! Quite a ride! Oh, and Mr. Clean washed the rig in Strathmore and again in Edmonton.
We were so relieved to be at Glowing Embers, to visit with Nadine and Michael and Kendra who had flown in for Thanksgiving. Little did we know that it would be CCCCCOOOOOLLLLLDDDDD and SSSSNNNOOOWWWWYYYYY!
It was a very nice Thanksgiving, even though Bill spent most of Sunday at First Truck, getting the air pressure relief valve repaired. Michael and the girls prepared a wonderful turkey dinner...all 18 pounds of it! WOW! Turkey for a week!
Snow kept us in Glowing Embers, longer than planned but October 16th found us on the road again, heading west through Jasper to Valemount and then to Merritt before arriving at Peace Arch, Surrey for the next two weeks. Many thanks to Don and Lois Sanderson for securing a site for us.
After several shopping trips to Ikea, dinners out and hanging drapes at Kendra's, we crossed the border into the USA on October 31st.