Monterey, CA

The north end of Cannery Row

Cannery Row in Monterey, made famous by Steinbeck’s book and the movie that followed, was the home of the once flourishing sardine industry.  The fishery was decimated and the canneries went belly up in the early 50s.  Now, the Row is a string of chic (and not so chic) shops, restaurants, and various types of lodging.  Yesterday, we strolled along the Row and had lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking the Bay.  I did squid.  Trish’s dish was fish.

A kayak rental group gets briefed before paddling around in Monterey Bay.

This picture was taken about midpoint in Cannery Row. 

Artie, looking hangdog: I'm sorry I barked, Mom.  I just get so excited sometimes I can't help it.

Monterey Bay in background.

SCUBA divers and kayakers flock to the Bay.  

We saw about 30 divers in the water and another 100+ loitering on the grass above the beach. 

John Steinbeck

Yesterday was Steinbeck day.  We visited the National Steinbeck Center and then had lunch at the Steinbeck House, both in Salinas, CA.  The Center is a museum dedicated to his life and times, with posters and film clips from several of the movies adapted from his books, filmed readings, printed excerpts and various artifacts.  Trish was delighted with the Travels with Charlie exhibit, complete with pickup and camper and route map.  I vaguely recall hearing a rumor that Trish was fond of poodles (gee, ya think?); Charlie was a standard poodle.

Above and below, the pickup and camper in which John and Charlie traveled.

John and Charlie

Trish’s book club read The Grapes of Wrath awhile back and then watched the movie, which starred Henry Fonda.  Grapes, a bleak and depressing story about the Great Depression, Dust Bowl, and early labor union days, may be John’s best-known work.  Many of his books were bestsellers and many were made into movies: East of Eden, The Red Pony, Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, plus several more.

The Steinbeck House is where John lived until age 17, when he left to attend Stanford.  The exterior and main-level interior have been restored but the upstairs has not.  The main level is now a restaurant, open for lunch only, with a matronly wait staff outfitted in colorful, floor-length dresses and prim little aprons.  The menu is limited to 4 items, which change every few weeks. 

The restaurant-interior of the Steinbeck House

Half Moon Bay, CA

I love these wind-sculpted cypress trees!

Allegedly, October is the best time, weather wise, to visit San Francisco, where it’s cool and foggy/cloudy much of the time – including now.  However, our usual summer itinerary has us returning home mid Sept and not ready to saddle up and hit the road again in Oct.  Besides, the weather in Lake Havasu City is perfect then; perfect for us, anyway, very warm and dry.

Trish and Mary Kay at Land’s End

So here we are and the weather is as advertised.  Actually, not advertised: you won’t find the Chamber of Commerce and travel industry folks trumpeting the dreary weather Trish and I are now ‘enjoying.’  Enough whining, we’re here visit family and friends who live in the Bay Area, and enjoying it immensely.

Looking across Half Moon Bay, Pillar Point in background, far left

We’re camped at Half Moon Bay State Beach, 25 miles south of downtown SFO.  Our campsite may be the best one here, our huge rear window looking straight out at the ocean, where we see the occasional northbound whale.

The Santa Cruz Mountains, above, are part of the Coast Range, not much as mountains go but towing the RV over them was tedious due to narrow, winding roads with lots of stoplights and suicidal cyclists zipping along, sans bike lane and road shoulder, coming within centimeters of our extended towing mirrors.

Niece Mary Kay moved here from Beijing several months ago; she lives with Lawrence in a lovely, spacious home near the Golden Gate Nat'l Recreation Area.  Mike, son of Patty (my ex), moved here several years ago after getting his EE degree at UC Davis.  He, his wife Flannery and 4-year old daughter Tabby have a home in Alameda.  Trish, Mary Kay and I visited them last night and were treated to a delicious dinner.

We're outta here this AM, heading south along the coast on highway 1 to the Monterey/Salinas area for a few days.

The Donner Party

The Donner Party got stranded near here (Truckee, CA) in the winter of 1846/47.  I enjoy parties but I‘m glad I missed that one: no music, no beverages other than melted snow, and no food except frozen mules, oxen, dogs and the corpses of the 40 pioneers who died from exposure and starvation.

The Donner brothers, George and Jacob, organized the train of 20 wagons in Springfield, IL and headed west in April, 1846.  The Donners and wagon master John Reed opted to take a ‘shortcut’ through the rugged Wasatch Mts of Utah and across Great Salt Lake.  Experienced mountain men warned them against taking the untried route but they ignored the advice.  The shortcut was mentioned in the book, The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, written by Lansford Hastings, an arrogant, unscrupulous lawyer who had neither seen nor traveled the dangerous route. 

The so-called shortcut added a month to the travel time, causing the travelers to reach the high Sierras late in the season.  They were stopped cold (very cold, indeed) by heavy October snows and were stranded for 4 months at an altitude of 6000’.  Rescuers finally reached the survivors, half the group that started out, in February, 1847.  

One wonders how many other pioneers read Hastings’ Guide and ran into trouble.  In today’s world he would have been found guilty of multiple counts of manslaughter and sentenced to a few thousand years in prison.

Lake Tahoe, CA and NV

Lake Tahoe is quite the happening place.   A dozen ski slopes bring the winter sports enthusiasts; the cool summer days draw in folks from CA and NV seeking relief from the heat in the lower altitudes – plus boaters, cyclists, runners and so on.  The great natural beauty is, of course, a major draw for one and all any time of year.  We’re camped on the Truckee River a few miles north of the Lake, at an altitude of 5868’.  Daily highs are in the low-mid 70s, last night’s low was a chilly 40.

Above and below are side-by-side granite sculptures of the Lake.

They're located in the town of Kings Beach on the north end of the Lake.

The Lake is large, 1645’ deep at deepest point, largest fresh water lake by volume in the USA, after the Great Lakes.  Above, Trish and Artie are sitting at the average depth of 1000’, while Ranger has his nose just above the surface.

The patio bar at River Ranch Resort on the Truckee River.

We stopped there for a drink one afternoon.

The entrance to Squaw Valley.

The winter Olympics were held in Squaw Valley in 1960, the first Olympics to be televised, the first and last time all Olympians were housed and fed under one roof, and the first time a computer was used to tally standings and scores.  

Approaching High Camp on the aerial tram.

An aerial tram, built in ’74, takes tourists from Olympic village, upward about 3000’ to the site of the main Olympic staging area, which is now called High Camp and has a museum, skating rink, swimming pool and hot tub, and restaurants.  We rode the tram, visited the museum, and had lunch at the poolside café, very enjoyable adventure.

Pix above and below were taken from High Camp, skating rink above, Lake Tahoe below.

The view from the front of the tram as we descend to Squaw Valley, where only a couple of the Olympics-era buildings remain.  What we're seeing in this picture is your typical upscale ski resort stuff: lodging, restaurants, shops, summer and winter sporting goods sales and rentals, etc.

Lassen National Forest, CA

We spent a couple refreshing nights at Merrill Campground on Eagle Lake in Lassen NF, refreshing because it was quiet and peaceful, warm and dry.  We needed that after 10 days of cool, damp, crowded and noisy campgrounds on the OR coast.  Eagle Lake is quite large, surrounded by timbered hills, at 5200’ altitude.  Bonus: white pelicans soar over the lake and hang out along the edges.  These huge birds fascinate me, so ungainly looking you’d think they couldn’t fly at all, but oh so graceful and pleasing to watch as they glide in loose drafting formations over the waves.

Looking across the mostly empty campground.

This is ponderosa pine country, which continues southward to Lake Tahoe.  Older readers may recall the Bonanza TV series, wherein the ranch was called The Ponderosa.  The series was filmed near Lake Tahoe and  the film-set buildings became a theme park after filming ended; the park closed in 2004, but the buildings are supposedly still there.  

Eagle Lake in background

‘Scratch, scratch, scratch.’  What the hell?  It was 1:30 AM when I heard the noise.  It wasn’t Trish and it wasn’t the dogs, had to be some little critter that found its way into the basement or lower framework of the Cougar.  I got up, dressed and went outside to investigate, opened all the storage area doors, but didn’t see it.  Trish came out and joined me.  We thought we heard it in the BBQ bag, opened it carefully, no critter.  We finally gave it up for the night, will investigate again in the morning.  

To RV or Not to RV?

So, you’re considering buying an RV and you’re wondering if: it’s a good move, you’ll love it or hate it, you’ll love it and she/he/it will hate it – or vice versa.  Here are some insights gained from several summers of RVing.  The scenario on which I’m basing my comments and calculations is: 2 people spending 100 consecutive days touring the US, driving 5000 miles in a pickup, towing a 30’ travel trailer or 5^th wheel, using mostly public campgrounds.  I’ll compare that scenario with this one: same 2 people and number of days/miles but driving a car and staying at motels/hotels/B and Bs.

Costs

1. The RV and tow vehicle will cost 2-3 times as much as the car – view the difference as prepaid lodging costs.  The folks touring in the car will spend 4-5 times as much for motel/hotel lodging, about $10,000 more in total.
2. RVers will pay about twice as much on gas but half as much on food.  They pretty much offset each other and aren’t big ticket items anyway.
3. I suspect in the long run, say 5 years of doing 100-day tours, the cumulative cost of the 2 approaches will be comparable.

Chores

The at-home chores don’t stay at home when you RV; except for the yard work, the chores go along for the ride.  Cooking and cleaning, maintaining and repairing: if you’re sick of it and have to get away from it, take the car.

Beds

RVers know who slept in their bed last night.  Motel users don’t.  Nor do they know what those people did in bed nor the residue thereof, nor how many bugs, viruses and bacteria they left behind.  RVers sleep in the same bed every night, they’re used to it, know what to expect.  Car tour folks sleep in a lot of different beds, most of them fine but some not.

The Outdoors

If you enjoy nature and outdoor activities and sitting around a campfire, go with the RV.  But, you don’t have to love the outdoors because the RV is self contained and you only need to be outside when you’re setting up or breaking camp.

Personal Convenience

RVers can pull off the road wherever there’s a wide spot if they want to grab a sandwich or a cold beverage or go to the restroom.  Car touring folks can carry edibles in a cooler but have to keep their legs crossed until they find a rest area, gas station or large bush.

In RVs the clean clothing is on shelves and hangers, the dirty clothing is in a laundry bag in the ‘basement’, and the toiletries are in the medicine cabinet, just like at home.  If you’re car touring, that stuff is jammed into a suitcase, unpacked and repacked at each stop.

Other Comments

1. Speed and time.  If you have to get there fast, take the car.  You’re gonna burn a lot more fuel and $ towing an RV at max freeway speeds.  We stay at 65 MPH.
2. Towing.  It’s easier than you think but not for everyone.  Borrow or rent a trailer, any trailer, take it to an empty parking lot and try it out.
3. Test it.  As noted above, renting before you buy is a good idea.  Determine what kind of rig you want and rent one like it for a week or two.
4. Buy used.  Odds are, your first RV won’t be your last and you’ll only have it for a season or 2 so buy a nice used one.  There’s plenty of ‘em out there.
5. Finding campgrounds.  Campground websites abound.  State and federal agencies have their own listings and there are several others also.  We have 2 favorites we use a lot.
6. Food.  Having your favorite foods readily available and being able to prepare them the way you like is a big RV plus.  I think RVers will have a more healthful diet and will be less prone to overeating than the car tour folks.
7. Questions.  I’ll answer them if I can, refer you elsewhere if I can’t.