Month: June 2023

We left the hotel at 06.30 and drove into Yosemite Park very early at 07.00. The Merced River was in full flow and impressive. The traffic was also in full flow and impressive for different reasons. So many people!!

We decide not to stop but just to drive through as there were controlled burns. The smoke was unpleasant and ruined any good photo opportunities. I do not know how people could bear to camp overnight with the smoke. In the half an hour we were there I could already feel a headache developing from the toxins. The view of Yosemite was better from a distance, but you can still see the smoke hanging over the valley.

We drive to Jamestown for breakfast, which is good, although the restaurant was lacking charisma. There are some lovely old buildings.

We plan to do a spot of gold panning and collect a few tiny grains of gold dust. It was a fun thing to do.

The good news for us is that the Sonora Pass is now open. It was not last week due to the record snowfall this year. This means we shall be able to cross the Sierra Nevada mountains to Bridgeport, which will be our base for the night, giving easy access to the ghost town of Bodie. The views are spectacular and it is a great road to drive along, particularly in a convertible with the roof down.

As we approach Bridgeport the scenery changes. We are on a high plateau with different stunning views.

We arrive at 14.30 at our motel. It is a cabin type room – clean and functional, but nothing special. We eat dinner down the road at the Bridgeport Hotel. They are serving prime rib which Paul loves. We share coconut prawns for a starter which are divine but the prime rib is disappointing. Prior to dinner we have time to explore. The town is small and has some interesting historic buildings.

The reason we came here was to visit Bodie, a deserted gold-mining town. I was looking forward to taking some iconic shots there. However, it turns out that Bodie is completely inaccessible due to the roads being washed away by the excessive snow melt. This is disappointing, but on the upside, if we had not have come here, we would not have experienced the wonderful landscapes.

A new day and time for fishing. Paul knows a good spot, just out of town, on the far side of a reservoir. We park up and set off through the scrubby brush. The river is running way too fast to catch anything. We go back to the car and try further downstream. We turn off the highway and encounter a very pot-holed and rocky track that the Mustang is completely unsuited to. We abandon the car and explore on foot. This proves abortive too. The bush is just too dense without a machete or chainsaw. C’est la vie. We set off for our overnight stop in Truckee. It is not a great place but will be convenient for our onward route. We drive to South Lake Tahoe with the intention of a coffee and mid-morning snack. This also proves abortive. The town is large with loads of traffic, people and it is crammed with Macdonalds and the like. We do not stop and decide the west side of the lake should be better. It is certainly less developed but there is very little in the way of places to stop. There is a lot of fire destruction but there are also beautiful views.

We end up driving all the way to Truckee where our motel is located and find that the room will not be ready until 16.00. Plan B – we have a beer and sandwich in a little micro brewery next door and then go to Reno to purchase camping gear. We go to Walmart and buy 2 sleeping bags, 2 air beds, 2 pillows and bits and pieces for $93. Total bargain and a small element of success in an otherwise rather lacklustre day.

A new day and a new plan. We are going to drive to Mt Lassen National park to see the sulphur springs and bubbling mud thermal springs. The scenery is varied. Pretty woods where wild lupins and yellow daisy like flowers abound…

…interesting bridges

…vast areas devastated by fire

…alpine meadows and brooding thunder heads

Surprise – after a long drive we arrive at the park to be turned back. We cannot drive through – there is still too much snow. So we have a very long detour to now make it to our destination of Hat Creek. Yet again it provides us with scenery that would have been missed. We pass through a former burned out area that is coming back to life. Wild ceanothus abound filling the air with their perfume and turning the hillsides lilac.

We stop for a burger, provisioning and to purchase a fishing licence at Hat Creek RV. It took forever to get the fishing licence as the lady had not ticked the international box and therefore could not enter a UK postcode. We got there in the end and missed a heavy thunderstorm in the process. We then had our first camping experience and managed to setup the tent just before the rain set in again. The method of payment for our pitch was not obvious. I had to ask a fellow camper. Apparently you take an envelope (which is well hidden) on entry, place your money in it with your site and car details and deposit it in a drop-box. We have a nice site near the creek and I spend time photographing woodpeckers that are nesting in a nearby tree-stump.

There was a huge thunderstorm during the night but the tent stayed dry, the sleeping equipment was very comfortable and we slept well.

We wake to sunshine and set off on a proper fishing trip. The location is just stunning.

Paul tries casting in various locations along the river. There are trout there. He has a few bites but nothing stays on the line. I concentrate on the wildlife..

…and see fresh bear poo that is apparently attractive to butterflies..

…and spot a bald eagle!

It is very hot. We walk back to the car for the hour long drive to Redding and to find somewhere for lunch. There were lots of roadworks so the drive actually took double that. We had to wait 20 minutes at one set of lights as they had blocked off 2 miles just for line painting. Big slow lorries take a long time to drive two miles. Bonkers! We bought supper supplies at Safeway and then tried to find a campsite nearby. There were a few small campgrounds in the area but everywhere was full. We finally gave up and decided to use a motel at Douglas City. When we saw the motel are hearts sank. It looked dire. But hang on…. behind it was a campground… and it was perfect. We found an amazing pitch next to a creek with beautiful views and deer strolling past the tent. The best yet and only $10 per night with running water and flush loos!

Apparently there is also a high risk of bear encounters as we have a bear-proof food locker.

Next morning we take the long winding road along the Trinity River

and along the coast to Crescent City. The coast is much cooler and cloudy.

As we approach Crescent City we enter the coastal redwood forests that are intermittently shrouded in cloud and mist.

We arrive at about 14.00 and just pick a random hotel on the seafront. We are in luck. We get the last room, can check-in immediately and it proves to be very comfortable. We luxuriate in getting clean. Bliss after camping. We have an early supper at Crescent Seafood on the pier. I have clam chowder and coconut prawns, Paul has crab cocktail (which is almost entirely a huge tub of white crab meat) and grilled halibut. It was all exceptionally delicious – so fresh.

We say a fond farewell to our friends and head south to San Juan Bautista. There is a Spanish mission here which was founded on June 24, 1797 by Fermín Lasuén of the Franciscan order. The mission was the fifteenth of the Spanish missions established in present-day California.

The town is quiet with lovely historic buildings. I also spot a beautiful old Cadillac. We sit and people watch, whilst sharing an exceptional chocolate brownie and very good coffee, at Bliss Blendz.

We then head south to Monterey. We walk around briefly, but it is very commercial and busy, and not to our taste. We do however visit the aquarium, which was worthwhile but very echoey and noisy with kids. The kelp forest tank and the one with hammerheads, tuna and dorado were incredible, as were the beautiful jellyfish tanks.

Next there is a short drive to Carmel. We have selected a hotel in the town centre. It is a good choice and conveniently placed for a very short walk to the numerous bars and restaurants. We have been recommended to visit ‘AW Shucks’ for oysters and cocktails. It does not disappoint. We move on to ‘Giovanni’ for dinner and end with a final cocktail at ‘Hogs Breath’. Dirty Harry tries to keep me in control but does a poor job.

Unsurprisingly we sleep very well indeed.

We make an early start as there is a long journey today. We drive through the town to the beach and then along the seafront. It is cool and cloudy along the coast. The cold Pacific effect.

There are Hansel & Gretel houses and lots of other quirky properties.

We then head off to the Big Sur. The drive does not disappoint. There is magnificent coastal scenery.

We peel off State Route 1 for the two mile narrow road drive to Pfeiffer Beach. Unfortunately it is cloudy, however the tide is out, enabling a walk around to the adjacent bays. It is a pretty special place and worth coming early to avoid the crowds.

Annoyingly, we discover that the road is closed south of Big Sur. We add over an an hour and a half to our already long day and have to retrace our journey all the way back to Monterey and then drive across the Central Valley, which is surprisingly large and completely flat. There is industrial scale irrigation and agriculture. We drive through Castroville – apparently artichoke capital of the world. Who knew? We pass the massive San Luis Reservoir – clearly needed for the intensive crop irrigation.

We head on to Three Rivers and arrive at our hotel at 3ish. The grounds are great, the room rather drab and decorated in shades of dark brown. However, it was a reasonable size and clean with a patio leading out to a nice little pool, where we lazed before heading 10 miles uproad to Exeter for dinner. We ate at Monets where there was a clarinet player and nice ambience. Slightly bizarrely this was bring your cute dog evening and 50% of all wine sales were going to the local dog charity. Fortunately the dogs (and owners) were well behaved. We woke to a beautiful sunny morning and breakfast was quite outstanding; a massive plate of fruit, a choice of pastries – I had the lemon blueberry slice with lemon curd (yummy) and eggs coddled in ham with cherry tomatoes and a pesto dressing. The latter could become an all time breakfast favourite.

After our exceptional breakfast we head up to Kings Canyon to see the giant sequoias. We are advised to take a different route from our chosen one as the road we were going to take is closed due to a landslide. Again we add an hour to the journey time. Kings Canyon is worth the detour. The sequoias are very impressive, you can even walk through the fallen trunk of one…

…and so are the views.

We are unable to drive along the ridge road as it is closed due to snow. This is becoming a common theme! We still enjoy the alternative route.

We wind our way through the mountains and along the Merced River to access Yosemite Park early tomorrow.

It has been a very long drive today, but we understand it will be very busy in the park, so we need to be close by to enter as early as possible. Eventually we make it to Yosemite River View lodge and sit on the balcony with a well deserved bottle of rosé.

We have a long queue at San Francisco airport to collect the hire car. A rush of blood to the head makes us change our sensible SUV for a new white convertible mustang.

Not practical but so much fun!! We cross the Oakland Bay Bridge and arrive at our friends in Oakland at 15.35

It is a lovely sunny afternoon although there is a chilly wind. We drink rosé, have a light supper and try to ignore the eight hour time difference. We also admire the view from the terrace.

The following day is spent exploring San Francisco. We visit Pier 39, which is far too touristy for our liking. Photos below are the more interesting bits.

There are no sea lions but lots of people and commercialised retail. It is not to our taste – but it does have restrooms and a great view of Alcatraz.

The car park is pretty expensive at $10 per hour, but it is convenient for the cable car. We have a long wait before we can board, but there is lots to photograph.

San Francisco really does have very steep hills and I enjoy the whole experience. There are very iconic views.

We drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and make our way to Sausalito for a late lunch. The journey is interesting and on the whole scenic.

We make a complete circuit of the bay and return over Richmond Bridge. There is heavy traffic with some jams and we make some wrong exits from the freeway. The signage is less than helpful! We are happy to chill on the deck with our hosts and be fed and watered with great food and some excellent wine from their vineyard.

After a good night’s sleep we are given a day off from driving. Our friends take us to Sonoma. It is a historic and pretty small town.

The Bear Flag was raised here in 1846 to signify the declaration of freedom of California from Mexican rule.

We visit the barracks and admire the historic houses.

We then visit Bartholomew Vineyard for a walk, picnic and wine-tasting.

We end the day with a tour of Chris and Viv’s little vineyard, which they set up from scratch 10 years ago with friends, building the terracing and planting new vines. In their first year of production they won a California State Fair gold medal. Impressive! We were lucky enough to sample an extensive selection of their wines and they were all really good.

We say a fond farewell to our friends and head south.