On the Road in the Left Whale: June 2024

Tim flew into SF from Portugal via Boston on Monday morning and did the easy uber to the San Francisco RV park. At about noon we headed north across the Golden Gate bridge - unfortunately it was so foggy, we could not even see the top of the bridge towers - a great true-to-form welcome for the visitor. From there it was a short ride to Bodega Bay State RV park. A really beautiful bay with the RV park on a spit in the bay. Also Tim's introduction to dry-camping as there were no hook-ups. Had an unspectacular early dinner of fish taco's at a local restaurant and a nice walk on the beach to the break water.

Bodega Bay harbor entrance

Cannot be a bad posting - Bodega Bay Coast guard

Guy was building 'sand castles' to keep busy

Interesting facts - the San Andreas fault runs straight through Bodega Bay and we were on the seaside of the fault

Large amount of anemones on the breakwater rocks

Stunning colors - the anemones were this blue-green. The color is due to algae that live in them and provide them with sugar and energy

Next morning we packed up and headed to Gualala. The ride was about as hairy as the one Gene and I did south of Big Sur. Twisty turny road about 1000ft above the ocean with some major road repairs where most of the road had fallen into the sea. At one place we had to wait about 30minutes before we were let through on a single lane part of the road. Got to Gualala and it was spectacular. The campsite was on the Gualala river between the redwoods - just magnificent trees.

Campsite between the trees

Photographer on the Gualala river

Next door neighbors - fleeing the heat from the Valley

Our cycle was not that far up the river as it was all 'private' land that belonged to a lumber corporation

Tim on Gene's bicycle - without any rear brakes

Crazy fact - back in the early days Russians came down here for some reason. It must have been hellish difficult to get back up the coast to Alaska (remember it belonged to Russia in the beginning)

Gualala river mouth

Tim contemplating

When it got dark, it got DARK

Breakfast fire with coffee

Barbie following nicely

Then back to Bodega Bay for 2 nights in a 'real' RV park. We decided it was probably better if Tim drove Barbie back behind the RV. It would just make it easier on the nerves all round. Spectacular ride once again, but this time on the edge side of the road - and with no barriers mistakes were not an option.

Bodega Bay headland walk. On the other side of the harbor entrance is the state park we stayed in the first night Tim was here

Had to get the Portuguese angle...

Jet lag getting to Tim

Some of the places Tim went to gave me vertigo

I think Tim was starting to like Barbie

Whole group of trees with mobiles attached which made the best music in the wind

Tim photo - a falcon at sundown calling to her chicks

Dropped Tim off in Santa Rosa from where he would take a bus back to San Francisco airport for his flight home on Saturday night.... only to find out after 20 minutes on the bus that his flight was actually leaving from Sacramento airport. Long story short - he made his flight in time, but had to uber a few extra miles.

I headed up to the 101 highway and made my way to the Russian River Thousand Trails RV park where I was going to stay for at least a week.

Russian River RV park

Driving across the Valley

So left Pismo Beach on Tuesday with some trepidation on how the Whale was going to perform once it gets into the mountains. I had jury-rigged the spark plug wires so they did not touch each other and hoped for the best. Spent one night on the way at Horseshoe Bend lake. Deserted State park on a beautiful lake. Only 4 other campsites occupied in a huge park. I was just waiting for the banjo's to start up, but eerily quiet...

Horseshoe Lake State Park

Hanging with the big boys

Early next morning I started the journey up to 3500ft. Yosemite Lakes RV Park is part of the Thousand Trails group, and I had booked in for 2 weeks (at no cost). The park was 5 miles from the entrance to Yosemite National Park, which was still 35 miles from Yosemite Valley - the central point.

Hoping that keeping the plug wires away from each other would help... (it kind of did)

The priest - if they name an incline (as opposed to a pass) you know it is going to be hectic, but the 'new' priest was definitely not nearly as bad as the 'old' priest

First campsite at Yosemite Lakes - the river is at the bottom by the trees

Must have hit a huge swarm of bugs

Made it up the new Priest incline to Groveland and then on to the RV park. The Whale did stutter a few times, but I was never in a panic. I was at times doing 35mph with about 20 cars behind me.

On Wednesday I decided to head back to Groveland in the Barbie to get some provisions

The Iron door Saloon - oldest saloon in California

Dollar bills in the saloon...

The iron doors

The next day I took the local YARTs bus down to Yosemite Valley - $18 round trip is really a bargain for getting a tour guide/bus driver for the trip and being able to sleep on the way back.

So 50 years ago there was a huge fire here, and the firefighters used an untested fire suppressant. Killed the fire, but was also so toxic that no large trees regrew in the area...

Bridal Vail falls and the valley

Yosemite falls. Lots of water everywhere this time of the year

Decided to walk up to Vernal Falls. 95F day and only 7 miles, but what I did not realize is that the 7 miles was all stairs. Decided halfway up to Nevada Falls (the next falls after Vernal) that I had enough and turned around...

Trail of mist

Them stairs in the mist

Did not read anything at all, but added some weight...

Vernal Falls - a LARGE volume of water going over

Nevada Falls

Got back to the campsite and had new neighbors who had no sense of space, but the campfire and ice-cream made up for it. Next day I decided to go see some sequoias.

Huge amounts of large butterflies

Their tent was under the Whale

Not a sequoia

A sequoia. They need heat/fire to germinate their seed pods, and it needs to be a very hot fire.

Someone spent a lot of time hollowing out a dead sequoia. This used to be the old road into Yosemite Valley. No idea how they put the road together back in the day.

Looking up into the ex-tree

Time span is difficult to comprehend. Zoom in

Next day was back into Groveland and the Iron Door Saloon for lunch. Met the Chef from the hotel next door who had moved there from Florida a month before and was still adapting to mountain life. Routine each afternoon was sit at the river and read for a while and watch life go by on the river, and then do a drift down the river on my back - no tube - which was 'fun', if very very cold. One interesting thing I saw while sitting at the river was a garter snake - and I actually got a video of it swimming under water. Did not think they did that.

Loved that sticker

Locals in the saloon

Moved to a river campsite as about 80 "Girl Campers" - another camping club for women were coming into town

Bedroom with a view

The new spark plug wires arrived and were installed. Major success....

Rainbow pools near the park

Fathers day music - one guy playing 4 to 5 instruments at the same time. That needs some processing power. Had some good songs too.

Locals

Groveland


Local campers - Mike helped all the kids do their marshmallows for S'mores

Then things got really interesting. A couple 2 doors down (unfortunately I do not remember their names, but I think it was Greg and Lene) invited me to drive down with them into Yosemite Valley - together with the hotel Chef (see earlier meeting her at the Iron Door Saloon).

Us at the fountain of life - a very very cold fountain of youth

We took my e-bike along. Had a great day on the Valley floor skateboarding and biking around and managed to make it back to the campsite in one piece.

One of Ansel Adams' pics - Greg went to most of his most iconic photo spots

Upper Yosemite falls

Greg and the Husky skateboarding. For the most part I pulled Greg on the e-bike around the whole meadow (about 3 miles) and the dog ran along

All stunningly beautiful - half dome

El Capitan

Bridal Veil falls

Greg is a connoisseur and used to grow them but legalization put him out of business

Next day I did a walk to Carlon falls - nice and easy and out of the heat. Also did a bit of fishing in the camp river. Caught one 10inch rainbow and a good day was had by all.

Carlon falls - very very cold

My campsite for the last few days - needed the shade

Idyllic

Then headed back down the mountain to the coast. Stayed over one night in French Camp - which is in the middle of the central valley and just unbelievable fertile farmland. From there back to Half Moon Bay. Unfortunately again no surf at Mavericks.

The problem with driving through farm country...

Crossing the bay

Was amazed by the amount of Spanish moss - thought they liked warm moist climate

At the Half moon Bay state park

Not sure I would enjoy tent camping on the California coast - wet and damp and cold

Little library across from my site

Lots of walking and riding

Bach dancing and Dynamite Society - apparently THE jazz club to be at - unfortunately it was closed on the days I was there

Half Moon Bay RV park - quite the English theme. Actually heard a lot of English accents around the area - they must be drawn to the weather/climate

The pub at the RV park - went to watch some sport there

Large selection of lagers

The weather sucks

Hit 2,600 miles on the bike

Half Moon Bay harbor

Finally back to Pacifica and the San Francisco Bay RV park where Gene and I stayed a in April. Headed straight to the Winters pub and by luck they had a Sunday afternoon head-banging marathon on. Each band had 45 minutes to play and they were all older than me, but made great music.