31 March 2024: Two weeks in Central Coast, California

 

Gene in a frenzy on Morro Bay sand dollar beach

So the first week with Gene was spent going up the southern side of Big Sur with Greg and Loretta.  They are heading off to Texas around the 6th to see the eclipse and wanted to do a 'shake down' run to check their RV and o/newld Jeep Wrangler that they want to pull behind to Texas. 

Greg grew up in Lompoc and went to college in SLO - San Luis Obispo, so lots of local knowledge.  Had a great time with a brunch on Sunday in SLO and listening to Mass in the courtyard of the Mission.

Gene, Greg and Reilly

With Loretta and Reilly in the back of the Jeep

Brunch in SLO on St Patricks day.  In downtown SLO the bars had opened at 6am, so it was chaos

Dinner in Morro Bay

So, new to me (I did know some of it, but did not understand the sequence).... California belonged to Mexico, then in 1846-48 the Mexican/US war was fought and 'won' by the USA.  They 'took' California as compensation for the war.  In 1948, gold was discovered in California and the great gold rush to California starts.  Then the Civil war breaks out in 1861 and luckily the Union has enough gold to pay for it all, else the outcome could have been a lot different...

Lunch near Hearst Castle

The walk down to the beach from Plaskett Cove state park

The end of the road.  Just across the bridge the road was blocked by a slide - where the mountain basically slides over the road.  Apparently this road had only been open continuously through any year for very short periods.  I can believe that.

Elephant seals doing what they do best...

Checking out the surf

Sundowners and dinner at Morro Bay rock.

After 1 night at Plaskett Creek State Park we decided to leave early as we had no communication with the outside world at all and Gene had to work.  We ended up in Morro Bay - which on our last trip was one of our favorite stops.  Greg and Loretta had to head home so we spent two nights of bliss in Morro Bay and Gene saturated her sand dollar cravings for the next few months (I think it is going to be very difficult walking on Long Beach looking for sand dollars going forward).

The affect of wine tasting at 2pm

Tasting Central Coast California wines

Sand$$$$$ everywhere...

Gene in her office

After Morro Bay, we headed to Pismo beach for one night - real suprise stop with a cycle on the beach of about 5 miles.

Pismo Beach pier, cocktails and a beauty..

Great little town of Pismo beach

Last lunch in Morro Bay

My people at Morro Bay

Weird Sisal plants

Sea otters being laid back

The warning at Morro Bay

Then back to Burbank to check what could be done with the Barbi jeep.  Unfortunately any new positive thoughts were quickly dampened as it was still not drive able and needed some additional TLC.  

Stop for lunch in Santa Barbara

Back in Monterey after 16 years.  Great town, but lots of squatters/homeless (see in the background on the main beach).  Really a problem that will have to be addressed soon.

Monterey tourist pier

Gene taking a call in the Safeway parking lot

Also in the car park - someone who lives in his car.  Not the same view as living on the beach, but...

We left it with Greg and Sal (the local mechanic) and headed up to the northern side of the Big Sur along US101.  All I can say is stunning.  Definitely more commercial than the southern section with hotels and shops and private campgrounds, but beautiful bridges and crazy drops down to the ocean.  The campsite was one big mud bath when we arrived.  It had been raining for days, but luckily while we were there, we only had the odd shower during the night. Luckily we had some level of internet access at the campground - just enough for Gene to do her calls, but not enough for video chats.

The Big Sur river at the campground

The campsite - redwood trees grow in fairy circles...

Where Gene is going to come to write the great book

Gene on a call with a client... (joking) but for those youngsters among us - that is a tikiboks in the days before cellphones.

Gene in her new office at the campsite

Muddy

Did a great walk up to Buzzards Roost viewpoint in Pfeiffer State Park and a long great meal at the River Inn restaurant.

5 mile walk up the hill between the giants

View from the top of Buzzards roost

Anyone know this flower - hill was covered

Local Blue Jay.  Also saw some scrubb Jay's - has a brown patch on its back.  Both are very loud and noisy

After the walk lunch at the River Inn.  Got talking to the Northern Irish family behind us in the pic

Gene with her Red Woods

Andrew Molera State Park beach

Beautiful walk to the beach

Probably the original farm

 

Back in Monterey - and just in time as the road out of Big Sur was closed 2 days later.

Back in Monterey before heading up for the last week to San Francisco.

A great last lunch in Monterey Harbor - mainly locals

E-bike with a dog sidecar.  Zoom in for the inscription on the side-car

House boat in Monterey harbor

Boat ducklings

Crazy to be able to do this - 16 sailing ships to go around the world...when America was great?  and then 10 years later the great war started

Posing just for me...or am I in Copenhagen

The snake plant that has been everywhere, and Peggy's plant that I stole from the River Inn garden that now has new soil

March 16: Leaving Havasu to pickup Gene

 

Another perfect sunset over the lake

So the last 2 weeks in Lake Havasu was all about getting the Whale ready, getting Barbie mobile, sunsets and great live music.

Great Motown funk band at Mustang Sally

Hike into the desert to find the bat caves of Havasu - never found them...

Creating a market.  Dentist advertising in a flea market with a bowl of candy on the table

Todd Winston services - giving the Whale a wash

The start of Spring Break - big event in Havasu and the average age drops for 3 weeks by about 50%

Another great band at Mustang Sally's

Unfortunately the shop could not get Barbie to run (a bad carburetor, but I ordered a new one) and the money pit got a bit more money...

On Wednesday, March13 I headed out for Burbank, California to where our friends Greg and Loretta (who I had met in October in Rincon) stays.  Fun ride - mostly downhill - and I did not even feel Barbie behind the Whale.

Abandoned town - Desert Center

Growing palm trees in the desert... what else can you do

Crossing the Colorado river into California

Last night at Lake Havasu State Park and ready to go

 Stopped for a night at the General Patton tank museum at Chiriaco Summit.

In Burbank with Greg and his RV

There is snow on them mountains out there...

The free dry campsite behind the museum

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed - Eisenhower

Last part of Lake Havasu city is the cactus garden where I tried to learn the names of some of the local plant species

March 3: Blue Grass festival on the Beach at Lake Havasu

 

So still waiting for the Barbie jeep to be driveable... after fixing the head gasket, the clutch had to be redone and then the carburetor was 0#$0#$))(%$* and now we are waiting for a new rebuilt carb... 27 year old money pit, but so be it.

Fun thing this week was the BlueGrass festival on the Beach at the Lake Havasu State Park.  The organizers book out the park for a week, they sell RV sites (including dry-camping in the car park) to the BlueGrass enthusiasts and Fri, Sat and Sun is just music.  Due to the average age being 75, the music only runs from about 11am to 6pm, but then in the parking lots, etc. groups form up and start jammin...

I volunteered for the 3 days to drive them old people from the gate to the stage in a golf cart. Was quite the experience.  Expanded my very limited knowledge of the genre  - definitely a cultural thing, everyone is old, most people have been in the armed forces, 90% were repeat customers who have been coming to the same festival for the last 20 years, everyone brings their musical instrument along for the jammin sessions after 6.  Was lots of fun.

I actually did enjoy some of the bands and will post some videos if I can. Favorite was Valarie Smith and Liberty Pike - Valarie has a beautiful voice and BlueGrass is all harmonizing and melancholy/tragedy - even more than Country or Blues.

The organizers (a couple) have been doing this for years.  They do 6 festivals per year and if they feel up to it, a BlueGrass cruise or 2.  Next one is to Alaska....

Cry Uncle - surprising number of young bands.  Unfortunately not many young people in the audience

ETSU - Eastern Tennessee State University Bluegrass Band.  You can do a major in BG music there

All dressed up and ready to boogie

The temporary RV lot - there were about 1000 RVs there and groups formed every evening to continue playing

My favorite was Valerie on Saturday, but Cry Uncle and Becky Buller was also great.  Some of the music got to be a bit frantic, but the harmonizing was great.

Little Roy and Lizzie - great band and Little Roy is about 100 years old, but a great musician.

Lots of walkers, but the policy was if a chair is open you can sit in it until the owner comes back - which works great.

Cry Uncle

Me and my wheels

Valarie Smith singing.  This was also the only couple dancing intermittently and the women in the red dress that makes a brief appearance in the video danced the whole time every day which was quite remarkable...