June 9, 2014
I have just
realized it has been a while since I last updated! I guess we are having so
much fun I am not keeping up.
We saw the
giant Sequoias and they defy description! We did a quick in and out of Yosemite
because we had not been able to secure a campsite in the park, got there too
late in the day, and were a bit put off by the crowds and congestion. We did
enjoy our brief stay, however, and got some nice views and pictures. I would have
loved to have had time for hiking.
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| Yosemite National Park |
Once out of
Yosemite we headed towards Santa Cruz and found a campsite at Big Basin Redwood
Park. The old growth redwoods were just as impressive as the giant Sequoias in
their own way. Almost as impressive were the other tree species such as Douglas
Firs and Ponderosa Pines.
We then hit
the Pacific coast a little north of Monterey Bay, CA and drove up Route 1 towards San
Francisco, stopping several times to walk beaches, wade in the surf, and watch
surf boarders. Several times we stopped to buy fresh fruit at roadside stands.
We stealth camped once along Route 1 in earshot of the sea. There was a nice late
afternoon stop at a lighthouse in process of being restored.
We basically
skipped San Francisco. Yes we drove right through the city to Golden Gate Park
with me seeing mostly stoplights. We found a free parking spot near the bridge
and hopped on a free shuttle bus to ride around the Presidio Park section of
the city. We walked several trails to cannon battlements set up along the bluffs
during the mid to late 1800s to defend the Golden Gate harbor.
We then walked down to Fort Point under the bridge and toured the massive brick
structure
where munitions were stored and loaded during the civil war. After that we
walked up onto the Golden Gate Bridge and I walked half of its length,
marveling at its mass and the engineering involved in its construction.
We then walked down to Fort Point under the bridge and toured the massive brick
structure
where munitions were stored and loaded during the civil war. After that we
walked up onto the Golden Gate Bridge and I walked half of its length,
marveling at its mass and the engineering involved in its construction.
That was
plenty for us to see in one afternoon and we decided to get the heck out of San
Francisco before nightfall as some of our plans had fallen through, we were
unable to secure an economical place to spend the night, and were not willing
to deal with all the expenses of lodging, eating, and getting around San
Francisco. Big cities are just not our thing!
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| Golden Gate Bridge |
Since leaving
San Fran we started eastward and spent a nice afternoon and night in an old
gold mining town (Placerville, CA) during the 49ers era, went to church there next morning, and
drove on through stunning mountain scenery to Lake Tahoe. We camped there last
night at Fallen Leaf Campground and spent some wonderful time wading in the lakes and enjoying the 7000
foot elevation lakes, forests, and distant snow covered peaks.
We are now
headed east through central Nevada and back into desolate desert. We plan to
get an early start in the morning before it gets so hot and we are going to
fill up with gas including the reserve 5 gallon jug in the rear of the camper. Looking forward to spending time with Roland and Leanna Good and the Eureka Church.
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| At least there is sage brush on some NV Bureau of Land Management lands |
Christine with Leanna & Roland Good
Marlin
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