Pismo Beach

Because we have not had any internet access, I am posting this almost 3 weeks after visiting Pismo Beach.

This mountain will dsiappear soon!

Dirt bike trails everywhere.

We left Saddleback Butte and headed towards Bakersfield, CA to spend one night. We drove through lots more hilly desert with sagebrush, a few Joshua trees and many dirt bike trails. Every unoccupied hill has tracks from dirt bikes. As we left the Antelope Valley, the hills were covered with thousands of wind mills spinning in the wind. As soon as we started our decent into the central valley thick smog engulfed us. I think that the folks in Bakersfield are so used to the haze that; they don’t realize that the sky is actually blue. The next morning we took care of some warranty work on the trailer and headed for Pismo Beach.

We drove through green hills and valleys until we saw the ocean. We stayed at a resort with a mineral hot springs and enjoyed many long soaks in the hot water. We were told that people come from all over the world to soak in the healing waters. But I am not healed! I still have a sick sense of humor and distressing mental illness!Maybe because I didn’t put my head under water for long enough. Spring is springing here and the pollen is everywhere.

Pollen in puddles

We had to go see the overwintering Monarch butterflies. I just couldn’t miss them! When I was a child my English teacher great aunt sent me a book about Monarchs and then wanted to test me on it. How could I let her down and miss the butterflies! The butterflies cluster around eucalyptus trees. Before I even got to where the butterflies were, I became fascinated with the colors of the eucalyptus bark. (I told you I have mental illness!) I love the blue-grays and browns paired together. If I ever again decorate a house, I think I want to paint the walls in bark colors. The butterflies were also beautiful.

Beautiful bark!

Monarch butterflies

And of course we had to walk on the beach. The temperature was in the 60s, but the wind was whipping through the sand and our clothes. I think I need bird feathers.

Behind the beach are miles of sand dunes. ATVs are very popular here too!

Fishing

Catching

Even through our walk was very chilly, it was also magnificently beautiful. And we went back to the mineral pool to warm up!

All the way to the top!

We've been looking at it for days and wondering, could we really climb it.  When one of the rangers talked to us about it, it was obvious that she didn't think we could.  It is only two miles to the top.  We had to try!

Can we really do it?

Aged climber!

Golden Eagle

    We climbed and climbed.  Actually the path was more difficult than the climbing.  It is dry, soft sand, much like walking on the dry top of the beach, only there is no wet sand to move down to.  In fact, nothing is wet.  Not a drop nowhere!

View halfway up.

We did take our time as we climbed and climbed.  We weren't sure which hump was really the top but the trail was well marked.  It took us an hour and a half to get to the top.  We sat and ate our lunch as we contemplated the view.  This vast valley, named Antelope Valley is crisscrossed with lines that are not roads.  The lines are straight and go on forever.  Perhaps they mark sections of land.  There are many for sale signs along the road.  I bet you could get lots of land cheap!  Come on down!

The trail up in the distance.

A green plant is so unusual that you have to take a picture of it. This one looks like swss chard!

Looking Southeast.

Looking Northwest.

Northwest from the top.

Looking South from the top.

It seemed a little funny, that after our hour and a half up, it only took us a half-hour to get back down.  We passed by a truck hidden by tumbleweeds and a little bit further, Louie decided he was finished.  It took some coaxing to get him the final 1/10 of a mile back to camp.

Where is the truck?

Tired hikers close to home.

And we made it back home.

  We all made it back, even Louie.  He stopped for a quick drink of water, then walked into the trailer and made a bee-line for the dirty clothes basket where he put himself to bed.  I don't know if he was more tired from the walking or from smelling all sorts of scat and marking every bush.

Central California

We left Hayward, CA on December 28th to head towards our first campground host committment.  We drove through the central valley of California where we saw rice, grapes, lettuce, almonds, oranges and many other things growing in very dirty air.  The valley had poor air quality warnings posted, and the warnings were not wrong.  Everything was so hazy it was hard to see details and even harder to breathe.  I have to wonder what polution does to the food that grows in it.  What and how much of what are we taking into our bodies from the air?

When we got to Bakersfield at the Southern end of the valley, we turned east to head into moutains.  The moutains were only about ten miles away, but we literally could not see them from Bakersfield through the haze. 

Haze looking out of the canyon towards the valley

More haze.

We drove from Bakersfield into a canyon to get to the Kern River.  The road was very curvy and the rocks hung out over the road in many places just waiting to peel open our trailer.  We avoided catastrophy by only inches and escaped unpeeled!

I am sure some rocks were just waiting to fall on us!

We passed by Lake Isabella which is a resevoir formed by the Kern River.  We continued up the river until we came to a campground near Kernville.  We were able to camp right by the river and enjoy evening fires.  After dark, coyotes and owls lurked only feet away from camp waiting for our dog or cat to serve as dessert.  They weren't picky - they would have taken either one or both.  But they went to bed without any dessert from us.

O'Brien hot springs.

We relaxed in hot springs along the Kern River.  When we arrived about 15 twenty-or-so year olds were soaking and using a rope swing to jump into the river.  The river is freezing cold.  Why is it that when one reaches 30, one learns finally, that cold water is no fun?  I know a few sick individuals still participate in an annual polar bear plunge, but no matter how big, mean or rich you are, you won't get me anywhere near cold water!  We loved the warmer water.  And I must pay homage to the "mistress of the hotsprings".  One woman cleans the pools every Wednesday.  She maintains the trails, including building and repairing stairs down to the pools.  She isn't paid, court ordered or forced to do so, she just does, because.

After leaving the Kern River Canyon, we entered desert country.  We began to wonder what we had gotten ourselves into as we headed to our desert campground.  The immensity of the desert can be overwhelming when you are facing six weeks in a campground you have never seen!  But, we have committed.  Saddleback Butte or bust!