We admit it, we're bad bloggers. It may have something to do with our Different
Vie
Ws! But for a quick update - We've traversed the state of California, started in Marina del Ray, LA, visiting with Robert's sister and daughter, who is also in LA. We took a weekend trip to Ventura, on the coast - where we passed by fruit fields in the dozens, and pickers in the hundreds. Marie suggested we try our hands at laboring for a day, Robert suggested Marie do it herself and tell him about it! haha She didn't, but they enjoyed fresh strawberries and cherries. The produce in California is terrific, but the prices are surprisingly high... especially in LA! Everything's expensive - gas, food.
From LA we went up the coast to San Simeon, and toured the Hearst Castle. Both of us agreed William Randolph Hearst had more money than sense, and taste! The grounds (5 miles up a winding road from the coast) used to be populated by a veritable zoo of different animals he had imported from all around the world. Now it's limited to the occasional deer and would you believe zebras! Marie was longing to see them, but it was not happening on the day of our visit. Serendipitously, we spotted the striped specimens on our drive out of San Simeon, as they were hanging out down at the base of the mountains, by the main road!
We found a fabulous French bakery in SanSimeon, where we enjoyed the best scones on the planet. We then drove further up the curvy coast to Monterey, where we had a delicious dinner at Denny's Diner of all places! Can you tell eating has been a theme for us. We also took photos, rode our bikes, had campfires every night - roasted marshmallows, marvelled at how great the VW is holding up, and how comfortable it is. It's a nifty little home on wheels.
After San Simeon, we moved inland and spent the fourth of July weekend in Walnut Creek, SanFran, with Allison, a friend Marie met on her travels to India in 2008. Allison was a wonderful tour guide, and hostess, and we had a fine Fourth watching the fireworks and meeting friends of Allison. Stopping at friends and family along the way has been a real treat on this tour.
From Walnut Creek we set off to Yosemite, which was phenomenal. We were lucky to get in to Tuolumne Meadows campground without reservations, and had two nights there. We saw a bear and its cub while we were horseback riding through Yosemite. It was amazing! Marie's hope was to see a bear (preferably not peering in the VW looking for food..) and so our sighting was a thrill. The little cub was cunning, and to see the sun hitting both their reddish fur was heart stopping. Of course we did not have our cameras with us, and if we did we may have been frozen with awe anyway, and missed the moment! The high altitude and thin air took its toll on Robert. Marie could have stayed for weeks! We split the difference and left after two days and next travelled over the Tioga Pass up the east side of the Sierras to Lake Tahoe. We spent a night in a campground on the south side of the Lake, and enjoyed the relative luxury of a campground with showers and hot water! We cycled around with south side of the lake, and enjoyed the cool, bug-free climate.
Next stop Sacramento, where we spent two terrific days with Robert's super cousin Sue. She was another brilliant hostess, who showed us around the old town of Sacremento, which was surprising in its country charm. Robert bought a cowboy hat and Marie bought a sun hat. We indulged in a bit of retail therapy in 100 degreed Sacramento before we plotted our next steps.
We left Sacramento this morning, and will travel to the west coast above San Francisco. Three more nights in California coastal state parks before we move on to Oregon, then Washington. We have made reservations at Yellowstone in Wyoming for the 26/27 of July, two weeks time, so we have a lot of ground to cover before then. We've been eating a lot of nice food, not exercising enough for Marie's taste, too much from Robert's. We may be wearing elastic banded clothing from here on out.
Back to our starting sentiment, we acknowledge we've been less than diligent bloggers. We will try to update this page a little more often. We lost the Laundromat plot along the way, and are shooting what we like. Robert has plans to present his images at an open studio slide show presentation in September. He will also put that on his website. Marie is going to post photos in bulk on her Facebook page, where it's easier to post albums versus one image at a time here.
Between getting to where we're going, finding campsites, setting up, shopping, cooking - we seem to have less time than we anticipated to get everything done, including shooting. The second half of our trip we expect to be more efficient in our traveling, and will try to spend more time shooting. Thanks for keeping up with us.
Until next time.
Photos:
1 - Girl on Venice Beach, LA (Robert)
2 - Sun star over teepee, Ridgeway, CO (Marie)
3 - Mountain scene, Ridgeway, CO (Marie)
4 - Yosemite (Robert)
5 - Street scene, Lee Vining, CA (Robert)
6 - Yosemite (Robert)
7 - Bridalveil falls, Yosemite (Robert)
8 - Battery at Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco (Robert)
9 - Fourth fireworks at Walnut Creek, CA (Robert)
10 - Skateboarder at Venice Beach, LA (Robert)
