On To Morro Bay

Last Friday we were finally able to start moving west for the summer.  We left Cottonwood early in the morning to head for Bullhead City where we spent the night at the River City RV Park.  This park was inexpensive ($27) and adequate for an overnighter.  What else is there to say... it was representative of the entire area... dry, hot, and neutral in color.  On Saturday we crossed the Colorado River into California and started across the desert through Barstow and on to Tehachapi.  Elsie and Murray really have the routine down now, hopping right into the truck and getting into the back seat where they look out the window or snooze.  

 By midday we were pulling into the Mountain Valley RV Park located up near the Tehachapi Glider Airport.  We settled into a space right on the runway and could see the gliders taken up by the small plane and got the added benefit of being able to walk over to the airport café for a lunch.  In the photo, the large yellow strip behind the tree is the runway of the airport.  Once again the overnight expense was minimal, just $21 dollars, but we had a wonderful view and we would stay here again.  On Sunday we took off early for Morro Bay and the drive was pretty easy, straight west to Paso Robles and then southwest to our destination.  

The weather was sunny and 80 degrees when we arrived, so Allan quickly put his kayak together so that he could get out on the Bay.  Morro Bay is one of the best places to paddle.  The bay runs to the south in an estuary and there are different kinds of birds everywhere.  Plus you can kayak within spitting distance of sea otters and sea lions. And of course there are boats moored along the embarcadero and out in the bay.  One of the ways to know which way the tide is running is to look at the direction the moored boats are facing.   
The sites here at Morro Dunes RV Park are functional and roomy, but expensive at $325/week.  The good news is that we can sit in our rig and look out at the Rock or walk the dogs down on the beach.   The next day we caught up on all the household chores and email obligations in the a.m. and then headed over to the Embarcadero to wander the shops and have some lunch.  Not much to purchase except tourist junk and the fish n'chips were not memorable either. 

But the sun came out and the temperature was about 75 degrees, so we stopped at a coffee place to just kick back and look at the Rock as the fog wreathed around it, to and fro.   Later we headed up towards Main Street and visited a used book store where we each found a few books to read.  I just finished reading "Loyalties" by Carl Bernstein which were his childhood memoirs about the pre-McCarthy era and his parents involvement in civil rights and helping people to unionize.  All of which came under scrutiny during the years of Truman's Loyalty Act.  I also got a few mysteries and Allan picked up another war memoir. 

Yesterday we drove down to Cambria and I had forgotten how cute this town was.... flowerpots and flower gardens everywhere... cafes, shops, and B&B's.  I found a needlepoint store and there was a big inventory to select from... so I now have a new canvas to work on while traveling in the truck.  We got some lunch at Lombardi's Italian Restaurant.  I got the special of a cup of minestrone soup,

a salad with homemade creamy Italian dressing, and a fabulous 1/2 sandwich on toasted Italian bread of pesto, grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese and roasted red peppers.  
Years ago, both Allan and I lived in Carmel and we used to come down the Big Sur Coast all the time to camp, or hike, or just for lunch.  Being in Cambria was like a trip to the past, I had forgotten how beautiful the scenery was on the coast of Big Sur and it was lovely to see the rolling hills, the eucalyptus and the oaks with the blue ocean in the distance again. 

Home Again, Home Again

During our last weekend in Brookings, our daughter and son-in-law joined us for a few days and it was so good to see them again. While Stacey and I went to the farmers market, Allan and Pat kayaked down the Chetco River. We drove them up river about 5 miles and dropped them off and later when we got the call, we headed over to the harbor to pick them up. Unfortunately it was a gray, foggy day, with not a ray of sunshine to be seen....but that did not deter them in the least. Because it was near the end of summer, the river was low in several places and so they had to portage through the shallow spots. The photo above shows Allan pulling his kayak into the deeper water. The photo at left is Pat in one of the deeper areas of the river. Notice that they are both wearing their jackets...it just was not that warm. Meanwhile Stacey and I found numerous things to purchase while at the farmers market and it was also Pet weekend, so everyone had their dogs along. It was really festive and we had a good time too. Later that night we all went out to dinner. We were sorry to see them go the following day. We headed out for home not too long after, first stopping in Ashland for a couple of nights, then up and over the Pass, cutting east at Mt Shasta to Standish where we stayed overnight, and then on to Mono Lake for two nights before heading east and south to Las Vegas for a night and we arrived home last Friday.

It was 111 degrees in Apache Junction and we spent the evening and the following morning unloading the rv which I am glad that we did right away, as the air conditioner in our house started burning up and spitting sparks and generally biting the dust early on Sunday morning. One of our neighbors gave us a number to call for service and someone came out right away on Labor Day and when he saw how overheated I was, he went back to the office and brought out a portable a/c to put in our bedroom, so we would have one room where we could be cool. So now....it is Wednesday and we have a brand new system and a huge dent in our savings account. But everything is working, we are finally cool, and we met some neighbors who came out to watch the crane and talk with us whom we had never met before. Today we finally got the rv into storage for the winter but in October we will be getting it back out for a few days while we get a new water heater installed and new Arizona registration taken care of.

Paddling Convict Lake

After our successful Mono Lake paddle with Mark and Renita, we decided to take the kayaks and canoe down Hwy 395 to Convict Lake a few days ago. Convict Lake is a small glacial lake with spectacular scenery and brilliant blue water. It got its name from an incident many years ago when some convicts were trying to escape up the creek and murdered Mr. Morrison who was a store owner at the lake and was one of the members of the posse. The creek is now called Convict Creek and the mountain to the south of the lake was named Mount Morrison.

The lake has a small resort and restaurant with cabins and there are camping spaces for those with smaller rv's or tents. There is a small marina where you can launch your own boat or rent a boat to fish in this no-wake lake. We parked our trucks and unloaded the canoe and kayaks in the boat launch area which has been made into a tiny harbor because of the afternoon winds. While Allan and Mark were assembling the outrigger on the canoe, I was putting the paddles together for the kayaks. We loaded up our cameras and lunch and were set to shove off.

We all paddled out further in the lake to take a closer look at the mountains rising up as a backdrop all around the lake. Mark and Renita are in their canoe with Mount Morrison rising up on the left side of the photo, Laurel Mountain barely seen on the right side of the photo, and the Sevehah Cliff in the background with its many spires and indentations. The lake was so still when we first set out that the mountains were perfectly reflected in the water.

At the far end of the lake was a small sandy gravel beach and we all disembarked to stretch our legs and look around. Allan went off to check out Convict Creek hiding in the aspens that lined the wheelchair accessible trail that encircles the entire lake. Mark waded out into the water to check for caddis larvae and determine if the lake was healthy, and it was. While we were resting in the shade of the aspens, I was able to convince Renita to try my Folbot kayak. Mark said he would give Allan's kayak a try also, so they took a short cruise along the far side of the lake. Judging from the smiles on their faces, it looks as if they like the Folbots.

After Mark and Renita came back, we all got back in our respective boats and headed over to the shoreline under Mount Morrison to eat our lunch and then as the wind was starting to gust just a little, we headed back to the boat launch, paddling a little harder than when we first started out. Great weather, great lake, and great friends. Doesn't get any better than that.

Folbot Kayaking Mono Lake

Two days ago, we had the perfect day for putting the kayaks into the water of Mono Lake. There was no wind and the lake was glassy smooth, so smooth that just a gentle stroke of the paddle and we were gliding along for minutes at a time. We put in at Navy Beach and with a little adjustment of the outriggers for Mark and Renita's canoe, we were off to explore the Southern edge of Mono. As we were launching our craft, there were thousands of the little black flies that are so important to the ecosystem of this lake, but they were not even interested in us because they are all vegans. They crawl over the rocks and submerged tufa eating the algae that grows underwater. The flies along with the brine shrimp are important food sources for the many birds that come to Mono Lake to nest each year. Osprey use the tufa towers to make their nests and we could see many abandoned nests which will get rehabilitated next season for the next crop of chicks. The California Gull makes the long migration from the coast each year to build their nests on the islands of Mono Lake which is why it is so important to keep the water level high enough so that there is no land bridge from the mainland to be used by predators. In the photo to the left, you can see a lone gull who has not flown back over to the coast yet. He is keeping a watchful eye on the paddlers below. Most of the other gulls had already departed although we were lucky to see about 20 earred grebes that were still in residence as they dived for the brine shrimp that were floating like snowflakes by the thousands in the saline water.



Allan in his yellow Folbot Citibot kayak is gliding along past a tufa tower in the photo to the right and in the photo below left, I am in the teal kayak taking pictures. This is only our 4th outing in the Citibots and we are still working out some kinks that they seem to have. Our previous Folbots were Yukons and we loved everything about them except they were a little too heavy for me to carry and they took up a lot of room in the underneath storage of the RV. The Yukons tracked better in the water and they had a larger cockpit, allowing you to turn around or even stand up if you watched your balance. We could carry more in the Yukons as well and they felt generally more stable. But weight was an issue for us and we used the Folbot Forum to sell the Yukons and we purchased the Citibots this year which only weigh 24 pounds and come in a backpack for easy portability. However the engineering of the frame is not the same as the Yukons. The frame has to slip into one end of the Citibot and then a zipper is employed in the stern to fasten the skin back together. This is not as easy to assemble as the Yukon. Also the seat of the Citibot has not stayed in position as it should and we have had to use velcro tape to make sure it does not fall back into the stern. Both Allan and I have had the seat "fall in" while paddling and it is disconcerting to say the least and almost impossible to get it fixed while in the boat since the cockpit is too small to manuver around much. But on the other hand, I can pick up the whole boat and walk it down to the water by myself and that is a big plus. And it uses only a small amount of space in our RV. I guess there are pros and cons for everything but the end result is that we can get out on the water in beautiful locations with good friends that also appreciate the beauty of the sierras not only seen in the distance and but also in the lakes reflection.

Paddling Mono Lake

This last weekend we had a visit from our daughter Stacey and son-in-law Pat all the way from Eureka, California. Pat, who backpacks in the Sierras each summer hoped for one last walk in the high country before the long winter set in. On Saturday morning, while Stacey and I were in Mammoth shopping, Allan and Pat took the kayaks to Navy Beach on the shore of Mono Lake to paddle around the tufa towers. Allan is in the photo to the left getting a close look at the tufa. A short prior trip to the ranger station had alerted them them not to go near the osprey nests but there was plenty to see otherwise. Allan mentioned the thousands of brine shrimp swimming below them like snow underwater. And they saw numbers of gulls that hadn't left for the coast yet. Pat is in the kayak to the right paddling in the reflections of clouds that later turned to a five minute rain shower. They finished off their expedition with a great hamburger at the Mono Cone, don't miss it if you are in the area.
The following day we made a picnic lunch and headed up to Virginia Lakes where the aspens were already turning their fall colors. Pat packed his picnic lunch into his day pack and packed up his fly rods to walk even further past Virginia Lake along a fairly level trail to Blue Lake and then cross country up and over a ridge to Moat Lake at 10,573 ft. While he was walking and fishing, Stacey and I tried to capture some of the beauty of Virginia Lake with water color and pastel. Allan walked all around Virginia Lake and Lake Trumbull taking photos for our winter painting. After a while, the three of us had our lunch while watching the other fishermen on the lake catching trout and keeping an eye on the little ground squirrels running around begging for food. We headed back after lunch and Pat returned later in the early evening with plenty of photos of his short trek. This last photo is of Blue Lake with Upper Virginia lake in the far distance. When Pat returned to civilization, we all got together for Polish dogs and chili beans while watching the football game. Stacey and Pat called it an early night as they were getting an early start in the morning to head back to Eureka. We all had a great visit and Allan and I were really glad they took some time to come and hang out with us for a little while.

Port Townsend and Bowman Bay

Monday we headed out early, driving across Whidby Island to Keystone where we parked the truck and walked on the ferry to Port Townsend where Jim and Nancy picked us up at the Port Townsend ferry terminal. First they drove us to the Escapees RV Park where they were staying as we had never seen an Escapees park before. It was very nice and each rv'er had fixed up their space with flowers or pottery in a home like fashion. But it seemed a little far from town for us. Next we headed back towards town stopping at the Art Deco Lighting Museum to look around. The slip glass lighting you see displayed was only popular for 10 years, from 1928 to 1938. After that globes replaced the slip glass. There were cases and cases of lighting from all over the world. After we left the museum, we all went into Port Townsend to shop and then we had a wonderful lunch at Fin's. We finished up the day at the food co-op before heading back to the ferry terminal for the return crossing. It was great seeing Jim and Nancy one last time before saying goodbye for a while as we are heading out in separate directions from here. We hope to run into them again this winter while we are down in the desert.
The next day, Allan got the kayaks put together and we headed over to Bowman Bay for a few hours of gentle bobbing and photo taking. We had hoped to see lots of wildlife like we did a couple of years ago, but all we saw on this outing was 2 seals and a couple of ducks. Although I did catch a fish. It was a smelt just swimming below the surface of the water and after a couple of tries, I got him on the flat part of my paddle. I was able to bring him in for a closer look and he had beautiful silvery scales that reflected pinks and aqua from the sun. Then I released him back into the bay. So there....Mark and Renita, you are not the only bloggers with fishing stories.
Later on that day we decided to ride our bikes into town and have dinner at Bellisima, the other Italian restaurant in Anacortes. We loved being able to sit outside, cafe style with our beer and olive oil with roasted garlic head and excellent crusty Italian bread, but the prices were way too high and so we did not order a meat entre. My salad was so-so although Allan's ravioli was hand made and the pesto sauce was very good. All in all, we prefer Il Posto. On our bike ride back to the park we were able to see Mt Baker very clearly across Fidalgo Bay. The biking photos show us on the Tommy Thompson biking and walking trail that probably used to be an old railway line. But now it extends from beyond our park all the way into downtown Anacortes.

Breaking In The New Kayaks

We stopped for a couple of nights in Gallup, NM where we are staying at the USA RV Park http://www.usarvpark.com/ along I-40 or Rte 66. We had read about a beautiful lake at Bluewater State Park and thought it would be a good chance to try out the new Citibots from Folbot http://www.folbot.com/ . So this morning Allan set up the two new boats taking a little extra time for the learning curve as they did not go together the same way as the Yukons that we used to have. But while he was doing that, I made a picnic lunch and we loaded everything in the truck and set off. First we went to Lake McGaffey which was closer to us but it was not much more than a mudhole thanks to the local drought this year. So we went back to the highway and continued East to Bluewater State Park. The lake was very low and very choppy as well, due to some strong winds coming straight across the mesa. But we put in and the little Citibots bobbed around a little more than the Yukons would have done but they were just as secure feeling and very easy to handle. The seats were much much more comfortable but the cockpit was smaller of course so there was not as much room for the dogs while paddling. As you can see in Allans photo, Alice is looking at him to see if he knows what he is doing and in my photo, Ned is hanging over the side ready to puke. After a bit we gave up and went ashore. The wind was way too combative and the scenery was not inspiring. But the lunch was excellent.