Monday, March 2

Edwards AFB FamCamp, Lancaster, CA W $15.00 per night  

We packed up and left Stovepipe Wells this morning and headed west. In about 14 miles the elevation increased from sea level at the campground to over 5,000 feet. We crossed the mountains that form the western side of Death Valley and descended into the Panamint Valley which is almost as large, but not as deep as Death Valley. Near the edge of the park we stopped for a brief rest at Father Crowley Point with spectacular views.   In one photo you can see the road we had used coming out of Death Valley. Once outside the park we turned southward before ending our drive in Edwards Air Force Base just a few miles from the runway where the space shuttle lands if it is forced to stop in California.

Tuesday, March 3
Today was a work day. Tom did shopping and laundry while Frank fixed a few things around the trailer and caught up on web page work. We are having a problem with one of the gray water tank valves which broke last night. Frank was able to jerry rig it until we can get to a repair shop on Friday.

Wednesday, March 4

Bakersfield RV Resort   Bakersfield, CA $35.10 per night

Over the last few days Frank has had some serious problems with a rash. We think it is the same soap allergy he had last summer. Tom washed all his clothes again using just water. Today much of the rash has eased. We began today taking a short drive to look at some planes parked in a small museum on base.   Then we hooked up and headed west again toward Bakersfield. Along the way we went through some mountains and rain passing many wind turbines generating electricity.   We passed many very pretty green hills with lots of golden flowers blooming.   We arrived in Bakersfield in a rain storm.

Thursday, March 5
No special events today. Frank finished a project remoting the front trailer jacks. Now we can stand next to the truck as we hook up the trailer which makes it easier to manage the height to fit the hitch. Tom had a crown pop off a few days ago, so he went to a local dentist to get it reseated. General cleaning and small projects all around.

Friday, March 6
This morning we got up early and took the trailer across the street to Camping World for some needed repairs. A few weeks ago one of our sewer valves broke and was stuck open. The entire valve and remote cable control had to be replaced. 4 days ago one of our window shades fell off and Frank was unable to get it back up so we had Camping World fix that too, and a minor item, replacing a broken running light lens. In the afternoon Tom went to a local clinic to have his broken ribs x-rayed again. It took 4 hours, but everything is going just as it should. He should be completely healed in about another week. We purchased a water softener this morning and while Tom was at the doctors, Frank got it hooked up and running. We went to a very nice restaurant which is part of the campground for dinner. It was chilly, but we ate outside under gas heaters because the restaurant was crowded and they had these nice outside heaters and a fireplace. Before we left several other groups chose to eat outside too. Last night Frank found that our favorite cowboy singer, Dave Stamey, is having a show in Visalia about 50 miles north of here, but after calling the shop where the show is to be held we were informed the performance had sold out months ago so we missed out on that one.

Saturday, March 7

Pismo Coast Village RV Resort   Pismo Beach, CA $44.00 per night

After a short run to the grocery store and a filling of diesel fuel we set off on our daily journey. We had planned on going south about 20 miles and taking a scenic route through the mountains. However, a short way after getting on CA route 99 we saw a notice sign saying our planned road, CA 166, was closed through the mountains and to look for other routes. Tom quickly found another route which would take us along state road 58. But at McKittrick   we came across a sign that said this road not advisable for vehicles longer than 30 feet. Our trailer and truck are over 50 feet. Backing up, we went north, paralleling our trip southward, but in the opposite direction until we got to CA route 46 which was open to the coast. Along our route we passed a number of places which turned out to be quite interesting after we looked them up on the Internet this evening. First was what must be the largest power switching and transformer station Frank has ever seen at the small village of Kilowatt.   Next we passed through part of the Midway-Sunset Oil Field, which after a bit of research we found to be the third largest producing oil field in the US. W   Over a distance of a few miles we passed literally thousands of oil wells packed more closely than we have ever seen, almost all of which were hard at work pumping black gold. About 50 miles further on we passed an intersection which meant nothing special to us until later in the evening when Frank was mapping out our daily route and happened to see a Wikipedia icon on the spot. Turns out that was the place where James Dean died in an auto accident back in 1955. W And finally, as we came around a curve on US 101, we spied the Pacific Ocean as can be seen to the right of this webcam shot.   Later in the evening, Tom and I took a little stroll along the beach and watched the sun go down over the Pacific Ocean.  

Sunday, March 8
Today we visited the historic Dana Adobe of which the original owner is referred to in one of our favorite cowboy songs, Dave Stamey's, "The Vaquero Song". The adobe was built between 1837 and 1851 by Captain William Dana who operated a large cattle ranch there.   You can find out more about the Adobe and its owner on their web site. We ended the day by driving north about 20 miles to check out a state park campground we hope to stay in for the next few days. We need to call them in the morning to see if we can get in.

Monday, March 9

Morro Bay State Park   Morro Bay, CA $27.00 per night

We packed up this morning and moved about 20 miles south to Morro Bay. A beautiful state park which includes beaches and the largest estuary in California. After settling down and resting we walked to their little natural history museum which was quite nice.   The round mountain seen in these photos is called Morro Rock W and is one of a number of volcanic plugs which formed some three million years ago along a series of tectonic plates. The rocks around them has worn away in the interim leaving the plugs as mountains out at sea. Later we went to dinner at a very nice seafood restaurant in town called Dockside. Afterward we drove out to the rock and Frank took some more night shots.  

Tuesday, March 10
Today was a busy one beginning with a visit to the magnificent Hearst Castle. Sometimes referred to as San Simeon, this huge estate was built by the newspaper magnet William Randolph Hearst. A fabulous place to visit. I shot so many good photos that this link goes to its own gallery.     On the way back we stoped at several pull-outs along the coast road.   Then in the evening after dinner we drove back out to Morro Rock and Frank tried some more night shots with a tripod this time.  

Wednesday, March 11
This morning we drove south to Montaña de Oro State Park W where we had a wonderful guided walk by local docent Randy.   It was a very personal experience because is was just us and one other very nice couple, Betsy and Bob, who were on a vacation in the area. What was supposed to be a two hour walk turned into a four hour adventure, but we had a great time talking all about the local flora, fauna and geology of this beautiful, eroded landscape, and everything else too.   We saw lots of wildlife including a rattle snake, ground squirrels, an otter and many birds. One point of interest, at the far end of our hike we were at the northern border fence of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. W

Friday, March 13

Naval Air Station Point Mugu Famcamp   CA W $23.00 per night

For the last few days of travel we have been traveling along the El Camino Real along the California coast. W The route is marked with bells on top of poles.   Today as we drove along we stopped at a rest area for lunch and Frank noticed some geology markers. This area is unusual as being the only mountains along the California coast that go east and west instead of north and south.   From the air one can see the change from sandstone to shale and clays by the distinctive change in foliage. In this Google Earth placemark the change shows between the rough brown on the left to the smoother brown on the right. W   The current satellite image was shot in November 29, 2006. In March this year there is much more green visible. Just beyond the rest area the road comes to the Pacific ocean and turns southward. As we drove along we could see a number of off-shore oil drilling platforms. In the last photo we can see one of the old bridges built in the early 20th century. Beyond that is a railroad bridge and we can just make out an oil platform on the horizon.  

Saturday, March 14
Not a whole lot today. Frank got meds from a CVS pharmacy today, after a Long's pharmacy messed up both his prescription and insurance last night. CVS corrected all the problems and filled 5 prescriptions today. Tom shopped at the Post Exchange and Commissary, then did laundry. We did little chores around the trailer. We walked on the beach before dinner. Hopefully tomorrow we will visit President Reagan's burial site and library.

Sunday, March 15
Today was a visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum.   Located on a beautiful location in Simi Valley, California, the museum contained thousands of items which belonged to President and Nancy Reagan. Including the Boeing 707 airplane which was used as Air Force One W during the Reagan years, as well as the terms of several other Presidents. We were also fortunate to be able to view one of the 4 only remaining copies of the original Magna Carta which was on loan to the museum for a month. W Sorry no photos were allowed in the Magna Carta room or inside Air Force One.   On the way back to the trailer we stopped to view an exhibit of planes and missiles on display by Point Mugu. This is a gallery page with descriptions from the interpretive signs in the display.  

Tuesday, March 17

TwentyNine Palms Resort   TwentyNine Palms, CA $37.28 per night

The beginning of our drive today was through heavy traffic. Amazing how much traffic we found in a desert. Later miles along our route the traffic eased, the houses became sparse, and the scenery was beautiful.   This campground is basically a parking lot but is clean and will do fine for a couple of nights as we visit Joshua Tree National Park. We had thought of staying at the nearby Twentynine Palms Marine Corps W Famcamp, but after taking a look it wasn't any better than here and didn't have Internet available. Frank is still playing with night photography.  

Wednesday, March 18
Today we toured Joshua Tree National Park. W   Today's entry includes a new feature showing our route through the park. If you have Google Earth installed, I recommend you first open our route (red Google Earth icon above). Leave Google Earth open, then as you look at the individual photos from the galley below, select the Google Earth placemarks in the lower right hand corner of the photos and you can see where each photo was taken in relationship to our tour through the park. The Joshua Tree is neither a tree nor a cactus, but a member of the lilly family. When the Mormon explorers first encountered these interesting plants, they felt the odd uplifted branches reminded them of Joshua of the Bible welcoming them. On our tour, we saw many geologic features and varied plant life. We even saw a few animals. I would encourage you to explore the park's website, linked above, for much history, geology and interesting pages on the plants of the park. There are some really interesting pages on the minors of the region and the Native Americans who lived in the area. Today's gallery contains many photos of the mountains and plants in Joshua Tree.  

Thursday, March 19

Shadow Hills RV Resort   Indio, CA $51.98 per night

Friday, March 20
This morning Frank wandered around and took some flower pictures.   Then we took the trailer to the tire store and had 3 tires replaced. Good thing we noticed the problem when we did, I don't think they would have lasted another hundred miles before breaking up.   Later Tom did laundry and Frank played on the computer, so what else is new? (grin) Frank has figured out how to merge our route files so now you can see an entire month's drive or the entire year on one page. See top and bottom of each page for links.

Monday, March 23

Shadow Ridge RV Resort   Ajo, AZ $18.00 per night

This morning we picked up mail and stopped by a local city museum which was interesting.   We then hooked up and drove south about 50 miles to Ajo. In the late afternoon we took a drive around town and viewed a large open pit copper mine which is now closed, but can be clearly seen in this Google Earth view. W   We then drove downtown and found ourselves in a beautiful town center with an historic railroad station that has been restored with restaurants and small shops.  

Tuesday, March 24
We spent today touring Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.   You can find some descriptions on the bottom of the photos.  

Thursday, March 26

Davis-Monthan AFB   Tucson, AZ $17.00 per night

Friday, March 27
Today we visited the Pima Air & Space Museum. At the museum we had a docent give us an hour tour. Among the interesting items were Air Force One which was used by Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Then Air Force Two used by Vice President Gore. Later we saw the actual aircraft that carried the US hostages from Iran (flown by other nation's carriers into Germany) and then flown on to the USA on this US plane. We saw a lot of planes used in WW II, And a display of pieces of "Lady Luck" which crashed in the Libyan desert. The navigator was lost and all decided to parachute, and in the desert they all died. Had they stayed with the plane when it crashed, they may have been saved.   Then we entered Davis-Monthan Air Force Base's "Boneyard" W on a guided bus tour. The Air Force does not like that term. Here are over 4,200 planes in moth balls. 10% of the planes are refurbished and sent back to duty. Others are used as spare parts for both ours and many foreign Governments. Last year alone, this base sold $ 500,000,000 worth of spare parts. They make $10 for every dollar of labor spent. This base is here because the humidity is low, but strangely, the last time we were here in 1989-1991, it snowed.  

Saturday, March 28
Today we visited the Titan Missile Museum in Green Valley Arizona. This is the only remaining Titan missle site that was not destroyed as part of the treaty that ended the cold war. With permission from the USSR we were allowed to preserve this one site after they confirmed it had been thoroughly deactivated and made unusable as a launch site. This is a full gallery with overview text, rather than a popup window.  

Sunday, March 29
Our outing for today was to Saguaro National Park west of Tucson. Another spectacular park in the Sonoran Desert. Many of the cactus are blooming and as in other areas things are greener than at any of our past visits. Here again I have decided to create an informative gallery so please enjoy.  

Monday, March 30
We spent the day visiting the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum which is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum and botanical garden, all in one place. We saw interpretive displays of living animals and plants native to the Sonoran Desert region. Within the Museum grounds are more than 300 animal species and 1200 kinds of plants on display, alive in their natural desert settings. There are almost two miles of paths traversing 21 acres of beautiful desert. For anyone visiting Tucson, this is a must see. If possible you should set aside at least two days to visit, there is just so much to see and learn. We only had one day and we were saturated.  

Tuesday, March 31
Today was a work day to catch up on chores. Tom did some shopping, Frank bought a new tripod and fancy tripod head. Tomorrow we move on to our next destination.