BIG SUR 2010 - Last Days at Pismo Beach 9-24-10

A spell has been cast upon us.  We cannot leave the magnificent Pismo Dunes.  Here are our remaining photos of the last two nights.  We head home today with great reluctance....

To view more photos of the dunes, click on the slideshow to the right.

Self Portraits

MONDAY-TUESDAY-WEDNESDAY: 9-20-10 THRU 9-22-10 PISMO BEACH

Note: Double-click in the slideshow at the right to view more images at a larger size.

 

Ok, keeping up a travel journal blog is not as easy as it might sound.  The past three days have zipped by and now I have to try to remember what we have done.

I do remember one thing we have done because it relates to food.  We have dedicated ourselves to finding the BEST clam chowder in Pismo Beach.  In doing so, we have come to realize that the best in Pismo is not necessarily the best we have ever eaten.  The best clam chowder we have EVER eaten is still at Paradisio in Monterey and at the Rendezvous Restaurant and Lounge in Tillamook, Oregon.  Both are fabulous.  The BEST clam chowder we have eaten in Pismo to date is at Brad’s.  And it's just ok.   We are still searching.

We have gone for lots of walks along the beach, peeked into interesting little shops, and eaten tons of good food, mostly around our campfire.  We are staying at Pismo Coast Village on the beach.  It’s a fantastic location though the camp sites are a bit snug.  The elderly codger across the way has a very loud, gravely voice and he can talk non-stop for literally hours.  Just ask Julie, she’ll back me up on this.  She came for dinner the other night and is our star witness.

Last night we headed out to the dunes.  We arrived a little late and the sun disappeared much too quickly.  Tonight we will arrive early and hopefully be more prepared. 

It is a spiritual high standing at the top of the dunes with the sun setting low in the sky watching the changing shadows on the sand.  To make it even more mystical, we stood silently watching an event that will come only once in our lifetimes:  the ascension of a full moon with Jupiter shining brightly next to her, rising on the autumn equinox.

SUNDAY: 9-19-20 - POINT LOBOS STATE PARK

Today is Fred’s day to blog so we will see if that actually happens.  In the meantime, here are some photos of our excursion today to Point Lobos State Park.



SATURDAY: 9-18-10_CARMEL-BY-THE-RIVER RV PARK

Today is our wedding anniversary.  We have been married 11 years today, have been together 15 years, and have known each other 34 years.  We have been looking forward to celebrating this momentous day with dinner at Paradisio, our favorite restaurant in Monterey on Cannery Row.  It sits right on the beach and you can push open the windows to feel the ocean breeze and listen to the crashing surf.

But first we have errands to run.  We need to pick up some items and I want to check out an RV campground I once noticed on the coast just north of Monterey.

We get hungry and look for a good taco joint.  Fred remembers something about an ad for “Tortuga” or “Turtle” Taqueria.  I Google both on my iPhone and we find the spot on Fremont Street in Seaside.  Only one problem:  within a half a block of each other is both a “Tortuga Taqueria” and a “Turtle Bay Taqueria”.  We check them both out and pick the “turtle” place.  It’s not the typical Mexican taco we are looking for.  It’s more like Caribbean or something, where they put shredded cabbage in their tacos rather than lettuce.    But it’s good and we enjoy our lunch.  We decide we will try “Tortuga” next time.

We make a couple stops.  First Smart & Final and then Costco looking for Fred’s favorite “Café de Vita” hot mocha mix.  Then we hit Myrick’s Camera looking for a circular polarizer for my camera.  Unfortunately the only one he has in stock is $185.  Uh, I don’t think so.

We then drive up the coast looking for that RV park….I remember it had the word “Dunes” in the name.  We are ready to turn back when we see it:  “Marina Dunes RV Resort”.  Uh oh, any campground with the word “resort” in the name is going to be expensive.  It is $70 a night – expensive by campground standards.  The sites, of course, are great.  They are large spaces, well kept, and there are footpaths to the dunes.  Fred goes into the office when I see a sign that says “Cottages For Sale”.  I wander over to check it out.

It seems they are selling these pre-fab cottages that will eventually sit on each campground site.  They are tiny little things, not much larger than our RV.  When they sell 45 cottages they will start converting the RV “resort” into a privately owned cottages resort.  So far they have sold 24 cottages for $299,000 each.  I tell the nice fellow we will take two, please.

We head for Paradisio hoping it is early enough to get a table by the window.  We are in luck.  It is a golden evening and the appetizers are as good as ever.  We eat cold artichoke, shrimp cocktail, clam chowder, and calamari.  The entrée of short ribs on ravioli is disappointing. How can they create such great appetizers and always disappoint us with the entrée?  We once again decide that next time we will only order wine and appetizers.  We spend the evening savoring the beautiful view of Monterey Bay.

FRIDAY _ 9-17-10 _ CARMEL-BY-THE-RIVER RV PARK

We leave Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and head for Carmel-By-The-River RV Park.  We don’t want to leave, but we waited too late in making our reservations and there are no spaces available in the state park for the weekend.  There are so many things remaining to see and do.  But, we will definitely return some day.

We are wondering why we were able to get a weekend space at the Carmel-By-The-River RV Park.  After all, it’s only one mile off Highway 1 and is located on the Carmel River.  Sounds idyllic.  We drive the winding one-mile, very narrow road, and cross a one-way bridge.  Not nearly as bad as some of the reviewers mentioned on the internet.  We will soon learn they failed to mention some more important shortcomings…

We pass through a neighborhood that is a little run down and most of the houses need a good coat of paint.  It’s very rural and we see a pigpen in a front yard.

We enter the RV park and it is nicely trimmed and clean, but somewhat faded and worn around the edges.  The game room is furnished with overstuffed lounge chairs covered with faded bedspreads, and a huge highly lacquered redwood burl coffee table sits in the middle.  We are pleased to discover the shower room is newly painted, clean, and cheery.

We park in our gravel-covered space.  We are pleased to discover we have a spot right on the river.  We soon discover, however, that there is no view due to the thick brush and overgrown trees.  Anxious to see the river, we find a path leading through the thicket.  We are abruptly stopped by a menacing sign: “WARNING!  KEEP OUT!  CLOSED DUE TO CONTAMINATION.”    We are camped by a river that is contaminated!  Ok, now THAT was not in any of the internet reviews of this park!

Our space, however, is quite cozy and we put out the awning and hang our lanterns.  They always radiate a warm and inviting glow.  Fred lights the grill and cooks the steak to perfection.  We eat in the warmth of candlelight and listen to the flowing, albeit contaminated, river.  Life is good and it takes practice to focus on the positive.  It’s a lovely evening and we actually like the cozy space we have created in this unusual place.


We have an unexpected guest

We later nod off to sleep listening to the pitter-patter of lightly falling rain. 

THURSDAY - 9-16-10 - PFEIFFER BIG SUR STATE PARK

We are awakened in the dead of night to the sound of yet another RV alarm going off.  This time it is the monoxide detector – no, we aren’t getting asphyxiated – but the alarm indicates the voltage is too low for the alarm to work properly.  This means the “house” battery is flat.

So far we have had the smoke detector go off several times just because something is heating on the stove, the monoxide detector has tripped several times while running the generator (fumes blowing into the RV), and now a screeching alarm that tells us we have no voltage from the house battery.  Fred disconnects the battery to stop the alarm and we go back to sleep.

We arise early and start the RV motor so we can turn on the heater to warm up the RV.  After all, we aren’t running the generator before 10 am, only the RV engine. WRONG.  Within minutes the campground host screeches his golf cart to a dust billowing halt in front of our campsite. This guy is good – does he have spies in the woods?  He informs Fred that the rule also includes “car engines or any noise before 10 am.” He leaves and Fred reluctantly turns off the engine.

Fog bank coming to shore. Hwy 1

Fortunately it ran just long enough to take the chill off the RV.  As we sit enjoying our morning meal, three Park Ranger vehicles pull up to the site next to us.  The three rangers get out and confer.  I turn to Fred, “See, I told you our neighbors are a band of Gypsies and not to be trusted.”  Yesterday when we walked to the showers Fred and I had a “discussion” about whether or not to lock up the RV.  I stated my case “TO LOCK” because of this rather suspicious group next to us.  Fred stated his case “NOT TO LOCK” because no one in the campground is going to walk over and loot our stuff in broad daylight.  Now, before our very eyes, my case “TO LOCK” is unquestionably being justified.  I rest my case your honor.

The three park rangers linger a while and then head in our direction.  The tall, and I might add rather attractive salt & pepper haired young ranger, walks up to Fred and asks him if we heard anything unusual last night.  I want to say, “You mean other than the hungry little skunk rummaging through our trash again – the trash we once again forgot to empty before going to bed?”  But I decide not.  Fred answers, “No, is anything wrong?”  The ranger gives a just-the-facts answer, “Not necessarily, just inquiring.”

 He then looks Fred straight in the eyes and says, “By the way, we’re told you were running your generator the other morning before 10 am and this morning your RV motor.  Just a reminder, all motors, engines, and generators are to be off until 10 am.”  Fred explains all the necessary and justifiable reasons for our rule breaking, but the ranger is unimpressed.

As they drive away we can’t help but wonder if Fred’s photo is now pinned up on the Park Headquarters Office wall under “Generator Violators – Use Extreme Caution”.   Obviously we are now on the “naughty” list with two red check marks against us.  Is there a Three Strikes Rule enforced here?  We decide we had better mind our Ps and Qs and not take a chance.  We will be leaving in 24 hours and hopefully can stay out of trouble that long.  We wait until 10:01, check our watches for accuracy, and turn on the generator.

Highway 1 Heading to Limekiln State Park

The remainder of the morning is spent doing general housekeeping chores.

We head for town and WiFi and lunch.  The weather is bright and sunny and very warm.  Once again we choose the Big Sur Inn patio on the river and this time share the wild salmon sandwich with chipotle mayo – fantastic!

We hop into the VW and head south on Highway 1 for the afternoon.  We are heading for Limekiln State Park – just because it sounds interesting and neither of us has ever been there.  We are glad we are not driving the RV.  Much of this stretch of Highway 1 is in bad shape and under repair.  Many areas are only one lane.  

The Kilns

Limekiln Park is in a deep canyon on the mountain-side of the highway.  We walk a fern lined path for a half-mile to the kilns.  They look so peculiar in the forest - huge and rusting.  Built in 1887 by the Rockland Lime and Lumber Company, limestone rocks were loaded into the kilns, where very hot wood fires burned for long periods to purify the lime.  After only three years, the limestone deposits were depleted as was the surrounding redwood forest that had been used for the wood fires.  A rather sad story, but today the canyon is lush and green and dotted with redwoods and other towering trees.

We return north on Highway 1 and the sun is setting.  We stop at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to photograph the very famous waterfall that cascades onto the beach.  The light is beautiful and we take several shots hoping to recreate the spectacular scene.

Pfeiffer Waterfall

It is getting dark as we wind our way home.  A huge RV passes us heading south and we are aghast.  We comment how we would NEVER drive an RV over this road, much less in the dark.  I tell Fred, “If I were his wife I would say, ‘Ok, but I’m taking a taxi, I’m not driving in this thing with you.”  Just then around the curve, following behind the RV is a TAXI!!!!  I kid you not. Honest to gosh truth.

We arrive back at the campsite and fix a light dinner.  No campfire tonight as we are pooped.  Lights out around 9:30.  

WEDNESDAY – 9-15-10 BIG SUR LIGHTHOUSE

Today we make plans to go on a tour of the Big Sur Lighthouse.  Both of us have driven past it for year on Highway 1 and have wanted to take a tour.  We decide on the 2:00 tour which means we need to be there by 1:00 – first come, first serve, no reservations.

We spend a leisure morning hanging around the campsite.  Fred grills bacon outdoors and I mix up a batch of pancakes – good old Bisquick.  We smother our pancakes in real honest-to-goodness maple syrup and crunch on the crispy bacon.

We reach the gate to the lighthouse a little before 1:00.  A few cars are already waiting in line.  We begin to have second thoughts about the tour – the wind is blowing and huge whitecaps dot the coast.  Around 2:00 the volunteer docent greets us and opens the gate.  We drive to the foot of the huge rock and park the van.  We join the group and begin the trek up the half-mile narrow road that leads to the top. People fight their way up the hill, their clothes flapping like test dummies in a wind tunnel. 

Once in a while we stop and listen to the guide’s points of interest:  a shipwreck in 1894, the trials of getting food and water to the families stationed on the rock, but most interesting of all is her story of an aircraft carrier that sank not far off the coast.  I am imagining this huge aircraft carrier at the bottom of the sea when she tells us the aircraft carrier was a dirigible built in the 1930s named the “Macon”.  This huge blimp actually transported Sparrowhawks, light-weight aircraft that she raised and lowered on a hook.  The Sparrowhawks would return to the “Macon” and the pilot would hook-up the aircraft like a trapeze artist grasping a swinging bar.  Can you picture such a thing?  You have to see the actual films in the Visitor Center to believe it.  In 1935 she sank just off the coast and only two people were lost out of the 80 on board.  As you can imagine, she was the last of the aircraft carrier dirigibles.

This is a view of the parking lot from the top of the rock:

Our guide gives us a tour of the lighthouse, the tower, the master’s quarters and the old barn once used by the original inhabitants.  The tour ends with some films in the Visitor Center.  We walk the steep, winding half-mile back to the van and leave the lighthouse parking lot around 5:00. 

We are too tired from the cold wind and three-hour tour to continue to Garrapata Beach as planned.  Instead, we return to the campground and enjoy a relaxing evening around the campfire.  Dinner is a can of Chicken Enchilada soup and quesadillas - simple and easy.  Lights out around 9:30 pm.

TUESDAY 9-14-10 THE GORGE - PFEIFFER BIG SUR STATE PARK

The night is cold in the RV and we run the heater to warm up.  We awaken to an alarm going off – we have run down the house battery.  Fred fires up the generator to charge the battery up.

The generator is on only 10 minutes when Barney Camp Host pulls up in his golf cart and informs us there are rules we must follow.  No generators prior to 10 am.  Rules are rules.  Fred turns off the generator.

We eat breakfast – Fred cold cereal, me toast and coffee.

We want to check out the other RV campgrounds in the area so we hop into the VW and head into town.  We stop at three of the campgrounds that have RV symbols on their signs.  Each has about 8 to 10 sites for large RVs and some are already reserved a year in advance.  We make note for future excursions.

We eat lunch once again on the beautiful deck of the Big Sur River Inn.  A club sandwich to share and I order a virgin Bloody Mary.  I bask in the warmth of the afternoon sun and Fred takes shelter in the shade of the umbrella.

Big Sur River Gorge

We return to camp and gather up our photo equipment for a hike to the Big Sur River Gorge.  This time we remember to bring a trail guide.  We follow the map and cross the river over a convenient footbridge.  Fred immediately senses we are heading in the wrong direction.  We look at the trail guide – we are on the right trail but heading the wrong way.  We backtrack and pick up the trail again at the end of the campground.  The trail narrows and disappears are we enter the gorge.  The huge grey and white boulders have a lustrous sheen in the fading sunlight.  We are alone in the gorge with its massive boulders and swirling water.  Almost mystical.

  

We hike back to camp and prepare dinner - Cajun shrimp, mashed potatoes (thank you Hungry Jack) and salad with miso dressing.  Fred lights the fire and we drink hot cocoa.  Lights out at 9:30 – we are tired.

MONDAY 9-13-10 PFEIFFER BIG SUR STATE PARK

I promised Fred I’d fry bacon and make gravy for breakfast so he sets up a camp stove outside (no bacon mess indoors).  It is not my best gravy attempt – and I pride myself on my gravy makin’ abilities - but on a scale from 1 to 10 I’d say it’s at best a 5.  I look over at Fred and he is eagerly lapping it up.

We take the VW into town, Ferndale, to check out the local café and store.  A nice lady behind the counter tells us of an interesting sounding trail to “Buzzard’s Roost” that begins in a grove of redwoods.  But first we have lunch at Big Sur River Inn and order the ham and cheese panini with tomatoes on wheat bread to share.  We regret the choice.  They have used that nut berry bread that feels like it is loaded with shotgun pellets.

After lunch we search out the trailhead to “Buzzard’s Roost”.  The trail begins alongside the Big Sur River and winds through a grove of huge redwoods.  The trail is well worn but we run into only 3 people along the way.  It is dark and shady in the woods and the trail steadily climbs upward.  After about 30 minutes the trail splits in two directions and a sign reads, “Buzzard’s Roost Loop”.  Ok, so which side of the loop is the shorter?  Fred recollects the map showing a shorter loop to the right – I recall the left loop being shorter, but go with his recollection as he generally has a good instinct for such things and I can get lost in Wal Mart.

The trail climbs and climbs as we zig and zag with each switchback.  We finally reach the “roost” that turns out to be a radio tower on top of the mountain.  The sparkling Pacific is in the distance as the sun lowers itself into the ocean.  We are pleased when we see an actual buzzard circle overhead.

We take some photos and head down the other side of the loop.  I stop to take a photo of bright green ferns poking through the dark mossy bank on the side of the trail.  When we return to “camp” we check the map and find our trek was a 5-mile loop. 

We walk to the showers to freshen up and I am relieved my two quarters buy me a hot, soothing burst of water.  We return to the RV and Fred tells me he thought of me shivering in the shower with no hot water!  He is then surprised to find my shower was hot and luxurious and his was a chilly one-quarter hop-in-and-out.

We make veggie tacos for dinner with Fred’s signature margaritas.    He builds a roaring fire and we relax with the last sips of margarita.  Worn and weary from the day (or is it the margaritas?) we turn in around 9:30. 

Around 3:30 am I am awakened to the sound of Fred heading out the door to use the park’s “facilities”.  He’s gone only a few minutes when I hear something making noises outside.  Is it a prowler?  An animal?  I hear a loud clunk! Clang! Crash!  I get a flashlight and shine it at the windows hoping to scare the intruder away.  Who would be messing with our stuff?  Suddenly I see the glow of Fred’s flashlight as he approaches the RV.  But then it stops, then flashes, then stops again, then another flash.  What is he doing?  Is he trying to warn me?  I look out the front door window and see Fred bent over picking up trash that is strewn around the ground.  “Was it a raccoon?”  I ask him.  “No,” he says, “It was a skunk and I kept flashing my light to scare him off.  He had his tail straight up ready for trouble and the last thing I wanted was to get sprayed by an angry skunk!”  A lesson learned – from now on we remember to empty the trash before turning in.  It takes us a while to settle back to sleep.

SUNDAY 9-12-10 MORRO BAY TO BIG SUR

The sky is still overcast as we head for breakfast at the Coffee Pot Café in Morro Bay.  It’s a cozy spot and we watch the owner greet many local friends.  Fred enjoys scrambled eggs with bacon and a side of gravy.  I have the oatmeal with walnuts, brown sugar, rains and bananas on the side.  Good as always.

We pack up camp anxious to head for Big Sur.  But first, we pull into a site with hook-ups and fill with water.  We are improving our time with the hitch and in minutes we are on the road heading for Highway 41 through the pass to Atascadero.  Once there we fill the gas tank.  Fred jumps into the RV and calculates the gas mileage – then instantly wishes he hadn’t – 7 mpg.

We hit the road the speed past (or should I say “mosey” past) brown hills dotted with clumps of green oak trees.  Shadows are getting longer as we approach King City.

In Salinas we take the highway over to the coast.  As we approach the turn off to Highway 1 we are somewhat apprehensive about the notoriously narrow and winding road ahead.  How will the RV/VW handle it?

We meander our way along the high jagged cliffs.  Fred is quite gracious and pulls over once in a while to let the build-up of autos go around us.  I enjoy counting how many were stacked up…7, 8, 9.  We are pleased and relieved to find the RV has no problem towing the VW on the narrow, winding highway  -  she just can’t go very fast up the steeper inclines and it is good practice for our patience….ohmmmmmm.

We arrive at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park around 5:00 pm and pull into our reserved site #159.  We are disappointed to find that in all of the park there are only four sites in a clearing with no trees and ours is one of them - but we consider ourselves lucky to have even gotten a space at such a late date.

Fred puts his new homemade lifts to work to level out the RV – they work beautifully.  Once level, he relaxes in my newly purchased lounger and decides he wants one.  We warm up left over green chili soup and the remains of the guacamole and chips.  The sky is clearing and it looks like tomorrow will be a bright and sunny day.  Lights out around 10 pm.

SATURDAY 9-11-10 MORRO BAY

We spend the morning in McDonald’s parking lot using their WiFi.  I am not great with a mouseless laptop and I begin to wonder if this blogging thing is really worth all the frustration.  Plus, it is an old and VERY slow PC.  Hmmm, how come Fred gets to use the new Apple laptop?

All that frustration over, the brain finally starts remembering all the steps to blogging and we get into the groove.  Fred will now download the photos while I draft a copy of the blog in Word.  Then we put it all into the blog….voila, done!

That completed, we head to Tacos de Mexico for a mouthwatering chili verde burrito.  Out of this world.  Julie, you were absolutely right.

Then back to the campground to lollygag around the RV for the afternoon.  I take a nap and Fred snoozes out in the patio.  Feels so good to be on cruise control.

The evening approaches and I introduce Fred to the “Elfin Forest” in Los Osos.  It is this charming bit of land overlooking the Morro Bay Estuary with a sun bleached boardwalk that gently curves through native plants and shrubs.  The day is still overcast and the tide has gone out leaving the estuary looking forlorn and mysterious.  The tide swirls and meanders out to sea as the sea birds settle in for the evening.

The Elfin Forest

We take lots of photos and hope to somehow capture the character of the “Elfin Forest” with its strange looking bushes and scrub oaks.  Every once in a while we feel the presence of something under the boardwalk….perhaps a troll?

We return to the campground to prepare dinner.  Note to Mike Marshall:  Fred continues to roll through the stop sign at the ranger’s station and I warn him that next time they just might shoot his tires out.

Evening is approaching as Fred lights the lanterns and prepares the charcoal for dinner.  He grills steak while I fix guacamole and chips.  Dinner is yum. We notice we are gradually falling into the rhythm of this “camping” adventure.

Tomorrow we head for Big Sur.  Rumor has it there is no internet access in that part of the country.  Should that be true, we will be in touch next weekend. Until then, or until we find WiFi somewhere…..adios, farewell, ciao… 

BIG SUR, FALL 2010 - Morro Bay 9-10-10

We are off on our Vanagon Adventure! The VW is hitched to the RV and we are ready to hit the trail. Fred starts the engine at 1:58 pm and turns it off at 1:59 pm - I need the back cushion lowered in the dinette so I can adjust my seat. Ok, NOW we’re ready to hit the trail. We pull away from the curb at 2:04 pm.

It’s Friday and the trail is crowded. Seems we aren’t the only ones wanting to get out of Dodge.

Scruffy is with us and brought along some friends - Beans, Stella and Charlie.  Looks like there's a love connection!

We’ve been a little on edge not knowing what to expect from the bucking bronco we have hitched to the back of the RV. But our fears soon subside as GUDHPNS easily lopes along behind us. Once out of Santa Barbara we begin to relax.

No wind today in Gaviota Pass - the gods are smiling upon us. The rolling hills of Santa Ynez are covered with lush green grape leaves just beginning to show golden edges of autumn. Farmers are picking crimson colored gladiolas as we glide past Santa Maria. Cowboy singer Dave Stamey is singing “the cares of the day drift away like the sparks from a flame….” as we settle into the lull of vacation.

We arrive at Morro Bay State Park around 5:00 pm. The familiar fog is there to greet us.

We made our reservation three weeks ago and selected site #60. As we drive down the row of campers Fred innocently asks, “What side are the hook-ups on?” We instantly realize there are no hook-ups - how on earth did we manage to select a site without hook-ups??? We bought this luxury home-on-wheels just so we could have all the conveniences of home and pretend we were camping - and now we don’t have hook-ups??? Once we get over our disappointment, we laugh at ourselves. After all, if THIS is the worse thing that happens, as my dad would say...

We are anxious to eat at our favorite little spot the Bayside Café. It is just a short walk from the campground in the misty evening fog. Fred orders his favorite Green Chile Soup and I order the bacon wrapped albacore skewers. Yum, as good as ever.

We enjoy the short walk back to the campsite and Fred builds a fire while I make hot cocoa. The cocoa is sweet as our cares of the day drift away “like sparks from the flame…“ Lights out at 10 pm.