West Coast Notebook

Leaving Petaluma the next morning we had to ask the teller at MacDonald’s how to get to Bodego Ave and over to the coast.

She gave great directions and off we went after getting breakfast.

Bodego Ave turns into Valley Ford and then into highway 1. How could we go wrong?

I have to say that it was fairly easy and taking the wrong road we found a roadside store that sold all organic veggies, fruit and other assorted items.

Best store ever and stocked up on snacks and fruit.

Heading back in the right direction it was the prettiest valley we’d been in on our trip through California.

The hills, fields and valleys were a lush green.

Cows and sheep grazed in the fields and there was abundant water everywhere.

They even had spots along the road with measure sticks so you could tell how deep the dip was and if you wanted to drive through it.

Today they were dry, so no problem navigating the road, and we popped out into Bodega Bay and the beach.

It was a huge beach and campsite. You paid your $10 and you can stay on the beach all day.

The campground was full.

They had a bird walk (which we didn’t take as the tide was out) but along the beach I watched the surf scoters play in the surf.

As the wave crested they would duck (no pun intended) into the wave and pop out on the other side. You can see how they got their name.

There were lots of turkey vultures circling around the dock and some were eating the remains of a fish.

Out on the water were loons, brant’s cormorants and a first time for me a long-tailed duck.

Walking down the road I found a black phoebe posing for a picture.

Driving around we found an Oyster Bar and had lunch. All the seafood was fresh so of course, it was delicious.

We finally tore ourselves away from the bay and headed up the coast on highway 1 stopping whenever something caught our fancy.

One of the places of interest was Fort Ross State Historic Park. It was a Russian settlement and we would have loved to walk down some of the trails and look around but the sun had started to go down so we needed to find a place to stay for the night.

After passing lodges and resorts we finally came across a delightful place called Ocean Cove Lodge just outside of Jenner.

It was a motel with a restaurant and a lovely view of the ocean.

The fellow that owned it was a Veteran and had only bought the property a couple of years ago.

Right now he is doing a lot of maintenance as it had sat dormant for 10 years beforehand.

He also told us that because of the fires in the area his insurance had gone up. It now cost him $52,000 a year or $1000 a day.

Because of that, he had to close down the hot tub and the playground area otherwise it would have been more expensive.

I sure hope he makes it big in the summer as we were the only ones there.

Both Rob and I agreed that it was one of the most relaxing places we had stayed in.

It wasn’t fancy but very homey and we even had a gas fireplace to keep us warm.

As we watched the sun go down I saw something fly into a tree.

At first, I thought it was an owl at that time of night but it turned out to be a Red-shouldered Hawk (another first for me).

Sleep came early and awakening fresh we headed down the road.

One of the first things we spotted was a large white bird flying across the road and it perched on a wire just in front of us.

Determined it was a hawk… but what kind of hawk.

After consulting in the bird bible Stokes Guides to Birds (Amazon link) it turns out that it was a Light morph red-tailed hawk.

Another first for me.

The next thing we saw was a sign that said… Siberians in Gualal

The people – Sakha are the northernmost horse breeders in the world and horses figure prominently in their culture.

A Sergeh or hitching post is placed beside each home.

In 2014 these Sergeh were erected to honour the ancestors that worked on this land before them.

On one of the signs on a picnic table, there was this plaque saying that this was the only place that she liked to paint as it was the most paintable spot in the world.

The next stop was for a pair of turkey vultures where were warming up their bodies.

And at the next beach stop, some oystercatchers were having baths.

As it was the other day the road was windy with switchbacks and it finally ended when we came to Leggett and took highway 101 north.

Leggett is a home of a drive-thru redwood.

It looks like the tree was originally hollow and someone cut walls into it. We were too big to go through but that didn’t stop us from getting out and having a look around.

The tree was…

Height: 315 ft
Diameter: 21 ft
Maximum Age: 2400 years

All around the park were giant redwood and out of stumps, someone had carved different animals and sasquatches.

There was a sign posted by the tree that was supposedly written by the man who designed the Golden Gate Bridge.

From there as it was getting close to evening we drove up to Fortuna, CA and spent the night.

It was the first time on the trip that a hotel still had the hot tub and pool going.

Putting on our bathing suits we took advantage of the hot water one minute and then the cool pool the next, only to hop back into the warmth of the hot tub and off to bed.

Arriving at Julian, CA we found a whole new world.

This world was filled with apple trees and vineyards with lush green valleys and hills.

Originally Julian had been a gold rush town but when that petered out they found that it was a perfect location to grow apples.

Now they have reinvented themselves with wine tasting, apple cider and artists.

Lovely town to explore and walk through except we were there about 7 am and nothing was open.

So much for breakfast.

Just before you come into Julian there is an area called Banners and the Banner Ranch.

You could rent a tiny house or relax in a covered wagon. Very bright and colourful as you pass by the ranch.

Finally, we ended up in Ramona and had breakfast at a Denny’s.

An hour and a half later we were at Oceanside, walking on the sandy beach and watching the surfers.

We didn’t make it very far after that as we stopped at every beach along the way following the coastal highway and finally ended up in Laguna Beach.

Hotels go for $250 a night but we figured as we had saved on camping that we could splurge for the night.

Going for a walk down to the water to watch the sunset we found there was a long pier with a rollercoaster and Ferris wheel

It was a ways away down the beach but it was all lit up for the evening’s fun.

Getting back onto highway 1 we again stopped at beaches, sat in the sand and watched the world go by.

As dark was settling in we found a campsite called Sycamore Canyon Campground and even though it said it was full there were numerous campsites empty so we claimed one.

Only to find out an hour later that all the sites had been reserved whether they were there or not and we would have to go.

But… there were no hotels around and the next campsite was full as well so Rob pulled out the senior and disability cards saying he just wasn’t able to drive any further and basically we weren’t leaving.

The warden finally said that in the day-use area they sometimes let RV’s park there but as we weren’t self-contained we wouldn’t be allowed.

But, we assured her. We were self-contained so the next question was do you have a toilet?

And we said yes we did (pee bucket but we didn’t tell her that) and we got the go-ahead to park in the day parking area.

By this time it was dark and we set up the thunder range, boiled water for the hot water bottles and snuggled into bed.

As I slept I could hear the sound of waves crashing on the beach and it lulled me to sleep.

Awaking the next morning I wondered if I had dreamed the waves as I didn’t think we were that close to the water.

Further inspection showed us if you went under the road through a tunnel there was the ocean and it made a roar as the water met the sand.

As we stood on the other side of the tunnel the water was coming right up to the edge of the wall and as we stood there a small seal came out of the water and headed onto the beach on the other side of the wall.

If you timed it just right when the waves were out you could scamper around the wall onto the beach beyond.

Rob went first and scared the little seal back into the water as it was just on the other side of the barricade.

I went next and saw this wonderful beach stretching out in front of us.

And… better yet there were shorebirds actively feeding.

The birds turned out to be some Marbled Godwits and a willet.

Pelicans were doing flybys and seagulls dotted the beach.

Out on the water, we could see the fins of two dolphins as they raced through the water to parts unknown.

Good thing the tide was going out so we made it back past the wall and up to the van seeing some yellow-rumped warblers along the way.

Heading out of the campground we almost drove over a Cooper’s hawk having a bath in a mud puddle.

It just sat there and let me take pictures until a lady on a bicycle scared it away.

Back on the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), we headed up to just above Santa Barbara and took highway 154 and headed away from the coast.

Stopping at Cachuma Lake Recreation Area we had a lovely lunch under a large tree overlooking the lake.

They said it had been four years since they had any significant rainfall and the lake was at 47% of its capacity.

Back on the road highway 154 turned into highway 101 and we ended up at Pismo Beach for the night.

It was such a beautiful beach we decided to spend the night on it.

You could drive on the beach and about 2 miles down they had an RV camping area. This consisted of just finding our spot in the sand and camping out.

Before we headed down the road we went back into town to get something for dinner (sushi) and then much to Rob’s delight we drove down the beach, pulled out the camping chairs and sat and watched the sun dip below the horizon.

To my delight waking up in the morning, there were plovers, sandpipers, egrets, long-billed curlew and other assorted birds.

As Rob packed up I ran up and down the beach taking as many pictures as I could.

We continued on highway 1 up to San Fransico and over the Golden Gate Bridge.

The fog was in abatement and we could see Alcatraz from the lookout on the other side of the bridge.

There were over 150 people there and we were one of a couple of people wearing masks.

Taking the PCH the drive was full of twists and turns, cliff and no guard rails.

A bit of a hairy drive.

At Olema, we turned right on Sir Francis Drake Blvd and then left on Platform Bridge Road into Petaluma after a long day of driving.

Now Petaluma is an interesting town as the streets don’t run straight. They circle and curve and although we could see some hotels it was almost impossible to get to them.

Along with it being dark and we were tired it made an interesting hunt for a place to sleep.

Rob lucked out on a road that led to a hotel and we settled in for a well-deserved rest.

Went back on highway 10 and turned left onto highway 78.

Along the way, we saw red-tailed hawks on the hydro poles as well as a kestrel.

In the fields were sandhill cranes and egrets.

Stopping at different places along the Colorado River to watch the coots and check out other places we might like to camp in the future.

Our next stop was Glamis which basically is a huge sand dune in the desert where people congregate to ride their dune buggies, ATVs and motorcycles.

In peak season (which is now as it’s Thanksgiving) there can be 200,000 (that’s right, two hundred thousand) people there.

And from what we could see there was a least that many. It is huge.

Motorhome galore and expensive toys were as far as the eye could see.

Rob decided that going down a sand road might be a good idea only to find that when we tried to go up a hill we sank deep into the ground and there we stayed.

Thank heavens a good samaritan came by and towed us out because we wouldn’t have gotten out on our own. Up to the bumper in the sand.

Huge winds were blowing and the air was brown with dust.

Everything in the van is gritty and covered in a fine layer of sand.

Continuing along highway 78 we bypassed Brawley and were heading towards Oceanside.

But… we missed the turnoff and ended up at Salton City.

This is what happens when you don’t have a GPS, are travelling with an old map and we are both gawking at the scenery.

So, we did the next best thing.

Took S22 towards Borrego Springs, turned right on Yaqui Pass Road (S3) and stopped for the night as a little campground called Tamarisk Grove Campground.

Sometimes the mistakes we make are the best ones.

The scenery along the way was magnificent.

There were huge, jagged rocks/mountains and sand valleys which without a picture is really hard to explain.

Basically, think enormous stalagmites with valleys of sand. It looked like you could get lost in a maze of canyons if one walked along the valley floor.

Also, along the way there were more sand dunes and of course along with the dunes comes RV’s, ATV’s and other toys.

They were scattered along a 10 miles stretch in small groups and a little more spread out than at Glamis.

But everyone was having a good time camping, partying and riding through the dunes.

The ground finally gave way to a lush greenery of Skull Valley and miles and miles of white metal fencing. It appeared to enclose a huge ranch that went on as far as the eye could see.

It was starting to get dark and the next town was called Julian but we didn’t know how far it was when we came upon a campground called Tamarisk Grove.

Fortunately, they had 2 spots left and we filled one of them.

For $22 a night we got a campsite close to the washrooms (very important) and bought some firewood.

The firewood was from an avocado tree and when it burned it didn’t snap, crackle or pop. It was the quietest campfire I’ve ever not heard.

Rob found a bush pile behind the site and added fuel to fire to keep it going much longer than just the purchased wood.

In the morning Rob read a sign that said… NO WOOD GATHERING!

Our excuse was it was dark and we didn’t see it. We really didn’t see it until we were ready to leave.

But as we had burned the evidence… no harm, no foul.

Getting up early we headed down highway 78 toward Julian.

We arrived in Blythe just as the sun was setting.

The camp host gave us a list of all the birds in the area as well as the tidbit that there were some burrowing owls in a field about 1/2 mile away.

After we set up camp I went over and asked her directions on how to find the owls.

And basically, they went like this.

Go behind campsite 50 and go down a path.

You will see a trail and you need to duck under a fence.

From there the directions were a little obscure.

It’s sort of like turn right at the burned down church, you know… the one that burned down 7 years ago and there are no longer any visible remains.

From there walk 50 paces and turn left at the large tree and you will come to a Y and take the trail to the left.

Look for little bumps on the bank.

But, I was willing to give it a try.

So, we got up at 5:30 as she said they would be visible between 6-7 am and off we went.

Found campsite 50 and the trail behind it.

Ducked under the fence and started across the field.

And then from there, it went a little sideways.

We ended up walking 2 sides of a ditch. Me on one side and Rob on the other.

Rob found some burrows that could have been dug by the owls, but there was no evidence that they had ever been there.

Drats…

Need more instructions.

Going back to camp Rob fired up the thunder range and we made a couple of hot chocolates and watched the sun come up over the river.

Now, getting up that early has its benefits.

We could hear the sandhill cranes long before we saw them fly over as they made their way to breakfast in a cornfield some distance away.

Next came the herons and egrets flying in the morning light and some sandpipers dipped down onto a sandbar in the middle of the river.

After a hot drink, we needed gas and some groceries so headed back into town and found that we had gone by 2 grocery stores yesterday as we hadn’t recognized the names.

This morning it was fried chicken for breakfast and I have to say it was better than KFC.

But, we did pick up some oatmeal for the next morning.

Driving back we went upriver from the campsite to see if there was any access to the river but the road took a turn away from the water so we headed back to the campsite.

The wind picked up at this time and was howling.

Birds were standing still in flight and trees were bending in the wind.

Turns out this is normal weather for the area at this time of year and I spent the rest of the day reading and Rob puttered around cleaning up the van and all the assorted items we had brought or acquired along the way.

Later that evening as I came out of the washrooms I saw something fly overhead.

Following it to a tree it landed in,  turns out to be a great horned owl. Such a perfect ending to the day.

Got up early the next morning with a new set of instructions for finding the burrowing owls.

Set up across the field and by chance ran into a gentleman walking his dog.

He was 84 and had been coming to this campsite for 15 years.

I explained to him what I was doing and he said “I know exactly where they are and I’m walking that way to I’ll show you where to find them.”

Thank heavens as my new instructions were nowhere near where the owls actually were.

He pointed to a section of the bank where they normally were and walked on.

Pretty soon I saw this little bump on the hill and sure enough, it was a little owl peeking over the top.

Further down we could see a couple of other heads just cresting the brim.

If you got too close they would fly into the alfalfa field and hide. Then they would stand up and look around them to see where you were at.

Pretty soon they would fly back to the top of the bank and it was then we realized that their burrows were directly under them.

The burrows actually had quite big openings and looked like a larger animal could have lived there. No good pictures of the burrows as they were in the shade.

It was the highlight of the trip so far and I’m so glad I brought my camera.

I had never seen burrowing owls before and was amazed at how small they were (about the size of a robin but rounder)  and it didn’t look like they could turn their heads all around like the barred or great horned owl.

Finally, after taking an untold amount of pictures we headed back to the campsite and decided to pack up as the wind had come up again and showed no signs of letting up.

Back on the road and headed west for the coast.