Klameth River meeting the Pacific Ocean

Elk outside our front door! 

Making Cheese at Loleta Cheese Factory 

Last Days in CA

April 28-30....On our way to Trinidad we detoured to the Lecata Cheese Factory. We sampled many kinds of cheese and of course had to buy a few! One of the photos above is the making of Monterey Jack cheese - looks real appetizing doesn't it?!?!? We took a scenic route off 101 to the "Avenue of the Giants". We would highly recommend this drive for magnificent views of the Redwoods. Yesterday we looked out the window and saw a couple of Elk right outside our door step. We went outside and saw that there were 29 Elk grazing around the RV Park (I counted them & they were all within 50 yards or less of the motorhome). There were another 12 inside a fence behind us along with several horses. It appears that there is a small opening in the fence that the Elk can get through but not the horses. There roam all over, What a site! We walked pretty close to them and they just stood and watched - hence the picture you see. (I have one even closer and also of the whole herd). We also took a drive farther into the park and drove down a back road to the coast. We saw where the Klameth River meets the Pacific Ocean. We managed to get a glimpse of some whales - no photos however! Today leave California - we thought we may have to apply for residency since we have been here for 6 weeks. On to Oregon! .

Dixie at the "One Log House" 

Mike & his brother, Roger 

The Jelly Belly Factory 

Apr 16-27

April 16-27....We headed north on the 16th with a slight unexpected detour to downtown San Francisco (we took the wrong turn). It was an experience driving up & down the hills on a narrow street. After a quick stop to ask a policeman, we made it to the road that would take us to the Oakland Bay bridge. Next stop - The Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfiled, CA. We took the tour through the factory and taste tested the Jelly Belly's....have you every had a Garlic Jelly Bean? Actually it's pretty good! The place is pretty amazing- there are many very large framed portaits of famous people all made out of Jelly Belly Beans! Of course we left there with a bag full of Jelly Bellys (for gifts of course!) We moved on to our stay in Winter's CA, a park near a Putah Creek and Lake Berryessa. We were only 25 miles from Napa so we made a day trip to the Napa Valley area and did a little wine tasting and went on a tour of a Winery that makes "sparkling wine"! It was quite interesting. We made a trip to Houston for a few days to attend our nephews wedding and go to a few Dr. appts. We had a great time visiting family and friend from work. Today we are on our way up the coast. Our destination today is an overnight stop in Garberville, CA then on to Trinidad, CA tomorrow (In the Redood National Park). We just went through the "Famous One Log House". It looks like a trailer house but it was made out of a redwood log that was hollowed out. It was quite unique! We also saw the "Grandfather Tree" that is 265 ft tall and 55 ft in circumference. The redwoods are a beautiful site!

Monterey Coast 

Mike at Pebble Beach 

Big Sur to SFO

April 12-15....We drove 80 plus miles of a curvy, mountainous road (Hwy 1) between San Simeon and Big Sur. It was pretty slow going but the view was spectacular - crashing waves of the ocean, beautiful rocky coastline, and green mountains - the view doesn't get much better than this. We arrived in Big Sur to a campground with the Big Sur River right outside our door and surrounded by Redwood trees. We had no cell phone, internet, or TV service which made it quite peaceful! We drove to Carmel & Monterey on Wed. and took the 17 Mile Drive around the coast, which included a stop at Pebble Beach Golf Course. We then had lunch on Cannery Row in Monterey. It is definitely beautiful here. It is pretty windy along that part of the coast - which just goes to show that no place is perfect! Today we arrived in Pacifica, just a few miles south of San Francisco. Our parking site today is overlooking the Pacific Ocean!

Morro Rock "Gilbrater of the Pacific" & the Retirees! 

The CA Central Coast 

The Neptune Pool at Heast Castle 

Heart Castle/Garden 

Central CA Coast

Apr 9-10.....Our home is now parked at Morro Bay, CA! What a fantastic view of the bay/ocean. We are 2 blocks from the bay and "Morro Rock", which is considered the Gibralter of the Pacific! Saturday we strolled the main street & the waterfront (it's like a mini San Fransisco warf). Today we started by attending Church at a small local Lutheran Church. Then we drove up the road 30 minutes to Hearst Castle and took 1 of the 4 tours offered. What a spectacular site! The tour and Imax were great. The grounds alone are a beautiful site, not to mention the fully furnished Castle. Mr. Hearst referred to it as his "Ranch". It's hard to imagine people living in that manner - however he did invite many guests to enjoy it with him. The photos attached only show a small portion of it (it's too large to get a real good photo). The central Calif. coast is truely a site to behold, we would highly recomment it! Tomorrow is a day to catch up on our golf practice. I'm (Dixie) still not good enough to hit the course. Tuesday we are off to Big Sur/Carmel/Monterey!

Mountain Lion - Living Zoo 

Mike at Disney California Adventure 

Dixie at Reagan Library 

More of California

April 7
"Whew! Finally we have a break to update you on what we are doing. We seemed to have kept busy in the Palm Springs area between family, friends & sightseeing. We spent a lovely Easter with Dixie's Aunt and family. We headed into the LA area last Sunday (4/3) ...we spent one day driving around the area Mike lived in during the early 70's and visiting friends from IAH at the airport. The next day we decided to brave "Disneys California Adventure" - yes Spring Break is still going on. We spent 45min to an hour in line for each ride. You ask, Was it worth it? Wellllll, the rides were thrilling & we had fun, but yes that is a long time to spend in line for anything! We were able to meet Mike's sister & brother-in-law for Dinner that evening at Downtown Disney. On Wed. we headed to Simi Valley and visited the Ronald Reagan Library. That's 4 Presidental Librarys now! They are in the process of building a hanger for the an Air Force One. The airplane is there but it is not open to the public until later this year. We really enjoyed the library and find that we learn alot more about each Presidency with each visit. Today we are headed to an area up the coast from Santa Barbara (Solvang - a Danish community). We will stay there for 2 days and try and catch our breath. We are actually ready for a little relaxation, it's tough and expense to travel and tour so much! Today is our 15th Anniversary - I can say that 15 years ago today I would not have thought that we would be living in 36ft Motorhome. We have lived in it for almost 6 months and are still speaking to each other, so I guess thats a good sign that we will make it! (I had to wait to post this until today, the 8th as I needed highspeed).