California - (Part 10) Sacramento

It was a beautiful morning. The day was June 12, 2016 and it was going to be another travel day. After eating breakfast at the Casa De Fruitas campground restaurant, we packed up our rigs and hit the road around 12 noon. Our next stop was a special one as we headed to Sacramento. It was a short ride at 145 miles and approximately three hours worth of driving. The outdoor temperature was a comfortable 73F (22.7C) and we had gorgeous blue skies overhead.

The yellow grasslands on rolling hills surrounded the deep blue of the San Luis Reservoir. The water level was really low and its white banks were exposed.     

  

California - (Part 9) Monterey and Carmel

On June 10, 2016 we chose to drive in the SUV to Monterey Bay and Carmel (both scenic coastal destinations) and see the gorgeous sights we have heard so much about. So at 9:15 a.m. that day we got our start, and with wonderful weather in the low 60'sF (16C), we traveled past farmlands on both sides of the road for miles - neat lines of garlic, artichoke, kale, walnut trees, pistachio trees, strawberries, almond and cherry trees.

California - (Part 8) Hollister

Wagons Ho!! That's one of my favorite sayings that I've heard watching old western movies about wagon trains moving across the land. Anyhow, that seemed a bit like us on that beautiful day on June 9, 2016 as we loaded up our coaches and headed towards Hollister, California.

We drove 74 miles to our next camping destination called Casa De Fruitas RV Orchard Resort. Our route westbound on CA-152 took us directly to the resort in a short time. After checking in and setting up camp at our designated sites, there was still plenty of day to explore the area.

  

A Promise Kept

Whenever you are in a new place, it's normal to get recommendations on what to see in the area. Well, Rick and I are currently in Iowa attending the 2017 Winnebago GNR Rally (a blog post on that later) and several folks in town (Forest City, Iowa) suggested we visit the "West Bend Grotto". I Googled the place and we set our destination in the car GPS. The actual name of this marvelous shrine is The Grotto of the Redemption and it's in West Bend, Iowa. And I must say - it was worth a look-see.

California - (Part 7) Yosemite

It was already a scorcher at 102F (38.8C) at our campground in Chowchilla when we piled into our SUV and Ralph, Rick Janet and I headed towards Yosemite National Park for a long day trip. Tucked inside a cooler in the back was a tasty picnic lunch that Janet had prepared for us for later that day. It was 9:00 a.m. with a blue sky above and we were excited to experience this famed American parkland.

Over the 64 mile drive, we saw our view change from golden grasslands and gentle, rolling hills to...

  

California - (Part 6) Chowchilla

What an adventure so far...and still much more to come.

On June 2, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. we said goodbye to Paso Robles and headed out for an easy 106 mile drive to Chowchilla, California. Our plans were to use Chowchilla as our "base camp" towards a visit to Yosemite National Park, which was approximately 64 miles further away. 

We left Paso Robles with blue skies and a pleasant temperature of 78F (25.5C). The odometer reading on our motor home read 11,226 when we left Paso Robles which meant we had traveled 4,721 miles so far on this incredible journey. Wow!

The scenery during our ride was of wide open plains in golds, yellows, light browns and greens and softly rounded mountains in the distance. So beautiful!

  

California - (Part 5) Hearst Castle

I was excited! This was another place along the map I was eager to see. For those who have been reading my blog faithfully, you will know I am a big old movie fan. So a visit to the famous Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California was a chance to experience a place where legendary Hollywood actors/actresses played and stayed.

California - (Part 4) Paso Robles

Our next little slice of America would be Paso Robles, California. So on May 30, 2016, we put rubber to the road and left Coalinga behind us around 11:00 a.m. and made a short drive on CA-41 then CA-46 west for 73 miles toward Paso Robles RV Ranch. The land was mostly barren and dry with 35% humidity and the temperature outside was 93F (33.8C) with blue skies above. The tint on the horizon was mostly yellow from brittle, low lying grasses coating the hills. 

  

California - (Part 3) Coalinga and Horn Toads

It was May 28th and 82F (27.7C) with blue skies and sunshine. Our next stop on the map was Coalinga, California where we had reservations to stay at the Sommerville Almond Tree RV Park. So we packed up our campsites at the Sequoia RV Resort at 10:00 a.m. and started a two hour drive on easy, level roadways towards our next destination. What a gorgeous view as we passed Lake Kaweah with dry, yellow grassy hillsides in the distance.

  

California - (Part 2) Three Rivers and Giant Redwoods

What excitement! This portion of the trip was one I had been looking forward to...seeing the giant redwoods! However, first we had to get there and find camp nearby. No problem...we were headed to Three Rivers, California and had reservations to stay at the Sequoia RV Ranch. This would be our gateway to the giants and the Sequoia National Park.

On May 25, we were up and rolling at 10:00 a.m. and headed to Three Rivers, which was supposed to be a three hour drive with 60F (15.5C), blue skies and a gentle breeze. The landscape before us morphed from dry, scraggy rocks and scrub brush...