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!
As we came closer to Chowchilla, we saw groves of almond trees with picker's cars lined up along the road. Chowchilla began as a migrant town with rice being the main crop. There is no natural body of water located anywhere in the 14,815 acres of land that make up Chowchilla. Thus, it was very dry and water was a premium.
Therefore, imagine our surprise when we arrived at our next campground: green, lush, a small lake with a fountain, a swimming pool and a golf course nearby. Wow!
The lobby was cool and inviting and quite nice. Oh, and did I mention the heat? Well, a record heat was expected for the week and the highs were going to be around 108F (42.2C)! The sun was intense and we could already feel the searing rays outdoors.
After checking in, we set up campsites. Well maintained, level, concrete pads with full hookup...we liked this place. This flag traveled with us wherever we went...and it was true.
We walked around the campground and checked out the amenities.
We laid low that first day trying to acclimate ourselves to the intense heat. When the night came, we watched a spectacular sunset.
The next day the temperature reached 104F (40C). Rick and I drove into the town of Chowchilla to explore a bit and get our bearings. Downtown Chowchilla was very small so there wasn't much to do or see. The big employers in town were a prison and a women's correctional facility. Chowchilla did make national news once in 1976 when 26 children and their school bus driver were kidnapped in town then driven to a quarry where they were placed in a van that was buried underground. The kids and driver were able to dig themselves out and go for help. The quarry owner's son and accomplice were arrested.
After seeing downtown, we went back to our campground and hung out by the pool and tried to stay cool.
The following day, June 4th, we hooked up with our travel companions Ralph and Janet and took their SUV to Merced, a town 17 miles away. There we strolled around an open air flea market/farmers market for a while. I saw some strange fruit (or maybe they were vegetables) that I've never seen before. Most of the vendors spoke only Spanish so I couldn't determine the names. Darn. Maybe one of my readers knows what these are and will share?
I love trying new foods when I travel. It's part of the fun and this was no exception. This was called Elotes (which came on the cob or in a cup) and was made of roasted corn, lime juice, homemade hot sauce, crumbled cotja cheese, poblano crema and fresh cilantro. The hot sauce was potent and very spicy but the entire concept was delicious. My mouth burned so I bought a lime flavored shaved ice from another vendor to cool the lingering scorch in my mouth.
As the temperature climbed to 107F (41.6C) that day we wilted and had to leave the market and seek cool shelter. Along the way back to the campground, we found a Save More grocery store and bought some king cut pork chops that were on sale.
We waited for the day to end and cool down with the night. It was a welcome relief from the heat.
Later, we grilled the pork chops outdoors and cooked some sweet potatoes. Janet made a Caprese salad of fresh sliced tomatoes, fresh mozzarella and cilantro. The meal was superb.
The next morning around 11:30 a.m. we got together with Janet and Ralph and drove 40 miles to Fresno for a day of shopping. These clips were sold at a chain store in America called Bed, Bath and Beyond. The clips were designed to secure a towel to a beach chair. I had a few with me in the motorhome already and I found they came in handy holding down a table cloth on a picnic table during a breeze or wind. I would recommend them as part of any camping supply.
We waited for another day of 107F (41.6C) temperatures to subside and welcomed a cooler night.
Next, one of the mightiest parks of them all: California - (Part 7) Yosemite
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