San Francisco and points north ...

Friday, March 29

Three days sleeping indoors ... in three different beds.

After breakfast with the Berry-Smiths on Friday morning, Jennifer persuaded me to take their pass for the Monterey Aquarium and pay a visit. I left Eliot behind in Rodney’s care for a couple of hours. The aquarium is really worth a visit although the adult admission fee is $34.99. There are several really large tanks containing sharks, tuna, rays and other large fish. I particularly liked the areas featuring jelly fish and sea horses. There was also an aviary with an interesting collection of sea birds. When I looked in through the door of the aviary I assumed that the birds must be animatronic. They were right there in front of you ... some merely arms length away quite unconcerned about the people watching them. You’d never, ever get this close to these birds on the beach . One of the volunteers explained to me that the birds are mostly rescue birds that have been in captivity quite a while and have been acclimatized to people and the aviary space.

After about an hour of wandering around, the aquarium really filled up ... mostly with hyper-active children who’d been given one too many espressos that morning. So I made my escape back to collect Eliot.

Around lunch time we began driving further up Hwy 1 to Menlo Park which is one of the communities south of San Francisco. (I think it would be considered part of Silicon Valley ... Palo Alto is right next door.)

We arrived at my friend John’s townhouse in Menlo Park by late afternoon. I hadn’t seen John for a very long time and so we spent a few hours catching up. Later in the evening John treated me to dinner at a lovely Italian restaurant in Palo Alto where Eliot was welcomed on the back patio. John knows the owners and they were very gracious and accommodating. The food was delicious especially the beet salad and caramel ice cream with sea salt and olive oil. When we got up to leave, the owner came over and gave us both a hug good-bye. Totally charming.

After dinner we walked along Palo Alto’s University Avenue (Palo Alto is home to Stanford University.) I only vaguely recalled some of the buildings from a visit three decades ago. But I did recognize the open air courtyard and fountain from an old movie theatre that had since been turned into a Borders Bookstore which has since closed. And I had my first visit to an Apple Store where Eliot was fussed over by the gal at the door.

Saturday, March 30

On Saturday, John went off to lunch with a friend and I steeled myself for the drive into San Francisco. Shortly before I left on this road trip I’d had a friend request from my old friend, Jeffrey whom I’d met around the same time as I was getting to know John in the 1980s. Jeffrey had invited the dog and me to drop by for a night when we were passing through heading north. Jeffrey lives with his husband, Thomas and their Portuguese Water Dog, Mooka, in the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood of San Francisco. There was no way to program the GPS to avoid steep hills but I managed to find Jeffrey and Thomas without having to pull away from a stop sign at the top of one of San Francisco’s notoriously steep hills. (The van has a standard transmission.)

We spent the afternoon roaming the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood and had a delicious lunch at a place specializing in crepes. Later they showed me a record store that was huge with an amazing collection of new and used CDs. There were also a lot of LPs which I was amused to note seemed to cost way more than the CDs. What a treat to browse such a large store now that they have become a rare thing.

 

 

Some of the more intricately decorated houses in the neighbourhood.

Sunday, March 31

The following morning when I was giving Eliot a walk, I discovered that I was going to get to experience a neighbourhood tradition:

Sure enough at 9 am, you could hear the shouts and squeals of neighbourhood kids running up and down the street looking for egg treats. A little later the adults gathered for coffee and baked goodies while the kids all ate too much chocolate.

 

 

A house elsewhere in the neighbourhood decorated with two foot high eggs

 

 

 

 

Visit to the local dog off-leash area with a pretty stunning view.

 

 

 

 

 

After lunch, Eliot and I headed north over the Golden Gate Bridge not having decided exactly what route we would take. Just as we started to cross the bridge, the rains came down and it was all eyes on the road with little view to enjoy through the fog and the pouring rain. We headed up the coast road and, since the weather had cleared, headed out to see the lighthouse at Point Reyes. No luck. As we approached the headland at the bottom of the cape, the fog and clouds and rain moved in. A disappointing end to a 45 minute drive over some very rough road.

 

 

We ended up spending the night camped at Cassini’s Family Campground just up river from Jenner, CA. We had a lovely spot on the Russian River. But it was unserviced (no water, no electricity) and I was a bit surprised when it turned out to be our most expensive California camping spot so far: $45.00 + tax. Yikes! They did have showers that didn’t require coins. Too bad most of our short stay was damp and rainy.

Camping on the Russian River

San Simeon State Park to Monterey, CA

The road north from San Simeon State Park begins gently enough. But soon the road becomes one of the great stretches of road in the world (IMHO). Most of the way from here to Carmel the road clings to the side of the coastal mountains. It’s spectacular coastal scenery and one really does need to keep eyes on the road. But there are lots of pull outs where it’s possible to stop and be amazed by the scenery.

On of my favourite spots where we stopped had this view of one of Hwy 1’s bridges.

I decided we might as well pause and have lunch sitting on a big rock enjoying the view. About five minutes after I’d started enjoying my peanut butter sandwich, this very expensive and very black BMW rolled up containing a two adults and two children. Dad proceeded to unpack quite a bit of camera gear and tripods. Then Mom appeared and at first I thought I’d had my first California celebrity sighting. The woman was almost a dead ringer for Sarah-Jessica Parker. (Actually I’m pretty sure Parker and husband Matthew Broderick live in New York City, but I refuse to let facts get in the way of a good story.) The woman who was not SJP was dressed all in black with fancy boots. Clearly there was no hiking planned for her afternoon. There then ensued a photo shoot of sorts. There was much model type posing and some timer shots so that they could all get in the shot. I had assumed that the Mom would be kind of snooty but she came over to ask about Eliot and she was very down to earth and friendly. A lesson re-enforced, I guess.

On and on we drove up through Big Sur and eventually arrived back at civilization in Carmel, CA. Carmel is a very rich and ritzy place but it is also very dog friendly. It has a beautiful beach right downtown that allows dogs off-leash. So many California beaches prohibit dogs that it became rather frustrating. So Eliot and I had a great walk on this beach (end to end and back again).

After our walk, I was interested in finding a late afternoon cup of coffee. We wandered up to the shopping district that had many shops but only one coffee shop that I could find and it was just closing. Although I looked my very saddest, the owner was a hard hearted woman and would not be persuaded to even allow me the dregs from one of the urns. I reflected that in Carmel it appeared to be easier to buy a Rolex watch (a real one) than find a cup of coffee. One observation I have to make is that for a ritzy town there appeared to be a lot of shops displaying rather bad art (again, in my humble opinion).

Of course, I should talk. As we’d rolled into town I was sure we would come to a manned gate where the VW would be refused entry even though I was attired in my best wardrobe from MEC.

We spent the evening and night with our new best friends from Joshua Tree National Park. The Berry-Smiths. They were most accommodating. They have a beautiful home in the hills above Monterey with beautiful views of Monterey Bay. We spent the night sleeping in their very comfortable basement. Jennifer seemed quite concerned that we would not be warm enough and almost insisted that she dig out a space heater. I kept explaining that we were from Canada and that we would be quite OK. We slept comfortably and warmly

Jalama Beach, CA to San Simeon State Park

Morning view of the countryside at Jalama Beach

On Wednesday morning we left the county park at Jalama Beach and headed north once more. Not before we paid the balance owing on our campsite. The surfer dude guy who was at the booth seemed to have difficulty with the computer and I think I ended up getting overcharged. In retrospect I probably should have just driven away. Would I get caught the next time I tried to enter the U.S. I guess I’ll never know.

We stopped for coffee in the town of Lampoc, CA. Mostly I needed to check in with their wi-fi but it turned out to be a funky little coffee shop with home baked goodies. They also had some really interesting art for sale although the one piece with the Westy in it was NOT for sale. They also had lots of old, odd musical instruments hanging on the walls – including a couple of old euphonium.

Over the years since I became a VW Westfalia owner, I’ve occasionally ordered parts and accessories from GoWesty. It’s a business in Los Osos, CA that specializes in Westy parts and also sells reconditioned vehicles – most with a hefty price tag. In any event, the latest gadget they’ve come up with which was tempting me is a controller for the intermittent windshield wipers on the van. As built 30 years ago the intermittent wipers only have one speed. This gadget allows you to control the frequency of the intermittent wiping. Living in Victoria it seemed to me as if it would make a good investment. And since we were pretty much passing by I thought I would just drop in, pick the tiny electronic gadget up and avoid shipping charges to Canada. Their staff were as friendly as their website would suggest and I will now have adjustable intermittent wiping when I get back to Victoria.

We didn’t really cover a lot of ground today and ended up at the state park just south of San Simeon Castle – the estate of the late William Randolph Hearst. We camped in the upper campground with lovely views down to the coast and had a good night’s sleep in the sparsely occupied campground.

Piru, CA to Jalama Beach, CA

Puttered around this morning and didn’t leave the Piru Recreation Area until after 11 am. Not far along Hwy 126 is Fillmore, CA. It’s a small town but has this lovely square in front of their city hall.

They also have a railway museum which I found interesting. They have quite a collection of old locomotives and mostly passenger cars. It is possible to ride on some of this old stock but not today. There was a sign saying that soot and embers could be expected if riding in the open air carriages pulled by steam engines.

Fillmore has a lovely downtown with many shops including this one.

It was unclear to me if the guns and ammo were considered gifts. And, if not, what other things might the shop contain as ‘gifts’. I was not inclined to enter to find out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wasn’t too far from Fillmore to the coast where Hwy 126 connected with Hwy 101. The original coast highway is know as the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and designated Hwy 1. In this part of California, two lane Hwy 1 has disappeared and been replaced with a four to six lane freeway. Still there was one opportunity to get off and drive along the old road. It was quintessential southern California. Beach after beach with surfers parked at the side of the road and carrying their boards across to the beach.

A little further down the road in Carpinteria, I  had a lovely lunch (fish tacos) on the patio of a local restaurant. It was frequented by many locals.

I took care of a couple of errands in Carpinteria (groceries, gas) and we headed further north on Hwy 101. I’d seen a write up for a campground at Jalama Beach. It’s down a long twisty road from Hwy 1 to the ocean. As I drove down the road I was thinking that this was going to be a great spot – quiet and secluded. Well, it is both of those things but it turns out there’s a fairly large campground here and it’s almost full. Still we’re camped up above the beach with a beautiful view of the surrounding hills and the beach.

And I even got to see an Amtrak Train (The Coast Starlight?) go by shortly after we arrived. I do love things that run on two rails.

Borrego Springs, CA to Piru, CA

On Sunday we began to head north again. The plan is to get out to the coast north of Los Angeles and make our way north to visit some old friends in San Francisco and Menlo Park.

My main plan for Sunday’s drive was avoiding Los Angeles. So we meandered north towards Palmdale, CA and ended up west of Palmdale in the Angeles National Forest where we camped in the Cottonwood Campground. It might not have been our first choice but I was tired of driving and ready to stop.

There were some strange people at Cottonwood. First of all, there were a bunch of young teenage guys who seemed to be supervised by an Asian man. They were friendly enough but rather wild running around with machetes (they couldn’t have been real?) and later toy guns and air rifles making quite a racket. But they did quiet down fairly early in the evening.

Around one in the morning I heard a car go by and then some commotion. There was a lot of loud talk but somehow I went back to sleep undisturbed. It was more disturbing in the morning when I woke up and got to see my neighbours. Although they couldn’t have gotten more than five hours sleep they were up making a campfire and once again talking in very loud voices. I thought: “This is what comes from listening to your iPod at too high a volume.”

In any event, there were two guys and two gals ... mid-20s I’d guess. I soon realized that I had my morning’s entertainment right next door. I do think they were smoking something that was making them so antic. They kept bickering among themselves. At one point it seems there was a need for more firewood so the mouthy guy sent the two gals off in the car to get some at the other end of the park. The two gals returned with what looked like a railway tie that was about four times as wide as the fire pits in the park. They had to bring it back with the trunk of the car open. This led to another round of incoherent arguments. All I could think was that they deserved one another. Oh, and I forgot to mention. They had a rather nice looking dog with them. He appeared to be better socialized than any of them.

At least the camping was free.

So we hit the road fairly early having enjoyed our morning performance art. We headed down the twisty canyon road towards Interstate 5 which would take us down to Hwy136 and then out to the coast south of Santa Barbara. At the exit to Hwy 126 I looked up and there it was, Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. There are friends of mine who will assume this was no accident. But really, I hadn’t planned this. And besides my understanding was that Six Flags would be closed on a weekday as the parks usually are at this time of year. But I thought that it could hurt to swing by for a look. Turns out this is spring break week and the park WAS open. And it turns out they have a dog kennel which has an attendant and is clean and air-conditioned. And there’s no charge. So the only consideration was could I subject Eliot to the trauma of being left at the kennel while I went and got a roller coaster fix. After a few seconds thought I decided I could.

Since we’d showed up at 9:30 am and the park didn’t open until 10:30 am, I got a really good parking spot. (Some parking is so far away from the gate that they have buses to take people back and forth.) I was able to pack a lot of rides into the four hours I spent at the park. Occasionally I had to take a breather as I was left a little disoriented from too many flips and twists and turns. I even got the nerve to ride Batman in the front seat. It was the best.

I also had rides on Apocalypse, Ninja, Revolution (the world’s first looping coaster) and Colossus. Colossus is one of the park’s oldest coasters. It’s a big wooden coaster that was designed as a racing coaster with parallel tracks. I think they only use one track these days. Colossus wasn’t running the first time I visited SFMM. There’s something great about wooden coasters. The noise, the creaking wood, the pealing paint. Colossus didn’t disappoint and having a couple of rides on it was a real treat.

 Colossus

Around 2:30 pm the wait times for the more popular rides were getting long. I wanted to have a farewell ride on Apocalypse but the wait time had grown to 1.5 hours! So I decided to pick up Eliot and hit the road. He seemed fine when I picked him up although I did get barked at for about ten seconds or so.

We hit the road towards the coast. Not far along the road we saw a sign indicating a recreation area and camping to the north. We drove up another winding canyon road to the Piru Recreation area which is along side a lake created by a dam. Turned out to be a really good choice. Quiet with roomy campsites, hot showers and laundry facilities.

All in all a great day. (Oh, and no crack smoking campers so be seen.)

Julian, CA

It was shaping up to be another hot day in the desert so I decided a little road trip to the nearby town of Julian might bring some relief from the heat. Julian is at around 4,000 elevation and always cooler than down in the desert valleys. It’s not too far from San Diego and I think when it gets too hot there, the locals head into the hills for some relief from the heat.

Julian is a typical tourist town. It has a history of mining and there are still apple orchards which produce apples that are baked into local pies. I saw several shops boasting that theirs was the best pie in town so there appears to be little truth in advertising. It was Saturday and the place was crawling with tourists. Not oppressively so; but it was certainly busy.

 

Returning to Borrego Springs took us past the second collection of metal sculptures by Ricardo Breceda. This is another favourite. A huge bird with two chicks in a nest being attacked by a snake. (The snakes a bit hard to make out.)

Like the collection to the north of Borrego Springs, this southern collection is spread out over a wide piece of desert. Some of the pieces (the dinosaurs) are so far back from the road that you really have to look for them. And they take a bit of getting to over sandy and rocky back roads. I was glad the van has lots of clearance.

While I was looking at these creatures, I ran into an interesting fellow who’s originally from Bulgaria. He told me that he’s been studying astro-physics in San José but has decided to give it up as job prospects are very poor. Instead he’s accepted a job with Pandora the on-line music service and will be doing data analysis for them.

And so after conversations with strangers in the desert, it was back to the RV park and a desert sunset.

Borrego Springs, California

Everyone I meet here in Borrego Springs says that it’s way warmer than it usually is at this time of year. The mornings and evenings are lovely but it does get a bit scorchy in the afternoon. Despite that Eliot and I set out yesterday around lunch time to explore.

One of the things I wanted to check out is a huge collection of art pieces by a California artist via Mexico named Ricardo Breceda.Five years ago, Dennis Avery (a member of the family that created Avery labels) had lots of land around Borrego Springs and wanted to add some of the metal sculptures made by Breceda to his properties. In a few short years, Breceda created well over a hundred pieces that are now free for anyone driving by to enjoy. In fact, you’re encouraged to drive onto the land and right up to many of them. Some are roadside and others are situated quite a way from the road. The few signs that there are indicate that you are allowed to camp for free on the land if you wish. I spent a couple of hours wandering around the desert taking photos and video.

Sadly I read that Dennis Avery who funded these works died in July 2012. I wonder what will happen to his project now. I read that Avery had a contract with the artist for upkeep and maintenance of the pieces. (They should hold up pretty well in the dry desert air.) But I’m told that Avery’s widow has cancelled that contract.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perhaps my favourite. Eliot is a little blot under the scorpion.

(You can click on the photos for larger versions.)

Yucca Valley, CA to Borrego Springs, CA

Today we were on the move again.

We said good-bye to our new friends from Monterey and headed down the highway towards Palm Springs. We’d been camped at 4,000 feet and the road to Palm Springs was almost continuously downhill. There was a loss of elevation of over 3,000 feet as Palm Springs is only a few hundred feet above sea level. Of course, dropping that much elevation meant that it got quite a bit hotter.

Although we were heading for Borrego Springs, it seemed a shame to just whiz by Palm Springs. I was surprised at how the city is pushed right up against the mountains. We didn’t have a particular destination in mind and ended up downtown in the heart of tourist country.

We ended up parking not far from a huge statue of Marilyn Munroe and walked around hiding in the shade. What a place for people watching! Within about five minutes I saw two inter-generational couples. One was a man who must have been 50 years older than the Asian woman he was with. He with the comb-over and pants hitched way up above his belly button. He did look rather fit but still. And the other was an older gentleman who walked by with this handsome younger man who was seen to pat him (the younger man) on the bum as they got further down the street. 

I found a little sandwich shop on a little side alley. When the very pleasant Hispanic man who seemed to own the place asked if I wanted my sandwich to stay or to go I said I would eat it outside with my dog. He then asked me if I was a health inspector and when it was determined I was not, he told me to bring Eliot inside. Eliot was thrilled as you might imagine. In spite of the fact that it was lunchtime and busy, he made a point of talking to me about Eliot and his two pugs and brought Eliot a huge bowl of water which Eliot, of course, proceeded to ignore. I do believe that he was flirting with me but it's been so long that I find it difficult to tell any more. I was also stopped by these two young gay guys ... one of whom is a dog groomer and recognized Eliot as a Norwich Terrier. He seemed to know his stuff as he described Eliot's coat and grooming regime exactly.

Anyhow, it was fun to see a bit of P.S. but it was really too hot to linger. I'd definitely like to return if only to see if I can get flirted with again.

Our route to Borrego Springs took us along side the Salton Sea. Our route west to Borrego Springs began at Salton City. So we did a little side trip into ‘town’. Many years ago there were hopes to build a big resort industry on the Salton Sea. Streets were laid out, some even paved and signs put into to mark the streets. But it never happened and so there all these subdivisions and streets with no or at most one or two houses on them. The place is very stark and the sea itself is quite smelly.

The road from Salton City to Borrego Springs took us uphill and through a part of the Anza Borrego State Park. It’s the largest state park in California and the area near the Salton Sea is pretty bleak.

It wasn’t a long drive and we were soon checked in at an RV park in Borrego Springs that had been recommended by some Victoria friends who had stayed there. I’m always a little amused and somewhat offended by the dog warnings I get for Eliot. This particular RV park had a page and a half of pet rules. So far we’ve broken a few of the rules but not been caught or cautioned.

Joshua Tree National Park

We spent two nights at the Joshua Tree National Park just outside Yucca Valley, CA. You had to go back to the highway to access the rest of the park but it wasn’t far.

Still waiting for my head cold to expire, we spent the day exploring Joshua Tree by car. Lots of beautiful spots are accessible by car although it would have been nice to explore on foot a bit more. (Dogs not allowed on trails.) Eliot wanted to try bouldering (there were lots of BIG boulders with lots of people climbing them) but I had to inform him that we’re both a bit too old for that.

On the way back to the campground from the park, we stopped at a little shop across from the park information centre. It’s a funky little shop called Coyote Something? and its attraction for me was the shower facility in the back. I hadn’t had a shower since Friday of the previous week and it certainly was time. There was a line up but since there was a pleasant place to sit in the shade that wasn’t a problem. It gave me time to have a look at the public piano by the parking lot. It sounded as if it hadn’t been tuned in 20 years but was colourfully decorated and painted.

We had some very pleasant neighbours while camping at Joshua Tree. They were a family from Monterey, CA who were making their first outing with their tent trailer. There were the mom (Jennifer) and dad (Rodney)and two daughters aged 9 (Lily) and Chloe (13). They sort of adopted me during the two days we were there although Rodney confessed that he was currying favour with Canadians because he planned to move to Canada if the Republicans got elected again. Eliot, of course, had made friends with the family the night before when we’d arrived and was ever present at their campsite especially when food was on the go. When we returned from our day at Joshua Tree (and after my shower) they invited me over for quesadillas. After dinner we played a card game that was kind of scrabble with cards. Lily and I were partners and came in second. Chloe came in first and Lily and I suggested that it might have had something to do with the fact that she was the score keeper.

Rodney and Jennifer have fond memories of Victoria and suggested that some time we might like to do a house swap ... perhaps when the Bach Festival is happening in Carmel.

Mojave National Preserve to Yucca Valley

We ended up spending two nights at the foot of the Kelso Dunes. My friends from Los Angeles left late morning heading for Utah and we had the place pretty much to ourselves. I felt crummy from the head cold I’d come down with so took it easy staying in the shade and reading. Another cool night with a stunning display of stars.

The next morning we headed out towards Yucca Valley and Joshua Tree National Park. Along the way we managed to drive a bit on old Route 66. Near Amboy, CA the map showed a little town called Bagdad. I wondered if it might be home of the Bagdad Café made famous by the German movie from 1987. I went in search of Bagdad and its café but the town no longer exists. It gradually disappeared after the Interstate Highway by-passed this section of Route 66. The movie was filmed up the road in Newberry Springs, CA (about 50 miles west of the original).

This is the café and gas station in Amboy, CA today. The old Route 66 surely never saw gas prices this high ($4.99/gallon).

Not far from Amboy is the Amboy Crater. Ten thousand years ago a volcanic eruption created this crater and left a lot of lava lying around.

Another hour or so of driving got us to the town of 29 Palms which is one of several places where you can head into Joshua Tree National Park. We ended up spending the next two nights at a campground above the town of Yucca Valley. The campground was at 4,000 so the night’s were cool and comfortable.

There are Joshua Trees everywhere and these were the ones assigned to our campsite.

Death Valley N.P. to Mojave National Preserve

I couldn’t imagine spending another day in the heat of Death Valley although it was supposed to moderate somewhat. Although the vastness is impressive, there really are no activities that I could imagine undertaking in such temperatures although I did see people on bicycles and people were out hiking. In any event, I was leaving Death Valley by the southern route which meant passing some of the major sights along the way.
One of those sites is Bad Water ... the lowest point in the U.S. at –282 feet below sea level. On the wall behind the parking lot, there’s a sign on the cliff indicating sea level. A very odd sensation to realize that sea level is to high above.


Of course a lot of Death Valley is below sea level. I just never realized how much. You can drive for miles and the GPS keeps telling you that you are 100 to 200 feet below sea level. It’s not just one spot but a large part of the whole valley.






The Salt Flats at Bad Water

The road south winds along the eastern side of Death Valley actually allowing you to drive in the shade most of the way at this time of day. There are a couple of small passes to get up and over but nothing like the torture of entering the park from the west on Hwy 190.


As soon as we began rolling down from Salsbury Pass, it seemed that the air was cooler. Then again, perhaps it was just my relief at leaving Death Valley after such a short visit. This northern gringo had had enough. Connecting with Hwy 127, we headed south through desert that was not quite so stark as D.V.N.P. There’s a huge area of sand dunes that were very impressive but it wasn’t easy to get a good photograph. They appear to mostly be used by people with OHVs (Off Highway Vehicles).

There was still lots of nothing to drive through. I wasn’t sure where we would spend the night. I thought we might make it as far as Joshua Tree National Park. But we got slowed down by the Mojave National Preserve.

Death Valley is stark. There’s very little vegetation just rock and sand. But Mojave National Reserve which lies just south of Death Valley is a whole other landscape. It’s a huge, unsettled area that runs between two interstate highways. In the middle of the park at Kelso there is a visitor center.
Back in the early days of the Southern Pacific Railway Kelso was an important center where engines were added to help pull trains up and over an especially steep grade. With the coming of more powerful diesel engines, the center was no longer needed and the town that the railway had created died away. The trains still go through Kelso and the lovely old railway station is now a visitor center with a lovely retro café and ice cream parlour. (I don’t actually think it retro ... I think it’s the real thing.)



A little south of Kelso there’s a very washboardy road that goes off to the Kelso Dunes which rise about 800 feet above the desert floor which is already at 2,500 feet.
It’s a slow three mile drive to the dunes trailhead (depending on your vehicle’s suspension). And a little past the trailhead, there are a couple of places where people have traditionally camped free. I still hadn’t decided where to stop so thought I’d check them out. The second spot, about a mile from the dunes trailhead, was under some shade giving trees. There was already a van and a truck parked there but there was lots of room so we stopped and popped the top of the van.

(Can you spot Eliot?)

My neighbours were very friendly. They work in the television and film industry in Los Angeles and were going to their home in Utah. The husband does set construction for a TV series called “Go On” which I assume has been renewed as they talked about work beginning again in July. The wife works as her husband’s secretary. She adored Eliot.
And so we camped in one of the nicest and quietest spots yet. And you sure couldn’t beat the scenery.