End of the Year Road Trip

After working furiously for the last days of December, we took off for the long waited road trip. We made our first major stop at Joshua Tree National Park.  We were a little surprised to find that dogs were not allowed on any trail other than the parking lots and campgrounds.  We took a few photos near the entrance then spent a night at the Chiriaco Summit Dry Camp, which is a free campground just one freeway exit away from the south entrance of Joshua Tree National Park. 

As we drove across the border to Arizona. I noticed the landscape on both sides of the highway were a lot like Joshua Tree. Many of the plants were the same.  We arrived Holbrook, which is the nearest town to Petrified Forest National Park. Unlike Joshua Tree, dogs are allowed everywhere in Petrified Forest except inside of buildings. However, the park is closed one day a year on Christmas Day. We arrived in the afternoon of December 24, so we decided to spend two nights in Holbrook.  Luckily, it only costed $35 per night at the Motel 6.  On December 26, we arrived at Petrified Forest early in the morning, so we could spend an entire day there.  We really enjoyed checking out the sights, taking pictures, and hiking through the trails. I will have to thank the friend who highly recommended this national park. 

By the time we went through all the points of the interest in Petrified Forest, it was in the evening. We didn't want to spend a third night in Holbrook, so we looked for another nearby city and ended up in Winslow because it was only $30 plus $10 pet fee to stay at Econo Lodge.  It was a big room with 2 queen sized beds, microwave, mini fridge, hair dryer, and a full bathtub.  Breakfast was also included. What a deal!  This is another reason I prefer to travel through small towns.  We didn't encounter much traffic once we left California, and accommodation costed a lot less. 

Cracus and the statue of Glenn Frey, which was added after he passed away

After we settled into our room, I Googled Winslow and was surprised to read about its number one attraction - Standin on the Corner Park.  Two of the Rock 'n Roll legends passed away in January 2016.  First it was David Bowie and then 8 days later, Glenn Frey. I never forget that month and where I was when I found out Glenn Frey passed away. The song Take It Easy, placed Winslow on the Rock 'n Roll map. It made sense now the hotel room key card has "Take It Easy" printed on it. After leaving the hotel next morning, we drove down the street to the Corner. Many people were there taking photos already.  We took several photos of our own.

We headed back to California after departing Winslow, but we were not ready to go home yet.  For more than 2 years, I have wanted to visit Porto's Bakery. It didn't matter which Porto's location.  It would take about 8 hours to get to Porto's West Covina location from Winslow.  As we drove through Flagstaff, the snow came down hard even though it was sunny, so we had to take a break.  We took another extended break in Needles for a nap.  We left Needles around 2 am so that we could arrive at Porto's West Covina around the time they open the shop at 6:30.   We arrived around 7 am, and people were already picking up their cakes and pastries. The bakery did not disappoint me. The architecture of the building is beautiful. The staff was efficient, and the pastries were amazing.   We could take a trip down Southern California just for a Porto's tour since they have 5 locations and possibly 1 more in the near future. 

We also visited a friend and some relatives before returning home on December 30. I did want to be on the road on New Years Eve.  We were all happy to be home.  Now we can plan our next road trip. Happy 2020, everyone!

Snowy Thanksgiving Road Trip

Gold Run Rest Area

We have been planning on taking a road trip during Thanksgiving holiday. All of a sudden we got the first rain of the season with more rain to come. After monitoring the weather forecast closely for several days, we decided to head up north instead of south.  The forecast indicated a dry Thanksgiving and Black Friday before the rain resumes.  There is also snow up in Tahoe area.  Since the pups have never seen snow, we decided to drive north and see how far we could go before snow chains are required.

We made a few bathroom stops at Davis, Sacramento, and Auburn.  Shortly after we passed Auburn, snow appeared on both sides of the freeway.  We pulled into Gold Run Rest Area so the pups could experience snow for the first time.  I made sure they didn't stay in the snow too long so they wouldn't freeze their little paws. Cracus seemed to enjoy it more than Sace.  

Historical Downtown Truckee

We spent the night in Truckee because it got dark fast and the snow started coming down rapidly. It was hard to see.  The next morning, the Subaru was covered in snow. I had never driven in so much snow before, so I felt a little unsure. However, it turned out to be quite smooth with the Subaru Forester. We made a stop in Downtown Truckee for some photos before heading over to Donner Memorial State Park.  The snow started coming down again as we were heading to the park.  The park was deserted and the visitor center and camp ground were all closed and covered in snow.  I got out of the car and took a 360 degree video. I have been here before many years ago during the summer.  Now seeing this weather, it gave me some perspective of the weather condition the Donner Party was experiencing.  As I drove further up Donner Pass, I came to an intersection where only cars with snow chains or 4WD/AWD cars with snow tires were allowed to pass.  Initially I thought everyone needed to have snow chains. The Caltran worker looked at my Forester and said it was fine for me to take the scenic route.  I reached the Donner Summit without any problem although I had to go slow due to poor visibility. There were very few cars and everyone was going slow. I saw a Corvette got stuck in the snow and a Jeep driver was trying to help it unstuck. I got a set of all terrain tires for the Subaru in September.  I was able to drive over the snow and icy roads as normal. I was quite amazed.

Glass Beach Road Trip

Glass Beach (this side has fewer glass) 

I have wanted to visit Glass Beach in Fort Bragg for a few years now. I first saw a photo of Glass Beach on Instagram and was surprised that it's within driving distance from where we are. It's a little over 3 hours of drive from El Cerrito. This past weekend we took a drive up north to check it out. The weather has been unusually warm for this time of the year. However, it was also very windy at the beach. A lot of people were picking the shiny glass pebbles on the beach. I read that Glass Beach is gradually disappearing. Even though the law prohibits anything to be disturbed or removed from California State Parks, you can imagine people do take the pebbles as souvenirs.  The area that's closer to the water has more glass but Cracus isn't water kind of dog, so we stayed on the dryer side.

We took a walk along Ka Kahleh trail. It was beautiful and a easy walk except it was super windy to the point that your ears would hurt. We had to turn back because of the strong wind. In the afternoon, we also visited MacKerricher State Park and took a walk on the boardwalk.  It was a lot of walking for little Cracus on one day. In the evening he just rested quietly on the bed. Shortly after he started snoring. We had great time.

Point Cabrillo Light Station

Point Cabrillo Light Station

Last night I noticed a deli called Mendocino Market just a few doors down from my hotel room on Ukiah Street. This morning I headed over there with Kelsey and got a grilled chicken and Swiss sandwich before heading over to The Ford House Visitor Center to get some maps.  The Ford House Visitor Center is right on Main Street. I passed by it on my way to the hotel yesterday. It's a beautiful house that was built in 1854.

I wanted to go to Point Cabrillo Light Station first. From the light house, whales can be sighted. The Light Station is now a State Historic Park. On the way to the light house, we passed by 3 beautifully rehabilitated lightkeepers' homes. I could only dream of living in one of those houses looking over the ocean everyday. 

Point Cabrillo Light Station

After spending a couple hours walking through the trails in the Light Station Park, we headed over to Russian Gulch State Park. Self registration of $8 per vehicle is required for entering the park. After I entered the park, I realized that the main trail, Fern Canyon trail, does not allow dogs. That was quite disappointing. I was only able to drive up to the picnic area and take a short walk around it. The view was beautiful, and I had a snack break at one of the picnic tables overlooking the ocean. 

Russian Gulch State Park

New Year's Day in Mendocino

The main building

I have wanted to go back to Mendocino ever since I attended the 3-day Mushroom Camp back in 2010. A couple months ago I happened to see a great deal on Travel Zoo for 2-night stay at Mendocino Hotel & Garden Suites, which allows dogs for a small extra charge. I purchased a voucher for it and made my reservation for January 1st through 3rd, 2013. I wanted to start the new year by taking a relaxing trip in a small town next to the coast, where time seems to stand still.

The Victorian style hotel was established in 1878 and located on the Main Street of Mendocino facing the coast.

The ocean view from the main building

For people traveling with their dogs, they get to stay in the garden suites behind the main building. I was delighted to see a little garden outside of my room. Inside of the room, there's a fire place, a walking closet, and Victorian style furniture and decor. It's like stepping back in time.

Garden suites behind the main building

The hotel also has a Victorian style dining room, which is beautiful and romantic. Since I was only traveling with Kelsey, I didn't want to leave her by herself. I also didn't see the point of having an expensive fancy dinner all by myself even though the menu looks quite delicious.

My room

After settling in, I took Kelsey for a walk around town.  According to 2010 census, Mendocino had a population of 894. The town is very small. I walked around the corner and found Harvest Market which was open on New Year's Day. I bought some clam chowder, dinner rolls, and pasta salad back to my room for dinner. Tomorrow I will go explore some of the state parks in the area.

Kelsey immediately made herself home

Thanksgiving Weekend Road Trip - Hearst Castle, Day 2

I spent the night at Courtesy Inn of San Simeon. It's just down the road from Hearst Castle, and its rate included a continental breakfast. The room was clean and the staff was friendly. I would stay there again when I visit Hearst Castle in the spring. I had dinner at Big Sur Cafe just steps away from Courtesy Inn. The place is a bit pricey since it is for tourists. The staff was very friendly and polite, and they showed a Hearst Castle video for its customers.

In the morning, I got some coffee and grabbed a couple Danishes before checking out from the motel and headed over to Hearst Castle again. As I passed by the Hearst Castle Ranch off Highway 1, there were zebras grazing with the cattle.

I left my jacket in the car before getting on the tour bus. That was a mistake. It was drizzling on top of the hill and significantly colder. Tour 1 group was much larger than the Tour 2 I went on yesterday. We had a tour guide and an other person staying behind the group to make sure that no one wandered off, touched anything, or used flash photography.

As I toured the castle for the second time, I imagined what it would be like to come here to work on a regular basis. It could be my dream job. This place reminded me of Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. I prefer to think of it as a magical floating castle for children of all ages instead of an extravagant hangout for Hollywood celebrities. Mr. Lorenzo Lago, the tour guide from yesterday, mentioned how interesting it would be to write tales about the castle. I could already imagine my characters in it.

The tour ended at the indoor pool that's covered in 24k gold infused tiles. As soon as we got back on the bus, the rain started to pour down hard. After leaving the castle, I put on my rain jacket and went look for elephant seals along the coast, but there was none to be seen. I decided to take Highway 1 back home instead of 101. I passed many huge pine tress along the coast. I bet there were some porcini growing under those pine needles.

Thanksgiving Weekend Road Trip - Hearst Castle, Day 1

I like castles and historical castles. My first trip to Europe, I made sure that I visited Edinburgh Castle. My second trip to Europe, I traveled all over Italy. For some reason I did not visit Hearst Castle until this past weekend even though it is only 4 driving hours from Sand Village Farm. I left home at 8:30 A.M. on Friday morning. I made a stop at Wendy's in Salinas to try their new natural-cut fries with sea salt and got a caramel Brulée latte from Starbucks. Both were quite tasty!

I arrived Hearst Castle around 1:30 P.M. I wanted to start my tour with Tour 1 since it was my first time there, and this tour is designed for first time visitors to give them an overview. However, most of Tour 1s were sold out until much later, so I got a ticket for Tour 2 at 3 P.M. and a ticket for Tour 1 on Saturday morning at 9:30 A.M. Tour 1 included the companion movie Hearst Castle Building the Dream shown on the giant 5 story screen in the Hearst Castle Theater, which I was able to watch before my tour began at 3 P.M. The movie answered many questions I had about how the castle was built and the story behind its owners.

 

Five minutes before 3 P.M., we lined up next to the doors inside of the Visitor Center to have pictures taken then got on the tour bus to take us up the hill to Hearst Castle. On the way up the hill, we passed by the cages that used to house bears and other carnivorous animals of Hearst Castle Zoo. For ten years, Hearst Castle had its own private zoo. Some of the herbivorous animals such as zebras, big horned sheep, and antelopes can still be seen on the property.

My tour guide was Mr. Lorenzo Lago, who was quite humorous and informative. He told us that his first book, Romance on the High Seas, just got published, which will be available on Amazon.com in a few weeks.

There was so much to see in the castle - every door, door knob, tile, ceiling, lamp, painting, statue, etc. I could spend all day there and still be amazed at every little detail. Its architect, Julia Morgan, was one of the first women to graduate from University of California at Berkeley with a degree in civil engineering and the first woman to receive a certificate in architecture from the Ecole Nationale et Speciale des Beaux-Arts.

I was fascinated by the huge 24-hour kitchen that had every thing any cook could ever wanted. Hearst Castle raised much of its food supply. It had a poultry farm and a cattle ranch (still operational). It also grew many fruits and vegetables. Its water supply came from natural springs above, piped into two reserve tanks of tremendous capacity. In many ways, it was self sustained although extravagant. I wanted to see more of its garden, but Tour 4, the garden tour, is only available from April through October. I will have to come back next spring. Photos are allowed inside of the castle but no flash since harsh light can damage the artifacts. More photos can be viewed at my Hearst Castle album.