Our Last Stop

When we left Santa Cruz, I wondered if we were headed home. The motor home door opened and I got my answer - we were in Buellton at Flying Flags Campground. I was surprised because we hadn’t been there in about three years.

Buellton wasn’t on the itinerary at first. After my daughter and I had planned every stop, my husband popped his head in the room and asked, “Hey, is there any chance we could stop at Flying Flags on the way home.” My daughter and I looked at each other and started laughing because we had asked him if he had any requests before we started. Since it would be his birthday the last week of our vacation, we decided to shave a day off of each of the other stops so we could have some time left to honor his request. - D

There had been some upgrades at the park since the last time we’d been there, like cement patios and new tables at the RV sites. The area above the “river” was now fancy tent spots. Park-size trailers had been moved in and, along with new cabin-tents, were available for rent. The grandkids were excited about the playground equipment - all new. My favorite improvement - the off-leash area had been enlarged so now a canine could actually move around in there.

We stopped to see the birds at Ostrich Land and did a lot of shopping in Solvang. We also did a lot of eating in Solvang, as well as at AJ Spurs, Anderson Split Pea (also visited their gift shop) and Ellen’s Pancake House. I think we ate out more times at this stop then the rest of our entire trip! We also visited the Santa Inez Mission since California missions would be coming up as part of Peyton's school curriculum. -D

Then one night, who should come for dinner but Kramer - how did that pup find his way to Buellton? Well, Aunt Lori and Uncle Rick happened to be there, too, so that explains it. Of course, I was happy to see them. In spite of Kramer, everyone enjoyed themselves.

We had a great time visiting and, if Archie was honest, he would admit, he was glad to see Kramer, too. Being on the road is always more fun when friends and family show up. - D

Our summer trip had come to an end and after three weeks, everybody still loved me!

I strained my neck to look out the window and there it was - a fog bank! Cool weather at last!

A quick nap later and we were home. Here I am, back in my favorite “cool” spot.

In case you're interested in the RV spots where we stayed during this trip:

Yosemite South/Coarsegold KOA, 34094 Highway 41, Coarsegold CA 93614

When we arrived, the day before the 4th of July weekend started, we overheard conversation that the owners were new - they did seem to be in a little over their heads. Even so, they were friendly and seemed to be giving it their best effort.  The facilities were nice and Woodall's rating was high. Yosemite's south entrance is about 23 miles away but it seems like it takes forever to get to the national park and even longer to see some of the sites which are all pretty spread out. If you want to visit the Mariposa Grove, at the very south end of Yosemite, or ride the Sugar Pines Express Narrow Gauge Train, which is just outside the south gate of the park, this is a good place to stay.
Archie says, "It was hot for me but KOA people are dog people." 

Tahoe Valley Campground, 1175 Melba, South Lake Tahoe CA 96158

Great place for kids - lots to do at the campgound itself and you kind of feel like you are at summer camp. This campground is large, over 500 tent/RV sites.  It's not right on the lake but the drive is short and the location makes it easy to get to the lake's California shores. Another high rated spot from Woodall's.

Archie says, "It had several nice designated dog-walking spots as well
 as the rest of the campground for dog fun."

Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay KOA Kampground, 1186 San Andreas Road Melba, Watsonville CA 95076

Another great campground for kids - so much to do it was hard to pull the grandkids away to go sight seeing. There was miniature golf, a playground, fun train, climbing wall (treadmill style), jumping pillow as well as the pool - the first one on our trip that was actually heated. Besides all that, there were activities for the kids to participate in every day. Pizza was available for delivery on Friday evenings, BBQ lunch on Saturdays and a pancake breakfast on Sunday mornings. Yep, Woodall's gave it a high rating, too.

Archie says, "Their K9 area was nice, too."

Flying Flags RV Park & Campground, 180 Ave of the Flags, Buellton CA 93427

This campground has made a lot of improvements so if you haven't been there for awhile, you might want to check it out. They have a nice pool and two spas, one inside and one out. They also have a nice playground for kids. Gown-up playgrounds are nearby - Solvang and the Chumash Indian Casino.

Archie says, "The improvements at the off-leash dog area are pretty nice, too!"

Other Pictures from Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz was a great place to visit!

We walked through the Redwood Grove Nature Trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park where there are magnificent old growth redwoods - awesome! Pictures just don’t do this area justice, nor can I describe the overwhelming peace you feel as you pass through the trees. One word of warning - all the vegetation in this park is protected so DON’T pick any of the wildflowers! Kids that don’t read (and some grownups who must have a problem with comprehension) were bawled out by eagle-eyed rangers, who were nice about it but firm with their lecture.

In this park, dogs are allowed on the Meadow Trail at Hwy 9 and on the Graham Hill Trail from the campground; both trails lead to Pipeline Road, a 3.3 mile paved road closed to public vehicles. Dogs are also allowed in the picnic area and campground but not the river or streams. They must be leashed at all time.

Of course, we went to the world-famous Boardwalk - great fun to see and the grandkids loved it, but I didn’t take my camera. (Don’t know how I forgot that.) I had really wanted to ride the carousel, which was celebrating its 100^th birthday but every time we went over by it, it wasn’t working and people were trying to fix it. Well, what can you expect from such an old piece of running machinery? Walked over to the pier for lunch at Woody’s - a cool joint. That evening, watched Lost Boys since it had been filmed at the Boardwalk. Warning - the movie shows Nanook, the pet husky, at the walk, but don’t take your dog because there is a NO PET policy in place - no dogs allowed.

On Friday we rode the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow-Gauge Railroad, which dogs can ride on and Archie loved, as he told you last week. It was great fun riding an old train through the redwoods and listening to the piped-in narration about the area we were seeing.

We made the17-mile drive at Pebble Beach while we were in the area. Wow - if you ever get a chance, check this out. The area is really worth seeing. We stopped at Shepherd’s Knoll, Huckleberry Hill, Restless Sea vista point, Point Joe, China Rock, Bird Rock, Seal Rock, Fanshell Overlook, the Lone Cypress, and the Ghost Tree.

 

The day before we left, we visited Natural Bridges State Park - kind of a misnomer since there's only one bridge left after years of erosion. We got there at high tide so couldn’t totally see the one “natural” bridge that remains. We walked over to the butterfly trail and it had been damaged in the last storm and was being repaired, so couldn’t see much of that either, although it really looked intriguing. I did find a T-shirt made in the USA so bought that.

 

There is a lot to see in Santa Cruz -  I put it on my list for a return trip!

Our Latest RV Trip - Part 3

We headed to Santa Cruz - finally tolerable weather. See Mike's wearing a sweatshirt so you know I'm feeling so much better. Campground - pet friendly, even had an off-leash area. Lots of my canine buddies were there, even some show-dogs, altho' I never saw them go to the dog park.

They let dogs on the Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow Gauge Railroad - loved that ride on the train.

This was my first train ride and I liked it - I could’ve done without the whistle and steam -  too loud.

The passengers in our car liked having me there, maybe they didn't like that loud noise either and I made them feel better. Anyway, I got a lot of pats and made a lot of new friends that day. It was a great ride through a redwood forest. I even got to walk around among the giant trees and you know how dogs feel about trees!

When the ride was over, Mike and Dana had me sit to the side, so everyone else could get down from the car first. I didn't mind because I got a lot more attention from people as they passed by me. One gentleman gave me a pat and said, "That's a good looking dog. He sure is well-mannered." The best comment of the day!

Another fun thing we did was take the 17-mile driving tour around Pebble Beach. It’s pretty well-known and there were a lot of people out doing the same thing.

There was only one problem, sometimes there is so much to see, people don't pay attention to what's going on...

But sometimes, we just hung around the campground.

Are you having fun, Peyton?

I had fun in Santa Cruz.

Other Pictures from Lake Tahoe

This was only our second trip to Lake Tahoe - a world famous place. I've lived in California since I was three, but our first trip was only a few years ago. Why did it take us so long to check it out in the first place since it is in our home state? Well, one reason might be because it's not really easy to get to. We are in SoCal, so it's a bit of a drive, around 270 miles. It's pretty high in the mountains, over 6,000 feet, close to Donner Pass, and we all know what happened there! But it is beautiful, crowded, but beautiful. My husband and I had such a good time the last time we were there, that he insisted we include a stop during our vacation this year since Yosemite isn't really that far away. In our travel atlas, all the roads from the national park to the lake were marked with little circles, meaning it was a scenic road. Well, it is scenic providing you can peek between your fingers. Let me leave it at - we had a most interesting drive over. Once you get there, if the altitude doesn't take your breath away the scenery will.

Our first day at Lake Tahoe, we rode a Duck, which delighted my grandson. (The Ducks are U.S.
Coast Guard Certified WWII amphibious trucks.) We drove from our campsite to Heavenly Village where we met up with the Duck that drove us over to the Tahoe Keys Marina where we entered the lake. The boat ride was pretty short, but long enough for the kids. The captain, a real character, told some interesting, some funny and some historical stories about the lake.

Friday we spent at Kiva Beach which you read (or can read) all about in last week's blog. We rode the Heavenly Gondolas on Saturday. If you want some fantastic views of the lake, be sure to put this 2.4 mile ride on your itinerary. (It's about a 12 minute ride.) Be sure to get off at the observation point before riding to the top.

The weather was perfect in Tahoe, but up there, 9,123 feet high, the wind blew and there was still quite a bit of snow on the ground so we felt chilly. Luckily, they had great hot chocolate (and other drinks to warm you up) for sale at the observation deck.  Walking around at the top was pretty slick. We had to be careful walking around in our Crocs and flip-flops but we did see a few people slip. 

The hiking trails were closed because of the snow but I bet it would have been beautiful. A cool part of being up there is seeing the California/Nevada border like no place else. We spent quite a bit of time looking at the beautiful lodge and watching a lone coyote before riding the gondolas back down to the city. My hubby doesn’t like heights but this gondola kind of hugs the ground so it didn’t bother him like he thought he would. (This is the guy that has a hard time on large ferris wheels.)

Sunday, we planned to check out Vikingsholm but we didn't realize it was so popular and there was absolutely no room to park. So, we took a bike ride to Richardson’s Resort for ice cream, instead. The resort has been around in some form since the early 1920's. It's a fun place to check out but it is not a place for your dog. They do have a nice camp store, though, where I found a nice Lake Tahoe jacket - made in the USA!

Finally, on Monday, after breakfast at the Red Hut, we left early enough that there was still room in the parking lot at Vikingsholm. The walk down to this interesting estate, that still grows grass on the roof, is no problem - walking back, it is steep and can be hot and hard to do if you aren't wearing  comfortable walking shoes. Even though it's not an easy trek, the view of Emerald Bay from this angle is beautiful and the closest you can get to Fannette Island, the only island on the lake.

Lake Tahoe is one beautiful place - a little trecherous to get to from SoCal, but once you arrive, the views make all your troubles disappear. It isn't a real dog friendly place, as far as things you can do with your pet, although you'll see many dogs being walked on the street. If you love trees and lakes, Tahoe is definitely a place to put on your "bucket" list.

Our Latest RV Trip - Part 2

I have been struggling with this for a week! Looks like it's finally going to work. So, here goes...


Our next stop was Lake Tahoe and our first day was not a dog day. Everybody rode the Ducks, so I stayed in the motor home.

But the next day, I thought I heard my name and wondered,

"Am I going somewhere?"

Next thing I knew, we were at Kiva Beach, a dog's paradise. I met big dogs, little dogs, dogs who never barked, fat dogs, skinny dogs, even a lab that let me play with his ball - that was fun. Most of the time, though, I played with the people that brought me.

I found that stick, but everyone else wanted to play with it, too!

After a while, I got tired of the sun, which happens when you always wear a fur coat. Luckily, I found some people who didn't seem to mind sharing their shade.

 

Then again, maybe they never even noticed me!

That was such a fun day, but I spent the rest of the afternoon like this:



That was the highlight of my stay in Lake Tahoe.   ~ Archie

Kiva Beach, one of the few Tahoe beaches where dogs are allowed on the California side is a mile north of Camp Richardson Resort off Highway 89 on the southwest shore. Dogs are allowed only from Tallac Point at the end of Kiva Beach south of the Camp Richardson Resort fence. - Dana

Sorry...

Well, for my birthday, my husband bought me a Tablet (Xoom) with a hot spot - so that’s what I'm now using to hook up to the net.

Any of you who are over 50 can sympathize - every time I get some new technological gadget, it takes me awhile to get the hang of it. Part of my problem this time I’ll blame on communication. The young man who "helped" me seemed to know what he was doing, but when I asked for more of an explanation, I had to reinterpret what he said to make sure I understood. I even took notes but something got lost in part of the process.

Now, Mike knows when I’m trying to learn something new, especially when it comes to technology, to just stay out of the way because there’s going to be a lot of “huffing and puffing” - if you know what I mean. But no matter how hard I tried, I could not get my computer to hook up. When I went back to my cell provider the next day, the young lady who helped me wasn’t as patient as the fellow who was going to get my $. As it turned, out I missed one very important point some where along the line - you have to actually turn on the hot spot in the Tablet.

Since that was my actual birthday day-day, we had some activities planned so it was a few hours before I actually got to try out my new directions and I still had a hard time getting my lap top to hook up to the net. So, I got out my notes from the previous day and the most recent ones and blending both set of instructions, I finally got it to work!

Now, I have to get used to doing things differently than when I just used a BroadBand card. (We don’t have internet service at the house because we are on the road a lot and I didn’t want to pay for two different internet services as I already pay enough $ to my cell provider as it is.) So, yesterday, I thought I’d never get hooked up and when I finally looked to see what the problem was, the message said I needed to make my lap top able to “receive” the hot spot connection - BAM, of course. That little pesky satellite symbol that I usually had to take off when I used my card now has to be on. Today I forgot that I have to turn on the “hot spot” in the Tablet so the lap top can connect. I’m sure I’ll forget something else tomorrow.

As for the Blog, over the last few days, I’ve been trying to do it but the icon that downloads pictures wasn’t working for me. Once I hit it, a big empty square would come up but none of the other parts. So, tried again today and it came up like it’s supposed to but then the smaller square that’s supposed to get the picture I chose in it, just kept having that little orb spinning and spinning and I waited a good 15 minutes. So, I have given up for today.

But, I thought maybe I should let people who’ve been checking in know that I am still trying and, hopefully, I’ll get it all together soon. If you’ve read this far, thank you for listening to me whine.

Pictures from Yosemite

Archie is taking the week off and I have jury duty, so thought I'd just post some of my favorite pictures from Yosemite National Park. Not that I'm a great photographer, but the subjects are just awesome.

As seen from Tunnel View:

Bridalveil Fall:

Lower Yosemite Fall:

Half Dome:

Glacier Point had such a long line, we almost didn't bother, but I'm sure glad we decided to be patient:

I hope these pictures will inspire you to visit our national parks. These parks are a true national treasure that I think sometimes, we fail appreciate how wonderful they are.