San Diego Together

The purpose of this destination was an American Zoo Association convention for Cheryl.  The rest of us came along for the fun of it, and fun it was.  We also met up with cousins Howard and Lauren who came for a long weekend.

 After our settling into the campground in Chula Vista we drove north to San Diego so Cheryl and Dave could also settle in.  Then we all went to Mariscos El Puleo for flavorful mohitos and other beverages and really good Mexican food. 

The next morning we toured the San Diego Safari Park where the tram took us to see

elephants

giraffes and other animals

The Rodrigues Fruit Bats were quite active.

Bennett raved about his dessert.

Personal editorial: Most of us had been here before and found it less than exciting.  For example we had a tram guide who told us less about the animals and more about conservation, and, did that poorly.  While conservation is a key lesson in visiting places like this, it should be part of animal education and not in lieu of it.  (See the next blog regarding the San Diego Zoo).

Lauren found a special treat for the adults: The U.S. Sand Sculpting Challenge.  We had seen these on TV and in magazines but seeing it in person was impressive.  We learned from a member of a volunteer team how the artists use several boxes of sand piled atop each other.  One by one the boxes are opened and the sculpture is created from the top down.  He also showed us “the most important tool,” a spoon that has been sharpened on one side so that it acts a shaping device, scoop and cutter.  He also explained that professional sculptors are flown to competitions, supported while working and receive high fees for creating works for businesses and organizations.  Many of the volunteer teams donate their prize money to charities.  We enjoyed getting up close to the wonderful art created by both pro and volunteer teams.  Here is a sample of what we saw:

This one won first place in the professional division

While Cheryl, Lauren, Dave and Howard went off to find beer, we got to spend a delightful evening with, Bennett who played on the playground, won and lost at dominoes, and wanted lots of books read.  Such wonderful demands upon the happy grandparents. 

 The next entry will include the San Diego Zoo which we enjoyed a lot.

Down Highway 101

After driving down Highway 101, we spent the night at Windmill Farms in Arroyo Grande.  This is part of Harvest Hosts, an organization that allows motor homes to stay on farms, wineries and such for free.  Usually, as a courtesy, guests are expected to buy some wine or other goods that the host sells.  We have always been courteous.  Windmill Farms attracted us because they have animals that Bennett could enjoy.  He went out right away to check the donkey, burro, goats, pigs, chickens, turkeys and horse. 

 

We saw a tortoise on a walk-about.

Bennett’s favorite animal was Mr. Nice Goat (He named him).

 The next day, while Jerry drove, the rest of us relaxed.

In Santa Barbara we stayed at the Elks Lodge.  A local fig tree, planted in 1877, is believed to be the largest in the United States.  It traces its origins to Australia and is really big.   

Shipwreck Playground is in a  park across from the waterfront.  Bennett joined other children on the playground.

Then Bennett and Dave got to ride a 100-year-old Herschell 3-Abreast Carousel. 

While Cheryl and Dave headed out for a quiet anniversary dinner,

Bennett expected lots of book reading and game playing with his grandparents.

Time with Our Daughter

We enjoyed our time with Jeff earlier and then we had some private time with Cheryl before joining her family for a trip down the Pacific Coast.

After Cheryl, Dave and Bennett visited with friends in the Bay Area, we all met at the Yacht Harbor RV Park in Santa Cruz where we saw many boats including one Bennett called a pirate ship because it had a pirate flag on its sail.  On a walk around the harbor we found a young sea lion.

We also found a lovely playground to explore.

We liked seeing the RV from atop the park hill.

On our first full day we took a hike at Ano Nuevo State Park hoping to find some elephant seals.  We could only see them through binoculars but we did enjoy the lovely trail.

Bennett liked the whale vertebra.

The next day we explored the Seymour Marine Discovery Center.  A research facility run by UC Santa Cruz, the center has wonderful things for adults and children to explore.

Bennett liked to pretend to be the animal in the picture.

We all learned from the talk presented under this blue whale, the largest full whale skeleton in the world.

Wanting beach time we went to Natural Bridge State Park.  In 1905 there were three bridges but by 1980 the forces of nature have left only this arch.  The beach is wonderful for wading, building sand structures and exploring tide pools.

You do have to be careful to avoid thieves on the beach.

Off we go further down the coast.

Lassen National Park

We concluded this phase of our travels at Lassen Park where the weather was perfect, warm with enough breeze to keep us comfortable on our hikes.

We started with a stroll around Manzanita Lake in the late afternoon and caught these ducks settling in for the night.

Geese also added their comments.

The next morning we learned about the inside of volcanoes from a ranger.  He started with a brief history of the park.  Lassen Peak and the slightly smaller Brokeoff Mountains are part of what once was Mt. Tehema.  Mt. Lassen last erupted  in 1917.  Then he explained  mudpots, fumaroles and boiling pools, all of which we saw on later hikes.  The land continues to change.  He had photos of Sulphur Works, a boiling mudpot pot,  from a few decades ago.  It has moved several feet down the hill since we were last here in the 70s.

This is a greatly enlarged photograph of the life form that lives in the sulphur ponds.

Bumpass Hell still smells as “sweet” as ever.  Along our hike there we heard conversations in many languages.  It is nice to see international visitors enjoying our natural wonders.

 And thanks to the Israelis who took this picture for us.

The fumeroles boiled

and mudpots cracked.

The boardwalk has to be moved regularly because new pots and fumerols open up under where it is presently located.

On our second morning, Jeff hiked to Lassen Peak and enjoyed the view of Mt. Shasta and the Sacramento Valley, sadly hazy from fires. 

We admired the brilliant colors of Lake Helen

and Emerald Lake which gets its rich colors from the algae growing in the shallow lake.

This deer is following his companions into the woods.

We were misguided on our walk to find Cold Boiling Lake and, instead, enjoyed the bubbling and tumbling of this lovely stream.

We walked through the Devastation Area seeing how far humongous boulders traveled when hurled from deep in an exploding volcano.   These “young rocks” were formed in that eruption one hundred years ago.  They are mere infants in comparison to many of the ancient rocks in the area.

The Puzzled Rocks cracked because they cooled from the outside in causing deep fracturing.

We ended our trip with a stop at the Loomis Museum to see the equipment Benjamin Franklin Loomis used when photographing the eruption and to admire his pictures.  He and his family lived in the park and were the ones to give the land to the park service to create Lassen NP in 1916.







This young man had been working on the original seismograph that was installed almost 100 years ago for the past two years.  It has not worked in almost 10 years and he is trying to restart it.

 A sunset walk around Lily Pond led us to a doe and her fawns but they would not permit photos.  Mt. Lassen looks cast in gold as the sun was setting.

Our travels with Jeff are always wonderful but these were special for the memories of the many plays seen in Ashland over the years and past trips to Lassen when he and his sister were children.