Palms to Pines

Jan 25/15 Sunday   High of 80 today and sunny so up in the mountains it will be about 60 (we hope).  Time to go for a ride.   In the side bags we load our leather jackets and chaps.... will need them up top.

Palm Springs and Desert Cities in the distance

Nice day for a ride

The Pines to Palms Hwy (hwy 74) from Palm Desert twists and climbs and switches back on itself till you find yourself at an overlook;  we pull over amongst a group of riders to see the view.  From the top you can look out on all the desert cities below.  Pretty nice view from about 6000 plus.    Time to put the leathers on before we head on to a small mountain town, Idyllwild .

Sat by the fireplace for a bowl of soup in Idyllwild

This highway is a beautiful ride and aptly named as you start out with palm trees and arid desert conditions then through ragged rocky terrain and climb to an area that is a conifer forest with many horse ranches in the San Bernadino National Forest.

Road is cut through the rock

Even snow capped higher peaks can be seen as you look beyond.
After leaving Idyllwild we catch another scenic drive the Banning Idyllwild Panoramic Hwy (hwy 243).   We were once again twisting and hanging on the sides of the range along Mount San Jacinto State Park.   The peak tops out at 10,834 feet.  When we come down into Banning we head east and loop back to Palm Springs.   The ride is about 120 miles and a great ride.   It's amazing we leave the RV park in a t-shirt and jeans and with in an hour we add our jackets and chaps and leave them on for the remainder of the high part of the ride; and glad we had them!!!  

Who doesn't like a frozen treat? Oh Happy Day

Jan 24/15    Out and about for some groceries and we saw an ice-cream shop next door with a sign for Dole Whip.......   hmmm what is that?   Well we know we both like ice cream so we just had to go find out. 

The fellow behind the counter could see our questioning faces when we walked in and immediately came over and I asked him "what is a Dole Whip".   He said it's kind of like a soft ice cream that was originally only available at Disneyland and Disney World.  The store had fruity flavors like pineapple, orange, raspberry and you can mix and match them in a tub, and pay by the weight.   "Here is a little cup sample of the pineapple".  It comes out of a soft cone machine just pressing the handle down and swirling.   Oh boy this is good !

Raspberry and Pineapple Dole Whip

Golf Comunities everywhere

Jan 22/15  Weather  82 sunny, beautiful day to go for bicycle ride
We started out riding our bicycles across the street around a golf - gated community.  There was a sign for Model Homes so we followed it and stopped at the gate to see if we could just ride in.  This area is filled with gated communities, more than anywhere we have seen in Florida or Texas or Hawaii; actually anywhere.  The golf holes surrounded the homes and every home was lovely.   The sales fellow gave us a brochure and said go ahead and walk inside the 10 homes just out this door.  Nice,,,,, we were just snooping so we felt glad that we didn't have to waste his time on us!  The neatest thing we saw in all the homes  was a half door in each master bedroom/walk in closet area that opened to the laundry room so you didn't have to carry the clothes around the house.  How smart is that???

Entrance to Shadow Hills

View from the first home

all the homes were south west adobe style with beautiful flowers and landscape

nice patio lounge area

these back yards were nicely done

a laundry door  = other side is the master bedroom walk in closet

lots of big windows in each home

Joshua Tree National Park

January 20/15  Weather Sunny about 74.... later in the park about 65.

Park shirts - bargain at $18.95 each

We left the RV Park on the Harley in short sleeves and our jean jackets.  Billy wanted to stop at the Harley dealership and see about some service.

We were only another 25 miles to the Joshua Tree National Park - west entrance so we thought let's go.   One thing we forgot was extra clothing as the elevation climbs in the park to about 5000 feet.    No worries we stopped at the Ranger station and bought a couple of long sleeve shirts to pull on.  We like to support the National Parks and the shirts are usually inexpensive, about $20.

Joshua Tree

The park's namesake is an unusual looking Yucca - called the Joshua Tree by  early Mormon settlers because the plant seemed to lift up its arms like the biblical Joshua.  The park also is home to some interesting rock formations formed over a million years ago. 

scenic road inside the park - strange rock formations

Rock climbing and hiking is a big sport in the park.   The Colorado and Mojave Desert are inside the perimeters of the park and even though today we needed a jacket and extra shirt it probably is the opposite in the summer at 120 degrees heat!!!!  I think we like this temp better.  There are thousands of acres of yucca, scrub, cacti and rock formations that give a unique landscape and a pretty ride. 

Cholla Cactus - a jumping cacti

the cacti literally seem to jump onto you - see one on my boot sole

Fun at the Park

Jan 18 -23/15 weather 78 sunny. When the  Sun goes down it drops to 50 in a few hours.

They made the Hobo Stew - which was good

 The first Sunday afternoon the park had an ice cream social by the pool.  Well, as you can imagine Billy set the day aside for that :)  He actually had 2 root beer floats!   Met some of the long time snowbirds here, lots from Western Canada - not 1 from Ontario.   Ha ha just us.  Going to the Harley dealer in Palm Springs and Joshua Tree National Park this week plus a ride downtown to get acquainted with the area.  Friday the park is having a bonfire and Hobo stew so we will see what that's about too.  Looks like it's going to be a tough life here but we will do our best.......

Palm Springs & Desert Cities

Jan 17/2015 Weather - Perfect.  Really just perfect.  Sunny, dry (20% humidity), about 78 degrees.  Cool at night 50's.  So you don't need the AC running.  It's just perfect!  Everyday.  And you know if it's good enough for Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra and Bob Hope and Dinah Shore and Gene Autry and Gerald Ford then we think there must be something to it :)  They all have a street named after themselves too.   Land of the movie stars..... ?

Our park - Shadow Hills RV Resort

So we are checked in to Shadow Hills RV Resort for the month.   Palm Springs and the area which is known as the Desert Cities is about 40 miles long, and has several small suburbs - Cathedral City, Thousand Palms, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Bermuda Dunes, La Quinta, Indio and Coachella.  It is a valley and a desert.  Every direction you look you see mountain ranges.  It's quite a view.

driving downtown Palm Springs on Palm Canyon Drive

Last Fall we met the nicest couple in Napa Valley and they are regular winter snowbirds returning year after year to Palm Springs and it happens their nephew owns the RV park.    How lucky for us to meet them and we were able to get a spot in the park.  There are several places to camp in this area; some of the RV resorts are very large and luxurious on golf courses.  They offer sites up to $120 a night.   Your thinking that's crazy for a spot to park your RV!!!   We agree!  Well this place is lovely and small and very friendly with enough amenities for us and very affordable.  Once again meeting people and listening to their advice has helped us find a great campsite.  We plan on doing some riding and a little R & R.

Huge Wind Farm just before Palm Springs

Overnight in Bakersfield

Friday, Jan 16 - Saturday, Jan 17  Weather 60's sunny but very foggy in the morning.  We are on the move and said good bye to Paso Robles and are headed down to where it will be consistently warmer and longer days of warmth.  Where would that be?   The valley and desert area of Palm Springs.  

a big pull thru at Orange Grove RV Park

Bakersfield is our stopping point from Paso Robles which is only a couple hours down the road however; we decided we want to take the back way in through the Mojave Desert and there is no place to stay if we go any farther this afternoon.   We are making it a two day trip.   The alternate route would be to drop down into San Bernadino and hit a tremendous amount of traffic in the Los Angelos Basin.  We will take our chances through the desert and stay away from the 10 lanes of traffic and stop and go traffic jams we have heard so much about.

Billy picking our bag of oranges

We also wanted to stop at Orange Grove RV Park as the reviews talk about each spot is allowed to pick a bag of oranges right at their site!    It is a great RV park. They park you between the orange trees and provide a long handled orange picker.  These oranges have no seeds and are so sweet.  Wow.....  and free coffee and bakery style donuts too!    Just down the road is the California Fruit Depot where you can get dates, craisins, olives, nuts - pistachios, brazil nuts, pecans, almonds, avocados.  All California grown.  We took a walk and bought all our favorite things.......   Tonight our supper will be nibbling on all our purchases. 

free oranges + the bounty

Big Sur Coast Scenic Drive - Southbound

Jan 15/2015 Thursday   Weather - sunny  50's in the morning, high 60's afternoon.  No Fog today ???   Of course not.   We had fretted all week about the fog in the morning and riding our Harley up hwy 101 to make a loop and come back down the Hwy 1 Big Sur Coastal Drive.   So we wimped out and got a rental car at 9 am for the day.   Turned out to be a good solution to seeing the coast and not having to deal with the cool weather in the morning and early sunset at 5 pm.   But oh how we yearned for our motorcycle from Monterey to Cambria, we headed south bound tight to the waters edge.   We were in full out laughing jigs as we roller-coaster-ed up and down the shoreline highway.   It is nothing less than magnificent!   Take your breath away views!  There are many pull out spots for pictures and each one you swear this is the postcard moment, nope this is the postcard moment, nope this one is the best one.....   All 70 miles!  We enjoyed our entire day and vowed that we MUST come back and do it on the motorcycle, both ways - south and north as it will look different riding each way. Tip : pay the $10 to start at 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach.  It's worth it and if you stop and have lunch at the clubhouses/restaurants they will reimburse the price if you spend $30.  And definitely drive along Carmel - I want to live here !!!!

Guard Shack Entrance $10 to Pebble Beach (5 locations) 17 mile drive

17 mile drive -The Links at Spanish Bay Golf Course

17 mile drive - Spyglass Hill Golf Course

along 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach

The Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach

Unique Houses in Carmel Beach - Couldn't you live here???

Driving along Carmel Beach

Hey theres Billy and Rosey posing at Bixby Bridge

This view goes on for 70 miles up and down like a roller coaster

Rugged coastal cliffs drop to the sea

Elephant seals with their pups - thousands of them

The day is over - and what a glorious day it was

Hearst Castle, San Simeon

Tuesday - Jan 13/2015 Weather - super foggy in the morning at Paso Robles with a low of 39; sun comes out about 11:30 am and burns off the fog and a high of 65.  We don't ride out till the sun is brightly shining and the fog has cleared.  Oddly enough it feels warmer as we get closer to the Pacific Ocean coast.....

coming up to the front of the castle

Hearst Castle is located just north of San Simeon on Hwy 1 way up on the hilltop of the William Randolph Hearst Ranch land (250,000 acres).   At the visitor center you have to board a bus to ride up 4 1/2 miles to get into the Castle and see a few of the rooms.  This Mediterranean-style country estate was privately owned by the Hearst's from 1865 till 1957 when after "The Chief's death"  the family deeded the estate to California and it has remained open to the public under the state park system.  It is one of the most extravagant estates in the world.  William was a newspaper and radio magnate of which at his prime he owned 25% of the USA news media.   Hearst Castle was the inspiration for the "Xanadu" mansion of the 1941 Orson Welles film Citizen Kane  a fictionalization of William Randolph Hearst's career.  After visiting the place and listening to some information about Hearst we will have to see the movie.   It was here that he entertained with his mistress Marion Davies, his wife lived in New York in the original family mansion.   Hearst also owned a real castle in Wales at the time and over 1,000,000 acres in Chihuahua, Mexico. 

diningroom once entertained movie stars and moguls - Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Charles Lindberg, George Bernard Shaw

Hearst filled the mansion with garish booty of Gothic fireplaces, Moorish tiles, Medieval tapestries, marble statues and Greek vases.  He shipped in walls ripped from European churches and castles.  Why?   Because he was wealthy and loved to go on buying sprees.  His architect Julie Morgan worked on the estate for over 30 years.  It can be viewed as the height of aesthetic glory or vulgar...... depending on your taste.  Either way you have to see it to believe it.

view from one of the outdoor decks

walking around the opulent grounds

Roman Pool

San Miguel Mission Arcángel

Sunday - Jan 10/2015   Weather is sunny and high of 68 today.
Sitting here having an outdoor breakfast we thought a short ride today to the Mission would be great way to spend the day.  Come join us?

San Miguel Mission Arcángel is about 12 miles from our RV park.

Bell Tower

It was established in 1797 by the Catholic church; an order of Franciscan monks wanted to evangelize the Salinan Indians in this area of the country; which was long before California became a state in 1850.  At one time there were about 1,000 Indians living at the mission with the monks.  They farmed the land and made wine.  Now it is a historic state and national site.  Wonderfully preserved.

inside the church, bare wood ceiling, adobe walls

The old adobe church is still actively holding masses and other ministries.  The interior walls have the original painted murals by the Salinan Indians.  The cemetery beside the church is open to the public.  The adobe doorways to the sparse cemetery are pictures of art in themselves.

Doorway to the Cemetery

Rustic carved grave marker

Lord continue to bless this bike and the couple who ride it.   Amen :)