Hi,
We still continue in this most beautiful state, meeting some amazing people, I truly did not expect this when I came to America, it is an amazing place, their hospitality is like everything else huge!!!
I am enjoying it so much. Oh, by the way, we are in a garage again. Les has clutch problems with the throw away bearing!! I think that's what they are called so fingers crossed we are not here long. The up side is we have internet cover. so reply's please.
24th MARCH 2008
We continue along this amazing coast line, it is over 1000 miles long!! Today we found Fort Ross Historical Park which turned out to be very interesting, this was built by Russian fur trappers in 1812 who came here to trap local Seals and Sea Otters for the European fur market, The Russian’s brought people from Alaska to catch the seal and otter, they also trained the local Native American to catch the animals. The fort and workings were closed in 1840 with the near destruction of the Sea Otter. After failing to make a success of farming the Russian’s sold the land, the buildings and left. The fort has now been renovated to the original style using old methods, there is a large Russian grave yard and in a nearby town there is a beautiful Russian Orthodox Church which is now a bed and breakfast. Our next stop was a small park overlooking the sea, this stop was for tea and a spot of Whale watching, met 2 lovely ladies, Carol and Diana, who were with their camper van, very close to the sea bird and whale watching, their camper is very small by American standards, much more like a European van, we were invited inside and had a lovely cup of tea and stayed for a long chat, they gave us lots of tips on where to visit, also where to park up for the night very useful information! We were then invited to visit them at their home in Sebastopol, which we hope to do.
25th March 2008
Continuing our drive we arrive at Mendocino, we are told this is the prettiest village/town on the Californian coast with its New England style clapboard houses, a former lumber port, it is now a charming village/town with quaint shops and buildings, peaceful and unhurried, the Mendocino coast line is a great winter whale watching spot, It is also a setting for many films and TV series, I think the best known being “Murder She Wrote”
After lunch we turn south to go inland to the Wine areas of Napa and Sonoma Valley’s
We again meet up with Carol and Diana, who renew their invitation to visit, we will try and do this within a couple of days, but first some wine!!!!!
On our drive inland we have been driving through a Red Wood Forest. These trees are huge I believe they are the biggest trees in the World one tree is 362 feet tall and 1600 years old, there are also two tree’s over 360 feet tall and 17 feet in diameter, this is comparable to a 30 storey building. I guess this at least puts them up there with the biggest (I have now been to Sequoia N.P. Sooooo more about trees later)
26th March 2008
There are over 500 wineries in Napa and Sonoma Counties; we did not sample them all !! our friends from Encinitas had highlighted a few for us to visit, following their advice we spent a very enjoyable day and a half tasting all the reds in each winery, We do however think the wine is very expensive here, we felt they were all very over priced; really, most of what we had at home would cost maybe £5-£7, but for me nothing came up to the OPOL winery where I paid £20 a bottle I will bring this home!! I only got one bottle from Sonoma Valley @ £10
In the early evening of the 27th we went over to Sebastopol to spend a couple of days with Carol and Diana. This was so lovely, again we have been made so welcome into the home of such nice people, their hospitality is enormous and their shower is great!!! Their house is so homely, beautiful outlook at the back with great a deck and hot tub! At the front of the house there is a porch AND a swing seat! Carol and Diana are going to Alaska in the summer so we look forward to meeting up with them again, I do hope so. It is always sad when we leave such new friends whilst we are on the road because you feel we may never see them again but this time may be we will!! In Oregon I hope to meet up with some one I met in St Petersburg, Russia. I am looking forward to that.
30th March 2008
Today we drive to Sacramento to meet up with a couple who have joined the Silk Route Club, Linda and Tommy, we spent the whole day sat in deck chairs talking, then we went to Wal Mart for the night and talked some more.
1st April 2008
Lake Tahoe.
Totally amazing, for me this is the very best time of year to visit, enough snow to make the mountains so very beautiful, enough snow in the trees, houses and towns to give a very good impression of how much snow has fallen over the winter, the roads are clear, well, the ones we drove were, several are closed, not 1000’s of people - apparently in the spring and summer every where is packed. For me it was perfect!
I have never seen so many huge piles of snow, the houses that were obviously for summer use were just covered with snow, the drive, garden, just a roof. Some of the houses that are in use were just covered at the front with a drive cleared, garage and walk to the back, the thing that amused me the most, some house that had the front cleared had a veranda which was just full of snow even covering the windows. I guess when that much snow falls clearing is a big job, so you would only clear were you needed to, wouldn’t you? I was also puzzled to see the sides of the road which had been ploughed were black not just dirty but black. Well today we found out, the volcanic rock/cinder is mined and crushed then used for the iced and slippery roads, better for your car than the road salt we use.
Had a great view of a Bald Eagle soaring high in a very clear sky! The trees around the lake are Pine Ponderosa and Jackson they are described as twins, the difference is so slight.
We have had morning temperatures well below zero with warm and sunny days; we seem to spend the day changing clothes taking off layers and swapping thick and thin trousers, apparently this can still happen in June!! The weather in this country has such extremes unlike ours which is just bits and bobs and down the middle, rarely do we have extremes of any kind of weather, an American once said to me in the UK we do not have weather only samples, I understand that now.
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