Thursday, November 20, 2014
GREETINGS FROM DOWNTOWN JAMUL, 20 NOVEMBER 2014
SEAL PUP SUNNiNG WITH MOM.
Oh the responsibility of raising kids in La Jolla. After they finish this workout, they will take a nap.
HEY RALPH, THAT WAS TUBULAR GNARLY.
These guys, and a whole bunch more, were cavorting around like a bunch of kids. I think they are natives here.
SURFS UP KAWABUNGA
Good day for surfing, diving swimming and kayaking. It was kind of neat watching the seals and the people enjoying the surf together.
CLIFFS AT THE COVE
The surf was up, the gulls were doing aerobatics, and the powerful sounds of the waves breaking on the cliffs made for a very pleasant day.
FROM COVE TO SHINNING SHORES
This is the view of the San Diego coastline from La Jolla Cove, looking North to La Jolla Shores. Pretty nice weather for November.
WELCOME TO THE HOTEL CALIFORNIA
It's nor really the Hotel California, but it could be. It's the first thing I thought of when I spotted it from the beach at La Jolla Cove.
Saturday, October 4, 2014
MEMORIES OF DAYS GONE BY
If you closed down the Starbucks and Burger King, removed the cars from the streets, and replaced them with horses, mules, donkeys and wagons, Virginia city would look 130 years older.
THE VIRGIN OF VIRGINIA CITY
Being camped as close as we were to Virginia City, we had to make the climb up the mountain. Even though the town is primarily a tourist trap, it still retains a genuine feel of antiquity, and a huge town that lived on silver.
BIGGEST LITTLE CITY IN THE WORLD
I'm not sure why, but the drivers in Reno are the most detached from their driving as any place I've been. Several times I expected to be hit, and even thought about taking a cab. The cab drivers are worse than the general population. But we forced ourselves to have fun any way.
TRUCKEE RIVER FLOWING ALONG SIDE OUR CAMP
When we left Oregon, we went to Sparks, Nevada. We camped on the banks of the Truckee River. This picture was taken from the campground. The GRAND SIERRA RESORT in the background.
COLORADO RIVER SNAKING IT'S WAY THROUGH PARKER
I am always left a little breathless at the stark beauty of the desert, sharp pinnacles of the mountains, and the beautiful blue river flowing through it all at Parker AZ.
SUNSET AT EMERALD COVE
The two things I can never pass up with the camera, is water; lakes rivers, waterfalls and beaches. The other is sunrises and sunsets. Behold the gorgeous desert sunset at Parker.
MANNY, MOE, AND JACKASS
These guys love the campers. They brazenly examine the sites, pose for photos, sell beads to the tourists and sing karaoke in the bar.
DEMOCRATIC FUND RAISER AT EMERALD COVE
The burros have been prolific since our last visit to Parker. They are in the hills, on the roads, and as you can see here, in the campground.
WELL BLESS MY SOUL, WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?
While at Emerald Cove, we were forced to get new membership cards. The management could not believe we were that good looking and wanted to take new pictures just to make sure.
Elvis was there getting a new card too, and insisted on having his picture taken with Diane.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
THIS SAY'S IT ALL
Off of highway 140 is a dirt road that leads to Junipers. This obviously is the sign that helps find the dirt road. Junipers is an 8000 acre working cattle ranch with a lake, and a campground right smack dab in the middle of it. It is almost on the Oregon, California, Nevada border. The town, which is 14 miles from the ranch, has a population of 2300 and is the County Seat for Lake County. Elevation 5000 feet.
HERE KITTY KITTY, TASTY CATFISH
If you stare real hard, you can see the campground across the lake and to the left of this stunning fisherman.
We pan fried this cats fillets in butter, garlic, and panko and had him on crackers as an snack before din din.
IT'S A FISHING PARTY
We were fortunate, once again, to hook (no pun intended) up with good friends Andy and Linda Clarkson. During this day, I caught 1 small cat, and Andy and Linda caught 5 nice trout.
WORKING COWBOYS. NO RHINESTONE BOOTS HERE.
Yep, this is the real deal. Five cowboys herding hundreds of black angus cattle. It's fun to watch them work, and it looks like a lot of fun, just riding around on horseback, following these slow moving bovines.
GET ALONG LITTLE DOOGIE
Another one of the real cowboys. They show up early in the morning in their Ram pickups, towing horse trailers. In no time, they are mounted and herding cattle. This guy had to go back for a stray.
STANDING GUARD
There is a whole flock (or is it a covey) of antelope roaming the ranch. This guy must be on guard duty, standing watch over the others.
WHERE THE DEER AND THE ANTELOPE PLAY
Just a normal morning shot out of the windshield. Our camp is on an 8000 acre working cattle ranch. Wildlife abounds. Besides at least a million black angus cattle, there are coyotes wondering through the herds, Pronghorn antelope, squirrels, and birds of every feather including hawks everywhere.
A NICE TROUT FOR A CHUBBY KRAUT.
This lake, Juniper's was stocked over 30 years ago, and never since. These guys are all naturally bred in this water for many, many generations. All we have caught is rainbow trout and catfish here. Both are very tasty.
FISHING IS PRETTY GOOD AT JUNIPER'S
That's my girl, the fish snagger at our fishin hole. She's got a good looking catfish, and a couple of rainbow trout on her stringer. She's a good fishing buddy and a great fish cleaner.
Saturday, August 30, 2014
LIBATIONS AFTER VISITING THE BREWERY
One day we met up with Andy and Linda Clarkson at the Deschutes Brewery in Bend, Oregon. We tasted some of everything there, then came here to the Cascade Brew house to quench our terrible thirsts.
BARRY AND BARNEY THE BLUE JAYS
These guys acted like a couple of turkeys instead of Stellar Blue Jays. They showed up about 17 seconds after I filled and hung the bird feeder. Instead of sitting on the bird feeder and properly pecking at the seed, they would scoop the food out of the feeder and scatter it all over the ground, then peck it off the ground like a couple of turkeys.
HAIL YES, IT GETS COLD
The weather here in the Cascades has been lovely days and nights. Days typically in the 80's and sunny, and nights in the 50's. The wind has usually been a mild breeze, and the rain a few drops late afternoon.
However, twice, out of nowhere, came the hail, about marble size, and lasted longer than other hail storms I have witnessed. This one lasted about 1 1/2 hours, and this picture was taken about two minutes into it. I could not have ventured outside much later than this.
LAKE PAULINA
South East of Bend Oregon, lies this beautiful extinct volcano. The craters formed by the explosion formed the two lakes of Paulina and Eastlake.
This area is quite a recreational area, year round. Boating, hiking, and fishing in the summer, and skiing, snowmobiling, and other winter sports in the winter.
VOLCANIC RIM OF MT. PAULINA
Paulina Mountain was formed by a volcano. This is the rim as seen from the top. It drops down to form the two lakes of Paulina and Eastlake. From this vantage point, Paulina would be in the left of the ridge, and Eastlake would be on the right.
THE TWIN FALLS OF PAULINA
Drain off from Lake Paulina works it's way down the volcanic banks of the mountain to form these beautiful falls.
LUCKY FORTUNE CHINESE RESTAURANT
We have been blessed with fiends where ever we have gone this year. On this occasion, we were in La Pine, Oregon and hooked up with friends who also happened to be in the area for a Chinese repast. From left to right around the table, Diane, Nita, Ken, Linda, Andy, Sandy and Roger.
EL CAMPO BREHM AT SUNRIVER, OR,
This will be our home for 3 weeks. Beautiful scenery with Stellar Blue Jays, hummingbirds, red winged black birds, hawks, and a variety of other birds. Also deer, big bushy gray squirrels,and chipmunks.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS FROM THE OREGON COAST
NESKOWIN CREEK CAMP
This is what my friend, Keith Gentry would call a "Horse Chart". Nothing for me to say. It's all here.
LITTLE NESTUCA RIVER, NESKOWIN, OR
We love these little berry covered rustic bridges in Oregon. Believe it or not, I drove the motorhome across this one to reach our campsite at Neskowin.
STEAM LOCOMOTIVE, GARIBALDI TO ROCKAWAY BEACH
One of those neat little oddities you see along the way. I believe this old steam locomotive was used in the local lumber industry in it's day. Now it travels between Garibaldi and Rockaway beach while tourists aboard sip local wines and taste Tillamook Cheese.
CAMPING ON THE CLIFF OVER THE BEACH, PACIFIC CITY
This is us. Hanging over the cliff above the beach. This camp was designed for tents, camper trucks, and people with Prius' towing teardrop trailers. People with 40' motorhomes have got to be a couple beers short of a clambake to try this.
I cracked the windshield trying to park here.
DO- DO -DO LOOKING OUT OUR BACK DOOR
While the camp at Pacific City certainly has it's challenges to get parked with a 40' Monaco Motorhome, the views are spectacular. Whale watching is a favorite pass-time here. This is the view from the back of our motorhome at our campsite.
THE ROAD TO THE BEACH, PACIFIC CITY, OR.
From the two lane highway above, there is a sneaky little dirt road between the forest of trees really only known to the locals. If you slide down the trail, you can drive right on to the beach. A trip we always take when here.
HAY STACK ROCK WITH TEA CUP HANDLE, PACIFIC CITY, OR.
This is the landmark of Pacific City. The rock, not Diane, although she might be a contender. This place reminds me a little of Morro Bay with it's large landmark rock as well.
On the right side, you can see what is referred to as the tea cup handle, of the rock again, not Diane.
PACIFIC CITY SURFER CHICK
Pacific City is one of the many small beach communities along the Oregon Coast. Beautiful surf, clean sand you can drive your car on, a couple of oyster bar/crab shack, burger pubs serving local beers. Usually a couple of churches, a Les Schwab Tire Store, a thrift shop, small grocery stores and maybe, if it's a high falutin place, even a Fred Meyer, Oregon's answer to Wal-Mart.
MARINA AT GARIBALDI, OR.
I have always enjoyed the quaintness of the Pacific Coast, especially the North California coast up to Canada. The little towns along the way are at most artist communities, and at a minimum, a little restaurant made out of a 1930's home, a gas pump, and maybe a fish monger and some salt water taffy. From the coast, we headed East to replace the windshield, and then on to the Cascade Mountains.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
OREGON KING OF THE WOODS
Yesssir, there are some ugly things on this Earth, but the banana slug is, in my opinion, the king of ugly. For those who haven't met one, they are slimier than snot on a door knob, big as torsion bar on a Buick, hornier than a buck in rut, and uglier than a California Congresswoman.
IF IT'S THE OREGON COAST, IT MUST BE CRAB TIME
These beauties are of the Dungeness variety. They are so tasty with garlic butter and anything else, beer, wine, veggies, whatever. I sautéed one of them with garlic and butter and served it with pasta. Oh yummm, oh yumm. The other we just cracked and ate out of the shell.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)