5. CALIFORNIA - UP THE COAST AND THROUGH THE MOUNTAINS

Overnights in

Day 12: Wednesday, March 22

It's really not possible to imagine more beautiful weather than what I enjoyed today. While the temperature dropped to 47F during the night, it had climbed to 68F by the time I walked over to the bathhouse. Needless to say, not a cloud in the brilliantly blue Southern California sky.

Was on the road by 8:15 AM, heading up the coast on US-101 and CA-1. At times the coastline is overwhelmingly scenic. Certainly a road worth taking, despite the fast and heavy traffic. The Malibu-Camarillo stretch is especially beautiful and there are also lovely views as one travels up to Santa Barbara and Gaviota. US-101 then turns inland past orchards, orange groves, and vinyards.

Stopped in Santa Maria to take care of housekeeping chores. Bought some supplies at the local Wal-Mart, then spent an hour (and $6) at Kinkos to connect to the net and uploaded/downloaded, then found a laundromat, and while 11 days worth of dirty laundry was going through the wash cycle, walked to a nearby barber shop to get a haircut. Then on to a supermarket to restock the pantry, and then to find a cheap filling station where I got gas at $1.799/gal. Averaged 17.7 mpg on the last tank, despite the high speed driving yesterday from Vegas, and the headwinds.

Found my way to the Morro Bay State Park. The park is about half full, so one doesn't notice that the sites are fairly close together. $12 for the night, no hook-ups available. 50 cents for the shower. Parked under the beautful tall trees.

Drove only 190 miles today. Am enjoying good TV reception, so am getting reports of the snow, hail, wind, and rain in parts of Arizona and New Mexico. Am tempted to extend my stay in Southern California . . .

Day 13: Thursday, March 23

Two superb scenic drives today - up the Pacific coast and a drive through the Sequoia National Park and a small section of the Kings Canyon National Park.

The night's low temperature was 47F but it had warmed to 58F when I got underway by 8:45 AM. Instead of going back directly to CA-1, drove through the attractive little town of Morro Bay. There was still some morning haze, so my photo of Morro Rock didn't turn out as well as I had hoped.

Turned inland on CA 46 - going east now, heading for home. The scenic road quickly climbed from sea level to 1,800' and then continued through hilly ranch land and vinyards to Paso Robles. CA-41 to Kettleman City was also quite attractive, especially the drive through the orange groves. Found my way to Visalia and on to Three Rivers. The last few miles included some good views. But it really got spectacular once I entered Sequoia National Park.

Left the park on CA-180 and then picked up CA-99 to Bakersfield. Since it was getting dark, didn't bother to try to find the Kern County Park I had originally planned to stay at. Instead found the Bakersfield Palms RV Park and pulled in for the night.

Unfortunately it is located right by the railroad yard, so the noise level is annoying. The sites are fairly narrow, but separated from each other by wooden fences that provide some measure of privacy. Cost is $16.20, after a 10% AAA discount. They also gave me a coupon to get another 10%, if I should visit again.

Amenities include a great hot tub (guess where I spent a good part of the evening), a clean and comfortable bathhouse, laundry room, swimming pool, electricity, water, sewer, cable TV connection, and a phone outlet at each site. They also provide the TV listing for the day, an area map, and a list of access numbers for the major ISPs. Good service!

Enjoyed beautiful weather all day, went from sea level to 8,000' and back down to 400', experienced temperatures ranging from 47F to 80F, and drove 415 miles.Was on the road for 9 3/4 hours.

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