3. California

Day 7: Friday, July 18

Very Hazy

It didn't cool off much during the night. Before going to bed I went for a swim in one of the resort's pools. The water was pleasantly warm, but there was a cold blast hitting me when I got out of the pool. This despite an air temperature of 92F! Evaporation will do this to you -- unfortunately, the cooling effect doesn't last very long.

Slept quite well. Daylight comes early around here, and by 9 AM the sun is hard at work. When I hit the road at 10:15 AM, the thermometer registered 112F.

Continued on SR 111 to Palm Desert and then took the very scenic SR 74 (Pines to Palms Highway) into the mountains and the San Bernadino National Forest. I had driven this road before, and like then it was too cloudy/hazy/smoggy to get good views and photos of the desert valley (altitude about zero) from the few overlook points (altitude 4,800') The climb of about 5,000' over 11 miles is not recommended for long rigs.

After Hemet I headed for the Escondido Freeway and then the Santa Monica area coast via the Pomona, Santa Monica, and Ventura freeways. Arrived at my planned destination, the Leo Carillo State Park just early enough to get one of the few remaining sites. A pleasant park, and I'll spend a couple of days here in order to do some much needed household and van maintenance chores, and also to make some progress with a book I am reading.

Day 10: Monday, July 21

Talked with a fellow camper last night about driving US 395, the East Sierra Highway. He told me that in 26 trips up and down that road he had had only gotten clear views of Mt. Whitney four times. Well, since I failed to see the mountains last year because of the forest fires, I really thought I was entitled to seem them this year. And I did.

The haze that had been bugging me most of last week vanished once I got into the desert, and the mountains were clearly visible.

It's views like this that make me love California, despite all its problems.

And Mt. Whitney towered above the foothills.

In Lone Pine there is a road, the Mt. Whitney Portal Road, that takes one about 4,500' straight up to the start of the trailhead that leads to the summit. Although I had no intention of climbing the highest mountain in the contiguous US, I drove to the trailhead anyway. A spectacular drive with fabulous vistas.

You can't imagine how happy I was to finally get some views that were worth taking photos of!

The temperature was bearable at the higher elevations, but most of the time it was 100F or higher. Stopped briefly in Bishop to buy some supplies and the official temperature of 112F (at 6 PM) made me continue driving. Got to Mammoth Lake around 7:30 PM and with the higher altitude and the beginning of sunset, the temperature started to drop into the low nineties. Got a site at the Mammoth Mountain RV Park, one of those "destination" resorts with overcrowded pool and hot tub, RVs jammed together like sardines in a can, barking dogs, screaming children, boomboxes blasting away - well, you get the idea. $32.48! Avoid this place! But it is nice and cool at 7,800'.

Was on the road for a little over ten hours today and drove about 500 miles. Bought gasoline near Riverside and paid $1.629/gal. My mpg average is plummeting, this time it was less than 13 mpg. I'm convinced that this is attributable to the additives they use in this state.

Day 11: Tuesday, July 22

The temperature during the night actually dropped below the 60F mark! A real pleasure, and I got a very good night's sleep. But by the time I got rolling around 8:30 AM it was already beginning to warm up.

While driving yesterday I had noticed increasingly strong vibrations and shaking whenever the speed was in the 45 mph to 50 mph range. Plus, the front brakes seemed to make an odd rumbling sound - not the high-pitched squealing that one associates with worn brakes, but a lower pitched noise. Went looking for a mechanic in Mammoth, no luck. Continued on the increasingly more scenic US 395, but didn't want to take a chance of having the van break down in some remote area, so refrained from doing the lake loops that are supposedly very scenic. Well, next time.

Went east on SR 89, a very scenic two lane highway that leads to the picturesque hamlet of Markleeville (one filling station, $2.20/gal) and then connects with the equally scenic US 50 which took me to Placerville. From there is was SR 49 to Auburn, where the local Ford dealer representative told me that they were too busy to even look at my van until tomorrow at the earliest. Continued on SR 49 to Grass Valley, and the local Ford dealer there identified the cause of the vibration as being the left front tire, which had developed a huge bulge on the inside rim. Two hours, four new tires, and a $500+ charge to VISA later, I was on the road again. The vibration is indeed gone, but I still think I hear odd braking noises.

The Ford representative recommended a nearby campground, Orchard Springs Resort. Got a full hook-up sites for $32. A pleasant setting, but only because the adjacent sites aren't occupied.

Was on the road about 6 hours, drove 260 miles.

Day 12: Wednesday, July 23

Today was one of those once-in-a-lifetime days where a sequence of coincidences end up sounding almost incredible.

It all started yesterday afternoon, when I couldn't get the Ford dealer in Grass Valley to properly clean off the blue protective stuff from the new tires that had just cost me over $500. It was closing time, and the mechanic wasn't about to make the extra effort. His parting comment to me was "your brakes are OK for at least another 3,000 miles."

As I hit the road to go to the campground I had my mind on the incompetence of the quick lube fellow in Placerville who had failed to notice the tread separation and bulge in the left front tire, even 'though I had specifically asked the service rep to check for reasons for the front end vibration. Anyway, being busy thinking of that, I wasn't paying attention to the gas gauge. Instead I noticed that the rubbing sound was still there.

Made it to the campground and resolved to backtrack to the Ford dealer in the morning. But when I turned the ignition key, the gas gauge needle barely moved. And sure enough, a couple of miles later the engine started sputtering. Got caught in a long wait at a construction zone and barely made it to an auto repair shop that had once been a filling station, but now prominently displayed a sign saying "No Gas"

The owner/manager wasn't about to let me go through the hassle of calling AAA. He got one of his people to take me and a 5 gal tank to the nearest filling station, about a mile down the road. I mentioned to the driver that I was worried about the front end noise, and whether they might be able to help. He suggested that I ask Scott, the boss. Scott got in the van with me for a test drive, but we didn't even have to leave the parking lot before he diagnosed "left front brake pad."

Sure enough, the left front brake pad was gone, non-existent, metal to metal, with the rotor badly grooved. In addition, the right front rotor had a visible crack in it, and the two bolts that secure the caliphers were missing! So much for the expertise of the Grass Valley Ford dealer! Given the kind of mountain driving I have planned for the next few weeks, this could literally have been a killer.

Anyway, three hours and a $712 charge to my VISA card later, I was on the road again. I am totally grateful to Scott Sipes of Advantage Automotive on Colfax Highway in Grass Valley, CA. If you ever need help while in the area, I recommend him.

For the rest of the day I enjoyed scenery that was mostly spectacular. SR 49/SR 89 north took me over mountain passes and into luscious valleys, through quaint touristy towns and gold mining country. Altitude fluctuated between abt 2,500' and 8,500' and the temperatures were in the 70F to 105F range. Especially attractive were the lush valleys ringed by tall mountains -- if you remember the old Bonanza shows, this is the landscape!

Made it to Lassen Volcanic National Park in late afternoon -- a beautiful park. I'll let the camera talk:

Decided to spend the night in one of the National Park Service campgrounds. $5 for a level site, no amenities. Grilled a cheeseburger and worked on the photos and the journal. 10:30 PM, bed time. Should sleep well since it is comfortably cool (73F) at 6,000'.

Day 13: Thursday, July 24

I sure slept well. Woke up around 6 AM and it seemed as if pine smell filled the van. Loved the 59F temperature! It was cloudy outside, with occasional rain showers while I had my customary breakfast of coffee, orange juice, and corn flakes.

Was on the road by 9:15 AM. After exiting the park took SR 44 and some backroads to get to Anderson and I-5. Went south on the interstate to Red Bluff, and then headed west on SR 36.

Initially SR 36 is a bit boring - but that changes when the road climbes from less than 1,000' to about 5,000'. The drive through the Shasta National Forest is very scenic and worth the -- at times -- difficult mountain driving, especially west of Mad River (population 29.)

Good views along the way.

The last few miles of SR 36 took me through gorgeous Redwood forests. Suddenly I was on US 101, the Redwood Highway. A bit scenic before hitting Eureka, then mostly junky.

Continued north to Patricks State Park (some good views of the coast line along the way) but could not secure a campsite. Instead found the Azalea Glen RV Park nearby where $22 got me a level site with full hook-ups, including cable TV. They have a data port and I was able to get mail. Cellular hasn't been working for me lately -- Sprint is available while on the main roads, but fades about 5 miles off the side.

The temperature around 4 PM was only 65F, despite lovely sunshine. It dropped to 55F in the course of the evening -- cold enough to get out a sweater, put on long pants, and turn on the heater in the van.

Was on the road for about 6 hours today, drove 270 miles. The van performed flawlessly, except that gas milage continues to be abysmal.

Day 14: Friday, July 25

A pleasant night. The temperature dropped to 51F, the campground was quiet, and I slept without interruption until 8 AM. Enjoyed a good shower in the good bathhouse and debated with myself the pros and cons of just staying here for another day, cooling off, doing the laundry, availing myself of the internet connection on a 56 kbps line, etc. But I didn't like the morning fog and the clouds, and by 10:15 AM was on the road, warmly dressed to cope with the 56F temperature.

The drive to Crescent City on US 101 offered a few moments of scenic beauty whenever the road climbed to above 500', and occasionally I even got a glimpse of the coast, the beach, and the rolling waves. Antje and I were here on an earlier trip and the guidebooks are right -- arrange to travel the road in the afternoon, after the fog has burned off.

Stopped in Crescent City to raid the local Safeway store and then headed northeast on the very scenic US 199. The fog soon lifted and the temperature climbed into the high eighties as the road ascended to about 4,000', crossing the various forks of the Smith River. Which raises a question -- why are there North Forks, Midlle Forks, or South Forks? Shouldn't they properly be called tynes?

Anyway, crossed into Oregon (temperature 95F) and made my way to the big city of Grants Pass. They even have a Wal-Mart there, so I was able to buy some much needed stuff for the van.

Found the nearby Valley of the Rogue State Park and $20 bought me the last available electric hook-up site. When the temperature is almost 100F, plugging in and running the 110VAC air conditioner is an absolute necessity, IMHO. The park is nicely laid out with large sites. Unfortunately it is right off I-5, so the traffic noise is considerable.

Since it was only about 3 PM, I had the afternoon to do some cleaning inside the van, to sit under a shade tree and read, and just enjoy R & R. The campground is close to I-5, so my cell phone is working and I could get e-mail and call Antje. All in all, a pleasant afternoon followed by an evening of grilling a cheeseburger and enjoying the evening temperature.

Was on the road for only 4 1/2 hours, drove only 160 miles. Bought gasoline in Grants Pass at $1.629.

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