Theatre, Hiking & The Most Perfect RV Spot Ever – Ashland, OR

“Oh, this is simply perfect!” I gushed, for probably the 200th time
“Indeed it is” repeated Paul, still fresh and awestruck by the view

The RV reflects some late afternoon rays

We’ve landed in the Most Perfect RV Spot Ever (MPRSE). I say that with capital letters so you’ll understand how very cool this is. Just take everything you’ve ever wanted in a site, compile it into one and that’s where we are….let’s see…hmmmmm

Sunset at Emigrant Lake

• Water views. No, no, no let’s not think small here…make that water views out of EVERY single window…CHECK
• Get rid of any RVs in our view-path…CHECK
• Put in our own little swim beach. Why not…CHECK
• Add in a few mountains for scenic depth. Sure…CHECK
• Oh don’t forget the Giant Oak Tree for shade. Indeed…CHECK
• Stage it all with a fine 70 degrees and a gentle breeze. Naturally….CHECK
• And geeze, while we’re at it let’s put a chocolate factory and golf course next door Pourquoi Pas?…CHECK 

Panoramic shot of our RV view…not too shabby

We’re at Emigrant Lake County Park right outside Ashland OR and somehow we’ve hit the RV parking jackpot and landed the MPRSE of the century. Our RV is sitting on its own little peninsula completely surrounded by water and hills. We’ve got an ocean of space in front of us and no-one else in view. The cats are sunning themselves in the grass and Polly has just gone for her 4th swim of the day. This is literally the nicest site we’ve ever stayed at in a public park, and the surrounding area only makes it that much better. Welcome to Oregon, folks…we’re already lovin’ it!

Hiking dense and solitary forest at Mt.Ashland

I found out about Ashland from a friend last year who told me about the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF). Originally launched in 1935, it’s an annual event that’s become one of the largest theatrical attractions in the US.  In fact OSF sells tickets to more performances of more plays than any other theater in the country. Every year Ashland hosts 11 plays (both Shakespearean and others) on 3 stages including an authentically constructed outdoor Elizabethan Stage. Add to the mix that Ashland is surrounded by gorgeous rolling hills, sports the Dagoba Chocolate retail outlet, has many miles of biking trails, is super dog-friendly and still maintains a cute, downtown feel. Oh, this is totally my kinda place!

We targeted this spot as a stop on our way to Eugene for some hiking and theatre-going. Had we known it was going to be this nice we would have booked out the full 2 weeks, but as it is we’ve got a good reason to come back.

Picture perfect views of Mt.Shasta from the meadows trail

For our hike we drove up nearby Mt.Ashland to the snow-level and a very scenic portion of the Pacific Crest Trail. Known locally as the Mt.Ashland Meadows trail(*) this gorgeous 6-mile out-and-back hike follows a ridge-line amongst dense pine and out to sweeping open views of the valley. In summer it’s plastered in wildflowers and on a clear day you can see all the way to Mt.Shasta. This early in the season the trail is still asleep with small drifts of snow and mountain air so crisp and fresh it almost hurts to breathe. Total solitude, space and serenity. As John Muir so aptly put it “the mountains are calling and I must go”.

The zany and musical Animal Crackers

For our show we chose to forgo Shakespeare (I’m saving that one for when the outdoor theatre opens in July) and opted for a Marx Brother’s Vaudeville-style slap-stick comedy “Animal Crackers”. It was full of color, music and great silly humor with spot-on timing…just the kind of play I would have loved to put on in my theatre days. A thoroughly entertaining show that left me wanting to see more.

Even the cats love it here. Taggart relaxes on our outdoor lounger.

There is plenty of other stuff to do here, so much so that we’ve decided we’ve definitely gotta come back, that is if you folks don’t book the MPRSE(**) before us. In the meantime we’re just going to hang right here in our own little paradise with our feet pointed to the blue and eyes feasting on the view. Oh and in case I didn’t mention it, our spot is simply perfect….

(*) To get to Mt.Ashland Meadows take exit 6 from I-5, head south along the frontage road for ~0.7 miles and turn right onto Mt. Ashland Road (towards the Mt.Ashland Ski Area). Drive 7 miles on this road and then park at the first pull-out (mile 7.2). You’ll see signs for the Pacific Crest Trail on either side of the road. Once parked cross the road and take the trail from opposite the pull-out. Enjoy!

(**) Did I not say which site we’re in? Oh, I didn’t did I. Well, you’ll just have to wait in tense anticipation. After all, they say that’s half the fun of surprises…

Our own little swim-beach by the RV

Polly goes for her 4th dip of the day

Grooving The Spirit Of Úytaahkoo – Mt.Shasta, CA

“When I caught sight of it….I was fifty miles away and afoot, alone and weary. Yet all my blood turned to wine, and I have not been weary since”
John Muir, on seeing Mt.Shasta

Mt.Shasta offers a peek on a cloudy day

Where heaven and earth meet…Mt Shasta city

Groovy…is the first thing that comes to mind. Having an out-of-body experience is not far behind it. We’re sitting at the “Seed of Life” cafe, surrounded by psychedelic posters and aging hippies. I’m reading an advertisement for “priestess training” and have just learned from the long-haired (and well-tattooed) barista that Mt. Shasta is a natural energy vortex. “you’re in the heart of the sacred mountain spirit, man….people have vision quests to come here”. The only thing nagging at my inner sanctuary is that my mocha cost $4.95 and the old hippy by the door is wearing a $100 Patagonia sweatshirt, was typing on an iPad and just got into a Land Rover. Maybe I am having visions?

At “Seed Of Life” Cafe in downtown Mt.Shasta

Despite all the fluff, you can’t help but be impressed by the view. Mt. Shasta takes your breath away, and energy vortex or not, it’s comes darn close to a real-life modern-day spiritual encounter. Úytaahkoo or “White Mountain” sprouts like a giant conical birthday surprise out of the plains and into a soaring 14,179 feet (4,322 m). Driving north up the pine-lined I-5 amongst gently rolling hills you simply don’t expect it, so when you turn the corner and suddenly face the massive snow-capped peak, it really does shift your inner senses. There’s something about this mountain, and it most definitely draws you in.

Paul poses at Mt.Shasta Golf Resort with the famous peak in the background

Mt. Shasta (the town) is a cute mountain town which cultivates the spiritual vibe, but also rocks some money. There are large mansions just outside of town and the local golf course is a pristine 18-hole dream (we actually stopped to hit a few balls on the range…yes, even me…after hours of Golf Channel and hubby persistence I have veeery skeptically applied myself and realized I can actually hit the ball. The full glory of my golf future is yet to be seen however). Downtown has shops, cafes, a good organic food market and no end of offerings to get in touch with your inner self.

Paul meditates on the vortex’s of life at Castle Lake

But the real draw to all this is the mountain…and the surrounding nature. Much of the mountain is protected Wilderness (which sadly means no dogs), but you can drive to admire the summit base-camp with pooch (Sand Flat/Bunny Flat) and you can go hike with doggie just about anywhere outside the main peak. We chose a super-scenic 2.2 mile route from Castle Lake to Heart Lake which not only offers two gorgeous mountain lakes, but also stunning views of Mt.Shasta and rolling blankets of low-lying snow (at least this time of year).

Polly catches a breath between snow “crazy runs”

The latter drives Polly absolutely bananas giving her the snow “crazy runs” and us the benefit of a very tired doggie after the hike. Oh, and I have it on good authority from a local shaman that this happens to be an old indian hike which is (of course) a spiritual cleanser. So not only do your outer limbs get a work-out, but your inner being does too.

It’s simply the way of the mountain out here. I can’t tell you if the vortex took me in or my blood turned to wine, but I most definitely felt lifted. Groovy, baby.

Gorgeous views from Heart Lake

Mountain flowers at ~6,500 feet

Hanging By Red Shores & Mountains – Shasta Lake, CA

Our new back yard is pretty darn sweet

I have to admit our new back-yard is pretty sweet. Not only are we surrounded by a great lake, pretty trees and lush green mountains, but we are (yet again) the largest rig in the campground. Don’t know why that last bit always gets me excited, but I love getting out where other Class A’s have not yet dared to venture. Exploring new horizons “beastly” style, if you will, or modern-day Christopher Columbus’s a-la-RV, or nouveau big-rig road-crusaders…

Ahh, but I digress…

Summer color on the trails

We have landed in Shasta, land of lake, mountain & those who seek the other side. One of the first things you notice when you get up here is that Shasta means a whole lotta different places. Mt. Shasta is the large, pointy (and usually snowed-in) mountany thing in the north, which should not be confused with Shasta Lake (the rather enormous wet lakey thing ~40 miles south), and should most definitely not be mistaken for Shasta (the city ~50 miles to the East). Thankfully Mt Shasta (the city) is actually next to the mountain, and Shasta Lake (the city) is next to the lake, leaving only Shasta as the odd one out. Got it?

Driving the bridge into Shasta Lake

But to keep things simple I’ll start with Shasta Lake (the actual lake, not the city), which is where we’re currently parked and which is indeed a very large lake. Visually it’s a stunning picture -> rugged iron-rich red earth shoreline set off by mountainside, conifer trees and aqua-blue waters. In fact it’s a man-made lake that came into being in 1948 after building the Shasta Dam, the second largest and (still) the tallest concrete dam in the United States. Standing proud at a surface area of 30,000 acres (12,000 ha) and boasting 365 miles of shoreline when full the 5 ”arms” of the lake spread into long fingers that make it look on a map like a massive creepy monster-hand. It also means there are a whole lotta hidden nooks and crannies to explore, many of which can only be reached by boat.

Hiking the coastal forest by Packers Bay

We got here on the camping madness that is Memorial Day week-end and boating is definitely the big deal. Almost everyone comes here with a boat in haul (even the RVs!), and house-boats are a popular way to spend the week-end on  the lake. Considering it’s size there is actually not that much development outside of boating. There are a few 2-lane roads that snake some of the boundaries of the lake (but not all), a selection of forest service campgrounds, a handful of RV parks (most too tight for our liking) and only a very few hiking trails. 

But despite the holiday week-end madness and minimal development (and in our case no boat) you can still find plenty of stuff to do.

Eerie moss on shoreline trees

Visiting the Dam is an excellent outing, as well as a trip to the Shasta Caverns, and for roadie-lovers there’s the massive Chappie-Shasta OHV area in the south. But for the less touristy folks (like ourselves) you can take a trip to the more remote Samwell Cave, or do a bit of hiking on the trails, all of which are lightly used and pooch-friendly (our fav hike is Waters Gulch Trail down by Packers Bay). And if you really want to get out there and into the wild, try and seek out the rare Shasta Salamander…no, I kid you not.

Rigs boondocking at Gregory Beach. This is “beast” friendly…just about…

But the most fun is simply exploring the coast which is an excellent choice for water-loving pooch-owners like ourselves. Lake Shasta is one of the few lakes in CA that allows camping & recreation anywhere on the shore, so if you can get your gear there, you can set-up shop and spend the week. Most of the spots are for tenters, but there are a few dedicated, larger dispersed camping areas and Gregory Beach (as we’ve discovered) is one spot you could actually bring “the beast”. The rest of the shore is open for hanging out, pooch swimming and fishing.

We’ve had a coupla great days exploring the shoreline in near-perfect temps and hanging at our rather sweet forest site. Oh and in case you noticed the hint in the second paragraph, we DID foray to the other side. But that, my dears, is a story for another day…..

View of the lake from Waters Gulch Trail

Oh yeah, it’s pooch-loving gorgeous out here all right

The Travel Map Is Back

Just a quickie blog post today to let you know our 2012 travel map is back up and running! I keep it pretty much on-track (depending on internet signal) so you’ll always be able to see where we’ve been as well as which posts I wrote in each location. Easiest access is from our “journey” page where I keep all our travels on one page.

2012 Journey

View Larger Map
View WheelingIt 2012 in a larger map

Our 400 Mile Odyssey OR/ Don’t Believe Everything You Write On The Internet

A stiff drink after a long, long day

I really hadn’t expected to walk into an empty RV park and be told there were no spaces available.

“Really???” I questioned, scanning over the 150 or so sites I could see that were quite obviously free

“Yes, we have a fair starting this week-end so I have 50 rigs coming in today and 150 rigs coming in tomorrow” stated the woman matter-of-factly

“Well, if that’s the case you must have at least one space free for us tonight” I said, running the numbers in my head

“Oh no, we have absolutely no spaces free at all” responded the woman, barely glancing at the reservations list “especially not for something your size” she added, in a rather derogatory fashion I thought

“Really???” I managed to repeat myself, staring in bewilderment at the huge lot with spots that ALL seemed to fit our size.

We were at the Cal Expo Fairgrounds and clearly this woman didn’t like the way we looked or she was just being plain difficult. Either way it didn’t seem worth it to spend the night with such ungracious hosts. I went out to Paul to break the news, we looked at each other and simultaneously broke out “We need to get the *!@@ out of Sacramento!”.

A good end to a forgettable day

Thus began the longest drive in the RV we have ever done. This was rather ironic too, having just answered a bunch of comments on the blog only 2 days ago about how far we usually drive (typically no more than 150 miles) and the fact that we’ve never, ever exceeded 350 miles in one day. Just goes to show you can’t believe everything you write on the internet, no mater who it’s from.

We weaved out of the freeway nightmare maze that is Sacramento, pointed the rig north and aimed for oblivion. My goal was somewhere peaceful and green where we could just hang out and forget this day. I consulted my trusty uscampgrounds.info app, found a forest service site that seemed to fit our size and plugged in the destination. A mind-boggling 400 miles later (that would be end-to-end) we arrived exhausted and crabby to the campground.

Yes we fit, oh yes we do

Oh thank goodness! A site that fit our size (just barely mind you, but “fit” is a relative term with “the beast”), lots of green and trees, tweeting birds, calming breeze and a stiff rum & coke. We kicked back into the green, raised our glasses to the sky and thanked the travel gods for getting us here. All was right again with the world.

THIS is the place we were looking for. Hiking and green near Red Bluff, CA

We’re spending a coupla days hanging out at our new, lovely destination before we head on up to Shasta. It’s a far cry (in a very good way) from what would have been 2 crowded days in the big city. Call it fate or dumb luck, despite breaking all our travel rules we ended up in a much better place. And now I can say with all honesty, firm conviction and absolute certainty that we never, ever drive more than 400 miles in a day. Remember, I wrote it down on the internet so it must be true.

The Magic Mojo Of Random Travel Stops – Bakersfield, CA

Gas pump from the original 1936 Sonora Service Station

On yesterday’s post quite a few folks commented positively on the fact that we always take a “chill” day between drives. It’s actually been a habit of ours since we started RVing. We decided early on that, as much as possible, we were going to do short(ish) drives (our average is ~150 miles), take our time to enjoy the ride and stop to smell the roses along the way. This approach has meant we’ve ended up in some pretty godforsaken spots, but it’s also given us some of our best “surprises”, all from random travel stops along the way. There’s the cool vintage car museum we stumbled across in the middle of nowhere in Murdo, SD, the surrealistic Garden of the Gods that we discovered in the deep forest of Illinois, and the stunning Owl Canyon that was hidden outside Barstow, CA…..just to name a few. For me these unexcpected encounters are all part of the magic of travel. I believe everywhere has something to offer and I am always looking for that magic to reveal itself.

I was not expecting this at all! The green glory of Kern County Park.

Take our layover day here in Bakersfield, CA. We had no expectations and no plans coming into this town, other than to take a break on our route north. But with a combo of tips from blog readers and some travel magic mojo it’s turned out to be another one of those surprising and educational stops.

It all started out bright and early with a tip from blog reader Jerry B. that directed us to green glory at the Kern River County Park. This total surprise of a place is only ~10 miles from our RV park and is a huge, deep-shade-lined recreation area with camping (bit small for our size, but otherwise gorgeous), fishing, a golf course (!), a living museum, miles of hiking & endless reams of squirrel-chasing (for the furry ones of us that like that kind of thing). Total peace and relaxation (we only saw one other person on our hike) in what is otherwise a pretty hot and dense town. What a find!

A reproduction of a mining era courthouse and jail at the Kern County Museum.

The afternoon continued my intrepid exploration with a visit to Kern County Museum where I was inspired to go based on a random link I’d seen in the park brochure. It was actually closed today (duh!), but I wandered around and found an open gate in the back which practically begged me to enter the Pioneer House exhibit (it did, really it did). Serendipity! The next hour I was treated to a private viewing of the 55 fabulous reconstructed original houses with a fascinating history of the mid-to-late 1800′s from gold rush to oil boom. Not bad for a total fluke.

Dark chocolate-covered macadamia nuts. Oh, bestill my beating heart…!

To round off the day I motored over to the California Fruit Depot which had been recommended by blog readers Jim and Luke (double tip!). Score again! This cool little store must have at least 80 different versions of dried, spiced, chocolate-covered, candied, roasted…you name it…fruits and nuts. And each and every item is open for tasting, meaning you can literally munch your way around the shop. To top it all off they sell a book that tells “the gripping firsthand account of one of the most miraculous rescues from certain extinction ever achieved“. It’s the dramatic and suspenseful story of the Medjool Date…and no, I’m not kidding. Should you feel swept away by the tale you can even buy a home-made Date milkshake right on-site. Oh, and there’s a hidden Geocache here too. Well worth the stop!

And finally wouldn’t you know we met a fellow blogger here too. Smitty & Sandy’s Tour are staying in the same RV park we are. Smitty came over to say “hi” yesterday afternoon and even picked us a bag of oranges from the grove. Groovy!

An unexpected day in Bakersfield, one new friendship, three unplanned visits and a whole lotta cool memories. The magic mojo of random travel stops is alive and well!

Blacksmith shop from 1890 at the Kern County Museum

Local color in the gardens

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It’s Northward Bound We Go…..

One shot from I-5 San Diego, and one from I-5 LA -> Wanna guess which is which?

Finally, after what I can only call the long, long winter we are back on the road again! This morning bright and early (and bushy-tailed…well, at least one of us that is) it was jacks up, engine revved and off northward on our journey to Oregon.

Now the only problem with journeying to Oregon is that you have to go Northward through California, and despite this State being the most populous in the nation (by a good margin too), road planning has never kept up and there are really only three viable ways to go. Your choices are:

1/ Follow The Coast (Hwy 1 & 101) - An absolutely gorgeous drive if you’ve got the time, but it’s packed (and expensive to stay there) in summer. And you DO need time.
2/ Go Straight Down the Middle (I-5) - Possibly the most boring route on earth, but it’s the biggest road and it’ll get you there in the straightest way possible.
3/ Take The Eastern Route Thro’ The Sierras (Hwy 395) – We did this last year coming South and it’s our absolute fav route….scenic, relaxed, pristine & road in near-prefect condition (which is really saying something in California). Everyone should do this drive at least once in their life-time, but again you need some time.

Our goal this time was to high-tail it, so we reluctantly submitted to choice #2. Now I admit there are a few scenic bits to I-5, but these rare moments of joy are completely obliterated by the fact that you have to drive through Los Angeles, the fact that much of the road resembles a discarded cheese-grater, and the fact there are at least a gazillion trucks doing the same thing….oh and then there’s that seemingly infinite flat, flat, pancake-stretch in the no-mans land between Bakersfield and Sacramento in the middle. In case you can’t tell it’s not my favorite drive.

Honestly I don’t think LA traffic ever has down-time

But human nature is a mysterious thing. Despite having driven this same route many (many) times in my past, I somehow always imagine that this time it won’t be so bad. I guess it’s the same natural instinct that causes women to forget about the pain of childbirth? In my fantasy-land, I see the RV driving effortlessly through LA, coasting the middle bits with ease and arriving refreshed and satisfied at the northern end.

Light at the end of the tunnel….our relaxing spot in the Orange Grove

Well our little day-drive to Bakersfield, CA managed to shatter those dreams. Instead we got the welcome of bumper-to-bumper cars in LA (and this on a Sunday morning no less), 2 accidents which managed to stop traffic yet again (why does everyone always stop to look?), and a ride so bumpy I’m surprised it didn’t scramble the eggs in the fridge and shake off everything attached to the rig (our front TV actually DID come loose requiring me to do some emergency towel-stuffing of the cabinet to keep it in one piece). To put the cherry on top we entered Bakersfield to a breezy 96 °F (~36 °C) which put all question of free-camping out the window.

Fruit, goat cheese and walnut salad with oranges from our RV park!!

But there was light at the end of the tunnel. My back-up plan for Bakersfield was an RV park set in an Orange Grove which had been recommended by just about everyone I’d talked to. So after our long, stressful, jaw-jarring drive we arrived to blissfull peace in a luscious, green grove with space to breathe and relax. Ahhhhhhhhhhh…..We set-up the rig, went for a walk in the grove with pooch and snabbed a fresh orange right off the tree for dinner.

We never drive two days in a row, so we’ll be taking a day to hang out here before our next leg north. Forecast is for 94 tomorrow so we’re happy for the hook-ups…and the little ray of light in our long journey north.

An Alternative State Of Mind – Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA

The OB Hostel. It’s a whole other state of mind…

Sometimes a place is a whole other state of mind, and going to Ocean Beach is exactly that. Hang out for a day in OB and you embark on a journey into an alternative psychedelic universe to a place that remains locked in time and spirit. Yeah it’s kinda like a hippy version of Star Trek. This is THE original free spirit hangout of San Diego, THE original dog beach and the only place where that hang-back surfer 60′s vibe is still abundant.

There is no other spot in San Diego that is as unique and fiercely independent, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!

The fabulous OB pier

Ocean Beach viewed from the pier

I originally became involved with OB back when we lived in San Diego and I was running health classes around town. Before I started running my class there I only had a faint idea of what the place was like, but once I got involved in the local community I realized it was completely different from anywhere else in San Diego. This is the melting pot of melting pots -> a grand ratatouille of hippies, surfers, alternative families, musicians, Deadheads, politic misfits and students that have all bonded to produce a beach community with a totally alternative vibe. To say the locals love OB is an understatement. They are passionate about the place and everything here reflects that unique view!

Ocean Beach was developed in 1887 and remained largely isolated from the rest of San Diego until Hwy 8 was built in the mid-1960′s. The location and isolation was probably part of the reason it developed such a unique personality. The town attracted free spirits from the beginning and retained it’s personality by keeping building development curtailed. Today’s OB has a  has a very cool downtown strip (Newport Ave) packed in with antiques, food and shopping that reflect the original spirit of the town. Here’s just a few of our favorite jaunts:

The interior decor at Hodad’s

Paul chats to the waitress at The 3rd Corner

Downtown seating on Newport Ave

Sooooo OB….surf board and bike

Going for a splash at Ocean Beach Dog Beach

• Hodad’s: Our main food-hunt is the eclectic Hodad’s, a practical institution when it comes to burgers in San Diego. The shop is a hole-in-the-wall packed with surf-boards, licence plates and blasting music that is almost always packed to the rim. We come for the juicy fare, the vibe and the fact that they’ll offer lettuce-wraps (great for gluten-intolerant like ourselves). My favorite is the Blue Jay, but just about any burger on the menu is a home run. If you’re feeling particularly gourmet order one of their milk shakes, a delectable desert all in itself.
• The 3rd Corner: This cozy wine-shop/restaurant is where we go when we want to have a romantic dinner in town. Buy the wine from the fabulous collection in-shop and drink it with your fresh California-cuisine meal for only $5 corkage fee. We love it so much we’ve been here 3 times since we’ve been in San Diego.
• Shopping: OB is definitely a shoppers paradise for the alternative minded. The Black is a famous head shop for all things hippy, but there are also thrift stores, antique shops and record stores on the main strip.
• Ocean Beach Pier: At 1,971 feet OB pier is one of the longest concrete piers in the world. Opened in 1966 it dominates the beach landscape and offers sunset walks, fishing and even a Cafe (what a view!) at the far end.
• Dog Beach: This is THE original off-leash dog beach in San Diego, so much so that’s it’s simply known as “Dog Beach”. It’s 10 acres of brilliant sand that also doubles up as a great surf-spot too. It’s always full of paws, but has lots of space for everyone to run around. For those that need it you can head over to Dog Wash for a rinse after the run.
• Wednesday Farmers Market: If you’re in the area do not miss the Wednesday down-town Farmers Market. This is the most original of the San Diego markets with a focus on crafts and live music. Every Wed from 4-8PM. Feel free to bring doggie too (everyone else does!).

Fishing on the pier in OB

Paul enjoys the view on the pier

We met our RV friends Kathie and Bob on another perfect afternoon for a burger and a walk around town. It started at Hodad’s (of course) after which we meandered down the pier to check out the surfers and enjoy the view. Kathie and I both commented on the fact that we both would have loved to live here in our 20′s. It’s a city-in-one (many OBers never leave the place) and exactly the kind of spot that inspires creative thinking and living. Our spot by Mission Bay is right around the corner making this an easy hop and a skip from the RV park (there’s even a great bike trail all the way around the bay and into the beach). If you’re in the area and looking for something different, definitely make the trip. Like I said, it’s a whole other state of mind!

Interior of the iconic Hodad’s

The “Cow” shop…LPs anyone?

View down the main drag of Newport Ave

An old VW, surf boards and color sums up OB in one pic

Frolicking In Nation’s Largest Urban Cultural Park – Balboa Park, San Diego CA

The Botanical Building & Lilly Pond at Balboa Park is one of the original structures from the 1915 exposition

Every time I go to Balboa Park I always end up wondering why I don’t go more often. It’s one of the hidden gems of San Diego (that is if you can call 1,200 acres in the smack middle of a city “hidden”) but with so much going on here it always seems to fall on the wayside list of places to go.

And that, honest to say, is a darn shame.

Paul and Polly pose in front of one of the typical spanish architecture buildings

In matter of fact Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the nation (oh yeah, much larger than that famous jobbie in NYC) and you could easily spend a whole week exploring the area and still not be half-done. I promised you a few more blog posts on San Diego before we left and this was one of the ones I just had to include. It goes on the absolute “must see” for the whole family, including your furry friend, and if you come here you simply have to go!

It all started in 1915-16 with the Panama-California Exposition (celebrating the opening of the Panama Canal). San Diego was chosen as the host city and created a park with Spanish-Renaissance style buildings to commemorate the event. Luckily the park “stuck” and grew, staying true to its original architectural roots and expanding steadily to become the fabulous attraction it is today. There is so much to do here that it’s almost impossible to list everything in one post, but I’ll give you just a sprinkling of the fun items for the taking:

Paintings on sale in the artists colony

Sculptures in the artists colony

• Museums Galore – The park has 15 major museums with constantly updated exhibits including the Museum of Photographic Arts, the Air & Space Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Museum of Art just to name a few. If you like museum-hopping be sure to buy the park pass “Passport“ that gets you into all of them for one low fee.
• Artistic Culture – The park contains 4 grand theatres including the iconic Old Globe and hosts a fabulous “artists colony” with over 200 working artists with free access to all.
• Garden Hopping – There are 14 separate gardens each with their own draw. All are free and paw-friendly except for the Japanese Friendship Garden.
• Doggie Heaven – The park hosts 3 off-leash dog areas and has several outdoor restaurants where you can sit and eat with pooch.
• Sport Swinging - Within the park grounds there is a full (and recently upgraded) golf course, several tennis courts, lawn bowling, archery course, gymnasium and sports field.
• Zoo – The well-known and well-loved San Diego Zoo is right on-site.
• Hiking/Biking - Believe it or not there are 65 miles of hiking/biking trails within park grounds!!!

Oh this thing is HUGE!!!! The majority of the park is free and your 4 paws are welcome everywhere except within the museums and a few of the gardens!

Inside the colorful artists colony

The Spreckels Organ Pavillion hosts many free concerts all year

We headed on over to Balboa Park on a perfect spring afternoon with pooch in tow to walk around and enjoy the sights.  It’s only a few minutes drive from down-town and after a quick stop at the visitor center for a park map we wondered off to enjoy the free sights and architecture of the park. Our walking tour took us past several museums, gardens, outdoor restaurants, theatres and finally into the artists colony at the Spanish Village Art Center (which is probably my favorite spot in the whole place). We literally spent the whole afternoon strolling around, and would have stayed for one of the many free concerts if they’d been on that day.  We’ll be back for another jaunt and some hiking before we leave too.

A great park, a paw-friendly place and a “must see” for everyone who comes to San Diego. Have you been to the park?

P.S. Thanks so much for everyone who sent in tips for our trip to OR. We’ve got LOTS of ideas of stuff to see and places to go. Really looking forward to sharing it all with you on the blog!

The Natural History Museum always hosts awesome exhibits

Flowers in bloom. The various gardens are well worth the visit and many have spots to hang out and relax.

“Arial” view of the Japanese Gardens

Expresso anyone?

Planning, Planning…and Oregon Bound!

Spring flowers in San Diego

Well it’s been a few days since I’ve blogged, but your comments and words of support have been AMAZING. I am truly humbled by everyone who has shared their story and will be taking time to comment to each poster individually. My love and support goes out to all of you who are dealing or have dealth with things far, far more difficult than I. For the moment I still can’t quite wrap my head around writing about everything that’s happened here. Suffice to say it’s been a loooong 5 months and I’m ready to have it all behind me, at least for a while.

The one silver lining to all this is that we’re finally ready to move and making plans for our next months of travel. This is mucho-exciting and means we’re back on the road, baby!

Polly & Taggart are peas in a pod

This past week we knocked around a few different locations including Utah & Colorado, but decided in the end to follow the cool coast and explore the southern part of Oregon. It’s the perfect follow-on to our 2-month trip through Northern Oregon last year and means we’ll get many more paw-happy-sand-lovin’ moments on our very favorite coast. And in true beauty and the beast style it’s ALL going to be deep nature a-la national forest, county parks and state parks along the way. So, for a few days I’ve been scouring natural and inexpensive locations and have come up with a rough plan.

Basically we’re gonna high-tail it to Oregon up the 5, stopping at Mt Shasta for some mountain hiking & exploring and heading over from there to Ashland, OR for their annual Shakespeare Festival. From there it’s up to our fav spot in Eugene, OR for yearly RV maintenance & stocking up on fabulous produce. Then we hit the coast and take our fine time south along the 101, stopping at as many State Parks as we can physically manage to book. It’s a fine plan if I do say so myself and will take us to many new and unexplored areas.

Paul chats with our friends Terry (and Lu) at their workamping spot in San Elijo State Park

Our adventure starts 2 weeks from today. In the meantime we’ll be wrapping up stuff here in San Diego, and hopefully cramming in a few more blog posts about the area. If any of you have thoughts on our trip or are planning to be in Oregon in the next few months do let us know. We’ve gotten some of our best visit ideas from other bloggers/commenters and always love meeting folks on the road.