Change Made Good

 " I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to reach my destination" (Jimmy Dean)

With the weather throwing us another curveball, we made yet one more change to our planned driving route. A one night stop beside the Russian River turned into a 4 night stop when a cold front and rain moved into the U.S. NW, including northern California. The weather remained nice, low 20's, where we were so it was an easy decision. It also allowed us to play a well designed golf course amongst the redwoods that was a treat. Another day was spent on a coastal visit to Jenner where we walked along the harbour area and enjoyed some clam chowder. When the weather improved we headed further north to spend a full day in the excellent Humboldt Redwoods State Park. We drove the 31 mile Avenue of the Giants with multiple stops to walk some of the many trails within the large park. It was a magnificent day walking amongst the majestic giants. Perhaps we have found the Fountain of Youth.....with the 1500-2500 year old trees making us feel like kids again. We discovered the massive redwoods are very thirsty creatures. A single redwood tree requires almost 1900 litres (500 gallons) per day, facilitated in the non rainy season by the coastal fog (absorbed through their leaves). It is apparent we are not drinking enough water if we wish to replicate their growth and longevity!

The following day we drove to Grants Pass, Oregon, an oasis surrounded by mountains. Mid-20's temperature allowed us to think we were back in southern California. We enjoyed dinner at the lovely Taprock Grill restaurant on the banks of the Rogue River where we had a nice view. Then it was on to Salem in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine region, known primarily for their Pinot Noir. A visit to the spacious and busy Willamette Valley Vineyard provided us with confirmation that the valley had earned their reputation. We were surprised to find alternative farming of fescue and hazelnuts (99% of U.S. production) going on in the area. From Salem we drove a bit further north along the backroads to Portland, arriving on schedule for pre-booked Stephen Kellogg concert in the 1883 preserved Old Church Concert Hall. SK is an old favourite of ours whom we first discovered when he opened up for John Prine, another favourite no longer with us. It was another wonderful perfomance, enhanced with many funny stories explaining the roots of his personalized songwriting talent.

With cold and rain moving back into Portland and the U.S. northeast we contemplated changing our plans once again. We even considered heading home early but after checking the weather we realized it was much colder back home. One of the warmest and driest spots in Washington was hunted down and we settled on Kennewick where the sun was starting to reappear with daily highs of 10-12C.....making the best of being dealt a bad hand. The weather in Kennewick didn't turn out to be as dry or warm as the forecasters promised, so we decided to head further north to one of the warmest places in Canada, Osoyoos, at the south end of the Okanagan Valley. Before arriving we made a one night stop in Oroville, a few miles south of the border, to consume some of our suddenly excess alcohol. It also allowed us to walk 6 km along the well marked Similkameen Trail which follows the Similkameen River. We planned to walk a bit further along the trail but found it closed just before the Enlow Dam which is undergoing some much needed work. It seems the dam no longer produces any energy but it does do an excellent job of preventing the salmon from moving upstream. Hopefully they can fis both issues before too long, which would also allow the scenic hiking trail to be reopened to it's full length.

We are now back in Canada, and yet another wine region, making it the 5th such experience on this 2 month trip, when only Paso Robles was included in the original plan. When weather throws you lemons, drink wine! We settled in Oliver, BC, just north of Osoyoos. The weather was still cool but nice enough to golf twice, visit a favourite winery in Keremeos (Clos du Soleil), and visit with friends who started their own vineyard 5 years ago and are ready to open up this year. As soon as the snow melts back home, we will call an end to this journey and start planning the next one. Life is good.

The beautiful Northwood Golf Course, designed by Alistair McKenzie, famous for his designs of Augusta National, Cypress Point and the Royal Melbourne. He carved 9 lovely holes amongst the towering redwoods in the Russian River area. We played it twice on the same day.

While walking trails in Humboldt Redwoods State park we came across the enormous Founders Tree (in the background). It is taller than a football field and still growing.

On another trail in Humboldt Redwoods SP while driving along the impressive 31 mile Avenue of the Giants, we came across the remains of the Dyersville Giant. At 362 feet, it was formerly the tallest tree in the park until it fell down in a storm. 

We routed our campervan through Portland so that we could take in our 4th Stephen Kellogg concert, this time at the Old Church Concert Hall. We first discovered him opening up for John Prine and have been fans ever since. He is a terrific songwriter, as was John Prine, another artist we would always track down.

While driving through the Willamette Valley we stopped into the Willamette Valley Vineyard. They had a very large tasting room, also used for dining. They had "Pinot and Pie" on the menu so we decided to forego the tasting in order to enjoy a nice bottle of Pinot Noir and a large wild mushroom, butternut squash pizza.

We knew it was time to leave Portland when there was cold and rain in the forecast, but we sure didn't expect to wake up to snow on our departure morning. It didn't get any better as we drove slowly further inland to the warmer Tri Cities in Washington.

While in Oroville, just south of the Canadian border and Osoyoos, BC, we hiked along the Similkameen Trail. The trail had interpretive signs and also painted rocks along the path, courtesy of a local school.

While in Oliver, we stopped into the recently developed District Wine Village. In the middle was an amphitheatre which can accommodate 600 people for music concerts on summer weekends. It is a relatively new concept, and the first of its kind in Canada.

These are a few of the 13 winery tasting rooms that surround the amphitheatre in the District Wine Village. There is also a craft brewery occupying another spot int he circle. One stop shopping for wine tastings but you don't get to enjoy the vineyard experience and time with the owners and winemaker.

A view of our good friend's vineyard in Okanagan Falls, just south of Penticton, with Skaha Lake in the background. Once their "Code Wines" labels are printed their wines will go on sale and start to occupy space in our home. Their 2020 Syrah is already a favourite of ours.

Paso Pause

 From Temecula we drove north to Paso Robles, a favourite region for us leading to our 4th visit in the past 12 years. With over 200 wineries, specializing in Rhone-style wines, a handful of nice golf courses and many nearby towns and small cities to visit, including close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, it is a place that has kept us interested over the years. All of our previous visits had been during the fall harvest, but this time we were fortunate to arrive just before the Spring Release Festival where almost all the wineries had special week-end events going on, including a big tasting party at our RV Park. With week-end live music at many of the wineries we decided to pick one winery for the day, tasting wine, purchasing a bottle to sip on and then sitting back, listening to good music on patios. At the Locatelli Winery we rediscovered an old favourite, Jill Knight, a musician we first encountered at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco 20 years ago. We had a good chat with her between sets.

On weekdays we played some golf, lazed around the pool, and made day trips to nearby places. In San Luis Obispo we came across another unusual sight, Bubblegum Alley (picture below), while a visit to the SLO Mission (founded in 1772) was a more traditional experience. Another day we drove over to Morro Bay where we walked along the seaside Embarcadero and enjoyed fresh seafood. There were numerous sea otters close to shore, and some with their newborn babies on their abdomens while resting in the water. Later on, we made some purchases at the Atascadero Farmer's Market which took place at the small town's lovely Sunken Gardens downtown park. Another day trip to Cambria offered a walk along their 2 km seaside boardwalk, listening to the waves crash and viewing the sprouting wildflowers. While there we discovered Nitt Witt Ridge, a rather unusual hilltop home overlooking the Pacific.

Following a two week stay in Paso Robles, we drove back over to the coast to continue our slow drive north. The Elephant Seal Rookery captured our attention while driving along coastal highway #1, with hundreds of seals relaxing on the beach and waddling back into the water when hungry. We spent one night at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and another at Carmel by the River RV Park, and at both places our small motorhome seemed very tiny when surrounded by the huge California coastal redwoods. We are now in an RV park just east of Santa Cruz, near Felton, where even more redwoods exist. Yesterday we toured around beautiful Santa Cruz, watching experienced surfers deal with large waves, and walking along the massive wharf where groups of (mostly male) sea lions feasted on schools of small fish, while others lazed away on the wharf timbers. Today we played an April Fool's joke on ourselves. We showed up at the Roaring Camp Railway for a ride up a small mountain through a redwood forest, only to find out that our reservation was for yesterday. In spite of the trip being sold out, the friendly staff fortunately managed to accommodate us. The one hour ride took 250 tourists through the towering redwoods up to a summit and back with the steam engine working overtime. Following the train ride we moved over to nearby Henry Cowell Redwoods SP where we walked along a 1.5 km loop trail feeling like dwarfs. A short visit to a local winery patio capped off a great day.

Tomorrow we will head further north along the coast, bypassing San Francisco which we have visited several times before, in search of new discoveries.

Welcome to Bubblegum Alley in San Luis Obispo. The wall on the opposite side looked the same, with brighter colours meaning fresher gum. The city has cleared the walls several times but I suspect they have now given up and accepted it as a tourist attraction.

Our Paso Robles RV Park brought in 6 wineries to provide free wine tastings for the park guests. It was a nice way to kick-off the start of the Spring Wine Release Festival in the wine region. 

The spring wildflowers were in full view everywhere we walked. This colourful scene greeted us while strolling along the Cambria boardwalk.

While visiting the Maritime Museum in Cambria, we came across this submersible. It was built to rescue personnel from submarines trapped below the sea. Up until 1970 the U.S. Navy realized it had no other means to save underwater navy lives, so several of these were built.

The Elephant Seal Rookery, close to San Simeon and Hearst Castle. The seals generally come ashore to breed with bull's having small harems. We must have caught them after a heavy workout, because they all seemed very tired!

The Lone Cypress Tree at Cypress Point. It is the emblem used for all of Pebble Beach Golf Club's merchandise.

Since we usually plan only a few days ahead while on trips, we ended up playing at the poor man's Pebble Beach, the Pacific Grove Golf Links. My partner was in fine form, undeterred by the nearby ocean hazard.

Our site amongst the overpowering redwoods at the Santa Cruz Redwoods RV Park where we are currently staying.

While walking along the Santa Cruz seafront we came across these sea lions resting on the bottom pilings of the 823 metre long wharf. There was a marine reserve around the wharf area so we observed hundreds of them, either relaxing or feeding on the many schools of small fish.

While walking in Henry Cowell Redwoods SP we came across the popular Fremont Tree. I took this shot while inside the opening at the base. To give you a better idea of how large the inside of this massive redwood tree really is, watch the following video......    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_BhJwi0Qu0

Nearby Felton had one winery in town, the Hallcrest Vineyard. After being in the shade of the redwoods all day we craved sunshine and enjoyed a bottle of their Estate Zinfandel on their patio.