Anaheim, CA

Let me start by adding my condolences to those of other Canadians and people from around the world to the people of France, for their losses with the horrific terrorist acts there today. They will be in our thoughts as we carry on with our lives, with increased vigilance perhaps, but carry on nonetheless, or the terrorists win. I only hope that our Minister of Defence is correct in his assessment of the ability of our security agencies to protect Canadians against radicals where ever they are from.

Today I travelled from Santa Paula, north west of Los Angeles, south to Anaheim. It was a straightforward commute, east on an east-west connector near my campground and then south all the way on Interstate 5, right through Los Angeles and out the other side to Anaheim. At one point I counted 12 lanes of traffic. And I lost count of how many freeways intersected with I-5 along the way. I certainly needed to pay attention but my GPS helped a lot with knowing which lanes to be in and I got here none the worse for wear.

I quickly set up (backing in to a really tight spot, unassisted, BTW) and then tried to catch some sightseeing before the sun went down. I headed down I-5 to Freeway 55 and over to the Pacific Coast Highway Hwy 1 at Newport Beach. A wrong turn had me heading north on Hwy 1 so I carried on to Huntington Beach to look for a lunch/dinner spot. It was 3 by the time I got there and found parking.

Huntington Beach is a long, wide beach, some of it in a State Park, and some owned by the City of Huntington Beach. It’s mind boggling how many grains of sand there might be along the west coast!

It has a small downtown core with lots of restaurants and bars on both sides of Main Street just off Highway 1. It also has a wharf, wouldn’t you know. And yes, that’s where i headed to find something to eat. I found Ruby’s Diner at the end of the wharf and grabbed a salad there, enjoying the view out to the Pacific. The food was great, and the service pretty quick.

Then I hopped back into the car to see if I could get back to Newport Beach in time to see the sun go down but I just missed it. I did catch views of a beautiful sunset (caused by pollution unfortunately) along PCH though, and the sky was still nice and red when I got to Newport Beach and walked out onto the wharf. The wharf there is on a peninsula and the streets around the wharf had piles of restaurants and shops. I didn’t have time to look around much because i wanted to head back while there was still some light, since I’m not that familiar with the area.

Turns out it took me twice as long to get back with the extra traffic at rush hour on a Friday. Gotta love LA freeways. The good news is I found my way home and am safely tucked away, getting excited about seeing Mickie tomorrow!

Simi Valley, California

Yesterday when I was at the KOA office, in the rack of tourist brochures I noticed the brochure for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. I had no idea it was so close and since I was just going to spent the day chilling I decided to go see what a Presidential Library looks like. It was a really interesting experience. I’m not sure if I’d have chosen Reagan’s Library if I was given the choice of which President’s library to visit, but I’m glad in the end that I did decide to take the opportunity today.

I traveled from the valley where I’m staying near Santa Paula, through a canyon and into the Simi Valley. It was a short but beautiful drive with twists and turns and great views of each valley from the top. Each valley is beautiful and green with some kind of agriculture or another, all needing irrigation, of course.

Just as an aside, it is beyond me why a State with so many water problems continues to develop new agricultural land. On one hand, they have someone going around checking our water connections at each camping spot to be sure there are no leaks, and on the other they’re continuing to expand fields as far up the hillsides as possible.

The location was impressive enough. Perched high on the hills on the north side of Simi Valley, north-west of Los Angeles, and on a peak that allowed for a view through the Santa Monica Mountains to the Pacific, stands the Reagan Presidential Library. The courtyard at the front of the building is a beautiful entry point and the last chance to breath fresh air for a while. I didn’t read everything or push every button and didn’t dawdle long anywhere, but it still took me almost 3 hours to go through all of the exhibits.

For those interested in the social life of the President, they had Nancy’s gowns from various special events, and pictures of Diana dancing with John Travolta at a State Dinner, gifts which Reagan had received from various world leaders, etc. which was all very interesting. They had a display on the various world threats over the tenure of Reagan and other Presidents. Air Force One, used by 7 Presidents, in it’s imposing huge building, was really fun to see. What struck me was the old technology on board – a fax machine, no less. And a mock up of the Oval Office as it was when he was there felt like I’d been there already given how many times we’ve seen it portrayed on TV. The display about the assassination attempt was really well done and you learn a lot about his character from it. But being a political animal, of course, I was interested in both the campaign and administration displays. Amazing how “old fashioned” and corny they all seem now.

Throughout the Library are examples of why he’s considered one of the Great Communicators of our time. His speeches, even back to when he worked for GE, were inspiring and showed he had a great grasp of what people were thinking. You might not agree with his politics, but you had to admit that he was able to get across what he was thinking and the themes seemed to always be “on message” and clear.

One clip they gave star billing to was a televised campaign address Reagan made for Presidential Candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964 entitled, “A Time for Choosing”. It is suggested this was the first time people started to see him in a political context.

One of my favourite of his quotes is, ” Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem”

And then there is, ” Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall” June 12, 1987 Berlin

Displayed outside was a chunk of the Berlin Wall. Surely one of his most memorable accomplishments was when the wall came down.

Also outside on the crest of the hill is the “Rose Garden” replica of the one outside the Oval Office, and his final resting place. Probably the saddest part of his death was the horrible disease that he succumbed to, Alzheimer’s. For someone who had so many amazing memories, it is so sad he was robbed of them slowly over nearly 10 years. It must have been so frustrating for Nancy as it is for all loved ones of anyone with Alzheimer’s. In a letter to the American people advising them of his disease, his final sentence was:

“I now begin the journey that will lead me into the sunset of my life. I know that for America there will always be a bright dawn ahead.”

Upon his death, his body was displayed at the Presidential Library for two days and then flown to Washington where he lay in state for 34 hours. On June 11th a state funeral service was held in Washington and his body was returned to the Presidential Library where he was buried, poetically, at sunset.

All in all, an interesting experience.

This morning I did what I’m sure many of you did, and I watched the coverage of the Remembrance Day Ceremonies at the National War Memorial in Ottawa. Last year and the previous years since moving to Ottawa I was there in person, but this year watching live streaming of the memorial had to suffice. I missed being there and being able to say “Thanks” in person.

I have been reminded how important our freedom and democracy is by volunteering as an election observer in Ukraine 3 times in the last 3 years, where that is something that can not be assured. I will never forget those Canadians who have given so much of themselves so that we can speak our minds and go about our lives in peace; those Canadians who have given their lives or the lives of their loved ones, and those who have been injured physically or mentally, those who have given up time with their families and those who are continuing to serve in some capacity in the armed forces. Always an emotional day.

And then, I had an appointment with another Mission. This one in Ventura, called Mission San Buenaventura. This was the last mission founded by Junipero Serra who had previously founded 8 other Missions in California. On September 23rd of this year Saint Junipero was canonized as a Saint by Pope Francis you’ll recall from a previous post.

This Mission has a similar history as the other missions I’ve visited, of fires and floods and earthquakes but in addition they had to flee into the hills with sacred items at one point to avoid piracy. The aqueducts that brought water 7 miles to the Mission resulted in a bountiful and beautiful garden and even George Vancouver commented it was the finest garden that he had even seen according to historical records.

Holy Cross School, originally started by the Nuns of the parish in the early 1900’s, in recent times has come under the administration of lay professionals. The parish fundraised and built a new facility which opened in 2001 and the modern school lies just behind the Mission in downtown Ventura.

The Mission is at the end of Main Street in downtown Ventura so I took some time to wander some shops before heading off to the beach and harbour.

The beach is Ventura is long, and consists of various areas of public access, a public pier, State Park and at the far south-east end, a huge man-made harbour for both fishing and pleasure craft. It’s there that I grabbed some lunch at a greek restaurant overlooking the harbour, called The Greek Mediterranean Steak and Seafood. The food was excellent, and the service was terrific and friendly. I had saganaki, and a pear and goat cheese salad, and both were excellent.

Then it was back to Santa Paula for the evening.



Yesterday I kicked back for the day and let my SI Joint have a day off of driving, did some laundry etc.

Today I took a beautiful winding road from my campsite, north on Highway 150 through the Ojai Valley, and the town of Ojai. The road through the hills to the Ojai Valley was beautiful and the many cyclists must have thought so too, however, I was glad I was driving. Lots of up and down.

Ojai is just a short drive and is an interesting little tourist town. Its nickname is “Shangra-La” because of both its natural beauty and for the number of spiritual and health-focused small businesses there among the boutique hotels and galleries. Then I headed back up into the Santa Ynez Mountains (think hills) and out to the coast to pick up Highway 101 heading north to Santa Barbara.

Santa Barbara was permanently established by the Spanish missionaries and soldiers with the presidio being built in 1782 and the mission being built by 1786. It is now a thriving tourist and resort destination and I really liked its character. Of course the spanish/moorish/californian architecture had a big influence on that.

My first stop in Santa Barbara, as it is with most places, was the wharf, called Stearns Wharf after its builder. It is pretty much the same style as the others I’ve visited and doesn’t really have as much variety of shops and restaurants to offer as some of the others. But it does have some interesting history and has been through severe storms, earthquakes and fires over the years. It was here that I stopped for lunch at the Moby Dick (the first version was destroyed by fire in 1998), and made the mistake of going for a turkey sandwich at a seafood restaurant. Not great, but the service was good and the scenery great.

One of the things you see along the coast here are several offshore drilling platforms which as you can imagine are still contentious, even though drilling has been going on in the area since the turn of the 20th century. The silent film industry started in Santa Barbara in the early 1900’s and Loughead Aircraft Company, which was to become Lockheed, was established there as well. Both moved to other locations when more space was required.

Next it was a wander down the beach and then into the downtown area for a look on my way to the Santa Barbara Mission. This mission was the 10th of the 21 California Missions to be founded by the Franciscans. The Mission I saw today is the one that was rebuilt in 1820 after the 1812 earthquake and tsunami destroyed the early one.

It’s gardens and cemetery are so peaceful, and the colours so warm. Standing on the front portico you can look out over the grounds and the city below and out to the Pacific Ocean. I have only seen a couple of the 21 missions so I’m thinking that’s something to focus another trip itinerary around.

After touring the Mission, I headed back downtown because as I drove down the main shopping street (State Street) I had seen a couple of shops I wanted to check out. I managed to escape without buying anything but it was very tempting. It’s a lovely place to shop with mostly independent shops, and a few chains very carefully camouflaged to look quaint. There are a wide variety of restaurants and I was sorry I had already stopped for lunch.

My last stop was the Santa Barbara County Courthouse, and what a way to end the day. It is the most beautiful building. It was completed in 1929 having replaced the previous building because of an earthquake in the area in 1925. I was told that it is built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style which was adopted by civic leaders to be used in much of the new building at the time. It has a 4 story clock tower which I climbed to get a great view of the city and the ocean beyond. The tile mosaics and murals in the building are fantastic, although hard to photograph since flash is not allowed.

Then it was on to the freeways to head back to my “house” before rush hour and dark closed in.

Santa Paula, CA

Today I travelled south on Highway 101 from Avila Beach, near San Luis Obispo to Santa Paula, and to Ventura Ranch KOA. I was looking for somewhere to kick back for a few days before hitting the Orange County area and then on to San Diego. This definitely fits the bill. It’s like being in the wilderness, but with all the amenities. I’m looking forward to resting my SI Joint, and doing some reading. So you may not hear from me for a few days. Although there is Santa Barbara and other beach communities to explore……

Enroute today my only substantive stop was in Solvang, California. It’s just east of Highway 101 on Highway 246. I had read a little about it and so spontaneously turned off to have a look. It’s only 5 km or so off Highway 101 and worth a quick stop, especially if you’re looking for a meal or a snack.

Solvang was originally settled by Danes after the first world war, and over time it has transmogrified into a major tourist attraction. The locals started building things using the Danish traditional style and they even furnished the town with copies of the Mermaid from Copenhagen and a bust of writer Hans Christian Andersen. (I didn’t see them in my brief wandering). Build it and they will come, I guess.

One of my books on the area says there isn’t much to do in Solvang except “walk, gawk, and buy pastry”, so I did just that. Couldn’t pass up on buying Danish pastry in this environment.

The campground I’m in is very nice, with great facilities, and doesn’t appear to be very busy. It’s got great things for kids to do, but I’m only here for days during the week so don’t imagine I’ll see many around. What I have seen are wild peacocks which have the run of the campground. Seems very strange.

San Simeon, CA

Today I headed north on a portion of Highway 1 that I hadn’t seen yet as I made my way to Hearst Castle at San Simeon. I had arrived at Hearst Castle one day last week, coming down Highway 1 from Santa Cruz but I lollygagged so long on the way down that I was too late to take any tours of the castle that day. This time I booked two tours for today on line to be sure I could see what I wanted to see, The Grand Rooms (which I’d seen on a previous visit, but I wanted to see them again), and one called Cottages and Kitchen, which also included the wine cellar.

To back up a step, Hearst Castle, as it is referred to now, was commissioned by newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst working with accomplished architect Julia Morgan. It wasn’t even 2015 and he chose a woman! Hearst grew up in a priviledged household, but he also went on to amass a fortune himself and built what was at the time the largest newspaper publishing business in the world. He was also keenly interested in politics having been twice elected to the US House of Representatives. You may recall it was his grandaughter, Patricia Hearst, who was kidnapped by, and then joined, the Symbionese Liberation Army in the 1970’s.

Building started in 1919 on 240,000 acres above San Simeon which is about half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Hearst told Morgan that he wanted to build a small 3 room cottage at the top of the hill they had camped on for years near San Simeon. He referred to it as “the ranch”. Talk about “scope creep”. It was never actually finished as he still had plans for more additions which he didn’t ever get around to building.

There is the main house (Casa Grande) consisting of 115 rooms, 3 guest cottages (the largest has 8 bedrooms and is 5350 sq. ft.), and a total of 56 bedrooms, 60 bathrooms, two pools (one indoor and one outdoor) and 41 fireplaces. In Casa Grande, the main rooms are the Refectory (reception room) billiard room, movie theater, library, a gothic study, beauty salan, butlers pantry, kitchen staff dining room, and a huge basement under it all which included the wine cellar.

The two guides were both outstanding and not only knew their stuff, but presented it in an interesting way. As we asked questions, each of them became more animated and we got some great stories from them aside from the facts and figures. Basically if you were anyone in the 1920s and 30s you were invited out to “the ranch” for a weekend or evening. Some of the names I recall are Cary Grant, Harpo Marks, Charlie Chaplin, Winston Churchill, Howard Hughes, John Barrymore, Gary Cooper, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Mary Pickford and lots of others.

On my way back to Avila Beach I stopped for lunch at a nice beach community along the coast, just south of San Simeon called Moonstone Beach. I sat on the patio once again, of a restaurant called Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill enjoying the warmth and sunshine and then a walk on the beach. It’s a lovely spot and there are many small and great looking motels, inns, and cottages right across the road from the boardwalk overlooking a typical wide long beach. There were lots of surfers out, but really not a lot of challenging waves.

Avila Beach, CA

Today was a travel day from Santa Cruz to near San Luis Obispo. Actually it’s nearer Avila and Pismo Beaches. The trip down was uneventful and only took 3 hours or so. As you can see, I didn’t get a lot further south than when I traveled along Highway 1 last week. I wanted to stay overnight nearer to Hearst Castle so I could visit there and wouldn’t have to drive the Pacific Coast Highway in the dark.

Unfortunately, this is the least desirable KOA I’ve been to. There is some work going on so maybe there are new owners who are trying to fix it up, but the pool and club house are both closed, the pool was supposed to re-open Nov 1 and it’s still closed, opening “maybe Sunday. Well I’m leaving Sunday morning. The campground is small, and the sites are small (although at least they have fences between them). It’s “very convenient to the highway” and just simple things like the picnic tables needing a coat of paint, and very little attempt at landscaping implies a general lack of interest in keeping it up. The washrooms are old and not particularly clean. Anyway, enough griping. I’ve done pretty well otherwise.

After setting up I headed out to Avila Beach to see what it was like. It’s a really small community on a really big beach with not one, not two, but three piers. The freight and fishing one is quite far down the beach, the second one is nearby but is a environmental department pier, not open to the public, and the third is shut down for safety concerns. It got damaged in a storm 2 years ago, and then last spring when the whales were migrating and drawing a lot of tourists to the wharf, they noticed it weaving under the weight of so many people so they immediately shut it down.

The town itself seems upscale, is very cute, clean and has some great restaurants. It was 24 degrees this afternoon when I was looking for lunch and so I sat on a patio overlooking pier number 3 and the beach. Quite delightful.

After hanging out there for a bit I headed south to Pismo Beach. It is a much more established beach with lots more, but older accommodations, etc. They have a pier that I walked out on but for some reason I forgot to take a picture of it. I watched the pelicans fishing and the surfers surfing and then I headed for home before it got too dark to find my way.

Not a really exciting day on the California coast but a pleasant one.

Today I spent most of the day tidying and cleaning my “house”. Although there is not much to clean, small spaces seem to take a lot of work keeping tidy. And I lubricated moving parts like the stabilization legs, door hinges etc; did a few days worth of dishes; dumped my black and grey water tanks; and checked the tire pressure in preparation for the next few days of travel. See it’s not all fun and picture taking.

It was a little cooler today, with light overcast, and there is even a frost warning for low lying areas. There are artichoke fields all around this area and I noticed they were all being watered today, perhaps in preparation for the cool night ahead. I am too cheap to keep my propane furnace on over night, and after putting it on in the evening to keep it toasty, I turn it off overnight and just pull on the duvet which keeps everything but my nose warm.

I did take time to go to Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey for lunch. I walked along the boardwalk for an hour or so and looked in the shops and then stopped for lunch at the restaurant at the end of the pier. It was mostly seafood, which looked great. I had a grilled chicken salad. I know, I know I should eat seafood when on Fisherman’s Wharf, but I’m just a tad tired of it given that I’ve been on the west coast for over a month now.

There were not very many tourists around, with the whale watching boats going out with only a hand full of customers. Hard to imagine that with the price of fuel that they are making money.

Harbour seals were laying on the rocks just off shore and the pelicans were either hanging out on the rocks or flying about catching their lunch.

I’ll be sorry to leave this part of the world, but who knows what tomorrow will bring! That’s the fun.

Today, after watching live-streaming of certain events unfolding in Ottawa I headed for a day in Carmel-by-the-Sea, south of Monterey. I guess as a Canadian I feel compelled to comment on the weather, although here I don’t suppose it differs much day to day. But it was a gorgeous day, perfect temperatures for tottling around and bright sunshine. Overnight it was cool though getting down to 7 or 8 degrees.

It was lunchtime by the time I arrived so first up was finding a restaurant to my liking. I didn’t have to stray off Ocean Drive, the main drag, in order to find one that looked interesting. It was called Dametra and served mediterranean food. I opted for a Great Greek Salad which lived up to it’s name, service was really attentive and the prices reasonable (for Carmel).

Then I wandered the shops 4 – 5 blocks up and down the main drag and some of the side streets. This is definitely an artist’s colony, and you could find pretty much any type of art to suit your taste in the many shops. They do have t-shirt and usual tourist shops, but they tend to be higher quality and there were lots of very high end shops selling jewelry and clothing. I love the architecture and wandered some time taking pictures.

Then I headed for “The Basilica of Mission San Carlos Borromeo, Del Rio Carmelo, Carmel-By-The-Sea, California” commonly known as Carmel Mission founded in 1770 by Franciscan Friar Junipero Serra. The Mission had fallen into disrepair and at one point, the US Lands Commission took over ownership. Starting in 1884 Father Angelo Casanova undertook the job of saving the historic landmark. In September 1987 Pope John Paul II visited the Mission and in September of this year, Pope Francis canonized Blessed Junipero Serra in his visit to Washington DC. It is one of the most popular pilgramage sites in the U.S. I thoroughly enjoyed the beauty and peacefullness of the Mission and its gardens.

Carmel also has a fantastic beach at the base of Ocean Drive and by late afternoon I was able to find parking within a reasonable distance and I stopped to wander yet another beach in my odyssey. I ended up having a bit of an unexpected nap in the sun. Gotta love vacation.

Santa Cruz, California

I had read that Santa Cruz is where surfing began in North America. The Polynesians are credited with starting the sport of standing on a surf board although many cultures had body surfed. But Hawaii is responsible for exporting the sport to North America and specifically to Santa Cruz. In 1885, three Hawaiian princes went to San Mateo, California for boarding school, and while there they surfed in their free time at Santa Cruz. They used custon-shaped surf boards made from redwood boards. Imagine how heavy they must have been compared to the boards they use today.

Today I headed to Santa Cruz and hoped to see some surfing for myself. And that I did, and much more. Santa Cruz is what you think of when you think of California. Surf, sand, sun and fun. It’s two industries are tourism and education. Tourism is of course pretty dead on a Tuesday in November, making it easy for me to get around and stop where I wanted.

First of all there is the Wharf, which was originally the only place in Monterey Bay to moor or launch a boat with a v-shaped hull which couldn’t be safely beached. The boats had to be brought up onto the dock using rigs to raise or lower the boats, and they still use that method today for the rental boats you find there. Now shops and restauants line the wharf.

It was on the wharf where I stopped for lunch today at a restaurant at the very tip called “Dolphin on the Wharf”. I had an excellent breaded white fish called “sand dabs”, with a great fresh salad and chowder. I’m sure it was overpriced, but you couldn’t beat the location. They have an outdoor deck which was just glorious in the sunshine. I have to say that my senses were on overload. First there were the fabulous sights from the pier, the smell and feel of the ocean breezes, and the tastes of lunch, but it was the sounds that were overwhelming. There was the Beach Boys music which provided nice context, and then there were the ubiquitous gulls circling and screeching overhead, and then on top of all that were the seals or sea lions (I can never remember which is which but I’m pretty sure these were seals), loafing on the pier pilings adding their barks to the cacophany.

After lunch I sat for a time, on a bench on the wharf reading my tourist books in the warm sun, then I headed north on the cliff drive to watch the surfers in action. I have seen surfers before, but today I found it totally mesmerizing. I got talking to some of the young “dudes” whose buddies were in the water, and they explained a bunch of the logistics of surfing to me. How to get in and out of the water without getting killed on teh rocks, how to let someone know you’re going to take the wave, which waves to take, etc. I’m not sure how they really felt about talking to some old broad about it but they seemed pretty keen to share. I spent an hour and a half at various look out points along the cliff drive and then headed downtown to check it out.

The downtown is a mix of old and new and appears to be quite vibrant, perhaps because of the university campus nearby. There are a fare number of art deco buildings among the new, and along the beach and into town there are some old Victorians that have been turned into B&Bs.

And there is a huge O’Neill Surf Shop. I’m sure you’re familiar with the O’Neill brand of bathing suits, wetsuit, etc. That brand was started by American Jack O’Neill who is credited with the invention of the wetsuit and it’s many variations. He open one of the first surf shops in San Francisco in 1952 and the moved down the coast to Santa Cruz by the end of the 1950’s. He sold the rights to the trade mark in the 80’s but started a NFP to provide hands on teaching about the relationship betwen oceans and the environment called O’Neill Sea Odyssey. In fact, I saw one of their catamaran’s in the bay this afternoon. Jack O’Neill is now 92 and since 1959 has resided on beachfront property in Santa Cruz.

I didn’t yet mention the Boardwalk. There is a historic amusement park on the boardwalk next to the wharf that is only open on weekends in the winter so it was closed today. But it looks like a fun place and it houses a couple of rides that are on the National Historic Landmark listings. The Giant Dipper, a roller coaster open since 1924 and small by today’s standards but still a huge draw, and a carousel from 1911 with 73 hand carved wooden horses.