The journey now continues south. Apparently we left at the right time just as the Pacific Northwest rains moved in the very day we left! I can’t forget seeing my beautiful daughter’s face waving to us from her front porth as we left, and that always brings tears to my eyes.
The weather heading south into Oregon was mixed and we had hoped the occasional blue sky “sucker holes” would lead the way. Not so much …. it then started raining and never stopped the entire day and night we were there and into the next day. This was the primary driving reason for our departure from the NW – the gray skies eventually just wear you down, but when it’s sunny, there is no more glorious place on earth. For those of you who have never visited the NW, go in August! The Oregon Coast is splendid, and even in the rain, you can see that it’s pretty spectacular.
We stayed at the Mill Casino in North Bend, OR (near Coos Bay) and it was a good facility with nice amenities. We are not gamblers, but took $20.00 for a slot machine, and we doubled our money and walked away $20.00 happier! It was pouring when we left, so we sat in soaked clothes for mile after mile until we reached the state line of CA, and miraculously, the sun came in in full glory at Crescent City!
The northern CA drive on 101 is really beautiful, but we had not anticipated the mountain climbs and steep hills and curves on 101 down to Willets, CA. Poor Bob was absolutely exhausted upon our arrival – driving those roads is a different deal with a car and trailer. Willetts KOA was pretty ordinary and very empty after season, but looks like it would have a lot of kid and family activities during the summer.
Once in Northern CA, we enjoyed seeing a very large herd of elk in Elk City, CA. They were everywhere and we were happy the traffic was stopped or slow so we could capture their images.
We also were mesmerized by the huge Redwood Trees in this Redwood region. In this area, you will find the Redwoods National Park, but there are also several other redwood State Parks that are really nice. Some of these old growth forest trees are right on the roadside such that you could touch them as you drive by. Impressive! Hard to get perspective on their size, but they are enormous and beautiful!
Willets to Paso Robles was a boring, but much easier drive through Central CA. We drove through the east side of the Bay and through Oakland, and the picture below is the Richmond bridge.
Lots of agriculture, and lots of barren areas as well. We were very glad to get to our RV resort in Paso Robles – Cava Robles, a Sun Communities brand new RV resort. It was probably the very nicest RV park EVER! The amenities were fantastic with a large clubhouse, bistro, wine bar, private shower rooms, big pools, and just beautiful views all around in the wine country hills! Hardly anyone was here again, so what a bonus! We spent 3 nights there and it was a welcome and relaxing stay.
Of course, wineries are the highlight here in Paso Robles. We managed to squeeze 4 in while there – Broken Earth, Calcareous, Harmony and Sculpterra. There are over 350 wineries in this region, with exquisite blends common to this wine region.
We took a picnic trip to Cambria on the Pacific to have a pizza lunch at our favorite little park on the bay. Always so pretty here!
We capped our 3 days off with a visit to our very favorite restaurant, The Catch, in Paso. Interesting and entertaining chef, fabulous ambience and delectable food! I did the steamed clams in white wine, Bob had shrimp and scallops fettucine, preceded by lightly sauteed calamari steak. We have recommended this restaurant to so many people, and the feeling is always the same …. best restaurant ever! Sit at the bar for the best food views!
Now on to a big highlight of our trip …. San Diego!
Our daughter Meghan and her husband Mat welcomed their first child into the world on 9/9/19! Little Owen is a true little miracle, and we are so grateful to have had our plans coincide with a visit there to meet him!
The traffic through LA was horrid! I have never seen such slow backups and our journey from Paso to San Diego was 9+ hours – ridiculous. If we never drive through that LA area, it will be too soon! Don’t do it! My brother lives in Culver City, and I do not understand how people that live there do this every single day!
We stayed at Mission Bay RV Park, which, given the location and the price we paid ($100.00/night), we expected a park on the level of Cava Robles in Paso. OMG, this place was a disaster, and was basically an asphalt parking lot with no grass for Coco, and a park in complete disrepair.
Our visit to the kids and Owen was so special! He is adorable and perfect in every way, and mom and dad are so happy (despite being completely exhausted!). Reality of bringing a little one into the world regarding feeding, diapers, lack of sleep, and a complete change of life is settling in, but they are so in love with little Owen as is obvious in the pictures. We are too! We spent just an afternoon with them to give them time to adjust to Meghan’s new return home and getting themselves adjusted to their new little bundle. We hope to return for a short visit in February 2020 in conjunction with our niece Laura’s wedding in Mesa, AZ.
