Northern California

 

Murph flew back to SFO
to rejoin Jada for her trip
northbound through
northern California
and on to Oregon.

Jada spent several days in the Bay area then settled into a campsite at Taylor State Park near Point Reyes.  Murph caught up with her there.

All the best photos were taken by Jada.

(To see all the posts for northern California and Oregon, Click "Newer Post" at Bottom)

Although there is very little to like
about flying on Frontier,
Murph does like the fauna.

Thanks to his Amex card, Murph relaxed between
connections in this interesting lounge in Atlanta.

The ATL-SFO flight fauna

This cruising sailboat was
anchored off Point Reyes in
Drake's Bay.  It looked quite rough!

It was a windy day at Point Reyes National Seashore.

Lower your volume for this video, the wind is LOUD.

Jada having fun in the park gift shop.

This shipwreck was on the beach of Tomales Bay,
northeast of Point Reyes near Inverness, CA.

Point Reyes Station, CA

Our stop in a small pub in Point Reyes Station, CA
surprised us with these photos from
many years ago when Prince Charles visited here.

It seemed like a face
on this tree's trunk.

As we drove north the trees are
tall, straight, amazing
and awe-inspiring.

The Eagle Prairie Steel Bridge
at the south end of Rio Dell, CA

The Eel River looking south from the bridge deck.

A nice welcome to Rio Dell, CA.

Many fun murals in Rio Dell.

Of course, we found a friendly local pub!

And a good local brew!

One of our favorite camping spots, and it was free!
Just off US 101 on the ocean side of the isthmus
separating Freshwater Lagoon from the Pacific Ocean.

Our sunset that night was terrific!

The water in Freshwater Lagoon was crystal clear.

Brickyard 400, 2026

John, Murph, Bill, Karen

Back in Indiana, I met with my brother, John, and his great friends, Bill & Karen Cole.  We enjoyed a nice meal together at the Big Woods restaurant in Speedway.  The Coles were in town for the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where I work part-time as a Safety Patrol member or "Yellowshirt."

My first day working at the track, my post was outside
the dirt track where the BC39 race was held.
That's the race on the big screen.

Just outside the dirt track and the BC39.

The lead up race to the Brickyard
is the Pennzoil 250.

The big NASCAR race at IMS is
the Brickyard 400.

In Danville, IN I meet with friends at the nostalgic
"Mayberry Cafe."  This antique police car sits out front.

California Coast

We begin our trek north,
stopping to kayak for a couple hours at the
San Vicente Reservoir.

Our campsite in San Diego was the Dos Pico County Park.  It was quite nice and we enjoyed a nice hike there.

All the best photos are by Jada.

 

At our stop for the night, we met the
local felines.

They made themselves at home!

Still in Jada's home!

Other locals entertained us, as well.

The property was used as a movie set for some of the 
westerns filmed when we were younger.

The next day included a visit
at the Falkner Winery
while we continued our trek to another spot
along the California coast.

Beautiful drive thru wine country.

Enroute north, we visited a pottery friend 
of Jada's near Santa Barbara.
He hosted us for a visit to the 
studio and gallery where he works.
These are some of the pieces his
colleagues have created.

Jada and Gary Sullivan

Jada found a terrific campground along the coast,
Jalama Beach County Park,
just south of Vandenburgh Space Force Base.
Very rural and a l-o-n-g drive from civilization.
Our kind of place!

The hikes along the beach were beautiful
with lots of birds, dramatic waves,
and interesting rocks and stones.

Sadly, some tar (from the offshore oil rigs?)
was present.  Thankfully, not a lot.

Those are natural designs in this rock!

The seagulls were fun, unafraid and
entertaining.

As we made our way further northward,
these interesting trees with unique
trunks were quite notable.

In our next campground,
Pinto Lake City Park, Watsonville, CA.

Jada's gardening skills are evident as
her bonsai tree is flourishing.

Our touring along the central coast
led us to Monterey and her
"Kissing Rocks."

The drive around the Monterey
Peninsula is gorgeous,
including the famous
"Lone Cypress."

Our drive included opportunities to
watch seals along the coast.

After driving further north to San Francisco Bay
I flew back east while Jada visited friends
and fun venues like the home of
Irish Coffee in San Fran.