cartour 17

Yuma Heritage Library
Yuma Arizona
Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Not sure about the flying thing but the poached eggs were perfect

Breakfast at the Yuma Landing Bar and Grill was included in the price of the room at the historic Coronado Motel. Pretty yummy considering. Biked the wetland/river bikeway along the Colorado and shopped the Del Sol Market next to the motel. Got queso, chips, avocados, fruit but they had no pico. Stopped by the Yuma Heritage Library only after S. phoned them to ask if they were a real library; turns out they were.
Bounded onto the I-8 and rode it to almost Gila Bend, turning south on Arizona 85 toward Ajo which was way bigger than one might have thought. After Ajo came the village of Why and the turn south to seek a camp spot in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. On way met several Border Patrol checkpoints in this militarized zone that seems to arise from the dysfunctional government to the south. Reminds me of the phrase "Rotor burn" from the war on mj farmers in Northern California back in the 70's. Be that as it may, the camp at Organ was an exquisite example of the federal government doing right by its camping citizens in which we must include the RV people but really...
Did the 2 hour hike to Victoria Mine which walk included a large quail herd and some ants. We were damn hungry on return but fortunately had the means to deal with that in the form of rotisseri chicken, chopped salad in a bag with crunches and dressing, plus more of the giant bag of Dona Lupe's corn chips from the aforementioned Del Sol Market in Yuma next to the historic... with some chive cream cheese S. picked up somewhere. Couple more Corona or Pacificas with real lime. Well, it was great and we deserved it 100%. Not so cold but chill and S. insisted we sleep outside of the perfectly pitched tent which we did but I gave it up at 2 am for an additional pair of pants and return to the symbolic warmth of the tent. Also spent quite a bit of time at this juncture going to the beautiful restroom, finding and working my way through the security features of my pill box contraption and locating my wallet; all of which resulted in a good sleep until around dawn when I was called for coffee.

Someday we will go to all the libraries in America just to hang out and use their wifi

Water is under strict control in Arizona

words on bridge say "Ocean to Ocean Bridge". Don't know why, but nice bikeway.

Church in Ajo

cartour 16

Joshua Tree National Park
Ryan Campground
Tuesday, March 29, 2016

     Got out of Ryan camp briskly after a small fire and fired bread breakfast. Bid a tearful farewell to the Thai woman's boyfriend/husband who was also breaking camp (early). Children tempting fate on the giant boulders which in addition to the Joshua Trees are the defining attraction of the park. Took a nice bike on the Geology Tour road 5 minutes from Ryan. Got about 4 miles before road turned really sandy and descended into vast valley. Sharon turned around but I descended a ways and had to walk bike back up the grade. Guy in a high-tone four wheel SUV stopped twice out of interest/concern.
Finally left the park and hit the back roads to Yuma, AZ. Joshua was like a tropical jungle compared to the burnt desert leading to Yuma except for the BLM recreation area along the deep and sumptuous Colorado where we stopped for picnic.
     Called ahead to get a reservation at the historic Coronado Motel in Yum. This is what you give yourself after two nights in a flappy tent in the low 30's. Had din-din at an Italian place in old town served by a young guy waiter who knew how to engage. Biked back to historic Coronado Motel and S. did laundry, bought a bottle of red and a pack of junior mints which was cool because, guess what, we had a greek and a caprese salad for din; I've had four mints and counting.
     One thing we have noted in these desert towns are the wide straight streets with minimal traffic; we kind of like it but it is somewhat disorienting on the bike or on foot.

some sand is okay, a lot of sand no

BLM Recreation Area off hwy 78 and part of Cibola Wildlife Refuge

Our towels at the historic Coronado Motel in Yuma, Arizona

cartour 15

Joshua Tree (the town) Library

Monday, March 28, 2016

Hour walk up the nearest mountainette fighting the wind a bit not to mention finding a route up through the rocks and cacti. Sharon took many flower shots and we almost made it to the top.
Explored local area on bike, wind still strong or stronger. Checked Hidden Valley camp and Key View then to town and library. Wind howling, light clouds. Sharon off looking for supplies. Got coffee, firewood and 16 new tent stakes. Girl at outfitters shop said that the wind would soon moderate and the other dude behind the counter who was a tourist teaser said, "It's the desert."
Wind still strong tent flapping but holding; added a couple of the new stakes anyway. Went for an 2 hour hike around dusk, built a fire chatted with the Thai woman next camp who was pretty unhappy with the whole camping in freezing desert America thing, ate something, drank something and went to bed. Woke myself at 3am to add fuzzy pants over jeans below t-shirt and 3 coats visited the outhouse across the road and crashed again; maybe I had several items from the pill box; can't be precise on that. It was a cold high desert experience; don't know how those cowboys survived.

Looking west from the park and down on the Coachella Valley, Mt. San Jacinto and Palm Springs on the left of the valley floor.

cartour 14

Palm Springs, California
Sunday, March 27, 2016

James left and other fellow concert goers on Easter Sunday at Sunnylands

Sharon and the ruins of the old Ryan place

Ryan camp and surroundings

Sharon in camp (actually this is Monday morning as I found her on awakening)

Water and cactus at Sunnylands

     Went somewhere on bikes in the morning, but it escapes me now on Monday in the little town of Joshua Tree with the wind blowing over the library at 30-40 miles an hour, where that ride might have been. So later, joined by James of Vancouver, we drove to Sunnylands (former big estate of the Annenberg fortune (readers digest)) for a lovely concert on the lawn and surrounding gardens where Obama met recently with the president of China according to the story posted inside the mid-century modern presentation space. After was lunch at the Manhattan which was truck stop quantities of somewhat Jewish New York style cuisine. 

     Then goodbye to Mike with gratitude and off to the Joshua Tree national park in the high desert east of Palm Springs. Found a camping spot at Ryan camp after a short survey of the larger Jumbo Rocks site. Wind had come up and we pounded the stakes deep with a rock to hold the tent followed by a walk to the ruins of the Ryan ranch (small gold mine and cattle operation from the late 19th century. Out the west side of camp and into the distance for some wine and sunsetting. Pretty chill and windy.

cartour 13

Palm Springs, California
Saturday, March 26, 2016

the desert cities from San Jacinto

climbing to the summit

cables of tram ascending

     Mike off on a bus and theater tour to Orange County to see "The Book of Mormon" by the creators of South Park? S. and I step up to entertaining ourselves by taking the San Jacinto Tram up to 9,000 feet and a hike through patchy snow. The gondola rotates 360º twice as we ride up a nearly vertical canyon to the bowl at the peak.
Following that hair-raiser we decompressed at the condo pool and hot tub where I listened to several seniors reminiscing about recent near death but fun experiences like the big guy describing his week in the mountain cabin with a pulmonary embolism from a surgury for a broken collar bone from a bike accident before finally driving himself to the hospital and then telling the robust woman next to him in the tub that she should go to the hospital for the pain in her leg cause that might cause a blood clot. She kept saying "Really!" to this suggestion until the two of them got it straight that her leg pain was not a chronic condition but the result of falling off her bike two hours previously. I was dying to get my health stories into the tub so to speak but I didn't do it.
And after all that rigamarole S. and I cooled our jets in the condo before heading to downtown on the bikes in search of what the Palm Springs' fancy magazine on Mike's coffee table said was the best margarita in the city; it wasn't so we went to a hauty touty restaurant for another shot at the well made marg; and it was. We got kind of lost in the dark on the way home and S. discovered that she had lost her wallet. I called and she drove around but no bueno senors and senoritas. Mike finally got off the bus and we pulled couch apart and goodnight, Moon.

Hauty touty firepit at hauty touty restaurant

After the margarita hunt of the previous evening S lost her wallet only to find it in the am on the grass outside Mike's condo; triumph!

cartour 12

Friday, March 25, 2016 (actual)
Palm Springs, California

Sharon at the little pearl

Mike enjoying a Jamaica with Sharon at the little pearl

Sweet Mexican  cafe "La Perlita" (little pearl)

Don't have any photos of mid-century modern homes right now so this will have to do

     Left Ojai/Meiners Oaks at about 8:30 and arrived at Mike's in central Palm Springs at about 12:30. Mostly immense freeway east through the backcountry of Los Angeles to San Bernadino through the wind farm in into the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs. We will stay a night or two in Mike's living room and move on east to Joshua Tree National Park for some desert camping. Good evening ride through residential streets with the Mid-Century Modern style in glorious abundance. Lots of Palm Springs landscaping trees (olive was my favorite) and plants about as well (pictures tomorrow)

cartour 11

Meiners Oaks, CA

Thursday, March 24, 2016  (actual)

the door outside 10:35 pm

dry wash

    Rambled through the Ventura River riparian region, a series of dry channels this time of year, for a while with Skip and Sharon followed by a bike to the Sarzotti Community Center for some ping pong with Jodie and Eileen who were well matched to El Skip and I and all matches were cliffhangers. As though this was not enough we hit the HIB vegan cafe. For me, the Indo wrap (veggies in a semi-permeable membrane), broccoli and potato soup and a carob date smoothie. Met and sat with Geoffrey (possibly an alias) who was with the Emergency Group on Civil Rights of the Students for a Democratic Society in Ohio in the mid-sixties and on trial for claiming that the Selective Service law (aka the draft) was unconstitutional. Geoff was also preparing for a bike tour north on the California coast on a nifty recumbent. He also had a nifty Apple watch and this thing coming out of his ear that looked like you could talk to Captain Kirk.
     Later caught a vegan dinner at the Farmer and Cook: fun tamale for me with a snotty beer, salads for Skip and Sharon and a big ass burrito for Sheila. Slide over to the Vine in Ojai to hear Skip's neighbor play some of his own songs with a good slide guitar guy helping.  Pretty good day in the Ojai.

cartour 10

Dateline -
Ojai, California
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 (actual)

Can't think of a caption for this one but I like it.

For some reason Sharon took umbrage at this message.

     Started the day in the home on the Preserve with sourdough burned lightly on the gas stove in the outdoor kitchen. Microwaved this with some success in that the slice was steamy all through with those little blackened areas still chary. This bnb reminds me of living on Amtrak in its whackiness. I knock on the door of the home to which the garage we are living in is attached by the outdoor kitchen and a male youth of maybe 17 replies, "We don't have any right now and anyway we don't use them," to my question about maybe getting a key. I thanked him for his trouble and felt pretty good about the whole thing really.
     Smacking good biking to Lake Casitas and Ventura beach for Early California Tacos on the pier with El Skip. One Early California Taco too many for me especially with the 20 oz Island Honey Avocado Beer. El Skip sprinted back to Ojai (pronounced like "Oh, Hi!") whilst Sharon and I just missed the Ventura-Ojai 2:22 bus and had a coffee and pistachio chocolate truffle. Actually I had a Ancho Chili Mocha which Sharon also liked and had really quite a bit of. Got the 3:22 easily and made the 25 minute run to Loma Ave. and then the 20 minute pedal to the preserve bnb.
     Sharon signed us up for another night here!
Note: We stayed in Meiners Oaks not Ojai, but M.O. is very near to Ojai so let's just leave it at that.

We are at home here in the Ojai Meadow Preserve somewhere off to the left.

cartour 9

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Beach frolic

Beach Frolic 2

Beach Frolic 3

Summary due to sleepiness:

Court House Tower
Shopping State Street by bike - more velcro! more reading glasses and a...
Cleansing smoothie!
Lunch
Beach Frolics
Departure
Thank You Kim and Greg
Arrival Meiners Oaks
Skip and Sheila house - Lion St. Ojai
Dinner at Boccali
Return to bnb
Shared bathroom!

cartour 8

Monday, March 21, 2016 (actual)

       Walked to Richard and Stephanie's in the afternoon. Walked only from the mission rose garden with Molly and Ali to Richard and Stephanie's, in truth. Richard and Stephanie were not in. The walk was worth it what with pushing the child in the stroller over hill and dale and arterials snapping with human/car hybrids. The whale skeleton among the oaks was kind of a hit with some.

Not a lot of photos of the Pharma Park to choose from

      Earlier was a decent dog walk in Pharma Park up canyon in an old orchard burned hard a few years previous. There was a bike to downtown and a very fine taco fest made with some of the leftovers from the true festival the night before.

Must have spent part of Monday like this

cartour 7

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Hanging in the Edgewater Inn lobby wondering what might be in store for us come Easter

Greg's li project

Quick Tour de Pis on bikes right out of town into the backcountry which I was never aware there was one. Somewhat chilly Mexican cafe for chorizo scramble. On to Hwy 1 into downtown Lompoc which I may never have entered. Eventually back to 101 and down the old way to Santa Barbara and Kim and Greg's house where there was soon a party of 13 for dinner: Tony and Valle and baby Alli and friend Fede over from Vienna as well as the chef Phillipe and family, Pam, William and of course Molly the Border Collie who nearly died of eating rat poison at the work site above just weeks ago but was now recovering nicely. Long elegant evening of tri-tip, salmon, etc along with stories from the Euro scholars about life in their world of chemical analysis of ancient documents and such.  Kim pulled a "Josie" with some spiked chocolate which is hilarious unless you happen to be Maureen Dowd.

Molly with the scowl of the 

quadruped in a biped world

cartour 6

Saturday, March 19, 2016 (actual)

     Coffee and up the Indian Road which is closed; it is always closed, but that is not for us bikers or us hikers or us horsemen or even a van and a rundown compact American sedan of a Ventana volunteer trailman with plates that spell CLVNTA. They go in to back down the illegal grow operations that dump thousands of gallons of high level agricultural poisons recklessly in the streams and meadows of the wild land. The Ventana volunteers keep  public records online of their work and observations.  Tales of great rolls of black plastic tubing, guns shots heard. We rode 4 or 5 miles of the Indian Road’s 18 mile length it ending probably at the Hunter Leggett military enclave to the south behind Hearst Castle.  We rode to the trail head for Ventana, crossed the foot bridge over the Arroyo Seco and proceeded across a meadow until we saw the innocuous sign below.

     Returning to the camp, we packed after a fine rendition of yesterday’s breakfast of fried bread, fried hard boiled eggs and Nando Sauce.  I should say me because Sharon has stale but strangely satisfactory Mexican sweet buns.

     Anyway we had a picnic lunch at the courthouse square in Paso Robles (what an up-and-comer Paso is these days) after Sharon went for supplies and I went to the library.

      Literally ooze  out of town onto 101 and over  Hwy 46 to Cambria or Morro Bay maybe and stopped  at a vineyard that was one of many, checked every state park - no place for our weary heads. Tried last year’s fun ranch Laura and Ben Doty up on Arroyo Grande ridge but found them not hosting or even around the house. 

     Sharon snapped to work and bagged us a king size with view back in Pismo and we hit the beach after check-in with bathing uniform and wine and used both fully. Took a dip in the sea which was generically cold the first time but felt better as time went on. Scotty’s for dinner  instead of Guiseppe’s which was probably a small mistake as was leaving Chop Street next door due to certain technicalities in the city liquor licensing process which I’m sure could have been satisfied with a brown paper bag. Home to the third floor of the Pismo Edgewater with the apologetic WIFI for which no password is offered in the in-room literature and who needs it anyway with our upgraded Verizon data limit. The ocean provides white noise almost as well as the floor fan at home. 

The Doty Ranch it isn't but this was all that was left in California last night.

     Speaking of which Sharon was anxious in the Los Padres with lack of signal in the event the Langley airbnb guests might have some tiny problems on arrival and there was the fact conveyed on signal return that some bonehead had left the hot tub off or maybe there was a mini power TIA but that’s a black eye for 301 6th street. 

cartour 5

friday 3/18

Buckhorn Recreation Area to Arroyo Seco Recreation Area

Buckhorn Lake in the recreation area of that name.

Not representative of the natural beauty of the Buckhorn environment but still.

Left I-5 for the day mostly. West of Corning in the morning. Tour de camp ground and left down the back way south along the western edge of the Sacramento Valley. Shockingly lovely California Spring.  The Bear Valley route through Chrome, Elk Creek, Stonyford and Lodoga before the pavement gave way to mostly high grade gravel roadway 15 miles north of Rumsey, Guinda, etc. Slipped east on hwy 16 through Capay, Esparto, Madison to I-505 thence to 80, Sharon bombing down the east bay with the thought of reaching 101 and Greenfield and up into the Ventana Wilderness.  Did that with dinner at Cafe Las Fuentes (three nice ladies) and up Arroyo Seco to... Arroyo Seco Recreation Area camp which was nostalgic for me but bit busy. Just next door a large family gathering set up a small industrial park of generator, lights, cafeteria while several little girls on lit and unlit bikes circled the campground making serious conversation and while we remained fruitlessly anxious about the camp hosts mention that he would be entertaining someone with the film "Fury" in his outdoor theater also within spitting distance of our little settlement.

Miles driven ≈ unknown

Tomorrow: Into La Ventana on bike via the Indian Road!

cartour 4

3-17-16

Bend, OR to 20 miles southwest of Corning, CA

Couple of things: the asian-american barbeque in Weed, biking the sacramento river trail and later Buckhorn recreation area

Main drag through downtown weed a man and woman in smoke on the sidewalk amongst 5 or more large blackened brutalist iron  contraptions. He bellicose, blustering utilitarian “No difference for no bread brisket sandwich to go same as list, number 17” - 12 dollar each. She was more conversational and confided her dislike of wind but was merely philosophical about the price of oak firewood which seemed to be running around 300 a pickup load which can vary in my experience. Sharon broke him down though after he proudly gave us a sample of the just finished burning of the meat. She said it was way too fatty. He said that is brisket and a complex back and forth ensued with Sharon refusing the whole enchilada but I was on my own so to save face all round and because i loved the fatty brisket I stayed in the game and came away with a box full of fatty brisket and rice and some tiny little boat of sauce that was real good sauce. And I ate that thing most of the way to redding and sharon had a little and she was right about the fat because in mine there were trimmed pieces of just fat included with the slices that almost always had a nice waddle of fat attached or hanging by a thread of gristle.

Not really representative of the Sacramento River Trail that we pedaled but we liked this part as well.

      West of Corning we drove and drove on black butte road through rolling hillocks of medium green grass up against the coast mountains coming to a oak covered hill above a small reservoir. We had a couple of warm beers and a sandwich listening to the coyotes a generator and a guy running his van to charge the two women he took care of’s cell phones. He came over to explain to me what was happening to him and resulting things he was having to do, some of which he was having misgivings about. I said I thought that the park rules said everyone had to go to sleep at 10 pm and he asked me what time was it and I said without seeing too clearly, it was dark, that it was 20 til and moments later I said to 9 and he said in the interim that he was going to turn off the van in 10 minutes and went back over to it and turned it off so that left only the generator.

cartour 3

Out of the Rainbow to coffee at the D&M coffee something which was real good coffee. Down the road (highway 97) for a while through some soulful little places that hardy existed to a roadside rest that had a walk bridge across a river and a steep goat trail up a hill to an outcrop of basaltic columns. Hard climb for 30 minutes; harder down.  Observatory state park near Goldendale for lunch of hardboiled egg and Nando sauce sandwich. Later at Crooked River canyon - Cove Pallisades state park bike ride. Through some other little soulful towns (such as the off-97 route through Antelope that Sharon will one day remember so fondly) and into Bend to buy camp chairs and another stranger tale from the Airbnb host who couldn't get rid of current guest and didn't know how to refund our payment and Sharon got spooked so we went to dinner at a Middle Easter/Lebanese place that was real good; I had two custom cocktails one of which was real good. Followed this bit of good luck by sliding into another Rainbow Motel for $61 and got the WIFI. Took a confusing solo bike in the chill early dark and barely was able to get back to the Rainbow but incidentally scored a battery at a vape shop for $5. Really lovely country, the West.
Miles driven ≈ 250

cartour 2

      6:30 in the Ellensberg Public Library and all is well. Finally left Seattle on 90 in the partial sun at about 3. Over the pass in rain -snow-rain and clear to Che Elm for a quick rest stop at anonymous gas station. Tried Airbnb Ellensburg but attractive room not available due to host sickness and further confusion with instant book at such a late hour; check-in time seems to be an issue.
      Found the Rainbow Motel on edge of town and went for it. $52 but no WIFI so mounted the bikes and headed over here to the library. After this maybe stop in at the hotel host recommended Asian place next to him which is open until 9 and has WIFI.  It is chilly and Sharon lacks a front light but I feel we have a number of positive options at least before full dark and the temperature dropping below freezing. The library closes in 15 minutes.
Brix wine bar for pizza and malbec or malbec and then pizza as it was. Cold and dark back to the Raninbow.