A Little Taz Travel: Chapter Four

Sunday, April 20 - Tuesday, April 22

Monterey to San Francisco, California

Sunday, April 20

Happy Easter to one and all!!!!

Happy Birthday to daughter Whitney Little Farnham in Olathe, Kansas!!!!

We had planned to go to a Sunrise Service on a beach several miles south of our hotel, but when the alarm went off at 4:15 this morning, we decided that the better part of valor would be to go back to sleep and get up later to attend an early service at a church not too far from here.

When we did get up, we had to scurry around to get ourselves ready, everything packed and loaded, and get checked out of the hotel...almost cut it too close, but we navigated our way back down to Cannery Row, turned up a couple of blocks, and found the First Baptist Church of Monterey.  It was a surprisingly easy ride, and we weren't even late for the beginning of the service.

God knew exactly where we should be this morning and led us to a service with wonderful music, friendly people, and a unique presentation of a Resurrection story utilizing the story of the death and resurrection of Lazarus, which foreshadowed the death and resurrection of Christ.

We were invited to stay and have a special Easter luncheon at the church, but we begged off, explaining that we had already arranged to meet Sergio Padilla for lunch before we leave town.

Sergio was still in church, so we rode to a CVS drug store to get some prescriptions refilled and buy some window cleaner so I could get about five pounds of bug residue off the windshield.  While I was cleaning the windshield, a couple from New Zealand drove up and started asking questions about Taz...seems we (or at least, Taz) are a hit wherever we stop.

We eventually made our way back to Old Fishermans Wharf and met up with Sergio for one last meal together before we had to leave and he had to get back to his studies.

As you can tell by the photos, there was no shortage of menu items today...it sure did stink purty outside!!!

After saying our goodbyes, we hopped back on Taz and headed up the highway toward San Francisco.  It was pretty chilly for the first few miles along the coast, and we nearly stopped to add another layer, but the temperatures rose as we turned inland and we eventually had to stop to shed a layer.

The views along the highway were just beautiful, and we continued to marvel at how many different mountains and ranges this state has.  And, where there isn't a mountain or lake, one is almost certain to find a vineyard or farm.

We arrived at Millbrae around 4:00 pm.  Millbrae is a predominately Asian community south of San Francisco and right across the highway from San Francisco International Airport.  David Jividen had recommended this as a place that had good lodging and restaurants and was close to a BART station, and his recommendation proved to be excellent.

After checking in at the Best Western El Rancho, we took Taz across the street to a laundry to do some very serious business.  Everything we had with us was in need of washing, so that was number one on our agenda,

The laundromat was between a Chinese restaurant and a yogurt shop, so while the machines were churning our clothes, we went to the yogurt shop for a treat.  I was going to eat inside, but the girl at the counter said we had to eat outside or pay tax on the yogurt if we wanted to eat inside...of course, we ARE in California!

When we had all the clothes packed back in the trailer, we went into the restaurant to order a meal for takeout, made our way back across the street to our lodging, and settled in for a nice, restful evening.

+++++++

Monday, April 21

We got up fairly early this morning to prepare for what we hoped would be our grandest adventure of the trip so far...actually going into San Francisco to experience the sights, sounds, and smells.  Our only San Francisco experience to date was a layover at the airport several years ago when we were flying to China, and that hardly counts as being there.

After getting dressed and taking the obligatory (to us) morning selfie (a double-selfie as it was later pointed out to us by some of our former students), we were ready to roll.

The hotel provided free shuttle service to the airport BART station...a great way to start the adventure.  It took us a few minutes to figue out how to purchase a ticket from the bank of machines, but we eventually got the ticket we wanted and walked to the 10-car train that was waiting to go to the heart of San Francisco.

We've said it before, and I'm sure we'll say it again, but we absolutely love riding on metropolitan transit systems...every one we've been on has been clean and efficient and has "exceeded expectations" (in educationese).

Today's trip was no exception, as we entered the car, found our seats, and waited for the train to whisk us away.

We got off the BART at the Embarcadero stop, got our bearings (after asking a gentleman at a flower stand for directions), and headed to the square the the Port of San Francisco headquarters.

Now, by this time, the excitement of the adventure was reaching a crescendo, and our bladders were needing to decrescendo.  We figured we'd have to find a restaurant or shop with a restroom, but then spotted this...a high-tech outhouse!  We've been to three state fairs and a goat-roping contest, but we've never seen anything like this contraption.  Push a button and the door slides open.  Push a button inside and the door closes.  Then, a recorded voice tells you how to operate the thing (and that if your operation isn't completed in 20 minutes, the door will automatically open).  Thankfully, we didn't come anywhere close to the 20-minute limit, so we (at separate times, of course) pushed the button and exited this steel monument to one of man's greatest needs.

Having successfully completed our transactions, we set out to find a trolley to deliver us to Fishermans Wharf.

When we got to Fishermans Wharf, we exited the trolley and stood around for a few minutes just taking in the size and scope of the place.  One thing was certain, there would be no shortages of sights to see, things to do and places to eat!

Hunger was the immediate condition for both of us, so we settled on a restaurant that afforded a view of the bay and reasonable prices.  Our first meal on the wharf was clam chowder in a bread bowl and a house specialty salad...yum-yum...and with a view of Alcatraz Island in the background.

After eating our fill, we walked around the area a bit and decided to take one of the many tour cruises of the bay.  We chose one that offered a trip out to the Golden Gate Bridge and then back around Alcatraz Island before returning to the berth.  We would have taken the Alcatraz Island tour, but it was fully booked for the day.  In fact, reservations for that tour have to be made days in advance.

We had to wait a bit before boarding our boat, as Coast Guard officers were doing a surprise inspection.  Luckily for all involved, the boat and crew passed the inspection and soon we were boarded and waiting to sail.  During the wait, someone notice a harbor seal swimming just a couple of feet from the starboard side of the boat, so we all gathered around to take turns taking pictures.

Soon, we moved out through the marina and into the waters (and waves) of San Francisco Bay.

The tour afforded numerous opportunities for shots of the skyline and other attractions along the shore.  We got into some especially choppy waters as we reached the area of the Golden Gate Bridge, but we managed to get our sea legs and hang on for the ride.

When we turned back into the bay, we headed for Alcatraz Island, certainly a focal point of any tour of the area.

We arrived back at our berth and began the next leg of the adventure, a walk down Embarcadero to see the sights and go through a National Park Service museum that was dedicated to the nautical history of the San Francisco Bay area.

And then it was time for the requisite composite of the San Francisco adventure, a ride on the world-famous cable cars.  What isn't so famous is the 45-minute wait in line to board a car, but even that was made more palatable by watching the process of turning the cars on the turntable and observing street performers and musicians.

We rode all the way across town to Market Square (the length and pitch of the hills cannot be exaggerated, no matter how much one may try), got off, waited another half hour in line to board a car going back (did have a great view of Macy's and Nordstroms while we waited), and then climbed aboard for the trip back.

We got off the car one stop early so we could go to Ghirardelli Square, something that Heather had mentioned as a place to visit.  We thought seriously about buying chocolates for the grandkids, but then thought that we would have to stuff them in the trailer and haul them all the way back across the desert, so we ate some samples in honor of all the kids and grandkids and walked back down to the wharf to catch the trolley back to the Port of San Francisco.

We were so exhausted after all the walking we did today that it was only with great effort that we made it from the end of the trolley ride back up the short distance (uphill, of course) to the BART Embarcadero stop, staggered into the train car (thankfully, a young couple offered us their seats), and settled in for the ride back to the airport.

When we got to the airport stop, we called the hotel for a shuttle bus and waited until it came to take us back to the hotel where we literally collapsed in our room.  There was no work accomplished tonight...we were asleep by 9:00 pm after a very full and fun day.

++++++++

Tuesday, April 22

Happy 7th Birthday to grandson Jimmy Jim Farnham in Olathe, Kansas!!!!

God must have known that we couldn't have withstood another day of excitement, so He, in His infinite wisdom, sent a cold, wet day with winds that matched some of the worst days we had in Southwest Kansas or Southeastern New Mexico.

We took that as a sign that we were supposed to stay inside and rest our weary bones...that, and get caught up on laundry again.  Fortunately, no one else was using the laundry room at the hotel, so we had it to ourselves.

Once the laundry was done, we got the bags repacked for the next part of the adventure, had a nice lunch at the hotel cafe, took a nap, read, worked on the journal/blog, and generally did nothing that would tax our bodies.

We would be remiss if we didn't say somewhere along the way that the Best Western El Rancho Hotel in Millbrae is by far the finest of the hotels we've stayed at in a long time.  The facilities are older, but very well maintained, and the service and hospitality exceed industry standards.  If you are ever in the San Francisco area, especially south of the city proper, and need good lodging at a reasonable price, this is the place to be.  With excellent meals on-site or right across the street, and free shuttle service to the airport and BART station, this is a "must stay" facility.

"The Bay Area is so beautiful, I hesitate to preach about Heaven while I'm here." - Billy Graham, Christian Evangelist

From the San Francisco Bay Area,

Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy

A Little Taz Travel: Chapter Three

Thursday, April 17 - Saturday, April 19, 2014

Gilbert Arizona to Monterey, California

Thursday, April 17: Gilbert, Arizona to San Bernardino, California

After a restful sleep and a great breakfast, we loaded Taz and the trailer, did the daily safety check, took some more photos, and said our goodbyes to David and Jan before heading out on the next leg of our adventure..

David had told us last night that the best way back to I-10 West from their house was probably to take the 202 loop around the city...a few miles longer than a straight line to the interstate, but it would keep us from catching the early morning traffic headed into Phoenix.  And, David was very right on this.  The loop was easy enough to find and once we got into the HOV Lane, we moved ahead at 70 mph right along with the rest of the high-speed traffic.  There was a slight bottleneck as we got close to Sky Harbor Airport, but that was soon resolved and before we knew it, we were out of the city and headed west.

A few miles outside of town and an hour or so after we left the house, we stopped for gas and McBreakfast before continuing the journey.  I was pleased to find that on that particular leg of the trip, we had averaged just over 30 miles per gallon, maybe the best average yet...sure hope that continues!!!

Since this was the first time we'd crossed I-10 in this part of the country, we paid lots of attention to the scenery (much like what we had found on the eastern side of Phoenix).  The distant mountains were difficult to shoot because of the haze in the air, so we just did the best we could.

We stopped at the Bouse Wash rest area for a butt break and ended up staying there for nearly an hour and a half showing Taz to a group of four Canadians who were touring this part of the country.  They were all motorcycle riders and were very interested in what we thought of the Can Am as opposed to other three-wheel cycles.  We did everything but give them a test drive, and they invited us to come to eastern Canada and ride with them whenever we make our dream trip to the northeast.

After that break, it was time to scoot on down the road and get to California.

We had another refueling stop in Quartzite, Arizona, winter home to thousands of RV'ers.  We were expecting to see large clusters of RV's, but guessed that that must have already left the area to return to their summer homes.

A few miles later we entered California.  We thought we'd have to come up with an explanation of why we were carrying apples into the state (Jan had given some to us as snacks for the journey), but when we stopped at the Agricultural Inspection Station, no one came out to check us, so we put 'er in gear and kept on trucking.

We also discovered, shortly after entering California, that the speed limit for trucks and vehicles towing trailers is 55 MPH.  That really put the kibosh on making time across a long and very empty stretch of highway.  We looked and looked for a place to pull over and eat at, but there just weren't any of those places available.

Travel across the desert can get very tiring, especially on a motorcycle, even one as comfortable as Taz.  We've discovered that either of us can stand up for a bit to take some of the pressure off the affected body region (as long as we don't stand up together and veer off the road).  It must also be pretty boring for the passenger, because Barbara spent quite a bit of time taking pictures of me standing up while we were moving (the 55 mph limit made that a little easier) and then she pieced some of the photos together to get this shot.

We finally arrived at Chiriaco Summitt, about 30 miles east of Indio, and found a delightful cluster of buildings housing a gas station, some shops, a great little restaurant, and even a General George Patton Museum.  While we had enough gas to get us down to Indio, we did take advantage of the restaurant for a good meal and air-conditioning.

We were worn out by the time we arrived in Indio, so we stopped for a rest break and checked out the local hotel situation.  There were plenty of hotels to choose from, but there was also a big music festival going on, and what rooms weren't already booked cost more than we were willing to pay.  So, we made up our minds to truck on to San Bernardino, the closest town with an available Best Western.

As We got to the Palm Springs area, we couldn't help but notice the wind farms that have sprung up since our last trip through here nearly 8 years ago.  the scenery is different, but the farms are reminiscent of the wind farms that are sprouting up all over West Texas.

We hit San Bernardo in the thick of rush hour traffic, but most of it was headed the other direction...lucky for us.  We found our motel, checked in, and then went across the street for a great steak dinner at Black Angus before returning to the room and settling in for a very restful night.

+++++++

Friday, April 18: San Bernardino to Monterey, California

We voted last night that it was more important to get to Monterey by the end of today than it was to ride up the coastline from the Los Angeles area, so we rerouted our trip to take advantage of the various freeways to get us upstate.  We wanted to stay in Carmel and make day trips to Monterey, but that turned out to be impossible, so we made our reservations in Monterey and would have to do our best to get there in the longest riding day so far.

So, we arose early, did all the morning duties, and were on the road by 6:30 am, early enough to miss much of the early morning rush, not that there is any time during the day that there isn't a rush on area highways.

We managed to run into all kinds of weather today...cold, cloudy, and a little bit of rain as we started out, and warming up considerably by noon.  We also discovered that we knew absolutely nothing about all the mountain ranges between Los Angeles and Monterey.  It appears that our education hasn't ended after all!

Once we got out of the mountains and down in the "flatlands," we entered the growing regions, homes to every kind of food crop imaginable.  We saw vineyard after vineyard, citrus grove after citrus grove, and later on, vegetable farm after vegetable farm.  If the Midwest is the nation's breadbasket, California must be the nation's produce market!

One interesting stop we made was at the Murray Family Farms store along Interstate 5.  They had every kind of honey on their shelves, but we just didn't have room to pack anything else.

When we got to Lost Hills, the point on Interstate 5 where we had to turn west on CA 46 to catch Highway 101 (many miles away), we discovered field after field of active pump jacks, clustered even tighter than the ones we had in the oil and gas fields outside of Artesia and Hobbs.  It's obvious that many of these jacks were put in before there were regulations about distances and separation of pumping equipment.

Farther down the road at Blackwell's Corner, we found an establishment devoted almost entirely to James Dean's last drive.  The story upon which this establishment was founded is that James Dean stopped at the little store at Blackwell's Corner and bought a pack of cigarettes before continuing the trip that ended with the car crash in which he died.  Whether true or not, the legend goes on, and the store gave us a nice, cool place in which to take a break and look around at all the tourist "stuff."

From Blackwell's Corner to Highway 1 we ran the gamut of desert, desert mountains, and vineyards with adjoining wineries.  We decided that it would be possible to stay "juiced" all the time just by visiting all the wine tasting events that occur daily in this part of the state!

Once we hit Highway 101, we knew we were finally making progress.  It had been a long day already, but there were still miles to go.

We took a rest break at the Camp Roberts rest area (named for Camp Roberts, the National Guard Camp across the highway).  As I came back to the parking lot from taking pictures around the area, I spotted another Can Am near ours.  It wasn't long before a couple of riders, both from Canada, came over and we started taking shop.  Barbara told me later that she wasn't going to leave me alone at rest areas anymore, because we spend more time talking than traveling.

Finally back on the highway, we rode until we reached King City where we stopped to refuel and have a very late lunch at Denny's.  When we came out, we found that a storm front was blowing in and temperatures were dropping.  We had to make a short stop up the road to put our coats back on, and then hit headwinds that were as fierce as anything we ever encountered in West Texas or Southwest Kansas...for about 45 miles, the bloom was definitely off the rose!

To make matters worse, the traffic was stacking up and we were stopped behind a farm workers bus hauling porta-potties on a trailer...and, those potties had evidently not been cleaned for awhile.  The wind was blowing directly off that trailer and there was no way to move over and pass it until I finally spotted a small opening in in the traffic, made my move to pass (just as the bus started speeding up) and finally got around it.  It was still cold and windy, but the air in front of the bus was much fresher!

We finally got to the point where we could head west toward Highway 1 and made the last 25 or so miles of the day without incident.  We arrived at the Monterey Best Western, checked in, unloaded all our gear for a two-night stay, and relaxed a bit before calling former West Middle School and Liberal High School Student Sergio Padilla the third to make arrangements to get together tonight for a meal and some serious catching up.

Later, we made our way across Monterey to meet up with Sergio and spend a delightful couple of hours visiting and making plans for tomorrow.

+++++++

Saturday, April 19: Monterey, California

We chose this particular hotel because it was on the beach, so Barbara decided at 6:00 am that we needed to go out on the beach to greet the morning.  We quickly donned something that wasn't too offensive to other patrons and made our way downstairs and out onto the sand.  It was a beach and it had all the requisite composites of a beach, but it was windy and cold...so much so that we stayed out long enough to take some photos and then went back inside to warm up.

After a light breakfast and some more resting and relaxation, we decided to hop on Taz and cruise down to the Carmel area to see the sights.  Several folks, including friends, Pete Lyall and Max Johnson recommended the place and gave us lots of ideas for spending time there.
Unfortunately, we had very limited time since we had made arrangements to meet Sergio for lunch and an afternoon of touring Monterey.

We got totally lost trying to find Carmel, but did get to the beach at Carmel by the Sea, where we took photos of the beach and some long shots of the Pebble Beach Golf Course.  We faced our first instance of vehicle discrimination when we attempted to drive the highly touted 17-Mile Scenic Drive.  We were stopped at the Carmel entrance to the drive and told that motorcycles weren't allowed.  Oh, well, it was their loss.

We rode back to the hotel, parked Taz, and then walked about a half mile to the bus stop in Seaside to wait for Sergio.

While we were waiting for the bus to arrive, we got a message from Sergio that he was at Chili's, just a block or so away...seems he decided to take a taxi rather than the bus.  So, we walked to the restaurant and began our day of visiting and sightseeing with a great meal (and photos, of course)l.

When we were finished eating, we walked back to the bus stop and began our experience with the public transportation system, eventually ending up at Cannery Row, a place made famous (or maybe, infamous) in John Steinbeck's novel of the same name.  After one look, we were pretty sure that Steinbeck probably wouldn't recognize the place, even though a number of the buildings are from the same time period.

And thus began our education and entertainment for the day.

After what seemed to be HOURS of walking (in reality it was only hours of walking), we had seen about all there was to be seen along the walking path through Cannery Row and up through the new Fisherman's Wharf and the old Fisherman's Wharf.  Exhausted and too tired to take many more steps, we hailed a taxi and rode back to the motel.

Later, Sergio and I walked a few blocks to McDonalds to grab some food to take back to the motel.  We ate at a table by the pool and then Sergio and I went out on the beach to see the sights (not much to speak of that time of day) and take a few photos.

We went back to the room to visit awhile longer and then Sergio had to leave to do some shopping and go back to his quarters for some serious study time.

For our part, we tried to do a little packing to get ready to leave tomorrow morning, but were so exhausted that we just passed out...tomorrow would be another day and we'd just deal with it then.

"A traveler without observation is a bird without wings." - Moslih Eddin Faadi, Persian poet of the medieval period

And that's our story from Monterey, California,

Jim/Dad/Gramps and Barbara/Mom/Grams/Gramsy