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Pinnacles National Park

Over the last week of our Sabbatical trip we continued to travel South through California, arriving at Pinnacles National Park where we had reserved a campsite. The Campground is inside the East Entrance to Pinnacles NP and has tent sites and RV sites.  We chose to camp in one of the primitive sites (no hookups) in the back end of the park. The old growth oak trees gave us plenty of shade. We saw so much wildlife here, even in our campsite: deer, ground squirrels, acorn woodpeckers, northern flickers, wild turkeys, hawks and the most turkey vultures I have seen in one area. In the evening there would be about 30-40 Turkey Vultures roosting for the night in one tree, with many more in the tree next to that! This National Park is home to the California Condor recovery program because the Condor came close to extinction. We had hoped to see a Condor, but we did not spot one.

Pinnacles is popular destination with rock climbers and also hikers. The East and West sides of the park are not connected by a roadway, but many hiking trails can take you through the park.

 

Due to the heat of the afternoons, hiking was only recommended for mornings or late evenings. Getting started early in the day, we enjoyed a hike up to a view point overlooking the canyon. We also took a trail through Talus Caves and to a reservoir, hiking back along the rim to where we had parked the car.

Within the park there was also an old homestead where the old house, barn and other buildings give a glimpse into what life was like in the early1900's. 

Leaving Central California we headed out to the coast for the final two nights of our trip. We stayed at San Simeon State Park and enjoyed time to browse and shop in Cambria. We had an excellent dinner at Linn's restaurant.  We took a drive up to the Elephant Seal Vista Point in San Simeon, which we have done at various seasons in the past. There were not as many elephant seals as we have seen at other times of the year, but there were a number of calves and mothers sleeping on the beach! There were also several male seals sparring in the surf. There vocalizing could be heard far and wide,

 

Looking back on our "Adventures on the Road"

Our adventures have taken us through 8 states, to visit 11 National Parks/Monuments, and 10 State Parks. We had 91 days of all kinds of weather...sunny, cloudy, thunderstorms and downpours, cold and hot temperatures, poor air quality from fires, and beautiful clear days, windy days and calm days.

We have driven 10,400 miles (both towing the trailer and sightseeing) at elevations from sea level up  to two 11,000' mountain passes, on Freeways and Highways, along Scenic Byways and two lane country roads, over gravel roads and dirt roads, across bridges and through tunnels.

 

 

We camped in 42 different locations (with and without reservations) from Cracker Barrel parking lots, friends' driveways, overflow lots, outside an RV Park that had closed for the night before were able to get there, National Parks, State Parks, City Parks and fairgrounds. We had sites with full hookups and others with no hookups. We did boondocking on BLM Land and Forest service roads.

 

We purchased about 950 gallons of gas. We saw gas prices ranging from $2.97 to $5.20 per gallon over all those states in our three months of travel. We saw that one of our tires was wearing irregularly, and had it changed out for our spare. The truck had a mechanical breakdown that delayed us for five days in Oregon resulting in cancelled reservations, booking last minute campsites, the need to rent a car, and lots of driving and calling to find a mechanic that could look at our problem, diagnose it and eventually fix it.

 

We did lots of hiking, visited museums and art galleries, toured silver mines and explored and hiked through caves, saw historic towns and dams, looked down into steep gorges (and even watched our friend bungee jump into one of them), we saw lots of wildlife and birds. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We connected with 14 friends, who live in other states, along the way, and met so many kind and friendly people. 

 

 

 

 

 Arriving home

Now the work begins! Unpacking, cleaning, putting everything away, washing the trailer, and the truck, draining tanks, and putting the trailer into the storage lot. 

All of this took several days, and some things may not be put away yet, even a week after getting home!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have a plaque in our trailer which says, "Everyday is an Adventure". This was so true! Each day brought its own surprises, challenges and blessings. There is so much to see and explore in this great nation that we live in. Getting away from the daily and weekly routines allowed us time to refresh, relax and explore. We took time to converse with fellow travelers, hikers, camp hosts, and cashiers. Steve and I were able to share the gospel with so many people we met that we are still praying for.

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our "Adventures on the Road", and hope to have many more roads we travel together in the future. In the meantime we are happy to be at home where we have so many family and friends to connect with! And everyday is still an adventure; even when we are not traveling, each day has new blessings for us to experience! Be sure to take time to see what adventures the Lord has for you in your day! Take a walk, watch birds, visit with those around you!

 

We are so thankful to the Lord that we have had the opportunity for this great trip...and we are thankful for your prayers for our safety, health and enjoyment.

"The Lord has done great things for for us. 

And we are glad."   

-Psalms 126:3

 

Until our next adventures,

Steve and Lori