Jun 18, 2012 - Monday 18th June

Well, here we are with only two days to go. It was Hamish’s turn to sleep in today. I got him his breakfast and by the time we got on the road it was about 8.30am. We only had just over 300 miles (500kms) to go today to Salinas, south of San Francisco. We had a lovely fine day again, and cooler temperatures than yesterday – it was very pleasant. Almost as soon as we left Redding we started getting into all sorts of different crops. Olive groves that seemed to go on forever, paddocks and paddocks of tomatoes, sweet corn, orange, cherry and...

Oct 11, 2011 - San Simeon to Salinas

Great weather greeted us again today. Hit the highway about 8:30am and cruised along stopping occasionally to check out the views. Banks of sea fog would blow in and clear again within minutes, something we dont see at home. Took a few pictures to try to show how picturesque this coast is but they are not able to capture the magnitude of the scenery. Anyway its in our memory now and that's what is most important. Along the way we visited a art gallery filled with some unique but very expensive bronze frogs that were glazed in the most...

Sep 7, 2011 - The Salinas Valley

What!!!!!! It's 5:30pm!!! Where did this day go! I don't even know what day it is?! Another sign that I've been in the truck too long, my days are just melting all together. Night and day is becoming a blur because of time zones. Need to go HOME! After we delivered in Los Angeles, we received our next load assignment-----5 pickups in the Salinas Valley going to Shaws Supermarket Distribution Center in Meuthen, MA. Sweet! Getting there from here required a 6 hour drive. We chose to go the scenic route up the famous state route 101 which...

Aug 1, 2011 - On the Road to Salinas, Ca.

We left Simi Valley & drove 300+ miles to Salinas, Ca for a one night stay. We decided to take the coastal route instead of dealing with the I-5 traffic inland. The weather was great & we had blue skies.....it was a nice drive. We stayed at the Salinas Elk Lodge (we've stayed here before), the RV parking is a bit tight, but still a nice place to hang your hat for the night. Next stop......Redding, Ca.

Jul 25, 2011 - Day 10 - Calistoga

We started off today leaving the hotel at Salinas for the last time and headed north towards San Fransisco. The temperatures in the morning can be very cool until the sun burns through the fog and cloud, and so we stopped after an hour or so to grab some breakfast and warm up. By the time we finished eating the sun had burned through and it was another bright, sunny day. Tis trip we were by-passing San Francisco and rode past on the East side and up towards Napa. Before we reached Napa, we came across a road that Ash had been looking for,...

Jul 24, 2011 - Day 9 - Race Day

Race Day. We set the alarm early today, and grabbed a coffee in the room before heading to the track on both bikes. We got parked up and headed straight to Ducati Island to grab breakfast. Ducati had their own restaurant there and we got some great Italian sausage breakfasts with scrambled eggs and potatoes. Free practice started first so we made our way to our seats to see the MotoGP bikes in their final run before the race. One of the 'draws' that Ducati were running was a raffle to win two tickets to watch the race from the Ducati...

Jul 23, 2011 - Day 8 - Qualifying and a lap of the circuit!

Well today was another fantastic day at Laguna Seca. The weather seems to start as a bit chilly and foggy and then around 11:00 or so the sun burns through and the the temperature suddenly shoots up another 20 degrees. Today we both rode our bikes to the circuit and got there in time to show our licence and insurance to get the all important green wristband and yellow sticker for the bikes. This would allow us to ride a lap of the circuit at lunchtime. Once we were all checked in we headed over to the grandstand to watch the final free...

Jul 22, 2011 - Day 7 - Free practice day

Well we are back at the hotel now after a very fun day. It started with a ride to Seaside (there is actually a place called Seaside...) to collect our tickets, then it was back to the race track. Ash was riding pillion today so we were both on the same bike for the first time this trip. We got to the circuit just as the MotoGP went out for free practice #1, and the speed and noise they make has to be seen to be believed! They were so loud and sooooo fast!!! Suitably impressed we made our way into the paddock to see what we could see. At...

Jun 15, 2010 - At the US Open

Stayed the night in Pismo Beach at a campground right on the beach. Ashley said she thought this was the prettiest park we have been at. Of course she didn't have to back the rig in while blocked by a fence on the other side of the truck. Yes, I did use "working on car words" and from now on when the park personnel ask how long my rig is, I will tell them sixty feet! The park was really pretty and the beach is really nice. I would like to spend some time out here in the coming years. We pulled into the KOA this afternoon after a 3.5 hour...

Mar 17, 2010 - John Steinbeck Center, Salinas

We had a problem with our motor home that we had to deal with first thing this week. One of our bedroom slideouts would come open an inch or two after we drove it. The mechanic who changed the oil in it last Friday discovered a leak in a hydraulic line for the slideout system. We made an appointment to have it fixed in Fresno. To make a long story short, by Tuesday at noon, we were on our way again with a repair in the hose that we hope will hold. The hydraulic system is under very high pressure to do things like leveling our coach with...

Mar 9, 2010 - National Steinbeck Centre

The National Steinbeck Center celebrates the life and novels of the author John Steinbeck. Both of us had read and enjoyed Steinbeck’s novels in our younger days. John Ernst Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California, on February 27, 1902. His father, John Steinbeck, Sr., served as the County Treasurer in Salinas, while his mother, Olive, a former school teacher, fostered Steinbeck's love of reading and the written word. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, Steinbeck attended Stanford University. His attendance was sporadic....

Dec 14, 2007 - Sideways

A beautiful sunrise, a fruitful search for cool shells, and a final visit to the harbor seals, and we headed north, again, on highway 101. During our navy and college years, living in Humboldt County, we spent lots of time on 101, so this almost felt like home. We likely would've stayed another day at the campsite, but being a weekend, it gets really busy. They couldn't guarantee that we could stay in the same spot - and breaking camp just to set up again a few spots away is simply not appealing - not this late in the journey, anyway. We...