Today's Trip Photos - "Lake Havasu City - The 3rd Annual BalloonFest"

Wolves, Lions, & Elephants

This is on Hwy 1 close to Pescadero, Ca.

The sign said View Point 1/4 mile....so I pulled in for a fine oceanfront view and these fishermen. The fellow on the right had just caught one as I was parking. Nice times, but a bit on the cool, wet side, so I stayed high and dry with a warm cup of coffee.






Wolves, Lions, and Elephants...

Brookings & Crescent City




A bit further down the trail...Sea Elephants near San Simeon.





Freshly caught Dungeness Crabs out of Crescent City



Deer near Ft. Bragg....be careful when they approach the road shoulder! The kids (fawns) will follow Mom across the road...






Not all the sharks are in the water....





Some unfortunate soul fell down with a bagful of bread crumbs....ouch.








[Edited on 2-7-2013 by Pompano]

not to hijack the thread

"On The Waterfront"

Remember that old Brando classic?

Here's a random selection of scenes on a current road trip.

A wandering route to be sure..but as the saying goes:

"All who wander are not lost."

Many will recognize these golden bears on the Klamath River bridge.



Tree-huggers anti-christ? I never knew that Maine-borne and Wisconsin-Minnesota resident famed lumberjack, Paul Bunyan, made it all the way to California. The giant redwoods had to be the ultimate lure...I guess?


Avenue of the Giants


I kept alert as I was passing underneath these mossy overhangs...Hey, I'm not pushing my luck.



"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. "
Albert Einstein


I was going to keep count of the hairpin curves in the road....but that's insane along this stretch.



Heceta Head Lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. I wonder...What would it be like to live there for a winter? Write your novel, perhaps?


Another much-photographed lighthouse at Crescent City, Ca.



Our honored Coast Guard. One of it's cutters in Crescent City marina...ready for duty at sea.


Nothing special...I just liked the water's motion coming to the beach. I am easily pleased these days....


Campsites are certainly not crowded during the winter season. Fine by me.


As good a way to go as any? This is the list of people buried at sea out of Trinadad, Ca. If not a burial platform, then this is a grand idea.


Trinadad. I looked at these steps leading down to the beach far below...and decided...nope, not just yet.



Time to move along. On the way to Big Sur.
Seems like sunny California..Yeah, right!


"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did. "So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
- Mark Twain

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano Trinadad. I looked at these steps leading down to the beach far below...and decided...nope, not just yet.

Driving north on Hwy 101.

I always stop at Pyramid Lake for a break and good lunch. Nice scenery.


This scene below reminded me of the first time I ever drove from from the Dakotas to California and came thru the mountains and dropped down into what looked like fog or a cloud below me. Nope..it was ..ugh..smog like you wouldn't believe! Made my throat,nose, and eyes smart and I wondered how in the earth could anyone live in this stuff!

Well, today this is just a nice fog rolling in from the coast. Harmless...unless it has some old ship's ghosts with their cutlass at the ready? "Beware the Fog!"



Most state and county campgrounds are good bets for me. Like this one at Clam Beach with secure gate. $15 per night was a good bargain and a nice place to hunker down or go exploring.




As I said earlier, it was a little Wet N' Wild on the Oregon/northern California coast....so off we went down Hwy 1.


Although, I would come to miss those delicious Dungeness crab and fresh seafood dinners..Ahhh, so good. Well, I guess it wasn't all that bad.



Now where have I seen this bridge before?? And am I glad I never have had a flat while crossing!


Moss Landing just south of SF. A quaint seaside town with it's marina waiting for your boat. I liked the sailboat name, Moonshadow.




Heading south along the coast...spectacular drive! Finest kind!



A ragged coastline to be sure.


Appropriate place for this restaurant....



...and a good time for lunch!



Big Sur coast drive: If you don't love sheer dropoffs..goosebumps, best to take another route.




Same area, but from a different time and trip....just to show you springtime showing itself!


More sea elephants on this stretch than most places. My God, they have a 'strong' odor! I left them some Fabreez.





Pismo Beach...a great place to camp on the beach...or ride a horse.



Always, always...keep one eye on the tide! Ouch!


Whoops...excuse me, wrong route, wrong trip. This is for a different thread. By the way, the trout in that lake would attack your tackle box ... inside your camper.


Wondering what's up ahead...then this..

SORRY...ROAD CLOSED!


Not to worry, I know a different road.

Roger,
Thank you for sharing the ride.....the Oregon and California coastline is astoundingly remarkable.....can never get tired of it

It sounds and looks like you are treating yourself well.

Salud !!

'Then Came Bronson' Bridge

Quote:

Originally posted by Pompano Driving north on Hwy 101. Big Sur coast drive: If you don't love sheer dropoffs..goosebumps, best to take another route.

I grew up with all kinds of crops blooming in our fields...and still love the sight of a flax or mustard feild when flowering.

Here we are in both below...blue for flax and yellow for mustard. The Coffee Pot pours black, thanks, no cream, no sugar.



Thanks For The Memories!

Thanks much

Spring mustard fields in Half Moon Bay.

As promised I went out and took this image in front of our high school. The school is behind the row of trees at the top. This field always blooms in January. We never have a winter here on the coast. We go from fall right to spring. The plum and apple trees will follow soon after the mustard grass. And then the goldfinches will appear ...

It's a cycle I look forward to.

Yellow...warms one up!

Always a colorful addition to any road trip.

Location: Saskatchewan. Here's some bloomin' canola we enjoyed while on a fishing trip to the lakelands.

Here's some more Canola in Alberta, Canada

much bigger planted fields than mustard:


[Edited on 1-15-2013 by durrelllrobert]

Hola Pompano !

Welcome back...your posts and pic are always great !! BTW..That Cutter (Dorado) was in monterey harbor refueling a few days back.....A fine vessel with pride !! K&T

Right you are, Dennis...and canola and rape(seed) are still common names for the same thing. Part of the mustard family..along with turnip, watercress, horseradish, and radish. Beehives are also needed in great numbers for this crop.

'Canola' is made up from using the words Canada and oil.

I love dry Canadian humor as shown in this town sign I pass by when on fishing trip to northern Saskatchewan. Funny stuff - PG13.



[Edited on 1-16-2013 by Pompano]

Castles, Rocks, and Soup

Note: Writing on a Baja forum is about as close as I can get to actually being in Baja right now, but Hey, I’ll take what I can.

Hmmm....My coach klaxon just started playing..“On the Road Again”…so I guess it's time to say... "And away we go!"
(musical quotes with thanks to Willie Nelson and Jackie Gleason)

I have a couple route choices.

One… I could go to Florida and enter the Great Python Hunt underway there. Seems those huge reptiles have taken over the Glades and are eating all the alligators. Some nice rewards for the captures…dead or alive. The biggy so far is an 11 footer. They can go to 20. Hmmmm….I’ll be needing some bigger bait. ”Uh..ever been to Miami, babe?”

Two… I had an offer to become a cage fighter after a promoter saw me in action at a recent fishing tackle garage sale in Half Moon Bay. That could work for about 5 seconds….unless..? I ”Uh…ever heard of a tag-team, babe?”

But naw…I’ll stay on this thread’s route….the Pacific Coast of California.

For me, the best way to see the entire Pacific coastline is by going from north to south. Hwy 1 (and parts of Hwy 101) along the Pacific Coast is the best direction for a large RV to travel. Going south (..and hopefully you’re in the right-hand lane..) you can more easily pull off into the scenic views and points of interest.



After all these years and travels, America never fails to amaze and thrill me.



And being a camera bug just gives me a reason....



“Okay, okay..…I was just kidding about the tag-team and those gators…honest!”


“C’mon, lets hit that pretty beach. I’ll get the picnic basket, vino, and blanket.”


Its no small wonder this inlet is called “The Devils Cauldron”.


In the spirit of this road trip I revisited many great places along the coasts of Wash, Oregon & California..and, since my last post, down through Santa Cruz, Monterey, and Big Sur.


Coming upon this familiar landmark, I decided to also revisit the famous Hearst Castle monument near San Simeon.








That place is unreal…full of history and intrigue. It’s motto could be: It’s NICE to be Mega-Rich!

It was nostalgia-time renewing some past memories of another trip thru this area and to the Castle. Back then, I posted more info about the Castle in another non-baja vacation thread.

Caution: It’s a long, long, & rambling thread! Be warned.
http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=46966#pid5363...


Driving south from San Simeon and the Castle we come upon….

MORRO BAY


My photo shows the towering 576 foot rock standing watch over Morro Bay Harbor. Some have dubbed it “The Gibraltor of the Pacific”. Locally known as Morro Rock, it’s the last chain in a long-extinct volcanoes known as “The Morros”.

Ah…some history.

Long before any white man set foot on this coast, the Chumash Indians hunted and fished in the shadow of Morro Rock. Studies have dated their artifacts as early as 4700 BC.

In more modern days, during his voyage of discovery, a non-North Dakotan named Juan
Cabrillo named Morro Rock because of its shape…a dome. It became a frequent stop for Spanish galleons sailing along the coast. In 1587, a captain named Pedro de Unumuno, put into Morro Bay and claimed the land for Spain…naturally no Vikings were around at the time to dispute him.

From the 1800’s, Morro Rock had been used as a source of materials for breakwaters throughout the state. Years of quarrying forever changed the shape of the monolith, although it still covers 50 acres at the base. In 1968, after extensive citizen effort and outcry, Morro Rock was declared a State Historical Landmark. It is now a refuge for the endangered Peregrine Falcon, and climbing on the rock itself is illegal.

For the avid fisherman, like moi, the waters around Morro Bay offer Boccaccio, Red Snapper, Ling Cod, Red Rock Cod, Widow Bass, Blue Bass, and Cabezon. King Salmon run from February to November, Albacore from September to November, and Halibut from July to November.

I found lots to do in Morro Bay, such as the Museum of Natural History, some art & antique galleries, a round of golf, a walk along the Embarcadero to see the Aquarium and the Giant Chessboard…plus the waterfront itself. There is even a Great Blue Heron Rookery nearby.



Cruising south again, down the Coast on Hwy 1 brings us to my next stop...PISMO BEACH

The name Pismo comes from the Chumash word for tar, which was gathered from tar springs in Price Canyon near Pismo Beach. It was a valuable product used to caulk canoes. The Pismo clam was named for the long wide beach where so many were once found. Once so abundant they were harvested with plows on the beach, giving the city the name "Clam Capital of the World", the Pismo clam is now greatly diminished. What did they think would happen after using plows to harvest them?
That wharf at Pismo was built in 1882, followed by a full length pier built in 1924. After it suffered considerable storm damage, the pier was renovated again in 1985.


Did you know the Pismo Clam is one of the largest types of clams found along the California Coast. These clams can reach up to several inches in length, with the largest Pismo Clam being on record at seven and three-eights inches long and around 26 years old.
These specific clams are credited for bringing in an enormous amount of tourism to the Pismo Beach area. It was believed that at one time an estimated 150,000 people once sought out these clams in Pismo Beach during a single weekend. Now, however, due to many hungry Sea Otters, the amounts of clams that can be found on the beach of Pismo has dramatically decreased. Also, in 1986 a “No Fishery” rule for clams was imposed, as a way to try and preserve most of these clams.
Although the clam can be found sometimes in entrances to bays, sloughs and estuaries, they are most commonly found on broad, sandy beaches that have strong surf…like the ones I have shown here.
Every October the City of Pismo Beach holds their annual “Clam Festival”, as a way to honor and celebrate all that the Pismo Clam has done for the City.


A great spot if you like driving, walking, riding, or camping on the beach.




Yes, even in your motorhome! Naturally you do this....AT YOUR OWN RISK.




Fatalities are rare, though...and mostly it's just a pleasant and fun day. A plus is...it is far less crowded in the winter!



And for the less risky, but definitely satisfying...downtown Pismo Beach offers this:

I saw the sign.
I stopped.
Life is good.




Well, alrighty then! We enjoyed fresh hot cinammon rolls & other goodies right out of the baker's oven. Yummm....While comparing bite marks.

We better get back on the road and work off some of those cinnamon calories.


“Okay! 15 miles? That’s far enough. Better pull over into that parking lot ahead.”


PEASOUP ANDERSENS…BUELTON, CA.



Why do so many truly enjoy stopping at Peasoup Andersens? Got to be the honest and friendly atmosphere…and some very good food is just… frosting on the cake, so to speak!

Naturally, I had to spend some time in the upstairs reading library of the café, where I found lots of history.


It's another Come to America and Succeed Story.


It all began on Friday, June 13th, 1924. Earlier Anton Andersen, born in Denmark purchased land and started a horse/cattle ranch and a dairy farm. So later on, when the area had prospered sufficiently to warrant it, Anton and his wife, Julliete, bought some more land and a building and started the first café.
Anton, who was trained in exclusive restaurants in Europe and New York, put his tuxedo in mothballs and donned a bib apron, soon to become his personal trademark. He and his charming wife, Juliette, opened a tiny restaurant and named it "Andersen's Electric Cafe," in honor of their prized possession, a new electric stove.

It was a complete about-face for Andersen, who had just come from New York, where he had been associated with world-class establishments such as Marguerey, Voisin, Louis Sherry and other notable establishments and restaurateurs of the day. He helped open the Los Angeles Biltmore until he tired of the rat race (as he put it) associated with city hotels. So, from catering to the gourmet trade, Anton and Juliette began their new venture by serving simple, wholesome everyday foods. hot cakes and coffee, ice cream sodas and such, to highway travelers. Their first customers were the salesmen, tourists and truck drivers who drove the main highway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The cafe was on the road to the fabulous Hearst Castle at San Simeon and as this was the heyday of Hearst's newspaper empire, many of the Hearst writers and reporters, such as Arthur Brisbane and 0.0. McIntyre developed the habit of stopping at Andersen's. Their praise of excellent food and hospitable atmosphere was carried in their newspaper columns throughout the entire country.

In 1928, the Andersen's sank a well and built a hotel and dining room for their now quite popular cafe. They named their new establishment the "Bueltmore," a play on words referring to Anton's days with the Biltmore.

Anton was quite a character, especially famous for his extraordinary capacity to remember faces and names without error. Soon celebrities were stopping for a meal on their way up and down the coast. Apparently the young Victor Borge was among the famous people who visited Andersen's in the early days. When he would enter the cafe the two men, Victor and Anton, would let out a whoop followed by rapid fire Danish at full volume, much to the amazement of the other customers. At the same time, Santa Barbarans and other Southern Californians were discovering Andersen's and learning to plan their outings and trips to enable them to make the stop.

Juliette was devoutly Catholic; she and young Robert attended mass in Solvang at Mission Santa Inez, one of California's original missions. She was a gracious woman, warm and friendly to all those around her. Juliette was from the east of France and an expert cook, so she prepared many of the recipes she had brought with her; the most popular with the customers was her split pea soup. Many special dishes now appear on the large Andersen menu, still the most popular specialty of all and the one which finally changed the name of the restaurant is Juliette's tasty and nourishing split pea soup.
They drew a large repeat customer base and caught the attention of many tourists from the large cities. As said before, the roadside cafe was popular with the Hollywood crowd, also, which helped advertise their claim as a fine restaurant.

With the demand for their split pea soup increasing steadily, the Andersen's soon had to locate large suppliers of peas far from their area. Just three years after the first bowl was served, they were amazed to realize they needed to order ONE TON of peas! When Anton faced the problem of what to do with one ton of peas, he solved it by putting them in the window, proclaiming the restaurant, "The Home of Split Pea Soup," the slogan it carries to this day.

Though a ton of peas seemed a staggering amount then, Andersen's today "splits" many tons of peas every month, transforming them into the famed soup. ..averaging thousands of bowls a day! I have to confess I felt a little bad when I ate lunch there and did not order any pea soup….BECAUSE I HATE SPLIT-PEA SOUP!..AND ANY COOKED OR CANNED PEAS!! Fresh in the pod is okay, though.

In recognition of the restaurant's pre-eminence as probably the world's foremost pea purchaser, the pea growers of Idaho have named Andersen's the location for the start of the annual "National Split Pea Soup Week" every November, to honor the pea and the delicious soup it makes.

There's no secret about the Andersen's Soup recipe...quite the contrary, for Andersen's even has bags of split peas with the recipe included in their specialty foods department. But, even with the recipe, many find that their soup just doesn't taste quite the same as the restaurant's. Perhaps it's the magical touch that Juliette lent to the cauldrons and ladles so many years ago!


Peasoup Andersens


Even with all it’s expansion and crowds, I’ll always stop every time I pass by…even though I’m not having any pea soup!

[Edited on 1-31-2013 by Pompano]

Pompano,
Have driven those stretches of road so often, I can do them in my sleep. Can see your distaste for peas, however, Anderson's soup can't hold a candle to real Dutch "snert",the Dutch variation of peasoup.
Make it here once in a while, but can't come close to my Mom's.

Peasoups. Dutch, Norsk, or French. Si, por que no? But I did not dislike ALL Peasoups. In fact, there was one I liked very much.


When I was a tadpole at our cottage on a ND lake, we had a great character living at his retirement home not far from our place. He had once owned a tavern and got his knickname, 'Peasoup', when he was cooking a large potful and it boiled over...folks said the bar had a faint peasoup smell forever after.

Here's a favorite snapshot taken by my Dad of Peasoup teaching my older brother (waving) and me how to row a boat in a straight line. After that we learned to troll flies for some large crappies. That's my kind of Peasoup.

The Mission Trail

For much of my trip through California, I followed the Mission Trail...The Kings Road...Camino Real..etc. All very historic and interesting.





These Padre bell markers are evident along certain trails and highways. In the 1920s bronze mission bells with shepard's herding sticks were placed along the highway to let motorists know they were traveling the historic El Camino Real.



An old Baja buddy of mine is a history and nostalgia buff, also..and had these bells made for his home barbecue in the Salinas Valley area.



That concludes the history lesson today. Class dismissed.

When in Pismo did you stop by the 'HotLix' store? That's where they make the tequila with the worm lollipops

Bridge & Hwy 1

I think/belive the bridge in PomP's Pics is the Bixbe Or Bixsby bridge and if you turn left before its mouth ( Heading south) you wll end up on the "old coast Road" which is a Hidden Gem of a Road and Vistas.....K&T

Quote:

Originally posted by acadist When in Pismo did you stop by the 'HotLix' store? That's where they make the tequila with the worm lollipops

Hello again. SDM.. Next time through I'll make that hill and we can visit about Baja and my old neighbor, Jake. Truly he was a one-of-a-kind Baja character and we all miss him.

Yes, I knew Cathy well, both when she was married to Jake, and during her second marriage to another neighbor, John Sturges, now deceased. Back in the day, we had some times! As you know, John was a Hollywood movie director...lots of action movies like Bad Day at Black Rock, Magnificent Seven, Joe Kidd, Gunfight at OK Corral, The Great Escape, and so on.

Nope, I haven't seen or talked to Cathy since a couple years after John's death. That last time was at Santispac where we had a good lunch/reunion at the original Ana's Cafe.


John




Jake

Great timing. I was just thinking about Jake the other day. Here he is.. driving The CatMobile into my yard, giving me a ride in his sidecar, his house on the hillside behind mi Coyote casa, and visiting on my seawall with another old Baja resident & amigo who flew bombers in the Liberaton of Europe in WWII. Baja was always full of interesting characters.

Quote:

Originally posted by captkw I think/belive the bridge in PomP's Pics is the Bixbe Or Bixsby bridge and if you turn left before its mouth ( Heading south) you wll end up on the "old coast Road" which is a Hidden Gem of a Road and Vistas.....K&T

GETTING HIGH AT LAKE HAVASU CITY

GETTING HIGH AT LAKE HAVASU CITY

I’ve wanted to get back to Lake Havasu City, ARIZONA, for too many years now, so decided to include it in this current walkabout. My friend Dusty, an old Baja compadre, told me a long time ago that he kept a live-aboard boat there in the marina and I should come and enjoy some river fun….so away I went

Wow!…The place had changed drastically since my last visit in 1975…. who would have figured, duh?

I arrived late, luckily found an empty RV site amongst hundreds of others right next to the marina, and fell into a deep sleep, resting comfy. Just a bit after first light, I was awoken by a loud hissing noise?

HISS!…HISS!…HISS! Wha the..? Must be some irate neighbors from last night’s ruckuss…or a bunch of cats fighting? I better take a peek outside. Maybe throw at shoe or something…neighbors or cats be damned!




Whoa! THERE WERE BALLOONS EVERYWHERE! The ‘hissing’ noises were the propane heaters firing up and warming the air inside the balloon bags. HISS…HISS…HISS….I got a good grin out this wondrous sight.




Not every morning I wake up to hundreds of hot air balloons floating around the compass. I decided to get dressed and grab my camera. Which was probably okay with the other campers who by now had noticed my lack of attire…



The colorful hot-air fliers were over the desert, over the RV sites, over the city, and over the marina.

It was the 3rd Annual Havasu Island Balloonfest & Fair. I was told that in just 2 years, this rally has become one of the largest balloon meets. At one time, I counted 62 balloons aloft, but I imagine there were more still on the ground. Some repeat visitors told me that this fest-fair attracts about 50,000, and it sure looked like it.



Balloon passengers see nature's wildlife from a lofty perspective as they’ve never have before. I caught this balloonist passing over the river as he slowly descended and gently touched the basket to the surface. Called a ‘Splash n’ Dash’, he could have trolled for stripers!

His balloon was aptly named ‘Independence’. Floating along the tree tops you'd be close enough to pluck a leaf or pinecone as a souvenir of your hot air balloon flight. A plus to this silent (mostly) ride is the breathtaking view of the Mountains and the Colorado River valley.



I walked over to meet these nice folks whose balloon was “Myescape”, sponsored by the Salvation Army.
I asked them if they had ever ballooned down in Baja, and they replied that the closest they had come was Mexicali. They invited me to go for a ride and I quickly climbed aboard.

Hmmm…not being exactly a size small, with me in there, the basket seemed to get kinda crowded at this point. Smiling, the lady pilot suggested that perhaps I would rather ride/drive the chase truck.



LONDON BRIDGE

Most of us know about this famous bridge move from England to Arizona. It was bought for US $2.5 million from the City of London when the bridge was replaced in 1968. The bridge was disassembled, and the marked stones were shipped to Lake Havasu City, ARIZONA, and reassembled for another US $7 million. It opened on October 5, 1971.

According to the listkeepers, the London Bridge is the second most visited tourist attraction in Arizona, behind the Grand Canyon.












Below is my photo of my first visit to Lake Havasu City in 1975. Stayed at the Nautical Inn, kept the boat in the marina, and caught some nice striped bass. I took a time-delay shot with some bad settings, and also somehow I got behind a post…but Gypsy, my black lab, shows up better. Go figure. It might have been the work of a Leprechaun prankster, as I was there on St. Patrick’s Day.




Some walking around photos of the London Bridge area...a pleasant place for a few days.


SANDBAR CAFÉ…one of many places for a good burger and beer.



THE MARINA…







That Lund above reminded me of my first boat to Havasu way back then…a Lund 16 custom that I took down to Coyote Bay and used for many trips on the Cortez.


RESORTS……all along the Colorado River… were great hangouts with fun people.





FOUNTAIN AND FLAGS….showing the colors of Arizona, Great Britain, and USA.




Well, the BalloonFest is over….and it’s time to get this boring lashup moving again…..



[Edited on 2-9-2013 by Pompano]

GETTING HIGH AT LAKE HAVASU CITY

I’ve wanted to get back to Lake Havasu City, Nevada, for too many years now, so decided to include it in this current walkabout.

Pompano... When did they move Lake Havasu City to Nevada?

Quote:

Originally posted by BajaWarrior GETTING HIGH AT LAKE HAVASU CITY I’ve wanted to get back to Lake Havasu City, Nevada, for too many years now, so decided to include it in this current walkabout. Pompano... When did they move Lake Havasu City to Nevada?

Hi Roger,

we were actually there (Lake Havasu City, ARIZONA) on Sunday for the Balloon fest but never made it on to the Island (where I imagine you were with your RV).

We have a place at the top of the Parker Strip Arizona side just below the Parker Dam which holds back Lake Havasu.