Author: brianlaurance

Sunday Sept 24

From Portland Oregon our current location having left the coast passing through Albany and taking a WEB (well earned break) over the weekend in the state capital. Oregon has had serious fires this summer and so visits to Columbia River Gorge and the snow covered Mt Hood are not accessible. So it is the rose garden and Washington park for us today.

We have come across many beautiful scenes during our trip and you can only nick a pic here and there in order to tell the story. Like on day 1 we actually saw a hummingbird right in front of us taking nectar from a bush as we parked the car; then there are the Aussie Eucalypts in many corners of California together with the occasional bursts of bottlebrush (Kings Park special) and finally some better shots of the spectacular Oregon coast

 

Tuesday September 19 Santa Rosa
With this Ca area you get two wine locations for the price of one; Sonoma and Napa. We arrived here from Santa Clara a little after noon yesterday and spent the afternoon at the Charles M Shultz museum ( Shultz being the creator of the Peanuts cartoon strip) emanating from this city for a worldwide newspaper audience for generations. Quite the perfect museum and in every sense a dedication to a classic artist/businessman and at the same moment a decidedly passing time warp. Can’t buy gifts for the grandkids—-who is Linus? and Charlie? And Snoopy?
But now for the perfect Tuesday weather to compare Margaret River with the American wine icons.
Both Sonoma and Napa provide quality visitor centres and plenty of staff to point out their favourites on local maps. Only one winery served food and that was a 125 year old Italian specialty vineyard with a Tuscan style deli groaning with meats and cheeses hanging from the rafters—-and doing a power of sandwich and platters business to the extent they simply couldn’t take the money quickly enough. All the other vineyards are denied by state statute from serving meals or doing weddings because it takes business away from the town cafes and hotels.
So apart from the area crying out for a red tape removal crusader both areas are spectacular, and very approachable with turn-out lanes at every entrance.

After the Pacific coast south yesterday we thought we must take in San Francisco; an absolutely stunning day around 22c with not a cloud in the sky. For those of you reading this who have driven the coastal route it should be noted that the road is closed (due to rock and mud falls closing off all roads from Santa Barbara to Big Sur. 

Here we are back again. Got the pictures right this time but the words are now playing up. From the top City Hall San Francisco; easy to hug a tree that is wearing a knitted jumper; who’s the market manager then? We must be the last bunch to do the Fisherman’s Wharf with a view of the fleet from our dining table and finally the Golden Gate Bridge from Chrissy Park picnic grounds. P.S. I tend to feature rather more than I would like but Isabel’s iPhone takes the best pictures, especially in the Californian haze.

Los Angeles Sunday Sept 10, 2017
A top day, sunny and amazingly clear and on a Sunday you can travel this giant metropolis just as you would using Google maps at home. Santa Monica Pier, Venice Beach and the canals, Sunset Blvd, Rodeo Drive, Wilshire Blvd and lunch on Montana Drive. Top shelf.

On the road Monday Sept 11, 2017
We began in earnest our drive up the Californian coast stopping off at Santa Monica at the Pacific Palasades overlooking the beach and pier, followed with a speedy drive along Malibu Beach. Bette Midler singing “You are the wings beneath my feet” must have been dubbed for the movie for all the 6 lanes of traffic would certainly drowned her out. Malibu is crammed with 2 storey ticky-tacky homes and low rise apartments fronting the beach—but how they ever sleep is anyone’s guess.
Santa Barbara was next on our list and a place we’d like to spend a lot more time but while we enjoyed a late lunch at the downtown Hofbräuhaus the Monday night motel prices escalated to the absolute ridiculousness, so we hot- footed it inland to Santa Maria. Great mountainous scenery all denuded of trees and presenting like a post summer ‘beige’ landscape.

Tuesday:
Rusty and Martha Bolton are friends of ours from 50 years ago in Perth and they happened to now live in Visalia which is en route to the redwood forest…..our next destination. We took them to lunch and got the local low down on Sequoia national park ready for the following day.

Wednesday:
It was an all-day affair gawking at the giant redwood trees, driving thru winding forest roads and like every tourist destination in the US besieged by legions of locals let alone imported tourists;; but not so on this mid-week occasion. Our pics will tell the story of the forest.
But our being duped by a very credible bloke of about 50 or so must be told. The biggest tree General Sherman lives down a steep winding pathway about a couple of kilometres from the carpark. Along the way there are plenty of seats for puffing seniors to rest as they make their arduous way back up to their cars. Admiring the general this bloke happened to mention that if we simply continued a further couple of hundred metres down the track they have a shuttle bus to take the elderly like me back up to the top carpark. “You’re kidding me” I retorted…….” “No, no, no” the guy feigned “that’s the dinkum truth”
A further 200metres down the track we came upon a small carpark—-but definitely no shuttle!
But parked in a no standing zone was a big white Dodge SUV, engine idling. I approached the driver with his colourful bandanna on, to thumb a lift up the road. “No speaka de English” he said and planted his foot to take off. “Stop, stop, stop I shouted, wishing to apologise for alarming him. With the kerfuffle another bloke (who incidentally spoke English) arrived on the scene to sort this matter out. Turns out they are Polish and happy to give a couple of Aussies a lift back to the carpark—-right up to our vehicle. We thanked them profusely and in matter of 10 minutes we were seated at a brilliant restaurant in the woods some three k’ms down the road
It was reported the next day that a middle aged man had suffered a heart attack climbing the pathway to the carpark and was medivac’d to a local hospital.

Yosemite pics below

Thursday:
Yosemite beckoned from our overnight stay in Fresno with another quite brilliant sunny day. More winding roads perfected for tourists to take every advantage of getting pictures at all the ‘turnout’ off-road parking spots. Unique granite peaks form mountainous scenery around every corner. Like El Capitan a 3,000 foot high sheer granite wall that beggars belief. The pics will tell a better story.
And as you do, we lunched at the cafeteria with some folks from Wisconsin and Las Vegas. In the late afternoon we made our way to a little country town of Merced and stayed in a broken down motel I swear was run by a lady called Norma Bates.

 

Friday:
It was back to the coast for us to continue the Pacific coast adventure and we landed in Santa Clara, dropping off for a bag of embroidery silk threads in Alameda and a look at the new Apple building which houses 22,000 staff in Cupertino ( but it will be a couple of months before the visitor centre is open) so we visited the old Apple premises at Infinite Lane.
The chauffeur took up the offer of a weekend off and so we booked a little motel for 3 nights.

Saturday:
Got a sleep-in to 7.15 showered and breakfasted before driving Miss Isabel to Carmel by the Sea and thence southward to San Simeon and the Big Sur. this being the first day the sun was hidden behind a rolling sea fog for most of the day. So instead of a ‘wow’ around every corner we lamented the weather had robbed us of that’W’ factor.
We did spend idling time at a brilliant restaurant over the ocean waiting for the sun to burn off the cloud and fog. Strangely the pics aren’t bad with the iPhone UV filters cutting thru.

All told we have clocked up 1813 kilometres at speeds between 25 and 85 Mph. All very exciting and another expectant day in San Francisco tomorrow

Friday we travel to Auckland and after day-use of an hotel, back on the plane to LA arriving just after 12 midday on Saturday September 9. We’ll spend the weekend at Manhattan Beach before travelling the length of the Californian Pacific Highway and the coastal route thru Oregon and Washington State to Vancouver and the capital of BC, Victoria.
Early on in our journey we will digress inland to Visalia and the Sequoia national park—home of the giant Redwood trees. We will also attempt the forest trails drive through the Sierra Nevada mountains in our rental car, which it is said, is the best off-road vehicle of all.
Yosemite National Park is next on our list before heading back to the coast near San Francisco, the Napa Valley, lobster bisque on the wharf and check out Apple in Silicon Valley.
After nearly a month of touring the Pacific coastline we board Explorer of the Seas in Seattle on October 6 and sail across the Pacific back to Sydney, arriving October 29.

I

Hug a big tree

As familiar as Sydney Harbour Bridge

Autumn colours in the Butchart Gardens in Victoria B.C.

Today we travelled across to Mingenew and further east to Morowa to see more of the wreath flowers, which we had seen, but Dorothy hadn’t. 30 clicks up the road we came upon a funerial sized bunch of these amazing little dazzlers—exclusive to an area bounded by east Kalbarri to east of Wubin—-and amazingly grow best in disturbed areas example, burnt or graded roadsides. Proper name Leschenaultia Macrantha.

I forgot to mention our unusual encounters in Coalseam park yesterday. I avoided a small kangaroo, only just as the little blighter  actually took a giant leap at the last minute and bounded clear over the car boot. And a few moments later a very determined puffing emu with tail feathers wagging ran at full bore in front of us.

Now time for WordPress to do its thing. Not bad! But also not good!

However, home in Winthrop tomorrow (Thursday) and no more Telstra hotspot.

 

Pay dirt at last!
We came for the sun up north and then the wildflower season on the way home and today we genuinely hit paydirt. We are staying in a beachside chalet at Port Denison with the caravan parked up on the back of the block. Dorothy O’Connor joined us yesterday, coming up by bus from Perth.
While Mullewa was brilliant last week, today we ventured 50 km east of Dongara to the town of Mingenew and on to the old coal workings which today is a national park displaying zillions of native flora.
Kilometre upon kilometre of country roads are clothed yellow, pink and white flowers that stretch off into the distant hills on either side.
While Mullewa presents visitors with enforced bulimia, so today we packed fresh bread rolls as a picnic only to find Mingenew is the land of plenty with a genuine country bakery serving starving seniors with an array of breads, rolls, sandwiches, pies, cakes and fresh donuts to go with proper coffee.

Pictures: I am having difficulty putting in pictures. WordPress is acting irresponsibly! But will continue trying or simply post words and one pic.

 

August 5, 2016 started like any other day, I got in the shower first, just like any other caravanning day and completely forgetting it was another wedding anniversary for us. The sole reason for acknowledging any date while on the road, is simply to ensure the next site is correctly booked.(like I cannot even recall the car rego number which is part of the mandatory grilling when you arrive at a new   caravan park.)
Silver anniversary, 30, 40 or even golden—they all have meaning. Even the 1st is celebrated with tea towels, while the 5th demands tingoods. But the 49th? Here’s what Google says about this milestone.
“Congratulations on your 49th wedding anniversary. … Surprisingly there are no traditional themes attached to the 49th anniversary, but the modern day alternative suggests luxury goods”.
Well, believe you me, today I had actually organised a day filled with luxury goods.

Mullewa.

100 kilometres east of Geraldton—-where a narrow gauge railway from the mid-west port was built—and the town was gazetted in the same year, 1894.
Where better to spend your anniversary?
The Geraldton tourist bureau had given us an overall booklet on the the wildflower season along with a quick updated report dated August 4. Luxury goods with which to celebrate an anniversary.
Just outside Mullewa in the tiny townsite of Pindar is the home of wreath flowers. Not really into anything remotely related to wreath-like flowers, especially approaching the mid-70’s, but definitely prepared to check them out.
And Mullewa? There is a south and a north gravel road trail with zillions of native flora, collectively providing a halcyon day out with which to celebrate 49 years together.
Enjoy!

Gentlemens Buttons

The famous wreath flowers by the hundreds out from the little town of Pindar

Wednesday, over a coffee, we caught up with Chris Baird while he waited for his flight home from Onslow airport. It was terrific catching up with him on his ‘home’ patch and learning all about Chevron’s Wheatstone gas project and the logistics of a workforce of 6,700 that work and reside 33 kjm outside of this iconic nor’west town of just 600.

Chris has spent about three and a half years in this isolated bush location and will gladly finish up around September. But he looks to be thriving on the lifestyle, which certainly hasn’t diminished his alacrity and elan.
As we plum forgot to get a picture of the event I have had to fudge a picture or two that will really  bring to mind an image of this quintessential working bloke.

He had on an Aussie bush hat bigger than this .

His hat reminded me more of Bluey  from the Aussie comics of my childhood

That’s the Chevron Wheatstone project pictured from 4 mile creek just out of Onslow.
All the best to you, Chris and Janelle