A very misty start in LA and up onto freeway. The traffic after about thirty miles out eased for our side but not into La side.
The sun shone fiercely and we soon got the high temps after 2 hours driving we stopped for a coffee break 346 miles turn right!
We crossed miles of desert the Mojave’s desert At the rest area it was 100*f and signs warning for rattlesnakes! They are active at night but lurk in the shadows in daylight eek!
We crossed the border to Arizona at needles mountain
Stopped at a subway for a salad bowl and the temp was 104*f Sooo hoooot
There’s not much to write about today but good to know we have arrived safely after 9 hours journey but that includes 3 half hour stops
It only took 10 minutes to drive here and we arrived early! It’s because we didn’t use the highway and took the town roads.
We spent 5 hours in the Chinese and Japanese gardens. They are huge peaceful and so different from western gardens.
We had a Chinese salad sitting in the shade as by lunch time the mist had lifted and it was hot
A Chinese man sat playing beautifully
We saw most of the Australian garden and some of the palm area then tried to find the rose garden. We were weary from walking but after a drink of coffee we set off again. We’ll sleep well tonight xx
Thirty miles to reach Long Beach from Pasadena in slow moving heavy traffic both ways. We don’t like the LA traffic and all the lanes and fly overs it’s very stressful.
It took both of us deciphering the sat nav to find the berth of the ship once we were near.
But success. we parked and bought the tickets$45 each 🥺
We went on board and had a small one hour history tour of the first class areas. It is very art deco from the 1930s era. Her maiden voyage was may 1936. She has an interesting history being a troop ship in WW2
She arrived at long beach december 1967 to be made into a floating hotel , convention centre and tourist attraction.
After our tour we had lunch in the ships restaurant overlooking the harbour.
We watched a fire ship doing tests and got some fab photos
You can stay as long as you like exploring most of the ship except the hotel guests area.
It was in the 70*s and we enjoyed the sun decks
I hope you can get a good idea of what we experienced. We loved it.
We did not love the journey back to our hotel but that’s another story. But 2 hours to drive 30 miles in manic traffic should explain.., too stressful!
We had a lovely day on the ship though and good memories made.
Alice is 8 years old today… happy birthday to a lovely energetic pretty girl!
Exeter California exploring the foothills of high sierras
We have found the heat again today 91*f
Not a cloud in the sky just a heat haze
We had a lazy start doing a ton of washing and then we set off.
We went to the bigger town of Vestalia and then as we decided not to do any hairpin bends today we explored the foot hills in this area.
The land is very flat up to the hills and is covered in acres of orange,lime and lemon trees in huge organised rows.
There are vines and olives groves too in places.
We stopped for lunch in a little town called
Springville, at a Mexican restaurant. Ok Mmmm there was no other choice so I explained I can’t eat chillies and was given a chicken salad with guacamole and sour cream and enchiladas. It was so good.
We asked for coffee but were told they only did beer or wine…. So we had Diet Pepsi 😉
I didn’t take many photos as there were no stopping places or viewing points.
The area is very interesting to me to see all these orchards. We found the small towns are run down near the hills but smarter in the orchard areas.
Huge tall palm trees tower above the small fruit trees. It’s a desert area using underground water sources to irrigate the land.
We went back to the hotel at Essex and enjoyed the air conditioning it’s so hot outside and the heat will continue for several days.
We travel to LA tomorrow only a 2 to 3 hour drive.
Leaving Yosemite travelling south to Exeter via sequoia np
NB (I have 5 days of Yosemite park to upload but having problems…watch this space 🤣😉)
It was an early start and sunrise shining golden over the mountains. Feeling sad to leave but more adventures to explore
It was misty in the valley bottoms and just above freezing down there.
We left the south entrance and the hairpin bends and steep drops gradually left behind. We were on the 41 to Fresno and soon the countryside changed to flat yellow fields and autumn trees.
Little towns and palm trees started appearing. We passed through gold mining areas now we were on a long straight road at last not a fit tree in sight
At Fresno we joined the 180 and headed east to sequoia park. We passed acres of nut trees and vines and oh dear smoky haze
Again we had to drive up and steep drops hair pin bends with no crash barriers
This n p has many pull outs for nervous drivers to use so as not to hold others up
Our first sequoia was just through north entrance
There were view points and trails to stop at
We saw a fire engine did he know something we didn’t know
We turned for the parking for the general Sherman tree. Now we were in a huge queue of cars all with the same idea.
General Sherman is the world’s largest living tree the giant sequoia is 275 feet tall at the base the circumference is 102.6 feet … taller than a 27 story building…
It took half an hour to reach the car park and ten a half mile walk 68*f in the sunshine
The road through the sequoia park now became very very scary
We descended from 7000 feet to about 3000 feet on hairpin bends . The high sierras to the foothills. I’m still shaking never again! We had planned to go there tomorrow but not now.
Now the sequoias had finished and it was all deciduous trees in autumn colours very pretty if we hadn’t been so scared 😱
3 rivers was a beautiful area and a river with a reservoir. Lots of holiday homes.
We saw cacti and palm trees and many acres of little nut trees. Everywhere was so flat near our hotel at Exeter
Day 3 Yosemite and up to see the giant sequoias at Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias
Our lodge is on west Yosemite and not too far from the mariposa grove.
It was a bendy jaw dropping drive in parts to wowona village. There is an imposing Victorian hotel here under reconstruction
And a visitor centre.
We continued on to the wowona parking area and from here you catch a free shuttle bus up to the mariposa grove. A ten minute drive up winding sheer drops to the drop off spot.
There are several paths to hike and we chose the 2mile round circular hike to see the “grizzly giant “as the tallest widest sequoia in this grove is named. It is the 5th largest sequoia tree in the world.
210 feet tall and 31 feet across it’s base. It is about 1800 years old
On the way round you pass the fallen monarch, the bachelor and 3 maidens trees. And also you can walk through one tree. The Californian tunnel tree.
There are fires here regularly and we saw huge sequoias burnt black and many others that survived burnt only slightly
Plenty of squirrels chipmunks and little black birds were up there.
The giant grizzly tree was almost at the top of the hill and we kept stopping to catch our breath. The walk round up and eventually down was worth the effort. The trees are so large that it is difficult to capture them on the phone screen
I hope you get an idea of what their majestic presence is like.
No snow yet 👌we gingerly descended the 6000 ft mountain round hairpins at least we were rockside for a while
Eventually we reached Yosemite valley and stopped in quite a few places. The sun was warm and we saw loads of reflections in the river.
We then took the very tricky Tioga road that climbs up to over 9000 feet. I’m pleased I wasn’t driving
We stopped at Olmsted Point WOW is all I can say. From here you look over granite pavements down the valleys and get a view of the dome from the back view.
Also you can view lake Tenaya so beautiful
It was very cold up there.51*f
The hard journey has been so worth the effort. Next stop the Tuolumne meadows and visitors centre.
The meadows are being left to restore themselves
Now it was nearly 3 pm and we had 60 miles to go to return to our lodge. We dare not go up there in the dark so we needed to go no further.( This road leads to Lee vining where we stayed by mono lake and couldn’t get into Yosemite because of the snow.)
It’s my birthday today! No WiFi for messages but family cards to open .., thank you soooo much xxxx
For my birthday treat we were having lunch at a 1930 hotel called the Ahwahnee. It is being renovated at present but everyone can explore the inside. I found it dark and cold in the restaurant but warmer elsewhere
It was an experience very pleasant and a valet parked your car!
The Yosemite valley is an easy drive and full of tourists. We saw 3 climbers way up high on the sheer face of the mountain. Their orange hammock is suspended up there and they are above it. How scary!
The light at tunnel view in the morning was so clear on the return late afternoon it was cloudy. Last night it rained and so the visibility is so good today until about 3pm when the clouds started to appear in the valley.
We spent a long time in the valley by the stream and saw Yosemite falls. No water in the falls! Wrong time of year
The bridal falls had more water in them today
The El Capitan granite is the largest one piece of granite in the world.
I think we have explored all of Yosemite that we can without hiking long trails
We have done very short trails but really enjoyed what we have seen. We got back just as the rain started but it soon passed over
Tomorrow there is glacier point to see. Our last full day.
Retirement Here I Come 