Chinook RV

chin_k, I’m not going through Death Valley because I’m hoping to catch a break on the weather in the Kings Canyon and Yosemite area on Tuesday and Wednesday. So we’re trying to get to Bakersfield in a couple of days in order to look at the forecasts and make a decision to go north from Bakersfield or continue west toward the coast. All subject to change.

I see. Hope you have good weather for your trip.

Finally entered California today on I15 to Barstow then Hwy 58 to Bakersfield where we are staying amongst the orange trees. It smells great here. It was amazing to watch the terrain change from high desert to lush green mountains all in a matter of 15 miles or so. We will decide tonight which direction to go from here. North to Yosemite or west to the coast.

Stopped in Primm, Nevada for a night and saw this car on display.

From July 1980 to March 1981 my future wife and I attended The Defense Language Institue in Monterey,California. Since that time I have thought the Monterey area was one of the most beautiful places I have seen. Well, it still is.

More of Monterey.

Leaving the area tomorrow for points north. Btw, we were 25 miles from Yosemite and had a mechanical issue plus hot brakes. Returned to Merced then went to Monterey. Oh well.

Great pics.
My memories of the Monterey area are from my Army basic training days. I remember a Drill Instructor yelling at me for stepping on his Ice Plants.

Enjoy and safe travels!

Xatlatc, so which middle east language do you and your wife speak? I think it is fun for a couple to speak a foreign language to each others so that no one else around can understand your conversations.

How neat to go back to Monterey, with all the memories you must have of it - and together learning (at what I imagine would have been an intensive pace) adds an extra dimension. Plus, as you say, it's gorgeous anyway.

Some friends and I took a road trip to California back in the early 80's. Was late March or early April, IIRC. Being from the frozen northland, we figured all of California would be warm and sunny. Ha, we could only get to one parking lot in Yosemite and the rest was buried in tens of feet of snow. Well, what did we know about altitude back then? We headed to the coast from there and oh, my, how amazing it was! First time I had kiwi fruit and they were ten for a buck at roadside fruit places. Delicious!