Cross Country Road Trip '09

We left Shingle Springs under blue skies on a bright sunny day ... February 1st, headed for Florida. The Corgimobile is on the move again!!!!

Orange Grove RV Park just out of Bakersfield is our first stop.

Afternoon snack of freshly picked oranges and time for a few tunes.

Sunset at Bodega Head

We took an afternoon walk along the bluffs. Blue sky, bright sun, endless ocean .... whales spouting and diving on their journey south. We watched for over an hour as the whales passed right in front of us. Then we turned to the hills to watch the animals check in for dinner. White Kites, Kestrels, hawks and vultures soaring, skimming the ground, hovering and diving. The deer and egrets seemed to be teaming up. We looked over to the beach below the bluff in time to see a female elephant seal struggle onto dry land. She appeared exhausted, but would look at us, lift her huge proboscis, and let go a bark that resounded in her deep throat. A lone female on the beach this time of year, in this spot made us wonder ( and worry) that she was lost or injured. When we got back to the car I grabbed my camera to record the sunset. Perfect end to a perfect afternoon.

New Year, Another Roadside Distraction, part II

Anita and I are getting excited about hitting the road! We are leaving February 1st to head for Florida again. We'll stop along the way to visit David and Sarah in Arizona and then head east.

I took the photos below this morning on a bird walk in Bodega Bay. Actually most were taken from the balcony of our hotel room at the Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa, a perfect bird watchers paradise. 

                                                This gull and I conversed on Doran Beach. 

 

Enumclaw and Mt. Rainier

We stopped in Enumclaw, beautiful horse country about an hour southeast of Seattle, to visit Anita's ex-husband Steve and his wife Nina.

The animal greeters included Domino, a sweet elderly black lab ...

and Hugo, who was, well, HUGE! A German Shepard/Rottweiler mix, sweet, smart and about 150 lbs.  In order to keep the fur from flying over territory issues we kept our boys separated from Hugo. 

Steve and Nina live in a rambling country home filled with light and views of the land.

The inside activities were carefully monitor by a pair of Jack Russell Terriers, Sophina and Max.

 
We had a nice time reconnecting, and relaxing and even had a campfire in the cool evening.

We spent the afternoon driving to Chinook Pass to see Mt. Rainier close up.

We stopped for lunch and a walk around Tipsoo Lake, a lovely sub alpine lake reflecting Mt. Rainier and the fall colors.

This is a photo of picnickers in 1927 in the meadow where we had lunch at Tipsoo Lake. 

Minter Gardens

Harrison Hot Springs is located at the end of the Fraser Valley, fertile with lush agriculture, dairy farming, and Hazelnut orchards. We stopped to sample the local nuts.

A short distance over the Fraser River is Minter Gardens. Smaller than Buchart Gardens on Vancouver Island it is a sensual delight.  A series of ponds connected with streams of water cascading in and out of fantastic floral displays. 

This was a lovely pavilion to view the sweeping landscape through a wall of water.