Bakersfield - Pismo Beach - Ventura - Malibu Beach

Leaving Bakersfield we cut across the McKittrick Carrizo Plain heading for Santa Maria or Avila, a place on the coast we really like and have visited before. Heading across the plains, we missed out on a petrol stop (Petrol Station closed down) and consequently held our breath for about 50 miles into Santa Maria as the RV must have been running on the smell of an oily rag only.... a little tense.

Having stopped putting fuel in when it reached $200 (must have been really empty and that didn't fill the tank), we headed up to see if there was a RV park in Avila as we thought we saw RVs parked further round the coast last time we visited. This turned out to be a state park on the beach front situation with no services costing around $47 a night. There was a power station entrance next to it which had a steady line of cars exiting at the time and we decided to go back to Pismo Beach and try there.

We stayed at Pismo Coast Village RV Park and booked in for two days - it was very restful like the Mount years back - right on the beach front, quiet and relaxing. We cycled around the local town and next bay before going to outlet shops, a very long and hilly way around. We discovered the way home was a lot shorter and flat!

It was so peaceful we booked for another night and went cycling a couple of suburbs up where they were ATV'ing in the sand dunes - came back along the beach - great except for the head wind off the pacific.....
Upon our return at 3pm we found we had neighbours, unfortunately we could hear them from the other side of the restrooms and they only got worse as the night wore on, drinking, swearing and playing cards right outside out bedroom window. Even after quiet time starting at 10pm, so at 11.15, I rung security and their visitors were moved on. They had had an argument so he stayed outside for another hour or so mucking around......
Daryl let them know how he felt in the morning - I let the office know - they would have to be worst people we have been near in our entire trip, loud, rude and inconsiderate. We moved on as another night was too much to bear and went to stay in Ventura, which we had stayed at on our last trip.

A long ride down the beach and then into town to poke around the shops again - neat little town and the camp was gearing up for a Halloween weekend with band, hay rides, face painting & disco for the kids. Some very cute kittens nearly got smuggled into the RV also.

Next day we headed for Malibu Beach where we have booked in for a week. Right across the road from the ocean and the sunset was gorgeous. Relaxing park in sunny Malibu - long walk down the beach for a couple of hours - million dollar houses right on the beach front, seals, pelicans - beautiful.

Bakersfield - Hot Rod Reunion

We cruised into Bakersfield on Friday afternoon and booked into River Run RV Park - just as well  as the place was full soon after.  Headed out to catch up with Duane and stayed for a BBQ ( I played the BBQ cook) with a few other kiwis from Auckland & Nelson, George Vickers & his mates plus Jim Goulding who had been to the Neil Young concert in LA, plus quite a few others who turned up over the period of the night, ( Duane hosts a Friday nite BBQ while the Hot Rod Reunion is on in Bakersfield for the Kiwis & locals) Great to catch up with the guys from back home -

Saturday we headed out to the Hot Rod Reunion fairly early and watched a couple of hours racing including Pins Sattler from Whakatane racing his front engine dragster.  Pins  and Vicky are doing the house job at present, so it was a good chance to catch up with them. Later in the afternoon we cruzed the pits & swap meet area looking for that bargin or car that might be there waiting for us.

We caught up with lots of kiwis and ex-pat Kiwis at the drags plus a few local Hot Rodders we have meet while we have been in the States, this Drag racing event is for Nostalgia race cars only, so it was great to see & hear these old cars race down the track like the good old days, plenty of famous old race doing demo runs.

Rock Springs - Las Vegas - Bakersfield

Apologies for no updates for a while - we have had a little rest & are back on track!

We stayed at Rock Springs KOA - a very unexciting park in that it was unattended even though we were early (they just didn't work Sundays) and just a big & windy gravel square.  Apparently you could see the wild horses from the camp but I think that would be rare and we certainly didn't see any while there.

We did see wild horses on the way in and out of Rock Springs.  Taking another back road, we stopped at a hydro dam just past Dutch John for a stretch. 

Travelling on, we fuelled up in Vernal which looked nice and moved on via a rough, windy road to Price where we decided to stay the night.  Another unexciting camp but we did have deer walking around the camp and a visiting cat that made itself at home.

Talking to other campers there, we heard there was high winds coming in the next day and they were all getting out of the area.  Price was a coal power town and we were quite happy to move on in the morning as well, so headed south again towards the I15.  We joined the I15 not far from Richfield and headed down to Cedar, then George where we planned to stay the night but decided to carry on the Las Vegas as we gained an hour crossing the time zone & so we could rest for a couple of days before Bakersfield.

We stayed at the Oasis RV Resort again and ended up staying an extra night as it was so relaxing after all the driving.  We headed down to check out the strip after dinner one night and had a little flutter, watched the water show and did some people watching.  We were home before midnight which says it all.

Guess who's with the girls again!!!!

 Friday morning we headed out to the Hot Rod Reunion and catching up with Daune Jones again.
A decent drive via Barstow where we stopped for lucnh in the RV &  the petrol was up to $5.10 a gallon....

Jackson to Rock Springs

This morning we looked around Jackson which reminded us of Arrowtown & Queenstown sort of tourist places although the season is definitely over and tourist numbers are down.  Nice to be there when the crowds aren't and parking is easy.

 

The antlers are real but they had been collected by the boys scouts in 1960 from the Elk Refuge Park at Jackson where they shed their antlers each season.  There are four arches on the town square - pretty cool & very well photographed.

 

 

 

We set off south and head for Rock Springs - the journey was pretty uneventful except for some wildlife on the road in a short gorge, then turned to mostly desert scenery all the way...

 

Cody to Jackson via Yellowstone & Grand Teton

A quick trip back to the museum and then on the road again, we are heading back to Yellowstone via the East entrance and down thru Grand Teton today.

Look what we found in the museum gift shop, made from old Fontera tins.

Hoss's pistol & belt from Bonanza

Guns from the Cartwright family, Bonanza

 Entering Yellowstone from the East gate, every part is different and amazing in it's own way.

Lunch stop in the rain beside a lake, 7000ft high.  No wildlife in sight yet.........

 Then look what we find...... a brown bear

 

And a little further along, a black bear which we accidentally got very close too

 Right place, right time for a close up - great to see them in the wild

 Another stop for scenic waterfall

We continued on to Grand Teton National Park where the Bison were supposed to be in great herds in the meadows.  Unfortunately they had moved on although we did find them at the end in the distance..... Luckily we have seen them before so wasn't too big a miss and the scenery was beautiful.

Grand Teton National Park

Pronghorns along road side

Moose ears........... he wouldn't oblige in getting up.

Sun filtering down thru the mountains

 

We camp down at Jackson for the night and go for a walk around some local shops.  Will poke around town in the morning before heading off as campground shuts tomorrow for the season.

Casper to Cody (via the Dinosaur Museum)

A very early start (8am) as we want to get out of the RV Park.......  we stop at Shoshoni, a side street pictured below.....

 

 

More cars in Shoshoni....

Moving on we find a lake and decide to stop for a cuppa - just down the road from Shoshoni & an excellent campground is set up on a beautiful lake - closed for the season but you can still stay there if you are self-sufficient.  The stones around the lake are every colour and heaps of little fish around the jetty.

The drive between here and Thermopolis is beautiful....

 In Thermopolis we find the Dinosaur Museum, where we buy Dino to join our collection....

These things were huge....we struggled to get it into a photo.

 

 

 

We made it to Cody around 2.30pm and head for Buffalo Bill's Museum....fantastic place and well worth the visit - there are 5 sections to the museum and it is very well done.

Ride em cowboy! (careful of the family jewells.....)

 

After our visit we head down town and find an Italian restaurant - so go home to clean up and head out for dinner - very nice, especially with some red wines.....