Waxing Philosophic

Carpe diem. Sieze the day. At 70 years of age, there may not be a whole lot of opportunities ahead of me to make a journey of this length again. I have heard it said that you seldom regret the things you did but you often regret the things you didn't do. If this blog can light a fire somewhere and encourage someone to just go out and do it(whatever it may be)I will be so happy. I didn't want to sit around on my 75th or 80th birthday and regret that I didn't make the trip.

In a way, the destinations were incidental. It was the journey that mattered. And what a journey it was - 2,501 miles through some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. I have so many great memories and so many people to be thankful to. Someday I will not be able to contemplate a 2,501 mile trip.

I'm so glad I did it now.

California, My Dream Destination

California is the complete state. It has everything - desert and seaside, tidal marshes and mountains, flat plains and rolling hills. I was amazed at the variety of trees and flowers and the landscaping in some areas was truly inspired. And some of the landscaping was done by nature- explosions of ornage and purple at the roadside showed off poppies and lupine. The pines on the mountainsides seemed never-ending. The Avenue of the Giants inspired absolute awe and the silence in which to contemplate it. I would love to come back to do a more detailed study of all that I have seen.

The climate, for the most part, was excellent. Coming from the Philippines where the weather is hot, hotter and raining torrentially, it was so refreshing. The rolling fog covered the landscape with mystery.

We were also impressed with the friendliness and courtesy extended by just about everybody that we dealt with (except for 1 or 2 motel owners). Service was given cheerfully. How refreshing! The roads and streams were not filled with garbage. Drivers yielded the right of way, sort of unthinkable back home where nobody wants to give way and every square inch of road is occupied. My son Rob asked me if people back home yielded to ambulances. I said usually not as there is absolutely no place to pull over.

California is so blessed with natural beauty. We drove many miles without seeing evidence of human habitation except for the road we were driving on. Such luxury!

Our trip took 21 days. We drove 2,501 miles in our Prius and averaged 46.6 mpg. If I had it to do over again, I would try to spend double the time so that I could stop and enjoy the sights and views longer; do a few sketches for future paintings.

If the Buddhists are correct, I wish to spend my next life in California.

Motel Review

We stayed several days at 5 motel chains. They were Best Western at Grass Valley, Mt. Shasta, Anderson, Marina and Solvang. This chain, along with Holiday Inn Express(Lake Tahoe) was consistently the best. We had the best free continental breakfast at the Holiday Inn Lake Tahoe. (They provided sausages!) This Lake Tahoe motel also was conveniently situated with a Carrow's restaurant just across the parking lot.

As far as ambience goes, the winner is the Best Western Tree House Motor Inn at Mt. Shasta. This property differed from the cookie cutter pattern where all motels look alike. The extensive use of wood panelling and trim made this place stand out.

The Comfort Inns at Redding and Fortuna were adequate with no glaring defects. Just about what you would expect. Clean and good value for money.

The Discovery Inn at Napa was a real disappointment. We referred to the towels as grey sandpaper. We were only able to identify the cleaning staff because they were accompanied by their cleaning cart(which will probably last forever) as they were in jeans and a t-shirt. Dead spiders and their webs adorned the inside frames of the windows. When we told the manager that we wanted to take the charge off the credit card he said, "You can't do that! I will lose money." Thankfully his wife took him in hand and fixed things. The only good thing about this motel was its location on the Silverado Trail and its proximity to the wineries.

The Day's Inn at San Simeon had a strange manager who told us the Day's Inn did not have the software to issue a printed receipt for cash. I hope that charge does not show up on my credit card.

The Day's Inn at Ontario was rather scarey. It's located right next to a liquor store and is the only place on our 21 day tour that did not provide free continental breakfast.

All in all winners are Holiday Inn Express and Best Western! I would always book one of those.

California Motels/Hotel Review

During our tour of California we stayed in many categories of accomoations ranging from unique one-of-a-kind to well-known franchises.

The first in the unique category would be the Queen Mary in Long Beach. Here we were impressed by the use of wood inlays along the walls, especially in the public areas. But this old fashioned, elegant hotel failed to update its' facilities to include Wi-fi, something found in the cheaper motels. I had to pay additional charges to access the Internet and I had to pay for 24 hour acces. (Give me a break!)

The second in the unique category was the Yosemite View Lodge, a sprawling motel just outside the entrance to the Park. Located right alongside the Merced River, the sound of the rushing water was heard as soon as you opened your door. Our room came with a completely equipped kitchenette. (What a joy!) Wi-fi was only available in the main lobby.

Our next oddity was the Gold Lodge in Sonora. It looks like a throwback to some of the motels my family travelled to when I was a child in the 50's. It was in this motel where we needed the night manager to operate the shower. Yet, for all its' antiquity, it provided Wi-fi in every room.

Also in this category was the Hotel Beresford in San Francisco. Located just a short walk from Union Square, this was the only hotel that gave us an actual metal KEY! Wi-fi was available off the lobby. The rooms were small with a ref but no microwave; the hotel is excellent value for money.

On my next blog I will deal with our experiences with the motel chains such as Best Western, Holiday Inn Express, Comfort Inn, Day's Inn and Discovery Inn.

Journey to Sapporo

Saporro? What the ...am I doing in Sapporo? We left Los Angeles (My son drove me to the irport whhiich can be an iffy thing driving to LAX from San Diego in rush hour) Our flight to Tokyo's Narita airport on NWA #1 was scheduled to take 11 hours. At about the tenth hour, the pilot came on and said that due to headwinds we didn't have the fuel onboard to safely continue to Tokyo and we'd have to land at Sapporo to refuel. I was a little apprehensive that I might miss my connecting flight to Manila but after a bit less than an hour, we took off for Narita. I was able to make the connection and got into Manila around 11PM. It was mayhem. Another 747 had landed and the facilities were over taxed. I was unable to get a cart for my suitcases and had to wrestle the two through customs and down the long downhill ramp tp the pickup point. I knew I was back in Manila as my hair started to curl from the humidity.

I look back at my time in California. That state has everything. I would love to do a book on the flora and landscaping of the different regions. In my son's backyard are beautiful bird of paradise that really look like birds.

In future blogs, I will deal with motels, food and trip planning for seniors.

Leaving on a jet plane

Tomorrow I leave San Diego for Manila. The flight to Tokyo will take 12 hours. I really am not looking forward to this part of the trip. I will really miss staying with my son Rob and Matt. Their home is so comfortable and the weather here is San Diego is great. I,ll be posting a summary of the trip when I get back to Manila.

The Mystifying World of Showers

Remember the good old days when shower fixtures were basic. You had your hot, your cold. When the mix was right you turned on the shower portion. Done!
During our trip we encountered many confusing shower challenges. On our first stop, the Queen Mary, the shower came with 4 inputs - hot and cold fresh water and hot and cold sea water. Of course the sea water taps were now non-functioning but must have been amusing during ocean travel.
Our second stop was an old motel in Sonora. When Loly went to take a shower she tried pulling out the knob that usually opens the shower portion to no avail. As it was a rather old motel, she was afraid that pulling too hard would bring the entire plumbing out of the wall. She went to get the night manager, who came and gave it a mighty heave and voila! Water.
During our stop at San Francisco, we stayed in an aging hotel. When I went to take a shower, for the life of me I couldn't get the water to come out of the shower head and so had a very uncomfortable chore of trying to wedge myself under the lower tap!
By and large all motels use the uni-ball system for the shower. Under this system, there is no such thing as a gentle warm stream. If you want gentle, it's cold. You want warmer, the volume increases. You want warmer, it's like Niagara Falls. How much water is wasted!! This time, I think progress and modernity should rethink how things were managed previously.

Ontario to San Diego

We visited the 3rd Golden girl in Ontario and had dinner with her family. When we checked out from the Day's Inn in Ontario we were anticipating the same problem we had had at Day's Inn in San Simeon. When we tried to pay cash, the proprietor - Kumar Swaminarayan told us that Day's Inn does not have the software to issue a printed receipt for cash (??) He just wrote by hand . Paid cash and his initials on our Registration folio. Hope that charge does not show up on my Mastercard.
We arrived in San Diego around lunchtime. The following day Rob took Loly and I to Balboa Park before dropping her off at her cousin's house for a family reunion.

San Simeon to Solvang

When we woke up in San Simeon, we went outside to get breakfast. Our motel is right alongside US 1. The road was completely empty. We felt like some unaware survivors of a disaster film. We must have stayed there for 3 minutes before a car finally came down the road. After breakfast we went to San Luis Obispo mission church. The most beautiful part was the garden where I was able to videotape the songs of the birds.
Our final destination yesterday was Solvang, a town settled by Danish immigrants. It was like walking around Europe. They had windmills (Holland?), Danish pastry of course, stores selling beautiful laces and Royal Copenhagen.
Unfortunately the WiFi connection in my room didn't work so this is one day delayed. Next leg is Solvang to Ontario to meet up with an old friend.

Marina to San Simeon

It was a really twisting drive along the coast. We went through Carmel, Monterey and Big Sur before arriving in San Simeon. We got stopped twice on Rte. 1 due to road repair and the painting of the yellow line on the highway.
We had lunch at Hearst Castle. It was overpriced as they have no competition. I paid more than $8 for a slice of pizza and a coke. While I had long wanted to see Hearst Castle, I found the interiors a bit disappointing. I think Mr. Hearst was a collector of anything that came his way and didn't exercise much discrimination. The grounds though, were truly amazing. The pool and rose gardens were impressive.
We are now at a Day's Inn in the middle of nowhere where we don,t have signal for our phone and the nearest outpost of civilization (read Supermarket) is 8 miles south.
Tomorrow we leave for the Danish influenced town of Solvang.

Train Ride

We went to the Philippine Consulate early in the morning to pick up our car that we had parked there while we were in San Francisco. When we got therr we found a car parked in the street blocking the driveway. The police were called but we didn't want to wait for them to get there or get a tow truck to remove the car. We were very lucky that Medel, one of the staff, was able to drive the car out using the sidewalk.
We got off to a late start as we had to get to Felton to catch the once daily steam engine ride through the mountains. We barely made it and sprinted through the parking lot and bought the tickets. I waved the tickets at the conductor and said,"Please hold the train! I have to go to the bathroom". He did and we had a great ride through the forest.
After the ride we went to have lunch at the red caboose. I ordered a hamburger. When i unwrapped it, it had pickles, onions, tomato and lettuce. I took it back to the counter and said, "Where's the Beef?" They were slightly embarrassed.
The whole experience there was fun as they were doing a Civil War re-enactment and cannons kept going off.
Tomorrow we visit Hearst Castle.

Food Trip

We drove from Napa to San Francisco. I drove over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time. I've ridden over it many times but this was my first time behind the wheel (and through the morning fog) We were met by Ronnie Ferrer and Medel from the Philippine Consulate. They took us to lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant where we had soft shelled crab and crab fried rice. For dinner, we went to Tad's, a steak house institution off Union Square. Great steak, salad, baked potato and garlic bread. On our second day we went to Lil's diner, a throwback to the 50's. Farallon was our choice for dinner where Loly had golden trout and I had white bass with mushrooms and Gnocchi. It was soooo good. We also visited Macy's where Loly was photographed.
Tomorrow it's off to Marina.

Wine Tasting

Today we drove along the Silverado Trail and stopped for wine tasting and landscape appreciation at 2 wineries. Our first stop was at Clos Du Val where we were most fortunate to meet their Hospitality and Wine Education Associate, Fred Morris. Fred was a great guide through 5 samples of their wine -a Cabernet Sauvignon,Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Chablis. He was most accomodating and even let us into where the wine is aged(Really Chilly!) and he was kind enough to take our photo. I also took a photo of Fred with Loly.
Our second stop was at Stag's LeapWine Cellars. We bought wine at both stops. We figured 2 stops were enough. It was a hot day and we didn't want to drive tipsy.
Tomorrow it's a short drive to San Francisco.

Refrigerator to oven

Our trip began in blessedly cool Fortuna and ended in Napa. The change was dramatic. We started off in pine filled mountains and came down to 97 degree heat and rolling hills filled with endless rows of grape vines. We also saw some beautiful trees that we are hoping Rob can identify. Loly wanted to go to anticipated Mass and the Hindu proprietor, who wasn't too sude of anything, directed us on how to get there. We finally found it and .....it's Presbyterian!!! We finally relied on the phone book and the Twit and had a happy ending. Today we are going wine tasting (but only a little as I am driving)

GPS gone bonkers

This morning we left Anderson for Fortuna. The trip took several hours of up and down and around like a roller coaster but at least it wasn't boring. When we finished the western leg we were on the coast and there was a lot of fog. We stopped for lunch before checking into our motel. We set the GPS for the motel, which was only about a mile away. The "Twit", as we have started calling her directed us up a dirt road and into somebody's backyard - a dead end. We had to turn around in their driveway!! After a few more hits and misses we finally spied our destination but the Twit still wanted us to go somewhere else. When we checked in, we asked for both directions to the nearest Supermarket and also the location to our room. When the receptionist gave us the directions, (which I thought were for our room) she started out with ' "Go out of the parking lot, turn left and go under the freeway.... Hold on, I said. You mean to tell me that to get to my room I have to go under the FREEWAY!!!!! When we all stopped laughing, we found the room and the supermarket. Loly and I were hysterical laughing. Good thing we had already checked in or they might have changed their mind.
After we settled down and started breathing without laughing, we went off to the Avenue of the Giants. This is a park with thousands of redwood trees. No words can describe, no photo do justice, no writings can bring you to imagine the beauty of this place. You must really experience it for yourself.
Tomorrow we're off to Napa. I hope the Twit behaves.

Superglue to the Rescue

Loly was able to put her shoes back together with Superglue that she always brings along when travelling. What a Girlscout!! Last night when we were looking over our itinerary, we said to each other -"Why are we going to Anderson?" We couldn't find any reason but then consoled ourselves after going on ther Net and finding out that there were many factory outlets down here. It must have been fate that sent us here. We spent the afternoon shopping. Tomorrow we have a long drive to Fortuna. The car was so filthy that Loly cleaned it.

What a tour!!

When we were in Redding, we got a brochure about the Lake Shasta Caverns. It was right on our way to Mt Shasta so we decided to leave Redding early so we could make the 10 A.M. tour. The brochure showed photos of happy smiling people, with spotless clothes, nary a hair out of place, posing happily for the camera during their tour.
We left Redding at 9AM and were at the site in time for the tour. We paid our entrance fee. The girl said "Enjoy".And off we went, not knowing that they had put a warning about not taking the tour if you have bad knees, bad backs or heart conditions. Granted, we did not have these conditions but all our parts can be classified as "Used".
The tour started off okay. We had to walk down the equivalent of 3 stories to get to a boat which would take us over to the caverns. Great! Nice relaxing 5 minute cruise along Lake Shasta which is 50 foot below the usual waterline level. We get to the landing on the other side and Luke, the guide, says we have to walk up this steeply inclined ramp to get to the bus to take us up to the caverns. He says," This is probably the hardest part of the trip. (He Lied!!) Tongues hanging out, we get to the bus that will take us up to the cavern entrance. Thank God. We get to sit down for 10 minutes.
Into the caverns we go. Nobody has told us that the floor is wet and slippery and dimly lit. Sorry James and Pia, the shoes you gave me took a bath. We grip the handrails with a deathgrip. The caverns are truly beautiful. We pass thru several chambers and then the guide tells us that there are 80 steps to the next chamber. Loly throws in the towel. Says she's had enough. I tell her I will stay with her. She rests for a while and then decides she can go ahead. We catch up, see more caverns. Then we need to go 60 steps up to the final chamber.
We finally made it out, downhill nwalk to the boat, ride across to the other side and then walk up the 3 stories to the starting point.
At the very end I see a place where you can give your flattering compliments about the tour. My comment reads, "You had better get a defibrillator in those caverns". Think I'll ever hear from them?
On hindsight, Loly and I had so many laughs during the trip but we came out exhausted, with muddy shoes (Loly's are disintegrating), muddy pants and with our tongues hanging out desperately trying to smile. I wonder what adventures await tomorrow. We are now resting in bed watching Judge Judy and eating Haagen Daz. Life is sweet!!!

Long, beautiful drive

Our next trip was from Lake Tahoe to Redding. It took about 5 hours. The scenery along the way was beautiful, with snow covered mountains. Along the way we saw a group of about 10 men along small hill just off the shoulder of the road. They were all carrying green watering cans and they were watering what appeared to be young tree seedlings. We were very impressed with the follow up care. Back home, people would just plant them and forget them.
We stopped for lunch at a truck stop along the way. Loly was asking me, "What do they mean when they say over the loudspeaker 'Shower for number 7. Your shower is ready". The life of a trucker.
We arrived at Comfort Inn at Redding which was very nice but they didn't have any Internet connection so this is late.
For dinner we went to a place out of Frommers Guide called "Buz's Crab House". We almost didn't go in because it looked like a real dump. But we had a great scallop dinner. Don't judge a book by its cover. Tomorrow its off to Lake Shasta.

Lake Tahoe

We weren't able to take the paddle-wheeler around the lake because we couldn't contact the ticket office. Instead we drove off to Nevada to an area in Carson City where they have a lot of malls. We were both finally able to cross some things off our shopping lists. On the way back, we stopped on the shore of the lake for some photos. Loly has started collecting pine cones. Tomorrow morning we are off again.

Snow!!

Even though we are only seeing it from a distance, it was great to see the snow on the mountains we crossed over on our way to Lake Tahoe. We went through the Donner Pass. At one point our elevation was 7,000 feet. Lake Tahoe is big and beautiful. At portions of the lake where the depth is shallow, it' turquoise. The mountains that ring it are topped with snow. We hope to take a cruise on the lake tomorrow. The Prius is doing well except when we go up steep hills.

On to Grass Valley

We left Sonora this morning. We had to take a detour because the road in front of our motel was closed to traffic due to the "Mother Lode Parade". Our GPS system kept re doing our route but everything came out alright. We passed through a town called Angel's Camp. What a hoot! On the wires stretched out over the main street they had thrown underwear as if it was a clothes line. They even had an old fashioned ladies corset. The scenery wherever we have passed has been spectacular. The roads are like winding roller coasters but fun to drive. There must have been at least a hundred bikers on the road with their big shiny bikes.
Our motel in Grass Valley is the Best Western Gold Country Inn. It is gorgeous. Quite a step up from the motel in Sonora. I will try to put in a photo of the Sonora Motel. We had to call the clerk at 9PM cause we couldn't turn the shower on but at least they had free wi-fi. Tomorrow it's off to Lake Tahoe for a 2day stay.

Sonora

It's Friday now and we left Yosemite for Sonora. The road was twisting and turning for MILES!!! We were going up and down and around. Loly was driving as I was a bit under the weather with a cold. When we got to Sonora, we found that our motel was one of the old fashioned ones with little cabins. The people here are very friendly and accommodating. We walked to the main drag and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant that I had eaten in back in 2006. The food was good and it was nice to get some rice for a change. Tomorrow it,s off to Grass Valley and the gold country. There is a cowboy parade outside our motel tomorrow so that should e fun except we can't get out of the motel until the parade is over. Will try to insert photo of Loly smelling a tree in Yosemite. Can't take her anywhere.

Yosemite

Our motel was 2 miles outside the entrance to Yosemite. The drive was beautiful as it ran alongside the Merced river. We parked in one of the lots and then took the 11AM tram tour of the valley floor. This tour takes 2 hours. Then we had lunch. After lunch we walked about half a mile to the base of Yosemite Falls. It was fantastic. It was so high above us and the mist was always blowing into our face and our cameras. We also saw the view from tunnel view where you could see El Capitan and Half Dome. Will try to insert photos. I was unable to get on the Internet from the motel. And now I have developed a bad cold. Hope nobody thinks I'm spreading the flu. Tomorrow we head to Sonoma.

On the Way to Yosemite

We left the Queen Mary right after an early breakfast and ran smack into morning commuter traffic heading toward Los Angeles. It added an hour to our trip. We stopped about 2/3 of the way there for lunch and gasoline. Loly pumped gas for the first time in her life!! She may have a new career. The last few miles before our hotel we drove along the Merced River ad it was beautiful to see. The clear water was foaming over the huge boulders. Our motel was right next to the river and when we opened our door we could hear the river rushing past. Tomorrow we go into Yosemite. I will try to insert photos later.

Lift Off!

We got our Prius to start with no problem and blessed my son, Rob, for having filled it up the night before. The trip from San Diego to Long Beach was supposed to take 2 hours but it took us 4 hours because of an accident on the highway near Camp Pendleton.
The Queen Mary is huge! The staterooms are quaint. You can really imagine what it would have been like to make the Transatlantic voyage on such a ship.
I will try to upload a photo but I am in virgin Territory here. I have to use an ethernet connection. If I can't get it in today, I will try again tomorrow from Yosemite. Wish me luck.

Got Wheels!

Loly arrived here yesterday. She was driven down from LAX by her granddaughter Michelle and her friend Michael. Today we went and picked up our car. Horrors! It was a Prius. The man at the rental was trying to teach us the mumbo-jumbo required to stop and start the car. At the same time, he was teaching us how to operate the GPS system. Finally we just gave up, drove away and trusted ourselves to God. Then when we got the GPS to speak English, we couldn't hear it because we had the windows open because we couldn't find the air conditioning. We finally got our act together and found our way back to my son's house. Tomorrow it's off to Long Beach and an overnight stay on the Queen Mary. Keep your fingers crossed.

Journey by Air

The flights were not so bad. The Manila to Tokyo portion (4 hours) I could do standing on my head. A short wait at Narita before boarding NW2 for the flight to Los Angeles. This flight took 9 hours. At times we had a tail wind of 163 mph. After about the seventh hour inside this metal tube, I really wondered why more people don't go postal on long flights.
The food was surprisingly good for airline food. I enjoyed the informal attitude of the cabin crew. After flying for the last decade on JAL, where the service is most defferential, it was pleasant to be greeted - Hi! How ya doin?
I
The flight arrived early due to the tailwinds and we had to wait on the plane until Immigration and Customs at the airport were staffed. So near and yet so far! We were right at the ramp and they wouldn't let us off. I was the first person to clear Customs and Immigration.
It was great to see a familiar face waiting for me. My son, Rob, had driven up from San Diego to pick me up. The drive to San Diego took about 2 hours.
Thank goodness jet lag is not a problem for me. We had a good dinner cooked by Rob and then to bed by 9PM.
Loly will be joining me on the 4th to start the road portion of our trip.

Packing up

Tomorrow is the start of the journey. Have to get up around 4:00 AM to get ready to leave for the airport at 5:00 AM to check in at 6:10 AM for a flight that leaves Manila at 8:10 AM. I'm tired already!
Making my list and checking it twice. So many things to bring. Aside from passport and ticket (which is now a flimsy piece of paper) - credit cards, hard copies of reservations, AARP card, medications. I'll be so glad to get to Los Angeles, see my son and start on this adventure. Of course I will miss the Philippine contingent of my family but, now we can keep up with e mail and Skype.
Next post will be from Los Angeles. Hope the flights are not bumpy and the food is good. Bye for now.

California Dreaming

My friend, Loly Mara and I decided to do a "Last Hurrah". Both of us approaching 70, we wanted to take a road trip while we were still able. Visions of Thelma and Louise went through our heads. We were going to travel California. Everything quickly fell into place. Loly got her U.S Visa. Family were very supportive. My son, Rob, rented a Hertz car with GPS so we wouldn't get lost. Airlines were canvassed for low fares. Loly chose China Airlines while I chose Northwest. We'll give you a review of services after the flights. The computer and Internet were a godsend. We were able to make all our hotel reservations in 2 days.
We leave for Los Angeles at the end of the month and start our expedition shortly thereafter. We'll keep you up to date with reviews and photos of all our stops along the way. We are particularly interested in updating senior citizens about the highs and lows of independent travel.