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Phase Four

San Jose – Half Moon Bay – Monterey – San Luis Obispo – Santa Barbara – Joshua Tree Park– Phoenix

January 23 – February 7

We began this leg of our adventure back in San Jose with our friends Kevin and Sonja. While in San Jose, we met with Sandra’s friend Toshie, and took tours of the Winchester House and Stanford University.

The Winchester House has an interesting story that I learned of years ago. The 160 room house was built by the heiress to the Winchester Gun fortune who was filthy rich and totally crazy. When you combined these two traits, you can end up with some bizarre outcomes on a grand scale. In this case Sarah Winchester felt she was being harassed by the spirits of people killed by Winchesters, and that she needed to build a house to trap the good spirits and keep out the bad ones. Every evening she would have a seance to receive guidance from the good spirits on how to continue to build her house, and the following day would pass on these instructions to her 18 on staff carpenters. She did this every day for 38 years. It was an interesting tour, however based on the story, I was expecting the house to be more of a hodge-podge and quirky than it actually was.

The original Stanford campus was built in a beautiful Romanesque style with numerous fountains, archways, and enclosed courtyards. Two interesting facts I learned on the tour were; 1) if all of companies founded by Stanford grads (Google, Hewlett Packer, etc.) were to come together, they would equal the GNP of the world’s the eight biggest economy, and 2) Google’s original address was google@stanford.edu.

Winchester House

Stanford University

The next day we drove to the coast to Half Moon Bay. Half Moon Bay is a sleepy beach town with long rugged beaches and low mountain ranges, all just minutes away from each other. So while in town, we did one beach walk and one mountain hike, and during that evening, we took in a brilliant California sunset over the bay, silhouetted by a group of surfers.

Point Montara

North Ridge Trail - Purisima Creek Redwoods

After Half Moon Bay, we continued our drive south along Highway 1. Our first destination was Wild Ranch State Park which has a very nice hike along the bluffs overlooking the ocean. After frequent stops to look at vistas and beaches, we arrived in Santa Cruz. While in town we only had enough time to see the wharf where the highlight were all of the sea lions swimming around and relaxing on the support beams. This large community made quite a lot of racket and attracted large crowds.

That night we stopped in Monterey. We were only there for one full day, but could have easily stayed longer. While in the area we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and hiked in Point Lobos Nature Reserve. The aquarium was a little pricey, but was very impressive. Their most outstanding display was a massive two story high enclosed kelp forest where we listened to a presentation by a diver feeding the fish. We also enjoyed the trippy jelly fish tanks, and a display of sculptures of sea animals made from plastic garbage washed up on local beaches.

Point Lobos Nature Reserve is perhaps the most spectacular state park we have seen to date. The park consists of a series of ragged peninsulas and rock formations jutting out into the sea. While exploring the park, every few minutes we would find ourselves with a new incredible photographic viewpoint.

Old Landing Cove Trail - Wild Ranch State Park

Bird Island Trail - Point Lobos Nature Reserve

Plastic Garbage Bird - Monterey Bay Aquarium

North Shore Trail - Point Lobos Nature Reserve

After Monterey, we continued down the coast through Big Sur to San Luis Obispo. I have dreamed of doing this stretch of road for many years, being that it has been hyped as the ultimate road trip. The views from the roadway were spectacular. However, I may have become somewhat jaded from all that we have seen so far, because I felt that this section of road was not as interesting as what we have seen in northern California. However, I have to admit that the highway traversing this rugged coastline is an engineering marvel. It was a little scary to follow the road as it hugged the cliffs of Big Sur high above the roaring surf below.

While in Big Sur we hiked in three parks, Julia Pfieffer Burns, Pfieffer Big Sur, and Pfieffer Beach. Pfieffer was on of the original pioneers in the area, and was obviously a very popular person. Just before dark while pulling off the road for a break, we came upon a large community of elephant seals relaxing very noisily on the beach. We later learned that January and February is when these seals come to this particular beach every year to give birth,. So we really lucked out on our timing.

In San Luis Obispo we stayed with my friend Robin and his wife Linda. Peace Corps LDAers see more on Robin at the end of this blog. For two days, Robin acted as our guide and took us on hikes through the foothills, and beaches of the area. He also drove us to San Simeon to see the Hearst Castle, and waited patiently for three hours for us to see the sights.

Hearst Castle is perhaps the most opulent home in America. The house and its owner Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate, were the inspiration for the movie Citizen Kane. The 69,000 sq. ft. house, its two pools and two guest houses which were built in a mediterranean revival style are all connected by garden terraces containing fountains and colonnades. Hearst spared no expense, and searched all over Europe for the right architectural relics and art pieces including entire ceilings, window ornaments, and facades to ship back and incorporate into his buildings.

Pfieffer Beach Park

Elephant Seal Vista Point

Bixby Creek Bridge - Big Sur

Neptune Pool - Hearst Castle

After bidding farewell to Robin and Linda, we drove on to Santa Barbara. The two main things to see in Santa Barbara for us were the Old Mission which is considered the largest and most attractive in the region. It is the only mission in the region that was built with twin towers, and the only one still functioning as church. The other attraction was the County Courthouse which is considered to be one the grandest Spanish Colonial Revival structure ever built.

Santa Barbara Old Mission

Santa Barbara County Court House

The next day we continued south to Ventura, where we left the coast to begin our drive back eastward. After driving nearly 900 miles, first along Highway 101 and then Highway 1, it was sad to bid our final farewells to the California coast.

Our next stop was Twentynine Palms, just outside the entrance to Joshua Tree National Park. We lucked out and arrived there just days after the government shut ended. We have not gone camping since September, and we were hoping that since we would only be 100 miles from the Mexican border, that this would be far enough south for us to do so. However, while we were there, the area experienced a cold snap with night time temperatures in the 30s, so we opted for a rustic cabin.

Joshua Tree is not as spectacular as other parks we have been to, but it well worth seeing. This was our first true desert landscape on our adventure, and we welcomed the change in scenery. The name of the park comes from the large cactus like tree found throughout the northern portion of the park. However, Joshua trees are not trees, nor are they cacti, but are in fact part of the yucca family. The park consists of two different eco systems. The Mojave in the north is a high desert, and thus it is cooler and wetter than the low Colorado Desert to the south. While exploring the park, you can clearly see the differences between the two deserts.

Joshua Trees in Joshua Tree National Park

Skull Rock Trail - Mojave Desert Side

Hidden Valley Trail - Mojave Desert Side

Cotton Wood Springs Trail - Colorado Desert

Bajadad Nature Trail - Colorado Desert Side

Cholla Cactus Garden - Colorado Desert Side

After Joshua Tree, we continued east to Phoenix where we met my Aunt Mary, and caught a chance to see her son Andy perform. The next day, we capped off this leg of our adventure by visiting Sandra's favorite place in Phoenix, the Arizona State University Ceramics Research Center.

For My Peace Corps LDA Brothers

This trip was an LDA overdose. First we spent two nights with Kevin, and then later three with Robin. We were also planning on topping the trip off with lunch with Ruth on our last day in Phoenix. Unfortunately she was not feeling well that day, so we have to catch her when we fly back to pick up our car. Robin is loving his retired life in San Luis Obispo. The area is an outdoor enthusiast’s playground, and Robin is an outdoor enthusiast. Robin is having so much fun with his gardening, bicycling, hiking, and surfing that he does not have any time to feel bored.

For My Family