Western Scenic Tour, Day 7!

We lost a few participants this morning who had other commitments.  Farewell to Jim and Maureen and Jim and Cathy and Pete.  It was wonderful sharing this tour with you!

We had a nice continental breakfast on our final morning here in Clovis.  We headed out for a final stop in San Simeon, where we will spend our final day on the 2014 Western Scenic Tour.  

Our first stop was at the Cambria Pub and Steakhouse.  We had the second floor reserved just for us, and the food and service were outstanding.  

After lunch we headed to Hearst Castle for our 1:40 tour time.  There is so much to say about Hearst Castle.  What an oddity out here in the middle of nowhere (at least when it was built)!  It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.  Invitations to Hearst Castle were highly coveted during its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s. The Hollywood and political elite often visited, usually flying into the estate's airfield or taking a private Hearst-owned train car from Los Angeles. Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant the Marx Brothers, Charles Lindbergh, Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Jimmy Stewart, Bob Hope, Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill were among Hearst's A-list guests. While guests were expected to attend the formal dinners each evening, they were normally left to their own devices during the day while Hearst directed his business affairs. Since the ranch had so many facilities, guests were rarely at a loss for things to do. The estate's theater usually screened films from Hearst's own movie studio, Cosmopolitan Productions.

Hearst Castle was included as one of America’s "10 Amazing Castles" by Forbes Travel.com. Forbes said, "Quite possibly the nation’s most famous castle, William Randolph Hearst went to great lengths to bring back the best of European architecture — most notably ceilings from churches and monasteries — which were pieced back together in California to create his highly eclectic Central Coast getaway.”

And it really was amazing.  A future visit is in the cards.

After the tour, we headed to our final hotel to check in, the San Simeon Lodge.  We had a little surprise drive after we all got settled in.  We piled into our cars, and with the escort of the clouds kissing the ocean on the horizon, we drove about 5 miles miles north to an elephant seal rookery!   About 17,000 elephant seals call this beach home!  This location keeps us at a safe distance as we observe them sleeping, sun-bathing, and speaking in their guttural “speech”.  There were about 50 seals on the beach today.  We had a few other visitors, though--whales!  Jim spotted them off-shore as they surfaced, and you could see their spouts/blows.  Wow.  So, with the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, the elephant seals singing their guttural tune, the pelicans and seagulls flapping their wings all around us, and the whales surfacing in the distance, we all had an incredible afternoon!  

We headed back to the hotel and went to dinner at San Simeon Lodge Bar and Grill adjacent to the hotel.  The dining room overlooked the ocean and as dinner was being served, we were blessed with a beautiful pink sunset over the ocean.  <sigh>

After dinner, we met in the courtyard for our final meeting.  The 50/50 was won by Norm, and Sam won the two chairs that Rett and Donna donated to the tour.  We discussed next year’s tour to Yellowstone and other possible stops, and capped it off with toasting marshmallows and making s’mores.  This night was shared by:  Ed and Mary, Norb and Terry, Jim and Denise, Ken and Linda, Jim and Lisa, Phyllis and Fernando, Terry and Sam (he joined us mid-tour), Papa Duane, Ed and Jane, and of course, Doug and Michille (me).  We had participants from Florida, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Colorado, California and Arizona!  Wow!

This tour has been incredible, folks!  We had returning and new participants this year.  Thank you to you all!  It was a potpourri of personalities, and somehow, it just all worked.  Why?  Because we all have some commonalities that bring us all together:  driving, appreciation for great scenery, a love of our country, a sense of adventure, cars, good food, good conversation, a sense of humor, and more.  What else can we say?  Simply...Drive On!

and...see you next year!

Happy Trails to all of our friends...until we meet again!

Western Scenic Tour, Day 6!

On this morning, we had to say farewell to Rett and Donna, who had a prior commitment.  We will miss you two!

After a nice continental breakfast at the hotel, we all lined up for a drive into Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks.  We stopped at Subway to pick up our sandwiches for our picnic lunch and were on the road.  We had a nice winding drive through some farmland, and then began climbing, and climbing, and climbing.  We entered King’s Canyon National Park, and there they were...red giants.  This is the Land of Giants.  This landscape testifies to nature’s size, beauty and diversity---huge mountains, rugged foothills, deep canyons, vast caverns and the world’s largest trees.  In these groves of giant trees, we all seemed so small.  Our cars were like little matchbox cars against a backdrop of these massive trees!  The stillness in these groves was deafening.  To take a moment to stop and listen meant you could possibly hear what these giants were whispering to each other and to us.  The smell of the pine needles was intoxicating.  To experience this was to breathe in nature...to be reminded what a beautiful earth we have, right here in the United States.  <sigh>

We saw massive trees like General Grant Tree.  The tree was named in 1867 after Ulysses S. Grant, Union Army general and the 18th President of the United States (1869–1877). President Calvin Coolidge proclaimed it the "Nation's Christmas Tree" on April 28, 1926. Due in large part to its huge base, the General Grant tree was thought to be the largest tree in the world prior to 1931, when the first precise measurements indicated that the General Sherman was slightly larger. On March 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared the tree a "National Shrine", a memorial to those who died in war. It is the only living object to be so declared.  In a nutshell, this tree was BIG.

From this grove, we were on our way to Zumwalt Meadow for a picnic lunch.  Picnics are such a special way to enjoy our parks!  We were alongside the King’s River, and visited by beautifully colored stellar jay birds.  No need for music!  The music of the babbling river and the singing birds was a beautiful symphony.  <sigh>

After lunch, we were on our own to explore!  We drove into Sequoia National Park to visit the General Sherman Tree.  The General Sherman Tree is neither the tallest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to the Hyperion tree, a coast redwood), nor is it the widest (both the largest cypress and largest baobab have a greater diameter), nor is it the oldest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to a great basin bristlecone pine).  With a height of 275 ft, a diameter of 25 ft, an estimated bole volume of 52,513 cu ft, and an estimated age of 2,300–2,700 years, it is nevertheless among the tallest, widest and longest-lived of all trees on the planet.  We had quite a walk down hill to see this giant.  And an even longer walk back UP this hill to the car.  But it was worth it to be in the presence of these massive giant trees.  

On the way out of the park, we had a nice little greeting from a tiny Sequoia National Park resident:  a bear cub!  Wow---what a nice surprise.  We snapped a few pictures and drove off before mama bear decided to appear and possibly mistake the Plum Crazy Challenger for a scratching post.  

What a wonderful experience here in two of my favorite National Parks!  I have a feeling that they are the favorite parks of many of our tour participants as well!

We headed back to the hotel and headed to dinner at Salsa’s Cantina across the street.  It was delicious.  No nightly meeting tonight--too tired!  Tomorrow, we head to the ocean and another castle awaits!

Western Scenic Tour, Day 5!

Day 5

The day began with breakfast on our own.  We returned to the Grill next to Dow Villa, and shared breakfast with some of our great travellers.  Let me take this opportunity to say that the participants on this tour are just wonderful.  Doug always says that car people are good people, and this group solidifies that.  These Western Scenic Tour people ARE good people.  

We hit the road for Bishop and an impromptu stop at Schat’s Bakery.  The Schat family started its long line of bakers in Utrecht Holland in 1893.  In 1950, Jacob Schat Jr. came to Ellis Island and on to California.  He was 17 years old.  He joined the U.S. Army a year later and in 1958, was able to sponsor his father, Jack Schat Sr., his mother, Kine, and three of his five siblings to the United States.  Today, the Schat family makes over 35,000 loaves per day for all of their locations, one of which is in Bishop!

After we got our sweet tooth fix, we were back on the road with a destination of Mobil’s Whoa Nellie Deli.  Oh, my what a lunch!  I had a delicious plate of fish tacos with a fresh mango salsa.  At a gas station?!  Yes, at a gas station.  Gourmet magazine observed, “For all its awesome scenery, the Yosemite Valley used to a be a culinary wasteland.  Now, hikers can hoof it to the national park’s east entrance for lobster taquitos and pan-seared ahi salad.”  We sat on the lawn at picnic tables over-looking Mono Lake.  The lake was low, but the company, food, and ambiance were all we needed for an incredible lunch.

After lunch, we headed into Yosemite!  Some information about Yosemite:  About 1 million years ago, snow and ice accumulated, forming glaciers at the higher alpine meadows that moved down the river valleys. Ice thickness in Yosemite Valley may have reached 4,000 feet during the early glacial episode. The downslope movement of the ice masses cut and sculpted the U-shaped valley that attracts so many visitors to its scenic vistas today.  Yosemite is 747,956 acres, so we had some exploring to do!  Unfortunately, the fires in Yosemite had created a fog of smoke at this entrance.  After stopping at the visitor’s center, we were on our own to explore.  We drove further into the park, and the smoke cleared as we entered the valley.  Some people went to see the incredible sights of the park such as El Capitan and Half Dome.  We drove in from the east entrance and exited from the south entrance.

We headed to the Best Western Clovis Cole for our next night.  We had dinner at Diciccio’s Italian restaurant across the street from the hotel, and it was delicious!  Some of our participants got held up in Yosemite.  Can you blame them!  With 747,956 acres to explore, we could have spent another day there!  After a long day, we dragged ourselves to the nightly meeting (well, I didn’t as I was calling in our lunch order for tomorrow’s picnic!).  The group had individually signed a tour t-shirt and presented it to Doug.  How special!  It will be treasured for forever.  The poker run was completed, and Papa Duane was our big winner!  Congratulations to Duane!

Off to bed!

Western Scenic Tour, Day 4!

The day began with a specially arranged breakfast at Alabama Hills Cafe.  They opened an hour early just to accommodate our group!  The breakfast was incredible!!  --slabs of ham, banana pancakes, bacon, chicken-fried steak, etc.  We finished breakfast with applause for the staff who came in early for us.  How special!

We then headed into Death Valley National Park, with a destination of Scotty’s Castle.  The road appeared to go on forever, stretching into the vast desert, and our caravan provided a beautiful display of color against the tans of Death Valley.

And smack-dab in the middle of nowhere, we came upon Scotty’s Castle.  What a surprise!  We had a prearranged group tour for us, broken into two groups as we are so many numbers now!   Our guide was Abby, dressed in period costume from the 1930s.  She was a wealth of information.  The castle was incredibly interesting.  Fifty-three miles from the Furnace Creek Resort and within the park boundaries, Scotty’s Castle stands as a tribute to friendship. In the early 1900s, Walter Scott (Death Valley Scotty) convinced Albert Johnson to grubstake his gold mining expeditions.  The gold never materialized but Johnson fell in love with Death Valley and took a liking to the colorful Scotty. Johnson and his wife, Bessie, built this two-million dollar home with luxurious appointments and Scotty claimed it was his and was building it from the profits from his gold mine.  The tour ended in the Upper Music Room,

with a song played on the huge Welte-Mignon theater organ that has more than 1,000 pipes!  It was just magical...just magical.  After the tour, we all went our separate ways to explore Death Valley on our own.  Many went to Ubehebe Crater, some to Badlands, and some just to drive and spontaneously explore.

We all met back at the Dow Villa for a drive through the Alabama Hills and up to the Whitney Portal.  Whitney Portal is 9 miles west of Lone Pine at an elevation of 7,851 feet.  It is the gateway to Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous United States.  It is also the trailhead for the Mount Whitney Trail.  The drive through the Alabama Hills was very unique, as we were surrounded on either side by odd shaped rocks, in which you could find spooks (that’s what the locals call them, aka ghosts), ocean waves, heads, animals, and many other figures.  After passing through the Alabama Hills, we continued on an extremely windy road up to the Whitney Portal.  It was a very steep ascent with drop offs that make you hold on tight to the mountain-side.  This road is definitely for those who love driving!  

After this great drive, we headed to dinner at the Grill next to the hotel, followed by our nightly meeting.  Mary conducted a contest to guess the amount of Jelly Bellies in the jar.  Theresa was the big winner!  Thanks to Mary for the Jelly Bellies and the contest!

Tomorrow, we leave Lone Pine for Yosemite!

Western Scenic Tour 2014, Day 3!

Mystery, adventure, intrigue, beauty, speed, passion, suspense...  Where can you experience ALL of these ALL at once?  On the 2014 Western Scenic Tour, of course!  

What a day!  Today consisted mostly of drive time, getting to the gateway to our next National Park:  Death Valley, via Lone Pine, California.

Our morning began with a powerful thunderstorm at 4 am in Williams, Arizona.  So much for our cleaned and dried cars!  But, better to rain at 4 am than during our previous day’s visit to the Grand Canyon, which couldn’t have been better.  The cool morning began with a continental breakfast at the Lodge.  We were all itching to get on the road, and I think it was probably the quickest breakfast such a large group has ever had!  We pulled out of Williams, and what a sight to behold!  Sixteen cars and 1 Harley motorcycle created quite a spectacle heading down historic Route 66 and onto the freeway.  Pedestrian traffic came to a stand-still and other cars paused in their traffic lanes to observe our colorful parade.  I am sure all the drivers and passengers in our group were beaming with pride.

We stopped for a quick visit in Seligman on Route 66.  How could we pass up this opportunity?  Seligman, Arizona is a Route 66 town all the way.  This delightful town retains all the flavor of the the old road.  A trip down Route 66 in Seligman is a trip back in time to the days when Route 66 was the Main Street of America.  

Back on the road, we had a spirited run into California with a lunch destination of the infamous Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner.  Peggy Sue’s is an original roadside diner, built in 1954 with 9 counter stools and 3 booths.  It was built from railroad ties and mortar from the nearby Union Pacific Rail yard.  It is decorated with 50’s memorabilia, and the music of that era plays in the background.  The food was great and the service was awesome--they even greeted us in the parking lot and led us into a room that they had all ready for us!  As we dined, we observed people photographing and filming our beautiful cars.  How flattering!  

After lunch, we hit the road for Lone Pine, our final stop for the day.  We had a spirited run and as Lone Pine came into sight, something else came into sight.  Some beautiful, shiny red lights!  Up the line of cars she came, easing her way behind none other than??--the flashiest plum crazy Challenger, of course, driven by our wagon master, with his beautiful passenger--the author of these literary masterpieces.  We pulled over as the rest of the caravan flew by us with nary a glance in our direction.  We saw them fade into the horizon, and the feeling of abandonment set in.  We were left behind.  Silence was deafening, only broken by the slow, steady “crunch, crunch, crunch” of the highwayman boots digging into the gravel as she approached my window.  I hit the window control for down and stared at myself in the reflection of her highwayman sunglasses.  I never saw her eyes.  It was frightening.  After being educated on the hazards of exceeding the speed limit a little bit, we were released with a verbal warning.

Enough said.  We left with no ticket, but with a great story.  We drove into the parking lot of Dow Villa amidst applause and bows.  Teehee.  

We then proceeded to dinner at the Mt. Whitney Restaurant, and afterwards, our evening meeting.  Terry shared some of her tasty Lemon Moonshine, and Terry and Norb had a “penny jar” competition, which was won by Ken, who had the closest guess of the amount of pennies in the jar.  Thanks to Terry and Norb for planning these events!

Tomorrow, we have the earliest start as we meet for breakfast and head out to Death Valley National Park and Scotty’s Castle.  So, this writer is off to bed!  Good night!

Western Scenic Tour 2014, Day 2!

Oh, wow, oh wow, oh wow!  What a day!  

Let’s start at the beginning.  We all awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and walked to breakfast at the Pine Country Cafe.  Wow--the service at this restaurant is top-notch.  With a large group of 28, this place was as efficient as could be, and breakfast was delicious, from oatmeal, to pancakes, to bacon, sausage and breakfast burritos.  Yum!

From breakfast, we walked to the Grand Canyon Railway, under some threatening gray clouds.  We all carried umbrellas/raincoats due to the rain in the forecast.  The staff at the Grand Canyon Railway was wonderful.  Pre-arranged group tickets were available immediately at the ticket window.  We were entertained with a short shoot-out show in an outdoor “theater”.  It was cute and good for a few chuckles.  We then boarded the train.  From its yesteryears of transporting ore through the wild west to present-day journeys in the heart of the canyon, the Grand Canyon Railway is absolutely enchanting.  It was a romantic journey in comfortable restored cars, listening to the rhythmic sound of the train wheels on the track.  With the exception of a few passengers in the front of the coach, the car was just our group. Now, I say this with the utmost affection, we have quite an eclectic group, and I think we  probably entertained our helpful PSA, Doug.  There was a wonderful guitar player, singing and playing a harmonica to entertain us as we rolled through the Kaibab Plateau.  It was a very pleasant ride.

We arrived at the Grand Canyon, and after a short walk, we were awed by the views at the South Rim of the Canyon.  And as to the rain?  NO RAIN.  But what we did have were spectacular cloud formations creating colors that were breathtaking:  blues, whites, grays, reds, all softened by the billowy clouds with rays of sunshine cascading over the canyon at random intervals, creating an ever-changing perspective of the vista.  It was amazing, just amazing.

We enjoyed lunch and some of us walked the rim, while others rode the shuttle bus.  We had 3 hours and 15 minutes before we had to catch the train back to Williams.  

And what a train ride back THAT was!  We were entertained by another singer.  Our group started a conga line that danced up and down our car and even into the car behind us!  Hilarious and big fun!  We then decided to turn the tables on the train robbers who rode up on horseback and hopped into the train cars.  When the robbers burst into our car, our group proceeded to jump up and finger shoot them with a loud “bang, bang, bang!”.  The robbers were stopped in their tracks and speechless!  They proceeded with their “skit”, and it really was all very entertaining as we rolled back down to Williams.  

After we left the train, we walked to dinner for some pizza and gathered at the Lodge for our nightly meeting.  Doug went over details for tomorrow’s drive and talked about plans for the 2015 tour.  Terry and Mary had put together some wonderful gifts for each of us.  Those two are awesome!  And Jim and Cathy provided us all with some Minnesota goodies.  Also awesome!  Thank you so much!

So...this tour is shaping up to be an action-packed, humorous, awe-inspiring, sharing, gracious and entertaining year.  And this is only DAY TWO!

Tomorrow, we hit the road, and head to Lone Pine!

Western Scenic Tour, Day 1!

The air has just begun to get that cool crispness to it.  The trees have just started to show a hint of gold on their leaves.  The car is loaded with itineraries, suitcases, microfiber towels, coolers, chairs and cameras.  The tire shine spray bottle is empty.  As you approach your car, you can almost see it jump for joy as it anticipates what is about to happen.  You turn the ignition and you hear it:  the motor hums as it awaits your foot on the pedal, so it can taste that sweet, sweet gasoline that propels it and us to what?---to ADVENTURE!  

What does all this mean?

The 2014 Western Scenic Tour has begun!  

This year, we have begun in the quaint town of Williams, Arizona.  It is a charming town nestled off of Interstate 40 on historic Route 66.  Interesting fact:  Williams was the last town to have its section of Route 66 bypassed, due to lawsuits that kept the last section of Interstate 40 in Arizona from being built around the town. After settlements called for the state to build three Williams exits, the suits were dropped and I-40 was completed.  On October 13, 1984, Interstate 40 was opened around the town and newspapers the next day reported the essential end of US 66.  The following year, Route 66 was decommissioned.

Twenty-eight people have come from across the country to gather for a week-long adventure through 5 national parks, including two castles, in 7 days.  They have travelled from near and far:  Florida, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Colorado, California and Arizona.  

For dinner this evening, we gathered at an interesting venue:  South Rims Wine and Beer Garage.  They were formerly an automotive repair shop.  When the building was being renovated, and the floor boards pulled up, a fully intact car lift and grease pit were discovered!  The owners have a gorgeous 1967 jet black Pontiac GTO parked INSIDE the restaurant now.  Very cool.  The food was great!  We overwhelmed them with our growing numbers, but the staff was gracious and it gave us all time to get reacquainted and to get to know our newest participants.  

After dinner, we all gathered for an evening meeting in the courtyard of The Lodge.  Terry and Mary coordinated a wonderful gift exchange event.  Each “car” brought a gift from their state, and we had a playful gift exchange involving “stealing” from others.  We began the poker run and raffle sales.  Also, a special thanks to Jim and Denise for the car decals!  They are awesome!  Then, we all relaxed for social time with the warmth of the fireplaces to soothe our travelled bodies.  

Tomorrow, we ride the rails to see the Grand Canyon!   Good night all.  Wish you were here!