Southern California

Hello from Southern California! We have been staying in state parks with no wi-fi access so haven't been able to make a blog post for a while.  Here are some highlights from the last two weeks.  Also, we are changing our route and instead of going to Alaska will go through the Canadian Rockies.  This will make for a more leisurely end to our trip!

One last swim in the southern Arizona desert before heading into California.

Southeastern California desert near the Imperial Valley.  We head northwest from Rt. 10,  to a small county park with a natural spring.  We don't know what to expect.

These windmills in the desert bring to mind science fiction giants on a distant planet.

We encounter dry desert mountains.

Our campground turns out to be a lovely desert oasis, lush compared with its surroundings, with warm mineral spring pools, rabbits, many species of birds and bats swooping in at times to drink the spring's water.

Neal says "you gotta' come see this" and we walk up a near-by overlook at dusk.

Our first view of the Pacific in Carlsbad.

On to Carlsbad State Park where Gwen finds a tree to climb.

Crystal Cove State Park, near Laguna Beach, south of LA.  We see whales, kelp, and sea anemones.

Playing in the waves at Crystal Cove

Our campsite is on the cliffs above the beach.

This is the view a few yards from the RV.

On to LA where we meet up with Neal's friends.  We spend a morning at the Getty Museum overlooking LA.

We see a Vermeer on loan and then walk the gardens.

At a State Park north of LA, Gwen makes friends and learns how to ride a scooter.   We'll continue to make our way north along the coast.