Seal Beach Days

We have had a great time in California and are enjoying our time in Seal Beach.

One good thing about it is the campground. The Sea Breeze RV Resort Park is one of the best we've been to.

The campsites are large and level, the laundry is free it is right on the edge of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge.

It is also centrally located for our needs.  We are fairly close to shopping and the airport and some nice areas to visit.  Like Long Beach, Huntington Beach, Pasadena, Yorba Linda and La Mirada.

Over the past couple of weeks we checked out the Los Angeles AFB in San Pedro CA which is about 30 minutes away and decided we didn't want to put family up in quarters over there. (Planning for Christmas visitors).  On the way over there to check it out, we passed over some big bridges in Long Beach.  Wow!  What a sight with all the shipping and containerized business in the port.

We've also been to Pasadena for a large swap meet at the Rose Bowl.  Getting to see the inside of the stadium was awesome! The swap meet around the parking lot of the stadium reminded us of the swap meet at Aloha Stadium.  We didn't find anything there we couldn't do with out.

Right after I returned from Sioux Falls on Thursday, we went over to the grand opening of the new Chick-Fil-A restaurant in Seal Beach.

We were excited to see Scottie, the new owner/operator.

He lived in Virginia Beach a few years ago. In fact, we stayed in his beach house the very night before we went to purchase our Allegro Bus in May 2009.

We have driven over to Huntington Beach to check out the ocean and do some shopping (Dicks Sporting Goods) and to see the area.  Lots of RVs were lined up in the parking lot RV campground on the beach.  Looked pretty windy but it was beautiful.
We were near Huntington Beach last week when we ate at Applebee's on Veteran's Day.

We drove 30 minutes to spend the day at the Richard Nixon Museum and Library in Yorba Linda which was very well done.  I liked it a lot and it is one of my favorite Presidential Museums to day.
More on that on another post.

Yesterday we drove over to La Mirada and attended the church were nephews Ben and Nate (and their families) attend.  Nice communities in these parts.  The areas we have been to seem to be well maintained, in mostly nice areas.

Each day has been a little different, but yesterday we had a leisurely morning as we showered and got ready for church.  We drove from Seal Beach over to La Mirada and met our two nephews at their church.  We hit the jackpot because it was 'pot luck' Sunday and we got to have lunch and meet their friends.  We enjoyed that.

Next, we went over to Walmart, picked up some things and then found a Dick's Sporting Goods in Huntington Beach.  We exchanged a Women's Small golf glove for a Medium size.  (Happy Birthday Pam!)
Then we took the Pacific Coast Highway from Huntington Beach to Seal Beach and saw some beautiful beaches on a nice day.

After some football watching, we went over to Joe's Crab Shack for dinner.

 It is on the marina in Long Beach.

They weather has been fabulous and we are glad to be here.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

The Biggest Piece of Gold You'll Ever See

Last weekend, we were in California's "Gold Rush" Area of Calaveras County and took a side trip to see the Ironstone Winery in Murphy, California.  About 15 miles away from the winery, the Sonora Mining Corporation found the largest pocket of crystalline leaf gold.  The surprising thing for me was that this was not discovered in 1849, or even in the 1800's but in 1992.  In fact December 26, 1992.

How is this for a piece:

Marty, Elena, Pam and I went to see Ironstone Winery last weekend.  While we waited for the tour of the winery to begin, we dawdled in the Heritage museum.

One thing I liked was the Wells Fargo strong boxes.

The area's most famous/infamous stage coach robber, Black Bart, also liked the strong boxes and was active in the area from his first holdup in 1875. He became Wells Fargo's Most Wanted Man until his capture in 1883.

Over in the corner of the museum was the massive vault and the gold.

Obviously, this was the centerpiece of the museum and the impressive 44-pound piece of gold.  Hard to comprehend.

Inside the vault, you could go in and walk around the display that was heavily alarmed and covered in a glass case.

Though the museum is not a large one by many standards, it certainly full of interesting artifacts.  We only spent a few minutes in the museum and jewelry store but it was a fun one and a great start to our time at Ironstone Vineyards.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

The Redwoods of Northern California

We took another day trip through the Redwoods a few days ago.  It was a short drive from our campground in Crescent City up to Highway 199 off Elk Valley Road to the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

This was an interesting drive through the Redwoods.  I couldn't believe that within 10 miles of the coast, we were in the deep woods with the huge and magnificent redwoods.  We were there in no time.  Then it was time to slow down and gaze and ponder these trees.  It was breath taking.  

Everywhere I turned it was another picture opportunity.  Or ten.

The road was mostly dirt and wound through the side of the mountains and between the large trees.

Our little Honda was dwarfed by them.

It was a tight squeeze at times, but we went slowly and there was enough space for others to get by.

We found a trail in the Stout Memorial Grove and had another picnic.

Then we started out on another short hike.

The trail was an easy one and either paved and/or very well maintained.

It is hard to grasp the size of these trees.

It was a nice day, not too cool ~ for a good walk through the woods.

The decaying Redwoods seem to rot from the inside and leave a thick, spiny bark of a shell.

The carpet of needles and mulch made for a comfortable walk.

The trail has been well maintained over the years and goes along side of many fallen trees.

We were not alone and saw 20 or 30 folks on this trail.

We enjoyed it and decided to try some other trails.  Stay tuned.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

Sunday on the Oregon Coast

It was a beautiful day on the Oregon Coast.  We are staying at the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.  It is a great state park.  They have lots of Oregon State Parks along the coast and they know how to set them up, run and operate them.

Our spot is not real spacious but we got into it with no problem.  It has full hookups and a fire ring that we have used every day.

One thing I think is pretty neat is that the campgrounds have sites for "Hikers and Bikers".  We have mostly seen folks (usually in pairs but not always) on bikes roll in after 4:00 P.M.  They are making their way along the Oregon Coast Bike Trail and the State Parks have tent sites and areas for Hiker and Bikers.

This is a portion of the map I found online.  I met a couple here for the night who were from Victoria, BC.  Another couple here yesterday were from Great Britain.  Plus lots more from Oregon and Washington state.

Yesterday we went for a hike around the small lake near the campground.  Beautiful trees, clear water chirping birds.  Lake Marie was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930's and has a one mile trail around the lake.

Then we went over to the lighthouse.  Ship wrecks in the 1800's were a scary thing and were all too common.  So lighthouses were built all along the coast.  This one was built in 1894 showing the entrance to the Umpqua River.

Looks like there is some U.S. Coast Guard active duty housing on the property.

Next, we took a drive up the Umpqua River on Highway 38 to the Dean Creek Viewing Area.  Way more than I expected.

Sure enough-- a herd of elk were hanging out and eating a lot of grass.

After a picnic along the river, we went back to Charlestown south past Coos Bay and checked out some of the viewing observation points along the NW Oceanview Drive along the coastal road not far from Agate State Beach.  We found one with a lot of seals.

Friends of the Southern Oregon Coastal National Wildlife Rufuges had some scopes set up and a display showing the kinds and type of seals we were looking watching.

Like other volunteers, these folks give up their day to make it informative and a pleasant experience for the rest of us 'tourists'.

At another stop in the area, we saw more seals

and then we went to the observation area over on the other side of the parking lot.

We wondered what was over there and found that there was a whale in the area that was spewing out and surfacing a bit in the distance.

We caught glimpses of him.  And I do mean glimpses.

This might be the best shot I got of him

It was a beautifully gorgeous day and a great time to get out and see some of the Oregon coast.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...