It's hard to believe that we've been in Santa Cruz for nearly a month. The time has been flying, and we've been having a great time with Noreen & Susan. The life here is at a different pace than anywhere else we've been, and quite frankly - It Agrees With Us!!
Even though so much time has past, we thought you'd be interested in the details of our travels from Las Vegas, NV to Santa Cruz, CA. We've not yet discussed this, and Donna has put together a Picasa photo album to bring you up to present day. But before we get to the pictures, we'll add some commentary to give you an idea of the leg of our journey getting here, and some taste of our life here in California.
We left Las Vegas on Sunday, September 7. Like most early Autumn days in southern Nevada, the weather was sunny and warm and it was a good day to be on the road. It doesn't take long heading West before you cross the border into California. Quite honestly, in this region there's nothing to differentiate one state from the other - except perhaps the absence of casinos once the border is crossed. As expected, soon after entering California we were stopped for an agricultural inspection. We had anticipated this, and because we were coming to California (and also because this trip took us through a portion of Canada), Donna had left all of her 'SUV' garden behind. (Donna's SUV garden is whatever will fit in the cargo area of our Ford Escape when we're towing it behind The Bounder.) California wants to be certain that no plants carrying noxious insects - or disease carrying animals - are imported into the state. So all that we'd brought along across the border were some California oranges - which didn't seem to bother the inspector; because we passed with flying colors and were soon on our way again.
Our original plans had called for a leisurely drive over several days, with several Wal-Mart stops for the night along the way; but we changed our plans before leaving Las Vegas to make a bit better time, and to spend three nights at an RV resort in Bakersfield, CA. So after a long day of driving across the desert, we entered California's fertile Central Valley near Bakersfield, and found our way to the Bakersfield RV Resort. This park is quite new - and quite nice. It is highly recommended. It has a surprisingly good restaurant and bar, as well as a pleasant pool area with pergolas surrounding the pool sporting misters to provide some relief from the 100+ degree temperatures of Summer. (Even in the early Fall, we were pushing 100 degrees during our stay.)
We relaxed in Bakersfield for a few days, catching up on laundry, e-mail and our Bounderacrossamerica.com blog; and then on Wednesday, September 10, we set on the final leg of our journey - To Santa Cruz, CA.
The drive to Santa Cruz took us through the fruit and vegetable rich California 'breadbasket' to America. All along the way, after finally leaving the desert, we saw nothing but well-tended agricultural fields - all lush with ripening fruits and vegetables. Growing up in Wisconsin, we are of course, familiar with what agriculture looks like; but in California it really looks quite different. Grain crops, in rich loamy soil where there is generally adequate rain, and with cows never far from sight, have a familiar 'farmy' look. But in California, with it's brownish clay and nearly desert climate, the addition of aqueducts and irrigation canals give the fields a much different look. The sides of the roads where we drove were bare of weeds. The fields are empty of non fruit-baring trees and stray grasses. The land is mostly flat. And the rows are precision perfect - with plant heights all uniform, and no sign of farm animals. Every plant and tree, in every row of every field looks strong and healthy. It's really quite beautiful, but lacks a bit of the charm and character we're used to from Mid-West fields.
Along the way we also encountered another type of field. We passed several wind farms, with more high-standing wind turbines than we've ever seen before. Surprisingly, these farms don't mimic the organic fields that inhabit the same areas. The turbines all seem to be placed in what can best be characterized as a haphazard pattern - with no discernible pattern of rows, and heights varying as the windmills dot the hillier landscapes. Again, like the agricultural fields, really quite beautiful.
Late Wednesday afternoon we arrived at Scotts Valley, CA and the Santa Cruz Ranch RV Resort - our home for the next four months. Since arriving our days have been filled with family and friends of family. It hasn't taken us long, and we are now feeling a part of the community. We've seen the San Francisco Mime Company on a beautiful Sunday afternoon; we've attended a political rally which included a baroque music concert thrown in for good measure; we've hung out by the sea at beautiful Monterey Bay, we've attended our first ever film festival - The Pacific Rim Film Festival, right here in Santa Cruz; and we've even joined a group called Life-Long Learners, sponsored by the University of California at Santa Cruz (Donna is participating in the Horticultural special interest group, and Glen has joined the Creative Writing special interest group).
No need to say more - Donna's Picasa album should fill in the details. It can be viewed by clicking on the link:
Although our blog updates have slowed down - we haven't. And so stop by once in awhile and give a look. Until our next edition, stay well, keep smiling, and have fun.
Donna & Glen
