Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Friday, December 5, 2008

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Pismo Beach, CA

Montana del Oro State Park, CA

Monarch Grove, Pismo Beach, CA

Morro Bay, CA (The White Pelicans!)

Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas

Coastal Scenes from Hwy 1, CA

Coastal views, elephant seals, and monarchs...unexpected surprises continue!

There is no doubt that Hwy 1 offers one spectacular view after another...but good grief...it just gets better and better! Starting with perfect weather, we hugged the coast finding $1M campground spots right on the ocean along the way. Not only did we have the incredible coastal views and inspiring sunsets, we also stumbled on the elephant seals gathering near Piedras Blancas and the winter home of the 7500+ monarch butterflies near Pismo Beach! The elephant seals will continue to arrive until January when the birthing season begins and then mating in February. The guide convinced us that we would want to return, as what we were witnessing was relatively tame compared to Jan/Feb. Then we followed another volunteer guide's recommendation to stop by the monarch grove. The monarchs are just arriving to gather for the winter months in the eucalyptus grove 20' off the highway. (Some years there have been over 100,000 monarchs by the end of the winter season!) What appeared to be clusters of leaves were actually hundreds of monarchs gathered for warmth on this cool day. We ended up camping at North Campground right behind the grove! For date night (yes, we still do that!) we splurged on a beach site at Carpinteria Beach where we experienced a minus tide uncovering fascinating tide pools and then watched over 20 dolphins feeding and playing just off the beach. I am adding five more albums to the blog to reflect our experience! Enjoy....wish you were here!

Monday, November 3, 2008

36 Hours of Rain: Pumpkin Carving Challenge

15 years and we are still at it! Jim, Nancy, Curt and I gathered at the Lake of the Springs Campground to celebrate Halloween and carve our pumpkins. Each year we recruit "neighbors" or trick or treaters to vote for their favorite pumpkin. Yes, there is a prize for the winner! This year we had to contend with 36 hours of rain and no trick or treaters! So......it is up to you to select your favorite, wet, carved pumpkin to determine who will get the prize this year. No, we are not allowed to bribe or give any hints as to who carved which pumpkin. You just might be surprised! The pumpkins can only be described as the "oh my gosh" face, the "I can hear you now" happy face, the "wolves howling at the moon" and the "ghostly pirate ship." Let us know your favorite! The prize awaits your decisions! Hold the press...there was a new entry. In the past only pumpkins that were carved were allowed. However, this year, we are testing the waters for alternative pumpkins. What do you think? Should we change the rules? Will "spider mummy" win?

Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest/Vote!

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Monday, October 27, 2008

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Halloween in San Diego

Here's the test Halloween Slideshow!