Kirch Flat

 

 

 



June 21st

Do you know what is between the beach and the mountains?  Nothing.  A big HOT nothing.  We spent a day in the truck intermittently wiping our brows and watching the temperature gauge of the truck as we drove through Fresno’s 100 degree temperatures and the Sierra Nevada's steep mountain ranges. The truck is still overheating.  Tom pulled over and tried a new cocktail of water coolant.   All in all, mostly just an unpleasant drive.  

We were briefly rewarded with a curious little pit stop in Santa Paula, CA called the Loose Caboose.  It was, we thought, just a simple produce stand.  It turned out to be a mesmerizing maze of barnyard animals, peacocks, and quirky wares that spanned over at least an acre.  We spent  an hour scoping the whole place out.   The kids loved the baby chicks.  Tom and I were most impressed with the trees that had been turned upside down and were now holding large bird nests in their roots.  It was a welcome oasis in our long hot drive.

 

I had decided that our best bet for Sequoia National Park would be a section of road that promises several free BLM (Bureau of Land Management) campgrounds that are free to the public.   It also appeared that the road went directly through the middle of Sequoia National Park, so it would make a great homebase for exploring the park.  There were a few omens along the way that should have cued me in to what was going to happen next.   First, we stopped at a little gas station just outside of the forest called the "I Forgot Store".  And then, as we rumbled along the road, we began spotting these gigantic pine cones. It was beginning to feel like we were entering a new dimension. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  The mountain was so beautiful, that we briefly forgot how miserable we had been the whole way up there.  A few of my assumptions were right!  The campgrounds are free.  There was plenty of space available.  And the road, did in fact, run right through the middle of the National Forest.  By the time we arrived at Kirch Flat Campground, the sun was setting , the temperature was dropping and we were very sleepy.  After that tiresome drive we were looking forward to a good nights rest so we could jump up and make our way to the General Sherman tree inside the park. 

 

 
 

 

 

 

When we woke up, the temperature was still bearable, and we became temporarily sidetracked by this amazing cove full of gigantic pollywogs just behind our campsite.  We spent the better part of the early afternoon catching those fat little tadpoles.  And then…the sun really came out.  It was suddenly unbearably hot.   As in…if I fell asleep, I would probably never wake up again hot. We asked another set of campers if they knew how to get into the park from our location.  They just happened to be locals and were amazed that we had found Kirch Flat in the first place.  Apparently only locals stay here.  Why?  Because the road to Kirch Flat does indeed sit inside the Sequoia National Forest, but it doesn’t take you to the park at all.  It dead ends.  Our only option was to drive back down the mountain,  all the way back to Fresno, down south, and then drive an equal distance back through the main entrance.  A four to five hour drive.  On that hot awful road.  On this hot awful day.  I wanted to cry.  I got a headache instead.

 We spent the rest of the day driving back down the roads that we had come yesterday.  It had essentially taken us an entire day to get back to the same spot we had passed almost 24 hours ago.  A complete waste of day and gasoline.  The heat had given me a horrible headache and I felt terribly nauseous the whole way down.  It was then, in those weak moments, that I declared tonight a hotel night.  We spent a whopping $60 for a hotel room in Visalia, CA and even ordered pizza.  The kids swam in a swimming pool.  I washed all of our laundry in the bathtub and charged every phone, computer, and camera that we had.  And we slept in the air conditioning and woke up feeling like new people ready for an adventure.    I'm not going to lie.  That hotel felt pretty awesome.

Looking back, it would be easy to write Kirch Flat off as a very big and expensive mistake.  An unpleasant side effect of our no-planning road trip.  In fact, from a logistics and financial standpoint, it was exactly that!  But at the end of the day, the kids are probably going to remember that pool of pollywogs as the highlight of their trip.  Fat, slimy, wiggly pollywogs as big as their palms.  That is what they will remember. So that is a price we are willing to pay.

Our Trip Summed Up: 

Miles Driven:  3,469

Days Remaining:   20

Currently in:  Visalia, CA

Total Spending so far:    Gas:       $1,015.02 out $1,500 goal

                                                Sleep:  $135 out of a $500 goal

                                                Eat:        $483.08 out of a $600 goal

                                                Other:  $175.67 out of a $400 goal

                                                Grand Total:  $1,808.77 out of a $3,000 goal

 

Venice Beach

June 20th

 

 

A few childhood dreams came true today.  We paid $9 to park our camper in the Venice Beach parking lot and made it our home base for the day.  I kept expecting the parking attendant to come and order us out, but it never happened!  It must have been at least 90 degrees today, but somehow the ocean breeze coming through our camper screens made it feel like 70 degrees all day.  Welcome to California as they say.  And I do have to say…that if you are looking for that classic California feeling…Venice Beach is a place you want to pop in.  The weather is perfect.  Bikini clad masses are skating and biking down the boardwalk.  Weirdness abounds.   Classic California. 

 

 

 

Curiously, …we passed a tall black man, wearing only a thong and some headphones, balancing on a basketball, holding a snake in each hand.  (Later, as we were walking  back, we discovered that the snakes were fakes, though.  Well played thong man....well played). Olive watched with amazement as another little old man crushed a large sheet full of liquor bottles on the ground and proceeded to sit on it while an audience member stood on his legs.  But the highlight of Ivy’s day was watching the acrobatic act of the Calypso Tumblers.  She watched with only mild amusement as they breakdanced and flipped across the concrete.  But when they asked for a cute little girl to volunteer for the next act, she raised her hand high and jumped like a spring till they chose her.  Her assignment was to follow the choreography for the benefit of hundreds of spectators.   That would have been enough.  Her biggest dream came true when the leader rewarded her with a $20 bill for her participation.  She couldn’t take her eyes off that money till I finally stashed it in her spending wallet for her.  She couldn’t believe she had danced in front of people and got paid for it.  I doubt she will forget that!  I have to commend the Calypso Tumblers for their ingenious method of insuring that an audience of hundreds of people are  sure to pay up.  With twenties instead of ones.  And it worked beautifully. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we played in the playground, Tom took off to skate inside Venice’s infamous skatepark.  It was the one thing he had wanted to do since he was a little kid. 

Tom:  Funnest park I ever skated. 

Sara:  [Smile.] 

By days end, we agreed that Venice Beach was exactly our speed.  I slept in the sun.  Tom skated and surfed.  The kids played in the sand and at the playground.  We will definitely come back here if we can concoct some inexpensive way to spend the nights.  Unfortunately, as we would see over the next few days, California is very camper family UNFRIENDLY.    Sleeping on the side of the road is illegal, and lodging is very expensive.   There was no space in any of the beachside campgrounds, so we headed north and discovered the perfectly free and  legal method of “en route camping”.  Essentially, there are some campgrounds that let you park in their parking lot if the campground is full.   We slept next to the ocean in the El Carpinteria campground parking lot for 75 cents, which was the cost of a hot 2 minute shower.     With an incredible beach day under our feet, we decided to make our way to the forest.   Sequoia National Park is where we would  go next.  Or at least that is what I thought.  Up next would actually turn out to be my big route blunder.  More on that next time.   In the meantime...

Our Trip Summed Up: 

Miles Driven:  3,274

Days Remaining:   22

Currently in:  El Carpinteria, CA

Total Spending so far:    Gas:       $947.02 out $1,500 goal

                                                Sleep:  $75 out of a $500 goal

                                                Eat:        $395.08 out of a $600 goal

                                                Other:  $126 out of a $400 goal

                                                Grand Total:  $1,543.10 out of a $3,000 goal

                                                 EEK!  This is not looking good!!! 

 

Olive turns 7 and learns to change brake pads....

 June 19th

Today was a special day!  Today was Olive's birthday and we were excited to spend it with her in Malibu.  We aren't exactly Malibu kind of people, but it sounded cool anyway.  First, we stopped at Winchell's Donuts for a birthday breakfast.  As we were driving the hills towards Malibu State Park, we realized very quickly that something was very wrong with the brakes.  The squeaky grinding noise we were hearing was disconcerting, to say the least.   Bad News Bears.   We stopped at AutoZone for some parts and then Tom pulled over into a park that provided both a playground and a shady spot to fix the truck.  Olive agreed that we could celebrate her birthday tomorrow if necessary, and then we started the timer.  It took 95 minutes to fix the brakes.  But Tom thinks he could have done it a little quicker if he hadn't been apprenticing.  Plenty of time to celebrate Olive's birthday today!

We finally arrived at a campground and there was actually a space for us!  Unfortunately, it was a very expensive space!!!  Up to this point we had only spent $30 to sleep in total.  The Malibu campground was $45!  We sucked it up, shelled it out, and proceeded with Olive's birthday.  At the campground we met a funny little family that travels with their pet Scarlet Macaw.  The kids spent most of the time chatting them (and the bird) up. 

And finally, it was time to celebrate.  We ate one of Olive's favorite dinners...Ramen Noodles.  She helped me with her favorite chore...washing dishes.  Then it was time to  head to the grocery store for birthday shopping.  Olive and I went in one direction to secretly choose the cake.  Tom, Ivy and Dizzy went the other direction to find a present.  At the campsite, I wrapped her presents in aluminum foil (how convienent!!!)  and Olive surprised the family with her choice of birthday cake. What did she score?  Some sticky hands (the kind you throw at the wall), some little jelly beads that expand in water, and a pack of orange Tic Tacs.  Best birthday ever.

 

 

Mom..."Olive...what was your favorite part about your birthday?"
Olive..."Presents and cake.  So basically everything."



Our Trip Summed Up: 

Days Remaining:  23

Miles Driven:  3113

Currently in:  Malibu, CA

Total Spending so far:    Gas:       $900 out $1,500 goal

                                            Sleep:  $75 out of a $500 goal

                                             Eat:      $350 out of a $600 goal

                                             Other:  $ 93out of a $400 goal

                                                Grand Total:  $1,418 out of a $3,000 goal

First Hike, First Sand

 

 

 

 

June 18th

I personally like rolling into a campground late at night.  It is a funny feeling to peek outside and get to see where you slept.  We opened our eyes to a beautiful mountainside and decided to take our first hike before we headed out to the beach.  It was a beautiful hike and the kids did so well.  We knew we had to start breaking them in before marching them through Yosemite!  Lizard chasing ensued.  Frequent stops in the shade.  It was a nice start to our day.

The first beach we came across was Dana Point Beach in Southern California.  A pretty ritzy little place with a perfectly nice beach.  Immediately, upon pulling into the parking lot, a surfer pulled up next to us and gave us a thumbs up for our "Rad Ride".  We have been in Tennessee long enough that I actually thought the term "rad" had expired.  But oh no....we were professed as "Rad" more than once, which made us realize we were going to fit in just fine.  The kids bounded down the cliffside stairs and wasted no time testing out the waters.  Tom finally got to surf a few waves. 

 

 

 

 

 

We headed back to our "rad ride" for lunch and then it was time to keep moving.  There was a lot more for us to see.

After driving for a considerable amount of time, it became clear to us that California is NOT very friendly to gypsies that just want to sleep on the side of the road.  Apparently it is illegal...in the entire state of California.  Even campgrounds require a two day window before you can reserve one.   Your only hope is to pull into one and ask for availability (there wasn't).  Walmarts don't like overnighters in California either.  Eventually we pulled into Jim's Burgers in Altadena for a bite to eat and Tom actually considered sleeping in the parking lot...real sneaky like.   Thankfully, my cousin Carl came to the rescue and offered to let us crash at his place in Pomona. It was the perfect opportunity to catch up with him.  Besides, based on Jim's surly response to a customer's request for fresh fries, I doubt that he would have been real keen on us sleeping in his lot.  But whatever.  My fries were good for the record! 

 

 

 

Our Trip Summed Up: 

Days Remaining:  24

Miles Driven:  2,927

Currently in:  Pomona, CA

Total Spending so far:    Gas:       $855 out $1,500 goal

                                            Sleep:  $30 out of a $500 goal

                                             Eat:      $353 out of a $600 goal

                                             Other:  $40 out of a $400 goal

                                            Grand Total:  $1,278 out of a $3,000 goal

Riverside

June 16th-17th

Today we took a long road through the desert to visit all the "new cousins" in Riverside, CA.   The ride was long and hot...but surprisingly pretty.  I loved watching all the trains make their way through the tumbleweed landscape.  The bright orange engines pushing through dust devils.  We left the house on the river a good 30 minutes before Nicole and Danny, and they managed to honk their horn and wave at us a mere 30 minutes into our drive!  I think we arrived in Riverside two hours later than they did!  Just the Hill family, poking along in our Snail camper.  We stopped at a few little places along the way, trying to imagine thriving towns where only black birds perched now.

The kids have a whole set of cousins in Riverside that they have never met, so it was pretty fun to introduce them to new friends every few hours!  Our first stop was Gordie and Lucy's house in Mira Loma.  Gordie is an eclectic collector of things, so their property was a wonderland for all the kids. 
The highlight of the day was the kittens strewn around the property.  Olive immediately started a search and rescue party to collect as many kittens as she could find. 

 

 

The next day we met up with my cousins Allan and Ronnie to eat some actual Mexican food (sorry Tennessee....but you just don't have it!).  After Tom ate a whole Chimichanga, he was foolish enough to challenge Allan's daughter Skyler to a game of SKATE at the local park.  She beat him.  We are down another dollar.

The next day, Tom took a few minutes to remove the thermostat in the truck.  He suspected that might be the reason for the overheating.  From there, we headed out of Riverside to Lake Elsinore to visit my cousin Adam and his kids.  Adam whipped up some burgers and roasted some buttery squash from his garden.  The kids ran outside on a lizard hunt with their expert guide, cousin Lucas.  As the night wore down, Lucas tried to talk us into staying the night. Lily attempted to stow away in our camper. 

We had big hugs and it was time to go, because we had a date with our long time family friend, Janet Hughes, to eat ice cream on the way out of town.  She gave us some directions to our next campsite at the Blue Jay campground.  It was a beautiful drive over the mountain, and directly on the way to our first big goal...the Pacific.

 

 

It was so great to visit the friends and family over the past few days.  We missed a few, which is the big downside to driving without plans.   But we had a great time and we hope to come back soon to catch everyone again.  Our next stop is the ocean.


Our Trip Summed Up: 

Days Remaining:  25

Miles Driven:  2,762

Currently in:  Lake Elsinore, CA

Total Spending so far:    Gas:       $796 out $1,500 goal

                                            Sleep:  $30 out of a $500 goal

                                             Eat:      $208.08 out of a $600 goal

                                             Other:  $40 out of a $400 goal

                                                Grand Total:  $979.08 out of a $3,000 goal