Fun in California

John and I just got back from a fun trip to California. We drove to Reno the first night and then into Alameda (my hometown)
the next day. That night we went to dinner with some friends.
The next day we went to church in Alameda Ward. There were very few people that I know....but what can you expect when
you are 60+ and return to your home ward? The people we knew were from 17 years ago when we lived in Alameda with mother for a year while John was on sabbatical and worked in Palo Alto.
Monday we rode over to Muir Woods and hiked around and then drove to Marin Headlands and Rodeo Beach. We ate lunch on the beach and relaxed and enjoyed hearing the waves crashing and watching the surfers.
That night we ate dinner with my brother, Bill, and niece, Danette. We enjoyed visiting with them.
Tuesday morning we went to a session at the Oakland Temple and then drove back to Alameda and took the ferry from there
to Fisherman's Wharf. We had a shrimp and crab louis salad at Scoma's along with lots of San Francisco Sourdough bread. YUM! After taking the ferry back to Alameda, we drove down the coast and ended up staying in a very interesting place.
We noticed a sign for camping and lodging and drove off the road a ways to Costanoa. There were many RV and camping sites and a lodge and some wooden cabins and many tent cabins. The only rooms they had available were the tent cabins. He gave us a key to go check one out. We decided we were up to the adventure!
The cabins were framed with a floor, but plastic canvas was all that covered the walls. Notice picture of the inside...only
room for the bed and that was about it...complete with cozy robes to wear to the showers and bathroom which were a few
hundred feet from our cabin, and a basket full of luxury soap and towels. The bathrooms were rustic looking, but very nice, nothing shabby about it. Another picture shows the view from our door and grandma and grandpa enjoying the view. Only drawback was that it got VERY cold that night. We studied our Russian and when our hands were freezing, we decided it was time for bed. The bed had a heated mattress pad and a down comforter, so we were cozy warm, but you didn't want your nose or any part of your face sticking out! In the morning we stayed in bed until the sunshine warmed it up a bit.







The next day we walked along the beach until about noon when we had tickets to see the Elephant Seals at Ano Neuvo Reserve which was 3 miles from Costanoa. We were on a guided walk with about 18 others. We saw lots of bulls and cows and calves...over 2000 they said. They are huge animals...especially the bulls. Google them sometime.
That afternoon we left the coast and headed inland.
The next day we drove to Death Valley. It took most of the day to get there. We visited Scotty's Castle that afternoon, driving over there in a terrific duststorm. We stayed that night at Stovepipe Wells in the Park. We had a bit of rain and even some snow when we drove up to the Charcoal Kilns, but very pleasant weather for Death Valley. We went on a couple of hikes and then left the park about 3;30 and drove to St. George to spend the night.
Only had a short drive on Saturday and now we have to get busy and get much done in the next two weeks. Our Sacrament Mtg. talks will be at 9AM sunday Feb. 22 455E. 200S. PG. We enter the MTC the next day!