Rained pretty hard last night. Slept well, lulled by the rocking of the RV in the wind and the drumming of the raindrops on the roof. Not to mention the sounds of the surf.

Nice and clear when we woke up, though. Beautiful blue skies over the colorful ocean – the sun hitting the water really brought out the different shades of blue. I watched a rainbow in the clouds over the water while enjoying my morning coffee.

Up and at em, we headed over to Jake and Jennie’s. We all open presents in between family dropping by for a visit before heading out. Lots of fun to chat even more with everyone.

helping assemble new toys!

Eventually everyone has headed on their way, Jake leaves for the airport, and Jennie, Griffin, Ashley and I head out to take care of some weekend chores before Monday’s workday. We pick up bags from the RV for our stay, go get groceries, and then return to the house for supper.

It started spitting rain just as we were gearing up to hop on the motorcycle. So we took Jim Perlette up on his repeated ride offerings. Geared down as we waited, gave him the tour once he arrived, and headed toward the hotel where we breakfasted with Dan, Michelle and the girls.

Then it was over to the Lion’s Club property to help set up for the party. There were a handful of us there, hanging decorations, blowing up balloons, arranging food, and more. The place was very festive and we wrapped up as the first guest started arriving. Family, friends, co-workers, and more came to celebrate Griffin’s first birthday. And he was a champ, surviving with only a few minute nap that came hours late. He enjoyed his cake (after dis-regarding the trial-run cupcakes over the last few days) and didn’t cry when everyone sang to him.

The party wound down and friends trickled off, leaving only family for the remainder of the afternoon/evening. Horseshoes were tossed, conversations had, and jokes were made. A brick oven rolled up (literally, on a trailer) and fresh wood-fired pizzas were served. To celebrate a few other pending birthdays, Bella and Ella shared a cake for everyone’s dessert. Decorations came down quickly with everyone pitching in. Jim and Karen had presents for Bella, Sophie, and Olivia since they haven’t seen them over the last holiday or two.

Once everyone was packed away, Jim gave us a ride back to the RV. He told us about his guitar playing and, once we arrived, played a recording of him and his jam buddy playing a song together. It was beautiful! Such talent!

It didn’t take long for us to wind down for the evening. After a long, full day there wasn’t much for us to do beyond reading for a bit and then bed.

Caught up with Norma and Jim on the phone – spotted dolphins out in the distance, playing in the water.

We got our “biz” cards!

Ashley had a hammock yoga class and then an aerial fitness class with Jennie in the morning. She loved it, though it was much harder than she anticipated, but in a good way. I spent the morning reading and writing while overlooking the ocean. Talked to Mom for a bit.

The girls let me know they were heading to the house so I packed up and joined them. Family from both sides trickled in throughout the afternoon and we spent the day visiting and being entertained by Griffin.

Went over to the park to drop off party supplies for tomorrow – it’s a beautiful facility and the day will be a blast.

Supper at the house with everyone, home-made mexican by Griff’s nanny. It was delicious!

Finally motorcycled home.

Plans have been made, we’re going to meet Jennie this afternoon so that she and Ashley can take Griffin to the baby gym. (They only allow two chaperones) and I’m going to get some work done online.

So we hop on the bicycles and head out for a ride. The trail runs just beside our spot, so there’s no way to miss it. We headed down the trail, following the shoreline and end up in Ventura. The trail seems to run out, so we circle around and head back. Stop at the RV for a water break and end up chatting with a neighbor – a fellow RVer with a motorcycle who’s looking at our set-up for ideas.

Then it was time to head into Carpinteria to meet Jennie and Griffin. After a short visit, the girls and the Griff went to the gym while I stayed and got some emails scheduled and other online chores taken care of.

Everyone came back and we set up Griffin’s train. It was so much fun! He loved riding it and he’s just so energetic and happy!

Jake picked up Thai for supper. Delicious!

After supper Jake’s dad and step-mom dropped by, just arriving in town. We chatted with them for a bit before everyone left for the evening. His dad offered a place to stay when we get up to Oregon, and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him.

We’re aiming for a first-come “campground” on the beach a few miles away from Carpinteria for the weekend. It’s the closest place that should have a spot available during Griffin’s birthday. We figure that getting there pretty early on Thursday should ensure we get a spot.

Ashley’s eager to start heading that way so we’re closer for a quick trip on Thursday morning, so we pack up and head out. Up and over the mountains we drive, stopping at a rest area for lunch. There’s a bit of cell signal there, so we’re able to check messages finally. On we head, and find ourselves in urban sprawl. Hmm… there’s no where we can spend the night wild camping. We call and check with the rangers about the nearby National Forest, but no dispersed camping allowed.

On we head to the county beach. It’s basically paid parallel parking, but there’s enough room for us and the trailer and it’s wide enough for the awning and room to spare. 10′ out our front door is a row of boulders that drop down to the beach and ocean. We’re about 50′ away from the water’s edge.

I make supper while Ashley plans out the trip and fills out the permit application for the John Muir Trail.

Bit of a slow morning. I woke before the alarm and watched the sun rise while sipping my coffee. Ashley snoozed later and enjoyed some tea. We had a leisurely breakfast and eventually hopped on the motorcycle for a short trip up the road.

Turning onto a gravel road, we endured 2.4 miles of washboards to our last trail to explore in Death Valley Nat. Park. We were the lone motorcycle in the parking lot at the trailhead, which generally seems to be the case.

The hike was a short one, relatively easy. It started out following a dry stream bed and eventually toured next to it. As we headed up the canyon we noticed more greenery – bushes with leaves, occasional flowers, and eventually grass! The last quarter of the trail was an entirely different environment, lush, cool and vibrantly green!

We could hear the waterfall before we saw it, and the final turn in the trail showed us a beautiful pool beneath a 25′ waterfall cascading down the rocks. Darwin Falls flows year round and creates a beautiful oasis within the desert. There was another group at the falls, though they wandered off after we’d been there for a few minutes. We sat at the water’s edge, snacking on walnuts and dried cranberries, and generally taking in the view and enjoying the sounds of the water.

Eventually, we heard voices in the distance and decided it was time to mosey along. We headed back down the canyon to the motorcycle where we, once again, made our way across the washboards.

A quick stop at the gas station ($3.98 a gallon!) provided no wifi source so we headed back home without purchasing anything. After lunch we decided that a lazy afternoon spent in was in order. I took a bit of a nap while Ashley read. We both read. Then it was time to start supper. Ash put together fajitas while I made tortillas. Delicious!

Out for an early morning bike ride before starting to pack up. I make hummus while Ashley showers. Once everything is packed we dump tanks and refill water. The gas station has been refilled so I add about a quarter tank to the RV and fill up the motorcycle. Then, back at the site, we hook up the trailer and load the motorcycle and head out of Death Valley, back over the mountains where we came in.

Long, steep climb to get over the mountain and then alternate between first and second gear to work our way down the other side. But it’s only 30 miles to the next valley, just outside of the park boundaries into BLM land. We pull a quarter mile off the road and park in the desert, set up for the night.

After lunch we hop on the motorcycle and head over the next mountain range, potentially our next leg of the route in the RV. The views are spectacular – Joshua trees up on the plateau, expansive vistas overlooking valleys and various mountains, and only a few dozen vehicles spotted in an hour’s ride. The Sierra Nevada appears before us as we begin to descend from the plateau and draw closer for the next 30 minutes while we aim for Lone Pine (where the RV will potentially be parked while we hike the John Muir trail this summer). We stop at the Visitors Center, which has all kinds of information and maps for the different parks and trails. We pick up a Delorme California Atlas – it shows BLM, National Forest, etc lands in addition to the landscaping on each section of ground. So we’ll have a good idea now of where we can boondock without having to be so concerned about who actually owns the property.

Stop at a little cafe/restaurant/ice cream parlor/gift shop to share a coffee and take advantage of wifi. This is the first time we’ve had any sort of phone signal and we wanted to let family know a) where we are b) where we’re headed c) that we’re fine. Plus, we need to look up scheduling for John Muir Trail permit applications and send out the weekly A-S email.

Online tasks completed, we head back toward the RV, where it proves too sandy to get the motorcycle loaded back on the trailer. We’ll take care of that tomorrow. Then it’s supper time – a delicious marinara sauce made out of the left-over homemade pizza sauce from Saturday served over spaghetti squash.

We read a bit before bed.

Woke early, ate breakfast and headed out. It’s still the weekend and we want to go hike the Golden Canyon/Gower Gulch Loop trail before it gets too crowded and too warm. We get there with only a few cars in the parking lot and head out to the trail, which wanders through Golden Canyon before meandering through the Badlands. We had a great time, wandering between the hills, up and over some ridges, and generally enjoying the different formations and scenery.

A trail branch headed toward Zabriskie Point (a don’t miss in the guide book) and we figured it was worth a try. Only a couple hundred yards away from the road and the parking lot, connected by a paved trail, it was pretty busy. Three times (twice by the same person) we were asked to take photos for hyperactive foreign tourists, which we pleasantly obliged. That was enough for us, so we headed back into the canyons, off the blacktop path and into the sand. It took only a minute or two to leave any sort of crowds behind so that it seemed we had the place to ourselves once again.

Working our way down the wash we scrambled down boulders and were treated to an expansive view of the valley, and of the gully that is hidden from the road. Back at the parking lot where we started, there were more cars but it still wasn’t crowded like yesterday.

Heading back toward the RV we detoured across the street from the campground and rode up the road to explore Mosaic Canyon. 2.4 miles up a rocky washboard gravel road almost proved to be too much for the motorcycle, but we made it and started hiking into the canyon. Again, we passed through the bulk of the crowds until only a few people appeared every now and again. We followed the trail until it seemed to end at a dry waterfall, about 20′ tall. Just about to turn around, we spotted a couple coming down what looked like a side trail who told us that there was more ahead. Following their advice, we headed on up the trail with more rock scrambling and boulder crossing. We ended up at a 50′ stone wall, polished smooth by years of water flowing down it (though it was bone dry now). The only ones there, it was a great place to sit and enjoy a bit of a snack (since it’s past lunch time now and we haven’t yet eaten) and soak in the silence. After a bit we begin to hear the echo of voices and it’s time to head on back down.

The ride down the road is so much smoother than going up, fortunately. It’s only a few minutes before we’re back at the RV, eat lunch and then chatting for a bit with our neighbors on either side. A trio of women on motorcycles pull up, find a spot, and park across from us. They’re on a road trip from somewhere – rare to see a group of only women. The gas station has run out of gas.

After the late lunch we have a few light leftovers for supper, sit outside to watch the sun set, and then head in for an early bed time.

After a morning bicycle ride we trade pedal cycles for the motorcycle and head north to Ubehebe Crater. It’s a volcano/lava chute that blew about 2000 years ago. While hiking around the big crater we walked right next to the Little Hebe crater. What a beautiful view! The craters, multi-colored layers of stone down their sides, all framed by mountain ranges every way we look.

A good number of people there, so we headed south a bit, past the ranger station, to find a spot in the desert off the road for lunch. Then it was time to mosey along. We topped off the gasoline, stopped at the visitors center for an additional map for the Golden Canyon/Gower Gulch Loop trail, and circled around Artists’ Pallete Drive again to get some photos that we neglected to stop for yesterday.

It’s a lot busier today than yesterday. Still no traffic jams but far more people out and about. We decide to pass on the hike this afternoon and head back home. There it’s supper time – our monthly pizza night! Home-made crust and sauce. It was delicious and well worth the wait!

After breakfast we hopped on the motorcycle and headed south to begin exploring Death Valley. We stopped at the Visitors Center for a map and then continued on south to Badwater Basin, the lowest point in the United States, -282 feet below sea level. We parked and walked out past the boardwalk, onto the salt flats for a few hundred yards. (And, yes, it really is salty. Our pinched sample tasted like dirty salt – because, I’m sure, that’s what it was!)

the “Sea Level” sign is way up on the cliff

On past, down to the Ashford Mill ruins. We sat and enjoyed lunch there. The park’s wildflowers are in full bloom – I think we stumbled into the perfect visiting time (we did, one of the best blooms in a decade or multiple decades!). The rocky/sandy fields are yellow with highlights of whites and purples. Without really trying, we spotted nearly a dozen different varieties of flowers. What a beautiful accent to the multicolored lands themselves!

Heading back north, we swing through Artists’ Pallette and enjoy the views there, up close with the blue, green, red, and yellow stone walls. On the way I spot a coyote hiding in the shade just off the roadside and circle back so that Ashley can see it. After filling up with gas (Death Valley is a BIG place and our motorcycle’s gas tank just doesn’t go quite far enough here) we head up to Dantes View. Another coyote slows down traffic by standing in the lane for a few moments before deciding to head back into the bushes as we pass by. It’s a peak overlooking the valley itself, giving us an amazing over-head view of the Badwater salt flats and the Panamint mountains on the other side.

Coyote enjoying the shade, waiting for the roadrunner

Overlooking the salt flats

Overlooking the salt flats

We circle back to the RV and plan tomorrow’s adventures over a delicious supper of stuffed peppers.