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| Tide pool exploration in Monterey can prove a little too relaxing. |
I'm sitting under tall, green trees in Oregon now, but we've fallen a bit behind in entries, so I'm going to play a little catch up today! Between work, sight-seeing, and of course parenting, there hasn't been much time for organizing pictures, let alone writing. Where is the time?! Brent has taken the girls out to visit a park near our campground in Bandon, Oregon, this morning, so I'm going to make the most of my time. I've poured a cup of coffee, tied up my unbrushed morning hair, and have pulled up a spot at our dining table with the conviction to get up to speed in our journeys if not for friends and family then for posterity.
So, here goes...
I've been sorting through pictures this morning to jog my memory and I'm finding it's a shame I haven't had the time to write down all that we've experienced to this point. Since the Central Valley post, we've been through Steinbeck Country, visited family in Salinas, explored tide pools in Monterey, and ventured up the Central Coast from Big Sur all the way to San Francisco. We did return home for a month at the end of May to help family and spend some time with those we've missed, but we've been out again for nearly a month since then, now having traveled up through the central veins of California, stopping along the way through Ojai, Fresno, Red Bluff, and Redding before reaching our out-of-state destination of Oregon. We've been in Oregon nearly three weeks now, so there is a lot to cover! We've been so fortunate to take this journey, and after nearly a year living full time, it finally feels like we're just getting our groove.
Where to start? Let's go back to the month of April, when we experienced all that is Casa de Fruta.
When we left readers last, we had just celebrated Evelyn's 5th birthday at Lake McSwain. From there, we traveled back toward the coast line once again, hoping to see Pinnacles National Park on our way to Salinas. After a long day of travel with Brent ahead of us by a good hour or so pulling the trailer, I stopped in Los Banos to drive through a Del Taco and pull out my computer to work for a half hour or so from my office in the front seat of the car while the baby slept and Evelyn played in the back seat. Brent called to tell us he was tired of driving, as well, and that he had followed some signs a few miles shy of Gilroy, California for an RV Park. He told us it was nice enough and that it was part of what was essentially a glorified fruit stand. Not expecting much, I packed up my computer again and turned back onto the highway. We passed the San Luis Reservoir, an impressive body of water spanning a large portion of Highway 152.
A few signs beckoned us toward where Brent had stopped: Casa de Fruta! Glorified fruit stand, indeed! Tucked in the hills here, the Fruta family had created its own small theme park/ destination for travelers and local families alike. It offered everything from wine tasting to train rides to caramel apples to carousel rides to photo ops with peacocks. Evelyn's eyes brightened when we rolled past these promises of fun and when we saw where Brent had been assigned to park, it only got better. The attached RV park was full but for a back section that houses around 12 spots. We were in the farthest spot down, right next to a stretch of the small train tracks Evelyn couldn't wait to ride. On top of that, we were directly across from the playground, an old-school collection of super tall slides, long chained swings, and brightly colored jungle gyms.
I particularly enjoyed Casa de Fruta. It felt like a vacation-- probably mostly because it was! It was Spring Break, so I wasn't tied to the computer. We took a few trips into local Gilroy, garlic capital of the world (so they claim), where the smell promised as much. Mostly though, we spent our four days there enjoying the amenities. We rode the train and carousel, enjoyed a caramel apple, took pictures with peacocks, ate "Case de Burritos", explored the fruit stands, and played on playgrounds.
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| Look, I can see our house from here! |
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| Heidi was confused by the boldness of these wandering peahens! |
The weather was inclement while we stayed at Casa de Fruta. We didn't mind traipsing through rain on the way to the fruit stand or snuggling up in the trailer to the sound of raindrops. Perhaps the most unusual experience was boarding the carousel only to just get under cover as gigantic hail began to fall. The hammering of the hail on the tin roof of the carousel was as unnerving as it was exciting, so we rode with giddy giggles and wide eyes while the attendant laughed from under his umbrella and crowds enjoying the grounds outside ran for cover.
Toward the end of our stay at Casa de Fruta, a family moved in next door with two kids Evelyn's age-- Brooke and Jackson. Their mom was a speech therapist and their dad a pilot. While the kids became fast friends, we all enjoyed snacks and laughed together around the picnic table. Brent shared his newly acquired interest in panning for gold and mentioned that he would like to go down to the creek to try his luck. We convinced our new friends to join us and we all walked down to the creek, enjoying a warm break in the weather. Brent showed everyone how to use the pan and everyone got to work, but it didn't take long for the kids to hike up their pant legs and dip into the water. Before long, they were stripped down to their undies, sliding down the warm water on their bottoms.
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| Evelyn sharing snacks with her new friends |
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| Panning for gold! |
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| Evelyn holding hands with her new friends. This was before they realized their clothes were holding them back! |
It was a tearful goodbye for Evelyn. There were promises of pen pals and she sniffed and wiped her eyes, grateful for more friends but sad to see them go. Brooke, if you're reading this, we'd love to hear from you!! :) ❤❤❤
Before we left Casa de Fruta, I treated the girls to one last train ride and Evelyn to her promised caramel apple, but then we were on the road again.
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| One more train ride |
From Casa de Fruta, we sought out somewhere close to Salinas to stay for a week. We'd be spanning Easter for this stretch of our stay and I hoped for somewhere inviting, though it would be hard to beat Casa de Fruta! We traveled through hills and low hanging trees in search of a small city campground on a lake outside of Watsonville, but it was such an obstacle-laden journey getting there that our frustrations were already tipped when we finally found the small campground only to find it fully booked out. The attendants were nice enough to let us park in the lot to cool down and make a lunch before hitting the pavement again.
With our patience assuaged through full bellies and a chance to stretch our legs, we decided to backtrack in sight of an RV park we'd seen off the highway in San Juan Bautista, Betabel RV Park. They were nice enough on the phone when we called and we figured it would work for a week. They had plenty of room and a heated pool that was actually open-- very uncommon for April in this part of California.
Thank goodness they were dog friendly because Evelyn, being the chatterbox that she is, volunteered the information during check-in that we have three dogs, one of whom is "Emmy the Pitbull". I was literally kicking her under the table as she was speaking-- we've been trying to train her not to talk about our dogs, especially "The Pitbull", when we check in somewhere. Not only do these types of places like to charge per dog, but they don't allow bully breeds 99% of the time. We've been charged up to $10 more per night for pet fees and that's when we lie about how many we have. We've never been turned away for having a pit bull, though we have been told once checked in she's not supposed to be there, though it's never amounted to being asked to leave. So, what to do? Well, fortunately for us, the lady behind the counter smiled throughout Evelyn's stories about our dogs and even gave her three gift packs especially for dogs, complete with a dog bone each-- and at no extra charge. Phew!
The kicker, though? They charged us $5.50 per night per kid! So, we paid an extra $11 a night for having two kids, one of whom was too small to enjoy what limited amenities they had. I politely pointed out that even Disneyland doesn't charge for kids under two years of age, and there wasn't even so much as a playground here, but they weren't convinced enough to waive the fee for the baby, at least. So, I grumbled the entire time over this asphalt-laden, dog-friendly, kid-hating RV Park (I truly dislike RV Parks), but we had a place to stay and we'd be able to visit Monterey and Salinas from here.
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| Playing in the waves at Lovers Point |
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| Exploring tide pools in Monterey |
Probably one of the brightest highlights of Monterey was not so much to do with the expected tourist attractions, but with a restaurant we discovered near the wharf: a vegan Mexican restaurant!! It took us a half hour to order. We're not used to having an entire menu to choose from, especially when it comes to Mexican food! We went back twice to El Cantaro. I'd go there now if I could!
On the way home from Monterey, we passed Laguna Seca Raceway and campground. We went ahead and drove in to the park to explore and enjoy the sunset from the hilltops. We talked with a tractor operator who was setting up a track for an upcoming bike race. Then we continued up into the campground where Evelyn spotted a playground. We stopped to let her play and the dogs stretch their legs (they are always along for the ride) and while we were there, two moms descended the neighboring hillside with their kids and dog to join us at the playground. We chatted and laughed; the kids and dogs played. One of the women told us of an event the next day where bikers can pay a small fee to ride laps around the track. Brent's eyes lit up. When the sun set and I was tired of swatting hungry swarms of mosquitoes from my exposed legs, we retreated to the car to head for home, but Brent couldn't stop smiling about the bike event the next day.
So, we returned nearly 24 hours later. Brent smiled ear to ear when we arrived. We parked right up at the gangway and were free to walk the area. Bikers of all ages and abilities arrived and casually ambled their way out onto the track. Brent hooked up the bike trailer with an eager Evelyn and a not-so-eager-but-willing-to-do-anything-with-Evelyn Heidi concealed inside. The track is winding and hilly-- it was a feat and Brent was slow and steady-- but he made it around three times towing a bike trailer. It was a once in a lifetime experience and a true highlight for Brent! Evelyn squealed like it was a roller coaster down the corkscrew hill on the back side. It was a hit for all... even Heidi.
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| The HILL-- that's Brent towing the trailer at the top right of that pack. It was a grueling hill, but the reward was a fast and fun corkscrew back down the other side! |
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| One lap down! |
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| How Kailyn enjoyed the evening |
Easter arrived. Evelyn was overjoyed to discover the Easter Bunny had found us at Betabel. She awoke to find Easter baskets for both her and sister (the Easter Bunny hadn't forgotten Sister!) and the Easter eggs she had made the day before hidden around our small campsite. Though Easter connotes greenery, flowers, and color and we had little of that at Betabel, it hardly mattered at all to this excited little girl. She threw on a coat in the gloomy, drizzly morning and grabbed her basket to go a-hunting.
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| Dying Easter eggs the day before Easter |
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| The Easter Bunny visited! |
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| "That Easter Bunny sure is sneaky!" |
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| Kailyn enjoyed her Easter basket treats, too! |
The reason we wanted to stop in Salinas to was to see family there. This is probably the greatest thing about our experience as a road family-- seeing friends and family we'd otherwise not be able to visit. I was especially excited to see my cousin, Koryn, and her family. The day after Easter, we enjoyed dinner and wine with Koryn, her boys and husband, and my Aunt Sandra and Uncle Bill. Evelyn played hide and seek and wrestled with family she'd never met as if she'd known him all her life! Koryn showed Evelyn her back yard chickens. We were more than welcome and everyone offered their homes, driveways, and washing machines should we need anything at all. After visiting and seeing what we're missing in not living near this part of our family, it was truly a shame to leave! We miss you all!! ❤❤❤
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| Koryn introducing Evelyn to one of her ladies |
There are challenges and blessings that come with our lifestyle, all of which make amazing memories. This would be an Easter we will always remember and a stretch of our travels we'll always hold dear.
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| Making Easter memories |
