..............................Picacho Peak and farmhouse...............
Mid June finds me heading north in "Westy", my 1986 VW Westfalia campervan. My first stop is to visit my brother Jon and family in Goleta. Got some bike riding in along the coast with a friend, some flying with Jon during his "instrument rating" training and a dinner at the Fish Enterprise (where my neice, Krystle, works). I also spent some time going through some of my memorbilia that had been stored at my stepdad's place for many years. These were things that I may have thought to toss over the years but had been put away for safekeeping. The most surprising discovery was that I had been baptised as a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints...a mormon! For those that know me well, you must be as surprised as myself....may have to change my name from Jeff to Jack....more fitting...or should I say, Mormon fitting. I hope this doesn't mean I owe 10% for all the income I have generated over this time to Salt Lake City....damn they will be able to buy a new pipe organ for the tabernacle.... Other items that I won't bother you with would be my grade school report cards, the only recurring item seemed to be I wouldn't shut up with all my qestions....can you believe that? Why? (one of my favorites)
............................Avila Beach and Port San Luis................
I continued up north to Avila Hot Springs, one of my favorite camp grounds, more for the nostalgia and hot pool, than the campsites themselves. I took in some flying with my airplane partner, Greg in our plane. We also met for an outdoor Blues concert in Avila under clear, hot blue skies, drank some wine and boogied to the music. Another day I flew my sailmaker buddy, Karl from "SLO sails and canvas" and Cecilia, CFO of Little Footprint Lighting, a startup company I will be investing in, up for a beautiful flight of the San Luis Obispo County in exceptional weather.
..................................Estero Bay and Spit..................
.....................................Morro Rock......................
I did a mountain bike around the San Luis Mountain, (AKA Madonna Mountain), getting tossed off a couple of times in the single track as my tires stopped on boulders as the frame and I continued on and over the top....reminder to self> wear a helmut, even if you are a "hard head"! I did enjoy the ride, my first bike ride "around" the mountain...a circumnavigation of sorts...someday I'll have to ride up to the top.
....................................San Luis Mountain....................
I continued north along Coast Highway 1 stopping along the scenic coast to still admire the sights, smells and sounds of this particulary beautiful part of California. I stopped and camped at Julia Feiffer State Campground in Big Sur and was happy to see it was surviving the fires of last year, although some campsites were flooded out during the winter rains and closed for repairs. Had a great afternoon bikeride and an early morning hike up the river.
.........................................Lucia.........................
....................................Big Sur Creek......................
I have always been impressed with the engineering of some of the classic bridges and decided to stop and photograph the "Bixby Bridge" I found a great road that lead around on the mountain side and got some views that really displayed the beauty of the arches. Surely one day the earthquake commission will deem the bridge inadequate or something and it will be replaced.
.....................................Bixby Bridge.....................
I continued up scenic Hwy 1 to Point Lobos Marine Reserve and did a great hike along the whalers point taking in some unusual sights and capturing more photos. My first discovery ran across the trail in front of me, I had never seen a lizard quite like that one.
.......................................Western Skink.....................
Further along the trail various seascapes caught my eyes, the blend of wildflowers, grasses, and seaweeds all had such a dramatic visual impact I could not resist capturing the feeling as best I could with my camera.
Point Lobos Marine Reserve is a worthwhile stop for anyone who appreciates marine areas in pristine condition
.....................................spotted fur seal
.....................................Westy on a roll
.....................................Wheat/Flower
.....................................landing gear down
.................................hardtimes for Chipmunks too
