Tag Archives: Trips

Concert week(s)

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At the end of July, we headed to Sacramento to see a concert.  Since we were only going for two nights, I did some calculations.  Based upon the time and distance, it worked out better financially to take the Hybrid and stay in a hotel.  That way we were able to stay closer to the venue.  We went to see The Police!  This was part of their farewell tour.  No longer would there be The Police so I thought I had better get some tickets.  The concert was at the Sleeptrain Ampitheatre in Wheatland, CA.  That is about 20 miles north of Sacramento.  This is a fantastic place for a concert.  A nice slope with grass along the top edge.  We were in the section just up from the close section but the view was still great.  The sound was just as good.  We were in the first row of the section so there was no one in front of us.  Elvis Costello was the opening act and Sting joined him for backup on Alison.  I really enjoyed seeing all the old guys, Sting even had a beard.

I have been a fan of The Police for many years and have enjoyed Sting’s work but in a different way.  I like the earlier Police sound with a hard edge.  As Sting evolved so did his music and the Police’s which probably precipitated the breakups.  I think Sting is a very good lyrics writer, his music lags behind.  However the next week we went to another concert to see a group that is the other way around.

We went to Paso Robles to go to the Mid-State Fair.  They ALWAYS have good acts performing there.  This time they had Steely Dan, my favorite group.  If they are close, I will go to the concert.  We did take the trailer this time since it was a bit closer and we chose to stay at the Wine Country RV park.  We have had good luck staying there over the years.  However, this one was a bit different.  When I made reservations I was not told we were going to get the ‘fair special’.  It was special alright, special for the RV park.  It was over $60/night due to the fair!  That was not even in a ‘premium’ spot.  The premiums are pull-through.  Ours was a back-in and had a concrete pad.  The lesser spots, which were full, have dirt for the pad.  We had a difficult time getting the truck to fit into the spot also.  When we were leaving we were prepared to turn in front of the clubhouse (to the west of it) and follow a motorhome out.  Some employee emphatically motioned us to go around the clubhouse, even though no one was coming and the motorhome was there also.  Oh well, I think we will reassess our visits to this RV park in the future.  I would rather drive further and stay somewhere else, like Redondo Vista.

Regarding Steely Dan, I feel they are the best that I have heard musically.  I love their intracacies in their music and the fun they have.  Lyrically they could do a bit better and sometime Donald Fagen doesn’t have the pure voice to carry it.  I always thought it would be good to have Boz Scaggs singing lead for them, who, ironically, was at the Mid-State Fair also but we did not see him.

But wait, there is one more concert to discuss in a future entry.

Yosemite and Bishop

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Another post today!?  It must be a sign of the apocalypse!

As mentioned in the previous post we had a trip planned to Bishop.  Our niece was getting married on the 28th of June.  We planned on taking the trailer anyway since there would be no place to stay at my sisters house.  We thought we might stop off somewhere for a couple of days before.  Six months before I started to get a reservation at Yosemite at 7am on the day the reservations for June opened.  Well 10 minutes later the park was sold out!  Ouch!

We took a road trip to Yosemite earlier and while I was there I talked to the reservations office.  They told me if I was there the morning of the day I wanted to stay most likely I could get a spot on the valley floor.  ‘Most likely’ didn’t give me a great sense of security.  They also told me to keep checking online for cancellations.  So starting then I would check online at least every 15 minutes when I was near a computer.  I did this for about 3 weeks.  I was getting nervous, not knowing where we would stay.  Then I got a hit!  A spot at Hodgdon Meadow for the two nights we were looking for!  I thought about it for about 3 minutes and then took it.  It wasn’t on the valley floor but it was near Hetch Hetchy.  We had never been there.  I stayed many years ago on the floor in a campground, but I don’t remember much.

So we were off to Yosemite!  It takes a long time to get there from Visalia.  It is just 120 miles but a lot of the drving is through the park, which is slow, but rightly so.  We were assigned a huge spot that was not particularly level but we made it work.  It was nice to watch all the tenters and be happy we didn’t have a tent anymore.

The next day we took a day trip to Hetch Hetchy.  I have heard a lot about Hetch Hetchy and all the controversy but had never been there.  It is a very beautiful place, unfortunately we went when all the forest fires were going.  We came to the main gate and were asked our plans and given a placard to take and return when went back out.  They also recorded our license plate.  You could not stay past dusk either.  When we got to the dam I asked a ranger about all these ‘measures’ and if it was for the security of the dam.  He said it was.  He also told me some things about the things done to the dam.  Look at this picture:

Hetch Hetchy Dam

Hetch Hetchy Dam

To the upper left of the spillway you can see some large white blotches.  Someone painted “John Muir” there.  There is also a jagged white area, someone painted a fake crack to scare people.   The whole area is very beautiful with some large cliffs and falls.  Here is a poor picture due to the smoke:

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

Hetch Hetchy Reservoir

It is always fun to go somewhere you have never been to.  The next day we went somewhere that we have been before, Glacier Point.  The view of the valley there is fantastic, especially if you look straight down!  I remember the firefall that happened many years ago when I was a child and asked a ranger where the drop point was.  Nice to reminisce.  Here is a photo of Roxie with Nevada and Vernal falls in the background (this shot is after I asked her not to squint):

Roxie with Vernal and Nevada falls

Roxie with Vernal and Nevada falls

After our two nights in Yosemite we headed to Bishop via Tioga pass.  It is such a beautiful place in the high country.  We stopped off at Olmsted point, another never had done item.  We got a good view of the back side of Half Dome and could see hikers going up the steps and cables with our binoculars.

Half Dome from Olmsted point

Half Dome from Olmsted point

We made it to Bishop and wedding went well.  The actual wedding was held on the shores of Convict Lake.  Here is a shot:

Wedding at Convict Lake

Wedding at Convict Lake

We made the big loop on the way home, south on 395, we cut across by Lake Isabella, down the Kern river canyon then home.  The worst part of any trip is the last leg home, it didn’t help that it was over 100 degrees!  It was, overall, a good trip.