The light is gone...

16:15 and night is almost upon me: the winter gray and rain add to the earlier and earlier sun sets, that is if there were a sun to set, and it is NOT my favorite time of the year!

The only positive as far as I’m concerned is the upcoming festivities and the fact that as of the winter solstice in 3 weeks sundown will no longer come earlier: it will freeze for a few days then we will have turned the corner and start gaining again. Long life the 21^st of December, more important to me even than Christmas!

 

Epic Road Trip Day 8

And on our way again, but this time at our speed and with no social obligations whatsoever, if one doesn’t count the elephant seals!

Monday, May 1st after a walk and breakfast at home we left by 9h30 and K says “hey we got off before 10” to which I replied “yes but we were aiming for 9”. Never mind – it allowed us to make a first stop at the Outlets in Gilroy, capital of garlic – they even have garlic ice cream – not that I have ever been tempted to try it.

Then down Highway 101 where I know almost every inch of the road. Upon arrival in Cambria checked in to our hotel the Fireside Inn on Moonstone Beach where we were able to negotiate an ocean-side room for $40.00 more than what we had paid online. No. 101 this time so I have stayed in most of them now.

Same car, same people, new loop

Our terrace at the Fireside Inn on Moonstone Beach, CA

Then top down (of the car that is!) and off to see the bathing beauties: the Elephant Seals at Piedras Blancas just above San Simeon and Hearst Castle. I still love seeing them and could spend hours watching them laze about, flip sand over themselves to keep cooler and jostle with each other. The Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery spreads over 6 miles of shoreline around Point Piedras Blancas on the central coast of California and was probably the fullest that I have seen. Also the first time that I didn’t freeze to death. By the way there is an association Friends of the Elephant Seals and a webcam http://www.elephantseal.org/view.htm

One part of the beach and rookery

I will be heard

Sweet dreams indeed

A little teenage talk

Wake up, there's an ocean out there

Just stretching

Once back on Moonstone Beach we went for an early dinner at the Moonstone Bar and Grill. I splurged and had a beer, the calamari frita, the crab cakes and some salad. We also shared the deep-fat fried jalapenos as a starter. Nothing but delicious. 

fried jalapenos

Calamari frita, crab cakes, asparagus and salad

 

Afterwards we were tempted to simply fall in bed but as only about 18h30 made ourselves take a walk along the boardwalk. When we returned we sat on our porch and watched the sun go down over the Pacific Ocean.

Like the pillow said: In order for the most uninteresting event to become an adventure, one must and needs only to tell the story.

One of the reasons…

I love where I live: the seasons.
Spring is a great new beginning, summer is wonderful as long as one can get either
to the mountains or the beach for coolness. Fall is my favorite, but winter needs to also
be winter. 

This past weekend we finally got snow.

Corsier - looking towards the lake Friday night

Details of the above

Sunset in the alps Saturday

Early morning sun on the alps

The cows with extra thick pelts

Peek-a-boo with the alps

Back to Canada

The trip is mainly just memories, but I never finished the blogs – rather ended when we disembarked in Vancouver from our Cruise.  However, from there we went on to enjoy another few wonderful days in the Eastern part of Canada and finally having some down time here in the mountains I thought that I would finish what I started almost two months ago.

So, back to Canada. After disembarking the ship we needed to get to the airport to pick up our rental car – long wait so that when we finally arrived two things were urgent: coffee and restrooms. After changing rental companies and trying to stuff all our luggage into a car where the rear was too tight, one of the agents took pity on us and all of a sudden we were driving away in a brand new Nissan. In the exchange of information we discovered that his parents have a flat in – of all places – Grindelwald!

It was noon by the time we were leaving town, but we eventually found a restaurant with wi-fi and I was able to post blogs and pick up e-mails. We actually even got most of the meal for free as they had left some cheese in K’s salad and she is allergic!

Then we were on the road, headed East with no idea of the night’s stopping place. We chose to take the spur to Lake Okanogan and enjoyed gorgeous lakes, rivers and farms along the way. After duly consulting the GPS and K’s phone we ended up in the Prestige Hotel on Lake Shuswap in Salmon Arm. A gorgeous sunset and a fine night.

Lake district - probably the Coquihalla lake

One of the beautiful strings of lakes known as the Okanagan

Canadian geese - in Canada!

Sunset from the Prestige Hotel in Salmon Arm, Shuswap Lake

There is still beauty…

Just as most people are good there is still beauty in the world:  often after sad events be they national or personal one tends to want to be outside, to somehow reassure oneself that nature still exists, that some things can’t be changed quite so easily.

Fortunately it was another in an exceptionally long line of lovely fall days here.

So the first walk I took out by the natural preserve looking towards the alps.

Mont Blanc was hiding

a couple of leaves still refuse to change colors

Sign on both side of the woods below: private but authorized for hikers and friends of nature.

The woods

Inside the woods

unusual berries

never seen the like

A manor house with a still growing field

out the other end of the woods, Mont Blanc still in hiding

a few of the very rare red leaves still on the vine

one of the cannels of the natural preserve

A gray heron

The second shorter one was simply up to the village for coffee and back down through the vineyards.

the remains of a vineyard

through the trees close to sunset

 

Jet d'Eau in the distance beneath layers of the golden setting sun

Alone or…

On one’s own.

 

What a difference there is depending upon how one describes the state of being alone:

The first has a rather negative sound, like it wasn’t something to be wished for, even welcomed at times; the second a much more positive spin, something one perhaps chooses to indulge in – at least for a time.

Yesterday I was on my own and had a wonderful time!

The following pictures reflect unique objects that were also “alone” in their site: some we wouldn’t even every want to be multiplied!

 

the last one standing - nothing for miles around but this lone sunflower

couldn't quite make out what kind of hunting bird, but alone

one of the three chose to keep its' leaves

far away in the middle of a field - no others in sights

there were several "alone" along the lake

two suns or two Jet d'Eaux wouldn't have the same impact at all!