April 9, 2023
So this week has been an interesting one. Mid-Week Frank got the call that he was laid-off. He was immediately rehired as a contractor but will be working projects with limited hours so we will see what happens along the way. He had planned to retire but had continued to work remotely while we traveled as it gave us more money to play with on our trip. We hope to continue on and finish our trip around the United States, but depending on how things go we may break this loop into multiple legs and only do one per year. Since we had both just applied for both Social Security and Medicare we are in a fair position for him to lose his job.
4/3- While Frank was working today I did the wash and then as soon as he got off we headed out. Frank’s sister had mentioned she had done Olive Oil tasting in Paso Robles once and how much fun it was. Both Frank and I are not wine drinkers but we do love a good olive oil and balsamic combo so we had looked for somewhere local to give olive oil tasting a try. We found Tin City in Paso Robles. Tin City has over 40 business, many with tasting rooms for wine, beer, spirits and olive oil. So we headed over there to check it out. We walked around the complex and got some gluten free pasta. https://www.tincitypasorobles.com/
Then we went olive oil tasting at Olivas de Oro. After tasting all their different oils and vinegars we were able to put together a package of our favorites. It was hard to pick and choose since they had so many wonderful flavors but we finally decided on Mission Reserve and Mandarin Orange Olive oil and Fig White and Vanilla Bean Balsamic vinegar. https://www.tincitypasorobles.com/pages/olivas-de-oro
Since we were in the area we decided to visit the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo for dinner. We had gone there in October on our way through and had eaten at the steak house. This time we tried out the diner and it was just as good as the last time we were there. Frank had an amazing turkey dinner and I had a wonderful Spinach Salad.
4/4- Today when Frank was done working we drove over to San Simeon. We explored the beaches and saw all the driftwood that had been brought in this year during the multiple storms that had hit California.
We were able to see the rocky cliffs and where Little Pico Creek ran into the ocean.
We had an appointment to tour Hearst Castle at 4 pm. The last time we had visited it was in the late 1970’s when we had little kids with us which made it hard to enjoy the tour.Our tour started in a bus that traveled up the hill to the Hearst Castle. The tour was an hour and a half long with the trip up and down the hill.
We began our tour of the Hearst Castle outside where we saw the grounds and the Neptune pool. It was just the beginning of the almost mile and 140 steps that we would climb up and down before the tour was over.
Inside we were able to see the Assembly Room, Refectory, Morning Room, Billiard Room and Theater room where we watched a movie on the life on Mr. Hearst.
Before heading back down the road we visited the Roman pool with gold floors and a diving platform. https://hearstcastle.org/tour-hearst-castle/daily-tours/
After we left Hearst Castle we decided to see if we could visit the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. When we got there we found the gates were lock so we were only able to look at it over the fence before heading back to our campground.
4/5- First thing this morning Frank got his call telling him he was laid off effective immediately. The company had been bought out a short time ago and the new owners were doing some readjustments of staff. It was a surprise and a bit of a shock but we will make the best of it and enjoy spending more time together and Frank will spend less time working. Our cat Teddi is very sensitive to our moods and felt the need to stay close to us as we traveled. He usually lays on the bed or couch but today he decided to lay next to the fireplace as close as possible to us as he could get.
After getting the news we headed out of our campsite onto our next destination. We stopped mid-trip at San Juan Bautista Mission. We ate lunch in the RV and then toured the mission. Neither of us had seen the San Juan Bautista Mission before and enjoyed our tour. https://www.oldmissionsjb.org/
We headed on to Modesto to spend some time with my niece Marie and family. We were surprised to see how full the California reservoirs are even before the snow has started to melt. The San Luis Reservoir was up to the road.
The rest of our trip went slow as we witness a terrible rollover accident and hit bad traffic, so it was good to get in to Marie’s and park. We are able to park our RV next to Marie’s house and spent the rest of the evening visiting.
4/6- Today Frank spent the day with my nephew Mack while Marie and I headed to Tracy to have lunch and visit with my nieces Anna and Marlise. It was fun to get together and share old stories and our current lives. I was also able to see my nephew Chuck today.
4/7- Left Modesto today and drove over to Livermore where we set up our RV in front of Frank’s sister Kathy’s house. We spent the day hanging out and visiting.
4/8- My son Pieter and family had come out from Virginia to visit his wife’s parents, so today we got to hang out with Pieter and Leslie and the kids. We went to the park with them and enjoyed our time with the family.
4/9- Easter Sunday. This morning was church with Pieter and family and this afternoon was Easter dinner with Frank’s sister and family. We love traveling places and seeing things we have never seen before, but the best part of traveling is having the opportunity to reconnect with family along the way.
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