National Parks visited: Four Channel Islands NP in California Joshua Tree NP in California Death Valley NP in California Pinnacles NP in California
In June, we took a road trip covering 1650 miles thru the concrete jungle, the fertile land, and the hot desert of southern California. We took a ferry to explore the less frequent visited Channel Islands National Park just off the coast of southern California. We crisscrossed the desolate area where Route 66 cutting thru in the southeastern part of California from Joshua Tree National Park, the hipster oasis, to Death Valley National Park, the hottest place on earth. We walked on the salt flat of Death Valley’s Badwater Basin where it records the lowest elevation in North America, at 282 feet below sea level. We drove by the fertile valley in Bakersfield on the way to Pinnacles National Park, the newest national park that was established in 2013. We traversed a portion of the historic El Camino Real along the Highway 101 from Pinnacles National Park to the coastal city of Ventura.
It was a thrill of a life time. While in some portion of the drive, we felt like we were the only ones with this crazy idea of traveling on these lonely roads, but then we met a few foreigners at the park as they came to see what “America, the Beautiful” is all about. We are so proud of this beautiful place we called home.
The weather was quite hot in part of the trip even though this is only springtime, not yet the summer. But you know, if you haven’t known how hot is hot, and how cold is cold then how do you know what warm is….heheh
As one said: “Chưa biết nóng, chưa biết lạnh, làm sao biết đựơc ấm.” Anonymous
Day01: Relax in Ventura We landed in LA International at around 2:00pm. It took us two and half hours to get from LAX to Ventura thru the concrete jungle of Los Angeles area. After a stop and go traffic, we got to Ventura, time for us to just chill and enjoy the breezy cool weather of this lay-back town. We leisurely walked couple blocks to the downtown area and had seafood dinner at Lure Fish House. The place was crowded. The seafood was well prepared and it went well with a cold beer. The San Buenaventura city hall is an interesting building sitting high couple blocks from the downtown area. On the building façade, there are friar heads as a historical reminder that the city was one of the nine original Mission towns founded by Franciscan friars in the 1700s.
Day02: Channel Islands National Park
Today, we drove to Oxnard to catch the boat ride to Channel Islands. There were quite a few people that had the same idea as ours, going over to Anacapa Island, part of the 5 islands that made up the Channel Islands National Park for a day trip. We had bought the tickets in advance on the internet, so we did not have to wait in line to purchase. It took about 1:15 min to get there. We left the dock at 9:30am. On the return trip, the boat left the Anacapa Island at 3:45pm and got back to Oxnard around 5pm. There were people going to the island for a short hike, some for camping overnight and some staying on the boat for a wild life excursion. They said that this place is preserved where one can experience coastal southern California as it once was.
On the way over, we saw dolphins playfully jumping up and down and swimming along the side of the boat, it was quite an exciting moment for the first timer. Over the distance, oil-rigs are in operation. Big container ships travel to their ports in California, Washington…etc. It was quite a busy sea.
On the way back, we met an outdoor photographer that has been camping on the island for two days. He said he has the island all to himself at night with thousands of seagulls. As we got off the boat, there was a stair of about 100+ steps to climb to the top of the island. We saw a group of three Chinese girls, with bags on one hand, a brand new personal tent unopened on the other hand. They had backpacks on their backs, make-ups, short and baseball caps. They struggled to climb up the stairs lugging water jugs and all. They rested along the way then climbed again. We later saw them having lunch at the camp site but their belongings were still unpacked. We suspected there may have a change of heart. Later on, they came to ask us asking if their tickets were good for the returning on the same day instead of the following day. They blamed on the birds, they are so noisy…heheh. They ended up going back on the boat with us. Seemed like they were a city slicker type, not well prepared for camping, or the expectation was quite different from what it is.
This is the breeding season for the seagulls, so there were thousands of birds with their young on the island. They were quite protective of their young. As we walked the trail, they made noise and spread their wings, flying, hovering over us. All of the sudden…WAMP, I was pecked on the head with one, thankfully I had the baseball cap on me, and so she only torn a piece of cloth on the cap, right where the metal button at the top was. WEW!
Day03: Joshua Tree National Park
We’re heading east to the California desert today. On the way we saw migrant workers along the highway doing the back breaking job of picking, loading vegetable behind a big conveyor belt early in the morning perhaps trying to beat the hot sun at mid-day. It was a nice drive to the California desert. It was a Saturday so we did not encounter much traffic. We got to the west entrance of the Joshua Tree NP at around 11am. Checked out the visitor center then had lunch there before driving thru the park from Joshua Tree Entrance on the west side, to Twentynine Palms Entrance on the east side of the park. We stopped at vista points for pictures and took a short hike in Hidden Valley thru peculiar rocks formation and in some places were quite steep in between narrowing rocks. The park offers quite a unique landscape, with rugged rock formations and stark desert landscapes, and lots and lots of twisted, bristled Joshua trees. The park is quite busy considering this is the beginning of the hot season. Temperature at Twentynine Palms where we stayed registered at the cool 100 degree F.
There were quite a few campers with bbq grills, tents, canopies set up under big overhanging rock for additional shade, picnicking. I saw a whole family, children playing in one corner, grandpa grandma sitting around drinking ice cold drinks. Over in another corner, young couple grilling stuffs, preparing lunch. I can not imagine who would want to have a picnic in the 100+ weather, but yet, there they were, having a wonderful time.
Day04: Death Valley National Park
We left the hotel early this morning, tried to beat the mid-day sun. The weather was nice and cool in the morning out in the desert, at around 70ish. It was a two-lane highway, thru the back country. Desolated, mostly sand, flat and full of tumble weeds, cactuses, and very few houses in between. This route used to be part of Route 66 that starts in Chicago and ends in Los Angeles. We traveled passed a tiny post office situated right next to the highway. Took a restroom break at a café/convenience store next door to what used to be a hotel, now sat empty.
The temperature started climbing as we got closer to the park. There were motorcyclists riding in big groups to the park. The park was more than I expected. Nice rock formation with multiple hues. We got to Furnace Creek Visitor Center where the sign with temperature indicator outside the center indicated 103 F, at -190 feet below sea level. We lingered around the visitor center for a short movie about the park, and then drove to Badwater Basin where it is the lowest point at -272 feet below sea level. We walked to the salt flat. It was the awesome view that is hard to imagine. No wonder they call this place, the land of extremes. It’s the hottest, driest, and lowest National Park in the nation.
We stopped by a souvenir shop to buy a cool T with an animal skull imprinted on it. How appropriate!...heheh then drove four hours to Bakersfield. The highway zigzags thru more desert flatland with no town in between and a few cars that passed by. We saw people from Belgium, from Czech Republic came to visit the park. I think they all have the same admiration, to experience the hottest, lowest point on earth.
Yet in the middle of nowhere, there’s a resort that catering to people who wanted to have a little luxury, a few palm trees, a patch of green grass, flower pots adorns the hotel’s entrance. Humm, what’s the point! I asked myself. Perhaps, it’s for the One Percenters who like to play a round of golf to get away from the hustling bustling of LA, San Francisco…etc.
I am glad we came. It was an extraordinary experience.
Day05: Pinnacles National Park
We left Bakersfield and drove thru orchard farms, vegetable farms, vineyards...etc. This is quite a fertile region. Where the migrant workers grow and harvest fruits and vegetables that we consume daily. As we drove father north, the landscape changed to bare hills, covered with brown dry grass, some dotted with oak trees. The roads are narrowing two-lane highways, winding, twisting thru brown color looking hills. Sometime, the journey getting there is part of the fun.
On the way back, we took the 101 highway, which used to be part of the historic El Camino Real, The Royal Road, where Spanish’s monks traveled and established the 21 missions along the 600-mile road. We stopped by one mission, Mission San Miguel Arcangel in San Miguel,CA to look around, very interesting history of these missions.
The Pinnacles National Park is the newest since 2013. It used to be just a monument. Some 23 million years ago multiple volcanoes erupted, flowed, and slid to form what would become Pinnacles National Park. What remains is a unique landscape. Pinnacles National Park also has been a part of the California Condor Recovery Program and the park manages about 30 of the birds which are tagged but fly freely. The park at this time of the year can be hot. We hiked around a bit looking for condor, but no luck. We had lunch at the park before heading back to southern California.
Day06: Return home
We drove from Ventura to West Covina to visit good friends of ours. It has been a year since we last met. Two and half hours to get from Ventura to West Covina thru the heavy morning traffic of LA, but it was worth it. We’re glad to see old friends are doing well.