29 Palms to the Golden Gate Bridge - March 10-23 2026

 

A few months ago we found out that Ben O'Donnell (Lt. Colonel) is  being deployed with his division from 29 Palms to Japan for 6 months. Greg and I decided that we should go visit before that.

After consulting with Ben about the best time we decided mid March would be best.

Flag raising on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima February 23, 1945

 

                                                                            Follow Rt,1 up the California Coat

March 12,2026

We arrived yesterday afternoon at Ben's and enjoyed the afternoon and evening with the family.

We slept at a Motel 6 that night but didn't stay there as it was not very clean and comfortable. Moved into an on base Hotel for the next 2 nights. These turned out to be the nicest rooms we had all trip.

We drove through a few parts of Joshua Tree National Park  A wonderful place to see. The pictures like any picture of nature do not do it justice

A stopover in Joshua Tree National Park

Can you see Greg at the base of this multi rock formation? That is a Joshua tree to his left in the center of the picture.

It is an amazing place to drive in and if you are able there are hiking trails into the off road spots.

Skull Rock

Joshua Tree National Park covers approximately 1,235 to 1,242 square miles (roughly 790,000 to 795,000 acres) in Southern California. This expansive protected area spans two distinct desert ecosystems—the Mojave and the Colorado—and is roughly the same size as the state of Rhode Island. 

• Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens): Tall, spindly, whip-like branches that sprout green leaves after rain and produce red flowers.

Teddy bear Cholla 

Teddy bear cholla (Cylindropuntia bigelovii): Known for its fuzzy appearance and high density in the "Cholla Cactus Garden," these cacti can grow up to 5 feet,

Of Course 

• Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia): Iconic, spiky trees that are actually part of the agave family.
• We found it interesting how segregated so many of these plants that are growing in the hundreds in one area and not present in other areas. 
• After leaving the park we spent spent the afternoon with family again.
  
  

McKenna is taking horseback riding lessons. She is very advanced and her instructor would just call out things to do like weaving in and out of barrels or going over obstacles

Flynn is also taking lessons and doing very well. They are taught not only to ride but to groom, saddle and care for the horse.

Before we left we had breakfast in Yucca Valley at the Black Bear Diner. 

Stephanie had a riding lesson to teach so she was not with us.

 It was the last time we will see Ben as he will be in Japan for 6 months. 😔

Brayden had good intentions but could not eat it all, He is not into horses but rather very good at sports

After we left Black Bear Diner we drove to the coast, This is Morro Rock in the Pacific, north of  Santa Barbara near the Hurst Castle which we did not visit.

This "truck" is home to an otherwise homeless man. I think this is where I lost my cane, CVS next stop.

Another huge rock just off the coast, followed by a few shots along US Route 1

More Rt 1 scenery to follow

This stop was only meant to be a biological. I locked the car with the key, our phones, and all our paperwork trapped inside. We begged help from the Manager of BK and she called Avis. They said they would send someone out in 1 to 2 hours. They never showed! Meanwhile  the manager went on break so we borrowed another phone. We tried the local police and they refused help. I thought about the AAA card in my wallet so we called them. In about a 20 minutes an AAA sponsored guy showed up and had us on the road in about 10 minutes at no cost. We had some tense moments. 

Below are a herd of 'elephant" seals along the coastline just 7 miles north of San Simeon. There are hundreds of them along this section of the coast.

One place we visited was Lombard Street but could not get a good shot from the car and no place to stop

On the crooked part of the street home sales typically range from $3million and over $4 million.

We had lunch in the Haight/Asberry street area.

Colorful shops and throwbacks to the 1960's

Alcatraz in the foreground and the Golden Gate Bridge in the background

San Francisco sky line 

The traffic is heavy and the streets are a bit confusing for us easterners so this was the the closest we could get to the bridge. Can't miss seeing this huge rock in the foreground,

More of the GGB

Another shot of Alcatraz Prison 

We toured the Muir Redwood forest about 15 miles north of GGB through very twisting roads with no guardrails. Another display of my poor selfie shots capability

These clover like plants fold up when the sun is strong on them.

This was supposed to be Greg reaching out between the trees but I didn't get it right.

The Redwoods tend to grow in "families" which are "born" as the tiny seeds drop closely to the initial tree.. We saw a number of "families" in groups of 4to 6  close together.

While on or trip the World Classic Baseball Tournament was being played. We watched the Last semi final and the championship game in a sports bar called The Candlestick across Willie May Drive from this beautiful park. None of the game were played here but we had no place to watch as our motel did not have cable!!! There were very few patrons and we ate dinner there so they were OK with it.

We rented a Jeep Mini van in Palm Springs and drove it around 1150 miles, turning it in at the San Francisco Airport. We spent $183 in gas, with prices varying from $5.25 to $6. We stayed in 6 different motels over 8 nights averaging $165 per night. The flights home were long but uneventful. We landed in Syracuse and having left the car there we got home at 3AM. Took a few days to recover from the jet lag.