Tintagel Magic

Fantastic day today:
- Tintagel castle and Merlin's cave lived up to expectations - we spent most of day exploring all the nooks of the ruins, poking about in tide pools, taking a small hike along the very windy 'Barras Nose' bluff, and throwing skimming stones on the beach. Even Theo gushed, 'this place is wonderful!'
- Had best Cornish pasties EVER for lunch followed by super van-made cream tea (we all agreed this one was a 9 out of 10 - a holiday best)
- Even Rosie's continued grumblings didn't get us down as we headed back to Branscombe. We had another great meal at the Mason's Arms Pub before settling down with a roaring camp fire at Combe View Farm (much sunnier this time around).
Photo is us admiring view north along coast from Tintagel.

Disaster!

Rosie broke down.... well kind of... actually she just ran out of petrol. It was just that it look me about 45 minutes of tinkering the engine bay to work it out! Mum very kindly thumbed a lift off a kind lady to get to the garage 2 miles down the road.
After all that adventure we were ready for some escapism and camped at Tintagel, home of the castle of Arthurian legend... more on that tomorrow... for now we are chilling out at the local fish restaurant - yum!

TLC for Rosie

'Dad, why are those dogs not smiling?' puzzled Mae. It was with questions of similar profoundness that we continued our holiday.
Today, an altogether brighter and sunnier day, we plan to let the boys exhaust themselves on their bikes, take Rosie for some therapy at 'Cornish Auto Electrics' (this time we will try a 15v 22uF tantalum capacitor between pins 2 and 4 on the air mass flow sensor plus we'll swap the fuel pump relays - fingers crossed one of those work - otherwise it'll be a new ECU costing mucho cher-ching!) while we enjoy a pub lunch, and then we might take Theo to try his boogie board again (yesterday he went in despite the cold wind - only 14 seconds before his lips turned blue...).

Mae's musings...

This morning it was lashing it down as we head to visit the old Levant steam engine, and Mae says 'are we going to the beach today Dad?'...

Fever in the Sun

Sam says 'If I look into the sun, I can see through my brain'. So while the sun has been shining on us at St Ives (a stunning place; beautiful narrow streets lined with old fisherman's cottages, golden beach), Rosie-induced cabin fever has truly set in. Oh, we saw some nice Cornish wind turbines too - hence the photo.

This morning we woke to...

...sunshine!!! Yeah!!! I have to admit, the country looks spectacular after a good shower. Let's hope the clear blue sky lasts...

Still wet...

OK, so there was a break in the middle, that coincided with us (read me) searching tirelessly (read fruitlessly) for the 'perfect place to eat lunch', but otherwise it was a rather damp day. Ho hum.
Highlights: Boys played footy, we saw the last (?) working forge in England at Branscombe, and we were mildly entertained when we heard our eldest swear for the first time (I suspect it is only the first time WE heard it) when he cycled into a clump of nettles.
Then we continued our journey toward the tip of the country... Tonight we camp amongst the trees at the rather lovely, if a tad over regulated (quote 'no cycling on the grass'), campsite of Ruthern Valley - being subject to a heavy downpour. Whilst our 'Shady Boy' awning was bought for shelter from the California sun, it is working pretty well as a big umbrella now...

'A lovely day'?!

Taking a weeks holiday, camping of course. First 24hrs not fantastic and can be summarized as follows:
- Looking at forecast the night before suggests cloud and 20% chance of rain in Cornwall - oh bugger.
- Took hours to pack on Sunday - we'd had friends to stay and little time to prep and I think we're still getting used to packing for multiple weather scenarios!
- Swearing and blinding under my breath as Rosie still resists running right - I changed the HT leads before we left, but she's still coughing after an hour or so's driving. Only fixed temporarily by switching the ignition on and off - not ideal! At least I now know what the fix is - I think (by a process of tedious elimination).
- Arrive at our first planned site, Coombe View Farm in Devon - supposed to have views of beautiful Branscombe bay, but it was completely obscured by the mist and rain... super.
- Took relief from fog in the Mason's Arms in Branscombe - stunning thatched topped pub - kids had banana fritters with toffee ice cream for dessert - and enjoyed trying our bitter shandies - yum! Then we played Uno until heading back to camp for bedtime...
- Get up in the morning to more fog and breakfast in drizzle. We grit our teeth in anticipation of a tough week ahead... (still the kids don't mind at all - Sam and Theo trying to persuade us that it's, quote, 'a lovely day' and heading out to play football with some other boys and riding their bikes)

Rosie's notes from a small island

Well, it's been a little while since the last post... nearly six months in fact.  That's just long enough to (i) pack Rosie into a container along with all our other worldly possessions, (ii) ship said container from California to England, (iii) Get her insured and pick her up from a warehouse in Enfield, (iv) Reunite her with the rest of the Bridges family (a tearful affair, partly due to the insurance bill) and then get her through the UK MOT test and registered at the Portsmouth DVLA office!  Thanks to UK requirements, she now sports white side-lights, a rear fog light, English plates (F-reg for '89 of course) and new front brake hoses (regulations here seem to worry a little more about our short-term safety, unlike in California where anything goes as long as the emissions are in check).

Anyway, we have just completed our first camping trip this weekend, so, in true form, we felt it was time for an update in the Bridges-Rosie experience blog:  

Annoyingly, our first observation was that Rosie doesn't seem to like English unleaded, either that or (more likely) she didn't enjoy being cooped up in a ship-container for 7 weeks:  She'd developed a spluttering cough when warmed up, thereby having a good stab at tainting our normally enjoyable journey time by providing us with that unsettling experience of being close to breaking down...   including a particularly nail-biting moment when we thought she might refuse to start at all following a short ferry hop (maybe it conjured memories of her longer voyage!?) to the Isle of Purbeck, Dorset. 

Despite Rosie's sulk, we made it to Woodyhyde Farm campsite near Corfe Castle Village near the sea.  We found the site in a recommended book, Cool Camping for Kids, which claimed to guide us to 'simple, beautiful, safe sites', and 'away from the crowds' (though the mutually exclusive conditions of it being both a successful book AND helping us avoid the crowds is now clear to me).  Despite sharing the site with more folk than we expected, it was all very chilled out and we had a fantastic time.   The boys spent most of the time joining a collection of kids and got into playing cricket, exploring the local hide-outs amongst the nearby trees, playing football and so on.  When out and about we mostly explored Corfe Castle village and the local castle ruins - having just joined the National Trust - and there was an interesting moment when Sam asked the increasingly uncomfortable guide very detailed questions of how the Parliamentarians ultimately beat the Royalists and exactly what type of gruesome deaths they might have endured..!  

The good:  

- Exploring the castle and the stunning Studland beaches

- The best cream tea in a long while

- Great to be camping again

- Hearing and seeing an old steam train pass by the campsite regularly (we'll take a ride on it next time)

- Great to be waved and flashed by fellow VW van owners again... (sad and geeky, I admit)

The less good:

- Got a bit busy at the campsite on Saturday

- Rosie's sulk was wearing very thin on the way home (she's booked into the local garage now)

- We're still waiting for our other possessions, including proper camping gear etc, so we can do this properly (though some friendly neighbours lent us a load of gear) 

Photos:  

A Corfe Castle village home (some of these were constructed from the remains of the castle ruin...  cheeky villagers!):  

The weather is surprisingly good (still) and Mae enjoys a refreshing break from running around:

Kids screaming around, ahem, 'exploring' Corfe Castle: 

Mae spontaneously ballet-dances on the spot (why? why ask?):

Much to the frustration of the photographer, the little monkies won't pose nicely for a picture in the perfect frame:

 We all enjoy ice-creams and a proper cream tea (yum!):

The children are asleep in Rosie (Quiet at last!  Check out Rosie's new plate and side-lights):

A mist rolls in to cool us all down from the heat of the day:

We're... almost... there...

...YES!!  We're home!  

The kids are a little stir crazy after nearly 6 hours of travel today, but still managed to get excited when they saw that Santa had made a second visit, to our home (as well as calling at Furnace Creek campground)...  what lucky rascals!

The journey was pleasantly uneventful.  Here are some photo's from the day:

- We noted an impressive number wind-farms along highway 58:

- Before feeling like we were properly re-joining the rat-race on highways 99, 5 and of course the 101:

- Kids were very well behaved and glad to be nearly home (sorry for image quality; iPhone lens was scratched by Death Valley dune sand):

Top quote for today was from the little C-3P0 android that sits on the dash and quotes Star Wars on demand:  "Thank the maker!"  (very appropriate, given Rosey had made it the whole way without trouble, despite being 19, nearly 20, years old)

To finish, I thought I'd share a couple of photo's I particularly like from our overall trip:

- Sam and Theo admiring rock structure in Death Valley (it was a brief moment!  I'm amazed I captured it):

- Mae is pleased with her hiking ability up Golden Canyon in Death Valley (worth a click to enlarge):

That's the end of our travels...  for now at least.  Thanks for following, as well as the comments and e-mails along the way!

To end on a cliche (I can't help myself), here is a quote from Hemingway:  "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end"

Over and out!!!

P, K, S, T and M xxx

Just when you think you've seen all the canyons you can stand...

...along comes Red Rock Canyon.

After a slow start this morning, we headed to Red Rock Canyon State Park for a number of short walks to take in the flora and fauna and to explore some very impressive rock formations!  Sam and Theo were slightly more interested in light saber battles to be honest, but enjoyed scrambling over the rocks, while Mae pottered along with her purple unicorn.  The rock faces were other-worldly, and we thought they looked like some form of alien accommodation.

Fortification followed in the form of very fine milkshakes at Mike's Roadside Cafe in Mojave, before an evening of  games - Set and Bananagrams.  Mae is still not asleep at 9:40pm, due to an untimely nap today, oh dear.  We now prepare for a LONG journey back home to Menlo Park tomorrow.

Interesting fact:  In 1840, the last few survivors of an expedition across Death Valley, staggered through Red Rock Canyon.  Thankfully, our journey has been much more pleasurable.

Top quote (still in use now):  "GO TO SLEEP!"

Mojave National Preserve

Despite only spending a day here we are suitably impressed with Mojave N P.  However, it's been a LONG new years day, Kay, my usually trusty blog co-author, is now asleep next to me, and I'm a little lost for words, therefore I am going to cheat by making this a picture-blog.

Before I do that, here is the top quote, and it's from Mae, at the end of a dusty day where she's been asking to dress up for a couple of days now:  "Can I be a princess now?"  (how could we refuse?)

Photos:

- Kelso sand dunes (just behind the oddly located 25 mph sign) is made up of sand from ancient local lake beds.  Apparently dune fields like this are called Ergs - a name that, to me at least, is almost as strange as the fact that dunes are formed by aeolian process, or by the winds ability to shape the Earth's surface:

- The Union Pacific railroad runs through Mojave.  The boys were very impressed when one driver delivered us a fine 'baaaarrrp' of his horn and a friendly wave:  

- I find abandoned buildings interesting, especially when there are chairs on the porch, so Kelso ghost town was a treat:

- It is important to practice Jedi maneuvers during travel breaks:

- We decided we liked Joshua trees:

- A lot...

- Including the leaves that drop off them:

- Here's another photo.  Did I say we liked Joshua trees?  Learnt a few things about these trees from 'wiki' today:  (1) They only grow between 2000 and 6000 feet.  (2) The trunks of Joshua trees are made of tiny fibers and don't have growth rings so it's difficult to determine their age, but it is believed they can live for up to 1000 years.  (3) Cahuilla Native Americans used to make sandals and baskets from the leaves and eat the seed and fruit.  (4) Climate change threatens their existence because, let's face it, they can't run off to cooler climes...  

- Interesting desert fauna:

- The view west as we leave the park is impressive:

- As are some of the road names on I-15:

- We complete our journey from Needles, through Mojave N P and to a town called Mojave (that could be twinned with Needles) by meeting up with Sue and Dar for a slap-up meal in the Cafe 58, imaginatively named after the local highway.  We end our evening with a movie and a nice cup of tea before seeing them off on their own vacation!

Hope you are having a fine new years day - wherever you are!

Happy New Year!!!

And best wishes to you all for 2009!!!

This message comes to you from Kelso Dunes at Mojave National Preserve.