Leaving the Fairplex

The day of departure began with a short discussion of the route we would take to go back to the San Francisco Bay Area. Rather than take the very familiar route using I-5 most of the way, it was decided to turn west on California State Highway 46 until we reached US-101. Our goal was to reach an RV campground in King City, California rather than drive all the way home in one day as we've done in the past.

The first thing to do was to get the towed vehicles connected to the motorhomes with tow bars. Tom backed out behind our rig where he had more room to hook-up his car. Once finished with his task, Tom led the way out of the Fairplex. Kevin brought his rig in behind Tom's and I pulled up behind Kevin — we were on our way.

Preparing to get underway Tom hooks up his towed vehicle

It didn't take very long for our small caravan to get over the Grapevine on I-5 and on to our turnoff point at highway 46. At first our route took us through farm areas with an occasional oil well located in a field. It was quite noticeable that grape vines seem to be taking over the fields were cattle grazed in the past. In some fields new orchards have been planted.

Vineyards have been planted on a lot of farmland

This appears to be a field of alfalfa

When it was time for lunch our caravan found a roadside rest area to pull into to take time for our midday meal.

Once back on the road, our parade of vehicles came to area where the land around us was filled with oil wells. Some of the wells had pumps that appeared to be strange looking, long-necked birds bobbing up and down as oil was pulled out of the ground. Many of the wells had inactive pumps which have long since pumped their last. Even the active pumps were moving slowly as if they were tired.

Click on image below to view a panoramic version Wall-to-wall oil wells

Oil well pumps seen along our route

Our caravan found its way over the mountains as the roadway made its way through valleys and around hills passing vineyards and orchards along the way. For a change in scenery a field filled with sheep appeared on the right side of the road.

A bunch of wool sweaters on the hoof

This highway — California 46 — has the dubious honor of being the route where the actor James Dean lost his life in an automobile crash. The accident took place near Cholame, California on September 30, 1955 at the "Y" junction of highways 41 and 46.

A James Dean memorial is located under a tree in the parking lot of a local café. The tribute to Dean was funded by a Japanese businessman and fan Seita Onishi. Dean memorabilia can be seen at the restaurant.

Our caravan is climbing over the mountains to US 101

Oak trees mean we are getting close to our turn off

As our motorhomes gained altitude, the plant life changed from farm fields to green, grass-covered hills with groves of oak forest. This is what was seen a short time before reaching Paso Robles and highway 101.

Once we were driving north the time seemed to pass quickly when King City appeared as we rounded a bend. We were in familiar territory when our rigs exited from the highway and found our way to the RV campground where we would spend our last night on the road. The campground is a place where our RV club has stayed in the past.

Our motorhomes ended up in three side-by-side, full-hookups RV sites. This RV campground is really very nice considering that is part of the Monterrey County Parks system. Unlike most government campgrounds where I've stayed, this one has full hook-ups available at many of its sites.

Even though we could have made it all the way home in one day, it was very nice to divide the return trip into two travel days. It felt good to be settled into our campsites early so we could relax and rest up after a busy week.

Across from our area of the campground was an unusual camp setup. There was an old International Harvester Scout SUV that pulled an old style tear-drop trailer that was popular eons ago. Behind the small trailer was a push-up canopy that provided an impromptu patio area for the little camper. Both the SUV and the trailer had the same style of paint job and the whole setup looked nice.

A small and very efficient camping setup

The RV campground is only a part of the San Lorenzo Park. On the grounds are interesting museums such as the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum as well as the History of Irrigation Museum.

There are several historic buildings including the old King City railroad depot that was moved from its original location on the east side of town to the current location in the park. Another structure is the one-room schoolhouse that is completely furnished as if it is waiting to be filled with students.

Click on image below to view a panoramic version The old train depot has been moved to this location and restored

All around the museum area, a large collection of old farm machinery can be seen. Some devices look very familiar while others may look strange; all are fun to see together. Some machines are outdoors and others can be seen lined up in rows under a long shed roof.

When I entered the old barn I felt a cooling breeze that was coming from a very big fan, with ten blades, located in the top of the barn. I'm guessing that each blade on the fan is eight feet long. It is the biggest ceiling fan I've seen.

A very big ceiling fan

The inside of the barn is a depository of historic items from the surrounding agricultural area. One interesting display shows a lot of cattle brands used to mark livestock on the ranches in the area. Arranged around the walls of the barn are exhibits of all sorts of hand tools used to assist in bringing in various crops over the years.

Our group turned in early after a good day.

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