On Wednesday, January 2, 2002  I once again packed up the motor home and took to the road.  I was still battling heavy rains and Bay Area freeways and made my way back towards the coast where, surprisingly, the skys began to clear.  I drove south on California Highway #1 and stopped at an RV Park nestled among the redwoods at Big Sur.  I only stayed over night and the next morning I inquired about RV Parks further south that might be located right on the ocean. Pismo Beach was the first place where there was this kind of access.

After leaving Big Sur I travelled on some of the twistiest roads yet and decided to bypass a stop at the Comaldese Hermitage since it was right at lunchtime and it would involve a long, steep climb up the mountain on more twisty roads.  I also didn't stop at the famous "Hearst Castle" since I wouldn't be able to see much of the castle and also get to my ocean-side location before nightfall.

I was, however, treated to "memories of Africa" when I stopped at a beach to eat my lunch and found that there were hundreds of elephant seals resting on the warm sand.  As I walked among these gigantic beasts it brought back memories of being on 'safari' in Africa where the wild animals have so grown accustomed to seeing human beings that they don't even budge.

I easily made my way to Pismo Beach by mid afternoon and checked into the Pismo Coast Village RV Park.  It wasn't possible to see the ocean from any of the 400 sites at this huge park due to the high sand dune between the park and the beach.  However, once over the dune, there was a twelve mile stretch of flat, sandy beach which was great for walks and bicycle rides. I couldn't believe that I was basking on a sunny, California beach while friends in the Northwest were checking out their webbed feet in the ongoing rainy season.  The sun was nice and I enjoyed many long walks and bike rides on the beach. However, there was only one day when there was enough wind to fly my kite.  I spent six nights at this park and it was close enough for me to walk to the local Catholic Church - the Franciscan parish of St. Paul the Apostle.

On Wednesday, January 9th I drove from Pismo Beach to Eagle Rock (near Pasadena) and, in the process, was shocked into the phenomenon of southern California smog and freeways!  As soon as got through Ventura the skys hazed over and there was no more blue; then the freeways seemed to grow wider and more congested even as I continued my journey south.  There was actually one time when I was just one of SEVEN - count them ... SEVEN lanes of traffic all going 70 mph and bumper to bumper!  It threw me back to 'white-knuckle driving' and I could feel the tension in my neck and shoulders.  Give me my blue highways and life on the McKenzie any day.  This is not the way I like to drive.

Now, I'm parked in the lot at our St. Dominic's Church in Eagle Rock.  My classmate, Brother Frederick Narbares is principle of the Parish School which has full enrollment in double classes from kindergarten to eighth grade. Bro. Frederick is also co-director  of a new formation program training new Dominicans who have entered the Order with the intention of remaining brothers like me.  This program just began in the Fall and there are two brothers: Brother Charles Ignatius Lim and Brother Jose Martin Flores who professed their first vows in September.  They receive classes in spiritual formation and are involved in outreach programs of helping the homeless, visiting shut-ins and bringing Holy Communion to people in convalescent hospitals.  They are also being integrated into the liturgical life of the Dominican parish where they reside.

On the day that I was leaving I walked around the Church and found that they were having a school Mass.  Over the years this parish has grown and expanded and now its facilities comprise an entire square block.  They've even closed off the street between the church and the school and purchased a nearby Masonic Lodge to use as a community center.

After the Mass I quickly got the motor home ready for travel and hit the road by about 10:30.  I was heading to the city of Orange (a little east of Disneyland) where I was going to leave the motor home with my friend, Fr. Gordon Moreland, SJ who runs a House of Prayer for the Diocese of Orange.  The next day Fr. Martin Diaz, OP drove me to the Los Angeles Airport where I caught a flight to Baja, Mexico.

I had the greatest time, spending a week with Dave and Diane Rae, who run the Log Cabin Inn and Restaurant at McKenzie Bridge.  They spend an extended Christmas break at their home in Mulege - about 80 miles north of Loretto, Baja.  The little Santa Rosalia River, which is spring fed, seems to be the reason this little oasis town sprang up.  The river is about 50' wide, not too deep and the Rae's place is about midway on the short, three mile length of the river that spills into the Sea of Cortez.

The town has a population of 3,004.  That's what the sign on the highway has said for the past ten years.  It has four Catholic Churches, Mission Santa Rosalia de Mulege, (founded by the Jesuits in 1700), a museum which was formerly a prison and lots of eating places from small taco stands to sit-down restaurants.  The economy of the town is mostly based on tourists who come for the sun and sport fishing.  There is a small commercial fishing village and an abundance of grocery and liquor stores.

The Rae's have been coming to the Orchard Village RV Park for 14 years and first pulled in with a 30' Airstream Trailer.  At that time it was required that all sites have some kind of mobile base before anything else was built.  Over the years they have built what is called a "palapa" (pa-LA pa) around their trailer.  Their's is a two-story, open-fronted, thatched-roof structure which has the living, dining and kitchen areas facing the river. They have full electric and water service, an enclosed six person 'bunk room' with an adjacent bath, and an upstairs deck facing the mountains and the rising sun.

While I was walking around one day I met a man who was visiting from Nevada City.  I was intrigued by the strange pontoon-bicycle that he had on his trailer.  He told me that it was the result of an engineering class project that required the students to keep to the basic frame and components of a traditional bicycle yet make it float!  We had a great time with this strange bike.

In the week that I was there we went deep-sea fishing three times.  This was the first time in almost 40 years that I had a fishing pole in my hands and I absolutely loved it!  We would try to be in the boat and on our way out to sea by seven in the morning.  Usually we were back around one in the early afternoon.  Most of the time we caught more fish than we could use and passed them on to one of the local restaurants.  I was happy to have caught the two largest fish: both what are called "Trigger Fish" about 12" long, thin, and 6" high.  They get their name from a rigid, trigger-like spine that is part of their dorsal fin.  They also sport a little, pursed-lip mouth that has tiny, human-like teeth which you could hear grinding as the hook was removed.

I had a delightful time with these wonderful friends who opened their home and their lives to me.  They re-introduced me to fishing and I even got to take some back with me to share with my Jesuit Priest-friend at the Orange House of Prayer.

On Tuesday, January 22nd I was back on the road and heading east. I wanted to at least stop off at our Dominican Newman Center at Riverside on my way towards Lake Mohave, Nevada.  I think that I've said this before but I still try to keep to my original plan of not doing any 'marathon driving' on this journey.  I also made a similar commitment not to travel on freeways whenever possible.  My trek from Riverside to Searchlight, Nevada (on the banks of Lake Mohave) took me about four hours.  The scenery along the way was nothing to write home about, but the absence of bumper to bumper traffic on two lane roads was music to my ears.

Out in the middle of nowhere, I stopped at a little road house that advertised "Good Food and Good Drinks." There was nothing else for miles in either direction and I had an inkling for a little more than a quick sandwich.  The main part of the establishment was the bar and I think there might have been a couple of tables against the window.  It was like a scene out of some strange movie: an assortment of 'characters' taking advantage of the $1.00 drinks; the bartender - her name was 'Joy' but her look and demeanor spoke otherwise.  I ordered my Cajun Chicken Sandwich and one of the locals shouted out, "You'll be right after me.  But then, I've been waiting for two days!" Joy went around towards the kitchen with my order and then came right back to use the phone.  The line was busy and after several tries she got through and told me, "Kathy, that's our cook, will be right over.  She just lives next door but she doesn't hang around if there's nothing to do."  I waited and then ate my sandwich thinking, "There's material for a good story right here in this little 'hole-in-the-wall place'" and I wish that I had had the courage to take pictures of the people.

I didn't pull into Cottonwood Cove State Park and RV Village until just around dark.  None of the spaces were right on the lake shore and the wind was blowing down and off the hills on every side.  It was cold and there wasn't much to do but I needed to have a few days quiet before moving on.  I was only about two hours south of Las Vegas - my next stop -  where we have a Dominican Community and where I would meet up with Fr. Anthony Rosevear and the novices who are on their Province Tour.

Las Vegas, said to be the fastest growing city in America, sports the most incredible collection of entertainment resorts that I have ever seen.  'Spectacular' is a word that doesn't even come close to describing the re-creation of some of the world's wonders: the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty, the Great Pyramid (along with it's accompanying Sphinx).

Entire countries are re-created one after the other and all vie for the attention of patrons by offering something to catch your eye and your attention. Not to mention your pocketbook.  You can walk by the Treasure Island Casino and pick up a live, life sized shoot-um-up for free.  The show has a cast of about 30 and includes sound and pyrotechnic effects and in the end the pirate ship fires canons on the on-coming English vessel which actually SINKS as its crew 'jumps ship.'  They do this twice each night EVERY day of the week and many of the cast end up IN the water - which, the night we watched - was 42º.

After trying the OTHER attraction that Vegas offers, and loosing six dollars in under six minutes on a quarter machine, I limited myself to more sure bets.  For sure, one of those has to be the Cirque du Soleil production of  "O." The blurb for this show says, "You will be caught spellbound as dancers, acrobats and performers dazzle you ON - IN - and UNDER a 4.4 million gallon pool of water!" If you never do anything else on a visit to Las Vegas, be sure to see this performance.

On Tuesday, February 5th I continue heading east.  I intend to go through Flagstaff, Arizona (weather conditions pending) and get to Abiqu, New Mexico just before Ash Wednesday.  I'll probably stop a couple of times since I don't like driving for long stretches or every day.  Abiqu is about 20 miles north-west of Santa Fe and is where the Benedictines have a monastery, 'Christ In The Desert.' I'll make my annual retreat there and then plan out the next phase of my trip.

PS
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