Jim & Liz’s RV Trip Tracker.

Where Jim and Liz are staying tonight... 

On to Oregon

Liz drove the first leg from Redding, CA into Oregon,  which means I got to take pictures and post them as we drove north on I-5. Up ahead is snow capped Mt. Shasta. 

California Highlights: Burney Falls

We moved our RV further north and stayed in Redding, CA for a few days. We drove to Burney Falls, which Teddy Roosevelt called the “Eighth Wonder of the World.” It’s easy to see why. Our hike took us to the base of the falls and along the creek. 

California Highlights: Sausaletto

Here’s a bit of trivia. The Tequila Sunrise was invented at the Trident Restaurant in Sausalito, California. It’s history is interesting. It became popular after Mick Jagger took a liking to the drink at a party here to kick off a Stones tour in the 60s. This restaurant was originally opened by the Kingston Trio and became a popular hangout for folks like Janis Joplin, who had her own table. Others who hung out here included Jerry Garcia, Clint Eastwood and... um.... Bill Cosby.

So, we celebrates that history with an incredible view of SF across the bay.

California Highlights: Hiking

We learned that the San Francisco Bay Area has a lot more to offer than cable cars, seafood and wine. We went hiking in the hills overlooking Oakland. We enjoyed lush, dark forests, incredible redwoods and magnificent views of the Bay Area. A big thank you to our hiking guide, Liz's cousin, Sue.

California Highlights: Wine Country

While in the Bay Area, we explored the Napa Valley. We tasted some wine, took a tour, tasted some wine, ate, tasted some wine, shopped, tasted some wine... you get the idea.

Our tour guides were Liz’s cousins Sue and Kathy. Thanks for a great time!

California Highlights: Oakland Colleseum

Here’s another MLB stadium to check off my list. This one is traditionally ranked last among ballparks, but between the Raiders and the Athletics, there’s a ton of history on this field. And who know how much longer it will be here. 

In the meantime, I got to watch a daytime ballgame and eat a hot dog. What’s not to like?

California Highlights: San Francisco

After a two week vacation from our endless vacation, we were back on our RV adventure. We’ve moved further north and did the “touristy” exploration of San Francisco, including the obligatory picture at Fisherman’s Wharf, a cable car ride and watching the sea lions sleep and play at Pier 39.

California Highlights: KHJ Radio, Capitol Records and Sinatra

Since we’re in the LA area, I was trying to find the building that once housed radio station KHJ, one of the legendary top-40 stations in the 60s and 70s. It was called “Boss Radio” and featured radio greats such as Charlie Tuna, Robert W. Morgan and The Real Don Steele. It turns out the studios were in the very same building that now house the Paramount Pictures tours. I was actually in it a few days earlier and, at the time, had no idea about awesome history of that building.

And that’s not all. It turns out that it was the also original home for NBC television and later the Capitol Records recording studios. Most noteworthy is that Frank Sinatra recorded many of his early albums and Nat King Cole recorded the classic Mona Lisa there.

And to think the building with so much history now houses a security desk and an exhibit from the Terminator movies, with no mention of NBC, KHJ, Capitol or Sinatra.

California Highlights: Movie Studios

What's a trip to Hollywood without a  studio tour? This is Paramount Pictures and it was pretty awesome being on the same hallowed ground where so many great films and TV shows were shot, including The Godfather, Rear Window, White Christmas and dozens more. Here are three highlights of the tour.

#1: We visited Soundstage 29 and the Dr. Phil set. For me, even more impressive is that it’s the same stage they taped Mission Impossible (the TV show, not the movies) which was my all time favorite show growing up. It was also where Mannix and a bunch of the Star Trek movies were filmed.

#2: We stopped by the outdoor pool where Cecil B. DeMille filmed the parting of the Red Sea for the Ten Commandments. This pool has been used in a bunch of movies, and when it’s not being used for filming, it’s a blue parking lot.

#3: They took us to Soundstage #25 where a Nickelodeon sitcom is now taping. More impressive is that this building one housed the Cheers bar and Frazier’s radio studio.

California Highlights: Venice Beach

We made a stop at Venice Beach, which is sometimes referred to as “a cultural hub known for its eccentricities.” Which translates into a place where there are a lot of weird, and sometimes interesting, people. There Liz found a new friend that reminded her of one of the lovable creatures from her favorite movie, Aliens.

California Highlights: Santa Monica

We picked up historic Route 66 (or what’s left of it) in Amarillo and drove along it all the way to our RV park near LA. In all we followed it for about 1,050 miles - about half its total length from Chicago. We made it to its official end in Santa Monica.

The Santa Monica Pier has an amusement park and Liz dragged me onto the Ferris Wheel. I think we were maybe at the frightening height of 15 or 20 feet in the air when she took the picture. Once we got higher, the view was fun. 

California Highlights: Train Trip Along the Coast

Our visit included a three hour train ride just to have lunch. It’s the Metrolink commuter train, and while it makes a bunch of stops, it’s also pretty scenic with a portion traveling along the Pacific coast. We passed through San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente and ended up in Oceanside where we ate seafood by the pier. As I type, we’re making our way through San Bernardino on our way to Pomona where our RV is parked.

Note: the following is in anticipation of the obvious comments and questions. Yes, I did have a bottle of water and I did take a “swallow” as we passed through San Juan Capistrano. No, we didn’t see any Nixons in San Clemente. They sold the place years ago.

California Highlights: Pinks Hot Dogs

Lunch stops included the legendary LA eatery, Pinks Hot Dogs. This stand is almost 80 years old and I don’t think much has changed in the intervening years except for adding dozens of photos of celebrities eating here. I waited in line for 30 minutes. Was it worth it? I had “The Mulholland,” which included bacon, mushrooms, grilled onions and nacho cheese. You bet it was worth the wait.

California Highlights: Magic Castle

What can be more exciting than a black tie awards show in Hollywood. Such an amazing night we had watching David Copperfield being named Magician of the Decade and having it presented by Dick Van Dyke and Michael Carbonaro. The emcee was Larry Wilmore from The Daily Show and both onstage and in the audience were an absolute who’s who of the magic community. 

Our time in Hollywood also included six more trips to the World Famous Magic Castle.