(DONE) CALIFORNIA CAROL - April 1969
TRADITIONAL: Sea World, Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, Universal Studios, etc. - NON-TRADITIONAL: Learning to ride a motorcycle, learning to fish, learning to water ski, learning to shoot a pistol and a rifle. All in 10 days. What a blast!
-
L.A.X. - My first vacation trip, anywhere, by myself, 10 days in California. I hadn't earned two weeks vacation time, so I took a week without pay.
-
Aha! That settles the date question. $222.60 round trip.
-
Anaheim
-
Marianne, Klaus' wife, and their dog Senta
-
Knott's Berry Farm
-
Knott's Berry Farm - Chief White Eagle, a Cherokee.
-
Sea World
-
Disneyland
-
Walter took me to see Mt. Palomar Observatory. Here you see starlight from 15 *B*illion years ago.
-
Dee wanted to take me to see the swallows at Capistrano. We drove down along the scenic coast.
-
We stopped to stretch our legs and admire the view. What are the chances that we'd catch two guys naked at the water's edge? I had to take a picture before we shouted down to them and waved hi.
-
The Mission at San Juan Capistrano. We were informed the swallows left the day before. What a disappointment. Nothing left to do except to sulk and strike a Hitchcockian pose. (rolling my eyes)
-
Flew to San Francisco for a few days to sight-see.
-
Spent three days up there. Including a long distance telephone call: Grand Total $27.00. Don't laugh. When you're making around $75 a week, that $27 is a lot.
-
The cable car was a must-do.
-
Shopping at Ghirardelli Square
-
Yes, I do.
-
Fisherman's Wharf
-
Took a cruise around the bay, The Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz.
-
Took a bus trip to Muir Woods and got to pass Sausalito on the way. Took another bus side trip to meet and have dinner with an old friend of your Uncle Walter, Elizabeth Michelin.
-
Got my fill of giant Sequoias.
-
From a brochure.
-
Back from San Francisco, it's time to check out Universal Studios.
-
The back lot.
-
Dee and Walter looking like movie stars themselves.
-
We watch a live program showing how all the stunts are done.
-
The finale. SPOILER ALERT: The bad guy gets it.
-
A chariot from the filming of Ben Hur.
-
The Phantom of the Opera.
-
We drive 4 hours, many of them through the Arizona desert.
-
We arrive at Wally and Dee's place on the Colorado River.
-
The scenery is breathtaking but I'm too busy learning how to fish and tangling the line. Walter's patience has no limits.
-
Dee takes me up and down the river to check out the scenery and the dam.
-
Parker Dam over the Colorado Rive, then and now. Not much has changed, except for more paving. I see some green is growing on the hillsides now, too.
-
I get a turn at the wheel.
-
Next up, water-skiing lessons. Walter shows me how it's done.
-
It's possible I might actually be able to stand up.
-
A shaky start. :o)
-
Not bad at all, and having the time of my life!
-
Dee shows me how it's done. Easy as pie. She looks like she was born on water skis. Watching her reminds me that I have a long way to go.
-
Southwest desert
-
Small firearms training day.
-
I like this!
-
A natural at the rifle, too!
-
I was warned. Lord knows they told me not to touch the cactus. So what's the first thing I do when no one is looking? ***** THEN I try to wipe one hand off with the other one. (rolling my eyes) I was fine in two weeks.
-
Back home, Dee's bike is certainly easier to handle than Wally's.
-
The vacation is over too soon. Wally tried to talk me into moving out there. I badly wanted to, but was too chicken to try. For years after, from time to time, I thought, "What if?". Today in my 60s it's just a thought, not a regret.
-
And now, over 40 years later, I can put what's left of California Carol to rest.
Album info
Random image
