Coronavirus Best and Worst of Road Trip

A road trip during coronavirus?! It was awesome. Here are the best and worst situations we experienced on our two-week roadtrip from Los Angeles to Olympic National Park. Let me say, that we felt safe at every hotel we stayed in as they all had coronavirus measures in place. 

Seattle

Stringent coronavirus checks

Most - Hyatt Place in Emeryville - asked us 3 coronavirus questions before they let us check in and gave us a handout on covid measures at hotel

Least - Bars - once you had a beer in your hand masks came off

Covid breakfast (every place except 1, staff handed you your breakfast items)

Best - Seattle - only place on entire trip with hot breakfast - scrambled eggs and bacon or sausage.

Worst - Redding - lots of cold choices, but we were allowed to grab our own food

People wearing masks

Most - Olympic National Park

Least - Stockton and small towns in Washington

Reliable bathroom opportunities

Most - rest areas along interstate 5

Least - California gas stations (many were "out of order")

Park experience

Best - Mt. St. Helens - very few people there due to coronavirus - I saw pictures from last year and observation decks were packed with people.

Mt. St. Helens

Worst - Cape Flattery - it is located on Indian Reservation and the reservation was still in Phase 1. We were turned back after an hour drive by police since we were not locals.

Dining

Best - Pastini - first sit down meal in 4 months! Seating was outside. All servers wearing masks, tables were wiped down between guests.

Worst - Oyster restaurant in small town - owner not wearing mask

Coronavirus precaution Items I brought

Best - hand sanitizer I placed in doors of car

Worst - wipes - never used them. We were very good about hand sanitizer and never saw a necessity for these.

Other coronavirus observations: many elevators had spots on floor where you were supposed to stand for social distancing purposes; one hotel said most were operating at 40% capacity or less; one gas station in WA gave out gloves so you could pump your gas; traffic was great- everywhere - even going into and out of San Francisco at rush hour on a Monday; and everywhere we went most people wore masks similar to what we see in Southern California - most people do, but there is that tiny minority that refuse.  Only in a couple of  businesses we found mask wearing lax and we abruptly left.

Being on the road filled us with a sense of freedom that we had not experienced in the last four months. I am ready for another one.

Take care and be safe.

Me at Hurricane Ridge, Olympic National Park

Travel During the Great Coronavirus Reopening

Cities, states, and even countries are reopening to tourists. Not all, but many. 

On June 15, most European countries opened their borders to residents of its member countries. Spain waited until June 21. And on July 1, the Europeans will tentatively open their borders to international tourist for the first time in four months. 

While there are stipulations like your country's infection rates have to be held in check, sorry U.S., they are allowing tourist.  Similar to the U.S. where certain states are blocking other states domestic travelers. Key West authorities arrested a woman and sent her back to Florida for trying to visit. New Mexico said they love tourist, just not right now.

And cruise lines? Oh, the poor cruise lines. Spain has said no cruise ships can dock in any Spanish port for the foreseeable future. Norwegian cruise lines said all cruises are suspended at least through September. That is the entire summer season. Although they are making exceptions for the Pacific Northwest. And a week ago, the first Danube-Rhine river cruise made it without mishap.

https://www.cruisetradenews.com/first-european-river-cruise-resumes-sailings-post-coronavirus-recovery/

However, Greece welcomed one of its first international flights a couple of weeks ago from Qatar - 12 people on board tested positive for Coronavirus.

We are not out of the woods yet.

Last week, I cancelled my family's 3-week Spain trip that was to depart July 8. I poured over news reports daily about the  Europe's reopening. But with a potential quarantine for travelers, U.S. infection rates increasing, the need for reciprocal travel arrangements (the U.S. is still blocking travel from Europe), and my airline change my flight where I would have to literally time travel backwards three hours to make my flight, I figured it was time.

Fortunately, I was able to cancel everything and get full refunds except one hostel in Spain. Somehow I overlooked their no cancellation policy. If that was all it cost me, plus my hopes and dreams, I was ok with that. 

Are you planning on traveling?

Take care.

Posts Tuesday and Saturday

Coronavirus When Can We Travel

"Americans may be able to take summer vacations, Fauci says," according to CNN 4/9/20.

 

This headline brought a smile to my face when I looked at my phone this morning.

 

Apart from being safe at home, one of my big concerns about the coronavirus is if I will have to or even be able to cancel a trip I have booked this summer. And the most important question, "Will it be safe?"

 

The trip is to complete the Camino de Santiago. Unfortunately, that destination is in Spain, one of the most adversely affected coronavirus hotspots in the world.

 

I have been reading Spain news daily everyday to see how the country's coronavirus rates have changed. Today, Fox News said Spain could be seeing the start of a coronavirus decline. That's good news.

 

Especially since, as of today, airlines are only allowing you to cancel or change your flights without a fee for trips that commence before May 31, 2020. 

 

What happens if travel bans are lifted at the end of May? Would you feel safe enough to travel in June?

 

What if you can only cancel with a fee?

 

Perhaps there may be more travel restrictions put in place as Dr. Fauci suggests: taking temperature readings at airports, wearing masks on planes, continued social distancing, and no handshaking.

 

As of today, if travel bans are lifted I am going. I will mind any restrictions and recommendations by government and travel agencies.

 

I feel that you have to maintain your goals for as long as you can. It gives you something to strive for, a sense of purpose during these murky days. To prepare for the Camino de Santiago, I workout daily in my living room thanks to all the free online content - thanks Barry's and Nike Training Club! I also walk daily practicing social distancing and wearing a mask.

 

I hope that Dr. Fauci's hopeful words come to pass and that we can all take vacations this summer safely.

 

Take care and be safe.

 

Posts: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday

Lost in Vasquez Rocks: A Los Angeles Hiking Experience

The amazing Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is a wilderness area that you can spend ½ a day hiking the outside trails or spend an hour bouldering the iconic rocks at the center of the park. The park is only ½ hour north of Los Angeles just off the 14 freeway.

 

The remarkable geologic rock formations within the park are caused by the active Elkhorn Fault. Rocks soar over 100 feet out of the ground at 50-degree angles. The park’s iconic rocks have formed the back drop for dozens of films and TV shows from Star Trek to Blazing Saddles to Westworld.

 

Iconic rocks

The park is visitor friendly with free parking, a well-put-together interactive visitor center and marked hiking trails. Unlike many hikes where you must hike hours to arrive at a trail’s iconic photo spot, this park allows you to drive right up to it to take your pictures and hike afterwards. But being a dad and a scoutmaster, I made my wife and two sons complete the 6-mile loop around the park before exploring the 150-foot tall prize.

 

And of course, I got us lost.

 

Views of the rock uplift.

Our ill-fated hike started on a beautiful day: the sky was a beautiful cobalt blue and a cool breeze kept the high desert temperatures in the 70s. Walking along the Geology Trail, we wound through various boulders and desert shrubbery with signs describing them. The area also afforded some amazing views.

 

Then the trail descended behind a ridge of sandstone and sedimentary rocks momentarily blocking our view of the central rocks. Looking back up at the ridge that we had descended, it appeared as if we had walked down a massive rent in the earth.

 

We descended further into a beautiful rocky canyon and saw a boulder shaped like a guppy and another like a bantha from Star Wars.

Guppy Rock

 

I, being the faithful Instagrammer, was taking copious amounts of photos so my family soon left me behind. But have no fear, my wife and younger son responsibly waited for me at the Foot Trail turnoff that would take us back to the visitor center. My older son on the other hand was nowhere to be found.

 

He had missed the turnoff and continued on our current trail. We called his name but there was no answer. We hurried after him.  He was 16 and a Life Scout so I did not fear for his safety, I just didn’t want to do a lot of backtracking once we caught up to him.  Besides the park did not look that big on the visitor center map. But looks can be deceiving. I soon learned why Tiburcio Vasquez, a notorious bandit during the 19th century, was able to escape the law for so many years amongst these rocks and canyons.

 

Ten minutes on, the trail wrapped around a bend and it was here that we finally saw my son. He stood atop a ridge 100 yards beyond. He waved at us to follow him. My younger son urged us to go back. I looked at the map. It appeared that this trail would eventually merge with the Foot Trail, so I said we should follow my older son. I really didn’t want to back track.



Older son is dot on hill.

 

But soon, the trail narrowed to almost nothing, then widened into a definite trail again and then shrank back down again. After forty-five minutes on this rubber band trail, we found ourselves ducking under branches, avoiding rabbits on what had become nothing more than a game trail, and ended up in a farmer’s backyard.

 

My older son stated the obvious, “We’re lost.”

 

Now we had to backtrack. Still, I didn’t think we had to backtrack all the way. There was a path that had branched off from the one we had come down that I thought would lead us towards the center of the park. Instead we came across signs for the wildlife conservation area. I was even more confused. The signs should’ve been west of us.  We reached the top of a ridge and just saw more ridges before us. At this point, with my nerves starting to whisper, “Danger Will Robinson, danger.” I said, “We are going all the way back.”

 

It was strange because as we headed back, we found markers indicating we were on the Foot Trail but we were definitely not on the trail marked on the map. We continued backtracking. I finally found a well-marked trail going through our “trail”. I told my family to wait at the crossroads while I hiked up his broader trail for a better vantage point. At the top of a bend was a sign that said Horse Trail. I was so turned around at this point, the map was useless.

 

But from here, I saw this trail pass over the next ridge into a valley and then over another ridge where people were standing looking about. We had found our way home! 25 minutes later we arrived at the park’s main road.

 

Unfortunately, when I told the boys we should climb the main rocks now, they looked at me as if I were loony. So, the boys went back to the car, while my wife and I headed to the central rocks. I was bound and determined to climb the darn things since they and I were here. The climb took less than 20 minutes. From the top, we could see the areas we had hiked through and my car in the parking lot where the boys waited.

 

It was a great ending to a long day.

 

 

I highly recommend visiting Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park.

 

Hikespeak.com has a detailed itinerary of the hike around the outside of the park with pictures. The 6-mile loop also incorporates a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail (the PCT), so you can say you hiked a portion of it. Be sure to bring plenty of water and a hat as there are no trees for shade.

 

Enjoy!