travels with the ‘78 ce2

[dodger tom]

[Shonandb]

Looks like another nice trip Tom! I've added the new breweries to my list.
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[dodger tom]

headed out for a short trip to a relatively local spot to which i’ve never been.

north past camp roberts, the california national guard base.

to king city…

for some lunch.

i’ve been on a birria taco craze since i first discovered them last year.

where have you been all my life?

a quick detour through downtown king city.

and, off toward our goal.

the pinnacles national park has two entrances that do not connect.

we’re headed to the east side.

this being california there are vineyards.

and other agriculture.

into the chaparral foothills.

the park is in the gabilan mountain range.

ca 25 winds through the hills and valleys.

and our goal.

best (most secluded) campsite.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[Shonandb]

Looks like you had good weather, and a fair bit of green still visible. Nice!

We got out Friday and Sunday in the Bus but it's been raining everyday so didn't stop for any pics.
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[dodger tom]

[dodger tom]

headed into the park through the valley.

past the second entrance???

soon, there was a glimpse of the pinnacles off in the distance.

first to the old pinnacles trail head,

which offers another glimpse of the pinnacles.

then, back to the bear gulch trailhead. up the hill.

and another glimpse.

to the nature center.

and the hibernating ladybugs.

who knew ladybugs needed so much shuteye.

back down the hill.

to the campground. went for a short hike to the ranch.

didn’t make it to the homestead, but got a photo of the sign.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[The Volkswagen Ranch]

My favorite trip! Hard to believe looks like no one there except you and the ladybugs ( never saw so many in one place!). The bus also looks great. Did you get to replacing the rollers on the slider yet? Bob
_________________
1963 Convertible (Lizzie) and 1964 Convertible (Patience) 1976 Westfalia (Winnie)

[Shonandb]

[dodger tom]

headed back down to ca 25.....

took a right. and headed east.

this being california, there are beeves.

and earthquake faults.

the san andreas fault runs parallel to ca 25, at times very close.

back through the coastal chaparral foothills.

back to the intersection, where this time we go left.

the road cuts along the edge of the valley.

with cool curves and whoop-dee-doos.

the field to the left looks ready for winter planting. probably lettuce, but this being california, it could be any number of crops.

into soledad.

and a quick trip through downtown to get gas.

and back to ca 146 east to head to the westside of the pinnacles.

up into the foothills once again.

those are the santa lucia mountains on the other side of the salinas river valley. the pacific ocean is just beyond them. hence the cool weather than permeates "america's salad bowl."

as it's less than 20 miles to the visitor's center, we soon catch glimpses of the pinnacles themselves.

and, then the visitor's center.

it's a one lane road most of the way into the park, but, luckily, traffic was almost nonexistent.

we head toward the chaparral trailhead.

and, no longer a glimpse, but the pinnacles themselves.

turns out the eastside only has glimpses. you need to hike in to see the formations. on the westside you're at the base of the formations.

one last glimpse, and back out toward the valley.

this being california, there are vineyards.

stopped in king city for a quick bite.

was craving carnitas.

this was the pulled-pork type rather than my favorite, the deep-fried-in-its-own-lard type. but, the flavor of the meat was wonderful.

on to the california coast beer co for a nondescript ipa. google took me to the back door, which was the group venue.

while the brewpub itself was more inviting.

the ipa was unfiltered. not bad, just nothing special.

final stop, one of my favorite spots, the tent city beer co in atascadero. used to be my home pub when my ex-girl friend lived a mile down traffic way. but, that is another story.

their ipa is one of the best. citrus and simcoe goodness all the way through.

down the cuesta grade as the sun went down.

and sunset on the coast on the last stretch home.

_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[Shonandb]

Great pictures Tom, especially the last 2 with the sun setting.
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[Abscate]

[Xevin]

Great road trip as usual. I was in Santa Cruz last week. Maybe we should plan a road trip to the San Joaquin valley I know all the hot spots and fun places
_________________
Keep on Busin'

[dodger tom]

[dodger tom]

[Shonandb]

"brewed back in fresno, their general sherman is a west coast ipa sitting at a hefty 7.5% abv. it is a light golden color, clear, with a slight hint of pine that turns to stone fruit mid palate. medium bitterness from front to back."

That sounds tasty! Thanks for the narration and pics as always.
_________________
*******************************
76 Westy with a 2.5L Subaru SOHC + Vanagon (010) Automatic Transaxle
Build & Trip Thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=758760
Previous 1973 Panel Bus:
Click to view image

[dodger tom]

continuing on xevin's trip....

....heading north from merced we cleave through the heart of the sjv. there are lots of towns sprinkled along the way. atwater, delhi, ceres, ripon, and many more. alas, they lack brewpubs, and so they are simply so many hamlets along the highway as we whiz by.

turlock is the next stop.

the dust bowl brewing company is on the south side of town. it's a striking modern facility with big indoor spaces and a large outdoor patio.

they had three ipa's worth tasting. remember, i don't drink hazies.

"hops of wrath" is their flagship ipa. the name is, of course, a call-out to john steinbeck who wrote extensively about the migrants and ag workers in the sjv. at 6.6% abv it is a golden-orange brew with citrusy-floral notes up front, and pine at the back of the tongue. they describe it as "balanced," which is usually code for sweet, but the finish has a nice mild bitterness.

"lulupin handshake" is a tropical ipa with 7.6% abv. better than most "juicies," it has a pleasant fruity bitterness.

"tomorrow's clear" is described as an american ipa. a stout 7.1% abv, it nonetheless tasted like sweet hop water with little body and less flavor.

i had a pint of hops of wrath.

the two points of interest i could identify in turlock were a shopping center and something that isn't there anymore.

the shopping center, monte vista crossing, is on both sides of ca 99, and goes on for almost a mile.

a trip advisor reviewer said "too many stores in one location. most of the time it is grid lock in this area. too many people & long lines." nuff said.

the thing that isn't there used to be on the side of harder's print shop.

what used to be there was a mural.

it was meant to be celebratory, and to kickoff a campaign to raise funds for the assyrian-american civic club and a cultural mural at the civic club's hall. but, people quickly assigned other meanings to the mural, assuming it was related to the black lives matter movement. silhouettes are black, amirite? so, it was quickly painted over, cause, who wants a mural that has figures playfully expressing themselves through dance, peace signs and other gestures of active joy?

proceeding north we hit modesto, a town with an arch…..

and a mural.

and, persuasion brewing.

which also has a mural.

i had a number of tastes, but one stood out. the "while you were here." described variously as an american ipa and their take on a west coast ipa, it was yellow-gold in color with 7% abv. columbus hops produced the typical piney-dank bitterness that left my palate tingling.

to be continued.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.

[Abscate]

I feel you…close by

Stuck in Palm Springs for two weeks , won second place in a contest. I see lots of palms but few springs
_________________
.ssS!

[Xevin]

Tom, another epic road trip and trip through memory lane

If you make it to Lodi be sure not to get stuck and here is the address to Little Xevin's first job. It’s where all the neighborhood kids worked without a car. There was nothing but agriculture surrounding the neighborhood in the 80s and before. Hope you save your appetite for a Chili Cheese Dog

5950 N HIghway 99 Frontage
Stockton, CA 95212
United States
_________________
Keep on Busin'

[richparker]

Bus looks good!
_________________
__________
’71 Westy build
Adventure thread
’65 Deluxe Build
’63 Deluxe Build

[dodger tom]

next stop: manteca.

the bartender said the area had changed from vineyards (table grapes, most probably) to condos and apartments. said it was now a bedroom community for the bay area, which is a mere 70 miles or so away. can you say "books on tape?"

the bartender worked here....

at the brethern brewing company. their mission is to brew beer, create a meaningful experience, and change manteca "one pint at a time." they plan to do the latter by donating profits to local nonprofits.

on the beer side i tried several. their consensus ipa, described as a juicy, came in at 6.9% abv. light gold and light bodied it had an effervescent presence on my tongue, and what i can only describe as a weird hop quality.

the fosted tips is a cold ipa, that is an ale brewed with lager yeast, that they describe as "ultra west coast." i beg to differ. with 6.7% abv it was clear and light gold. instead of having no weight on the tongue it had a nice light body and a fruity if light bitterness. yet, hardly utlra anything.

mumbling mule ipa is a west coaster with 6.8% abv. it poured clear with a light gold color tinged with a bit of orange. a mix of typical west coast hops including some cryo hops, which to me usually impart a chemically harsh bitterness. the first few tastes did not have that harshness, but, alas, it did come out as the pint went down, although it alternated with a nice flowery citrus hoppiness from the el dorado, mosaic, and citra. too bad that cryo flavor kept creeping in.

nearby is a mural saluting our military.

manteca's "not forgotten memorial day event" is said to be the largest such gathering on the west coast, drawing up to 20,000 people.

the only other site-to-see the internet could suggest was this:

for those sharp-eyed folk out there, there is a difference in the ce2's appearance in some of the photos. have you noticed what it is?

insert final jeopardy jingle here.

hubcaps. the bus has hubcaps in some photos, and not in others. that's cause i got new tires and powder coated the wheels. i've left the hubcaps off for the first 1,000 or so miles to retorque, some of us having reported loose lug-nut issues with powder coated wheels.

i did camp one night in the sjv. the dos reis regional park is a spot on the san joaquin river in the middle of the sjv.

to state the obvious, except for the levees on either side of the river, it is flaaat.

the campsite was just fine.....

and, the place was nearly empty.

it had showers.....

but with limited hours. the campground host walked up, and offered to turn the shower on for me. very sweet. kinda-warm-not-quite-cool, but did the trick.
the river is on the other side of the levee.

there is one thing the campground/park has, and that's signs.

i guess they don't want visitors lingering with their friends in the campground.

finances are tight in a lot of california counties. prop 13, and all that.

to be continued.
_________________
1978 Champaign Edition 2 Westfalia
Would never find the time to keep up another classic air-cooled.