May
29
2010
Morgan Hill used to be the world’s largest producer of mushroom until a few years ago, and by way of celebration they hold an annual Mushroom Mardi Gras! Honest. A 2day local festival of food (containing many mushrooms!), local drinks, live music, art (whatever that is?!) and other stuff! They close off a few streets and everybody hits the sunshine (80 C) and has a jolly lovely time!
Its also “Memorial Weekend” all over the states, which is like our Remembrance Sunday, so Monday is a public holiday and Tam and Robin are loving the idea of a three-day w/e!! hence the camping.
We’ll be doing this for a couple of hours before heading off with Tam and Robin camping for 2 days in San Juan Bautista (St John the Baptist). A beautiful old ‘western town’ it is quite small but lots to do, eat and drink! And they have a proper Steakhouse in a former brothel. Mmmm, salad bar!
May
29
2010
Spent Tue and Wed nights camping near the shore of Millerton Lake, near Fresno. Beaut lake manmade in 1944 when California damned to provide local water for local people!! Having put the tent up in the rain (Hello: California here!!) we went into local town called Friant, and guess what? – no bar! So we hit the pizza joint and a couple of beers and watched some basketball on TV. Oh yeah, and on the way there we got a blowout and had to change the tyre: It all happens here!
Earth or the moon?
Weds-day went for a fairly easy 2hour walk along the waters edge and into the hills – great views, now avail on our Photos page! After that we took a drive out in our rented Toyota Yaris Sedan (easy on the gas pedal!!) and actually found a proper Roadhouse. So we stopped for a light bite and a beer – the kinda place where you are given free Monkey nuts and told to throw the shells on the floor! Loved it! went on from there into the ‘burbs of Fresno - nothing spesh, and then back again to Sheri’s Roadhouse on way back to the lake: lit a fire in the pit provided, eat out and chilled.
Struck the tent Thu am and headed back to Morgan Hill for a comedy night at the local Playhouse….all very quaint!