A Tour Of Our CA Campground

We are currently staying in a campground that is part of the fairgrounds.  It is located in town and the people here are very nice.  I get treats from the office ladies and that makes me very happy.  Mom is able to ride Buddy around and that makes her happy. Dad's commute isn't bad, so that makes him happy. We are a happy family.  BOL!

Come on, I will give you a tour of our place!

Our rig.  The orange cones are there because they put a pump in to pump out the water when it rains.  Our area tends to flood, but the pump does a good job.

This is the office.  This is where I get my treats.  There is a dog there now.

This is right outside the campground.  The flags are up for the Good Guys car show that is coming tomorrow.

There are two fields.  I normally walk in those.

A couple of cars parked at the cafe across the street.

The entrance to the campground.

Another view of one of the fields.  The campground is in the background.

A feral cat in the field.

Horses are boarded across the street from us. There is a racetrack too.  We see them running on the track most mornings. It brings back memories of my racing days.

Another view of the hills.

Feral cats in the storage yard.

Palm trees near the storage yard.

 

I am watching a cat.  I love to watch the cats.

Cats!!!

Mom loves the palm trees!

Our rig as seen from outside the campground.

Me at the office giving Mom the stink eye because she says I have to leave.

Port-A-Porties were delivered yesterday for the Good Guy's show. We are not sure why they were delivered to our campground, but they were.

More of our campground.

The RV store and service place that worked on our rig.  They connect to the campground.

An area to sit and drink Coca Cola.

Our area of the campground is fairly empty right now, but we expect it to fill up today for the car show tomorrow.  Mom says it is the calm before the storm.  We are probably going to sit outside and watch all the people come arrive.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Hopes You Enjoyed His Tour Today

Jelly Belly Factory Tour

Last week Donna, a friend we made in Chicago a few years ago, told Mom that the Jelly Belly factory was nearby.  Well, you know the folks like factory tours, so they went there on Monday.

Jelly Belly is a jelly bean company that makes jelly beans in all sorts of flavors like buttered popcorn, root beer, cotton candy, watermelon, etc. The company started in Belleville, IL in 1869.  They started making jelly beans in 1960.

Pictures made out of jelly beans.

 

Visitors are allowed to sample Jelly Belly beans.  Mom tried Dr. Pepper, 7-UP and A&W Cream Soda.

The store.

This case has Ronald Reagan items.  Ronald Reagan loved jelly beans and really helped the company become popular.  About 2.5 tons were shipped to Washington DC for his inauguration in 1981.

 More pictures made from Jelly Belly beans:

 

The tour is free!  Photos are not allowed in the factory.  The tour takes you through most of the process of making the Jelly Belly beans.  Mom wanted to see the jelly beans actually being made from the start, but they don't show that. The kitchen is pointed out to visitors.  The first time you see jelly beans is when they have their inside.  Visitors are given a sample to try.  It is just the jelly part without the shell. 

The folks enjoyed the tour. Visitors are each given two 1.45 oz packages of Jelly Belly beans to take home. 

101,412 jelly beans are made each day.  It can take 7 to 14 days for a jelly bean to be made.  They cure for a few days.  Very Cherry is the most popular flavor.  Mom likes buttered popcorn the best.

After the tour, the folks decided to eat lunch at the restaurant.  Usually, the restaurants in these type of places are not good, but this one received good reviews.  Mom wanted to have a Jelly Bean shaped hamburger. 

The restaurant.

It kind of looks like a jelly bean.

Mom said the cheeseburger was good.  The fries were not very good.

Look!  They have a motor home!!!

After the tour, the folks went to a place that sells dried fruit and veggies.  They bought some dried veggies, cappuccino almonds and corn nuts.  I haven't been allowed to try any of their purchases.

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Insists On Seeing The Office Ladies Daily

Monarch Butterflies and Redwood Trees

Mom loves butterflies and she was really excited to visit Natural Bridges State Park because Monarch Butterflies migrate there from October to February each year.  The park is said to have the largest population in this area. Estimates show there are about 450,000.  That's a lot!  Unfortunately, Sunday was a cool and cloudy day and butterflies don't like that type of weather.

Notice the sign says not even little dogs are allowed. Mom thought that was funny.

See the clumps that look like dead leaves?  Those are butterflies.  Mom expected to see closer clumps.

Here is a lone butterfly.

Those are butterflies.  The folks saw a lot flying around, but Mom couldn't get decent pictures of them.

It was a disappointing visit, but Mom did learn some things.  The life span of the adult Monarch varies, depending on the season in which it emerged from the pupa and whether or not it belongs to a migratory group of Monarchs. Adults that emerged in early summer have the shortest life spans - about two to five weeks. Those that emerged in late summer survive over the winter months. The migratory Monarchs, which emerge from the pupa in late summer and then migrate south, live a much longer life, about 8-9 months.   Mom thought they only lived a few weeks.

The folks hoped to attend a tour but it started to rain, so they figured there was no point since the butterflies would remained huddled up.

While they were at the park, they learned that the $10 entrance fee they paid allowed them to visit as many state parks as they wanted in the same day.  They decided to drive to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park which was only about 10 miles away.

They watched a video about the park and then headed out to explore.  They really enjoyed seeing the large trees, but found the photos do not really show you the size.

This tree was cut down in 1934.  It was 2,200 years old!

You can see how big it is with Dad in the photo.

The Fremont Tree has a record of 81 people being inside the base of it.  There is a video on YouTube showing it. It was too dark inside to get a good picture of the inside though. The outside didn't look different than any of the other trees.  In 1846, John C. Fremont and legendary scout, Kit Carson camped in the tree's fire-hollowed base.

Banana Slug

The folks walked a .8 mile loop and then left the park due to rain.  Mom said that I would have loved that park.  Dad said I might have stressed out trying to mark all those trees.  BOL!

Joey,
The Greyhound Who Wants To Visit The Fremont Tree