7/20/16

Thursday Travel Tails - California

Mama begged to use OUR bloggie to share pictures of our travels this summer.  We were a bit skeptical, after all, we were gone for about 87 days and Mama takes tons of pictures which would take up bunches of our blog time!!

We decided to compromise and let her show travel pictures
 but WE would be the ones to show you around and give you our thoughts about each of the states we visited. 

 In these posts, you will be able to see the scenery, PLUS get honest reviews on the Rest Stops and the Hotels where we stopped along the way! We MIGHT let Mama give an occasional opinion (her opinions will be in italics like this).



Today, we are starting with our home state of California!
 

As you can see from Jakey's Pizapped the map, California is a big state with all kinds of different things to see! 




No matter which way we go, when we leave home we need to travel over the North Coast Ranges (mountains). 



In June, when we went to the BAR, we traveled over the Sierra Nevada mountains.




Isn't it pretty??



I, Arty, drove with Mama over the Tehachapi Mountains on our way to Texas. These mountains are home to the Tehachapi Loop, one of the most frequented "Railfan" stops in America.
(Mama says we will be taking our Daddy, the railfan, back there in the fall!) 


If  you would like to read more about the Tehachapi Loop click HERE!
(Madi, we thought your Daddy might like this place too!)



On the other side of the Tehachapi Mountains is the Mojave Desert!!



There were lots of Joshua trees and tumble weed  bushes everywhere!


 At the beginning it wasn't too hot but as we headed farther southeast it got REALLY HOT!!!




As you can see, California has tons of pawsome scenery and we have just shown you the mountains and desert! We also drove through farming communities located west and northwest of Bakersfield (in central California). They grow everything from tomatoes to flowers and olives to pistachios!




When we were traveling, except for our stay in Indiana at the BAR, we stayed exclusively at La Quinta Inns & Suites.
In California we stayed at the LQ, Bakersfield North.
 



I, Arty, loved our hotel room!! The bed was comfy and the room was spic and span with lots of room for zoomies!


 
This LQ has a nice place surrounded by olive trees to sniff around and keep up with your peemail. They also had a nice "Pet Area" with poop bags and a place for Mama to deposit my...ummm...deposits BOL.
There were even sidewalks so Mama could easily and safely take me for walkies without worrying!!




Mama here, I was very satisfied with the LQ Bakersfield North.  Check in was quick and painless, as was check out(and up to 2 pets stay for free!). The room was nice (and did not smell) and the bed was comfy. I really love that all LQ rooms now have microwaves and refrigerators too.  It was located very conveniently off of the highway, has gas stations and a Starbucks close by!



We tend to stop at TONS of rest stops when we are traveling. We know that staying hydrated is very important and what goes in must come out..BOL!! Mama also likes to pull over every couple of hours so she can stay focused while she is driving.




The Rest Areas in California weren't too bad. We were disappointed that many of the stops don't have grass in the "Pet Areas" though. 



We did enjoy taking walkies in some of the rest areas that backed up against farms, like this pistachio grove!
(Mama here, although safe, most of California's rest areas didn't seem as clean as the rest areas in other parts of the country)



We hope you enjoyed our California Travel Tail,  next week we'll be telling you all about our travel through Nevada!!



23 comments:

  1. We have never seen olives and pistachios growing on trees before! What a treat! Beautiful pictures, Dory and Arty!

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  2. I have 18 states under my furs but CA isn't one of them. Not sure if I will make it that far west ever. Mom was there a lot earlier in her life. Not a fan of La Quinta, but this weekend Mom is testing out another one. We may have just had two bad ones by chance. We are always willing to give things another try. Looking forward to more travel photos.

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  3. What wonderful photos!!!! It looks like you had a glorious time in CA! We love La Quinta too when we need to stay in a hotel.

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  4. Oh wow! Such great and different scenery you have throughout California! We stayed at an LQ in west Florida and it was very nice. We do like them and they are very pet friendly. I cannot wait for more travel adventures!

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  5. That was a great report with terrific pictures of your travels in Calif.We don't travel so it is fun to see your pictures and reports.

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  6. Such gorgeous photos!!! We especially like the ones with you in them ... but also the one of the river with the blue wildflowers in the foreground! That is frame-worthy!
    California is so diverse! Mom and Dad lived in Monterey for a short time and Mom LOVED it. When Dad was still active duty Army, he spent "too much time" in the CA desert at the National Training Center. Hot hot hot!!!
    Thank you for showing us around your beautiful state!
    Cammie!

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  7. thanks for the trip, so much beauty out there, wow on the scenery and that shot of the sky over La Quinta is gorgeous... i have to say when the blog opened and i saw you and arty sitting there, my heart got all warm and fuzzy. you two are beyond adorable. waiting to see all the places you saw. that is one sad looking rest area in the sand.

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  8. Dory and Arty OMDs were you right on the money. Dad loved these photos. Every Wednesday
    is is Train Brain Club. He and a bunch of others meet at Mr. Jerry's house (he is a bachelor)
    his entire full size basement is full of a huge train set up all based on the Tehachapi area.
    Mr. Jerry was raised in CA. He is a retired Elec Engineer so you can imagine all the intricate setups he has. Dad says thanks.
    Mom and I thoroughly enjoyed each bit of commentary by your two and all the lovely photos by the Momma
    Hugs madi your bfff

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  9. what a great trip. It sure is beautiful up there at the central coast
    Snorts,
    Lily & Edward

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  10. Thanks for sharing your travel impressions! We were just on a road trip ourselves and learned about pet-friendly Red Rood Inn. Thanks for letting us know about La Quinta, too!

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  11. We felt like we were right there with you. by the way mom is super jealous of your wonderful weather you are having right now. stella rose

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  12. If we lived near that pistachio farm, our Mom would be out plucking nuts all the time - she LOVES them. Thanks for the tour and history. We really enjoyed seeing your travels through California. BTW, it has a real feel of about 115 here today:(

    Woos - Ciara and Lightning

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  13. Wow Arty, that post was jam packed with great photos and information! We loved the pics of you doggies the best!

    Your Pals,

    Murphy & Stanley

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  14. What a grreat review! Your hotel looks nice. We looked into LQs while we were traveling, but they have a weight limit that we exceeded with ONE dog. BOL.

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  15. Oh, what a fun tour of your California part of the road trip.

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  16. Such beautiful scenery in your state. It is nice to know that LaQuinta is a good place to stay if we are with mom & dad
    hugs
    Mr Bailey, Hazel & Mabel

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  17. Your Mama take beautiful photos! Our aunty lives in California (San Diego)and we agree it is a very pretty state!

    the critters in the cottage xo
    P.S. You two always looks so adorable in your finery :)

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  18. Oh, we have such a BEAUTIFUL state, don't we!!! Your Moms took FABulous pics of all the amazin' scenery we have, and all the orchards! there are so many STILL around here, butts most of them are gone. our whole valley used to be apricot, cherry, walnut, and almond orchards! Ma misses them. The air used to smell of all the blooms in the spring...*sigh*
    Anyhu, I can't waits to see your travels next!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

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  19. We love hearing about your travels and look forward to the next installment.

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  20. Wow! We loved seeing all those beautiful photos!

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  21. Whoa...you guys have some pawsome travel adventures! Thanks for sharing them.

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We love to read your peemails!!