We set off at 9:40 in the morning and returned around 9:00 in the evening. The cell phone ran out of battery and we were still fully charged, because it is a very refreshing day trip to the beach! The sound of the ocean waves washed away the distracting murmurs in my mind and the dense negative air (oxygen) ions along the seaside replaced the heavy things on my mind…

We drove and stopped freely along the way because we didn’t have a fixed schedule.

After seeing the roadside advertisement of “Five avocados for one dollar”, we agreed to stop and get some bargains before continuing on our way.

We stopped at the roadside vegetable stand which had ample parking space, walked to the stand to look for the five avocados for one dollar sign. We only saw green shiny avocados the size of mangoes for $1.99 each, then we each bought a few very fresh local sweet potatoes and tomatoes, just $0.99 a pound. Ann said she would steam the sweet potatoes, and I said I would make sweet potato porridge. I asked the cashier if she accepted credit cards, and she replied, “Credit cards will add a 79 cent handling fee, cash no fee.”

After getting the goods, I told the casher unwillingly: “I didn’t see five avocados for one dollar as saying on the roadside advertisement.” The casher lady pointed to the store upstairs behind her and said, “Inside, seven for one dollar.” I asked: “So cheap, is it good?” She raised her thumb and nodded. We walked up the stairs and entered the store, where we saw black bumpy avocados that were slightly bigger than eggs with a sign of: seven for one dollar, limited to 14. Since I was here to get a bargain, I happily bought 14 avocados for 2 dollars. As we paid in cash, I made a mental note always bring some cash when going out.

Today’s temperature and wind speed are very pleasant, perfect for a topdown convertible ride on CA Route One along the oceanside! We smelled the scent of canola flowers in the wind and saw a big field of yellow canola flowers. We could also smell the strong ocean salty air in the wind before we even reached the seaside.

We stopped at a viewing point which overlooked the coastline view and the mansions. The azure blue water was beautiful and the sea breeze was refreshing without any chill. Ann, a skillful photographer, captured many of my happy moments. Thank you, Ann!

It seemed like Point Lobos State Natural Reserve was having a big event today, as many cars were parked on the roadside. While driving past the long line of pretty parked cars, I constantly saw people walking towards the gate of the Reserve and I started to feel that many people are also not working on a workday.

The Bixby Bridge is a must-see for me. Today, the parking lot at the corner of the bridge was closed for construction. The parking spaces on the roadside were also full. Again, I felt that many other people are also not working today. From a distance on the roadside parking spot, I saw two young couples facing the Bixby Bridge and taking photos of themselves on the roadside close to the ocean, I felt sweet air floating nearby and quickly took photos to keep the memory.

Walking near the bridge, I remembered seeing a romantic newlywed couple leaving messages on their car window asking for a congratulatory drink through Venmo. I also remembered the time when I jumped up and down more excited than my son here. These are special spiritual tonics that come from revisiting a familiar place and I felt these tonics were silently nourishing my soul.

When I stood at Hurricane Point, which I am familiar with and like, I remembered the scene and mood when I saw a cage of strong little flowers here for the first time after my mother passed away in 2018… In my heart, I comforted my mother in heaven that everything is fine here!

Today’s strong wind that could blow people down was not cold at all, which was rare. I deeply enjoyed the layered and spectacular scenery between the blue sea and the sky: the curved coast, the surging white waves, the steep cliffs, the green grass, the undulating mountains, and Bixby Bridge. Thanks to Ann for suggesting we go out today.

On the way back, we stopped by a roadside that already held many parked cars. After getting out of the car, we followed the people walking along the narrow path among orychophragmus flowers, weeds, and shrubs towards the seaside. We soon went downhill and came to a narrow valley and saw many calla lilies blooming on both sides of a stream flowing down the hill. We had arrived at the Calla Lily Valley!

Personally, I think the calla lilly scene was too small to be worth a special trip, but it was a worthwhile surprise. When I was admiring the beauty of the Flower Valley with a middle-aged lady, I said: “This is my first time here. It’s beautiful.” She replied: “Is my first time too.” Before I could say a word, she smiled and said: “I’m from Colorado.” I didn’t say anything, because her first time was not at the same level as mine, and there was no comparison.

Then I was secretly happy: California is really a good place to live and travel! The ocean waves at the seaside in front of the Flower Valley hit the rocks hard and roared violently, I thought I felt the roughness of the wilderness.

Afterwards, we went to the beach with silver sand at Carmel by the Sea. While sitting on a big wooden trunk on the beach to rest, I thought the scenery of the seaside is really rich and diverse. The silver sand of the beach came with a calm wind and gentle waves which were full of relaxing people and happy dogs. It was a very peaceful scene. I couldn’t help but think of the sweet scene when my grandson Ben was still a single child and he came here to play. Ben is a big brother of a year and half old sister now. I wrote the names of Ben and his younger sister Sue on the silver sand of the beach using my barefoot slowly and joyfully, feeling the happiness of being a grandmother.

After leaving Carmel by the Sea, we stopped by Lover’s Point Park where the purple flowers had not yet bloomed. I was pleasantly surprised to see a beautiful picture of “pink clothes”: an old couple sat on chairs facing the sea, the lady wore a black wide-brimmed hat and a pink short-sleeved shirt and the man wore a white hat with silver hair and a blue short-sleeved shirt.

This sightseeing made me think that pink clothes are suitable for women of any age, because a little story of pink clothes had recently surfaced in my memory. In February, on a Saturday morning, after my daughter and I took my two grandchildren to play in Happy Hollow Park, I squatted and watched them playing in a miniature metal car. My daughter suddenly said that the pink sweater I was wearing was pretty. I was very happy to hear this and felt that this saying was familiar but couldn’t remember where I heard it before. After returning home, I checked my past messages and photos and found that my daughter bought me a very beautiful pink sweater cardigan for my 50th Christmas in 2015 and also wrote me a famous saying: “Women over fifty should always have at least one pink shirt in their wardrobe. It’s much cheaper than a facelift.” In the spring of 2016, I wore that pink sweater went to Golden Gate Park in San Francisco with my daughter: eating my favorite fried sweet potato at Stow Lakeside store, visiting the Japanese Tea Garden and climbed the hill behind the artificial waterfall by the Stow Lake. I also discovered that red quince flowers also come in white, pink, and light green variations! The memories evoked by the pink shirt made me realize that my daughter’s constant love and care for me. I am grateful!

After leaving Lover’s Point, we went to an Italian restaurant by the sea for dinner. Ann noticed that during the dinner service tonight, there were only waiters and no waitresses and that the other diners also did not look like locals. We ordered today’s seasonal meal: freshly caught fish (with vegetable and rice) and fresh scallops (with vegetable and pasta), and one fried squid appetizer. Oh, the free bread was very hard. Tonight’s rice had lots of butter, the pasta had a lot of olive oil, and the fried lemon in the fried squid was very unique. These were all
dishes that we usually did not make at home so we enjoyed them a lot.

We happily returned in the dark and cold with the convertible top up. While chatting about family matters and unforgettable events in the past and seeing the faster cars speeding by, I remembered my daughter had said to me, mocking me for driving slowly: “Mom, you should buy an ‘Asian woman driving’ sticker to put on your car.” Despite this, Ann encouraged me to drive slowly. She also ensured I was on the right path, as I tended to misread the GPS map . I sent Ann home, and she waved goodbye to me in the night. It was a warm and sweet scene, I felt grateful for having Ann as a long time good friend!

Our family trip at the end of 2023 was planned by my daughter a few days in advance: taking a train ride on Saturday, December 30, at Felton’s Roaring Camp. After she made the online reservation, it started to rain for several days in a row. As she was worried the rain would spoil the fun of the train ride, she talked about the forecasted weather for December 30 at home daily. It sounded to me the weather forecast was unreliable as the forecasted weather for the 30th changed day by day. She also quizzed Alex and I about the speed of the train to increase our participation, awareness, and interest. After hearing the speed of train is only three miles per hour, I felt the ride would only be fun for kids, but I didn’t say so as I didn’t want to spoil the fun.

This morning, my daughter packed extra clothes, diapers, and snacks, also bottled different milks for her children; Alex took the driver seat and we hit the road right after nine o’clock. On this rainy Saturday morning, the southbound Highway 17 had very light traffic and the distant mountains were shrouded in white mist, a very pleasant morning view! While seeing the white fog and the dark mountains, Alex commented: “When I was little, I thought spirits are living in those places.” I agreed: “That scenery is the fairyland of imagination.”

After Alex parked the car in the gravel parking lot of Roaring Camp, it started to drizzle. As I didn’t bring an umbrella, I put my head down and quickly pushed my granddaughter’s stroller forward and enjoyed the tender green grass and the moist fresh air, thanks to the rain! Walking on the gravel road and crossing a white-roofed short bridge, I arrived at a spacious area with small buildings on both sides: schools, blacksmith shops, a small garden, small shops, etc. which reminded me of the TV series “Little House on the Prairie”. The sight brought a fresh yet familiar feeling.

The railway and the train station are on the right. While waiting for my daughter to get the ticket from the train station, I pushed my granddaughter’s stroller towards the train to see. This train had six carriages, four carriages has plastic transparent roofs in the front, the seats were filled with passengers of all ages; there were two carriages with wooden roofs at the back, most of the seats were empty. As I started to worry about the seats on the train filling up very soon, I was suddenly eager to take the train ride. After she got the train tickets, an attendant on the platform asked us to leave our strollers on the platform. Alex carried his daughter’s carseat, my daughter carried Ben, and I held a bag of clothes and scarves, we got on a carriage with a wooden roof and two rows of back-to-back seats. Five of us took almost half the row of seats because my granddaughter’s carseat was wide.

In the rain, sitting on the steam engine small train that was slowly moving up the hillside, my daughter and Alex took care of Ben who kept on walking on the narrow pathway between the carriage wall and our seated legs, they held him up to look at the lush green and damp ground of the forest from time to time; I sat next to my granddaughter, who was quiet in her carseat. I was immersed in the changing green colors of the forest and the flowing white mist while breathing in the fresh and damp air with a high concentration of negative ions in my imagination. Though the train conductor plus tour guide was enthusiastically talking about the forest, the redwood trees and the steam trains, his voice was vaguely heard and his words went past my ears like the wind. However, when I heard the tour guide saying: “This steam engine can climb about 20% of the slope under a low speed of three miles per hour, modern trains with high-speed cannot climb a similar slope.” I quickly made a calculation in my mind as I love geometry: “Geometry common sense, 90° is vertical, guess 18° is 20% in slope.” Doing geometric conversions let me entertain myself silently. It suddenly occurred to me that 50 years ago, my parents’ generation had a slow paced life and few opportunities: bearing hardships and standing hard work with resilience was a common thing; modern people have a fast paced life with many opportunities, carving instant success and benefit with anxiety is noticeable. The differences between generations may have similarity to the differences between old steam engines and modern train engines, as the difference of environment alters the functions and purposes which humans fit into.

Because of the rain, the train only stopped once at Bear Mountain (it usually stops three or four places in a ride) to let passengers take a walk and to enjoy the scenery. Many people got off the train and walked along the railroad to see the thousand-year old redwood trees in the rain. Alex and Ben and I did too. I asked my daughter to go along, but she wanted to stay with her daughter on the train. So I got off the train, followed the crowd to see the ancient redwood trees, and walked back, then I saw Ben leading his father while still strolling along the railroad. This scene reminded me of when Ben who had just learned to walk was leading his father on the beach, in Carmel-by-the-Sea on July 1 2023. At that time his sister was not yet born. Now his sister is over 5 months old and is coming along to ride the train with us. Time flies so fast! I accompanied them back to the ancient redwoods and took pictures of them. In the rain, we walked back in no hurry, as Ben wanted to cross one railroad track at a time, which was very slow. When the rain became heavy, Alex had to carry Ben on his shoulder to speedup the walk. After I sat on my seat in the train, I saw two ladies standing beside their bicycles and the wooden sculpture of a giant bear in the heavy rain, waiting for our train to leave so they can cross the railroad downhill. I quickly took a photo of this vibrant landscape in the rain out of admiration for those ladies.

After the train returned to the platform and we got off the train, the rain stopped. While walking back to the parking lot, my daughter pushed her daughter’s stroller, and Ben pushed his own stroller. Ben wanted to walk sideways again, so he tried to push his stroller up a ridge but failed, then he stepped up to the ridge and tried to pull the stroller up still failed. Alex pretended to fail at helping to pull the stroller so he could convince Ben to sit on his stroller. Finally we started on the way home.

While following the “two under two” family of four, I enjoyed watching them and also saw a beautiful spring scenery in California’s winter: a clear blue sky with white thin clouds, dark tall green trees with tender green grass.

Right after Alex drove out of the parking lot, we saw a very low rainbow that was mostly blocked by buildings. We enjoyed our year-end family trip and wanted to come back here in the future.

Roaring Camp’s narrow-gauge steam engine dates back to 1890 and was first used in the 1880s to haul giant redwood logs out of the mountains. Here is a more standard description of Roaring Camp.

Back home, I learned that the train slope is correlated to the value of tangent, not angle, such as: 10% slope = 5°, 18% = 10°, 21% = 12°, 58% = 30°, 100% = 45°, etc. Because both the wheels and railroads of the train are made by metal, the friction coefficient between metal is relatively small, so the slope that the train can climb is much smaller than that of the car. Thinking about the road in life, if you are used to a smooth road with small coefficient of friction, you probably need a much longer time to adjust yourself for going uphill or downhill with high slopes. However, if you are used to a bumpy road with high coefficient of friction, you probably can quickly adjust yourself going uphill or downhill with high slopes.

Little Episodes

1. We were sitting in one of the wooden-roof cars with two rows of back-to-back seats facing outside：

2. In the rain, sitting on the steam engine train that was slowly going uphill, I was immersed in the changing green colors and the flowing white mist between the trees：

3. Ben and his father together：

（Ben leads his father on the narrow railroad at the top of the Bear Mountain，2023-12-30。）

（On the narrow railroad at the top of the Bear Mountain, Ben walked on one railroad tie at a time carefully.）

（At Carmel-by-the-Sea Beach, Ben held a computer mouse in one hand and led his father forward with another hand, 2023-07-01.）

4. At the top of the Bear Mountain in the rain，two ladies with their bicycles

5. The spring scenery in California’s winter is beautiful: blue sky, white thin clouds, dare green tall trees and tender green grass：