Pinnacles National Park

Is Pinnacles National Park on your bucket list? Read on to see if you think it should be.

Then read this post if you think you will be traveling here in your RV - 10 Things You Should Have On Your RV Camping List.

We always need to replenish our supplies in between stops on our road trips. While we are traveling to our next stop, I Google to find the closest Walmart to our campground. Besides for the convenience of Walmart being a one stop shopping store, we can count on them to be pretty much laid out the same so it makes it easy for us to navigate. It also helps to have the app for a map of the store. We are in and out of the store in no time.

We passed the official national park sign on our way to the campground in Pinnacles National Park where we would be staying for the next couple of days. It's always nice to be at one of these signs with people who have also pulled over to take pictures so that you can take each other pics!

We saw this flock of wild turkeys on the way to our campsite. 

We settled into our campsite and then walked over to the visitor's center to get the maps and information we needed to plan our time in the park. It was so convenient to be this close to the visitor's center. We were in a couple of times buying souvenirs and asking questions.

We had a little time before it was time to start preparing dinner. The sun was beating down on our site but it was nice and shady in the empty site next to us so we dragged our chairs over and relaxed for awhile.

After dinner, we were treated to a sky full of stars like we had never seen before. I wish the pictures I took came a little closer to showing how amazing the sky looked.

On our first morning in Pinnacles we took a short drive to the Moses Spring Trail parking lot. We passed these colorful Acorn Woodpeckers on the way out.

It only took about 15 minutes to drive to the trail. (It is really convenient to camp in the national parks we are visiting but many of the them only have primitive camping. We don't need glamping but we do need some of the conveniences of home like water and electric.)

We knew we were in for a treat within a few moments of stepping on the trail. The huge boulders that surrounded us were an amazing sight to see.

We thought the hike to the cave would be longer. I was very excited to see the opening to the cave after such a short walk. It was pretty hot out.

But we soon found out that this was not the cave! It was just a tunnel through a huge boulder that was blocking the trail path.

We did eventually get to the Bear Gulch Cave. The cave was created by boulders that fell into canyons here at the park. .

We had read that we would need a flashlight for our walk through the cave and we found that to be true.

We were in total darkness in some spots but otherwise there were enough crevices with light shining through that the cave didn't feel claustrophobic to me. 

There was a lot to navigate throughout the cave including a couple of staircases.

And lots of boulders that were so close together that there was barely enough room to get through them. We found ourselves having to crawl in some spots.

At the end of the trail through the cave we found a long and narrow staircase that led to the Bear Gulch reservoir.

This little guy greeted us when we got up there.

The reservoir is one of Pinnacles iconic sights and was completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1935. The more state and national parks we go to the more we learn about this group of young men who constructed thousands of miles of trails throughout the parks.

It was a gorgeous spot and a nice place to relax for a while.

As we sat, we scanned the skies for a glimpse of the endangered California condor and thought we saw it but once we zoomed into our photo, we realized it was a vulture which is very similar looking. We learned from a video we watched at the visitor center that the California condors have silver-gray flight feathers on the edge of their wings. This was definitely not a condor.

After catching our breath at the reservoir we followed the Rim Trail back to our car. We were now above the canyon and cave. I couldn't look down in spots.

To make things even more hairier was the narrow paths we had to navigate to get around some boulders. I held onto the boulders for dear life :)

There were also many boulders we had to squeeze through. We found a way but at certain points, we (or I, I should say) thought getting through to the other side of some boulders might be impossible.

Once we got closer to the ground, I relaxed and took in all the beauty around me. Despite all my complaining, I really enjoyed this hike a lot!

When we got back to the campground, after our 2 1/2 hour hike, we saw a bird we hadn't seen before, the California Quail, California's state bird.

The following morning we made our way to the Old Pinnacles Trail.

It was an easy, flat trail.

We passed this bridge along the way. We never pass a bridge on a trail without me wanting to hop on it and have Soko take a picture of me or visa versa.

The fluffy white "cotton balls" on this bush caught my eye. I tried to research them but I'm still not exactly sure what they are. Any idea?

We hiked 45 minutes before turning around and heading back to the car. 

After we got back to the campground, we set off on our second hike of the day. There were two ranches nearby. The first was the Bacon Ranch. It was a short 1/4 mile hike to this ranch established in 1852.

The Butterfield Ranch was further down the trail. We looked down the flat, dusty trail and didn't see any hint of the ranch at all.

It was getting very hot out and decided we would be much happier swimming in the pool at the campground rather than looking for the ranch.

We saw this California Scrub Jay as we relaxed by the pool.

We had the best time hiking and bird watching at Pinnacles National Park. It is a park, and campground, we would definitely consider going back to if we ever have the chance.

Read about Stop 7 here.

Exploring Channel Islands National Park

Have you ever been to Pinnacles National Park? What was your favorite trail to hike.

 

Healthier Food And Snack Choices For Our Road Trips

Read this post before you start throwing chips in a bag for healthier food and snack choices for when you get hungry on the road.

Another good idea, before you leave your home, is to make sure your car is ready for the long trip. Check out this post before you go. Getting The Car Ready For A Road Trip.

I'm not sure how many road trips we make a year.  At the very least four.  We live in North Carolina half the year and Florida the other half so there and back is two already.  Our family and friends live in New York and this year alone we were there and will be there for our daughter-in-laws baby shower, birth of our grandchild, our soon-to-be daughter-in-laws bridal shower, our grandchild's christening and our son's wedding.  Add ten more ten hour rides in the car!  Then there's a few more vacations and weekend trips to make in between.

I think that we are very fortunate to have such an active retirement life.  The only problem is, since retiring, we have been spending a lot more time in the car and still have old habits of not counting calories of the food we consume on the road.  For some reason we thought it was OK to eat a whole bag of chips, along with our huge sandwich, because we were eating in the car and not at the kitchen table.  And we never left home without a gigantic bag filled with calorie laden snacks.  We finally decided, when we were planning  our trip to New York for the birth of our grandson, that we needed to start making better choices when eating on the road.

Better Choices For Breakfast

Instead of stopping at McDonald's and getting a sausage, egg and cheese McMuffin (470 calories), our new breakfast choices are: 

     Hard boiled eggs (I peel and salt them at home) -  78 cals per large egg     

     Cereal* - 120 cals per 3/4 cup

     Greek yogurt (Don't forget your spoon) - 120 cals per 6oz. cup
            Add a tablespoon of nuts - 48 cals and sliced apple - 95 cal for an even healthier meal

If we forget to pack a breakfast, a healthier choice at McDonalds's would be to have their oatmeal plain (150 cals) or parfait without granola (128 cals).

*Healthy Cereal Choices (containing whole grains and low sugar)
     1. Cheerios   2. Kashi Honey Puffs or Go Lean Original   3. Fiber One   4. Ezekiel 4:9   5. Grape-       nuts   6. Special K Protein   7. Nature's Path Millet Rice or Heritage Crunch   8. Alpen No Sugar         Added   9. Cascadian Farm Hearty Morning   10. Post Shredded Wheat   11. Uncle Sam Original        Whole Wheat & Flaxseed Cereal   12. Quaker Oatmeal Square Cinnamon

Better Choices For Lunch

We loved stopping at Burger King to get a Whopper for lunch but at a whopping 630 cals (without cheese) this lunch definitely needs a healthier substitute.

Banana Roll-up - (This could definitely work for breakfast also.) - 224 cals

Wrap medium banana with a whole wheat burrito-size tortilla spread with 1 tbsp. peanut butter.

Chicken Sandwich - 240 cals

Instead of buying cold cuts which are very high in sodium, we bake chicken breasts or get an already prepared roasted chicken at the grocery store to make our sandwiches with.  Whole wheat bread, romaine lettuce and avocado spread*, for a healthier fat, makes this a healthy choice.

*1 ripe avocado, 2 tbsp. light mayo and 1 tsp. lemon juice.  Blend and spread. - 30 cals per tbsp.

Better Choices For Snacks

Snacks contributed to the majority of our overeating in the car.  We got in a bad habit of filling an entire grocery bag with salty and sweet goodies.  Eating snacks in the car kept the kids entertained and helped pass the time away in the car.  We could get away with snacking when we were younger and our bodies could work off the calories, not so much anymore!

100 Calorie Snacks

I like 100 calorie snack packages when I'm keeping track of calories.  But the cookies and chocolate snacks are empty calories.  These two snacks are better choices.

Popcorn - 1/4 cup of kernels popped in a brown lunch bag in the microwave with a quick spray of popcorn flavoring and a dash of salt.  Popcorn gives us some of the fiber we need in our daily diet.

Edamame - packaged individually in 100 calorie packages.  (There is no need to cook the edamame although the package tells you too.  I grab the packages and go and they are thawed and ready to eat when I am ready to eat them.)  Edamame is rich in protein, antioxidants and fiber.

Veggie Snacks

I know that vegetables have zero calories if you are on Weight Watchers.   We are not on Weight Watchers but I don't count the calories of most vegetables.  Besides for a few, like corn, peas and potatoes that are high in starch, and higher in calories, vegetables are low in calories anyway.  I do like to use a light ranch dressing so I count the 80 calories for 2 tbsp.  Or I bring individual serving packs of hummus that I get at Costco to dip the veggies in.  Each pack is 2.4 oz. and are 160 cal.  Making individual portions, using snack bags, makes it easier for us to eat the veggies in the car.

We love snacking on leftover veggies, especially green beans.  I like to roast veggies in the oven with a little olive oil, garlic and salt for dinner.  I always make extra because we enjoy them as a snack right out of fridge the next day.  I will sometimes cook extra veggies for dinner the night before a road trip so we can take some on the road.  

My daughter makes the best pickles.  And the pickles make a great snack on the road.

Fruit Snacks

Fruit is our favorite snack on the road.  We count calories and use portion control with fruit.  I portion the fruit so that each serving is 50 calories which makes it easier to keep track of.

Grapes  - 15 grapes = 50 cals

Apples - 1/2 apple = 50 cals (I slice the apples and put them in cold water with a pinch of salt so they                                                don't turn brown.)

Orange - medium = 50 cals

Blackberries - 6 oz. package = 50 cals (I keep berries in their original packaging when I take them on                                                                the road.)

Other Snacks

The snack that we really miss the most is the chips.  Potato chips, nachos and the rest.  The salty, crunchy snack has always been a treat that we avoid normally but we'd always bring a bag or two on the road with us.  We haven't found a great substitute for the chips yet but have found that roasted beans and peas gives us the saltiness we want and a bit of the crunch.

Garbanzo Beans - 100 cals per 1/2 cup

Peas - 50 cals per 1/2 cup

Roast beans or peas in 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Put roasted beans or peas in bowl and add a small amount of olive oil, salt and any of your favorite seasonings.  Mix to coat then return to oven for another 15 minutes.

Enjoy your trip!

Check your list of items you've packed in case of an emergency with ours before you go.

Being Prepared For An Emergency During A Road Trip

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What do you eat in the car on your long road trips?  Do you have favorite healthy snacks you like to bring in the car with you?  We would love to add your favorites to our list!