Hello, Summer

On the afternoon of July 24, we leave San Francisco's cloud cover and are plunged instantly into the heat of Summer.

Our first few moments in the Sun are glorious; we happily shed fleece jackets while we drive southward on the US-101.

But it's not long before things start getting too warm. To make matters worse, our car's air-conditioning system seems to be malfunctioning, so it only circulates air at ambient temperature.


It is about 3pm by the time we reach our destination, the Pinnacles National Monument campgrounds. The area is hot and dry, and shade is scarce.

In fact, our allotted campsite is in direct sunlight, with not even an overhanging leaf to save us from the Sun's glare. Fortunately, the Pinnacles seems to be one of the few Government-managed campgrounds that isn't fully booked for the weekend, so we are able to transfer to a leafier area.

Compared to other U.S. recreational camping areas, those at the Pinnacles are unimpressive. Its best feature by far is a small, cool, free-to-use swimming pool which we routinely visit every morning of our three-night stay.

By Monday, we are more than ready to leave sunny California. Heading northward in our uncomfortably warm car, we cross our fingers in hopes of cooler days in Oregon.