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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jos Stratford" data-source="post: 1284168" data-attributes="member: 12449">Out and about, California August/September 2008T'was my latest little wander round the globe, two weeks and a bit sampling the delights of California, both land and offshore. Goals were simple - primary targets Californian Condor, Calliope Hummingbird and Burrowing Owl, preferably Roadrunner and Clark's Nutcracker too, plus Black Bear and Blue Whale. Over and above though, the general desire was just for a 'good' pelagic and some darn fine birding throughout.Sixteen hours in the air, another five hours split between Brussels and Chicago on the ground, and in I flew to San Francisco, a setting sun lighting the High Sierras behind that would soon be my playground for adventures to come. Zipped through immigration, got lucky in the car hire (free upgrade by two categories). Ah, the evening was young, only 10 p.m. by the time I cleared the airport (but my body still worked in East Europe time, so that meant 8 a.m.!), so out I swept, hitting the freeways in a nice plush air-conditioned, tinted windows, cruise-controlled automatic everything black number of a car. No point wasting time, so cruised on down towards my first point of call - some hours south, West Pinnacles. Almost there, missed a turning in Hollister, then did a couple of tours of the town before spotting the poxy small sign that was hidden by a tree. Blue flashing lights and I got stopped by the Highway Patrol - for driving too slow! That was a first for me! A lost tourist at 1.00 a.m. was not a usual encounter in that part of the world they explained.  'And why did you stop so long at the four-way stop?' they asked. What a stupid question, I thought, but did not say, how on earth should I know who has got right of way when all directions have a stop sign! I did suss that out soon though, just guess and go faster than the opponents on the other sides, unless thay happen to be bigger! Arrived at West Pinnacles rather jaded, having lost track of how many hours I had now been on the go since my breakfast in another world in another time era, but I was immediately delighted by the middle-of-the-night atmosphere - wonderfully warm, insects churring away and the first bird voice of the trip - a Western Screech Owl calling somewhere near. Found a nice parking place under a tree, slept by the car. Dawn would bring the start of my trip.</blockquote>

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