We started the day in San Jose, at the Winchester house. We were there before the doors opened, and went on the first tour with a very small group. It was exactly what I expected. Tacky but fun. We only did the basic tour, not the behind the scenes part. My favorite part was the earthquake damaged part of the building. The juxtaposition of the walls with cracked or missing plaster, with still intact Tiffany glass windows was fantastic. For some reason the whole building reminded me of both the Turn of the Screw and the Haunting of Hill House.
After leaving the house, we went back up to San Francisco, and boarded a boat to Angel Island. our goal was the top of the hill, but we also wanted to take our time... the trail to the top switchbacks a million times. It wound through a forest with a floor covered in knee high plants with small blue blossoms. It was beautiful. finally the trail broke out through the trees and we thought we had a chance of reaching the summit before we had to turn back to make the return ferry. But the switchbacks deceived us yet again, and we had to turn around shy of the top. Then we had to wait 20 minutes on the ferry while they tried to find a man who had gone looking for his children, to round up for the ferry. The kids were on time.
After this we headed to the Barbary coast trail, excited at the prospect of spending the evening walking through the city. We parked at a parking garage, and headed out to find the first of the markers. Immediately upon leaving the garage, a guy came up and tried to stop me on the sidewalk. I put my eyes on my feet and dodged around him, but he caught up with Jake. "Hey Hey Hey, what's up?" he says, holding his arms out wide, palm up, non threatening, but still blocking Jake's way. Jake sidesteps and we hurry on our way. We reach a trolley, with a very long line waiting to ride, and opt to walk along beside it instead. Further up the street, a crazy man in a dress is hollering gibberish, and spinning, arms out, down the sidewalk. Another man grabs my arm to stop us, and ask for money. At this point, we are disliking more and more the idea of continuing the walk, so we stop at a booth in union square to see about a tour, but they are closed or full... we wander down an escalator at one point, and are accosted by a woman, standing directly at the bottom, holding out a jar, and preaching nonsense. we finally get back on track with the trail, and head into china town. China town has no homeless people, at least none that get right in your face, or grab onto you, and feels a lot safer, but the sun is setting, the shops seem to be closing up, and I was not relishing the thought of returning the way we'd come after dark. So, rather than continue the trail, we headed back to the car, a little dejected. Still, I liked the city, and I felt that earlier in the day, surely, there wouldn't have been as much concern. This is probably the largest U.S. city I've actually footed around, but I have never met with homeless people so brazen. People which are not just homeless, but truly beggars, offering nothing for the money they want, save one man, who was doing a very good mime atop a crate... anyway, so we didn't end on a totally bad not. We did stop in at a restaurant on the way back to the car, and had some pretty good steaks. Finally, we returned to the car, went to the hotel, and the next morning, after a fine breakfast at I-hop, we caught our plane home.
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Showing posts with label CA 06. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CA 06. Show all posts
Monday, September 15, 2008
Friday, August 01, 2008
CA 06: Point Reyes, Muir Woods, and the Rock
Point Reyes is a great place to explore some of California's beautiful shoreline. The first thing we did when we visited was drive to the farthest reaches, to visit McClures Beach, where we walked a narrow path down to the shore. The path wound between small hills covered in a dozen different kinds of flowers. Around a bend we finally came into view of the sea, white capped and dark blue. Once we were down on the sand beach, our only company was a family with some small children. It was very quiet and peaceful with only the sound of the ocean and a few birds. There was a small stream cutting through the sand and flowing into the ocean. I became distracted with digging trenches into the the pebbled stream bed, and well could have spent the whole day there, but Jake pulled me away, and we loaded back into the car and headed towards the light house. Along the way we spotted some of the Elk which are kept in a reserve here, with cattle inhabiting much of the rest of the point.
There's a visitor's center on the cliffs above the light house, that you have to walk a little way to get to. On the particular day we visited it was extremely windy, and it was something of a struggle to walk into it. By the time we reached the visitor's center, our cheeks were stinging. Outside the visitor's center is a whale skull on display, and I scanned the water for whales, but I fully realized I wouldn't be able to make them out with all the white caps, unless possibly if one decided to beach itself. The very nice lady inside the visitors center told us that we couldn't go down to the light house because the wind was too high, but she was more than willing to sell us the California Audubon book we'd been looking for all week, and finally found on the gift shop's shelves. It was a cold and cheek stinging walk back to the car after that. We drove a little way to the elephant seal overlook, and though it wasn't as impressive as what we had already seen on our first day, it did provide good viewing for these unique animals.
We were starved at this point, so we stopped and had some BBQ chicken pizza at an adorable little shop just outside the park. The building looked like it belonged on the New England coast, not thousands of miles away near the opposite shore. It was called Priscilla's Cafe. The website claims the food is organic, and I can attest that is was very fresh.
After our lunch, it was on to Muir Woods, a redwood forest north of San Francisco. The forest was dappled in shadow and light from the branches high over head, and we explored along long winding wooden board walks. Horsetails and sorrel grew among the thick trunks, and a small stream with trout flowed between the trees. From the gift shop, I was able to pick up gold plated redwood needles to add to my Christmas ornament leaf collection, and then it was time to head off for our evening cruise to the most infamous U.S. prison: Alcatraz.
At Fisherman's wharf, we had enough time to grab some ice cream before hopping in line for the cruise. As we arrived onto the island, the sun was surround by a pleasant glow as it began to set. There were enormous sea gulls everywhere on the island. The park rangers split us into smallish groups and escorted us up the hill to the doors of the prison, while explaining some of the history of the island and buildings. Once at the prison, were were given audio devices, and given our leisure to walk about and listen to history. after we had finished with the audio tour, we had a little time left to explore the facilities on our own. I guess one thing that surprised me was how beautiful the island is, and how beautiful the view of the city. Finally, we were herded back onto the boat, the city now lit, the sun gone, and the boat turned back towards the city's shores.
There's a visitor's center on the cliffs above the light house, that you have to walk a little way to get to. On the particular day we visited it was extremely windy, and it was something of a struggle to walk into it. By the time we reached the visitor's center, our cheeks were stinging. Outside the visitor's center is a whale skull on display, and I scanned the water for whales, but I fully realized I wouldn't be able to make them out with all the white caps, unless possibly if one decided to beach itself. The very nice lady inside the visitors center told us that we couldn't go down to the light house because the wind was too high, but she was more than willing to sell us the California Audubon book we'd been looking for all week, and finally found on the gift shop's shelves. It was a cold and cheek stinging walk back to the car after that. We drove a little way to the elephant seal overlook, and though it wasn't as impressive as what we had already seen on our first day, it did provide good viewing for these unique animals.
We were starved at this point, so we stopped and had some BBQ chicken pizza at an adorable little shop just outside the park. The building looked like it belonged on the New England coast, not thousands of miles away near the opposite shore. It was called Priscilla's Cafe. The website claims the food is organic, and I can attest that is was very fresh.
After our lunch, it was on to Muir Woods, a redwood forest north of San Francisco. The forest was dappled in shadow and light from the branches high over head, and we explored along long winding wooden board walks. Horsetails and sorrel grew among the thick trunks, and a small stream with trout flowed between the trees. From the gift shop, I was able to pick up gold plated redwood needles to add to my Christmas ornament leaf collection, and then it was time to head off for our evening cruise to the most infamous U.S. prison: Alcatraz.
At Fisherman's wharf, we had enough time to grab some ice cream before hopping in line for the cruise. As we arrived onto the island, the sun was surround by a pleasant glow as it began to set. There were enormous sea gulls everywhere on the island. The park rangers split us into smallish groups and escorted us up the hill to the doors of the prison, while explaining some of the history of the island and buildings. Once at the prison, were were given audio devices, and given our leisure to walk about and listen to history. after we had finished with the audio tour, we had a little time left to explore the facilities on our own. I guess one thing that surprised me was how beautiful the island is, and how beautiful the view of the city. Finally, we were herded back onto the boat, the city now lit, the sun gone, and the boat turned back towards the city's shores.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Lake Tahoe
We did not spend a lot of time visiting Lake Tahoe, we only spent a little time circling the lake in our car, and stopping at a few points to take some nice photographs. The drive from Yosemite to the lake was fantastic, winding through the still snowy mountains. We passed by small frozen lakes and ponds, until finally we entered the Lake Tahoe area from the south. The entire area is very touristy. It is a lot like Gatlinburg, TN, only it covers a larger area and the restaurants are more expensive. We went for a nice drive around the whole lake, which was a beautiful deep blue. We stopped at one point where we could drive down to a little park, and there were several Canadian Geese by the edge of the water. There was a playground there, and a seven foot rock monolith, that was apparently there for the children to climb. It was very nice in this small nook, because even though the streets were busy, there was no one here. so we climbed up and sat on the rock as the sun finally set, then we left the lake and headed west, searching for more reasonably priced food. We finally settled in Sacramento, where, either there isn't anything to eat but pizza and Mexican, or we were in the wrong part of town. We wanted steak, but by the time we found a steak house, it was 9pm, and it was closing! So we settled instead for some sub par chili cheese fries and sundaes at sonic., while we pondered why a city of such size would have restaurants that closed so early.
Sunday, June 15, 2008
Yosemite in brief
The way into Yosemite is almost familiar, a landscape shown to us so many times in movies and episodes of the Simpsons. There are tall evergreen trees and log lodges, with bears carved by chainsaw from the trunks of trees. But before this familiar, and expected landscape, there where the fields of wheat grass, the rocky outcroppings of hills, the odd tree. A terrain I associate more with the great plains and places like Wyoming than California. Finally arriving at the park, We entered from the south, but were saddened to find that all the snow in the park had not been cleared, and we wouldn't be able to reach Glacier Point, and also would not be able to drive Tioga road, through the main portion of the park, allowing us quicker, more scenic access to Lake Tahoe in the evening. However, this was more than made up for by what lay ahead.
After passing a turnoff, that would have taken us to Glacier Point if it were open, we passed through a tunnel, and parked at the overlook on the other side. And there before me lay a valley. Half Dome, clearly visible to the back, bridal veil falls throwing off mist well above the treetops, and sadly, a thick haze of smog. To which our own car, I'm sure, contributed. Still, it's an awe inspiring view.
Continuing down into the valley, we finally came to the parking lot for bridal veil falls. Keep in mind, this was in May, and the flow was very strong with the runoff of melting snow. The parking lot was partially flooded, and as we set out on the trails to the fall, we were enshrouded in a misty rain, the famed veil itself. the paved path was wet, and as we progressed, flooded to ankle height with fairly fast moving, icy water. We realized at this point, that the view we had had of the falls from the overlook was really the only one possible, because at this point, we were sort of in the falls. Suddenly, all the people wearing raincoats in the parking lot on this clear and sunny day, made sense. No photos where to be had, as 10 feet away was a solid white, from the fine grains of rain, that were rapidly soaking us to the bone, so, back we headed to the car, ready to travel into the valley itself. Once on the valley floor, we parked the car, and headed off along a trail through the meadow that occupies much of the flat bottom of the valley. Here the sight of woodpeckers and stellar jays were common place.
We headed across the meadow, to the trail leading to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. Unfortunately, because I am insane, and determined to see a little of ALL the world has to offer, I hadn't given us time to hike the trail to the upper. The path to the lower falls is wheel chair accessible, and wide, to accommodate all the visitors received here. The falls themselves are huge, seeing as how they come rushing over the very top of this glacially carved, steep walled canyon. The people here spoke a myriad of languages. Truly, the world comes to see this place.
Finally, we had seen all that I had really wanted to see, that could be seen, that we had time to see. So we headed to the visitors center, to learn a little about the founding of the park, and about John Muir, who lived for a time on the banks of the stream, just down from the Yosemite Falls. We checked the book shelves for the Audubon guide book for California, once again coming up empty handed, though we had checked most parks since we had started our trip. We hoped on the buses that transfer the loads of tourists, of all nationalities, about the canyon floor, and just road it for a full circuit, then back to our car. We left the park through the northern Oak Flat Entrance, so we missed both the supposedly beautiful Tioga Road, and also the El Portal entrance to the park, which angles directly towards the coast. But we weren't headed back to the coast, not yet. That evening's destination was Lake Tahoe.
After passing a turnoff, that would have taken us to Glacier Point if it were open, we passed through a tunnel, and parked at the overlook on the other side. And there before me lay a valley. Half Dome, clearly visible to the back, bridal veil falls throwing off mist well above the treetops, and sadly, a thick haze of smog. To which our own car, I'm sure, contributed. Still, it's an awe inspiring view.
Continuing down into the valley, we finally came to the parking lot for bridal veil falls. Keep in mind, this was in May, and the flow was very strong with the runoff of melting snow. The parking lot was partially flooded, and as we set out on the trails to the fall, we were enshrouded in a misty rain, the famed veil itself. the paved path was wet, and as we progressed, flooded to ankle height with fairly fast moving, icy water. We realized at this point, that the view we had had of the falls from the overlook was really the only one possible, because at this point, we were sort of in the falls. Suddenly, all the people wearing raincoats in the parking lot on this clear and sunny day, made sense. No photos where to be had, as 10 feet away was a solid white, from the fine grains of rain, that were rapidly soaking us to the bone, so, back we headed to the car, ready to travel into the valley itself. Once on the valley floor, we parked the car, and headed off along a trail through the meadow that occupies much of the flat bottom of the valley. Here the sight of woodpeckers and stellar jays were common place.
We headed across the meadow, to the trail leading to the base of Lower Yosemite Falls. Unfortunately, because I am insane, and determined to see a little of ALL the world has to offer, I hadn't given us time to hike the trail to the upper. The path to the lower falls is wheel chair accessible, and wide, to accommodate all the visitors received here. The falls themselves are huge, seeing as how they come rushing over the very top of this glacially carved, steep walled canyon. The people here spoke a myriad of languages. Truly, the world comes to see this place.
Finally, we had seen all that I had really wanted to see, that could be seen, that we had time to see. So we headed to the visitors center, to learn a little about the founding of the park, and about John Muir, who lived for a time on the banks of the stream, just down from the Yosemite Falls. We checked the book shelves for the Audubon guide book for California, once again coming up empty handed, though we had checked most parks since we had started our trip. We hoped on the buses that transfer the loads of tourists, of all nationalities, about the canyon floor, and just road it for a full circuit, then back to our car. We left the park through the northern Oak Flat Entrance, so we missed both the supposedly beautiful Tioga Road, and also the El Portal entrance to the park, which angles directly towards the coast. But we weren't headed back to the coast, not yet. That evening's destination was Lake Tahoe.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
CA:06 From Deserts to Mountains
After spending all of our fourth day in the hot and dry deserts of California, our fifth day, spent mostly at King's Canyon and Sequoia National Parks came as a cool relief.
Our first stop upon arrival in Sequoia was to pick up tickets for the cave tour. Then, it was a mad dash to visit the General Sherman Tree. The Sherman Tree is the largest living tree. It is not the tallest, nor the widest, but its overall mass is larger than any other single living organism. Over the winter, it had lost its second largest branch, had crashed through the fence surrounding the tree, and made quite an impression on the asphalt pathway around the tree. This branch had a diameter of about 5 feet. Its the size of a tree itself. No apparent attempts to remove it had been made at the time of our visit.
After seeing the tree, it was time for out cave tour. You must first drive to the location, then hike a short distance down to the entrance of the cave, first crossing over and then hiking to the foot of a beautiful waterfall. The gate which prevents unauthorized entry to the cave is in the shape of a web with a spider at the center, giving it the appearance of a superhero's (or villain's) secret lair. The cave is made of marble, which means that it is created the same way as a limestone cave, since it is simply compressed limestone. The most impressive feature is where the water is flowing through the cave, and you can see the smoothed surface of the marble beneath the water.
It was then time to take the touristy loop drive and drive through a (fallen) sequoia tree. They don't make tunnels through the trees anymore, in appreciation of the trees' rarity and age. We also stopped to view a tree bridge, which was wide enough to have accommodated our car, if we had still been allowed to drive on it.
The trees here are huge. Not so much due to their height, though they are quite tall, but the trunks are incredibly thick, as the above examples might demonstrate. The trunks of the adult trees are at least 10 feet wide. On the trail down to the General Sherman, they have a courtyard that is the size and shape of a cross section of the tree. It has a base diameter of about 27 feet. The tree is over 250 feet tall.
After Sequoia, we headed out for a nice drive into Kings Canyon. On the way out of Sequoia, I managed to spot a black bear very close to a visitor's center. This one was a good bit further away than the one I had seen in the Smokey Mountains, but with my binoculars, I was able to see him well. I got out onto the shoulder of the road, while Jake parked the car at the visitor's center across the street. Of course, our presence soon attracted a crowd, and a park ranger telling everyone to park their cars, and not to stand in the street. Meanwhile, the bear was standing in a small clearing up the hill, rolling over logs and rocks, looking for bugs to eat. He finally wandered off into the woods, and we were back in the car.
Kings canyon was beautiful, but other than to say it was a really deep canyon full of evergreens, with a rushing river cutting its way through the bottom, I don't know what I can say about it. There were a couple of nice waterfalls along the way, and a little country store which had what it claimed was the worlds oldest gravity gas pump, which we took a picture of. The drive in, and then back out again, took considerable time. Thus ended our day. The next day's goal was a big one for the American Road Tripper, and, as we found out, many other people from all over the world: Yosemite.
Our first stop upon arrival in Sequoia was to pick up tickets for the cave tour. Then, it was a mad dash to visit the General Sherman Tree. The Sherman Tree is the largest living tree. It is not the tallest, nor the widest, but its overall mass is larger than any other single living organism. Over the winter, it had lost its second largest branch, had crashed through the fence surrounding the tree, and made quite an impression on the asphalt pathway around the tree. This branch had a diameter of about 5 feet. Its the size of a tree itself. No apparent attempts to remove it had been made at the time of our visit.
After seeing the tree, it was time for out cave tour. You must first drive to the location, then hike a short distance down to the entrance of the cave, first crossing over and then hiking to the foot of a beautiful waterfall. The gate which prevents unauthorized entry to the cave is in the shape of a web with a spider at the center, giving it the appearance of a superhero's (or villain's) secret lair. The cave is made of marble, which means that it is created the same way as a limestone cave, since it is simply compressed limestone. The most impressive feature is where the water is flowing through the cave, and you can see the smoothed surface of the marble beneath the water.
It was then time to take the touristy loop drive and drive through a (fallen) sequoia tree. They don't make tunnels through the trees anymore, in appreciation of the trees' rarity and age. We also stopped to view a tree bridge, which was wide enough to have accommodated our car, if we had still been allowed to drive on it.
The trees here are huge. Not so much due to their height, though they are quite tall, but the trunks are incredibly thick, as the above examples might demonstrate. The trunks of the adult trees are at least 10 feet wide. On the trail down to the General Sherman, they have a courtyard that is the size and shape of a cross section of the tree. It has a base diameter of about 27 feet. The tree is over 250 feet tall.
After Sequoia, we headed out for a nice drive into Kings Canyon. On the way out of Sequoia, I managed to spot a black bear very close to a visitor's center. This one was a good bit further away than the one I had seen in the Smokey Mountains, but with my binoculars, I was able to see him well. I got out onto the shoulder of the road, while Jake parked the car at the visitor's center across the street. Of course, our presence soon attracted a crowd, and a park ranger telling everyone to park their cars, and not to stand in the street. Meanwhile, the bear was standing in a small clearing up the hill, rolling over logs and rocks, looking for bugs to eat. He finally wandered off into the woods, and we were back in the car.
Kings canyon was beautiful, but other than to say it was a really deep canyon full of evergreens, with a rushing river cutting its way through the bottom, I don't know what I can say about it. There were a couple of nice waterfalls along the way, and a little country store which had what it claimed was the worlds oldest gravity gas pump, which we took a picture of. The drive in, and then back out again, took considerable time. Thus ended our day. The next day's goal was a big one for the American Road Tripper, and, as we found out, many other people from all over the world: Yosemite.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
CA 06: Deserts all Day
Our wild night driving into the campground at the Mohave National Park, we woke up about 6:30 am, to the sound of rain on the roof of the car. Outside, the rocky desert scrub landscape was a dark wet brown. I got out of the car, startling a jack rabbit, and inhaled the pervading scent of wet lumber. The campground was a grove of pinion pine that had burnt a few years ago. The smell was pungent, and somewhat unpleasant, having something of the smell of railroad ties. There were all different kinds of flowers blooming everywhere, and I scampered about taking up close photos of all the different ones I saw. The drizzle dwindled into nothing, as we stretched out and got ready to go. We went to the visitors center which was still closed, and explored some of the craggy rock formations around it. We then headed on an exploratory mission through the park. At one point we spotted what we believe was a peregrine falcon, sitting on a lonely outcropping of rock. All along the road were small clusters of quail rushing through the brush.
Finally we left the park, and headed for another kind of desert: Death Valley. It seems to take forever to really get down into the valley. The two land highway winds through a dry wasteland of rocky hills, reminding me more of footage of Afghanistan than any American landscape. Finally, as we crested a hill, we could see down into the valley. Something like 1200 ft in elevation later, we were approaching the lowest point. We stopped to investigate the ruins of Ashford Mill, and felt the dry heat cracking in the afternoon air. We got back in the car, and continued on towards bad water, remaining below sea level. Ahead of us on the left, a broad flat white plain came into view. Further ahead, there was a large lake - err wait, no, that's not really water... is it? No, no way, but... it looks like water. In fact, it look like a lot of water. We drove all the way to bad water without ever reaching that mirage, of course. At bad water, we were officially 282 feet below sea level. We walked a little bit of the way out onto the salt flat, but even though the temperatures that day were not as high as they could have been, the dryness of the air made it very uncomfortable. Further down the road we took a detour to see the artists palette, a section of the hillside that is many colors due to the different minerals in the rock. We missed Dante's view, and the racetrack, because time was short, and the day was getting long. It was time for us to make the long drive out of the park, and head towards out destination for the next day, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. The drive was uneventful, and unhindered by lunatic rabbits.
Finally we left the park, and headed for another kind of desert: Death Valley. It seems to take forever to really get down into the valley. The two land highway winds through a dry wasteland of rocky hills, reminding me more of footage of Afghanistan than any American landscape. Finally, as we crested a hill, we could see down into the valley. Something like 1200 ft in elevation later, we were approaching the lowest point. We stopped to investigate the ruins of Ashford Mill, and felt the dry heat cracking in the afternoon air. We got back in the car, and continued on towards bad water, remaining below sea level. Ahead of us on the left, a broad flat white plain came into view. Further ahead, there was a large lake - err wait, no, that's not really water... is it? No, no way, but... it looks like water. In fact, it look like a lot of water. We drove all the way to bad water without ever reaching that mirage, of course. At bad water, we were officially 282 feet below sea level. We walked a little bit of the way out onto the salt flat, but even though the temperatures that day were not as high as they could have been, the dryness of the air made it very uncomfortable. Further down the road we took a detour to see the artists palette, a section of the hillside that is many colors due to the different minerals in the rock. We missed Dante's view, and the racetrack, because time was short, and the day was getting long. It was time for us to make the long drive out of the park, and head towards out destination for the next day, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. The drive was uneventful, and unhindered by lunatic rabbits.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
CA 06: The Zoo, the Desert, and the Rabbit
On the third day of our vacation, we went to the San Diego Zoo for the first half of the day, and then we spent the evening at Joshua Tree National Park.
The San Diego Zoo is very impressive. They have every type of animal you would expect to find in a zoo, including Koala bears, an many more. Many of the animals had or were getting ready to have babies. There were gorilla, orangutan, and chimp babies. An anteater carrying its baby on its back, a young, though not new born, panda, and the flamingos were building mud. The zoos in my area definitely don't have breeding programs like this. We also visited two animal shows. The first featured a sea lion and a timber wolf, but not together! The second show had a bear cat and an Arctic wolf. We all howled until the wolf howled with us, and that is a very sad and eerie sound. My favorite exhibit was probably the chimps, who have an artificial termite mound, so we got to watch them using sticks to eat from it. We did some fast walking and managed to see most of the zoo in 6 hours.
After the zoo we left for Joshua Tree National Park, and arrived on the south side about 5pm. A short walk took us to the Cottonwood spring, where the water was trickling out from among the tall trees to disappear in the sand and rock. We then headed north through the park and stopped to see Cholla Cactus Garden. After that we went to see arch rock, which looks like an elephant. After that Jake went to see skull rock, but my feet hurt too much at this point to make the short walk to see it.
The small town where we came out of the park is called Twenty Nine Palms. There weren't many food options there, so we ordered some Papa Johns, and ate it sitting on the warm pavement in the parking lot behind the place, illuminated by an orange street lamp. It was the best Papa Johns I've had in years, as they still actually load it up with sauce. Then we headed off for the Mohave, thinking that our adventure for the day was done. Little did we know, a rabbit was waiting for us.
We planned to drive into the Mohave, and sleep in the car at a campground there, but by 11:00 pm I was too tired, and made Jake pull to the shoulder to sleep. Unfortunately, the desert is still very hot at that time, so about 12:30, we decided we couldn't sleep in the heat any longer, and decided to continue on to the campground. By this time, the nightlife was out in force. Mice and rats of various sizes scurried off the now gravel road. Jack rabbits were startled and hopped out of our path, all of them that is, except for one. This rabbit, instead of running off the road, ran down the road. So we stopped the car, thinking it would move out of the way. It stopped. We crept forward slowly, it crept forward slowly. We tried stopping and turning off the headlights, because we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere. At this point, it actually returned toward the car. I tried to scare him off the road by getting out of the car and walking down one side, but he persistently stayed in the middle of the road. We were afraid to push him to much, as we didn't want to give him a heart attack, so we finally admitted defeat. We decided to stop and try to get some sleep where we were. The bunny once again approached the car, and finally crossing right in front of the wheel, almost under it, he hopped of onto the shoulder of the road, and after 20 minutes of being delayed by this guy, we were free to go. By the time we reached the campground, temperatures had dropped down to be a little chilly, and we slept much more comfortably, until the rain woke us up in the morning
The San Diego Zoo is very impressive. They have every type of animal you would expect to find in a zoo, including Koala bears, an many more. Many of the animals had or were getting ready to have babies. There were gorilla, orangutan, and chimp babies. An anteater carrying its baby on its back, a young, though not new born, panda, and the flamingos were building mud. The zoos in my area definitely don't have breeding programs like this. We also visited two animal shows. The first featured a sea lion and a timber wolf, but not together! The second show had a bear cat and an Arctic wolf. We all howled until the wolf howled with us, and that is a very sad and eerie sound. My favorite exhibit was probably the chimps, who have an artificial termite mound, so we got to watch them using sticks to eat from it. We did some fast walking and managed to see most of the zoo in 6 hours.
After the zoo we left for Joshua Tree National Park, and arrived on the south side about 5pm. A short walk took us to the Cottonwood spring, where the water was trickling out from among the tall trees to disappear in the sand and rock. We then headed north through the park and stopped to see Cholla Cactus Garden. After that we went to see arch rock, which looks like an elephant. After that Jake went to see skull rock, but my feet hurt too much at this point to make the short walk to see it.
The small town where we came out of the park is called Twenty Nine Palms. There weren't many food options there, so we ordered some Papa Johns, and ate it sitting on the warm pavement in the parking lot behind the place, illuminated by an orange street lamp. It was the best Papa Johns I've had in years, as they still actually load it up with sauce. Then we headed off for the Mohave, thinking that our adventure for the day was done. Little did we know, a rabbit was waiting for us.
We planned to drive into the Mohave, and sleep in the car at a campground there, but by 11:00 pm I was too tired, and made Jake pull to the shoulder to sleep. Unfortunately, the desert is still very hot at that time, so about 12:30, we decided we couldn't sleep in the heat any longer, and decided to continue on to the campground. By this time, the nightlife was out in force. Mice and rats of various sizes scurried off the now gravel road. Jack rabbits were startled and hopped out of our path, all of them that is, except for one. This rabbit, instead of running off the road, ran down the road. So we stopped the car, thinking it would move out of the way. It stopped. We crept forward slowly, it crept forward slowly. We tried stopping and turning off the headlights, because we were in the middle of absolutely nowhere. At this point, it actually returned toward the car. I tried to scare him off the road by getting out of the car and walking down one side, but he persistently stayed in the middle of the road. We were afraid to push him to much, as we didn't want to give him a heart attack, so we finally admitted defeat. We decided to stop and try to get some sleep where we were. The bunny once again approached the car, and finally crossing right in front of the wheel, almost under it, he hopped of onto the shoulder of the road, and after 20 minutes of being delayed by this guy, we were free to go. By the time we reached the campground, temperatures had dropped down to be a little chilly, and we slept much more comfortably, until the rain woke us up in the morning
Friday, March 14, 2008
CA 06: Truly the Happiest Place
Honestly, I went to Disneyland because I felt obligated to see the place that seemed to impress so many. But I've been to theme parks. I've waited in the lines. And the population of the LA area is astronomical, the number of tourists there, far larger. The financially capable juggernaut that is Disney: substantially more evil.
My expectations were low. I assumed the lines would be terrible, and we would be very luck to be able to ride all the rides on my list, even once. I supposed the food costs would be astronomical, in keeping with tomorrow lands theme. I thought the rides would be kitschy and boring and the evening shows would be a disappointment
I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised.
We were able to ride all the rides I had written on my list, except one, and we probably would have been able to do that, if I had known what fast pass was prior to waiting an hour to ride Splash Mountain. Not only is the fast pass fantastic (I barely had to wait in line at all after that), but its a free service. They could easily charge an extra buck or two, and being the huge corporation that they are, I expected it. But they don't. Those tickets are free which is simply awesome. If you're wondering, you get ticket from a machine near the ride entrance that tells you to come back between such and such times, and you get into the fast pass line, which was usually empty when I was there, and pass all the people waiting in the regular line. And I'll add that if we had gotten there at the planned 8am, instead of the much delayed 12pm, we could easily have ridden the rides twice.
Food costs were more reasonable than the airport. We ate outside the park, at a little stand by the Disney downtown. Chicken fingers, chili cheese fries, coke. About $10. I was a little surprised at that. We also discovered that they will let you bring food and drink into the park. We hadn't brought our backpack though, anticipating, incorrectly, that this would not be allowed. We chose not to make the hike back to the car, because we were already running late, but this is very good to know.
The rides while kitschy were absolutely wonderful. Splash Mountain tricked me. The jungle cruise entertained me. The Matterhorn was fun, and Space Mountain actually awed me. The haunted house impressed me, and made me laugh. These aren't the fast pace, rip your heart out speeds, loose your stomach drops of modern rides. The roller coasters and other rides are almost leisurely. Jake and I both agree that the themed part of the theme rides is a big part of what makes them great.
The evening shows absolutely did not disappoint. The Fantasmic show by the water was really fun and entertaining. A grin inducing mixture of video, pyrotechnics, costumed character, and a magician like ability to sneak in the scene changes including entire boats. Afterwards we had time to get over to the main street to watch fireworks which were sweet, and dare I say, romantic, despite the massive crowd watching.
Good crowd control is a big part of what keeps Disneyland fun. In addition to the fast pass, when they are having shows, such as Fantasmic or the parade, they rope areas off and help keep pathways open for walking.
Wherever you look while at Disneyland, there's something fun to see, whether it is costumed characters or swing dancers in the evenings, it all comes together to make for a surprisingly great time.
While the entrance cost is somewhat high, it's worth it.
My expectations were low. I assumed the lines would be terrible, and we would be very luck to be able to ride all the rides on my list, even once. I supposed the food costs would be astronomical, in keeping with tomorrow lands theme. I thought the rides would be kitschy and boring and the evening shows would be a disappointment
I have to admit, I was very pleasantly surprised.
We were able to ride all the rides I had written on my list, except one, and we probably would have been able to do that, if I had known what fast pass was prior to waiting an hour to ride Splash Mountain. Not only is the fast pass fantastic (I barely had to wait in line at all after that), but its a free service. They could easily charge an extra buck or two, and being the huge corporation that they are, I expected it. But they don't. Those tickets are free which is simply awesome. If you're wondering, you get ticket from a machine near the ride entrance that tells you to come back between such and such times, and you get into the fast pass line, which was usually empty when I was there, and pass all the people waiting in the regular line. And I'll add that if we had gotten there at the planned 8am, instead of the much delayed 12pm, we could easily have ridden the rides twice.
Food costs were more reasonable than the airport. We ate outside the park, at a little stand by the Disney downtown. Chicken fingers, chili cheese fries, coke. About $10. I was a little surprised at that. We also discovered that they will let you bring food and drink into the park. We hadn't brought our backpack though, anticipating, incorrectly, that this would not be allowed. We chose not to make the hike back to the car, because we were already running late, but this is very good to know.
The rides while kitschy were absolutely wonderful. Splash Mountain tricked me. The jungle cruise entertained me. The Matterhorn was fun, and Space Mountain actually awed me. The haunted house impressed me, and made me laugh. These aren't the fast pace, rip your heart out speeds, loose your stomach drops of modern rides. The roller coasters and other rides are almost leisurely. Jake and I both agree that the themed part of the theme rides is a big part of what makes them great.
The evening shows absolutely did not disappoint. The Fantasmic show by the water was really fun and entertaining. A grin inducing mixture of video, pyrotechnics, costumed character, and a magician like ability to sneak in the scene changes including entire boats. Afterwards we had time to get over to the main street to watch fireworks which were sweet, and dare I say, romantic, despite the massive crowd watching.
Good crowd control is a big part of what keeps Disneyland fun. In addition to the fast pass, when they are having shows, such as Fantasmic or the parade, they rope areas off and help keep pathways open for walking.
Wherever you look while at Disneyland, there's something fun to see, whether it is costumed characters or swing dancers in the evenings, it all comes together to make for a surprisingly great time.
While the entrance cost is somewhat high, it's worth it.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
CA 06: A day at the Beach and more
In 2006 we took a week to explore the southern 2/3 of California. We began in San Francisco, and worked out way south through LA to San Diego, then headed inland to the deserts and mountains as we worked our way north again, finally returning to San Francisco.
After our arrival in San Francisco and driving south out of town the previous night, we woke up ready for our first day in California. Having been born in LA, but moving away at the age of only 1, I was excited to get to know my home state.
We first went to Point Lobos, which has one of only two natural stands of Monterrey Cypress, the other being just across from the point. We were early arrivals and weighted in line for the gates to open, because I had heard the point could become very crowded later in the day. After entering, we parked and headed straight for a trail through the cypress. We immediately saw some quail in one of the trees, along with spectacular views from the cliffs. With our binoculars, we could just make out the sea lions out on their rock, but we could hear them easily. We walked leisurely along the trail that would through the grass beneath the trees. In a cove on the back part of the trail we saw two harbor seals basking on a rock, and a sea otter sleeping in the kelp beds.
After finishing the cypress trail, we walked down the sea lion path, which leads closer to the shore. There we saw more harbor seals including some babies. We saw another sea otter, this one swimming in the crashing waves near the rocky shore, and we got a closer view of the sea lions. There were also some nesting sea gulls, Brandts cormorant, and some brown pelicans to be seen.
After this we proceeded on to a series of beautiful waterfalls and beaches along highway 1. We saw Pfeiffer falls first, which is down a path through a beautiful stand of redwoods. There at the falls was a Stellar Jay being fed by excited children. I had never before realized that jays and crows were closely related, but this bird makes that connection. It moves and behaves like a crow, but has the comb and striking colors of a jay.
We then proceeded to Pfeiffer beach, which, despite being billed as a favorite beach in the area, has a narrow, windy, and poorly paved road leading down to it. But indeed it was an awesome beach. It is a sand beach, which is C shaped around two rock arches, which almost touch, forming an M. The water rushes in through the arches throwing up spray. While we were there we saw some interesting animals. In the rocks among the left side arch we found sea squirts, crabs, and a starfish. There were also some interesting people on the beach. 2 youngish girls in bathing suits screaming whenever they dared to touch their toes to the cold water, surfers protected from the cold by their wet suits, and a couple of naked children, running about. I always heard California was more free.
Following that we went to Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP (I know! Who are these Pfeiffer people?), which has a beautiful waterfall that pours onto the beach. However, you can not actually get down to the falls, but you do get a great view. Here we saw some ground squirrels and a couple more Stellar Jays, as well as a some interesting purple wildflowers. All of the vegetation here is strange, from the trees, to the flowers, even some of the grasses.
From there it was on to Jade Cove. True to its name, there is jade to be found here, and what's more, it's legal to collect. So collect we did, at our own risk. Jake found a pocket of rocks higher up away from the water, but I, after cautiously setting down the backpack, climbed down the rocks right level with the breaking waves. My goal was a small pool of smaller rocks, polished by the crashing waves. I had observed carefully before hand, and was certain none of the waves were coming in that far. After I had collected half a dozen really good specimens, Jake decided to join me. The water apparently liked him more that it liked me. Until he came down, I had only one wave come in far enough to send a wash of water around my feet. As soon as I was joined, however, by him, the waves began to surround my ankles. I was wearing carpi's, so this was OK. Jake, however, was wearing pants. Then a good one came in, with an even bigger one behind it. I, using my fantastic rock climbing abilities, learned in college climbing a wall with mostly 2x4 squares screwed onto it, latched Velcro like, horizontally to the rock behind me. My husband having taken the same class, but, unfortunately, lacking my cat like reflexes, was suddenly up to his knees in water. After that we returned to higher ground to search for rocks.
After the cove, we headed to salmon falls. This waterfall is really fantastic. The photos really cant do justice to its size and beauty. It is nestled down in a small green valley among large some boulders.
Finally, having completed our busy day outdoors, we were ready for something fancy. So we went to Hearst Mansion, where we had tickets for the evening tour. This is a house built when rich people knew what to do with their money. The house is ornate, but the rooms are mostly small and friendly. The best part of the tour was the many costumed people about the house, chatting, playing pool, reading in the library, etc., which is done for the evening tour only. If only my pictures had come out better. Unfortunately, the outdoor pool, which appears in Spartacus, had been drained due to a leak, but, on the upshot, as our guide pointed out, its a unique shot. The indoor pool was really incredible, but didn't photograph that well at all, being even more dimly lit than the rest of the house.
Thus concluded our first of many days of great adventure in California. For more, stay tuned.
After our arrival in San Francisco and driving south out of town the previous night, we woke up ready for our first day in California. Having been born in LA, but moving away at the age of only 1, I was excited to get to know my home state.
We first went to Point Lobos, which has one of only two natural stands of Monterrey Cypress, the other being just across from the point. We were early arrivals and weighted in line for the gates to open, because I had heard the point could become very crowded later in the day. After entering, we parked and headed straight for a trail through the cypress. We immediately saw some quail in one of the trees, along with spectacular views from the cliffs. With our binoculars, we could just make out the sea lions out on their rock, but we could hear them easily. We walked leisurely along the trail that would through the grass beneath the trees. In a cove on the back part of the trail we saw two harbor seals basking on a rock, and a sea otter sleeping in the kelp beds.
After finishing the cypress trail, we walked down the sea lion path, which leads closer to the shore. There we saw more harbor seals including some babies. We saw another sea otter, this one swimming in the crashing waves near the rocky shore, and we got a closer view of the sea lions. There were also some nesting sea gulls, Brandts cormorant, and some brown pelicans to be seen.
After this we proceeded on to a series of beautiful waterfalls and beaches along highway 1. We saw Pfeiffer falls first, which is down a path through a beautiful stand of redwoods. There at the falls was a Stellar Jay being fed by excited children. I had never before realized that jays and crows were closely related, but this bird makes that connection. It moves and behaves like a crow, but has the comb and striking colors of a jay.
We then proceeded to Pfeiffer beach, which, despite being billed as a favorite beach in the area, has a narrow, windy, and poorly paved road leading down to it. But indeed it was an awesome beach. It is a sand beach, which is C shaped around two rock arches, which almost touch, forming an M. The water rushes in through the arches throwing up spray. While we were there we saw some interesting animals. In the rocks among the left side arch we found sea squirts, crabs, and a starfish. There were also some interesting people on the beach. 2 youngish girls in bathing suits screaming whenever they dared to touch their toes to the cold water, surfers protected from the cold by their wet suits, and a couple of naked children, running about. I always heard California was more free.
Following that we went to Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP (I know! Who are these Pfeiffer people?), which has a beautiful waterfall that pours onto the beach. However, you can not actually get down to the falls, but you do get a great view. Here we saw some ground squirrels and a couple more Stellar Jays, as well as a some interesting purple wildflowers. All of the vegetation here is strange, from the trees, to the flowers, even some of the grasses.
From there it was on to Jade Cove. True to its name, there is jade to be found here, and what's more, it's legal to collect. So collect we did, at our own risk. Jake found a pocket of rocks higher up away from the water, but I, after cautiously setting down the backpack, climbed down the rocks right level with the breaking waves. My goal was a small pool of smaller rocks, polished by the crashing waves. I had observed carefully before hand, and was certain none of the waves were coming in that far. After I had collected half a dozen really good specimens, Jake decided to join me. The water apparently liked him more that it liked me. Until he came down, I had only one wave come in far enough to send a wash of water around my feet. As soon as I was joined, however, by him, the waves began to surround my ankles. I was wearing carpi's, so this was OK. Jake, however, was wearing pants. Then a good one came in, with an even bigger one behind it. I, using my fantastic rock climbing abilities, learned in college climbing a wall with mostly 2x4 squares screwed onto it, latched Velcro like, horizontally to the rock behind me. My husband having taken the same class, but, unfortunately, lacking my cat like reflexes, was suddenly up to his knees in water. After that we returned to higher ground to search for rocks.
After the cove, we headed to salmon falls. This waterfall is really fantastic. The photos really cant do justice to its size and beauty. It is nestled down in a small green valley among large some boulders.
Finally, having completed our busy day outdoors, we were ready for something fancy. So we went to Hearst Mansion, where we had tickets for the evening tour. This is a house built when rich people knew what to do with their money. The house is ornate, but the rooms are mostly small and friendly. The best part of the tour was the many costumed people about the house, chatting, playing pool, reading in the library, etc., which is done for the evening tour only. If only my pictures had come out better. Unfortunately, the outdoor pool, which appears in Spartacus, had been drained due to a leak, but, on the upshot, as our guide pointed out, its a unique shot. The indoor pool was really incredible, but didn't photograph that well at all, being even more dimly lit than the rest of the house.
Thus concluded our first of many days of great adventure in California. For more, stay tuned.
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