At Point Reyes

I thought I'd start the day's post be showing our golden rental car. I always thought that they charged you as if the car was made of gold but this time they actually provided us with a gold car. It is a Ford Focus and not too bad, except for the color. It gets good mileage. Jill says the color is beginning to grow on her. Hmmm.

We spent the day at Point Reyes National Seashore. The drive over the coastal hills from Petaluma was nice and looked like what we imagine Ireland would look like: green hills and small farms, mostly. Not much activity....we had the road to ourselves. There were lots of cows and a corral chock full of goats.

The day was mostly cloudy but there was a patch or two of sunlight. We drove up to the northern section of the park and saw some Tule Elk - there is an Elk preserve there. I'm not sure how many there are but we saw two groups and this isolated buck that was watching everything and everybody. There are a number of isolated ranches all through the Point Reyes area. These are mostly dairy operations so you get to see lots of cows and the occasional milk tanker truck.

The beach was a short walk down the hill and it was just about empty...only one other group of people there. The surf was pretty rough by our standards but we might not be good judges of that. We walked for a while but were a little shy about getting too far down the beach. The area close to the cliff was lower than most of the beach and would fill up faster if the tide came up and we would be cut off...so we stayed pretty close to the trail. The sea birds were all very busy and chasing each other. A lot of kelp had washed up on shore.

We went up to the top of Point Reyes by the lighthouse, which is several hundred feet above the ocean. From the top of the cliff you can see for miles along the beach and out to sea. This is a good whale watching spot. The California Gray Whales migrate past Point Reyes on the way to Baja California and this is the season when they should be going south along the coast. Watching for whales is sort of like watching for meteors...you don't quite know what you are looking for until you see one. Jill has good eyes and spotted them first. There was a pair swimming together that broke the surface. They were pretty far out but made a substantial disturbance in the water as they rolled and headed back down.

The lighthouse is perched on the edge of the cliff about 300 feet up from the water. As lighthouses go, it is pretty small but it doesn't need to be tall, just bright. The fog horn was blowing while we were there. The only ship we saw was a freighter heading west. The wind was pretty strong and there was a slight haze blowing off the water and up the slope.

We did all of this before getting lunch so we were getting pretty hungry. We decided to try to have lunch at Vladimir's Czechoslovakian Restaurant in Inverness. Joanne and I ate there once about 28 years ago on an earlier visit -- Vladimir was a memorable host. I spotted it as we drove through Inverness in the morning but when we got there about 2 o'clock it was closed. That was disappointing because it was really good food -- If I remembered it for 28 years, it had to be. Well, we were starving so we went to a nice cafe in Point Reyes Station which had great food...so we ate well after all.

We headed back to Petaluma by driving along Tomales Bay and then east through Marshall. We were originally going to drive up to Sebastapol and Healdsburg and stop at a winery or two but we decided we were too tired. We had a full day.

San Francisco - North Bay

We had a noisy night at the motel. Not from the motel but all the traffic noises. I'm not used to that anymore but I think the police sirens and trucks and motorcycles all went by our room...all night. Jill seemed to sleep through it. Maybe it is just me. Anyway, we got up and went to our local donut shop and sat at our window table to have breakfast and wait for the morning traffic to die down. This place is a great spot for people watching. The morning sidewalk drama was interesting to watch.

We checked out of our motel and drove over to Alamo Square to look at some of the "Painted Ladies" -- Victorian style houses. Some of these were featured in the "Full House" TV show. That is a really nice neighborhood and city park there, Alamo Square, is scenic but well used...lots of families and dogs.

We inserted ourselves into the traffic heading toward the bridge. Jill has been looking forward to the Golden Gate Bridge but I think she was a little nervous about the traffic to really enjoy it as we went over. On the other side we followed our directions to Sausalito and met Jim in the parking lot of his marina.

The houseboat marina is really pretty and each of the boats is very different in size and design. Some are clearly boats -- or at least they have once been a boat -- while others are strictly floating houses. Some have 4,000 square feet of living area but most are smaller and compact. Jim's is nice and serves as his home and studio. It looks bright and roomy. He is doing sculpture as well as paintings so the studio looks like a busy workshop.

Jim served as our guide for most of the day. We went up on the Marin headlands and got some interesting views and cool pictures of the Golden Gate and San Francisco from the heights above the bridge. We also got sort of a nickel tour of Sausalito and Mill Valley. Both are cool little communities.

We went to Muir Woods and hiked the trail through the Redwood groves. The trees are truly impressive in the context of the preserved forest. The trees also shelter an interesting environment on the forest floor. The ferns were very impressive. We left Muir Woods and went to have a beer at The Pelican, an exact replica of an English pub dating from the 1500s.

After leaving the Pelican we went to Muir Beach and walked along the water. There is a nude beach there but it was just too cold. There also was a cool dog that was having the time of his life playing in the surf. He was chasing the waves and running out to meet the water when it came ashore.

Jim took us to Joe's Taco Lounge for some Cali-Mex-Fusion food. I enjoyed my Snapper tostada. I don't think I've seen more hot sauce varieties in one place before. We dropped Jim off at the marina and headed to Petaluma -- it was dark and we had some adventures finding the motel but it was fine. Another good day.

The Amazing Race

We are still on central time so we were up and going before most people. Being a Sunday everything was a little slower anyway but we had a lot to see. We walked down Market St. to the cable car line, stopping for donuts at a nice shop along the way. I think that might be our breakfast spot tomorrow, too. There were no crowds to speak of at that time of the morning.


We bought a day pass that was good for all city transportation (buses, cable cars and trolleys) and then took the cable car down to Fisherman's Wharf. Cable cars are based on a pretty primitive technology and the operators need to be on the ball. They seem to have a clamp and a brake and that is mostly it. You really don't see any 90 pound weaklings running the cable cars.


The weather was a little cool but the 30 mph wind that was expected never showed up. Once we got our bearings we started hiking along the Embarcadero. We encountered the sea Lions at Pier 39 and watched them for quite a while. They had a pretty good audience and I'm not sure who was watching who. Pier 39 has a lot of shops and it is a nice place to spend some time. Jill bought herself a knitted hat with ear flaps and a "bimple-bomple" on the top. It actually looks pretty good and is warm.

Alcatraz is the most prominent feature in the bay. Lots of people said we should be sure to see Alcatraz but I think that if you have seen one prison you have just about seen them all. It pretty much shows up in most pictures of the bay whether you want it or not.

There are hundreds of sailboats docked along the various piers. I can't imagine what the docking fees must be and some of the boats don't seem to be getting much use. I have always been a sucker for sailboats and I took a lot of sailboat pictures. This one came by the pier while we were standing there and was so close and so quiet that we taken by surprise.

We walked back to Ghiradelli Square and got the obligatory cup of hot cocoa, made the way it should be made....and with a bunch of whipped cream on top....yum. And of course, while we were there a guy in a full clown suit came by.

San Francisco is really one of the best places for people watching. We seldom heard English spoken for the first couple hours....at least American English. Later in the day we walked down Lombard Street and there was a group of about 15 Chinese men on some kind of a tour all standing in the street posing for pictures. Then came another tour group all dressed in red t-shirts followed by a group from India with the women wearing traditional Saris. These were all pedestrians. The line of cars trying to drive down twisty Lombard Street stretched back more than a block and there were kids on motorized scooters darting in and out of everything.

The actual maritime museum run by the National Park Service is closed down until next year but there are a number of historic ships moored by the museum. There are actually a couple places with old war ships and old sailing ships. We walked out on the municipal pier and got some pictures and watched people fishing for crabs.

By that time we were getting hungry for lunch. We wanted to eat lunch in China Town and took the Cable Car back up the hill to Lombard Street and hiked down to Columbus and and boarded another Cable Car that took us to China Town. We ate at the Far East Cafe, supposedly the oldest Chinese restaurant in town and it looked pretty old and very traditional. Jill had her usual chicken fried rice and said it met her high standards. I had Lemon Chicken which was interesting -- a batter fried chicken breast covered with a sweet lemon sauce. Almost like a dessert, really.

China Town was interesting but we were beginning to get a little tired. We had trudged a couple miles up and down hills and had gotten good use out of our transit pass but the crowds were getting bigger and we had seen almost everything on our list for the day. We climbed back up to Powell Street and caught a Cable Car that took us back to Market Street. Jill had enough energy left to go on a shopping spree at a huge Forever 21 clothing store and she made some good buys. We rode an old Philadelphia streetcar up Market Street back to our motel stop. Our gourmet supper turned out to be carry out from the neighborhood Burger King. We have had a full day. More planned for tomorrow.

We Arrived in San Francisco

Omar got us to the airport in plenty of time. We flew Delta from Kansas City to Salt Lake City and then on to San Francisco. Either Delta is flying miniature airplanes or the passengers are getting a lot bigger. These were Canadian Regional Jet (CRJ) planes and they had two seats on each side of the aisle. It seemed we were almost sitting on each other's laps. The plane from Salt Lake City was a little bigger but not much. I never have seen a passenger get an extension for the seat belt before but the guy across the aisle was too big to buckle his seat belt and they gave him and extender.


Apart from being cramped, the trip was good. There is a lot of snow in the Rockies already. It was pretty cloudy most of the way and when we got to San Francisco it was raining and foggy (surprise!). Our rental car is a bright gold Ford Focus. It will be easy to spot anywhere we go. It has satellite radio and Jill turned the radio on and we listened to the Mizzou-KSU game on our way into the city.


The motel is a little creepy but we are hoping it looks better in daylight and no rain. We are near the Civic Center and that is a good location for seeing the city so we will be OK for two days. We walked to Rocco's restaurant on Folsom St. which was about three blocks. We decided that this is about as far away from Jefferson City as you can get and still be on the same planet. The restaurant was great (Gnocchi was great) but the walk was an eye-full. We now know where to go to buy all sorts of skimpy leather thingies. If they didn't have mannequins we would not have been able to imagine how one would wear them.


We got back to the motel and locked the door. Jill finished up her homework and we mapped out our plan of attack for tomorrow. We called Jim and made plans to see him on Monday. We are not adjusted to the time change so we will probably fall asleep early.

On our merry way -- Kansas City

We got on the road about 5:30 heading to Kansas City. Today was mostly spent getting ready. Watson and Iris have been deposited at the vet's for boarding. Watson hates to travel and cried the whole way. Iris is the perfect traveller and didn't make a noise. She actually gained a pound since April so she is almost at 5 pounds....quite a milestone for her.

We are staying at a motel by the Kansas City airport. This is where we have started several trips in the past. It is a motel with a car parking service and a shuttle to the airport. At each of our earlier stays the manager/owner has been Indian or Pakistani. This time it is an Arab...I guess that's the way things go in our global economy. This guy is a lot friendlier than the old owner. The motel is in better shape, too, and very quiet.

Jill did some homework here at the motel -- much of her classwork is on-line, which makes it convenient. You can access the material from where ever you happen to be.

Tomorrow we fly in to San Francisco and get there about 4 PM local time. Looks like the weather will be cool but good otherwise. No pictures taken today so I went down and got a picture of Omar at the front desk. He handles security as well as check-in and complaints. Since he has to get us to the airport tomorrow I think I'll be very nice to him.

Next trip....California in November

Jill and I are taking a long-postponed trip to California in November. We will spend a little time in San Francisco and up north near Point Reyes and the wineries and then down to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park. This should be an enjoyable trip. Jill has never been out there and Joie always wanted her to see the Redwoods.

Taking the long way home

We grabbed a breakfast at the motel and then got packed up and were ready to leave around 10 AM. Gene had to get all of his Obama and McCain bobble-heads packed securely....there isn't a great deal of extra space on the motorcycle. He has adorned the bike with little pigs at various places....makes it more customized. Davenport was actually a pretty nice place for a weekend. We had a good time without any permanent scars or property damage. We tried to find any newspaper article with our interview at the ballpark but the Argus newspaper wasn't available at the motel and they don't seem to have an Internet version. Maybe our 15 minutes of fame marched on without us.

Gene hit the road back to Wisconsin and I headed west on I-80. Traffic was surprisingly heavy but part of that was probably due to students heading toward Iowa City and University of Iowa. There were a lot of moving vans on the highway...more than I've noticed other times.

HERBERT HOOVER

My first stop was at the Iowa welcome center to pick up a better map. Then it was off to West Branch and the Herbert Hoover birthplace and Presidential library. The entire town of West Branch seems like it is frozen in time. Painted frame houses and picket fences everywhere. A few businesses were modern but there were still some older commercial buildings in the middle of town. Hoover was born here in 1874 and the family home was small, only 20 feet by 14 feet....that's 280 square feet for a family of five. They had two rooms, a summer kitchen on the back porch and an outhouse in the back yard. Across the street was the father's blacksmith shop....which was considerably larger than the house. About 250 feet in the other direction was the Quaker meeting house where the family worshipped. The one-room school house was about the same distance in the opposite direction...so Herbert Hoover's entire childhood existence was pretty much confined to an area not much larger than two football fields.

Hoover was orphaned at age ten and was supported by an uncle. He was educated as a mining engineer and was trapped in China during the Boxer Rebellion while working there.

The Hoover library looks pretty small and dates back to the 1960s when Presidential libraries were starting to be built. This one was totally built by private funding and then eventually donated to the National Park Service. There was a park ranger in the house who was very knowledgeable and another fellow that was apparently a local historian who was just hanging out there.

Hoover is buried on the grounds of the library with his wife, Lou.

So I learned a lot about Herbert Hoover He's not one of our universally appreciated presidents since he presided over the start of the depression...but I have to admit that he came a long way from a two-room house in rural Iowa.

AMANA COLONIES

When I stopped at the welcome center I also discovered the Amana Colonies were only 14 miles out of my way--- just a little west of Iowa City. I always heard about the Amana Colonies but didn't know much about them.

Apparently there was a bunch of disgruntled Lutherans in Germany in the 1700s who developed their own church tradition and separated from the other (presumably gruntled) Lutherans. The German government was freaking out....they tried to co-exist but that didn't work so they moved to the US and eventually landed in Iowa in the 1850s and set up a communal society with several small towns all called Amana. There is South Amana, West Amana, Middle Amana, High Amana, and plain old Amana...all together there are seven little communities that look like miniature Hermanns. Sometime in the early 1930s they gave up on the communal idea and then eventually started cranking out refrigerators. There is a huge factory near Middle Amana. Several hundred old buildings are still located in the seven villages but now there is a sprinkling of modern homes around the area. The church is still active and owns much of the land.

I managed to traipse through most of the smaller Amanas before I got to the main tourist center at Amana. The place is well preserved and there are a bunch of restaurants and shops as well as wineries and cheese shops and a general store. It is bigger than Arrow Rock but smaller and less urban than Hermann but has some of that same flavor. I ate lunch at a German restaurant and took some Cherry pie to go. A few doors down the street is the Ackerman Winery so, of course, I had to go in there. I walked out with three bottles of wine so now I had wine and pie. Next I wandered into the general store and wandered out with even more food....I'm glad I ate lunch before I went into these places, otherwise I'd be hauling a trailer.

I eventually got back on the road but it was already 3 PM as I was going through Iowa City. Highway 27 runs south from Iowa City into Missouri and it is a really good, divided highway with not a great deal of traffic. It is designated the "Avenue of the Saints" because it is a connecting highway from St. Louis to St. Paul (maybe why there isn't much tradfic). When it gets close to the Mississippi it is also part of the Great River Road. In Missouri I followed Highway 61 south to Palmyra and then went west through Mexico and down US 54 to Jefferson City...got home about 7:30.

This is not a particular scenic route unless you like corn. Corn is probably the state tree of Iowa. When they introduce the baseball players at the Davenport ballpark they come on to the field by stepping out of a small cornfield. Cute... "Is this Heaven?"......"No, just Davenport."

Because of all the rain and some flooding it is all overwhelmingly green for mid-August. There are some impressive farms and some huge old barns along the way. Swedeburg Iowa is a Swedish community with a Swedish heritage center. Lots of antique stores in the little towns.