In 2014 I took a little trip... Yep - but not to New Orleans down the "mighty Mississip". I spent a week in the San Francisco Bay area. I didn't have daily Internet service so this is just a long summary --- after the fact.
I attended a wedding in Livermore in what I guess is called the East Bay. After the wedding weekend I headed over to Sausalito and spent a couple days with my cousin. My last stop was in San Jose visiting one of my oldest friends...going back to 2nd grade. This was a week-long counter clockwise circuit of the bay.
I flew Southwest Airlines both ways and stopped in San Diego each way. I guess I haven't flown since my trip to Peru so I was a little put off by the changes. This was like flying in an Otis elevator compartment crammed with people. For reasons never explained I had to change planes in San Diego when it was supposed to be a continuation flight. There was a musical group on board and they must have had priority seating because they put their instrument cases in the overhead storage and everyone else was left to figure out how to stow their stuff around saxophone and trombone cases. It doesn't work very well.
Of course I got to stand in three lines and jump through hoops in three different cities just for the privilege of flying. They provided me with peanuts, pretzels and a coke...I hate peanuts. I got to sit with my feet crammed around a carry-on. No one was fit company by the time we were airborne. The baby in front of me pooped in her diaper and I was hoping the oxygen mask would drop. The other passengers plugged in to their mobile devices and avoided eye contact. And...get this...the company charged me a hefty fee for this experience. Airline travel is no longer a rational way to move around the country. Unfortunately, train travel wasn't an option on this trip.
I arrived on Friday, May 9th, at the San Francisco airport at about 2 PM. I figured that would be early enough and I'd make a fairly easy drive in my rental car over to Livermore. There was a rehearsal dinner that evening so I figured I'd make it in time to relax a little beforehand....it was only supposed to be a 40 minute drive. Since you can't just hop off a plane and drive away in your rental car it took longer than I expected to get away from the airport. You have to ride the little train over to the rental car offices after you find your luggage. It was about 3 PM when I started out and the drive took almost three hours. Traffic was insane and there really wasn't any good reason for the delay other than too many cars. No wrecks or construction and only one long bridge over the bay. I arrived at the hotel as folks were leaving for the rehearsal so I made it barely in time.
The rehearsal dinner was an informal gathering at an indoor bocce court with a bar and bar food. We had lots of finger food and some great pizzas and the guests had a chance to meet each other. We played a few games of bocce but the court was a little odd. It was covered with a carpeting that was almost a suede-like material. That's better than AstroTurf but still a little strange. We all had a good time.
Saturday was the wedding day. This is Gene's and Karon's wedding...some of my readers know Gene. Karon seems very nice and they are a good match. There were a few errands and some last minute details. I went along for the ride. We were driven to the winery (Crooked Vine) in a limousine. I think that might have been my first ride in a limousine not associated with a funeral. Anyway -- the wedding at the winery was a nice outdoor affair that was very well attended. The reception was what I would consider tapas...lots of little grazing dishes served as a buffet. Maybe that's a California thing -- whatever it was it worked out well for the group.
There was a DJ who played music during the sit-down buffet and then played again during the dancing that followed. The dance was in the barrel room where wine barrels are stored and events are held. We all had enough wine that there was a lot of dancing...even by me. I got the DJ to do the Duck Dance...you had to be there to appreciate that. We all got home in one piece thanks to the limo driver.
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| George R |
Sunday the fun continued with a winery tour for out of town guests. We only made it to three wineries but that was enough. We liked the George R winery the best and George was our host and was very gracious and informative. I managed to make it all the way home with an excellent bottle of George's port for sipping when I read in the evening.
On Monday morning I said goodbye to some new friends that I made during the wedding and got on the road to Sausalito. It was an easy drive on I-580 around the eastern and northern shore of the bay -- through Oakland and Berkley and past San Quentin. There was a $5 toll on the San Rafael bridge but traffic wasn't really too bad. I managed to get confused in Sausalito and kept missing my turn. My cousin (Jim) walked out to the road to finally direct me in...I was making it harder than it was. Jim lives on a houseboat so I was looking for the entrance to the dock area...I found it on the third pass. I've been there before and thought it was more complicated.
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| Russian River Brewing |
That afternoon Jim and his wife, Paro, took me up to Santa Rosa to visit Russian River Brewing. This is a famous California brewery -- famous for Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder, two signature beers. "Younger" is only available about two weeks a year and folks wait in line for 6 1/2 hours (or more) for a 10 ounce glass. We had "Elder" and then a flight (sample) of about ten Belgian beers. About half of the sample beers were 'sour beer' which is a Belgian thing and maybe a California thing. It is an acquired taste and I haven't yet acquired it. It was all good and probably good examples of the Belgian styles. We had a lot of beer discussions during my stay. We have different opinions on some beer issues. Coming back to Sausalito we stopped at Moylands brewery in San Rafael and continued our friendly debate. We headed back and had supper at a Mexican restaurant in Mill Valley. Paro had to leave that night for a tour she is leading so we dropped her off at a hotel in San Francisco. Paro is a tour guide for German tourists and takes them around the Southwest.
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| Houseboats in Sausalito |
BEER TALK
Jim is a local expert on Bay Area beer...not a beer snob but very focused on the Bay Area beer scene. Jim knows a lot about beer in general as a patron or consumer. He gives lectures on craft brewing at a local pup. (yeah, must be a California thing) I'm a patron as well but I look at things as a brewer. Since I've moved to the Southwest from the Midwest I'm very conscious of regional styles and tastes in beer. It's my opinion that craft beer drinkers are too enamored with hops and it seems that they think that more is better....way beyond the standard for the beer style. I think that, too often, heavy hopping is a crutch for bad beer. When I talk to brew-masters they tend to agree but they have to make what sells. So - that was the general debate between Jim and I until we got into the Belgian sour beer. I've had sour beer before but I've never liked it. If I made a beer that tasted like some of the sour beer we had at Russian River I would think that something went horribly wrong in my brewing process. The Belgians strive for that taste, which is achieved by allowing wild yeast or bacteria to intrude (infect?) the beer while brewing. This is yet more proof that there are regional preferences and tastes in beer. Apparently, in the Bay Area, there are sufficient numbers of brewery patrons who have acquired a taste for sour beer because it is generally available at local breweries. (To be continued...on Feral Chats)
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| Sausalito and San Francisco |
On Tuesday, Jim and I stopped off at a local bakery and visited with some of his friends. One woman mentioned that she spent time in Jemez Springs, an interesting little town about 35 miles from where I live. After the bakery we went up to the top of Mount Tamalpais. Mount Tamalpais (Mt. Tam) is a very prominent feature of the geology and landscape of Marin County just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove most of the way to the top and walked up a short trail to an observation area at the top. I was psychologically influenced by the notion that I was climbing a mountain and was struggling a little as we reached the top...then I realized that the top is only at about 2,600 feet elevation. I live at around 5,800 feet elevation and there was no real reason for me to be struggling. The view from the top is impressive. You can see almost the whole bay and San Francisco looks quite small in the distance. We spent about a half hour at the top...Jim was pointing out different landmarks. We saw a lizard sunning on a rock doing what looked like push-ups. At first we thought that was an aggressive behavior but before long we noticed a lady lizard not too far away. The first (guy) lizard was showing off. He got next to the lady lizard and proceeded to do push-ups. She wasn't too impressed...if you've seen one push-up you have seen them all. She wandered away with him following and doing more push-ups at every opportunity.
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| Godzilla |
That afternoon we went and picked up Tomas, Jim's friend, at the bus station who was coming to the dock to stay with friends for a while. Tomas joined in the beer debate a little and we enjoyed a couple beers back at Jim's houseboat. That evening we went to a weekly meeting at the "Man Cave", a workshop/studio, and shared some new and different beers with some other friends from the dock. It was a fun and enjoyable evening. Everyone brought a different beer to share.
The dock is a close community with friendly relationships and people living in close proximity. With one way in or out, everyone knows who is coming or going or what the neighbors are doing. There is some window talk at times and friendly waves from doorways. The dock is something of a tourist site and tourists will stroll along the dock and even come inside the houseboats...uninvited. Jim says that Italian tourists are the most brazen...I wonder why.
On Wednesday morning I said goodbye and left Sausalito behind and headed south to San Jose to spend time with my long-time friend, Bill. The trip south was uneventful...the Golden Gate Bridge (southbound) now has automatic tolls and for folks driving a rental it is expensive because the rental company adds a "convenience" charge that is higher than the toll. To get around that, I pre-paid on-line and that seemed to work OK. The drive through San Francisco was nice...that is still one of my favorite places. The way south to San Jose was mostly freeway driving through silicon valley communities. I found Bill's house without any trouble.
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Picture I would have taken
if I had my camera |
Our afternoon activity was a drive over the coastal ranges and along Highway 1 to Santa Cruz. We stopped at Alice's Restaurant, a roadside biker spot, and had a couple beers and burgers. At one spot along the coast we saw a mother Gray Whale and her calf swimming along the rocky shore. They were only about 100 feet out in the waves and I got a good sense of how big they are. The calf was the size of a small school bus. Of course, I forgot my camera but got a picture on my cell phone, which I will share if I ever figure out how. We walked out on the pier in Santa Cruz. It was really hot...up around 95 degrees.
Bill suggested we go to a sushi restaurant for supper. I don't eat sushi but Bill had his heart set on it so we went. We sat at a bar and I ordered a teriyaki beef dinner while Bill ate sushi out of the little boats that went by in a little trough. I have always avoided sushi but I tried some and actually liked it. We were using chopsticks so that was a challenge (I used to be better at chopsticks -- what happened?) We ate our fill and headed back to Bill's. His wife, Donna was home from work. Bill is mostly retired but Donna works for the school system. I met their parakeet, Charley, who is very talented but a little under the weather. They have to give him meds from an eye dropper and Charley doesn't like it but he doesn't hold a grudge. We talked and visited until about midnight. I haven't seen Bill in about 20 years or more so we had a lot of time to cover.
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| Anchovies |
Thursday morning Bill and I struck out for Monterrey to visit the aquarium. He bought a membership there and I can see why...it is really a nice aquarium, mostly focusing on the Monterrey Bay area. I enjoyed looking at the Jelly Fish. Feeding time at the open ocean tank is fascinating. They have to keep the sharks and big fish fed so they don't eat the little fish. The turtles and rays have to be fed separately because they are slow. Then the tunas and dorados and other speedy fish get fed so the action really picks up. Finally the anchovies get fed and that turns into a fish tornado with thousands of anchovies swimming as one huge mass. Everybody takes their appointed turn.
I have a short video on Youtube... click on the link to go there
http://youtu.be/a0mSTz3KrSY
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| Otter |
The aquarium was not busy with visitors so we stayed about 2 1/2 hours. We got our lunch at a local pub and then drove along the coast highway stopping off at a few spots to look at the tidal pools. At one spot we watched an otter eating his lunch. There was a lot of people enjoying the day but it wasn't crowded at all.
After we left Monterrey we headed back toward San Jose. We made a side trip to see Mission San Juan Bautista. The mission was built around 1793 and is still used but is a state park site. The mission served the local Indian population and several hundred Indians are buried in the old cemetery.
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| Me with my camera |
I was set up to stay at a motel near the airport that night so Bill and Donna made a nice dinner and we sat on the patio and enjoyed the end of my visit. I get antsy about airports and timetables and it was a 50 mile drive to the airport. I made it to my hotel OK and started to chill out for my trip home. I got a message from Watson's vet where he was staying. He seems to be in remission from his diabetes and they stopped giving him shots...that's the good news. They think maybe he can manage on a weight loss diet...that's the bad news. Sorry buddy.
On Friday I got to the airport and turned in my car...surprise, surprise...it cost more than what I expected...as usual. But it was a good car...a 2014 Impreza. We took off about a half hour late and then things started to bog down even more. The San Diego airport is nothing to write home about...crowded and also crowded. It is close to the city center so you fly in and get a nice view of the downtown and the ocean front. We also got to see about eight forest fires burning just north of San Diego. The wind was blowing from the ocean so the smoke was drifting inland and over the local mountains. We were about an hour late leaving San Diego -- I think Southwest Air ran out of planes and we had to wait for one to free up. I finally got into Albuquerque -- still late -- and it was a bumpy ride coming in due to storms in the area. It seems like turbulence is pretty normal due to winds and the mountains.
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| Forest Fires north of San Diegoption |
