We left around 7:30, filled up with Diesel at Costco and hit the road. Got home around 1:30, will settle in tomorrow, as it's hot and the pool is calling my name!!!
It's good to be home!
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Bakersfield, CA 2015
September 15, 2015
Left Atascadero around 8:15 and arrived in Bakersfield around 10:45. We are staying at the Bakersfield Rive Run RV Park, it was recommended by folks. Very nice park that is basically across the street from Costco.
Went to dinner at the Hungry Hunter, Tom & Sarah recommended it, must say it was delicious. Highly recommend you go if in the Bakersfield area. We had the fried green beans for an appetizer (RV park gave us a coupon), boy were they yummy. I could (correction, I did) fill up on them plus the squaw bread.
Left Atascadero around 8:15 and arrived in Bakersfield around 10:45. We are staying at the Bakersfield Rive Run RV Park, it was recommended by folks. Very nice park that is basically across the street from Costco.
Went to dinner at the Hungry Hunter, Tom & Sarah recommended it, must say it was delicious. Highly recommend you go if in the Bakersfield area. We had the fried green beans for an appetizer (RV park gave us a coupon), boy were they yummy. I could (correction, I did) fill up on them plus the squaw bread.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Atascadero, CA 2015
September 14, 2015
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| My favorite bird |
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| Bobby with the Pelican |
Last day in this area so we decided to head to Pismo Beach to look around and have lunch. Drove to the pier and walked out to watch the surfers. There's not much to this beach, at least to the areas we already seen on this trip.
Walked into town to walk thru the stores, looked but did not purchase anything but one Christmas gift. We did however watch this gentleman make taffy. Then I decided I wanted to see the Butterfly Grove, we are to early in the year but was hoping we'd see some Monarch Butterfly's....only saw one! It started raining, so cut out looking short.
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| Making taffy |
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| Monarch Butterfly |
Got back around 3, going to the Elks for ribs tonight. Tomorrow we head to Bakersfield. Getting close to home!!!
September 13, 2015
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| Zebra's grazing on the ground |
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| wine cellar |
Like everywhere in California, Hearst Castle is also subject to the water rationing and we had to use porta potties. All the water to the lavatories has been shut off. Sad but necessary!!!
The trip from the visitors center to the castle takes 15 min, along the way we saw a herd of big horn sheep. Also they have a large herd of cattle that roam the grounds.
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| Bedroom in Casa del Monte |
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| 3 Graces Statue....we bought a replica of this one |
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| Kitchen |
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| Entrance to the Casa Grande (castle) |
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| view from the garden |
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| Casa del Monte |
The kitchen was our last stop, it's located in the Casa Grande (Castle). You cannot envision the size of this kitchen and to think this was built back in the 1920's, it's remarkable. The foresight of Julia Morgan (the architecture) and Mr. Hearst is just unimaginable. Any one of us would love to have this but hate to clean it!!!
After the tour finished, we tour the gardens to get a close and personal view of the grounds and statues. It is just stunning.
 |
| Elephant Seals |
Then we headed to Elephant Seal Beach to see the elephant seals. They are so massive in size!
On our way back, we stopped at various points to take in the views. At our last stop, they're were two guy hang gliding and low and behold, there were whales out there. Watched they blow and roll but never say a tail. They are so incredible. Love to have stayed longer, but things to do.
Got home around 4, another great day touring the country side!!!
September 12, 2015
Left Monterey around 9 and got to Atascadero around 11:30. Got settled in and then went to find a Big 5 store, Bobby needed to return some shoes.
Got back around 1:30, had lunch and watched a little TV. Around 4, went to the Elks to have a drink and ran into Darrell & Nancy LaMoureaux. We knew they were here so it was great to finally see them. Spent about 1 1/2 hrs catching up and meeting their friends they are traveling with (6 others).
Had dinner at the coach and then around 8, went over to Darrell & Nancy to have an after dinner drink and watch Oregon vs. Michigan St. game. Too bad Oregon lost!!
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Monterey, CA 2015
September 11, 2015
Last day in Monterey and we're making it a history day. Took a tour thru the oldest Catholic church in California, called the San Carlos Cathedral. It was founded as a mission by Father Junipero Serra in 1770. It is the oldest continuously functioning church in California as well as the state’s first stone church.
An interesting fact we learned, Herbert Hoover was married there in 1899 (Hoover was Protestant, but as there was no Protestant minister available at the time, the parish priest was given a special dispensation to perform a civil ceremony).
It's stunning and they've done a marvelous job and restoring it to it's mostly original structure. They had to retrofit it for earthquakes, which you'd never know. Also many years ago, it was in such disrepair, that you'd thought it would be easier to destroy vs. fix. However, the granddaughter to ??, saw the need to preserve history, and gave all the buildings and fixtures to the State. They've done a incredible job at preserving it.
If you ever get to this area, a must see.
Our nephew Eric, arrived from San Diego around 4 with his boss Eileen Drake. They came to watch a Mazda race at Laguna Seca. We visited for about an 1 1/2 hrs, then went down to Cannery Row, where we had dinner at Fish Hopper Restaurant. It was delicious, I had Sanddabs and Bobby had a filet Mignon.
After dinner we walked around, I bought a pair of xmas socks, everyone bought nothing. We had a great time getting to know Eileen and visiting with Eric.
September 10, 2015
Took a drive north to Santa Cruz, CA. Along the way, we stopped at Pezzini, a local
artichoke company in hopes of seeing their process. However, do to the hot weather, not were not
processing.
We arrived in Santa Cruz around 10 and drove directly to the
infamous boardwalk. Was nothing like I
expected. The actual boardwalk is just a few shops and
restaurants. We did see many sea lions,
they lay under the boardwalk, interesting to listen to them and watch them get
up and down off the pilings.
We motored around the area for about 1 1/2 hrs, watching
them feed, etc. At one time, we got to
see one of them pounding his tail numerous times on the water, that was
awe-inspiring. Saw many of them dive, of
course exposing their huge tails....my favorite part. Never did see one breach, but otherwise it
was an astounding trip. I must say,
that when one got within 75 feet of the boat and then dove under us, it was my
highlight to see that tail up close and personal!!!! Nothing better!
Had a few items to take care of prior to heading out. Got those taken care and then left around
9. One of the items, was making a
reservation for a whale watching tour.
While I was talking to the owner, he informed me that yesterday tour saw
110 (yes, that's correct) humpbacks.
I'm so excited, hoping that we see one breach and maybe even see an
Orca.
There are many pull offs that we stopped at to take in the
views, which are breathtaking beautiful.
I never get tired of seeing the ocean.
Went downtown and picked up brochures on the area. Then we went into town to look around the
cannery area. Traffic was horrible and
couldn't find a parking space. Holiday
traffic in this town is worse than San Fran!!!
So, we decide to drive around Pacific Groves area. This area runs along the ocean and gave us
the opportunity to take in the views of the Monterey Peninsula. It's beautiful.
Last day in Monterey and we're making it a history day. Took a tour thru the oldest Catholic church in California, called the San Carlos Cathedral. It was founded as a mission by Father Junipero Serra in 1770. It is the oldest continuously functioning church in California as well as the state’s first stone church. 
An interesting fact we learned, Herbert Hoover was married there in 1899 (Hoover was Protestant, but as there was no Protestant minister available at the time, the parish priest was given a special dispensation to perform a civil ceremony). It's stunning and they've done a marvelous job and restoring it to it's mostly original structure. They had to retrofit it for earthquakes, which you'd never know. Also many years ago, it was in such disrepair, that you'd thought it would be easier to destroy vs. fix. However, the granddaughter to ??, saw the need to preserve history, and gave all the buildings and fixtures to the State. They've done a incredible job at preserving it.
If you ever get to this area, a must see.Our nephew Eric, arrived from San Diego around 4 with his boss Eileen Drake. They came to watch a Mazda race at Laguna Seca. We visited for about an 1 1/2 hrs, then went down to Cannery Row, where we had dinner at Fish Hopper Restaurant. It was delicious, I had Sanddabs and Bobby had a filet Mignon.
After dinner we walked around, I bought a pair of xmas socks, everyone bought nothing. We had a great time getting to know Eileen and visiting with Eric.
September 10, 2015
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| Moss Landing, CA |
Our next stop was Moss Landing, wanted to see if we could
see the whales, yes!!!! Not nearly as
good as yesterday, but you could definitely see their tails & blow holes!!!
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| Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, CA |
 |
| Surfing Museum in Santa Cruz |
Surf Museum is just up the road, so we headed there
next. It's an old lighthouse that
they've converted to a museum. Very attention-grabbing
to learn about this sport and how it started.
It actually came from some princes from the Hawaiian islands back in 1885 You get to read about the history and see
some of the old long boards that were used.
It was windy while we were out there, made for some great
photos. Also the surfers were trying
their best to ride the waves. Fascinating
to watch them, although you could tell they were not the pros we see on TV. |
| Surfers in Santa Cruz |
Looked around the town a little and then stopped at Taco
Bell for lunch. On the way back, we
stopped at 'The Whole Enchilada" fruit stand. What an astonishing place. They have every kind of fruit and vegetable
that's grown around this area, plus others.
Best thing, it was incredibly priced.
Love being in the farm valley!!!
Avocados and Artichokes were 7 for a dollar, just to name some of the
best deals we saw. Bought a bunch of
fruit and vegs.
Got home around 2:30, then went swimming. I was hot, even though the pool is not
heated, it felt good. I'd think it was
around 80. It's a large salt water
pool, about 1/3 bigger than ours in Havasu.
Tonight we might go over to the club and watch Thursday
football.
September 9, 2015 |
| Feeding Frenzy near Moss Landing, CA |
Took a whale watching tour out of Monterey Bay called Chris
Whale Watching. It's cost $34 a person
with a coupon we got at the visitors center.
Believe me, it was worth the price.
We traveled about 20 miles north to a town called Moss Landing, here
they have a submarine ledge, where the plankton and krill like to hang out, so
therefore the whales come to feed. Per
the captain, the wind, climate, etc. just have to be right, but this year it
is.
Within in seconds of arriving, we saw our first whales lunge
feeding. It was overwhelming seeing how
many of them were in this bay.
Everywhere we looked, we could see blow holes. Just breathtaking.  |
| Whales are lunge feeding on Krill |
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| This was about 75' off our boat |
Got back to Monterey around 1, looked around Fishermen's
wharf for an hour or so, then headed home.
The trip made us tired, as you're constantly trying to keep your
balance. Heaven forbid should we sit
down!!!!
If you ever get in this area, I'd certainly recommend this
company but you might want to look into a company that departs from Moss
Landing, that way you'd get more time viewing the whales, as we spent at least
1 1/2 of the 3 hrs traveling to get there.
September 8, 2015
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| View going south on hwy 1 |
Drove out hwy 1, heading to Big Sur. First stop was Point Lobos State Park (cost
$10 to get into). We had visited here
when we came in 2010. This time we
couldn't get out to the point, as the Harbor Seals are in there mating season
and they're being protected. We could
hear them, just couldn't see them.
However, Bobby spotted some whales out near the rocks. We watched them for about 30 min, then moved
on to our next stop. All we saw was
fins, but it was enough to make me a happy camper!
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| Pfleiffer Beach |
While traveling south, we stopped at the Bixby Creek
Bridge. It's 260 feet high and 700 feet
long and it's one of the world's highest single-span concrete bridges. It's hard to pull over in this area, as
everyone wants to take a pic, but Bobby found us a spot.
Wanted to see Point Sur Lightstation, but it's only open on
Wed, Sat & Sun. Next time!!! |
| Bixby Bridge |
Big Sur Village was not what I expected! I thought it would be like Seaside in
Oregon, but it's basically a few stores alongside the road, more like we'd see Camp
Sherman, OR. We did go thru the local
gallery and a few other shops.
Next stop was Pfeiffer Beach National Park (it's actually
not a Federal National Park, so our pass didn't work, however they do charge
$10. Believe me, these cost are worth
the views you get to see!!!! You have
to travel down this extremely narrow paved road for 2 miles, then you reach the
pay station. At times, we had to back up
to all the other car or dump truck to pass us.
When you turn onto this road from hwy 1, it's say no trailers or
motorhomes, believe it!!! |
| Pfleiffer Beach |
Our last stop was Nepenthe Restaurant, this log cabin was
built in 1925 by San Trotter. In 1944
Orson Wells bought it for his wife Rita Hayworth. They sold in in 1947 to Fassett family who
turned it into the Nepenthe restaurant, which was designed by Rowan Maiden,
apprentice of Frank Lloyd Wright. Mr
Wright is our favorite architecture to look at. We've seen many of his designs on our
travels.
Got home around 2, had lunch and then I went to over to the
mall, having problems with my phone.
Verizon folks fixed it....yeah!!!!
Also looked around a few of the stores while Bobby stayed home.
September 7, 2015
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| Pacific Groves, CA |
 |
| Pacific Groves, CA |
Found a place to park, so off to the shoreline we went. Tide was in, so couldn't really get to the
beach, but did manage to get some great shots.
The pebble beach area is next door, but we knew that since
this area was packed, we'd never find parking on the 17 mile drive. We thought about going to Carmel and Big
Sur, but rethought that idea also.
Ended up going to the town of Seaside to look around. Not much there but had fun exploring.
Tomorrow, we'll head to Big Sur.
September 6, 2015
Left Petaluma around 8:30 and arrived in Monterey around
1:30. Traffic was great going thru San
Fran, but once we got on 101, it certainly changed. We had stop and go all the way, in fact we
came off at exit 337, one short just to get out of it. I totally forgot that locals and visitors
would be going to the beach to get away for the last long weekend.
Once settled in, I went to the grocery store. Thought about going to visitors center, but
traffic is so bad down on the water front, will do it tomorrow. We'll do our sightseeing after tomorrow, as
hopefully most of the visitors will be leaving tomorrow. Believe me, town is backed, in fact we can
see a cruise ship in the harbor.
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
Petaluma, CA & surrounding area 2015
September 5, 2015
Took a hop on, hop off tour of San Francisco. We arrive in Sausalito, where we can the tour bus and take it into downtown San Fran.
Our first stop was immediately after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Here we got on another bus, which took us into downtown. This is called the purple line. We traveled along Lombard, crookedest street America.
Next we got on another bus by Ghirardelli's to tour the downtown portion of the tour, red line. Traffic is horrible because of the Labor Day Weekend and the fact that there's a Billy Joel concert tonight at AT&T stadium. The narrator's on tours are funny and have so much to offer about the history of the city. Great way to learn about this historical city.
We got to Chinatown and got off the bus to have lunch. Ate at the R&G restaurant, per advice from a local, not our favorite. Walked back to Union Square to catch the Green line, which would take us to Golden Gate Park and the beaches. However, traffic is so bad, we decide not to take this route and continue on the red line. Thank goodness, as it takes us forever to get back to pier 39. We hoped off the bus about 6 blocks before pier 39, walked down to Boudin's to purchase more sourdough bread and then walk back to Ghirardelli's to catch the purple line.
Got to the Golden Gate at about 5, waited for our bus to take us back to Sausalito. It finally came at 5:25, it was the last bus for the day. Thankfully we did not miss it, otherwise it would have been a taxi ride or a very long walk.
Once we got back to Sausalito, we walked around and visited a few of the shops. Got back to coach around 9 pm. Long day but so much fun and we learned so much on the tour.
September 4, 2015
Toured the Jelly Belly factor in Fairfield, CA today. Who knew they made more than just Jelly Bellies? The also make Jordan Almonds, various kinds of chocolate, including chocolate covered jelly bellies and many varieties of gummy products. You learn how they make the Jelly Bellies and watch them through the various steps. You even get to taste a few of the flavors along the route.
Only bad thing if there is one, no photography is allowed. Not sure why, but that's the way it is!!
Near by is the Sepay Groves to learn about Olive Oil. This is a small olive oil company, that specializes in selling high end olive oil. Yes, there is a major difference in olive oils. As we learned they sell high polyphenol extra virgin olive oils, these have exceptionally high health benefits. Per the owner, most grocery stores usually don't carry these type of oils, because they cost so much. He is right, as we paid $44 for a 1/2 gallon.
The health benefits include lowering your cholesterol in 2 weeks if you drink 2 tbsp. a day, can lower your blood pressure, can lower your blood sugar in 2 hrs and could boost your immune system. With my high cholesterol and high blood pressure, decided to give it a try.
We also bough two bottles of their vinegars, summer strawberry & cinnamon pear. They say they are both excellent in salad dressings and on fruit, meat, etc. We tasted manyOn of them, all of which were good with bread and olive oil, but I decided to purchase these two.
On the way home, we stopped Fremont Diner in Sonoma for lunch. Excellent diner! Bobby had a brisket sandwich, also had a spicy sausage. He said it was excellent, I had a salad with apple, walnuts, bacon (different than I've seen before) and blue cheese, like Bobby's it was excellent.
We have not explored much of Petaluma, so decided to head to the outlet mall. Honestly, it's not worth your trouble. Much of the mall is empty and what is there, really is not different than we see at most other malls. Deals were nothing to brag about!
Tomorrow is our last day, think we'll head back to SF.
September 3, 2015
What a fun day today was. Started out around 9 by driving into Petaluma and finally finding the arm wrestling statue! After talking with a local last night at the Elks club, we found out the arm wrestling championships are no longer held here in Petaluma.
Gary & Carol Neal, whom we met at the Eureka Elks has told us about Bodega Bay, so I decided to go explore it. It's about 40 miles west of here. Beautiful beach area, with tons of opportunities to view the ocean. We stopped at many of the pulls outs to take photos, view the wild life, etc. Our first stop was Bodega Head, in hopes of spotting a whale, no luck.
The tides were almost in, so in many spots we were unable to see/get to the beach. However, we did do both. Our last stop before heading back towards Petaluma, was Goat Rock Beach (near the town of Jenner) where you get to see the Russian River enter the sea. Also here the Harbor Seals were teaching their pups how to swim, hunt and get ready to live on their own. Many of them had already departed, but there were probably 50 there.
Next we headed to back to Bodega Bay, stopped at the Tides, this restaurant was used in the film "The Birds" directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Then we drove to the town of Bodega and saw the church and school house used in the film. The store in Bodega had many pics of the movie, some of them signed by the actors. They wanted some big bucks for some of the pics. The most expensive we saw was one signed by all the actors, they wanted $23,800.
Then we headed to Santa Rosa to visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum. What a wonderful time we had, took us back to the comic strip days. They've done an excellent job and displaying Mr. Schulz work.
There is also the Ice Area and the main store in two other buildings. You have the opportunity to watch some of the animated cartoons and watch a short movie on his life. It's very well done and certainly worth your time to visit. One other thing, Mr. Schulz was an avid hockey player and the pic to the right of Charlie Brown shows it.
We just got home at 4:45, long day but oh so worth it!!!!
September 2, 2015
Decided to drive out to Point Reyes Lighthouse, which is about 40 miles west of here. Wouldn't you know it, it's closed on Tuesday's and Wednesday's. After visiting the visitors center, we decided to drive out any way just to see it. When we got there, the fog was moving in very quickly, in fact, so quickly we only got a few pics before we could barely see 100 yards in front of us. Apparently (another visitor told us), the lighthouse is 308 steps down the cliff and was not visible today. Since it's closed, the steps down to it were also closed. Too bad but we elected to head back to Point Reyes to look around.
On the way to the lighthouse, we saw this old boat that was beached, I loved it. Great pics to take, so I took some.
Once in Point Reyes, I wanted to visit the Cowgirl Creamery. Thought we'd tour the creamery, but all you're allowed to do is look thru a window. However we did get to sample some of their
cheeses...wonderful. I bought some crème fresh, excited to try it. For those that don't know, it's similar to sour cream but thinner and creamer. I'll let you know how we liked it.
Next stop was the Marin French Cheese Company, once again sampled their cheeses (no tour). The make brie and other soft cheese. Once again, very good although Bobby didn't like it. He's into cheddar.
Got back into Petaluma around 3, decided to go find the arm wrestling statue. No luck, tomorrow we'll have to go to the visitor center and determine exactly it's location. Petaluma is the world's headquarters for Wrist Wrestling, back in the mid 70's, Bobby was 4th in the world in this sport. That's before we met!!!!
Internet here is slow for uploading pics, so will have to add them later.
September 1, 2015
Got up and out the door by 5:45, I drove into the city, traffic was fine. Should be at that time of the morning!!! It was still dark out, but the sun was out by time we parked the truck.
Found a lot on Marina & Bay across the street from Pier 33, cost us $15 for 12 hours. Best deal of the day. While walking around we say many garages that charge $5 for 30 min. or $65 for a full day.
Went over to Pier 33 to check out the process of getting on the ferry, fairly simple, so we headed to Pier 39 to find a breakfast spot. Looked around at all the shops but nothing is open until 8:00 or later. We decided on Boudin's, had their traditional, it includes their famous Sour Dough Bread. It was soooooo good.
Left pier 39 around 8:15 and headed back to pier 33, waited our turn to board and left for Alcatraz around 9:30. It's only 1 1/2 away, so didn't take us long to get there. Along the way, you get great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and of course, San Fran.
Once you disembark, you listen to the ranger (this is ran by the National Park System) and then you're allowed to tour the island on you own. Once you get to the cell house, they give you headsets, that explains the operations. Great way to learn about the Wardens, convicts, attempted escapes and the closing of the prison in 1964. A few of the well know convicts included Robert Stoud (the birdman), Al Capone and of course Frank Morris, the escapee whom Clint Eastwood made a movie about. An interesting fact about the birdman, he never left the 'D" cells, means he was always causing problems for the guards.
It's too bad, but the buildings are in horrible shape and many no longer are standing. It would be nice if the National Park system had the money to repair them but understand the cost to do so. They did tell us that over 1 million people visit this island every year, that's a lot of revenue. Not sure what they do with it!
August 31, 2015
Took us about 5 hrs to drive here from Eureka. I drove and the roads thru the Redwoods is narrow and windy. In fact, it make Bobby very nervous sitting over there, as some of the Redwoods are mighty close to the road. However, we made it through safe and sound....thank goodness!!!
The Petaluma Elks lodge is located just off 101 in an industrial park. Very nice place with 18 spots, if you ever come here, you MUST make a reservation prior to arriving. You make it and pay for it on line, so once you get here you pull in and park. The park hosts then comes and gives you information on the area.
After we settled in, we headed to the Laundromat. It's hot out, close to 90 and doing laundry was not fun, this place was NOT air conditioned.
Got home around 4, decided to go into the Elks club and see what was for dinner. Spaghetti, even though we had it last night, I didn't want to cook, so we had it. Should have cooked, it was horrible spaghetti.
We did talk to the locals and they suggested we leave the park by 5:45, so that we'll beat the traffic into SF. Not my idea, but since we have a 9:30 tour, we'll do it.
Our first stop was immediately after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Here we got on another bus, which took us into downtown. This is called the purple line. We traveled along Lombard, crookedest street America.
Next we got on another bus by Ghirardelli's to tour the downtown portion of the tour, red line. Traffic is horrible because of the Labor Day Weekend and the fact that there's a Billy Joel concert tonight at AT&T stadium. The narrator's on tours are funny and have so much to offer about the history of the city. Great way to learn about this historical city.We got to Chinatown and got off the bus to have lunch. Ate at the R&G restaurant, per advice from a local, not our favorite. Walked back to Union Square to catch the Green line, which would take us to Golden Gate Park and the beaches. However, traffic is so bad, we decide not to take this route and continue on the red line. Thank goodness, as it takes us forever to get back to pier 39. We hoped off the bus about 6 blocks before pier 39, walked down to Boudin's to purchase more sourdough bread and then walk back to Ghirardelli's to catch the purple line.
Got to the Golden Gate at about 5, waited for our bus to take us back to Sausalito. It finally came at 5:25, it was the last bus for the day. Thankfully we did not miss it, otherwise it would have been a taxi ride or a very long walk.
Once we got back to Sausalito, we walked around and visited a few of the shops. Got back to coach around 9 pm. Long day but so much fun and we learned so much on the tour.
September 4, 2015
Toured the Jelly Belly factor in Fairfield, CA today. Who knew they made more than just Jelly Bellies? The also make Jordan Almonds, various kinds of chocolate, including chocolate covered jelly bellies and many varieties of gummy products. You learn how they make the Jelly Bellies and watch them through the various steps. You even get to taste a few of the flavors along the route.Only bad thing if there is one, no photography is allowed. Not sure why, but that's the way it is!!
Near by is the Sepay Groves to learn about Olive Oil. This is a small olive oil company, that specializes in selling high end olive oil. Yes, there is a major difference in olive oils. As we learned they sell high polyphenol extra virgin olive oils, these have exceptionally high health benefits. Per the owner, most grocery stores usually don't carry these type of oils, because they cost so much. He is right, as we paid $44 for a 1/2 gallon.
The health benefits include lowering your cholesterol in 2 weeks if you drink 2 tbsp. a day, can lower your blood pressure, can lower your blood sugar in 2 hrs and could boost your immune system. With my high cholesterol and high blood pressure, decided to give it a try. We also bough two bottles of their vinegars, summer strawberry & cinnamon pear. They say they are both excellent in salad dressings and on fruit, meat, etc. We tasted manyOn of them, all of which were good with bread and olive oil, but I decided to purchase these two.
We have not explored much of Petaluma, so decided to head to the outlet mall. Honestly, it's not worth your trouble. Much of the mall is empty and what is there, really is not different than we see at most other malls. Deals were nothing to brag about!
Tomorrow is our last day, think we'll head back to SF.
September 3, 2015
 |
| Bodega Head |
 |
| Arch Rock |
Gary & Carol Neal, whom we met at the Eureka Elks has told us about Bodega Bay, so I decided to go explore it. It's about 40 miles west of here. Beautiful beach area, with tons of opportunities to view the ocean. We stopped at many of the pulls outs to take photos, view the wild life, etc. Our first stop was Bodega Head, in hopes of spotting a whale, no luck.
 |
| Goat Rock Beach |
 |
| Church used in the movie the Birds |
Next we headed to back to Bodega Bay, stopped at the Tides, this restaurant was used in the film "The Birds" directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Then we drove to the town of Bodega and saw the church and school house used in the film. The store in Bodega had many pics of the movie, some of them signed by the actors. They wanted some big bucks for some of the pics. The most expensive we saw was one signed by all the actors, they wanted $23,800.
 |
| Charles M Schulz museum |
 |
| Charlie Brown |
There is also the Ice Area and the main store in two other buildings. You have the opportunity to watch some of the animated cartoons and watch a short movie on his life. It's very well done and certainly worth your time to visit. One other thing, Mr. Schulz was an avid hockey player and the pic to the right of Charlie Brown shows it.
We just got home at 4:45, long day but oh so worth it!!!!
September 2, 2015
 |
| Point Reyes went a ground |
On the way to the lighthouse, we saw this old boat that was beached, I loved it. Great pics to take, so I took some.
Once in Point Reyes, I wanted to visit the Cowgirl Creamery. Thought we'd tour the creamery, but all you're allowed to do is look thru a window. However we did get to sample some of their
cheeses...wonderful. I bought some crème fresh, excited to try it. For those that don't know, it's similar to sour cream but thinner and creamer. I'll let you know how we liked it.
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| Point Reyes Visitors Center |
Got back into Petaluma around 3, decided to go find the arm wrestling statue. No luck, tomorrow we'll have to go to the visitor center and determine exactly it's location. Petaluma is the world's headquarters for Wrist Wrestling, back in the mid 70's, Bobby was 4th in the world in this sport. That's before we met!!!!
Internet here is slow for uploading pics, so will have to add them later.
September 1, 2015
Got up and out the door by 5:45, I drove into the city, traffic was fine. Should be at that time of the morning!!! It was still dark out, but the sun was out by time we parked the truck.Found a lot on Marina & Bay across the street from Pier 33, cost us $15 for 12 hours. Best deal of the day. While walking around we say many garages that charge $5 for 30 min. or $65 for a full day.
Went over to Pier 33 to check out the process of getting on the ferry, fairly simple, so we headed to Pier 39 to find a breakfast spot. Looked around at all the shops but nothing is open until 8:00 or later. We decided on Boudin's, had their traditional, it includes their famous Sour Dough Bread. It was soooooo good.Left pier 39 around 8:15 and headed back to pier 33, waited our turn to board and left for Alcatraz around 9:30. It's only 1 1/2 away, so didn't take us long to get there. Along the way, you get great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and of course, San Fran.
Once you disembark, you listen to the ranger (this is ran by the National Park System) and then you're allowed to tour the island on you own. Once you get to the cell house, they give you headsets, that explains the operations. Great way to learn about the Wardens, convicts, attempted escapes and the closing of the prison in 1964. A few of the well know convicts included Robert Stoud (the birdman), Al Capone and of course Frank Morris, the escapee whom Clint Eastwood made a movie about. An interesting fact about the birdman, he never left the 'D" cells, means he was always causing problems for the guards.It's too bad, but the buildings are in horrible shape and many no longer are standing. It would be nice if the National Park system had the money to repair them but understand the cost to do so. They did tell us that over 1 million people visit this island every year, that's a lot of revenue. Not sure what they do with it!
August 31, 2015
Took us about 5 hrs to drive here from Eureka. I drove and the roads thru the Redwoods is narrow and windy. In fact, it make Bobby very nervous sitting over there, as some of the Redwoods are mighty close to the road. However, we made it through safe and sound....thank goodness!!!
The Petaluma Elks lodge is located just off 101 in an industrial park. Very nice place with 18 spots, if you ever come here, you MUST make a reservation prior to arriving. You make it and pay for it on line, so once you get here you pull in and park. The park hosts then comes and gives you information on the area.
After we settled in, we headed to the Laundromat. It's hot out, close to 90 and doing laundry was not fun, this place was NOT air conditioned.
Got home around 4, decided to go into the Elks club and see what was for dinner. Spaghetti, even though we had it last night, I didn't want to cook, so we had it. Should have cooked, it was horrible spaghetti.
We did talk to the locals and they suggested we leave the park by 5:45, so that we'll beat the traffic into SF. Not my idea, but since we have a 9:30 tour, we'll do it.
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