Adventures On Beck's Bounty

Day 4: California: San Fransisco

We rode over the Bay Bridge from Oakland to San Fransisco.
After seeing the local traffic, we opted for a Tour of SanFransisco on a red open-top bus,
on which we could see the "sights" and not hassle with the traffic. And the added bonus was that we could get off and on the bus as many times as we wished to explore areas more.

Clipper Ship docked near Fisherman's Wharf, and Dolphin Club swimmers in the colddddd water.

The Cannery.

Home (from back side) to Ghirardelli Chocolate. Yummy !!

This park was built for the World's Fair when San Fransisco hosted the games. Today it is surrounded by beautiful homes.

This strip of land used to be the airstrip for the Pressidio, a former military base turned State Park.

The light yellow'ish building at the top center of this photo is Alcatraz.

The Harbor on the far side of the Golden Gate bridge.

In Sausilito we saw so many sailboats ... a really adorable little hamlet on the bay.

A gorgeous photo of the Golden Gate bridge taken from a vantage point located in the Pressidio.

The entrance to Chinatown. We shopped and ate an authentic dinner here. WOW !! What an experience.

Back to the Fisherman's Wharf area .... the sun was beginning to set, and the winds were picking up. It was getting CHILLY !!

We visited SanFransisco Coffee, Hardrock Cafe, and did a lot of window-shopping. There were street musicians on nearly every corner, a Mime act, trollies, delicious smells, and even seals in the harbor.

We had a wonderful day in San Fransisco, thanks to the tour company.

Day 3: California: From Manchester To Bodega Bay

We watched as the tide overtook the delta, sending the seals out to the ocean ... and then saw one of the most beautiful sunsets we had ever seen .... over the Pacific. WOW !!

We stopped in Bodega Bay for a delicious seafood dinner ... and then headed back through Oakland to San Jose for the night.

The waves were HUGE along this whole ride .... partly due to the tide coming in on a full moon night ... but we kept a watchful eye open because this was also the day that the Tsunami Warnings were issued .... thankfully nothing more than full-moon high tide ever happened.

Day 3: California: Trip To Manchester And Beyond

For our 3rd day in California, we headed 4 hours north to Manchester .... and along the way we saw many Vineyards that are part of Wine Country. The rolling green hills, the twisted curving roads, more Redwoods ... it was beautiful.

The scenery in the country was gorgeous ... and then our route took us along the water's edge .... through natural spaces that we did not realize existed anymore.

Much of the land in this area is zoned agriculture so codes prevent building against the coast. We saw cows, horses, sheep, goats, and llamas grazing in front of million dollar views. It was incredible.

We headed to Manchester for a dream .... my mother's dream since childhood to ride (for the first time ever) a horse on the beach.

California: Day 2: San Jose Area

On our second day, we visited the Emma Prusch farm in the heart of San Jose (note the freeway behind the house to the right). This beautiful jewel of a park once was a farm, and is situated right in the middle of the bustling city. Farm animals, Heritage fruit orchards, community garden spaces ... it was lovely.

We picked an orange and ate it --- WOW --- the taste was beyond words.

After lunch, we drove over to Overfelt Park to tour the Chinese Cultural Gardens.

Everything was so lush and green. A truly beautiful place.

As we finished visiting the Chinese Cultural Gardens, the rainclouds were moving in. So we decided to head to some near-by shops to get some souvenir shopping done.

California: Day 1: Santa Cruz

I have just returned from a whirl-wind trip to middle California with DadToCherubs and my mother. It was a spectacular trip - warm weather, plenty of sunshine, green grass, blooming wildflowers ... it was truly a wonderful mini vacation.

So -- what did we do there ?

Our first day in California was spent in Santa Cruz --- the beach, the ocean, light houses, the marina, Natural Bridges Park, the boardwalk, watching Surfers. And fantastic food at the Mirimar Restaurant.

And what trip to California would be complete without seeing the Big (redwood) Trees. Barb (Harmony Art Mom) recommended visiting Big Basin Park to see the trees -- it was GORGEOUS !!

Below is my foot in one of the grooves in the bark ... to show scale. These big trees were even bigger than I ever imagined. And Big Basin Park was absolutely beautiful. Thanks Barb for recommending it.