San Francisco Bay and Around

I decided to drive to Sacramento for a half-day seminar, partly because the seminar was on again, off again, and I needed more flexibility than I could get with a nonrefundable airline ticket, and partly because I just wanted to drive. This is my photo journey.

The Sierra's received a lot of snow over the past few days, but the day we drove through was sunny and nice. This is Donner Lake, near the summit. I say "we." Did I mention that Randy came with me?

Any trip past Fairfield, California, requires a stop at the Jelly Belly factory and store. Do not try the Baby Wipes, Rotten Eggs or other bizarre flavors. As with any Jelly Belly, their flavors are true to their labels. 

A trip to the Bay Area also requires a visit to Santa Ramen in San Mateo. I have to say, I was a little disappointed that the pork has gone from its former large thick slices that fell apart when picked up to thinner, round slices. Otherwise, the tonkotsu (pork-flavor) soup was superb, and the noodles were perfect. 

A number of artichoke, pumpkin and Brussels sprouts farms run along Highway One and the ocean between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz. I think these tracks once carried trains that transported the produce. 

It looks like the artichokes are about ready to harvest. You can just see the ocean in the top left corner of this picture. This farm runs up to the edge of the cliff about 50 to 75 feet above the beach. 

A visit to San Francisco wouldn't be complete without a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge. This fog hung around all morning and suddenly burned off in about 10 minutes. 

Golden Gate Bridge

This monument at the Vista Point just north of the bridge commemorates the many sailors, including my dad, who have passed through the Golden Gate. 

This is San Francisco at sundown as viewed from the Marin Headlands. 

And San Francisco under a nearly full moon. 

I owned one of these Kawasaki 900s (Z1) in 1974, the second year they were out. At least a hundred classic and other old motorcycles, scooters and motorcyclists gathered at Fort Point below the Golden Gate Bridge on Sunday Morning. Then they all fired up their bikes and rode away. 

Some had a little harder time firing up their bikes than others. 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse on the U.S. Pacific Coast, is between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz on Highway One. The U.S. Government tried to sell it to a private party several years ago, when we lived in California, but it has now donated the lighthouse to the California Parks, and it's open to the public. 

We started the coastal ride in Santa Cruz and stopped at Barbara's Fish Trap in Half Moon Bay for some clam chowder and sourdough bread. The bread was delicious. The chowder was dairy-free and okay, but it would have been better with cream. 

The Coastal Redwoods are not as big as the Sequoias, but they hold their own. This is at Muir Woods in Marin County. 

The educational signs in Muir Woods are vey realistic. 

Sorry for the focus; I took this on my iPhone. This is Ristorante Allegria in Napa, where I had Pappardelle Allo Zafferano, which is fresh homemade saffron pasta with jumbo prawns, wild mushrooms, artichoke hearts and shrimp bisque. Mmmmm, definitely worth the drive to Napa. 

The advertisements for the Mont Bleu Casino and Spa bragged about the jacuzzis in the rooms. This sounded relaxing after four days of driving, sitting through a seminar and hiking up and down the coast. And for $55 via Hotels.com, it wasn't a bad deal. What the ads didn't say was that the jacuzzi was actually in the room. This wasn't going to work for two guys, and I didn't want to sleep in a steamy room. What a waste. 

Lake Tahoe in the morning. I think if you click on this picture you'll get a bigger panorama view. Otherwise, squint. 

This is what's left of the Shoe Tree, along Highway 50, The Loneliest Road in America. Some bozos cut it down in December 2010 and set it on fire, burning the tree, the shoes and the grassland behind it. The legend of the tree is that a newlywed couple on their way to California stopped under this big cottonwood and had a fight. The bride got out of the car here while the husband drove down the road to cool off in the Middlegate Bar. When he came back, she was still angry, so he threw her shoes into the tree and went back to down a few more beers. She finally cooled off, and they went on their happy way, but they never retrieved her shoes from the tree. Over the years, the tree filled with shoes. I even threw a pair up there a few years ago. Other people have started a new shoe tree next to the old one, but the legend may have died with the vandals. 

Someone lives along Highway 50. 

We stopped in Austin, very close to the middle of Nevada, and ate lunch at the International Cafe. I don't know why it has that name. I do know that a day later I am not eating anything solid.