Getting close to the end of our beautiful trip , I realise how lucky I am to be able to do this . Finish up with some nice images of my BELOVED California. If it was a country , it would be in line for most beautiful Country in the world ……IMO.
Enjoy!
Santa Barbara Morning, sweet smelling air , easy going riches , beaches and that special light.
Santa Monica Classic Morning
Bye California,
2400 miles infront of us to North Carolina. !
A quick four day stop close to Sequoia National forest. We stayed on the river about 6 miles from the entrance to the park. Every evening we took a bottle of chilled white wine and parked our butts in the river and cooled off from pretty hot days . A great finish to the day. Early morning , first in the park , starting at 1000 feet altitude , the road took us up to nearly 8000 feet . Having lived in Switserland when young and where the tree line is at about 1500 meters , no more trees after that . Seeing these huge trees at this altitude is both majestic and slightly weird . It sure looks like scenes out of Lord of the rings or similar books. The sometimes bright red trees stand tall and powerful among the pine trees and rocky scenery. Hard to get enough off . So many the same pictures over and over again .
Sequoia trees and giant redwoods are both magnificent members of the conifer family, known for their impressive size and longevity. One key difference lies in their scientific classification: while giant redwoods belong to the Sequoioideae subfamily, sequoias are in the Sequoiadendron genus. In terms of appearance, giant redwoods often grow to greater heights than sequoias, with the tallest trees in the world being giant redwoods. However, sequoias can still reach remarkable heights and are distinguished by their enormous girth, making them some of the most massive trees on Earth. Another notable distinction is their natural habitats: giant redwoods are primarily found along the coast of northern California, while sequoias thrive in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Despite these differences, both species captivate and inspire with their awe-inspiring presence, contributing to the unique beauty of their respective ecosystems.
Time flies , this was the last of the western national parks we visited this trip . A few more days and we start the long road back to the east coast . We’ll stop for a week in North Carolina and then back home . What a great trip .
My third visit to San Francisco , so what changed IMO? My first stop this time was viewpoints for the Golden gate bridge , anything changed , NO, still breathtaking and magnificent, Foggy , sunny orange colors of the bridge and still many tourists. Second stop was Fishermans wharf, now this is a different story , I had in my mind fishmongers, vegetable stands , chinese products and loud busy stands with people selling their wares . Not so much , I am probably wrong and have my visit romanticized or mixed up with another place . The wharf was just a touristy place with t shirt shops , restaurants and more crap you find everywhere . Only guys still the same were the entertaining and loud sea lions
At least I think they were real and not animatronic yet.
Here some images of the wharf
You get the idea!
Next I did the touristy smart thing and hopped on the hop on hop off bus around the city. For $30 bucks you get the see the great spots and spend as much time as you want here . I chose Haight Ashbury for its free spirit and remnants of the summer of love , chose the famous Alamo park for the row of photogenic houses and chose downtown to see the pyramid .
A full great day , made even better By WAYMO !!!! I made two rides in the driverless ridehaul service and it was eye opening . So amazing , the future is here and its working , dont stay in your horse and buggy mindset , embrace the future , some of it is amazing !
Here some more images of my great day in the city by the bay, Homelessness yes , definitly some visible in everyday life . very sad and hopeless. We need to vote for more progressive and humain politicians who dare to take risks and tackle this problem .
Alcatraz …. still there as a reminder of…………. Clint Eastwoods great movie , Escape from Alcatraz!🤣 ONe of the interesting features for me is the special architecture of this city , houses with little towers at their corners , window bays jutting out of the houses and colorful paintjobs . People are nice in this city and willing to talk about their love of it. One thing though , it’s expensive to live here . Housing especially.
Let’s finish this long colorful blogs with some images of its most
special structure and site. Enjoy
Back tomorrow with Sequoia National Park , very large Bonsai in the wild !!
Cabernet Sauvignon about to be picked .
I could live here! It ticks off a lot of boxes , nice climate, close to the kids, well at least closer but not too close,lots to do , San francisco in an hour , space to build or have some land for my Gentlemen’s vineyard 😝. And of course great wines and mellow passionate people. Yes, I could see myself moving here someday.
I do get overly excited though and should (not) temp it down a bit .
Here some more reasons in pictures what makes me excited about Northern California.
Some San Fran coming Next!!
Beringer Vineyards tasting room with snob reflection!
You wanna splash,
is the first thing asked when visiting a winery and when they see you might be a buyer. Wine is amazing when presented, crafted and sold with knowledge honesty and passion. These things are crucial for one who wants to buy a wine . There is simply too much choice and you want something thats real and made for the right reasons and of course it has to be your taste.
Snobs are everywhere , but here we have an amazing variety of snobs . Especially the wine snob !
The Tale of the Wine Snob
In a cellar deep and dark,
Lives a snob with quite the remark.
With pinkies high and nose held tight,
They sniff and sip from morning to night.
They speak of tannins and terroir with glee,
And turn up their noses at boxed Pinot Noir.
But little do they know, as they swirl and they sniff,
They’re just one more grape away from a comedic cliff.
With their airs and their tastes so refined,
They leave us all rolling, to say the least, in kind.
Yet we love them still, with their over-the-top display,
For without the wine snob, where would humor find its way?
ready to go cellar.!
I know a little bit about wines ( strong emphasis on “little bit”). So its kind of obviuos which wine specialists are bogus and which ones are for real. We are members of two wine-clubs , where they send you a few bottles every three months , at a discount. Sometimes you get great discounts if they have too much of a wine or vintage . One of the two we will cancel as they didnt know sh*t. The other was amazing , their wines and also the whole presentation and ambiance.
Its not hard to seperate the seriuos wine passion vintners from the money passion CEO’s. There is so much choice and such high quality , something for everyone. We’re here at the start of the harvest , all who work in the industry are excited and up real early, most early picking is done in the dark . Why? I’m not sure, but will find out !. One of the great differentiaters is how the grapes are picked . By hand in bins with a clipper and hard on the back , or with machines and fast clear a vineyard of its grapes . Machines leave the plants bruised and ugly, hand picking leaves an intact , proud mama and daddy plant , ready for the winter and in great shape to show its colorful leaves into the fall .
Is there a difference in the wine made by each of these picking processes,
you bet ya!
Many different decisions go into making wine , many more decisions in making a good wine , and 10.000 or more decisions into making a great wine . This told to us by the best wine guide we had , at a beautiful winery in Oregon , we were taught 1% of 1% of what it takes to make a proud wine . Thanks Professor !
More later !
Driving into the valley from the south , it doesnt look all that differnt from whats behind you, no high dramatic valley walls , no rocky slopes or majestic peaks in the distance, not even rushing rivers an easy accessible lakes and ponds. IMO the magic is in its serenity,its translucent light spilling over the vineyards, the perfect rows of vines , heavy with dark blue grapes ,The large oaktrees dotting the fields , deer playing in the golden grasses. I can and will go on and on ! No skyscrappers here or even multi story buildings. If you like California wine , part of the magic is in driving by and stopping at the famous NAPA wineries. Mondavi, Beringer, Sutterhome(for the supermarket crowd), Stags Leap vineyards , Caymus, I can go for awhile. The biggest difference I found with the last time here is that the tastings are now scheduled and pretty expensive . In the eighties they were free and you walked in and tasted ( drunk ) as much as you wanted. As the wines in Napa have become world famous for their quality, they are also kind of limited in production. We tasted wines with a yearly production of 200-300 cases . Compared with a winery like suttterhome producing 1 milllliiiiooon cases or more . In the eighties the most expensive wine was under $100.00 seen by most in the industry as outrages . Guess what 40 years later we have a solid $800 dollar on release club, not to speak about aged wines of that caliber which fetch thousands of dollars for a bottle .
It’s what the fool wants to pay , or what the market can handle.
OK ,enough words , here are some images of the valley and it’s main draw.
In Napa's embrace, vineyards stretch wide,
Where passion for wine, with love does reside.
Rows of grapes heavy, with the promise of wine,
A valley of magic, where the sun's rays entwine.
No rushing rivers, no mountains grand,
Yet serenity and beauty in every strand.
Oaks stand tall, deer frolic and play,
In this timeless haven, where dreams find their way.
Napa's wine, once freely poured and enjoyed,
Now a treasure rare, with prices employed.
Yet amidst the changes, the heart still beats true,
For the love of wine, and Napa's enchanting view.
Long visit to the of the most beautiful parts of our country, mellow, passionate,light and fragrant. the Napa valley is sure a special place in this country. In many ways time has stopped moving forward here.
Of course its expensive , it’s more developed, its more touristy, wines are not cheap or even affordable any more …. but its very special, the smells, the light, the color of the wines , from ruby red , described in a thousand ways ,to gold as the fields, shimmer on the surrounding hills . Wine country is magic. In the next 4-5 posts Ill try to give you an idea what its like here . Not an easy task . Enjoy the sights .
Starting at the weekly farmers market . mostly veggies in amazing colors , flowers and delisciuos breads .
Where is the wine???? Next blog , feast youself on the veg first, no drinking or tasting without a full stomach.
Visiting son Cayman in Portland, new apartment, new car, new job, daytime ,which is great. Right on the border with Washington State. Divided by the mighty beautiful Columbia River , Oregon is truly a beautiful state , lovely hills south of Portland with vineyards as far as the eye can see. Volcanoes with their snowy peaks , alpine meadows and bare riverbeds define the landscape east of Portland. Haven’t even mentioned the great vistas of the Columbia River Gorge. WOW! The appropriatly named “Vista House ‘sits perched on top of a mighty rock outcropping and gives me a perfect view of the Gorge , Skies constantly changing , river used by barges and pleasure craft. What a great area to live.
And then there are the waterfalls , Dripping hundreds of feet from the cliffs surrounding the gorge. Easy to get to and easy to revel in their natural beauty from a bench with a cup of great coffee and a berry muffin. The famous Multnomah Falls drops 542 feet from the top into a small lake , followed by a 56 feet drop to the creek flowing into the Columbia river. An iconic bridge gives me a close up view and great foreground for my 45649 pictures of the same thing . Never learn !
nice life !!
A River’s Song
Mighty Columbia, flowing strong and wide,
Separates the states with graceful pride.
Oregon’s hills and Washington’s green,
In harmony, this river is seen.
The Gorge it carves, a sight to behold,
With waterfalls and stories untold.
Vistas change beneath the open sky,
Cascading beauty from cliffs so high.
Bridging the gap with nature’s embrace,
Connecting two lands with effortless grace.
The Columbia River, a wonder to explore,
Binding two states, forevermore.
If anything is more iconic for Seattle then the Space Needle ,it’s the birthplace of Starbucks Coffee. But it’s so much more. We took a guided behind the scenes tour of Pike Place market with our superb guide , Forgot his name, thats how good he was. We ate many different home cooked goodies , like maple bacon mini donuts ( my teeth still hurt) Coffee, Taco’s , pastries , Coffee, Cake, Cheese( I think , can’t keep track, and oh yeah , coffee!
Seattle as advertised is the coffee drinking capitol of the states . People are hyper, more coffee please! Pike place market is it’s own little community . Very well regulated , has shied away from commercializing the place, and is the pride of the people who live there. They take care of their homeless, workless and mentally challenged . It feels like a great place to have around the corner for your shopping , and of course COFFEE!
Famous sign .
Special mention of the gum wall. Thats all I’m gonna say .
Quick 3-4 hour drive from Vancouver, Crossing the border,and setting up in Issaquah, WA. Headquarters of Costco and about 20 minutes from the sites in Seattle. Day 1 had the Space-needle ,Chihuli glass museum and impromptu visit to the pop museum??!!?? We had our ticket for 8:30 am at the needle, but as normal in Seattle n0 visibilty at the top. So we had a few hours to kill , first Chihuli which was amazing. we had seen the traveling exibit in Miami which was beautiful. This was even better , its permanent and beautifully laid out . so colorful and super expensive to buy. some small bowls were available , but 6-8000 dollars. take two !
Business is calling.
After this The pop culture museum, fun if your’e into popculture , which we all are to some extend. Starwars, Potter,horror, you name it. Special exibit on stop motion to the extreme. Coraline was on stage and the attention to detail was stunning. Labors of love !
Oh , did I mention the building for this museum has been designed by the great Architect , Frank Gehry. Famous buildings by him are, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, The WD concert Hall, Dancing house in Praque and many more folded , creative , mesmerizing buildings . Just for that its worth a visit . I’m obviously a fan!
Finally it was getting clear and we stood in line for a bit to get a shot to visit space. Build for the 1962 worlds fair , it’s our Eifel Tower without the croissants , but with Pies !!. Worth the visit !!
great view of course , well maintained and good dose of 50’s and 60’s vibe. Fun thing to do when visiting Seattle.
The Long West Coast Summer Trip. 