Beach Scene

The ocean is totally unpredictible. On one of my morning walks along Waldport beach, I counted no less than 6 star fish that had washed up during the night. All along the beach there is driftwood-- all sizes and shapes, some even with barnacles. It was interesting to see how the shapes were different each day with the movement of the sand.
An amazing look out point called Devil's Churn. The sea rushed in and out and make such loud , roaring, sounds.
The hike down to Devils Churn showed how weather can affect the mountainous growth. This tree has probably survived all types of storms. Oh, by the way, along the west coast there are Monday morning Tsunami alerts.

Bridges and Light Houses

On our first morning out we traveled up I 280 to Highway 1, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. As most mornings in the bay area are foggy, this morning was no exception. The weather, however, did not deter the bikers and the walkers going across the bridge. No matter your means of transportation, the engineering of this bridge is a incredible.

Our first night stay was in Crescent City, California. The early morning person I am, allowed me to walk the coast line and view the Crescent City light house. Double click on the pictures to enlarge the view.

The back side of the Crescent City lighthouse.Haceta Head Lighthouse , 12 miles north of Florence, Oregon

Highway 5 - From Oregon to California (Click this title for more information)

Upon leaving Oregeon, we drove from Florence over to Interstate 5. This beautiful, mountainous drive took us through part of the Cascade Mountain range. For about 30 miles, we had Mount Shasta in our view. Yes, there was snow on the top while it was 96 degrees on the highway. No, this is not just another set of trains set up for display. The caboose'es that you see are motel rooms. Called the Rail Road Park Resort (click the title above)- they featured a diner and pool. The views from the resort were fabulous.

Snow plow for the front of the train- made for going through the snows of the Cascades- remember my blog on the trip to Carson City? There were signs for putting chains on your tires- same thing here. Hmm- another place I don't think I will travel to in the winter.

Sacramento (Click on this title for more information)

Finished our vacation with a trip to Sacramento to the California Stgate Railroad Museum.

What a great afternoon.

Took a 3 mile ride on a Steam Engine that followed the Sacramento River.
A view from a gold bridge that crossed the Sacramento.

The end of a great vacation!

Wine Country Tour to Napa

On Saturday, the 23rd I went to downtown San Fran and boarded a Wine Country tour bus from the ferry building to Napa. Rode across the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time, saw Robert Mondavi winery and the Francis Ford Copolla winery along the way. It was an all day event that included lunch and wine tasting at 4 different wineries.

V . Sattui Winery was fabulous. This is where we had lunch as well as some great tastings.

The Robert Mondivi winery. Bought in 1972 for 1 million, sold in 2007 for 1 billion.
Took a double decker catamaran from Vallejo back to SFO Ferry building.

Another perfect day

Domaine Chandon Winery

Domain Chandon is known for their sparkling wines. At this location we took a tour inside of the winery itself. You will notice the stainless and oak tanks. It all depends on the flavor that the vinter is looking for. It was such an educational day.



Domaine Chandon also is known for its 5 star restaurant and the resident artists.

Mario Andretti Winery

This location was my absolute favorite- for 2 reasons. 1. Growing up in Indy the 500 race is always a big event. I went to time trials every year when I was in high school and to the race, once. The year was 1969, the year I graduated from high school and the winner was Mario Andretti in his sleek black car.
Mario bought the winery in 1996- the only building was this 4 car garage- he took it as an omen. The house was built around 1997 to look like an "Old" villa in Tuscany. The setting was peaceful and quaint.