We hiked in Muir Woods National Monument in California.
A map; we did the Bridge 4 two-mile loop, returning via Hillside Trail:
Gift shop:
Pressed penny machine:
Woodpecker:
Sign:
exploring
Attractions and other places we visit.
Baseball: Mariners at Athletics
While staying north of San Francisco, our Seattle Mariners happened to be in Oakland, so we attended a game.
Jenn’s game summary:
It was the final game, and a sweep of the A’s by the Mariners with another come-from-behind win. Taylor Trammell had a 2-run homer in the 3rd. A’s pitching was not good. Walked Trammell in the 4th to score Cal Raleigh. Bases loaded, Kolten Wong singled to score Teoscar Hernandez and J.P. Crawford. Kirby settled in after the 3rd, and Sewald closed it out. Sad to see so few fans at the crumbling Coliseum, but it was a good Mariners win. The A’s will be in Vegas in a few years anyway. I feel bad for the loyal Oakland fans.
Rooted in Oakland… but not for much longer, as they are planning to move to Las Vegas:
Tailgating:
The Coliseum:
A peek of the field:
Looking back from our seats:
Selfie from our seats:
We could see into the camera and ramp area, as the Mariners gave autographs on the way out:
Play ball:
We did a mobile order for food, which was a mistake; I spent over half an hour standing in line to pick up our food after the “ready” notification, while the ad hoc order line was moving much faster:
Finally, our chicken and fries:
Some slow-mo videos:
Sweep:
Mariners win!
Autographs:
Scores:
Napa and Sonoma wineries: Domaine Carneros, Iron Horse, Korbel
Paso Robles isn’t the only wine region in California; while in Petaluma we visited three Napa and Sonoma wineries, sampling their sparkling wines.
First was Domaine Carneros, a fancy winery:
Charcuterie platter and sparkling tastings:
Wine list:
Jenn:
David:
Next was Iron Horse Vineyards:
Lastly, something a little different: the industrial Korbel winery:
We had lunch at their deli:
Then a tasting:
Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center
Jenn is a fan of the old Peanuts comics, so while staying in Petaluma we headed a little north to Santa Rosa, California to visit the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center.
A recreation of his office:
Gift store:
Snoopy’s Gallery and Gift Shop:
Bruce Munro: Light at Sensorio
An artistic installation in Paso Robles, California is Bruce Munro: Light at Sensorio.
It features a field of thousands of lights, and some light towers.
We arrived just before sunset:
Path to the light towers:
Light towers, made of wine bottles (of course):
An interesting shed:
We got a couple of beverages from the bar:
Sunset:
Light towers:
A shot from my 360 camera:
A 360 camera effect:
Back to the Field of Lights as it gets darker:
Back to the Light towers, now that it’s dark:
Grass lights:
The Field of Lights again:
360 camera effects:
Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is an iconic mansion about midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
They offer a number of tours, from the basic Grand Rooms Tour, which we did 22 years ago when we first moved to the US, to a more exclusive Julia Morgan Tour, about twice as long, limited to just eight visitors, and gets to go places not seen by other tours. We opted for the latter this time; a very worthwhile experience.
The experiences starts and ends at the visitor center:
The visitor center includes food, a gift store, and exhibits:
Everyone takes a bus up the hill to the castle:
The tour started with the outdoor pool; we were on a side of the pool where the other tours can’t go:
Castle:
Exploring one of the guest cottages:
View:
Another cottage:
The castle:
Dining room:
Another room:
Game room:
Theater:
Another room:
Julia Morgan’s room:
Kitchen:
Stairs:
Bedroom:
Stairs:
Ceiling:
Library:
Back of cottage:
Underneath a large patio are some old hidden steps, that were built then covered up as Hearst changed his mind:
Indoor pool:
I recorded a timelapse video of the tour with my new 360 camera as an experiment. Unfortunately, the timelapse is designed for static subjects, morphing any movement, which isn’t great with motion. I really should have done a hyperlapse instead, but this is still interesting:
The view looking down the hill, including the winding road to castle:
Hearst Castle sign:
Photo:
Paso Robles wineries: McPrice Myers Vineyards, Calcareous Vineyard, DAOU Vineyards, Parrish Family Vineyard, Le Cuvier Winery
While staying in Paso Robles, we visited a few wineries. Coming from the Pacific Northwest, we figured we’d just head out on a Saturday for a bit of wine tasting, stopping by wineries that looked good. Imagine our surprise when we learned that that is not how things are done in California — apparently one needs reservations pretty much everywhere.
We did manage to get an inside table at one place without a reservation, but that surprise really put a damper on the experience that day.
The place that took pity on our backward ways was McPrice Myers Vineyards:
We purchased a couple of bottles:
After that, we didn’t try any other wineries that day; instead we went to Rustic Fire for a tasty lunch:
Learning from our experience, we made reservations for some vineyards on subsequent days. The first was Calcareous Vineyard:
Inside the tasting room:
Outdoor table:
Tasting menu:
Food menu:
Order form:
View:
Outdoor seating:
Jenn:
Tasty food:
We bought three bottles (provided with a nice box):
Another vineyard, DAOU Vineyards and Winery:
Vines:
The security station on the driveway; we were turned away here the previous weekend, but this time we had a reservation (and nobody was staffing it this time, of course):
Fancy gate:
View:
Tasting room:
Patio:
Gardens:
Bottle list:
Flight and food menu:
Charcuterie platter:
Bottle:
Views:
We bought three bottles:
Another winery we visited (on another day) was Parrish Family Vineyard:
Patio area:
Tasting menu:
Food menu:
Price list:
Super tasty (and messy!) BLTA:
Our last winery in Paso Robles was Le Cuvier Winery:
They are situated on top of a hill, so have a nice view:
Though the covered patio is tucked away, not taking advantage of that view:
The experience there was a bit different, with wine and food parings to bring out the flavors:
San Diego Zoo
We visited the world-famous San Diego Zoo. It was definitely the nicest and largest zoo we’ve ever been to.
Enjoy the animal pics! Just 15% of the pictures I took; there was a lot to see.
San Diego and Balboa Park
Some scenes around San Diego, Balboa Park, and the coast.
Organ pavilion:
Statue:
Museum of Us:
Globe Theater:
Alcazar Garden:
UN houses:
Coronado Bridge:
Hotel Del Coronado:
Japanese Friendship Garden of San Diego
We visited the Japanese Friendship Garden in San Diego, California.
Jenn and a friendly feral feline:
Bonsai:
Model:
Tea and Eats:
