Photos can’t even begin to convey how amazing and overwhelming the landscape is when you’re standing in Arizona’s Petrified Forest National Park. I’m so glad that we stopped and took a couple of hours to see this incredible place, even though we only scratched the surface of what the park has to offer. One of our stops along the road […]
There were a few brightly painted houses that caught my eye as I walked up Arguello toward Geary Boulevard to catch my bus. But I wasn’t expecting to find such a colorful garden of flowers growing right at my feet beside the sidewalk. It was too irresistible; I had to stop and check them out. I was intrigued by the […]
Along with the Big Guy, I was a roadside spectator for all but a couple of editions of the annual bike race known as the Amgen Tour of California between in the first edition in February 2006 and its final run in May 2019. I first shared these images from February 2009 soon after the event; Stage 1 took the riders from Davis to Lake Berryessa, then across the Vaca Mountains to Napa County, eventually crossing the finish line in Santa Rosa — a total of 115.9 miles. Two days before the race, Friday, the Big Guy and I drove from Sacramento to Napa to scope everything out and pick a good place to watch. We drove past the first of two King of the Mountains checkpoints, near the Monticello Dam at Lake Berryessa. After accidentally taking the wrong road, we passed through Angwin and came over Howell Mountain, the location of the second KOM, driving in the opposite direction of the race route, then down into Pope Valley. We didn’t drive the race route along the western shore of Berryessa, but we did see some pretty sites on our way back to Route 128. On Sunday, we knew exactly where we wanted to go. And despite the crazy weather we bundled up and made the trip back over to Napa. Narrow bridge near Pope Valley Somerston Vineyards Not part of the peloton! Actually, on race day the wind didn’t […]
Wind turbines do come in many different sizes, but one of the most frequent topics about these windmills is how difficult it is to get an accurate sense of their enormous size from the ground. In a later episode of California’s Gold (Windmills, originally aired in October 2021), Huell gets the chance to climb to the top of a windmill and take in the view; if you watched last week’s featured episode, you’ll remember Huell recalled this as probably his most frightening experience! But this week he gets a feel for the size of these mighty blades while staying firmly on the ground. This episode of Visiting originally aired April 15, 1998, and is not to be confused with an entirely different episode of California’s Gold also titled Wind (original air date April 1997). The Palm Springs wind farm is still operating and offers both guided golf cart tours and self-driving tours with curated audio provided. You’ve seen the giant windmills alongside the road to Palm Springs. Well now you can learn all about them with Huell as he gets a special “Wind Farm Tour” in an electric cart. One of only 6 wind farms in the world, this is a great place to learn about one of mankind’s earliest forms of energy. (Click on the linked image below to see the video.)
It wasn’t yet noon, and after visiting the Lyon Street Steps I found myself in the southeast corner of San Francisco’s Presidio, trying to decide the best way to get back to my hotel. I had already been on my feet a lot that day; and even though I was tired and slightly footsore, I chose to walk the mile […]
My ignorance of South Korea is on full display as I go through my current collection of photo albums! In previous posts I’ve talked about the Korean Folk Village located in the suburbs of Seoul; but this week I discovered another such village (and there are doubtless still others, of course), the Oeam Folk Village. This one can be found […]
I think that once you’ve seen one of Al Farrow’s mosaic sculptures you’ll never quite forget it. That was why on my visit to the deYoung Museum in San Francisco last August I suddenly found myself experiencing a strange feeling of deja vu; it took me a few minutes to realize why. His intricate pieces are both jarring and thought-provoking, […]
I shot these photos near Point Arena during November 2021. The ocean can be surprisingly calm and smooth during the winter months; in our younger days we often camped in our big 1960s-era tent (bought at Sears) in the Bodega Dunes Campground — and frequently had the place almost to ourselves. It’s been years since I used a sleeping bag […]
We enjoyed our peaceful walk through the ferns and redwoods at The Hot Spot last September, but I’d really love to go back and see if I can learn a bit more about what I saw there! There are 21 wooden posts along the trail with corresponding informational notes in the trail guide pamphlet. Since we wandered somewhat randomly through […]