Muir Woods

Muir Wood National Monument is a magical place and the journey there is an adventure in itself.  Start on Hwy 1, which is a curvy road that leads up to the Panoramic Hwy and goes on to to Muir Woods that is located on the side of Mt Tamalpais; or Mt Tam as the locals say.

There are 2 parking lots for the park. They do tend to fill up quickly in the morning though. We managed to arrive before 9:00 AM so spaces were still available in the secondary lot. The park opens at 8 AM and there is a $7 entrance fee for adults. We like to go early to get parking and avoid the large groups of tourists.

Redwood Grove

The history of the redwoods is fascinating. One hundred and fifty million years ago ancestors of redwood and sequoia trees grew throughout the United States. Today, the Sequoia Sempervirens can be found only in a narrow, cool coastal belt from Monterey, in the south to Oregon in the north. 

Hillside Trail

By the early 20th century, most of these forests had been cut down. Just north of the SF Bay, one valley named Redwood Canyon remained uncut, mainly due to its relative inaccessibility.

Redwood Bridge over Small Creek

The famed naturalist John Muir, whose environmental campaigns helped to establish the National Park System wanted to save the redwoods from logging. Working with his friend, US Congressman William Kent  and President Theodore Roosevelt, Muir helped save Redwood Canyon from logging in 1908.

Being among the redwood giants is certainly an experience of scale. Hiking there is wonderful. It's a favorite for locals and visitors alike because the trails vary in difficulty, accommodating all ages. We took the Hillside trail and met the Ocean View that’s a favorite. It then meets the Ben Johnson Trail and there you will be rewarded at the top with a magnificent view of the Pacific ocean. Loop back down the Dipsea Trail and you'll have a great 4 mile hike.

Dipsea Trail Looking towards Pacific and SF

There are bathrooms before and just past the entrance inside, so be sure to be mindful of that before you start your hike.  Also, it can get really cold and windy in the forest, so dress in layers. It’s a very rewarding place to go.

Highly recommended!

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Solvang

Solvang is a quaint and charming Danish village about 2.5 hours north of LA. It’s  a nice place to stop on trips up the California Coast.

Solvang is a unique place. The village has a cultural history based in reality, as it is a Danish outpost of sorts that dates back over a century. Solvang residents are very proud of their heritage.

The shops in town are, by and large, mom and pop affairs that are by turns wacky and unique. They are decidedly not corporate or standardized in any way. Tacky souvenir shops abound with made-in-china wooden clogs and miniature mission bells, but after all, it is a town that sells this type of things to tourists. But that still doesn't destroy the feel of the danish restaurant serving those donut holes called abelskivers, correctly made with raspberry. I like that. This town shuts down at 6pm or earlier every night, no matter how many tourists are milling about. It’s a quiet place.

The Danish inspired sleepy little town of Solvang is a must do on your list of places to visit in California. It’s small but there are numerous types of restaurants including Italian, Chinese, american, and of course Danish.

Raspberry abelskivers

It is a quaint place. It has old world charm but with modern touches. We like how the downtown area has an abundance of wineries and how convenient it is to literally "hit them all" as you're walking around seeing the sights in town.

We really liked Solvang for the casual spot it is, and based on this visit, we shall return.

Recommended!

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Cupola Pizzeria

We went to the Cupola Pizzeria on the fourth floor of the Westfield Centre in San Francisco. Right under the rehabbed dome of the old Emporium Dept Store. 

We’re not really mall people but, don't let the mall dissuade you from dining here. The pizza and antipasti are well made and tasty, and the wine on tap is a really good Jupiter Sangiovese.

Hand Pulled Warm Buffalo Mozzarella

With the pizza we ordered two antipasti dishes. The Grilled Lamb Shoulder with a fantastic mint salsa verde & hand pulled warm buffalo mozzarella with toasted bread. Then a super 12 inch funghi (mushroom) pizza. The meal was perfect.

Funghi Pizza

The Pizza crust was perfect, crispy and not doughy and the funghi, onions and sauce were very good together. It should be, they make the pizza in a handcrafted Stefano Ferrara wood-burning pizza oven imported from Naples, Italy. One of the few in the US.

Grilled Lamb Shoulder with Mint Salsa Verde

The atmosphere is nice throughout the restaurant and it is especially quiet in the back. Plus, the servers are quite charming too.

I can recommend Cupola Pizzeria as a solid downtown dining choice- whether you're shopping or not- if you want something nicer than typical casual dining.

Pizza Oven from Naples

Cupola was excellent, as was the noise level and comfort. The wine was quite good too. We really liked this place for a casual spot in the area and based on this visit, we shall return.

Highly recommended!

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The Pike

Had a great time in Long Beach along with exploring The Pike, a locale by the waterfront. Clean, modern & very safe. Great restaurants, shops, cinema, bike hire, beautiful scenery, The Queen Mary and more. 

We stayed at the Hyatt The Pike Hotel located in the center of the area. Great hotel great place to hangout for a couple days. Lots to do in the area. The city of Long Beach is interesting too.

The Pike in the '50s

The Pike was founded in 1902 along the shoreline south of Ocean Boulevard with several independent arcades, food stands, gift shops, a variety of rides and a grand bath house. It was most noted for the Cyclone Racer (1930–1968), a large wooden dual-track roller coaster, built out on pilings over the water.

Long Beach Light House

The Pike was demolished in 1979 and over the course of years has become the modern Pike we now know.

The Queen Mary

Liked the variety of restaurants and shops in town and at The Pike. Walking along the boardwalk and looking out over lighthouse was relaxing. Ferris wheel was an added attraction for children. Theater was close-by. All in all a great walking tour.

George's Greek Lamb Chops

We went into town and had dinner at George’s Greek Cafe on Pine St. We ate in the garden of this charming place in downtown Long Beach. With its blue-and-white checked tablecloths & simple awning it was reminiscent of many country places that we enjoyed in Greece many years ago. The service is friendly & informal, including George, the owner  who is the wonderful greeter at the door who seems to be welcoming you into his own home. The menu features the best of Greek food.

Highly recommended!



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Terracotta Warriors

Had a great time seeing the ancient Terracotta warriors on tour from Xi’an, China at the SF Asian Art Museum

The Museum was included on the international tour of these incredible terracotta figures and we were able to see this master artwork from 2,500 years ago.  We lucked out to see it as the show is closing next week.

The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shihuangdi, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art that was buried with the emperor around 210–209 BCE and it’s purpose was to protect the emperor in his afterlife.

When the Emperor Qin died, he took his royal court and over 7,000 of his clay soldiers with him to be buried near his incredible tomb. The soldiers were all made of clay and brightly colored. Over 7,000 terracotta warriors were built by craftsmen and lined up underground alongside clay horses and weapons. Eight warriors and two horses are now on display at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. They are a fantastic sight.

Sample of original coloring

The army was discovered in 1974 to the east of Xi’an in Shaanxi province by a group of farmers when they were digging a well for water around 1.6 km (1 mile) east of Qin Shihuang's massive tomb mound in the Mount Li region. After the discovery, Chinese archaeologists then investigated, and unearthed the largest pottery figurine group ever found in China. 

What makes these figures incredible is that the terracotta figures are life-sized. They vary in height, uniform and hairstyle in accordance with rank. The figures were also originally painted with bright colors. Most of the original weapons were thought to have been looted shortly after the creation of the army, or may have rotted away. The ancient coloring on the figures has flaked off or faded away.

The show was fantastic to see and we are already planning to visit Xi’an, China next year to see the actual tomb site and the warriors and horses that have been excavated. 

The Qin tomb mound itself has not been excavated yet. Partly it's out of respect for the elders, but archaeologists realize that nobody in the world now has the technology to properly deal with excavating it. The Xi’an area contains some of the most important archaeological sites in the world. 

Highly recommended if the show passes near your area!

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The Pinnacles

The Pinnacles from Trail

Had a great time exploring The Pinnacles rock formations south of Hollister, CA. The pinnacles are the eroded leftovers of the western half of an extinct, 23 million year old volcano that has moved 195 miles from its original location on the San Andreas fault. The current rocky outcroppings have been eroded to approximately one-third of the volcano's original height, but still offer a challenging location for hikers and rock climbers.

Worn remains of 23 million year old Volcano

The Pinnacles were recently promoted from being a National Monument to a National Park and is now the closest National Park to the SF Bay Area. A ranger told us that because of the new National Park status there were more people than usual when we visited. Definitely worth a visit.

Trail to Caves

The Pinnacles National Park has two main areas of Talus type caves; the Bear Gulch Caves are near park headquarters in the Eastern District, and the Balconies Caves are in the Western District. There isn't a road that connects both sides of the park. It takes an hour and a half to drive from one side to the other so we'll have to make a another trip to hike the western side. Looking forward to it.

Exterior Talus Rockfall

The term 'talus' refers to the chunks and blocks of rock that usually accumulate at the base of cliffs. The rapid journey of a rock down a cliff usually has the effect of shattering the larger boulders, so openings in the talus piles are rarely large enough for humans to explore as caves but the circumstances at Pinnacles are different. The caves there are a wonderful feature .

Short Bear Gulch Entrance cave

We started at the Bear Gulch Visitor Center on the East side which is open daily 9 to 5. Hiked to the Bear Gulch Caves which was partially closed for Bat habitat. Didn’t see any bats though. These caves are developed with railings and steps and there is a small stream inside the cave. It’s great to see a few little waterfalls in the caves and wedge through the fallen rocks.  Be sure to bring a headlamp/flashlight - it's dark at places in the caves.  

Inside the Bear Gulch Cave

All in all, Pinnacles National Monument is a very beautiful place to visit- something you don't expect to see in the Northern California's coastal area.  

Rock Climber

For rock climbers The Pinnacles offer a variety of different quality rock and types of climbs on both sides of the park. The majority of routes (especially on the East side) are sport climbs. The most recent guidebook for the Pinnacles warns against traditional climbing because the rock is somewhat soft, and placements can come out. While the East side tends to have better rock quality, there are much higher rock formations in the west side.

We’ll return soon to explore the Western District of the park. 

Highly recommended!

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Vikingsholm

We were up in the Sierras at Truckee so we decided to visit Emerald Bay, part of Lake Tahoe. Emerald bay is a very beautiful bay. The Vikingsholm Trail takes you from the Parking Lot off of Hwy 89 at Emerald Bay. The trail is a very steep. There was snow on the ground for us but there’s well defined 1 mile trail that leads down to the beach and the old stone house of Vikingsholm. 

Trail  to Vikingsholm

The way down is a nice hike, but the way back up can be difficult because it’s so steep. The scenery along the way is great, with views of Emerald Bay, Fannette Island, and surrounding mountains. The elevation is 6,300 feet.

Vikingsholm Boarded up for winter

Vikingsholm is the former summer home of millionaire heiress Lora Knight, and was built in 1929. Because the rugged mountain scenery and sheer granite cliffs surrounding Emerald Bay reminded her of the fjords in Norway, Mrs. Knight chose a Scandinavian design. It’s a house with many unusual features, including a sod roof seeded with wildflowers and carved dragon-heads at the peak of the roof. Vikingsholm is considered to be one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture existing in the United States.

The 38 room Vikingsholm mansion was home to a staff of about 15 every summer upon Mrs. Knight’s arrival. An enthusiastic entertainer, she also had guests often in the summer months; at times as many as twelve people would be staying at one time. 

Fannette Island from the Beach

From the beach at Vikingsholm there’s a beautiful view of the Tea House on Fannette Island, the only island to be found in all of Lake Tahoe.

Vikingsholm was closed to tours while we were there because it’s winter (we were the only people there) but I remember on an earlier trip that it’s filled with whimsical touches inside that are fantastic. Upstairs, the delicate colors of the stained paneling are beautiful, and Mrs. Knight’s collection of Scandinavian antiques and museum reproductions are interesting to see.

Emerald Bay and Fannette Island from the Trail

Emerald Bay is incredible. With clear and very cold water it was designated an underwater state park in 1994. It’s bottom is the resting place for many boats, launches and barges used in the lake before the turn of the century, during the heyday of Emerald Bay Resort and the construction of Vikingsholm.

Vikingsholm and Emerald Bay are highly recommended. A must see if you’re lucky enough to be at Lake Tahoe.  

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Virginia City

Virginia City

Virginia City Nevada is a happening old town that slowed but never really stopped. Today Virginia City is the County Seat of Storey County. Located just south east of Reno, this historic mining town is easily accessible by car from Lake Tahoe, Reno, or Carson City.  Some say Virginia City's rich gold and silver mines financed the Civil War. Rich in history, Virginia City and the Comstock Lode still maintains the flavor of the old mining days, when Mark Twain roamed the streets and everybody wanted a piece of the Richest Place on Earth.

"C" Street

Like many cities and towns in Nevada, Virginia City was a Mining Boomtown; it appeared virtually overnight as a result of the Comstock Lode strike of 1859. At its peak, Virginia City had a population of over 30,000 residents and was called the richest city in America. During the 20 years following the Comstock success "about $400 million was taken out of the ground." Most of the miners who came to the city were Cornish or Irish.

The Castle 1876

Folklore indicates that the town got its name from a man named James Finney who was nicknamed Old Virginy. Finney was credited with discovering the Comstock Lode. Or not. His real name was James Fennimore, and he had fled his home state of Virginia after killing a man there. 

Another house on Millionaire's Row

Historically, gold was found at the head of Six-Mile Canyon in 1859 by two miners named Pat McLaughlin and Peter O'Reilly. A fellow miner, Henry Comstock, stumbled upon their find and claimed it was on his property. So it wound up being called the Comstock Load. Between 1859 and 1875, Virginia City experienced five serious fires. The 1875 fire, dubbed the Great Fire of 1875, caused $12 million in damage.

Storey County Court House

At the peak of its glory, Virginia City was a boisterous town with something going on 24 hours a day both above &below ground for its nearly 30,000 residents. There were visiting celebrities, Shakespeare plays, opium dens, newspapers, competing fire companies, at least five police precincts & a thriving red-light distric..The International Hotel was six stories high and boasted the West's first elevator, called a "rising room. 

Mackay Nansion

When the Comstock Lode ran out in 1898, the city's population declined sharply. Without the scores of grand buildings that had been constructed during the boom times, Virginia City might have disappeared without a trace, as many other Nevada mining towns already had. Instead, the town lingered on, gradually losing population and buildings over time.

Typical Virginia City Neighborhood

Now, many locals work at the shops in town that cater to tourists, while others seek jobs in the surrounding cities. Virginia City draws over 2 million visitors per year and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Today, the population of Virginia City is about 855 people in the town. 4,000 live in Storey County. 

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Cedar House Sport Hotel

The Cedar House Sport Hotel is a great weekend get-away in Truckee, near North Star. Very nice, comfortable hotel. Good value for the price.  Very beautiful modern design with lots of big wooden beams. 

Stella Kichen with Chef Jacob Burton

Stella, the restaurant was fully booked for dinner but we had a reservation and had a great great dinner with wine pairing--it’s so popular it’s suggested to book a restaurant res as soon as you book your room. You’ll be happy you did… good menu with a nice tasting menu where you choose your 4 courses from the menu itself. Great breakfasts too. Was expecting a continental breakfast with pastries and coffee, but there was so much more - eggs, bacon, sausage, fresh fruit, bread/pastries, yogurt, oatmeal, juice, milk, coffee, etc. Good way to start the day.

Cedar House Entrance

No Place Like It! The architecture is absolutely amazing.  Typically the pictures on the website are deceiving when you check out a hotel online, but the Cedar House is just the opposite. The pictures don't do it justice. Staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. Patty, the owner, is almost always available for anything you need, and is very knowledgeable about the area and local services. It’s a great hotel in beautiful surroundings.

Beautiful Bedroom

This turned out to be a great place to stay for skiing and hiking. The innovative hotel architecture combines the best of contemporary design along with beautiful European (German) style rooms. Each room has 2 personal down comforters, pillow-top mattresses, great spa bath amenities, safes, refrigerators, flat-screen LCD TVs and wireless high-speed Internet access included in the price. Again, we really appreciated the complimentary gourmet continental breakfast and the full bar with included snacks in the hotel's lobby. The Hotel is conveniently located near mountain hiking and outdoor sports. It’s 15 minutes from Lake Tahoe and close to many ski resorts in the area. 

Nice European Style Bath

We didn’t have our dog with us, but the Cedar House is a totally dog friendly hotel. We had a lot of fun having a drink and snacks in the bar and playing with the dogs and their owners. Very friendly group.

The Cedar House Sport Hotel is a great place to stay and eat. Highly recommended. We shall return.

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