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 district.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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Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is so cool. As the only remaining major seaside amusement park on the West Coast, the Boardwalk offers a unique combination of classic and modern rides, a sandy mile-long beach, and a variety of attractions. Fred W. Swanton, considered one of the greatest promoters and entrepreneurs of his time, laid plans for a casino and boardwalk — a “Coney Island of the West.”

This is my favorite seaside park. It has everything that memories are made of. The rides are all great for all ages. The Giant Dipper is one of the most exciting and smoothest coasters there is. Even though it was built in 1924, it's ageless. You can try and get the gold ring. How cool is that?.Riders on the outside horses can reach out and try to grab rings which then get tossed at the target which is a large clown's mouth. It is one of the only ring dispensers still operating in the world. Sometimes, riders keep the rings to remember their visit. How cool is that? The smell of the hot dogs, popcorn and sea air makes you never want to leave. At night the lights are beautiful.

The Carousel is a National Historic Landmark and local treasure. The hand-carved merry-go-round has been delighting adult’s and children’s memories since 1911. One of the greatest carousel carvers of all time, Master carver Charles I.D. Looff, delivered this hand carved beautiful carousel to the Boardwalk in 1911. Only five other intact Looff carousels remain in the United States.

The carousel music is provided from three antique band organs that are a special highlight of the Looff Carousel. The Boardwalk’s original Ruth & Sohn band organ has played alongside the carousel since 1911. The fully-restored antique received a beautiful new facade in 2009. In addition to the original Ruth organ, a rare Wurlitzer 165 band organ from the former Playland-at-the Beach amusement park in San Francisco now shares playing time with the Ruth. A smaller Wurlitzer 146 was added to the collection in 2011. 

The Looff Carousel and Giant Dipper roller coaster were both declared national landmarks in 1987.

The beach and boardwalk is a great place to visit. It’s a very cool place and is highly recommended.

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Aldo's Santa Cruz

Aldo’s, Santa Cruz Harbor is a nice place for a good breakfast or lunch. Service is terrific, and friendly. Parking fairly easy, bathrooms clean and spacious

It’s a classic laid-back Santa Cruz kind of place, with relaxed and friendly service. With that wonderful view, having a tasty breakfast or lunch & enjoying it with your dog, the feeling is wonderful and the food is good local, fresh seafood and more.

Local Rock Cod

It a great place. Guy Fieri thinks so. He did a complementary segment about Aldo’s on the Food Channel’s show, Drive ins, Diners and Dives. Guy seems to think the cioppino is the best, but I say, while it’s good, the local calamari, oysters and rock cod gets our vote. Good breakfasts too!

Fried Oysters and Chips

We dropped by for lunch and it was an awesome meal! We had the deep fried oysters & local rock cod, both fresh that morning & delicious! Especially liked the fresh-baked foccacia garlic bread; we soaked up every bit of the sauce with it & enjoyed the meal watching the sea life cavort in the harbor.

Entrance to Santa Cruz Harbor

Aldo's Santa Cruz has been there a long time and for good reason. They have delicious breakfasts, brunches and lunches. It's very casual. Most of the patrons sit outside on the deck overlooking the beautiful harbor. You can watch sailboats and power boats go in and out, and sometimes you’ll spot a sea otter or seal who has come into the harbor mouth to check things out.This place can be crowded on a sunny weekends, but it’s worth the wait. A very cool place.

Aldo’s, Santa Cruz is very nice and highly recommended.

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Mandarin Oriental SF

Room with a View

Stayed at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in San Francisco. Got a wonderful Bay Bridge View Room that looked directly onto the Bay Bridge on the 42nd floor. Talk about cool. We could see the TransAmerica Pyramid, North Beach, etc.

View from the Bathroom

The MO occupies the top 11 floors of the 3rd tallest SF office tower in the City’s financial district. It’s in the perfect location to celebrate the new year. The beautifully remodeled hotel continues its well known excellence. 

The lobby area is modern, but warm and inviting. The hostess and managers are all very friendly, professional and well suited up for the occasion. 

The Bay Bridge

The bar area is nice, well lit, well stocked and the chairs are very comfortable. The bartenders are knowledgable and their menus come on iPads!

The iPad apps are pretty cool, you can add drinks to your favorite lists, browse drinks, browse wine menus, browse a lot of things and order from there. The service can't be beat, the drinks are well made, and the whole atmosphere is very, very nice.

Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill

There was also a cool jazz band that played as we had a champagne tasting experience which was fantastic. Tried a ’95 Krug, some of the nicest champagne I’ve ever tasted. Should be at $550 USD p/ bottle.

MO Bathroom

The Mandarin Oriental SF is the perfect place to base a good time in San Francisco. We’re already planning our stay for next year and look forward to the experience.

The Mandarin Oriental SF is very nice and highly recommended.

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Calaveras Big Trees

Welcoming Squirrel

Calaveras Big Trees is a beautiful Park. The park is beautiful with 2 sequoia groves, the North and South. It is truly a majestic walk.

Empire State Tree

Giant Sequoias (also known as sierra redwoods) are the largest living things to ever exist on planet earth. The fossil record of redwoods date back 180 million years to the age of the dinosaurs and individual trees can live to over 3,000 years. Once widespread, there are only in 75 groves left on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California.

Calaveras became a State Park in 1931 to preserve the North Grove of giant sequoias. This grove includes the "Discovery Tree", also known as the "Big Stump", the first Sierra redwood noted by Augustus T. Dowd in 1852. This area has been a major tourist attraction ever since, and is considered the longest continuously operated tourist facility in California.

Known as the Empire State, this majestic old tree is now probably the largest sequoia in the North Grove, its base is 30 feet in diameter and at 48 feet above the ground it is still 16 feet in diameter. 

Granite State Tree

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The Hercules Tree

The Hercules Tree was one of the largest in the grove. It was blown down in a violent windstorm in December 1861. It has been lying here for over a century

The Father of the Forest

The Father of the Forest fell long before Euro-Americans discovered this grove of sequoia. Decomposition is so slow because of the tannin in their heartwood. This tree has been lying here between 500-1,000 years. Notice the size of the people down the walk. It is a huge tree!

Bradley Grove Trail

Beaver Creek

This place is unbelievable and highly recommended.

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Space Shuttle Endeavor

NASA gave Space Shuttle Endeavour a “victory lap” of sorts as the space shuttle era ends with a low-flying flyover in the Bay Area on Friday morning September 21, 2012 on its way to being displayed at a museum in Los Angeles. Great experience. Fort Baker in Sausalito was jammed with people as was the Marina Green and Chrissy Field in San Francisco along with  Moffett Field in Sunnyvale and places all over the SF Bay Area..

Turns out that once the Endeavour lands in Los Angeles, the trip to the new museum there will be quite interesting. The shuttle is so big that transporting it will cause the removal of 400 trees and countless street light poles. The people of Los Angeles neighborhoods were very upset about the loss of trees but NASA said that for every tree they remove, they will replace it with 4 new ones, replace the light poles and upgrade the sidewalks. So it’s a win-win. It will get a little greener and nicer in that part of LA.

Farewell Endeavour, welcome to your new home.

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Chaw'se

Miwok Home reproduction- u’macha’

It was fantastic to see the ancient Chaw’se, the Indian Grinding Rock village site that’s 2- 3,000+ years old. Chaw’se is the Miwok word for grinding rock – a slab of stone on which the Miwok people ground acorns and other seeds into meal, slowly forming the cup shaped depressions in the stone that can still be seen today. Along with the mortar holes, the main grinding rock within the park also features a number of decorative carvings: circles, spoked wheels, animal and human tracks, wavy lines, etc. Some of these carvings are thought to as much as two to three thousand years old and are now becoming difficult to see. This association of rock art and bedrock mortar pits is unique in California. Except for one other small site, Chaw’se has the only known occurrence of mortars intentionally decorated with petroglyphs.There are 1,185 mortar holes -- the largest collection of bedrock mortars in North America.

Grinding Rock

The Miwok women would gather at the Chaw’se to grind acorns from the surrounding Valley Oaks, which were prized for their high nutritional value. However, the nuts are bitter tasting due to their tannin content. The Miwok overcame this problem by cracking the acorns and pounding the nuts in a mortar with a stone pestle. Once the meal was fine enough, water was poured through it, rinsing away the tannin. The acorn meal could then be cooked in watertight baskets over open fires.

hun’ge Roundhouse

The hun’ge is a Native American Roundhouse that has been reconstructed by the modern Miwok Indians themselves for ceremonial purposes.

Roundhouse Interior

The hun’ge, was the setting for a variety of social gatherings and ceremonial events in the old days. Ceremonies were held, for example, to pray, to mourn the dead or to observe special occasions through music and dance. In a typical village, this semi-subterranean community center was the largest building in the village and tended to be twenty to fifty feet in diameter. The Chaw’se hun’ge is sixty feet across and is one of the largest in California. Four large beams and center poles support the roof. A large hole in the center of the roof allows smoke from the fire pit to escape and also permits observation of the stars. It is used today for Native American Ceremonies.

u’macha’

Miwok homes ranged from eight to fifteen feet in diameter and were built of cedar poles interwoven with grapevines or willow and covered with cedar bark. A hole was left at the top for smoke from cooking or heating fires. Bark houses- u’macha’ can be seen near the grinding rock and also at the reconstructed village west of the roundhouse. This is a great historic place to see.

Highly recommended!

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Black Chasm

Black Chasm Entrance

In 1976, the national Park Service designated Black Chasm Cavern as a Historic National Landmark. The Black Chasm Cavern was the inspiration behind the Zion cave in the second and third installment of the Matrix movies.

The trip down into the Black Chasm Cavern is fantastic. An unbelievably beautiful small set of under ground rooms filled with fantastic natural shapes. We went on a small tour with only four other people.

The formations are exceptionally beautiful and we were told that only 4% of caves (in the world) have this type helictite formations which were everywhere in the cavern. It's a vertical cave, not a horizontal one, so there are no bats that live there. Bats don't like caves like this one, because it goes pretty much straight down after you enter. When they fly in, their echolocation tells them it's very small, with not much roosting space so they just leave. There’s also a magnificent turquoise blue pool at the bottom of one of the caves that is spectacular.

It has some marvelous formations helictites that look like horizontal spaghetti or birds' nest remnants growing straight out of the rock. They are quite beautiful and very unusual. There are a lot of steep steps, with handrails, but you do have to be careful. It is very tempting to touch the rocks as you go under some low overhangs, but you are warned at the beginning not to do so, because they pick up oil from your hands.

Helictite

The tour takes about 45 minutes and the guides are well informed as well as entertaining. All in all, The Black Cavern is a uniquely beautiful thing to see if you’re ever in the California Sierra foothills.

Helictite close up

Highly recommended!

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