Ever since my experience with the bison in South Dakota, I’ve been wishing that I had a pair of binoculars, so when I stopped in to REI in Santa Rosa to restock on some camping supplies, I decided to check out what they had. I was advised by a very interesting gentleman with knowledge of photography, and incidentally, the most dashing handlebar mustache. Although they didn’t have the ones he recommended in stock, I did end up getting them at another REI…
There’s a place on the Big Sur Coast that I’ve been before, and always love returning to, called the Esalen Institute. They describe themselves as a nonprofit retreat center and intentional community focusing on humanistic alternative education. There are workshops in meditation, art, massage and alternative healing, connecting with nature, yoga, and similar new-agey kinds of things. To me, engineer that I am, some of it seems nice and useful, and some of it seems just a bit weird and airy-fairy. But…
After leaving Monterey, I drove to Pebble Beach to do a circuit of 17 Mile Drive before heading down the coast. I was a cool and misty morning, just perfect for Starbucks latte and Jaffa cakes (breakfast of champions) on the beach to start out, although the day got gradually warmer and clearer. There was hardly anyone at Spanish Bay, where I drank my coffee and watched the surf rolling in to the shore. A little further along the coast is a…
I’ve been on and off of California State Route 1 and US 101 ever since I left the Avenue of Giants, and yesterday I crossed one of the best known landmarks on that route, the Golden Gate Bridge. Unfortunately, but not unexpectedly, it was a foggy morning, but that didn’t really diminish the experience. I’ve been over quite a few high suspension bridges on this trip — to be honest, the US seems to have a thing for them —…
I’d have to admit that, except for the excellent car wash there, I wasn’t terribly impressed with Eureka, California. But to take the positive bit first, a thorough scrubbing by four guys with soft brushes, including a wheel treatment, then the mechanical wash, and finally a hand dry and polish by two more guys, really worked wonders for Baby Blue! Ten thousand miles of road dirt and an extensive bug collection were washed away, and it feels like a new…