Posted by Karen on 05-Feb-2010
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Tanella and I both had the day off from the tax office, so we took a stroll along Lake Natoma and enjoyed the sunshine that was shining for the day. We strolled past the Sac State Aquatic Center, past the geese, ducks and birds on the shore and then down bike path and over the bridge before heading back.
GPS Stats: • Odometer: 3.52 miles • Total Time: 1:31 • Moving Time: 1:14 • Moving Average: 2.9 mph • Overall Average: 2.3 mph
Posted by Karen on 16-Jan-2010
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It has been foggy and dreary here in the central valley lately, so Lori and I headed off in search of the sun and whatever else may help brighten up the day. We headed towards the coast because it wasn’t raining in that direction and sometimes when we have fog, they don’t. Since it was just an exploring kinda day, we pulled off the Bay Bridge at Treasure Island on our way west to explore it, since neither of us had ever stopped there before. It’s a small man-made island that is a former Navy base (I didn’t know that) and is a good place to take skyline photos of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge. We continue on and when we hit Highway 1, we head south to historic Pescadero, where we meet a couple of gentlemen working on restoring the Methodist Episcopal Church of Pescadero and prepping it for their crab feed that night. They let us look around inside and after chatting with them for a bit, they recommend the pizza at the country store as the best place for lunch and they are right, it is darned good oven baked pizza. We explore the other half Pescadero and I was thoroughly enchanted by the beautiful and neat art items available at the charming Luna Sea Gallery. Exploring a back road, we arrive at San Gregorio, a historic stagecoach stop and general store at a crossroad and there is some good live music coming from the lively general store. The music was a pleasant surprise, the strangest was the fish heads on the fencepost across the street. When I asked on of the locals enjoying the music and a brew if there was a story behind them, he just said “we don’t shoot fish out here without a good reason”… LOL! So, the story of the fish heads on the fencepost will remain a mystery to me. Next we followed signs touting the Moss Beach Distillery and learned another little bit of history. ”Frank’s Place” is no longer a distillery, it is now a restaurant on the ocean’s edge. We enjoyed the ocean view for a bit and then began our trek back home. We stopped at Treasure Island again on the way back across the bridge and practiced our night photography skills on the bridge. We didn’t totally escape the fog, but we did manage to brighten our day. ;>
Posted by Karen on 24-Dec-2009
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I had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas weekend at Bodega Bay with Tersha and Vic. They invited me the spend it with them at the beach in their trailer and I’ve decided that is a great way to camp! Christmas Eve, we arrived at the Bodega Bay RV Park and set up house for the weekend. Next door to the RV park is the Bell Memorial, which commemorates the generosity Nicholas Green’s family for donating his organs in Italy during an untimely tragedy. In 1994, while vacationing in Italy, Nicholas was shot and killed by highway robbers. His family donated his organs to seven Italian recipients and it helped spur the virtually non-existent organ donation program in Italy and is known as the Nicholas Effect. The memorial contains bells from all over Italy and one large bell which was blessed by the Pope. Donna, a coworker from EDS, and her husband Gary, arrived at the RV park and parked next door, so more friends to visit with. Christmas morning, we walked a couple miles through Sonoma Coast State Park to the beach and enjoyed the solitude of a beach shared only with birds (and one state ranger). After a nice day spent relaxing and talking and getting to know the other RVers, we drove to one of the many lookout spots and enjoyed the sunset over the ocean. On Boxing Day, we took a ride over to the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve for Tersha’s big tree fix. After a few stops at beaches, we turned inland and followed the Russian River to the tall trees near Guerneville. Walking through old growth forest is always relaxing and peaceful, even if you’re being slightly rained upon. After a nice dinner at the Sandpiper Restaurant, it sure was nice to have a dry and warm trailer to retire to! Can you tell how much I liked camping in a trailer? After packing up Sunday morning, we had a leisurely breakfast at the Tides Wharf Restaurant and then headed back home.
Posted by Karen on 04-Dec-2009
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Lori and I headed up to Grass Valley to enjoy their Cornish Christmas Fair, and we arrived a bit early so we decided to see what the the little historic town of Washington looks like. Washington is a old gold mining town that I thought might be a ghost town, but it’s alive and kicking. There are a couple hundred residents, but main street only consists of a few buildings. We spent some time at the Yuba River photographing it from the bridge and as the sun went down, we headed back to Grass Valley and enjoyed the festivities of the street fair. There were lots of vendors selling hand-made gifts, the most delicious smelling food being cooked and delightful music being played by young musicians. We grabbed some freshly roasted chestnuts and listened to the carolers and had a relaxing stroll through the fair.
