Southwestern Odyssey

We are fulfilling a long desire to learn more about wine. Now it’s Napa Valley’s turn. We will also retrace some of our old haunts for our first year of marriage in California. Czytaj więcej

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7 października 2016
Southwestern Odyssey
Waking in Clearlake
7 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 64 °F
Yesterday we arrived at San Francisco about 11:15 AM, got a rental car, and drove about three hours across the Golden Gate Bridge and up through wine country to get to Nice, California about 5:30 PM. On the way we stopped in Windsor and bought groceries at a Safeway. I bought a $39 bottle of Hartford Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. Glenda and I had a dinner of bread, cheese, fruit and that beautiful wine. When we arrived at our apartment at Worldmark we went out on the pier and had a wonderful conversation about wine with a young couple from Oregon as we watched a spectacular sunset. Glenda was very tired so we went to bed about 8 PM and slept like logs until this morning. After a long day of flying and driving yesterday, we are greeted by this sunrise at Clearlake, California. Glenda, the not so much morning person, is sipping coffee and trying to wake up. Chuck, the morning person, has cleaned the condo, made coffee, showered, planned our day in wine country and is now on the pier taking photos of the sunrise. Life is beautiful and we are blessed. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Wine From the Barrel
7 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F
Castello di Amorosa is a fantasy castle that resembles in every way an Italian fortress from the 15th century. Although it is new, all of the furnishings are antiques imported from Italy. The vineyards produce some of the finest wines in all of Napa Valley, California. We certainly got our share at a wine tasting today in their beautiful wine cellar. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Château Montelena
7 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F
We became aware of Château Montelena when we watched a movie entitled “Bottle Shock.” The title is a double entendre referring not only to the accidental spoilage of a bottle of wine, but also to an event that occurred in 1976. An English wine merchant, whose shop was in Paris, was convinced that French wines were superior to all others. Nevertheless, needing to boost his business, he traveled to the United States on the outside chance that he might find an American wine that would sell in Paris. He wandered onto the lovely grounds of Château Montelena. That year the château produced a miraculous Chardonnay. He took back to France a bottle of that Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon from a neighboring winery called Stag’s Leap. In a blind taste test performed by France’s leading wine experts, both California wines won over several other French wines. The judges were shocked. In another similar competition held in France eleven years later, the California wines won again. Today we had the opportunity to see where it all started, Château Montelena—the vineyard that put Napa Valley on the winemaking map. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Skunk Train
8 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F
At the town of Willets we boarded the "Skunk Train," an old collection of railway cars that formerly hauled huge redwood logs out of the forest, and were treated to a pulled pork sandwich at Northspur before returning. The redwood forests are majestically beautiful. The folk singer onboard got a bit hokey for my taste, but still looking at the old railroad cars and the beautiful redwood forest had its merits. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Lake County Wine Harvest Festival
8 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 88 °F
We decided to check out a winery in Kelseyville. I was looking for Steel Winery, and I got an address from my GPS. When we arrived at the location I saw no buildings, only a big open field and some tents. "I must have made a wrong turn," I told Glenda, so I circled back around to make another pass at the address. Only then did I realize that the tents were housing the annual Lake County Wine Harvest Festival. Every wine grower in the region was represented. Amid the dozens of tents we discovered a small building which actually was Steel Winery, so we went inside to see what was going on.

We were told that for five dollars we would get five glasses of wine of our own choosing. Then we could visit the tents of the vendors to buy pulled pork, fried chicken, barbecued beef, and a whole host of other delicious tapas. Glenda and I adored a Filipino dish called a lumpia, a sort of meat filled eggroll. We had never heard of them. We sampled our five different wines along with some wonderful Mexican and Asian food. There was a new white wine called Roussanne that is between a Chardonnay and a Pinot Grigio. We met several local residents and enjoyed learning about their experiences in the winemaking business. Some of the wine growers told us that the wines of Lake County are every bit as good as those of Napa County to the south, but that Lake County has not been discovered yet. So the wines cost a fraction of the price of those grown just a few miles away. Additionally, California law requires that for a wine to claim a vintage, all of its grapes must be grown on a certain hill, using certain techniques in an identifiable location. The wine growers of Lake County generally do not sell their wines individually, but rather bring them to a central winery where a trained vintner blends them into delicious combinations. I thought they were spectacular.

Just before we left Glenda wanted me to go back into the field and pick just a few of the cabernet sauvignon grapes for her to taste. I went back, took a photo, picked the grapes and happened upon a delightful high school student who has lived all her life in Kelseyville. She was friendly and charming and engaged me in a conversation. She told me that since she was a child she had worked as an agricultural worker in her father's vineyard. I asked her where she planned to go to college after graduation. "I'll probably stay here," she said. "The grapes are my life." She seemed very intelligent and articulate, and for a moment I felt a bit of regret that someone so personable and talented would not further her education. Then I looked around at the vineyards surrounding us and I said, "That may not be a bad choice."

Then we headed Vista Point to take some photographs and returned to Worldmark. After relaxing a bit in the room we went outside to enjoy the sunset and then came back to the hooch for bed. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Dead Soldier City
9 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F
We left our apartment at WorldMark at about 5 am, and had an interesting drive crossing the ridge of the Sierras on Highway 175 to Hopland. I took a quick shot of a gorgeous sunrise as we were halfway up the mountain. The road was gloriously beautiful as it twisted along the mountain passes, but I became a bit concerned when a few speedsters in sports cars rushed up behind me, wanting to pass on the narrow, curvy road. We stopped along the way at McDonald's for a quick breakfast and soon found ourselves traveling south on the east side of Oakland Bay. I had never seen San Francisco from this side, so again I stopped to take some quick photos.

Driving further south toward Monterey, what really got my attention was Fort Ord. When I was a young soldier stationed at the Presidio in Monterey, we referred to Fort Ord as "Soldier City." It was larger than most of our home towns. Glenda and I would go to Fort Ord for groceries at the commissary, for medical and dental care, and for most other services the Army provided us. Most of the military materiel arriving or departing from Vietnam came through Fort Ord. One can imagine my shock as we made the turn into the Army base--it was not there. Almost all of the buildings had been razed. Only a chapel, the police station and the hospital remained. The few billets and warehouses still standing lay derelict with weeds around them, and even a few trees growing up through them. But mostly, they were gone. The few patches of concrete parking lots that had not been carried away were hardly visible, infested with weeds. There used to be miles of billets, training areas, warehouses, and munitions facilities. Now they are all gone.

Few things in my life have ever made me feel so old. The world has changed. This is not the world I knew in 1971. The Stoic philosopher Epictetus is noted for saying, "There is nothing permanent except change." I learned today at an existential level that he was right. Soldier City has changed. It is gone. It is dead. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Honeymoon Apartment
9 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F
Arriving in Monterey about 11 AM, we first went to our first apartment. I had rented it a few weeks before we were married on June 16, 1972, and immediately after our wedding at the Presidio of Monterey Base Chapel, we moved in. I was surprised today to find that we were able to take photos inside. A workman named Joe was refurbishing the apartment in preparation for new renters, and he showed us around. then we took pictures on Franklin Street and in the neighborhood. Troia's grocery store is still there, but it is no longer owned by Mr. Troia. He was a Portuguese gentleman from whom Glenda would buy one-fourth of a pound of ground beef per day so that we could survive on a pre-packaged casserole mix called "Hamburger Helper." Mr. Troia must have known that we were a poor, young Army couple, because I'm sure that he was overly generous in measuring one quarter of a pound. My salary was $288.50 per month, and rent on the apartment was $165 per month. I don't know how we made ends meet. We went down to the Coast Guard Pier and took photos of the sea lions. We had no money for trips or entertainment, so on week ends we would walk down to the pier to sit and watch the sea lions and the sea otters for hours. There are far fewer sea otters here now. Some theories say that the fecal material of cats washed into Monterey Bay in the sewage, and that a virus has killed the sea otters. Whether this is so, I can't say. I only hope that they will return.

We got a pizza from Gianni's brought it back to the room at the Colton Inn next door to the library, and finished the Hartford Pinot Noir. While we were eating our pizza we watched on television the presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
At the Colton Inn
9 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 73 °F
We chose to stay at the Colton Inn just next door to the Public Library in Monterey. This motel is neither the newest, nor the finest inn in the city, but we chose it for its location. It is not far from our old apartment, and it allowed me access to the library. With little money during our first year together, we would often go to the library to read or peruse the newspapers. We did not have the resources to subscribe to a newspaper, and we could not afford a television. I remember following the publication of the New York Times articles by Daniel Berrigan. Later on, those articles were published in a book called "The Pentagon Papers," showing the duplicity of the U. S. government in selling a war in Southeast Asia that the Army was training me to fight. I remember reading about Richard Nixon as the Watergate accusations emerged. I remember folding up a newspaper, walking over to Glenda in the library and whispering, "The President of the United States is a criminal."

We wandered around downtown and found some of the old buildings we love. We used to dream about one day having a home of our own, even nicer than the huge old Spanish mansions we saw on Alvarado Street, on Calle Principal and on Fremont Street. Now those houses don't appear so large or so grand, but, of course now we have our own lovely home. But these memories are indeed precious. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Lovers' Point
9 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
We drove out to Pacific Grove to retrace some of our old haunts. Poverty kept us very close to home when we were first married, but if you are on the Monterey Peninsula, then such a restriction can be a blessing. I learned that Pacific Grove was begun as a Methodist beachside retreat center in the early days of the last century. Now property values have skyrocketed. I found on the internet a small house on Franklin Street. I remember passing it as I walked to the Presidio each day for classes in Chinese-Mandarin. That little one-bedroom bungalow just sold for 1.4 million dollars. Pacific Grove is still beautiful. We spent some time eating our picnic lunch at Lovers' Point, and I was surprised to find a little makeshift monument to the folk singer John Denver, who died when his airplane crashed in Monterey Bay several years ago. Czytaj więcej
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Downtown Monterey
10 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F
We began the morning in the hotel office for a continental breakfast. I met our innkeepers Ellen and Lauren. Glenda and I had a continental breakfast in our room and set out on a walking tour of downtown Monterey. We idled past some of the stores. Glenda was especially interested in seeing a little photography store where on our last visit here she purchased our very first digital camera. I found a Walgreen's pharmacy that, I think, occupies the building formerly housing the J. C. Penny Store. I remember in 1972 I arrived at the Presidio with only my government issue clothing in a dufflebag. I had been told not to take any civilian clothing. However, when I had to wear my fatigue uniform all weekend long, several guys asked me if I had been given extra duty for some infraction. On a Sunday morning at around 6 AM I left the Presidio to wander downtown (still wearing my fatigues) just to get my geographical bearings. I found the J. C. Penny Store and decided that as soon as I got off work on Monday I would come down and buy some civilian clothing. After work on Monday I walked back downtown and purchased one pair of blue jeans and a white sport shirt with a little black pattern printed on it. I kept those clothes for years until the fabric literally wore out. I remember on that first weekend morning passing the San Carlos Hotel, now a refurbished Marriott. It looked massive in the predawn silence on that Sunday morning. I photographed the Wells-Fargo bank we used for our small checking account. On a previous visit I had photographed its interior, but today the bank officials denied me permission. What is remarkable to me now is that the memories of those events that happened so long ago seem so recent. It is as though no time has passed. Monterey still seems like home. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Fisherman's Wharf to Point Piños
10 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
It is strange that when one returns to a location that is very important in one's life, he imagines that it will somehow be magic. Yet when one actually does return, he often simply rehearses the common, ordinary moments he enjoyed when he was there the first time. That's what happened to us today. We started down at Fisherman's Wharf, where we used to take long walks. On a previous visit here, we even boarded a fancy sailboat called the Derek M. Bayliss and went whale watching. But today, we just wanted to be--to be here. And to remember. Just outside the old San Carlos Hotel (now the Marriott) we encountered a young man who had the best-trained dog I have ever seen. His eyes were fixed on his master's. Constantly. And the young man simply whispered a wish, and the dog complied. Instantly. Repeatedly.

We took our hike today in segments, so the trek did not seem long at all. We passed the old historic gate of the Presidio, passed the ancient Army building that used to serve the cavalry unit posted here. Now it is the Museum of the Presidio of Monterey. It is, incidentally, the only building on post that the public can visit. Since Nine-eleven 2001, one needs special clearance to visit any Army base. That holds true for the Presidio as well, although the Defense Language School is more like a college campus than an Army base. Surprisingly, in a recent BRAC (Base Reduction and Closing), the government closed hundreds of military installations deemed no longer necessary. Even Fort Ord and the Presidio of San Francisco were shut down. I was surprised that the feds left little POM open. I heard the decision not to close the Defense Language Institute West Coast (DLIWC) was because of pressure from local Congressional Representative Leon Panetta. That may be true, but it may also be the case that the Army considered language training essential. Although there are differences. When I was here, all of the large classroom buildings house the Asian language departments--Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese. Other languages were taught in smaller buildings or even mobile classrooms down at the bottom of the hill. Now the Asian language departments are in those smaller buildings, and the big classrooms at the top of the hill are occupied by the Arabic and Pharsee departments. For our last visit here I arranged with the Chaplain's Office to secure a pass, so we were able to go on post. Despite the new heightened security, the officials were quite free about allowing us to take pictures. We stopped for lunch at a quintessential British pub called "The Crown and Anchor." It is operated by a British couple who moved to California several years ago. They were concerned that there was no proper pub here, and they opened one that has everything nautical you would expect in an English pub except Admiral Nelson.

We traveled out as far as Point Piños. I snagged some sea lions, sea otters, and one house I have always admired. I have heard that this house belonged to the singer/producer/TV personality Merv Griffin. I also heard that it was the home of actress Kim Novak. I don't know if either is true. Soon we will leave this place, but it will always be in my heart. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Big Sur
11 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F
The day began with breakfast at the Old Monterey Cafe. I had some delicious huevos rancheros. We began with a quick visit to the Royal Presidio Chapel of Monterey. The cathedral, also called San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey, was founded by Franciscan Priest Junipero Serra in 1770 as one of the Spanish missions strung out along El Camino Real. Next we completed the scenic Seventeen-Mile Drive. When we were first married we never were able to take this drive. Back then there was a charge of $3.50 to make the scenic drive, and we could not afford the price. The price is a little higher now, but we had no problem coming up with the money. Life is good. We had lunch at the Little Napoli Restaurant in Carmel, one of our favorite restaurants in all the world. Glenda had the Bolognese tagliatelle, and I had the osso bucco ravioli. A leisurely drive down Highway 101 to Big Sur took most of the afternoon. The scenes were as beautiful as ever. When we returned to Monterey we found a street market in progress. We bought some English toffee, some dates, strawberries and salami. We grazed on these things for supper on Tuesday night and had an early bedtime. Czytaj więcej
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Around the Presidio
12 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ⛅ 61 °F
Today I had Eggs Valdes burritos for breakfast at the Old Monterey Cafe. Glenda had an upset stomach and returned to the Colton Inn to rest. I took that opportunity to walk to the Presidio, and back, along the route I used to walk to work. Up Franklin Street. Straight up Franklin Street. Steep Franklin Street. Nearly vertical Franklin Street. Every day. I dreaded that daily walk back then. Today it was a trip UP memory lane. Again I was surprised to see the Presidio gate locked up tighter than a tick. The last time we were here I contacted the chaplains office, and the chaplain’s assistant met us at the Franklin Street gate to let us in. Once we were on the Presidio, he told us that there were no restrictions regarding the taking of photographs. DLI is less like an army base than a college campus, so I was a little bit surprised to see how tight security has remained since 9/11/2001. I had to turn around to recapture the view to the east. I remember the view from my desk in the Asian Language classroom building (Nisei Hall) when I was a language student here. I could see the airport with its arrivals and departures flying right over the Presidio. The view still looks exactly the same. We drove to Pacific Grove to watch the otters and to take photographs. We had such a large breakfast that we really did not need lunch. A mother and her little girl were at the beach. It looked as though the mother had been going through some difficult times, but she watched as her little girl, fully decked out in a princess gown, played on the sand. I wonder what their story is. Dropping by the Monterey Plaza Hotel I photographed Glenda in front of the Porpoise Fountain we enjoyed the last time we checked in here on a previous visit. Though much of Cannery Row is very touristy now thanks to John Steinbeck, I took some shots of a couple of old canneries that have not yet been restored. At 4 PM we went for the sunset dinner at the Beach House Restaurant at Lovers Point in Pacific Grove. When we lived here the first time, this building was actually a beach house with little shacks in which bathers changed clothes. We went back to the beach after supper to take photographs of the sunset and then came back to the hotel. Czytaj więcej
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Arrival at Bass Lake
13 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 55 °F
Back when we were first married, we saved for almost a year so that we could spend a weekend in Yosemite National Park. However, the generator on our eleven-year-old Volkswagen bug broke, and our vacation savings went to repair the car. Today, after twenty-four years, we get our first shot at Yosemite.

We are very grateful to the generosity of a dear couple who bought more time-shares than they could possibly use. Some of them are about to expire, and they are unable to use them, so they offered them to us. So we are able to enjoy these lovely WorldMark resorts.

I think I know why this place is called Bass Lake. I walked out onto the pier and found that against the setting sunlight I saw millions of flying insects over the lake. It was not unpleasant, as though the insects were biting me. Still, they were almost thick enough to inhale. If only a fraction of these bugs die and drop into the water, then the fish in the lake will have a perpetual feast. We unpacked the car, unloaded the groceries we bought in Oakhurst and had our own little feast here in the apartment. Czytaj więcej
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Monterey to Bass Lake
13 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
Breakfast was a heavenly lemon tart at Parker-Lousseau Patisserie, a lovely little pastry shop in the building that John C. Fremont adopted as his headquarters in Monterey.

Glenda fell in love with the little box of toffee she bought at the street market in Carmel yesterday, so early this morning she wanted to make a quick run back there before we left for Bass Lake. She found the tent and had a wonderful conversation with a Mr. Osborne, who has adopted toffee-making as a hobby in his retirement. He makes it in his own kitchen, and because of health regulations cannot sell it anywhere but the farmers' market. He is certainly unable to ship his candy to us back in North Carolina. So Glenda loaded up on toffee.

A quick drive-through to see whether there were any more sea otters in Pacific Grove convinced us that the sea otters are in trouble here. We had a quick lunch at the Crown and Anchor, and then on the way out of Monterey went to Trader Joe's to buy groceries. We hit the road about 3:30 PM to go to Bass Lake.

East of Chowchilla, California we went through a high plateau with some unusual scenery. We stopped at Oakhurst to buy a few more groceries. The supermarket there is the largest grocery store I've ever seen. It has a huge grocery department as large as any Walmart, and an additional section for everything from auto parts to camping equipment. We arrived at Worldmark Bass Lake about 6 PM. We unpacked the car and had supper in our apartment. Czytaj więcej
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First Foray Into Yosemite
14 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 41 °F
After breakfast in our apartment at WorldMark Bass Lake we drove up to the south entrance of Yosemite National Park. Near the entrance I was surprised to see so many dead trees off to our west, and I wondered whether a forest fire had killed them. We drove up to Glacier Point and took our first pictures of Half Dome. There are clouds and drizzle, so I don't think it's a great day for light and color. Even so, one of the rangers says that the park has had an extremely long dry spell. Some of the waterfalls have even stopped. Perhaps the rain will cause a little flow over them before we leave. Even without the sun, Yosemite is still a very impressive place. One couple was getting married right out there at Glacier Point. The grandeur of the mountains here is breathtaking. I got a shot of Glenda in front of El Capitan. Czytaj więcej
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The Route to Casa Velasco
14 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 57 °F
After touring the park, traffic kept us on a westward course, and before we knew it, we were already at the west gate of Yosemite. I decided to take the scenic route, so we went west and south along an much less direct route just to see a part of California we had never visited. We passed through the little towns of Briceburg, Midpines, Mariposa and Mormon Bar before coming back through Oakhurst from the west. Fascinating country! Glenda was hungry for Mexican, so when we finally made it back to Bass Lake we found a wonderful Mexican restaurant, Casa Velasco. I had the works, and it was all delicious. It is a no-nonsense kind of place that thoughtfully keeps a roll of paper towels on each table in case your napkins are not sufficient. And with the excellent enchiladas, burritos and chili rellenos, chances are you'll need the towels. Returning to the apartment, we went to bed and slept like newborn puppies. Czytaj więcej
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Yosemite Peeps Out
15 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 55 °F
The rain slacked off today and we drove back into Yosemite Park to take more pictures. While we were at Glacier Point we met a professional photographer named Carlos who called himself the "Malibu Artist" on his webpage. He was shooting pictures for a Honda truck advertisement. He let me take a couple of shots with his Canon 5D Mark iv camera. I think I'm in love. Some of the girls wanted to strike an athletic pose when I photographed them, so they insisted that I shoot while they were in mid-air. I agreed. We have noticed quite a few young women, especially Chinese tourists, want to jump, to leap, or to be airborne when the shutter snaps. Quite a few of the Chinese women we saw being photographed on the Monterey Peninsula insisted on such posing. Today these girls were a safe distance away from the ledge that drops down to the canyon below, so I wasn't too concerned about taking the shot. However, one of the rangers told us that just last week a young Chinese girl doing a jumping pose for a photo stood too close to the edge. As the photo was being taken, she missed the edge and fell to her death. Czytaj więcej
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Another Wash Out
16 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 🌧 54 °F
It rained hard all day so we stayed in the condo. I edited my photographs for most of the day. In the afternoon we watched a Harry Potter movie, "The Deathly Hallows" part one. We went to supper at Ducey's restaurant. I had meatloaf and vegetables and Glenda had a small steak. The food was delicious. The rain and wind continued. At night about 9 o'clock we lost power so we had to go to bed by flashlight. Czytaj więcej
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Spectacular Yosemite
17 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ 54 °F
We stayed in the condo most of the morning waiting for the rain to stop, and when it slacked off, we wandered out by a marsh adjacent to our apartment. It was a lovely patch of wedlands, and we took some photos. For lunch I had a wonderful hamburger with garlic fries at Ducey's-by-the-Lake. After lunch we went to Yosemite. I took my first photographs down in the valley, then we went to Sentinel Bridge. We got lovely photographs by the light of the late afternoon. By the time we got up to Glacier Point, however, the sun had already begun to set. A bank of clouds was casting a shadow on half dome. I was not able to get the shot that I wanted. Still I got some very good photographs of some other objects nearby. Czytaj więcej
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Bass Lake to St. George, Utah
18 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
We spend all day driving from Bass Lake to St. George Utah. This section was the longest single leg of the trip.The drive took about eight hours plus another hour to stop for lunch. I was pleased when we went over Techachapi Pass, despite heavy traffic. My mind returned to our trip from Monterey to San Angelo, Texas in 1973 when our VW beetle barely had enough horsepower to get us over the pass. I had to plod along at about 25 miles per hour, and I had traffic backed up for a couple of miles. Lord only knows the new cuss words drivers invented to describe the idiot in the white Volkswagen. Our rental car today had plenty of power to spare. I was struck by the huge forest of windmills on the crest of the ridge. Half of them were not working. Ah! Such are the environmental joys of renewable energy. A forest of windmills! Indeed! Nothing like protecting the environment, even if you have to uglify the mountains to do so. A pine needle got caught under the windshield wiper, and when we drove up to speed it vibrated so fast that it hummed, yet every time we stopped for a break, I forgot to remove it. Finally, Glenda remembered, and took it out. She took me through Las Vegas Nevada just so I could see with the Strip looks like. The last 20 miles before arriving in St. George displayed some fantastic and awe-inspiring rock formations. The highway actually passes through some of them. Seeing them in the setting sun was truly magnificent. Czytaj więcej
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Bryce Canyon Grandeur
19 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F
We had breakfast at McDonald's in St. George, Utah and then drove to Bryce Canyon National Park. We arrived in the park about 12:30 pm and had quick lunch at a Subway. We spent several hours touring in photographing Bryce Canyon Afterwards we drove on to Page, Arizona. Czytaj więcej
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Slot Canyons
20 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 63 °F
Today I fulfilled a long-standing dream to photograph the slot canyons near Page, Arizona. We woke very early and went to the canyons after breakfast with Mark our host. The people in charge weren't quite sure of what their program was so we kept our sea legs about us and adjusted. Glenda's guide was Marla and my guide with her husband Lionel. We actually were in groups all by ourselves. Because of this we were able to stay together and finish our tours at approximately the same time. In several of the canyons I was the only person with Lionel. The pictures we took were utterly amazing. First I photographed Mountain Sheep Canyon, Upper Antelope Canyon, Rattlesnake Canyon, and Owl Canyon. We finished at about 3:30 PM and went to a place called Big John's and had Texas style barbecue for lunch. After this late lunch we went to see Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado River. Finally we cleaned the car out came back home and settled in to look at our photographs. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Wildfire
21 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 68 °F
Still on our little excursion in Page, Arizona, we rose at a normal time and had breakfast with Mark. We arrived at the lower Antelope Canyon tour at 9:30 AM, about an hour before our tour was scheduled to begin. The lower canyon was very crowded and there were several places where we had to use ladders to get around. I took some beautiful shots of the canyon. I will have to reduce the color saturation on those shots for which I used the settings recommended by the professional photographer that I met at Yosemite. We had a wonderful lunch at the Fiesta Mexicana Restaurant. Glenda went to buy some Aquaphor for our chapped lips and I got a haircut in page Arizona. On the way back to St. George the GPS directed us onto Highway 14. This road runs through the Dixie National Forest. It goes right over the mountain and at one point we reached a pass that was about 10,000 feet high. The scenery was spectacular. On the western side of the slope we saw a strange cloud. We couldn't tell if it was fog or smoke from the forest fire. We arrived at Cedar City, got gas, and were told that there was a forest fire. A family at the gas pump told us that they were in the process of moving here from Massachusetts. They had just met the moving van at their new house but had not even unpacked. Immediately upon their arrival at their home, the fire authorities told them they must evacuate. They emptied the moving van and simply stashed all their belongings in the garage. They said they wish the truck had arrived just an hour later. Then their stuff would at least be safe, but now it is in a fire-threatened garage. They may lose everything. So now they wait, not knowing when or whether they will be able to move into their new house, nor whether the house is in the path of the forest fire. It may be days before they learn the fate of their new dwelling. Their two children looked tired, frightened and uncomfortable, and my heart went out to them. Czytaj więcej
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Southwestern Odyssey
Kolob Canyon
22 października 2016, Stany Zjednoczone ⋅ ☀️ 70 °F
After breakfast at the condo, we went to Zion National Park. The part of the park we went to is called Kolob Canyon. We took about a 2 mile hike to a beautiful overlook. From there we could actually see the beginning of the Grand Canyon. We had lunch at the Sakura Japanese steakhouse. Then we came back to the condominium in St. George and went to bed because we were very tired. We slept for about 15 hours. Czytaj więcej
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