“…this land was made for you and me.”

The drive across the coastal mountain range of Northern California is like driving through a travel brochure. 

Beautiful forests and winding mountain roads follow along the picturesque Trinity River canyon; Mount Shasta watching off in the distance.  

The scenery intensifies as we near the coast and soon we are in the forests of Redwood National Park. A large heard of elk graze in the meadow just to the left of the road.  Large male elk can exceed 1000 pounds, their antlers spread wide.

Redwoods are the world’s tallest living trees, growing as tall as 380 feet from a seed as small as a tomato seed.  There are many hiking trails and really the only way to appreciate these trees is to get up close and personal with them.  

Some of these giants are more than 2,000 years old. Holy deck lumber, batman!

The national park stretches along the north coast of California.  The road winds along awesome sea cliffs and then back into thick forests. 

There are many state beaches and although not very busy today, I bet that they are packed during the summer months. 

Good bye California, you have been good to us.  We will never forget you.

My sister is the President of Paradise

Leaving the beautiful city of Paradise is bitter sweet.  This amazing little town has it all for the outdoor enthusiast, amazing hiking trails, gorgeous canyon views, miles and miles of flumes and tall pines everywhere.  And, oh yes, the most dedicated, hard-working town manager this side of the Mississippi. Ms. Lauren Gill is energetic and caring, tenacious and wise beyond her years.  You do not want to mess with that 90 lb billy goat. 

Paradise, we are leaving you in good hands.  Take care!

A Mike by any other Name

Today we celebrate brother Mike’s birthday, (not to be confused with big Mike, who is married to Debbie or little Mike, who is really Michael).  This birthday boy is easy to recognize, he is the funny guy with the smile on his face, for you see, Mike is blessed with five sisters and their lovely families.  Mike loves and takes good care of his sisters. All this fun, feeds this funny man, no really, this guy should have his own stand-up gig. The funniest things come out of his mouth. 

 

I will admit that I did have just a small amount of anxiety about dropping in on the family, some I have only meet as an adolescent and some that I have never met.  Talk about unnecessary stress, this group is amazing.  It is so easy to be here, a real “familiar” feeling washes over as soon as we get in the same room. 

To avoid embarrassing myself, I will not rattle off who goes with who but had to share some fun photos are a few photos.

Too Much Fun

Life can be crazy at times but is so sweet when you stop to have fun.  There is nothing like uncontrollable laughter to free you of any worries and make the spirit light.  Such is the case here in Paradise. 

Bowling at the Tall Pines Bowling Alley.

Game night is always fun, especially if it is Mexican Train as shown in the photo below.  There is another game, where there is a little less brother love around the table. Dirty Rotten Hearts, this game is rated PG and is not for the faint of heart.

Then there is always a walk through Bille Park. 

In addition to being one of the most beautiful urban parks in America, this is home to Lee’s Bench. (crying as we smile)

Hiking is the name of the game here in the beautiful country surrounding Paradise and Flumes are where the trails are.  These amazing piece of architectural genius make for some of the most scenic treks. 

And no day is complete without a little love from Brad and his girls.

Paradise in Paradise

The little city of Paradise, is a microcosm of Northern California.  From the tall pines that populate every neighborhood to the awesome canyon views that peak through every now and then and especially the town roads which wind through the trees as if great care was taken not to disturb the natural beauty that is everywhere. Bicycles and hikers and people walking dogs, the people of this community love the outdoors.  I just love this place.

Today we are hiking to the Head Dam on Feather River.  Do not misunderstand, this is not a walk, it is a hike.  We head down a gravel switchback for a fun day hike. This is absolutely beautiful, in just a couple minutes’ drive we are pure mountain magic.  In between the huge pines you can catch a glimpse of the valley below; a ranger station sits atop the razor peak on the other side.  Soon the forest sounds are pushed away as begin to hear the water running in the river below.  The weather is just perfect, bright sun and clear blue skies and that unmistakable clean cool mountain air.  I catch myself breathing a little hard and a little voice in the back of my head is saying something about “what goes down,…”, but more on that later.

Back and forth we wind and the sound of the water gets louder.  Along the road is the most beautiful green rock.  Serpentine, I am told, is the California state rock, Jade green with veins of black and gold. Soon we are able to see the river; there is a man-made dam with water spilling over the top.  We are happily surprised to see a flume along this trail. There have been many who have walked here before us including the Native American Indians and the first brave explorers and settlers.  Later the logging, mining and finally the hydro industries all made their mark.

The flume is like about 3-4 foot wide and deep; this one is U shaped and formed of concrete.  Just a small amount of water trickles in the bottom.   I am told that these are often full of rushing water and are calming company as you walk along the many trails.  They can provide an exciting way to float along the canyon bottom.  These flumes were constructed, many in the mid 1800’s by the lumber companies to efficiently transport logs to the mills.  Today they just move water and line many trails in the area.

The feather river runs along the bottom of this amazing canyon.  

The river bank is lined with huge serpentine boulders.  It is just beautiful.

We sit along the river, laughing and talking and enjoying the sounds of the water; the peace of the surrounding area, not realizing the hike we had ahead of us.

Not being a mountain climber or even in good shape, the hike back up took its toll. It sure did not seem that far as we walked down; let's just say it was harder going up than doing down and the rocks we packed up were probably not a good idea.  

Great souvenirs, great memories.

The Tahoe makes it to Tahoe.

Good morning, Adventure watchers!  You just never know what detours that life has in store for you.  A heavy marine layer has dulled our visit in Carmel but has afforded us another day to look around Central California for new places to discover.   A full tank of gas and a Subway sandwich give light to our new destination, Lake Tahoe; 136 miles, seems doable.

Sometimes the best plans are those that come up unexpectedly, so here we are in South Lake Tahoe, a cute little ski town on the south boarder of Lake Tahoe.   A late spring snow fall has left its mark on the peaks and in the woods and all around this beautiful lake.  Even at 6,000 feet, the air temperature is a lovely 67 degrees.  The sky is crystal clear; no fog here.

Here are some fun Lake Tahoe facts.  The lake is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide but average depth of the lake is 1000 feet, yes I said average.  The water clarity, although not the 100 feet it used to be is still a pristine 60 feet.  There is no doubt about it, this is one beautiful lake.

The lake is surrounded by gorgeous mountains.  Preferring hiking over skiing; we opt for the Eagle trail, the trail head, just beyond the Emerald Bay lookout.

It is a nice easy hike to the Vista and the falls; such a beautiful morning to be hiking.  

  

This has been such a nice surprise.  We have met many very nice people here on our short visit, even some who were originally from Minnesota before settling in this beautiful place.  Thank you Lake Tahoe, we will meet again.

California Pacific Coast Highway 1

 For as long as I remember, I have wanted to drive along the California coast on Highway 1.  The drive along the Central California coast did not disappoint. The hair pin turns, steep cliffs and wild blue waves breaking on the black rock below often long pauses where words would add nothing.

Just north of the Hearst Castle, nice digs by the way, is the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery. Hunted nearly to extinction for their oil-rich blubber, elephant seals have made a remarkable comeback. You can see them swimming in the waves all along the coast.  They are not small animals, guess that is why they call them elephant seals, eh?

For about the next 90 miles, the road winds and hugs the cliffs of Big Sur, passing various coastal parks in the area. Turn after turn, each breath taking view is more beautiful than the last.  When the road does leave the coast for a few miles and goes through a redwood forest in the Big Sur River valley.   A MUST for anyone who  has not experienced this ride, I would highly recommend it.  It would be great on a motorcycle.

Carmel is a seaside village for the rich and famous, and those who would like to be.  Beach houses in the oceanfront town are close together and modest, cute shops and trendy little restaurants line the main street of downtown.  Just what a Brad wanted after a day of wine tasting.   The fog rolled in so that you could see the beach and the breakers, but little else.  We sat in the sand and watched the dogs play just the same.

Our room reservation was at a place billed as, a quaint, romantic little inn.  Well they had the little, right and if quaint means thin walls they got that right too—just a little too romance in the suite next door for us so we moved ourselves down the road to the Mission Inn.    Really funny, now thinking back; however, that audio clip is burned into my memory.   We settle in to our new place for a quiet nights rest.  The forecast is for even more fog tomorrow so it is time for Plan B!   

Paso Robles

There is a mystique with wine.  Yes, I love a great glass of wine shared with friends, but for me it is more than that.  In every glass I can feel the people that went into it; the vines, grown from sticks, flown from the other side of the world, the hands that pick the grapes, the expert wine masters who choose the methods and the beauty of nature, every changing, adding this year’s magic ingredient.

California is wine country; it is part of the landscape and culture.  A large part of the state focused on growing grapes, wine production, distribution and consumption; waiters in many restaurants are as knowledgeable about the wines as the pourers at the fine wineries.  This place knows and loves it’s wine. California produces 90 percent of the wine consumed in the US; if California was a separate country, it would be the fourth largest producer in the world.

There are four distinct wine regions, today, we are heading to the Central Coast region, specifically, Paso Robles. Boasting of 26,000 acres of vineyards and 200 wineries, this is lesser known than Napa or Sonoma.  Wine tours and tasting is a large part of what keeps these wineries going; we are committed to help the local economy.  We pick two, one with good view, and one with a good outlaw story. 

The drive along Highway 46 is beautiful; the view as we drive up the mountain road breathtaking.  Calcareous is the Latin word describing the chalky, limestone soil that makes up this area, it is also the destination as we climb to this lovely perch 1800 feet above the Salinas Valley.

The story goes that Lloyd, “boots” Messer and his daughter Dana had a dream realized when they acquired this land in 2000. Hard work turned it into a notable vineyard and winery. On his passing in 2006, Dana’s sister, Erika, came to help Dana guide the operation.

Our next stop is Tobin James. I bet you can not guess what draws us here? 

Frank was 7 and Jessie 3 when their minister father and Uncle Drury left Missouri to preach to the gold miners of California; the year was 1850.  Their law-biding uncle is actually given credit as the co-founder of Paso Robles.   Years later when Frank and Jessie, now part of the infamous James-Younger gang, found respite in the nearby hot springs.

Jessie once stood at this bar.  Tobin James, no relation, purchased this bar and had it shipped here. Very cool and it looks like Brad has had enough of this wine stuff; time to head back.