It was a decently long drive from northern part of the state, but I made it safely at a decent time to my next destination so I could get some sleep. Every time I mention going to California I am told that I simply must visit Napa Valley. I woke up relatively early and spent a few minutes walking around some of the shops of a nearby outdoor mall where the Chamber of Commerce was located. Though it was about an hour before opening time, one of the employees was coming in early for a meeting and let me in so I could pick up a map and guide book. She was quite pleasant and even spent some time giving out pointers. I took my time heading up the valley and made a bunch of stops along the way to check out the endless fields of grapes. There was a consistent sweet aroma in the air as I walked among some of the trestles with their hanging fruit in various stages of growth. With so many choices, it was hard to determine which of the dozens of wineries I should visit, but I decided to on the Sterling Winery because of the gondola ride it offered (which was a little cheaper with the coupon given to me at the Chamber of Commerce). Though not very long, the self-guided tour was informative to a neophyte like me and educated one on the steps it takes to produce the wine. The tour led though the operations plant where the fermentation process was discussed while the barrel rooms had high stacks of wine that was in the final stages of aging. Included in the tour was of course a series of wine tastings in hope one would be enticed to purchase some bottles.
I'm not a connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, but I did enjoy the chance to sample a wide range of products. I finally settled on one of the more sweet dessert wines to bring home. I decided to have a good lunch downtown and was able to pick up an Internet connect and charge my batteries while taking the opportunity to rest for a bit. I would have like to check out some more of the wineries but figure that there really isn't much of a variation among them other than the end product and personalized techniques used in growing and production. Just the valley view and chance to finally learn a bit more about the process first hand was definitely a worthwhile experience.
My last stop before hitting San Francisco was Mt. Diablo, whose name for some reason was stuck in my head as Mt. Doom, State Park. Though it does not have any waterfalls or population of bears, it does have some features that make it quite unique. It is said that except for Mt. Kilimanjaro, a view from the summit will allow one to see more land than anywhere else in the world. This is owed to the fact that all the land around the base is quite flat without any other mountain ranges nearby to block the view. Apparently the part of the road to the top was under construction and wouldn't be open to traffic until after 5:30, so the ranger suggest I check out a nearby spot called Rock City. This site had several sandstone formations that have eroded over the centuries into various interesting shapes such as Elephant Rock (pictured left). There was a trail nearby that is said to have examples of almost every geologic period visible. Unfortunately it was a bit warm and I just didn't have the energy to do a lot more walking. By the time I finished walking around the area, the access had opened up. It was another few miles of winding road to get to the top, but after getting there I figured that even a long hike would have made the effort worthwhile. Due to the road work and late hour, there was absolutely no one else around. One strange thing that was there was the presence of several dozen dragonflys. I never noticed them elsewhere in the park and it did look weird to have so many flying around, but it was a fun sight to witness. The observation tower was open and provide quite extensive views of the surrounding area.
If it was not for what I assumed to be a fog bank, I would have guess that I would be able to see San Francisco bay in the far distance. The panoramic pictures do not come out quite so well in the blog, but you can get get a good look on the scrolling film strips below.
Heading out of the park I made for the final leg of my trip towards San Francisco. I had been here about 5 years ago when visiting a friend, but this was the first time I was able to drive around. I took the Oakland Bridge to the downtown area and parked in the familiar Fisherman's Wharf area. The shops were still quite alive as the evening sun started to set, though I was quite surprised as to how cold it was and would have guessed it to be in the upper 50s. I spent some time walking around the piers and enjoying a but of people watching as the various tourists walked by. As is tradition for me, every adventure has to have ice cream! In celebration for my last night in San Francisco I indulged in a waffle cone of frozen yogart (cannot be too bad at least!) at Ben & Jerry's along the Wharf. I finally drove over to Lombard Street and drove down to the bottom of the most curved street in the world and tried to get a couple of night shots. I then walked around some of the downtown area enjoying the evening ambiance and getting a few architectural shots. If I had more time to hang out, I bet I could have gotten some really neat shots with the time exposure, but I was getting pretty tired so after about 20 minutes I headed to the point near the golden Gate Bridge. There was plenty of parking in the park area, so I got read to bed for the night. As I was about to go to sleep I heard the fog horn sounding in the distance. Since I had not been in an environment where this was common, I grabbed my camera and tripod and walked a mile or so to good vantage point of the bridge. the fog had already gotten so think as to obscure much of the bridge above the roadway.
The red hazard lights in the distance gave nice eerie glow and made for some great visuals, especially combined with the constant chilly breeze. I finally headed back and felt comfortable sleeping in the near literal shadow of the bridge and close enough to the water to hear it splashing on the seawall rocks.
It was a decently long drive from northern part of the state, but I made it safely at a decent time to my next destination so I could get some sleep. Every time I mention going to California I am told that I simply must visit Napa Valley. I woke up relatively early and spent a few minutes walking around some of the shops of a nearby outdoor mall where the Chamber of Commerce was located. Though it was about an hour before opening time, one of the employees was coming in early for a meeting and let me in so I could pick up a map and guide book. She was quite pleasant and even spent some time giving out pointers. I took my time heading up the valley and made a bunch of stops along the way to check out the endless fields of grapes. There was a consistent sweet aroma in the air as I walked among some of the trestles with their hanging fruit in various stages of growth. With so many choices, it was hard to determine which of the dozens of wineries I should visit, but I decided to on the Sterling Winery because of the gondola ride it offered (which was a little cheaper with the coupon given to me at the Chamber of Commerce). Though not very long, the self-guided tour was informative to a neophyte like me and educated one on the steps it takes to produce the wine. The tour led though the operations plant where the fermentation process was discussed while the barrel rooms had high stacks of wine that was in the final stages of aging. Included in the tour was of course a series of wine tastings in hope one would be enticed to purchase some bottles. 
I'm not a connoisseur by any stretch of the imagination, but I did enjoy the chance to sample a wide range of products. I finally settled on one of the more sweet dessert wines to bring home. I decided to have a good lunch downtown and was able to pick up an Internet connect and charge my batteries while taking the opportunity to rest for a bit. I would have like to check out some more of the wineries but figure that there really isn't much of a variation among them other than the end product and personalized techniques used in growing and production. Just the valley view and chance to finally learn a bit more about the process first hand was definitely a worthwhile experience.
My last stop before hitting San Francisco was Mt. Diablo, whose name for some reason was stuck in my head as Mt. Doom, State Park. Though it does not have any waterfalls or population of bears, it does have some features that make it quite unique. It is said that except for Mt. Kilimanjaro, a view from the summit will allow one to see more land than anywhere else in the world. This is owed to the fact that all the land around the base is quite flat without any other mountain ranges nearby to block the view. Apparently the part of the road to the top was under construction and wouldn't be open to traffic until after 5:30, so the ranger suggest I check out a nearby spot called Rock City. This site had several sandstone formations that have eroded over the centuries into various interesting shapes such as Elephant Rock (pictured left). There was a trail nearby that is said to have examples of almost every geologic period visible. Unfortunately it was a bit warm and I just didn't have the energy to do a lot more walking. By the time I finished walking around the area, the access had opened up. It was another few miles of winding road to get to the top, but after getting there I figured that even a long hike would have made the effort worthwhile. Due to the road work and late hour, there was absolutely no one else around. One strange thing that was there was the presence of several dozen dragonflys. I never noticed them elsewhere in the park and it did look weird to have so many flying around, but it was a fun sight to witness. The observation tower was open and provide quite extensive views of the surrounding area. 
If it was not for what I assumed to be a fog bank, I would have guess that I would be able to see San Francisco bay in the far distance. The panoramic pictures do not come out quite so well in the blog, but you can get get a good look on the scrolling film strips below.
Heading out of the park I made for the final leg of my trip towards San Francisco. I had been here about 5 years ago when visiting a friend, but this was the first time I was able to drive around. I took the Oakland Bridge to the downtown area and parked in the familiar Fisherman's Wharf area. The shops were still quite alive as the evening sun started to set, though I was quite surprised as to how cold it was and would have guessed it to be in the upper 50s. I spent some time walking around the piers and enjoying a but of people watching as the various tourists walked by. As is tradition for me, every adventure has to have ice cream! In celebration for my last night in San Francisco I indulged in a waffle cone of frozen yogart (cannot be too bad at least!) at Ben & Jerry's along the Wharf. I finally drove over to Lombard Street and drove down to the bottom of the most curved street in the world and tried to get a couple of night shots. I then walked around some of the downtown area enjoying the evening ambiance and getting a few architectural shots. If I had more time to hang out, I bet I could have gotten some really neat shots with the time exposure, but I was getting pretty tired so after about 20 minutes I headed to the point near the golden Gate Bridge. There was plenty of parking in the park area, so I got read to bed for the night. As I was about to go to sleep I heard the fog horn sounding in the distance. Since I had not been in an environment where this was common, I grabbed my camera and tripod and walked a mile or so to good vantage point of the bridge. the fog had already gotten so think as to obscure much of the bridge above the roadway. 
The red hazard lights in the distance gave nice eerie glow and made for some great visuals, especially combined with the constant chilly breeze. I finally headed back and felt comfortable sleeping in the near literal shadow of the bridge and close enough to the water to hear it splashing on the seawall rocks.
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