Month: March 2010

OK, on to the rest of our California adventure. We went to the winery that Julie and Mike recommended: Benzinger Estate. Although the Benzinger family was very popular in an earlier time, they have down-sized to a small, quality focused operation. They use a closed system to produce their wine. It’s very organic and quite refreshing to see. So, when we finally got to the barrels and tasting, it was with full appreciation of the process that we sampled their delicious product.

Julie and Mike gave us their special access passes that enabled us to try Benzinger’s best wine, It was certainly worth it. Admittedly, I didn’t know much about California wine before, but suffice it to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality.

After our time in Sonoma (where we also celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary), we drove south along Big Sur. It was an epic drive, as anyone who has done it can attest. Although we did the drive in a single day, we were able to stop a number of times and enjoy the journey.

Several stops were along 17 Mile Drive around and through Pebble Beach. If you look closely, you can see the lone cypress in the background.

The coast along the whole route was gorgeous.

Anna caught me trying to get an image of the seal island. It’s funny, I recalled stopping at the same place as a kid. Interesting what you remember.

The image I was taking.

There were seals all over! Very cute and playful.

Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park has a dramatic waterfall we stopped to admire (again on Julie/Mike’s recommendation). A worthy stop and view.

The same waterfalls.

The other side of the falls’ overlook.

A ground squirrel.

Some bi-valves waiting for water to return with the tide.

At the end of our Big Sur drive we came upon a series of beaches with Elephant Seals. These massive animals were fascinating to watch. We spent quite a while admiring these enormous creatures.

These mammals spend 8-10 months a year in the open ocean. The remainder of the time, they can be found in places like this beach.

December to March is the time where males bluster and flight for dominance and ultimately, males and females court and mate.

These animals were also very gassy.

A happy family. There are nearly 15,000 in the area we visited (although we only saw a fraction of that population).

A couple males fighting. These guys can not only spar with ferocity, but also dive to a depth nearly a mile deep and hold their breath for a couple hours. Those are some impressive skills.

A pelican enjoying the benefits of the ground effect.

The sunset was amazing. We were on a bluff overlooking the ocean with Julie and Mike near their home. It was a great afternoon and evening.

The coast bathed in the same sunset light.

That concludes our trip to California. What a great place and we really enjoyed spending more quality time with Julie and Mike. We look forward to seeing them again soon.
Next up will be a couple posts of our time in Washington DC this year. I’ve selected some images that are my favorites from the last few months here.
Finally, I will add a few more posts of our last trip. We took a “baby-moon” down to Florida with some time in Key West, then a cruise over to central America. But, first, back to Washington…
–Jim

I know it has again been too long since my last post. No excuses, but we’ve been finishing up our language classes in DC and are now en route to our new home in France. However, I would like to catch you up with our trip over the holidays. We spent a week in Wisconsin with friends and family, then flew out to San Francisco and drove down to Los Angeles to celebrate New Year’s with Julie and Mike. Before I get too far in the story, here are the images to accompany it:

The Golden Gate Bridge made a spectacular appearance for us.

As you might expect, we hopped on the only moving national landmark … the SF trolley.

The hills are as steep as I remember from childhood trips, but there were not nearly as many as I thought.

We also made the obligatory stop on Lombard Avenue to witness one of the curviest roads in the world. Me being me, I ignored the fact that I was sitting in an intersection.

Interesting sign, huh?

Someone was kind enough to take our picture.

This battleship was a majestic foreground to Alcatraz Island.

The Buena Vista bar on Hyde Street had authentic Irish coffees that were delicious. The process was an art form.



As we walked toward Fisherman’s Wharf, we hopped on a small charter boat to tour the bay.

She looks like a lucky lady, but I don’t know if I’d push my luck in a storm with her…

The boat took us out around the old maximum security prison, Alcatraz, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge and back to the wharf. The next few images are all of the Golden Gate Bridge and our little craft.




We also had a chance to tour this WWII submarine, the USS Pampanito. It was built in late 1943 and completed 6 combat patrols, including a couple near our old home in Guam.

The red lights kept night vision, and avoided using white light during critical missions.

Anna’s inspecting the map … ensuring we were on the right course.

Torpedo tubes loaded.

We again headed out to Alcatraz Island. This time, we opted to stop and tour the facility. Its infamy lives on today. It began as a military fort in the civil war, then a military prison and was closed as a federal prison in 1963 (it was cost prohibitive). When it became excess land, a group of Native American’s moved out to the island in order to occupy it. Their rationale was that by treaty in 1868, all excess land should be returned to them. However, the government didn’t want to let the island go, and a lengthy dispute ensued. Eventually, the island was turned into a national park. When you visit the island, there are remnants of all phases of the life on the island.


This magazine (one I enjoy reading from time to time) is representative of an inmate’s cell in the 1960s.

This is the view of the cell as it looked one night in June 1962. There were four prisoners who attempted to escape the purportedly inescapable Alcatraz. Of those four, three (Frank Morris and brothers Clarence and John Anglin) were able to get out of their cells and use a homemade life raft to attempt the impossible. The dummy in the bed gave them a little longer head start. The vent in the back is where the men were able to get out. Then, they proceeded into the wall, and eventually off the island.

Here is the back side of the wall where Frank, Clarence and John all worked their way out.

The San Francisco skyline.

Muir woods is the home to some of the world’s largest trees, the California Redwood. Not only are these trees massive, but also ancient. Some are thousands of years old. It’s humbling to walk among them.


We walked among the giants with our friend Gabriele.
These next images are again of the Golden Gate Bridge … this time at night.




This is the Bay Bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland.

That finished our time in San Fran. Next we headed to the wine country in Sonoma County for a couple days, then down Big Sur to meet Julie and Mike in Los Angeles.
Those images and the story of that adventure will be in the next post. Until then…
–Jim