9-6 thru 7, 2016 Half Moon Bay, California

We...

...spent some time camping at beautiful Half Moon Bay Beach State Park watching waves, waterbirds, surfers, a seal, and even a whale.

One afternoon we commuted to San Francisco to visit the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

 

Moonrise over the Pacific.

9-5-2016 San Jose, California

Apple headquarters are located in Cupertino, near San Jose.  The main buildings on this large corporate campus line a circular drive called Infinite Loop.  

Number One, the largest building, and Number Six.

In San Jose we stopped at the Winchester House, built continuously at the turn of the century by the heiress to the Winchester Rifle fortune.  She believed that as long as she continued to remodel the home she would be safe from the spirits of those who were killed by the Winchester rifle.  The result is a house with 160 rooms, 10,000 windows, 2,000 doors, and stairs that lead nowhere. 

We drove past a branch of the San Jose Public Library.

Our next stop was the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum with its stunningly accurate reproductions of ancient Egyptian architecture and statuary…

…bottle-brush flowers…

…and a goldfish pond.

The original Mission of San Jose, built in 1797, was destroyed by an earthquake in 1868.  This most recent reconstruction was completed in 1985.

Some of the original, hand-carved statuary was saved and placed in the reconstructed church.

We stopped at a unique McDonald’s in the San Jose Mission area,…

…perhaps the only McDonald’s with Gregorian Chant inscribed on the wall.

We arrived at Half Moon Bay beach in time to set up our tent before sunset.

9-7-2016 Half Moon Bay, California

We're in an area with limited wi-fi connection; back ASAP.

9-4-2016 San Jose, California

On September 3 we stopped to see the California State Capitol...

...in downtown Sacramento.

There were other state government buildings nearby, including the State Library.

In the afternoon we visited the California State Indian Museum, one of the best we have seen, but no photography was permitted.

Next we went to nearby Sutter's Fort, built by a Swiss immigrant, John Sutter, who obtained a substantial land grant in the mid-1800s in this area.  He named it New Helvetia (New Switzerland), part of which became Sacramento.  The discovery of gold in the area by some of Sutter's workers started the California Gold Rush.  Sutter's Fort as it appeared in 1847.

Today, September 4, after dealing with police and insurance reports, we exchanged our damaged car for a new one and drove back to Martinez to visit John Muir's home.

As a youth, Muir created many inventions, including an "alarm clock" which simply but effectively dumped sleepers onto the floor.  As an adult he became passionate about the beauty and power of nature.  It was at this desk in his "Scribble Den," one of three pieces of furniture original to the home, where he wrote most of his articles and books that inspired the beginnings of the conservation movement.

TRAVEL TEASE:  Ancient Egyptians, missionaries and a house with 2,000 windows and 10,000 doors.

9-3, 2016 Martinez, California

The intent of road trips is to have new, exciting adventures every day.  Tonight's adventure was having a window in our car smashed and Jim's camera stolen.  Tomorrow we find the local Enterprise rental agency and either get the car fixed or trade it for another.

9-1 and 9-2-2016 Sacramento, California

On September 1 we drove to Sacramento.  On the way, we stopped in Redding, California, to see the Sundial Bridge, a foot bridge designed by Santiago Calatrava that spans the Sacramento River.

The next day we visited Old Sacramento on the first day of "Gold Rush Days," a local celebration of Sacramento's history.  Sacramento was the western terminus of the Transcontinental Railway and has an outstanding railroad museum.

Although they were probably not here during the Gold Rush, we stopped by the Spud Shack...

...a kite store...

...and a sock store.

After supper we walked along the Sacramento River.

 TRAVEL TEASE:  In his youth, he invented an "alarm clock" that dumped people out of bed.

8-31, 2016 Lassen Volcanic National Park, California

Forty-eight hours without cell coverage, electricity or indoor plumbing has its rewards: silence, dark starry nights, and...

In May, 1915, Benjamin Loomis, who lived near 10,000-foot Mt. Lassen in northern California, photographed a massive eruption of the volcano.

An entire face of the mountain was blown away, devastating that side of the mountain and land below for three miles.

Mt. Lassen and several other mountains here are active volcanoes that are being monitored by seismologists.

Visitors can see evidence of current geothermal activity throughout the park, as in boiling mudpots and sulphur springs.

We drove more terrifying mountain roads...

...and hiked some trails.

We were rewarded with...