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| Quintessential
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Quintessential Tours Clients - Pat and Joan
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| About Pat and Joan
| About their Trip | Letter
from Pat | Photos
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| Trip Length: |
4 Days |
| Pickup
Date: |
September 27th |
| Drop-off
Date: |
September 30th |
| Rough Distance Traveled:
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570 Miles |
| Pickup Location: |
Radisson Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco |
| Drop-off Location: |
Red Lion Hanalei, San Diego |
| Overnights: |
Carmel, Cambria, Santa Barbara |
| Group Size: |
2 adults |
| Vehicle: |
Passenger Van |
| Guide: |
Bob Cunningham |
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| San Francisco |
Several days prior
to pick-up |
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We picked up Pat and Joan mid-morning
at their hotel in San Francisco, where
they had spent a few days seeing "the
City" on their own. We headed
immediately south, eschewing the fog-bound
coast for Skyline Drive, which runs
down the center of the Santa Cruz
Mountains.
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| Santa Cruz Mountains |
En
route to Monterey Peninsula |
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After a scenic drive, the fun began
with a train ride through redwood
forests. Joan, who is an active environmentalist,
particularly interested in trees,
this was a rewarding place to begin
the trip. We rejoined the coast in
the small town of Davenport, where
we stopped for a quick lunch, before
continuing south to Monterey.
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| Monterey Peninula |
1 night |
| We arrived in Monterey
in the early afternoon, and took the
rest of the day and much of the following
morning exploring. |
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| Monterey Peninsula
Highlights |
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Visited the Monterey
Bay Aquarium. The jellyfish exhibit
was particularly popular. |
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Took a slow drive
around Lover's Point and 17-mile
Drive, stopping to walk along
the coast, and spot several well-camouflaged
harbor seals. |
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Joan indulged her
love of jazz with a visit to the
KRML radio studio, situated in
downtown Carmel by the Sea. |
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We
began our search for the Pinus
radiata, the Monterey Pine. More
on that below. |
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| Big Sur and San
Simeon/Cambria |
1 night |
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We took a late start on the trip
south out of Carmel, and enjoyed a
leisurely drive through the Big Sur
Coast, stopping several times for
photos, including at McWay Waterfall,
where we took the short walk out to
this secluded overlook.
We rolled into Cambria in the early
evening, and the ladies turned in
after an early dinner.
We had booked the accessible tour
of Hearst Castle for the following
day. Because that tour is only offered
at specific times, we had some time
to kill before getting back on the
road for the trip to Santa Barbara.
While Joan and Pat checked email and
looked at a couple of local art galleries,
I continued the quest for knowledge
that we'd begun in Monterey.
Pinus radiata, or the Monterey Pine,
is a vital timber crop in Australia.
Here in California, the species has
been affected by a canker that's destroyed
its viability as a productive crop.
With the species being so vital to
Australia's economy, there is, of
course, great concern that the infection
doesn't spread across the Pacific.
Joan had been working with an Australian
senator on the issue, and was hoping
to find examples of the canker to
photograph and take home.
So, while the ladies were exploring
art galleries in the village of Cambria,
I sought out the local California
Department of Forestry station. I
struck gold here, finding an expert
on the subject. So, before visiting
Hearst Castle, I brought Pat and Joan
up to the station, and we were treated
to an expert's discourse on the canker,
its effect on the Monterey Pine, and
also on the Cambria Pine, which has
proven to be immune to the canker.
Joan was able to get several pictures
of the canker on different trees,
and return to Australia with more
knowledge on the subject than she'd
come with.
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| Big Sur, San Simeon
and Cambria Highlights |
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The short, and easy
walk to the McWay Waterfall; in
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. |
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The great Pinus
Radiata canker hunt. |
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Hearst Castle, where
the accessible tour made it possible
for Joan to enjoy a tour that
features quite a few hills and
stairs. |
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| Santa Barbara |
1 night |
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After Hearst Castle tour, the afternoon
was getting on, so we pretty much
bee-lined it for Santa Barbara, with
a stop along the way in Solvang. Before
saying our good-nights, we discussed
options for the following day, which
we'd left open. The two things that
seemed to be most appealing to the
two were:
-an afternoon of artistic indulgence
at the Getty Center
-a back-to-childhood day with a visit
to Disneyland
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| DISNEYLAND! |
1/2 Day |
| I was both surprised and
delighted with the ladies' decision
to go to Disneyland on their final day
with me. This would prove to be one
of the highlight days of our 2007 season
for me. See
more below. |
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| Disneyland Highlights
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The ladies screaming
like teens to the thrills of "Star
Tours." |
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Getting a bit misty-eyed
at "It's a Small World." |
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The newly revamped
"Pirates of the Caribbean." |
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| San Diego |
Several |
| After a long day at Disneyland,
we finished up with a nighttime drive
into San Diego where I would part ways
with the two. They would continue their
holiday on for several more days in
San Diego, and a trip to Las Vegas and
the Grand Canyon. |
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Having left the last day of the itinerary unplanned,
we discussed a couple of options on our last night
together in Santa Barbara. I was pleasantly surprised
when I arrived to pick Pat and Joan up in the
morning, and they informed me that they had decided
to do Disneyland. It would turn out to be a highlight
day not just for Pat and Joan, but one of the
most memorable of the 2007 season for me.
When we arrived at Disneyland, the ladies asked
me to join them. I carefully weighed the pros
and the cons. A day at Disneyland? Work on my
laptop at Starbucks? And back and forth I went.
After an agonizing second and a half, I took the
ladies up on their offer, and we headed for the
entrance booth.
While we were walking towards the park entrance,
it quickly became clear that, given the sheer
size of the park, Joan (who was operating with
only one lung) was going to have a very tough
time trying to enjoy it on foot. Fortunately,
I was able to recommend that we rent a wheelchair
at a rental counter located just inside the park
entrance. This allowed us to move freely about
the park, and as an added bonus, we were afforded
front-of-the-line access to all park rides. It
also allowed me to burn a few calories while pushing
Joan through the Magic Kingdom.
A bit nervous of some of the more exciting thrill
rides, we were all a bit nervous about Star Tours,
which is a high-paced ride that simulates space
flight. I did my best to explain how much of a
"thrill" this attraction could be, and
feeling sufficiently warned, the ladies decided
to make a go of it. 20 seconds into the space
flight, I heard Pat whooping it up like a 17-year
old on a high speed motorcycle. "THAT WAS
BRILLIANT!!" was the universally agreed assessment
as we exited the simulator.
The day moved on, and included the Pirates of
the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion, Jungle Boat
and other great attractions. But the highlight
of the day for me was undoubtedly while we were
waiting in line at "It's a Small World."
In one of those, "everyone's still a kid
at heart" moments, Joan got a little choked
up as the top of the hour came about, and "Small
World's" grandiose clock began doing its
thing. This was the kind of happy day that people
who have had a close brush with death appreciate
more than most. I believe that moment at "Small
World" was simply the point that her appreciation
for survival and for happy days reached its highest
poignancy. For me, having played my role in making
the day happen, it was a moment of "this
is why I do this."
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