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| Trip Length: |
4 Days |
| Pickup Date:
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September 27th |
| Drop-off Date:
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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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