I have been in pursuit of a whole house fan for almost a year.
My coffee drinking buddy had two installed in his house over a year ago. But his house has got more square feet than ours by quite a bit.
My mother and father-in-law had one in their Ft Collins, Colorado home. It replaced the ubiquitous 20 inch fans they brought out each evening to eat dinner beside and watch the news. They worked reasonably well and my wife was completely sold for them in the Colorado climate. Their temperature, a good dry heat most of the time was completely abrogated by the afternoon cloud cover and the by 3:30 there was no more build up to the heat and most people endured their summer weather without air conditioning. The whole house fan was installed to reduce the evening heat build up in the attic and to draw cool air in from the windows especially when it came time to bed time. The 20 inch fans worked wonders in drawing cool air into the living spaces and making the evenings pleasant indoors but they failed to address the issue of very hot attics that returned the heat to the living space after the fans were turned off. My mother and father-in-law would have the whole house fan work just an hour or two and summer evening and could come indoors away from the pesky mosquitoes that tortured outdoor living.
The central valley summer night heat is another animal. Our heat generally continues to fire through the afternoon and into the evening until the sun goes down. Then in a couple of hours 10 to 15 degrees are dropped out of the 90 plus degree temperatures reaching our coolest temperature about 2 am sometimes in the 60's. From 11am through to the evening we live under the air and the the attic even though vented with 3 turbines and end cap releases still harbor air most of the night. Our "cool" water at the sink doesn't get cool without running quite a bit of it as the attic temperature heats the copper pipes as the water makes it way to the various spots it is used in the house.
So how would a whole house fan work in that environment? Using outside air that is warmer than what you have cool using air conditioning doesn't make sense. Our inside air is set at 78 degrees. The air needs to be below that temperature to be affective. The use of the whole house fan before 9 am is when the most effective use of the fan is noted. On many weeks we have days that the temperature does not reach 90 degrees. Those days can be very effective for evening use of the fan.
The fan takes the outside air from windows that are opened and doors that are opened and shoots the indoor air up into the attic and eventually in less than 30 minutes the outside air into the attic too. The house stays cooler longer with realistic attic temperatures. Windows need to opened to allow the air to come inside. The wider the window is opened the more air flows into the room. At least 3 windows need to opened or the fan could crack your windows.
This year at the fair there was vendor that was selling the fan and installation. They would provide a 300 dollar discount if you signed up at the fair. They had a booth at the Merced county fair but Sue wasn't with me when I went in to find out the particulars. So it got set aside. At the Stanislaus County Fair they were there too. Sue was with me and we signed up. One week later and 1600 dollars later it was installed in our main hall.
A member of the two man install team crawled up into my attic at 7:30 am. He pulled away from the attic floor the insulation and sunk four holes into my ceiling wallboard with nails. From those four nails, after carefully measuring from down below, a saws-all type saw cut the hole that they mounted the frame for the louvers. Out in the front 2x6 wooden framing was fabricated and lifted into place and supported by my ceiling truss. The fan was positioned and and secured in place. Electrical was found and attached to the dead doorbell connection. The wall mounted control area was located just under the programmable thermostat. No exposed wires were needed. It also came with a thin remote control. The louvers were installed on the outside of the frame and a stopper peg was installed so that the louvers would not stay open. A quick run through and check was made of the remote and the various positions on the device. The two guys brought in a power vac and cleaned up after themselves and were out the door with my check in hand in just under 2 hours.
Sue was not too happy about where it was installed. She thinks that she will end up staring at from the living room way too often. I reminded her that she could have had a say in where it was going to be but opted out. That didn't win me any friends. She thinks that she will get used to its location eventually.
Right now we are using it almost every night to get the house under its 78 degree cooling temp. Most nights it can drop the temperature in the house to under 72 degrees... as far as comfort ... it is yummy. Yesterday was the first night that we did not use it. The outside temperature did not drop to under 78 until after 2:30. We kind of missed out cool breeze. It still worked pretty nicely when I fired it up this morning at 7:00 and shut it down to let the air conditioning take its place at 10:30.
The company works out of Sacramento and Fresno sending installation teams all over the valley. The installer said that he had put in over 200 of them last year. This year he seems to be doing more. The Sacramento team was doing about the same.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Tuesday, July 8, 2014
Post Forth of July
It is just after the forth of July in Merced. It can now be hot... although it has been pretty hot in the valley all Summer.
We are going through what the meteorologists call a Monsoon weather pattern. This often occurs this time of the year. It is what gives Western Mexico its yearly rain accumulation numbers. It also brings "weather" to places like Las Vegas. Massive cloud cover has been the order for the day in Merced, but not a drop of rain has fallen. It has been much to hot for rain. You smell rain in the air but it evaporates before it hits the ground.
We are supposed to reach 106 today and would have been that hot if we didn't have that cover of clouds yesterday. It only reached 97. It was one of those rare days when you could say... it is hot really hot but it is a dry heat.... no it wasn't a dry heat and surely wasn't going to be either. Today started somewhat the same way. The clouds, however broke and scurried to the mountains before noon so the earth could heat up.
We are down to watering lawns just two days a week. In past years even in drought years, we have been allowed to water for three days as a part of our not having water meters. This city has some ancient water rights even though our city water comes from wells deep below the surface. water is not supposed to end up in the gutters. As it is now, if water ends up in the gutters it is quickly dissipated by evaporation.
It has been estimated by some scientists that it takes 35 years for the water to peculate from the surface to underground reserves that we use on a daily basis. All around Merced and many other valley communities have huge evaporation areas areas around development so that excess water is allowed to get into the ground water during winter storms.
This year was particularly parched around here. Merced had the lowest rainfall in many years. We had just 4.5 inches of rain for the entire season. The average for this region is about 12-14 inches of rain. Water and water rights in the west have always been an issue of contention. In the future it will be even more important as we balance interests of Ag and their need to support their businesses with water and the needs of a growing population that needs water for domestic needs as well as recreation.
We are going through what the meteorologists call a Monsoon weather pattern. This often occurs this time of the year. It is what gives Western Mexico its yearly rain accumulation numbers. It also brings "weather" to places like Las Vegas. Massive cloud cover has been the order for the day in Merced, but not a drop of rain has fallen. It has been much to hot for rain. You smell rain in the air but it evaporates before it hits the ground.
We are supposed to reach 106 today and would have been that hot if we didn't have that cover of clouds yesterday. It only reached 97. It was one of those rare days when you could say... it is hot really hot but it is a dry heat.... no it wasn't a dry heat and surely wasn't going to be either. Today started somewhat the same way. The clouds, however broke and scurried to the mountains before noon so the earth could heat up.
We are down to watering lawns just two days a week. In past years even in drought years, we have been allowed to water for three days as a part of our not having water meters. This city has some ancient water rights even though our city water comes from wells deep below the surface. water is not supposed to end up in the gutters. As it is now, if water ends up in the gutters it is quickly dissipated by evaporation.
It has been estimated by some scientists that it takes 35 years for the water to peculate from the surface to underground reserves that we use on a daily basis. All around Merced and many other valley communities have huge evaporation areas areas around development so that excess water is allowed to get into the ground water during winter storms.
This year was particularly parched around here. Merced had the lowest rainfall in many years. We had just 4.5 inches of rain for the entire season. The average for this region is about 12-14 inches of rain. Water and water rights in the west have always been an issue of contention. In the future it will be even more important as we balance interests of Ag and their need to support their businesses with water and the needs of a growing population that needs water for domestic needs as well as recreation.
Friday, June 13, 2014
Merced Fair Time 2014
The temperature outside has finally cooled down a bit from the highs last week. Anything over 100 and we all are major sissies. This week the fair came to town. The Marshall Tucker Band played last night. It was the premier act of the entertainment.
It seems that we are in the predicted drought of live entertainers. When Rap became a major player in the music scene, we old timers that could not understand its appeal spoke often of its lack of nostalgic elements. The quote goes something like this,"What will these kids remember when they are our age about their music?"
We had years as we grew up, a rich heritage of doo wap, folk and funk. Jazz translates and so do good casino entertainment. All fairs had a local "big band" that sorted out and supported the performers as they made it up and down the valley to the various county fairs. Rock bands even continued when their might be just one member left to carry on the franchise. Most of that is gone. Rap and modern country needs a different environment to be successful. Their are no "old Rap singers" hitting the county fair trails.
To be fair (no pun indended) are shorter and are trying to make it without the support of the an endangered activity, the horse race. All the fairs used to have a horse race component. The gambling taxes supported the fairs and their entertainment budgets. Not so much anymore.
In the commercial building, the small out of town hucksters with their miked up demos can now be seen monthly at your local Costco as they ply the same waters and hook the same customers... er fish. Public service booths are still there. They raffle away cool pocket prizes with a spin of the lucky wheel... clack clack clack. We have a winner here. The politics are still here with lots of buttons to push out.
Its kind of funny, the latest bit of news on the vendor front, is that Budweiser refused to pony up its $25k to be one of two beer vendors so with Coors jumping in with their 25K they have an exclusive. The cinnamon roll franchise always does better in the evening as the night air cools... just a little.
There are still lots of 4h and FFA exhibits both animals and mechanical. Fear is still generated by the carnival rides and the crane bungee jumps. Merced has a bring your entry to the fair at a given time and free admission will be offered to generate interest in their cooking contests... almonds, salsa and ribs in consecutive days.
Some art, but nothing compared to Alameda or Stanislaus County's fairs.
Still its local interest and something to do in Merced. And everyone knows that Merced needs someplace to go and something to do in the summertime. A local bullriding company is putting up its local bulls on Saturday night. Some of bulls have been used in the pro bull riding circuit. If its like last year, the bulls are better than the riders.... so it will be fun to see who stays on.
: ) Pat
It seems that we are in the predicted drought of live entertainers. When Rap became a major player in the music scene, we old timers that could not understand its appeal spoke often of its lack of nostalgic elements. The quote goes something like this,"What will these kids remember when they are our age about their music?"
We had years as we grew up, a rich heritage of doo wap, folk and funk. Jazz translates and so do good casino entertainment. All fairs had a local "big band" that sorted out and supported the performers as they made it up and down the valley to the various county fairs. Rock bands even continued when their might be just one member left to carry on the franchise. Most of that is gone. Rap and modern country needs a different environment to be successful. Their are no "old Rap singers" hitting the county fair trails.
To be fair (no pun indended) are shorter and are trying to make it without the support of the an endangered activity, the horse race. All the fairs used to have a horse race component. The gambling taxes supported the fairs and their entertainment budgets. Not so much anymore.
In the commercial building, the small out of town hucksters with their miked up demos can now be seen monthly at your local Costco as they ply the same waters and hook the same customers... er fish. Public service booths are still there. They raffle away cool pocket prizes with a spin of the lucky wheel... clack clack clack. We have a winner here. The politics are still here with lots of buttons to push out.
Its kind of funny, the latest bit of news on the vendor front, is that Budweiser refused to pony up its $25k to be one of two beer vendors so with Coors jumping in with their 25K they have an exclusive. The cinnamon roll franchise always does better in the evening as the night air cools... just a little.
There are still lots of 4h and FFA exhibits both animals and mechanical. Fear is still generated by the carnival rides and the crane bungee jumps. Merced has a bring your entry to the fair at a given time and free admission will be offered to generate interest in their cooking contests... almonds, salsa and ribs in consecutive days.
Some art, but nothing compared to Alameda or Stanislaus County's fairs.
Still its local interest and something to do in Merced. And everyone knows that Merced needs someplace to go and something to do in the summertime. A local bullriding company is putting up its local bulls on Saturday night. Some of bulls have been used in the pro bull riding circuit. If its like last year, the bulls are better than the riders.... so it will be fun to see who stays on.
: ) Pat
Monday, May 26, 2014
The Suite Life
Two Suite Selections
Suites in the Bay Area and Sacramento were what we got in our latest Hotwire.com encounters. We usually use hotwire to pick our hotels. This weekend Hotwire choose a couple of suite hotels for our use.
Variables in Hotwire.com
My variables in picking the selection in Hotwire measures off stars, all hotels are rated by stars, customer satisfaction rating and price. In Hotwire, hotels are offered by price and stars but not by name. Each hotel while not named has a customer satisfaction percentage that allows a judgement to be made on what percentage of the people who chose this accommodation were satisfied. My desired percentage is 80 percent or higher. Once a choice is made and paid for by paypal, the hotel name is revealed.
Amenities are also listed and may factor into the choice. If breakfast is included, that can save the traveler between 8 and 15 dollars per person. This is also critical if your stay is in a industrial setting where options for breakfast require getting in a car and traveling as well as finding your way back. Many of the business hotels in quasi-industrial areas have some very good deals because their usual business, the business expense traveler, is back at home on the weekends and these businesses do not look good in the occupancy ratings if they are left to languish on the weekends.
Particulars on a Lead up to a Memorial Day Vacation
Which brings us to our travel this last weekend. We were after an overnight in the San Francisco area on the Thursday before the Memorial Day Weekend. Sue and I were driving over to drop off a neighbor at the airport, see our daughter, look in on the museum and stay overnight. Transport into the city and back was provided by our truck so location in the city was not so important and we were not dependent upon an airport connection either. The best deals in the San Francisco Bay Area if the criteria we live in are met usually occur in the Oyster Point Area of San Francisco. It is important to pick a spot that doesn't require the traveler to pay for parking if possible. This can add up to 18 dollars to the final tote. These charges are somewhat mitigated in the Anaheim area in their resort fees as the hotels have shuttles that can save you 18 dollars plus in Disneyland parking fees.
Larkspur Landing in South San Francisco
This weekend we just happened to get two suites in the industrial areas selected as our overnight choices. Each had full kitchens and dining areas provided. Both were had parking lot views. One had flat sceeen tvs in both rooms while the other a flat screen tv in the kitchen living room area. Both were represented as handicapped accessible, and both were on the third floor.
In South San Francisco we spent the night at a Larkspur Landing Suites hotel. It is a Stash hotel. It comes with a great 50+ flat screen tv with a DVD player and selections of check out DVDs at the front desk. It had a very nice feather bed topper style bed that was very comfortable.
Accessible features in this one was a pull down shower chair in the tub with a removable shower head. An 18in toilet also is a nice addition. This one passes.
The art in the halls showed some taste. There were prints from Georgia O'Keef and a fly fishing print from one of the Taos collectives, Walter Ufer.
Overall this place has the look and feel of an upscale extended stay place.There was even a grocery store gofer service. You leave a list in the morning and they would have your groceries for you in the afternoon.
The night was quiet, and nestled inside the South San Francisco Industrial complex on the east side of 101 there didn't seem to be much going on in the cubicle jungles of buildings around us. Starbucks was not within walking distance. Breakfast was strictly continental with a healthy theme of a couple of oatmeal types and toasters brought into the business area off of the small check in lobby.
We used a smart phone app to get us to the site off of Gateway which is an extension of Grand Ave. with a whoops si doodle overpass for the freeway and the train tracks.
We used our truck to get some burritos from El Faro on El Camino. This happens to be Sue's favorite burrito spot.
Hawthorne Suites Inn Sacramento
The Friday night we were staying in Sacramento. Later I discovered that this weekend was Sacramento's famous Music Festival weekend. It used to be strictly Dixeland. It now has broken off and become Blues and Dixieland and Jazz. I think overall the downtown spots were reserved way before we did our hotwire search.
Our usual search leaves us with a Holiday Inn Express just blocks from the center of town for about 54 dollars a night. When you factor in breakfast it is a great deal. This night's deal was a 59 dollar selection that also claimed to be downtown.. but that was a stretch. Those people headed up to Redding on I 5 would recognize the Richardson turnoff as the last turnoff to the city before it becomes suburban.
There was just a removable shower head for their idea of accessibility. We were in the top floor which was near the mainlobby.
This is a semi industrial area of Sacramento. There are low level office buildings all around this campus looking complex.
The Hawthorne Inn is Wydham hotel. It looks a little dated in its current form, although it worked out for us. It looks like it is set up for a large conference, with everyone getting a work area in their room. We were on the top floor, the third with very tall ceilings. The coffee maker had single basket Seattle's best in it. The breakfast was super. sausage, eggs, three waffle makers, juice bar, yogurt refridge, hard boiled eggs on ice, loose fruit, packaged danish.
The lobby area was expansive. Some people were waiting across the way for a shuttle bus to take them to the festival and several that were eating breakfast had on their festival buttons ready to go. It looked like everyone was counting on the breakfast and took decent advantage. There were all sorts of people staying. Some young families, and some extended families were also there. There were just a couple of couples in their 25-30's in the mix.
The road home took us over the Old Sacramento area. Sue looked down and saw that the streets were blocked from vehicular traffic and the people were crowded on the streets. The temperature was starting to climb into the upper 80's even a 12:30.
Overall it was a nice experience to see the difference in the Suite accommodations from both settings. There was a difference but overall unless you were going to spend serious time in either the upgrade from the100 dollar a night Larkspur Landing from the Hawthorne would not be worth it.
Suites in the Bay Area and Sacramento were what we got in our latest Hotwire.com encounters. We usually use hotwire to pick our hotels. This weekend Hotwire choose a couple of suite hotels for our use.
Variables in Hotwire.com
My variables in picking the selection in Hotwire measures off stars, all hotels are rated by stars, customer satisfaction rating and price. In Hotwire, hotels are offered by price and stars but not by name. Each hotel while not named has a customer satisfaction percentage that allows a judgement to be made on what percentage of the people who chose this accommodation were satisfied. My desired percentage is 80 percent or higher. Once a choice is made and paid for by paypal, the hotel name is revealed.
Amenities are also listed and may factor into the choice. If breakfast is included, that can save the traveler between 8 and 15 dollars per person. This is also critical if your stay is in a industrial setting where options for breakfast require getting in a car and traveling as well as finding your way back. Many of the business hotels in quasi-industrial areas have some very good deals because their usual business, the business expense traveler, is back at home on the weekends and these businesses do not look good in the occupancy ratings if they are left to languish on the weekends.
Particulars on a Lead up to a Memorial Day Vacation
Which brings us to our travel this last weekend. We were after an overnight in the San Francisco area on the Thursday before the Memorial Day Weekend. Sue and I were driving over to drop off a neighbor at the airport, see our daughter, look in on the museum and stay overnight. Transport into the city and back was provided by our truck so location in the city was not so important and we were not dependent upon an airport connection either. The best deals in the San Francisco Bay Area if the criteria we live in are met usually occur in the Oyster Point Area of San Francisco. It is important to pick a spot that doesn't require the traveler to pay for parking if possible. This can add up to 18 dollars to the final tote. These charges are somewhat mitigated in the Anaheim area in their resort fees as the hotels have shuttles that can save you 18 dollars plus in Disneyland parking fees.
Larkspur Landing in South San Francisco
This weekend we just happened to get two suites in the industrial areas selected as our overnight choices. Each had full kitchens and dining areas provided. Both were had parking lot views. One had flat sceeen tvs in both rooms while the other a flat screen tv in the kitchen living room area. Both were represented as handicapped accessible, and both were on the third floor.
In South San Francisco we spent the night at a Larkspur Landing Suites hotel. It is a Stash hotel. It comes with a great 50+ flat screen tv with a DVD player and selections of check out DVDs at the front desk. It had a very nice feather bed topper style bed that was very comfortable.
Accessible features in this one was a pull down shower chair in the tub with a removable shower head. An 18in toilet also is a nice addition. This one passes.
The art in the halls showed some taste. There were prints from Georgia O'Keef and a fly fishing print from one of the Taos collectives, Walter Ufer.
Overall this place has the look and feel of an upscale extended stay place.There was even a grocery store gofer service. You leave a list in the morning and they would have your groceries for you in the afternoon.
The night was quiet, and nestled inside the South San Francisco Industrial complex on the east side of 101 there didn't seem to be much going on in the cubicle jungles of buildings around us. Starbucks was not within walking distance. Breakfast was strictly continental with a healthy theme of a couple of oatmeal types and toasters brought into the business area off of the small check in lobby.
We used a smart phone app to get us to the site off of Gateway which is an extension of Grand Ave. with a whoops si doodle overpass for the freeway and the train tracks.
We used our truck to get some burritos from El Faro on El Camino. This happens to be Sue's favorite burrito spot.
Hawthorne Suites Inn Sacramento
The Friday night we were staying in Sacramento. Later I discovered that this weekend was Sacramento's famous Music Festival weekend. It used to be strictly Dixeland. It now has broken off and become Blues and Dixieland and Jazz. I think overall the downtown spots were reserved way before we did our hotwire search.
Our usual search leaves us with a Holiday Inn Express just blocks from the center of town for about 54 dollars a night. When you factor in breakfast it is a great deal. This night's deal was a 59 dollar selection that also claimed to be downtown.. but that was a stretch. Those people headed up to Redding on I 5 would recognize the Richardson turnoff as the last turnoff to the city before it becomes suburban.
There was just a removable shower head for their idea of accessibility. We were in the top floor which was near the mainlobby.
This is a semi industrial area of Sacramento. There are low level office buildings all around this campus looking complex.
The Hawthorne Inn is Wydham hotel. It looks a little dated in its current form, although it worked out for us. It looks like it is set up for a large conference, with everyone getting a work area in their room. We were on the top floor, the third with very tall ceilings. The coffee maker had single basket Seattle's best in it. The breakfast was super. sausage, eggs, three waffle makers, juice bar, yogurt refridge, hard boiled eggs on ice, loose fruit, packaged danish.
The lobby area was expansive. Some people were waiting across the way for a shuttle bus to take them to the festival and several that were eating breakfast had on their festival buttons ready to go. It looked like everyone was counting on the breakfast and took decent advantage. There were all sorts of people staying. Some young families, and some extended families were also there. There were just a couple of couples in their 25-30's in the mix.
The road home took us over the Old Sacramento area. Sue looked down and saw that the streets were blocked from vehicular traffic and the people were crowded on the streets. The temperature was starting to climb into the upper 80's even a 12:30.
Overall it was a nice experience to see the difference in the Suite accommodations from both settings. There was a difference but overall unless you were going to spend serious time in either the upgrade from the100 dollar a night Larkspur Landing from the Hawthorne would not be worth it.
Tuesday, May 20, 2014
Day 6 Solvang to Merced
California Land Form Diversity Solvang to Merced
The Reputation
California to the rest of the world is something of a mythology. In the mind of those who have not traveled to and through California, it is a place of Hollywood Stars on every corner. It is busy, it is urban and pretty noisy. To those who have taken some time to travel within its borders, California is full of contrasts both physically in the land forms and emotionally in the form of quiet out of the way places that allow one to recharge their batteries and get a grip of the life as well as those .
Contrasts in the Scenery
Our last day of vacation was full of both of these contrasts. The land forms around Solvang are simply beautiful. Its farmland that would approach the quiet surrender that one finds around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the East. Today we also traveled to a part of California that not even a scrap of vegetation volunteers to grow, yet provides California with a huge jolt of economic power. I am bit intrigued by writing such verses.
Solvang and its surrounds is quiet. My local Starbucks barista told me that her parents go there to get a way from a frenetic lifestyle in Ventura. It is easy to sit on the many provided benches and enjoy the quietness of the day. The town has a definite laid back style and its easy to get caught up in it. Sue loves to pause and see what is seasonally available at the old fashion hardware store near the end of the main street. Many residents meet and carry on social conversations as they meet their neighbors who stop to pick up a pony pack of annuals for their gardens or talk to their friends about an upcoming gathering. Life rolls on in this town on a Monday morning. The residents in the hardware store get a resident discount on all that they buy. In the other stores it is amazing to see that the ubiquitous UPC labels that are read by point of sale computers are not present. The young retail clerks in one souvenir gift shop, the middle aged lady that took my money for some cards at Rassmusens and the retired and back to work owner clerk at the on sale costume jewlery store all carefully wrote down on a receipt book what was purchased, added up the total with a calculator and entered the price paid at the bottom of the list. It has been along time since I have seen that happen in a retail store.
Solvang Charms
The clerks were happy to talk about their lives as they completed their sales. Sue talked to an older guy that owned a costume jewelry out let that told her all about running two bakeries before "retiring to sell jewelry 3 for 5 dollars. Sue found a handful that she could not walk away from for the price. While Sue was looking at the scarves at another boutique, I talked to a Las Vegas escapee that was running a souvenir shop. She had quite a tale about working in the casinos for 32 years before coming to Solvang to run this little shop beside the bakery. Sue found a couple of treasures and again she dutifully wrote them down and took my money.
I let Sue pick the choices for the bakery to go box. She picked me out some choices that I would probably not pick but were fabulous. She chose for herself a napoleon and a cream puff. For me she picked out a couple of macaroons. She knows I have a weakness for coconut. They were fabulous but I probably would have picked a danish sweet roll if given a choice. But the macaroons were the best I have ever tasted and they showcased their coconut magnificently.
Solvang is set up for a wine tasting. This was not something that I cared to do with the 5 hour driving trip ahead but it is one of those things that people do since the popularity that the wines of the Santa Ynez valley received in the Oscar winning movie, Sideways. About 35 wineries have set up tasting rooms in Solvang. On a Monday morning they were all pretty empty as we walked by.
Solvang is set up for the tourist buses. There are major parking lots next to the city parks in the middle of the town with massive restroom facilities provided by the city so as to lure in the highway 101 travelers on the crawl. We had done the shops and were on the road to Paso Robles by 11:00. Paso Robles is the spot on 101 that we veer off and take the inland route to get to the Central Valley.
Back on the Road up the Coast
As we were trucking up the road I got a call from my sister and her husband that suggested that we find a place in Solvang to meet up and have some lunch together. At that time we were in San Luis Obispo about 70 miles north. It was a great idea.. but we were pretty intent upon moving up the road and getting home soon.
The road up the coast takes an inland jog as land on the coast is reserved for Vandenburg Air Force Base. It is the place on the west coast that the military launches missiles. When ever there is a UFO "sighting" it usually is not a UFO at all but rather a missile has been launched and lights up the evening sky. The launches are from this spot on the California coast.
Highway 101 rejoins the coast at Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo where on this day the breezes coming in from the ocean were about 30 knots. The road follows up a canyon where there are exits for the Cal Poly campus. Eventually it reaches exits for Pismo Beach, Avilla Beach and Shell Beach. Paseo Robles is further inland and is the home of the mid valley fair and rodeo each year. All the big stars in country music make this fair for a stop on their road trip. There are also many winery tasting rooms in this area too.
We made the turn at Peso Robles and at first the road is pretty scenic as it rolls through the rolling vinyards. Then another junction and suddenly we are in a ghost like land form. There are many layers of sandstone that drop off into other layers of sandstone as we travel through the oil rich California region known as Lost Hills. Not a house in sight for miles and miles. Not a stick of a tree or a wild grass of any kind lives in this area. It is desolate. I make the choice to angle a little North as we come through the area that the legendary movie star, James Dean lost his young life in the late 50's. It is also the area that a coffee drinking retired teacher friend of mine got nailed for traveling 7 miles over the speed limit and had to pay 350 dollar fine and attend a traffic school. You can bet that I was watching my speed as we headed for Buttonwillow a wide spot on interstate 5. We stopped there and found and IN and Out burger joint and were ready to head north.
My navigation program has a time estimate feature. We could save 25 minutes by angling North on highway 41 from Buttonwillow. It would leave us in Fresno which is about 59 miles away from Merced. We took that direction even though our usual way would be to head up interstate at 70miles per hour and scoot over at Mercy Hot Springs road to the road that would take us through the valley past Dos Palos and into Merced.
The Buttonwillow Road to Fresno was a great road. It followed a couple of canals and rolled us through Lemore, a naval air base in the middle of the valley. suddenly out of seemingly nowhere, a freeway overpass appeared and we were trucking through Lemore. As we got near Fresno the highway became separated and there were a couple of traffic light the two lanes became four lanes Sure to its estimate we were in Fresno and headed home right on schedule.
The cats were very happy to see us and were were happy to see them.
A Great Vacation was had by all!
The Reputation
California to the rest of the world is something of a mythology. In the mind of those who have not traveled to and through California, it is a place of Hollywood Stars on every corner. It is busy, it is urban and pretty noisy. To those who have taken some time to travel within its borders, California is full of contrasts both physically in the land forms and emotionally in the form of quiet out of the way places that allow one to recharge their batteries and get a grip of the life as well as those .
Contrasts in the Scenery
Our last day of vacation was full of both of these contrasts. The land forms around Solvang are simply beautiful. Its farmland that would approach the quiet surrender that one finds around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in the East. Today we also traveled to a part of California that not even a scrap of vegetation volunteers to grow, yet provides California with a huge jolt of economic power. I am bit intrigued by writing such verses.
Solvang and its surrounds is quiet. My local Starbucks barista told me that her parents go there to get a way from a frenetic lifestyle in Ventura. It is easy to sit on the many provided benches and enjoy the quietness of the day. The town has a definite laid back style and its easy to get caught up in it. Sue loves to pause and see what is seasonally available at the old fashion hardware store near the end of the main street. Many residents meet and carry on social conversations as they meet their neighbors who stop to pick up a pony pack of annuals for their gardens or talk to their friends about an upcoming gathering. Life rolls on in this town on a Monday morning. The residents in the hardware store get a resident discount on all that they buy. In the other stores it is amazing to see that the ubiquitous UPC labels that are read by point of sale computers are not present. The young retail clerks in one souvenir gift shop, the middle aged lady that took my money for some cards at Rassmusens and the retired and back to work owner clerk at the on sale costume jewlery store all carefully wrote down on a receipt book what was purchased, added up the total with a calculator and entered the price paid at the bottom of the list. It has been along time since I have seen that happen in a retail store.
Solvang Charms
The clerks were happy to talk about their lives as they completed their sales. Sue talked to an older guy that owned a costume jewelry out let that told her all about running two bakeries before "retiring to sell jewelry 3 for 5 dollars. Sue found a handful that she could not walk away from for the price. While Sue was looking at the scarves at another boutique, I talked to a Las Vegas escapee that was running a souvenir shop. She had quite a tale about working in the casinos for 32 years before coming to Solvang to run this little shop beside the bakery. Sue found a couple of treasures and again she dutifully wrote them down and took my money.
I let Sue pick the choices for the bakery to go box. She picked me out some choices that I would probably not pick but were fabulous. She chose for herself a napoleon and a cream puff. For me she picked out a couple of macaroons. She knows I have a weakness for coconut. They were fabulous but I probably would have picked a danish sweet roll if given a choice. But the macaroons were the best I have ever tasted and they showcased their coconut magnificently.
Solvang is set up for a wine tasting. This was not something that I cared to do with the 5 hour driving trip ahead but it is one of those things that people do since the popularity that the wines of the Santa Ynez valley received in the Oscar winning movie, Sideways. About 35 wineries have set up tasting rooms in Solvang. On a Monday morning they were all pretty empty as we walked by.
Solvang is set up for the tourist buses. There are major parking lots next to the city parks in the middle of the town with massive restroom facilities provided by the city so as to lure in the highway 101 travelers on the crawl. We had done the shops and were on the road to Paso Robles by 11:00. Paso Robles is the spot on 101 that we veer off and take the inland route to get to the Central Valley.
Back on the Road up the Coast
As we were trucking up the road I got a call from my sister and her husband that suggested that we find a place in Solvang to meet up and have some lunch together. At that time we were in San Luis Obispo about 70 miles north. It was a great idea.. but we were pretty intent upon moving up the road and getting home soon.
The road up the coast takes an inland jog as land on the coast is reserved for Vandenburg Air Force Base. It is the place on the west coast that the military launches missiles. When ever there is a UFO "sighting" it usually is not a UFO at all but rather a missile has been launched and lights up the evening sky. The launches are from this spot on the California coast.
Highway 101 rejoins the coast at Santa Maria and San Luis Obispo where on this day the breezes coming in from the ocean were about 30 knots. The road follows up a canyon where there are exits for the Cal Poly campus. Eventually it reaches exits for Pismo Beach, Avilla Beach and Shell Beach. Paseo Robles is further inland and is the home of the mid valley fair and rodeo each year. All the big stars in country music make this fair for a stop on their road trip. There are also many winery tasting rooms in this area too.
We made the turn at Peso Robles and at first the road is pretty scenic as it rolls through the rolling vinyards. Then another junction and suddenly we are in a ghost like land form. There are many layers of sandstone that drop off into other layers of sandstone as we travel through the oil rich California region known as Lost Hills. Not a house in sight for miles and miles. Not a stick of a tree or a wild grass of any kind lives in this area. It is desolate. I make the choice to angle a little North as we come through the area that the legendary movie star, James Dean lost his young life in the late 50's. It is also the area that a coffee drinking retired teacher friend of mine got nailed for traveling 7 miles over the speed limit and had to pay 350 dollar fine and attend a traffic school. You can bet that I was watching my speed as we headed for Buttonwillow a wide spot on interstate 5. We stopped there and found and IN and Out burger joint and were ready to head north.
My navigation program has a time estimate feature. We could save 25 minutes by angling North on highway 41 from Buttonwillow. It would leave us in Fresno which is about 59 miles away from Merced. We took that direction even though our usual way would be to head up interstate at 70miles per hour and scoot over at Mercy Hot Springs road to the road that would take us through the valley past Dos Palos and into Merced.
The Buttonwillow Road to Fresno was a great road. It followed a couple of canals and rolled us through Lemore, a naval air base in the middle of the valley. suddenly out of seemingly nowhere, a freeway overpass appeared and we were trucking through Lemore. As we got near Fresno the highway became separated and there were a couple of traffic light the two lanes became four lanes Sure to its estimate we were in Fresno and headed home right on schedule.
The cats were very happy to see us and were were happy to see them.
A Great Vacation was had by all!
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Day 5 Tripping to Solvang from San Diego
Leaving San Diego with Regrets
Somehow every time I leave San Diego there is an emptiness in back of your mind which reminds you that that you seem to be missing a major part of the city that you will have to come back and see another time.
We left San Diego and the hotel on the circle with several destinations left behind. Even though we were just a couple of minutes away from Old Town and all of its cool charm, we didn't get a chance to experience the shops or the ambiance. Our hotel was just a couple of minutes away from the transportation center that housed the red trolly system and that would have been a really nice way to get down to old town and see this attraction.
Just like Old Town square we also missed visiting Sea World. It was also so very close by and just at the foot of the hill that we were staying. I am sure that our hotel was a major overnight destination for the families that were taking in Sea World. At the desk I heard that some people had a package deal that included Sea World tickets. Next time, next time.
The major battle ahead of us this day was the battle through LA traffic from Interstate 5 which goes up the center of California to a connecting freeway that would take up to highway 101 the more coastal freeway that follows loosely the coast from LA and Malibu to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and eventually San Jose and San Francisco. Our end of the journey today was and the Bueleton which is just past Santa Barbara and before reaching San Luis Obispo. Solvang is a small town just 4 miles inland off of highway 101. Overall the trip is a 5 hour test of your freeway patience. When we reached Solvang we were still 5 hours away from home.
At any point along this adventure it would have been easy to chuck it all and head for home. The passage out of Southern California to Merced is just 5 hours of driving provided there is little traffic. So if you pick the times you on on the road this trip is just a little longer than a trip to the Bay Area or a trip to the wine county. San Diego adds a couple of more hours but still it is a reasonable exit if the vacation becomes too much.
The last time we were at Solvang we put it on the front end of our trip to Southern California. Sue was marshaling a much bigger power chair which was basically incompatible with the gift shops of the little Danish inspired town. She had a very concerted interest in doing Solvang on the way home.
This time the vacation was not too much and with a very willing cat sitter who texts us on a regular basis it freed us up about any worry concerning our furry cat kids.
On the Road again LA Freeways
We cleaned up the room and got all the dirty clothes in one of the two bags we brought and headed out of an almost vacant hotel on Monday morning. We ate the provided breakfast once again and we and took our chances on the life that so many Southern California residents live, the LA freeway system. My iphone app charted us up the coast and back on the familiar I5. It wanted us to take a toll road or two but I was most comfortable driving the roads that I knew best. We made the right turns along the way and I religiously and continually merged left losing lanes as we trucked up through the San Clemente, Anaheim, and later Thousand Oak arms of this system. As we drove by the Laurel canyon turnoffs of the backside of the Hollywood Hills. I thought of my niece who was recovering nearby. My sister and her husband had streaked down to help her out as she was emergency room engaged. Her condition was quickly stabilizing and her boy friend from the Sacramento area had also descended to support her emotionally. We sent good vibes as we knew that somewhere nearby she was recovering.
In the mean time the traffic had increased as the afternoon raged on and all of the local school buses had merged on to the Interstate. We were all headed to coast and the nirvana that is represented in Ventura.
An amazing thing happened as we headed out of Oxnard, just before Ventura. Suddenly the traffic disappeared. We were no longer shuttled in the capsule of 35 to 45 mile an hour moving traffic congestion. We had been in this conga line since we passed through Anaheim on I5 3 hours before.
Reaching Ventura it was time to get some gas and we sought a Chevron station on the Community College Exit along our friend, Highway 101. The wind had picked up and the ocean along the left side of the rode was developing little white caps beyond the waves. As we pulled up into Santa Barbara the clouds started rolling across the road as the wind blew them. We arrived in Solvang about 4:00 in the afternoon. Our paid reservation through Hotwire got us a nice room in the Holiday Inn Express. The East Indian receptionist seemed to know that we were looking for an accessible room and had one waiting for us at identification.
Entering Solvang, We made it!
Solvang is a Danish styled town with all the buildings (about 8 blocks long and 3 blocks wide) in the large exposed beam architecture of Europe in farm design. There are big windmills that don't work but symbolize wind power. Even our hotel at the western end of the town conformed with the beam exposed high loft design. The Hotel is built on a steep hill. Its reception desk and breakfast room and pool are all on the half floor between the parking garage which is under the rooms and the first floor just a half a floor up.
The last time we were in Solvang it was early November and there were vestiges of a business pumpkin contest all around the city. The flowers were minimal and the crowds were gone too. This time we arrived on a Monday and similar crowds were present. We pretty much had the town to ourselves. The hotel cost drops significantly from weekend nights to nights during the week. There is a 150 dollar surcharge for weekend lodging so it seems.
Lots of annual flowers are in window boxes everywhere in town. The feeling you get in this town is a gigantic Southern California sigh. Have a seat in the shade and rest a while. Not much noise and the the weather is just right.
This little city has definite hours of operation. If you expect to tour the gift shops after 5pm you might be looking at lot of items in the windows without access to getting in to the shops to buy. The bakeries are open just a little bit longer, generally closing around 6. They tell their customers that they will open quite early in the morning so they need to close early in the evening, and not everything will be available when they open in the morning.
Solvang Puts the Danish in Danish Pastries
As near as I can tell their are four major bakeries in this small town. They all make pastries that are to die for and to die from. Nothing but butter is used to make the danish wonders out of puff pastry dough that give the bakeries their reputation. Sue is fond of the crispy waffles. They are two 9 inch very flaky dry pastry ovals that have pastry cream between them with a small steak of raspberry jam running from one end to the other. I love the bones with are fruit filled squares of puff pastry four inches square that are filled with various pie fillings. I think to see a "danish" done properly with the 2 to three inch "puff" around the fruit is so unusual. Its really how they are supposed to be produced. All of these bakeries have buckets of cookies that can be shipped anywhere in the USA. They are pretty special too.
Sue took a rest in the bed when we arrived while I set about on foot to sample a couple of goodies and bring some home for Sue to try. The shops were all closed by the time Sue finished her nap and I returned.
Somehow every time I leave San Diego there is an emptiness in back of your mind which reminds you that that you seem to be missing a major part of the city that you will have to come back and see another time.
We left San Diego and the hotel on the circle with several destinations left behind. Even though we were just a couple of minutes away from Old Town and all of its cool charm, we didn't get a chance to experience the shops or the ambiance. Our hotel was just a couple of minutes away from the transportation center that housed the red trolly system and that would have been a really nice way to get down to old town and see this attraction.
Just like Old Town square we also missed visiting Sea World. It was also so very close by and just at the foot of the hill that we were staying. I am sure that our hotel was a major overnight destination for the families that were taking in Sea World. At the desk I heard that some people had a package deal that included Sea World tickets. Next time, next time.
The major battle ahead of us this day was the battle through LA traffic from Interstate 5 which goes up the center of California to a connecting freeway that would take up to highway 101 the more coastal freeway that follows loosely the coast from LA and Malibu to Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and eventually San Jose and San Francisco. Our end of the journey today was and the Bueleton which is just past Santa Barbara and before reaching San Luis Obispo. Solvang is a small town just 4 miles inland off of highway 101. Overall the trip is a 5 hour test of your freeway patience. When we reached Solvang we were still 5 hours away from home.
At any point along this adventure it would have been easy to chuck it all and head for home. The passage out of Southern California to Merced is just 5 hours of driving provided there is little traffic. So if you pick the times you on on the road this trip is just a little longer than a trip to the Bay Area or a trip to the wine county. San Diego adds a couple of more hours but still it is a reasonable exit if the vacation becomes too much.
The last time we were at Solvang we put it on the front end of our trip to Southern California. Sue was marshaling a much bigger power chair which was basically incompatible with the gift shops of the little Danish inspired town. She had a very concerted interest in doing Solvang on the way home.
This time the vacation was not too much and with a very willing cat sitter who texts us on a regular basis it freed us up about any worry concerning our furry cat kids.
On the Road again LA Freeways
We cleaned up the room and got all the dirty clothes in one of the two bags we brought and headed out of an almost vacant hotel on Monday morning. We ate the provided breakfast once again and we and took our chances on the life that so many Southern California residents live, the LA freeway system. My iphone app charted us up the coast and back on the familiar I5. It wanted us to take a toll road or two but I was most comfortable driving the roads that I knew best. We made the right turns along the way and I religiously and continually merged left losing lanes as we trucked up through the San Clemente, Anaheim, and later Thousand Oak arms of this system. As we drove by the Laurel canyon turnoffs of the backside of the Hollywood Hills. I thought of my niece who was recovering nearby. My sister and her husband had streaked down to help her out as she was emergency room engaged. Her condition was quickly stabilizing and her boy friend from the Sacramento area had also descended to support her emotionally. We sent good vibes as we knew that somewhere nearby she was recovering.
In the mean time the traffic had increased as the afternoon raged on and all of the local school buses had merged on to the Interstate. We were all headed to coast and the nirvana that is represented in Ventura.
An amazing thing happened as we headed out of Oxnard, just before Ventura. Suddenly the traffic disappeared. We were no longer shuttled in the capsule of 35 to 45 mile an hour moving traffic congestion. We had been in this conga line since we passed through Anaheim on I5 3 hours before.
Reaching Ventura it was time to get some gas and we sought a Chevron station on the Community College Exit along our friend, Highway 101. The wind had picked up and the ocean along the left side of the rode was developing little white caps beyond the waves. As we pulled up into Santa Barbara the clouds started rolling across the road as the wind blew them. We arrived in Solvang about 4:00 in the afternoon. Our paid reservation through Hotwire got us a nice room in the Holiday Inn Express. The East Indian receptionist seemed to know that we were looking for an accessible room and had one waiting for us at identification.
Entering Solvang, We made it!
Solvang is a Danish styled town with all the buildings (about 8 blocks long and 3 blocks wide) in the large exposed beam architecture of Europe in farm design. There are big windmills that don't work but symbolize wind power. Even our hotel at the western end of the town conformed with the beam exposed high loft design. The Hotel is built on a steep hill. Its reception desk and breakfast room and pool are all on the half floor between the parking garage which is under the rooms and the first floor just a half a floor up.
The last time we were in Solvang it was early November and there were vestiges of a business pumpkin contest all around the city. The flowers were minimal and the crowds were gone too. This time we arrived on a Monday and similar crowds were present. We pretty much had the town to ourselves. The hotel cost drops significantly from weekend nights to nights during the week. There is a 150 dollar surcharge for weekend lodging so it seems.
Lots of annual flowers are in window boxes everywhere in town. The feeling you get in this town is a gigantic Southern California sigh. Have a seat in the shade and rest a while. Not much noise and the the weather is just right.
This little city has definite hours of operation. If you expect to tour the gift shops after 5pm you might be looking at lot of items in the windows without access to getting in to the shops to buy. The bakeries are open just a little bit longer, generally closing around 6. They tell their customers that they will open quite early in the morning so they need to close early in the evening, and not everything will be available when they open in the morning.
Solvang Puts the Danish in Danish Pastries
As near as I can tell their are four major bakeries in this small town. They all make pastries that are to die for and to die from. Nothing but butter is used to make the danish wonders out of puff pastry dough that give the bakeries their reputation. Sue is fond of the crispy waffles. They are two 9 inch very flaky dry pastry ovals that have pastry cream between them with a small steak of raspberry jam running from one end to the other. I love the bones with are fruit filled squares of puff pastry four inches square that are filled with various pie fillings. I think to see a "danish" done properly with the 2 to three inch "puff" around the fruit is so unusual. Its really how they are supposed to be produced. All of these bakeries have buckets of cookies that can be shipped anywhere in the USA. They are pretty special too.
Sue took a rest in the bed when we arrived while I set about on foot to sample a couple of goodies and bring some home for Sue to try. The shops were all closed by the time Sue finished her nap and I returned.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Easter Sunday at the San Diego Zoo
Day 5 The San Diego Zoo
We woke up and I headed to the provided breakfast at the Comfort Inn and Suites on Hotel Circle . It was located on the fourth floor. There were many families also grabbing a bite to eat before headed to their Easter celebrations or their travel plans. In the parking lot there were cars from many different states.
The breakfast was pretty good with sausage, eggs, cereals, and four, yes four waffle machines with two canisters to pour out the patter. Two of the waffle machines that you activate by pouring the batter from little cups and dropping and turning the handle 90 degrees made four tiny individual waffles. They were used continually the entire time that I was in the breakfast rooms. There were two eating areas that had TV's set up so that the morning news would not be missed. Some of the families were from other countries and almost all of the breakfast crowd had kids along with them. All of them were really well behaved and understood that the whole thing was a terrific treat.
We got all geared up and headed out the door. I had checked the maps and confirmed that we were just 15 minutes away. The Iphone gave offered us two choices. One choice had us zooming down the freeway to connect with Interstate 5 and then after 5 minutes on the Golden State, we would take an exit and head up the hill to connect with Balboa Park. The other choice, which saved about 5 minutes had us back tracking up the freeway and jamming over the top the ravine's hill and down the other side to connect with the crossroad of I5 to Balboa Park. We took that one and with just one crazy move that almost took us off the freeway in a suddenly appearing exit only lane to enter at the base of the Balboa Park hill. Balboa Park is a wonderful San Diego treasure with the zoo occupying the back third and museums, Imax movies and other picnic and park treasures connected to the side of the hill. It was once the cite of a world's fair and many of the buildings and infrastructures remain. Many are being updated to accommodate earthquake standards and Americans with Disability act accessibility. One of the really cool things about this public park including the zoo is that the parking is free. This also makes the parking lot very large. Many families had brought their picnic to the park and were enjoying their families on blankets and portable chairs.
We did a drop off here in front of the zoo entrance with Sue's power chair because it would save some of her battery and I had forgotten to pack my big camera. So I dropped her off and retraced my route back to the hotel and picked up my camera.
When I returned Sue had found some treasures in the gift shops and we were ready to board a two tiered open aired bus to see that grounds.
The entrance fee is the same as the entrance fee at the Safari Park, 45dollars. You can save a little by showing your AAA card at the entrance. If you live close by, you may be able to save some serious money by buying a membership. It is still a great deal when you look at the value included. Newbies like us get a bus trip from one end of the park to the other with a knowledgeable guide that points out all the salient features of the park. A casual visitor will see about 75 percent of the park with this help and can pick and choose where to go once the bus drops them off at the top. Every bus rider is cordially invited to have their photo taken and prints are available with the license to use the prints sold extra.
We took the zoo bus and has a great time looking over all of the parts visible from the bus. It was now time to think about a little lunch.
Most of the crowd had bought lunch and were on their merry way. We picked the sandwich shop looking for a salad and a sandwich. I picked the pulled pork sandwich and Sue picked the California salad sans avocado. We shared up and had a perfect lunch.
After lunch we staggered around on the top terrace and took in some of the animal exhibits.
And interesting one was a small exhibit on hummingbirds. The zoo had established a great arboal cannopy within a small area. When we first walked in it was hard to see whether anything was housed in this little area. pretty soon jealous birds starte to appear and it was obvious that they were ready to protect their territory. A couple of very tourquise and tellow bird started flying overhead. Then some birds with a touch of red on their throats seemed to appear. It was really a place to sit down and watch as these birds seem to be doing more flying than hoovering.
We checked out the monkeys and the baboon enclosure, The wooded treeline inclosure allowed the monkeys to swing easily in a 5 story arena. We got to the bottom of their enclosure via an elevator. Ofter zooming around on the ground floor a while we looked at the map and discovered that the tiger area was not far away. We were a little dismayed when the route to the lions was posted with a beware of walking devices warning. When we asked about it at the top, the people said that it was indeed pretty steep and probably not a good idea to push that limit. After experiences at the San Francisco Japanese Tea Garden, where the only way up the the gift shop was to unmounted the power chair and walk beside it, we decided to not take a chance in San Diego with little battery endurance. On Easter Sunday, all of the usual people that help make these transitions were not around.
We stopped at a few other exhibits along the way, including a much smaller meekat display, and decided that we had gotten our money's worth so we headed back to the car and back to the hotel.
When we arrived, there were suddenly many more spots to park in the parking garage. and the place seemed a little unpopulated.
After a rest Sue asked me to go get something to eat for us. By this time I was trusting the Iphone maps to navigate me home. It was daylight and much easier to find yourself around. I knew there was a big shopping center just up the freeway from us but it was completely shut down do to the Easter celebrations. So off I went to look for someplace open.
I came across a spot that looked promising. I followed a tour bus off the I5 connection and he dead ended in Point Loma. Point Loma is a interesting area of San Diego. There are many hotels here just like Hotel Circle on the I8. It is also home of the farthest West spot in San Diego area. A state park area called Cabrillo State Park sits at the end of road. The major road through this area is Rosecrans. A great little amenity area is located up the hill from the Shelter Cover marina area. It claims to the the America's Cup port. When I arrrived there were people who had spent the day on the Bay/Ocean and were getting back into their cars to go home.
I found an ATM and a Greek oriented pizza place called Gus's. It featured gyros, kabobs, and pizza. It was run this evening by a couple of Latino kids. I ordered a 12 inch pizza to go and a antipasta. The pizza was 13 bucks and the anti pasta was 8. Both seemed like great deals.
I used the Iphone navigator to get me back to the hotel. It was now dark and the basic instructions were just head down Rosecans for a couple of miles. Then it talked me through the cloverleaf sections of the freeway and soon I was back home.... even in the dark.
Sue was pretty pleased at seeing the pizza and it was a very good pizza. We saved the antipasto for dinner at our next night's stop, Solvang.
We woke up and I headed to the provided breakfast at the Comfort Inn and Suites on Hotel Circle . It was located on the fourth floor. There were many families also grabbing a bite to eat before headed to their Easter celebrations or their travel plans. In the parking lot there were cars from many different states.
The breakfast was pretty good with sausage, eggs, cereals, and four, yes four waffle machines with two canisters to pour out the patter. Two of the waffle machines that you activate by pouring the batter from little cups and dropping and turning the handle 90 degrees made four tiny individual waffles. They were used continually the entire time that I was in the breakfast rooms. There were two eating areas that had TV's set up so that the morning news would not be missed. Some of the families were from other countries and almost all of the breakfast crowd had kids along with them. All of them were really well behaved and understood that the whole thing was a terrific treat.
We got all geared up and headed out the door. I had checked the maps and confirmed that we were just 15 minutes away. The Iphone gave offered us two choices. One choice had us zooming down the freeway to connect with Interstate 5 and then after 5 minutes on the Golden State, we would take an exit and head up the hill to connect with Balboa Park. The other choice, which saved about 5 minutes had us back tracking up the freeway and jamming over the top the ravine's hill and down the other side to connect with the crossroad of I5 to Balboa Park. We took that one and with just one crazy move that almost took us off the freeway in a suddenly appearing exit only lane to enter at the base of the Balboa Park hill. Balboa Park is a wonderful San Diego treasure with the zoo occupying the back third and museums, Imax movies and other picnic and park treasures connected to the side of the hill. It was once the cite of a world's fair and many of the buildings and infrastructures remain. Many are being updated to accommodate earthquake standards and Americans with Disability act accessibility. One of the really cool things about this public park including the zoo is that the parking is free. This also makes the parking lot very large. Many families had brought their picnic to the park and were enjoying their families on blankets and portable chairs.
We did a drop off here in front of the zoo entrance with Sue's power chair because it would save some of her battery and I had forgotten to pack my big camera. So I dropped her off and retraced my route back to the hotel and picked up my camera.
When I returned Sue had found some treasures in the gift shops and we were ready to board a two tiered open aired bus to see that grounds.
The entrance fee is the same as the entrance fee at the Safari Park, 45dollars. You can save a little by showing your AAA card at the entrance. If you live close by, you may be able to save some serious money by buying a membership. It is still a great deal when you look at the value included. Newbies like us get a bus trip from one end of the park to the other with a knowledgeable guide that points out all the salient features of the park. A casual visitor will see about 75 percent of the park with this help and can pick and choose where to go once the bus drops them off at the top. Every bus rider is cordially invited to have their photo taken and prints are available with the license to use the prints sold extra.
We took the zoo bus and has a great time looking over all of the parts visible from the bus. It was now time to think about a little lunch.
Most of the crowd had bought lunch and were on their merry way. We picked the sandwich shop looking for a salad and a sandwich. I picked the pulled pork sandwich and Sue picked the California salad sans avocado. We shared up and had a perfect lunch.
After lunch we staggered around on the top terrace and took in some of the animal exhibits.
And interesting one was a small exhibit on hummingbirds. The zoo had established a great arboal cannopy within a small area. When we first walked in it was hard to see whether anything was housed in this little area. pretty soon jealous birds starte to appear and it was obvious that they were ready to protect their territory. A couple of very tourquise and tellow bird started flying overhead. Then some birds with a touch of red on their throats seemed to appear. It was really a place to sit down and watch as these birds seem to be doing more flying than hoovering.
We checked out the monkeys and the baboon enclosure, The wooded treeline inclosure allowed the monkeys to swing easily in a 5 story arena. We got to the bottom of their enclosure via an elevator. Ofter zooming around on the ground floor a while we looked at the map and discovered that the tiger area was not far away. We were a little dismayed when the route to the lions was posted with a beware of walking devices warning. When we asked about it at the top, the people said that it was indeed pretty steep and probably not a good idea to push that limit. After experiences at the San Francisco Japanese Tea Garden, where the only way up the the gift shop was to unmounted the power chair and walk beside it, we decided to not take a chance in San Diego with little battery endurance. On Easter Sunday, all of the usual people that help make these transitions were not around.
We stopped at a few other exhibits along the way, including a much smaller meekat display, and decided that we had gotten our money's worth so we headed back to the car and back to the hotel.
When we arrived, there were suddenly many more spots to park in the parking garage. and the place seemed a little unpopulated.
After a rest Sue asked me to go get something to eat for us. By this time I was trusting the Iphone maps to navigate me home. It was daylight and much easier to find yourself around. I knew there was a big shopping center just up the freeway from us but it was completely shut down do to the Easter celebrations. So off I went to look for someplace open.
I came across a spot that looked promising. I followed a tour bus off the I5 connection and he dead ended in Point Loma. Point Loma is a interesting area of San Diego. There are many hotels here just like Hotel Circle on the I8. It is also home of the farthest West spot in San Diego area. A state park area called Cabrillo State Park sits at the end of road. The major road through this area is Rosecrans. A great little amenity area is located up the hill from the Shelter Cover marina area. It claims to the the America's Cup port. When I arrrived there were people who had spent the day on the Bay/Ocean and were getting back into their cars to go home.
I found an ATM and a Greek oriented pizza place called Gus's. It featured gyros, kabobs, and pizza. It was run this evening by a couple of Latino kids. I ordered a 12 inch pizza to go and a antipasta. The pizza was 13 bucks and the anti pasta was 8. Both seemed like great deals.
I used the Iphone navigator to get me back to the hotel. It was now dark and the basic instructions were just head down Rosecans for a couple of miles. Then it talked me through the cloverleaf sections of the freeway and soon I was back home.... even in the dark.
Sue was pretty pleased at seeing the pizza and it was a very good pizza. We saved the antipasto for dinner at our next night's stop, Solvang.
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