Calistoga, California

Sam Brannan pursued many business ventures, which made him California’s first millionaire. Fascinated by Calistoga’s natural hot springs, Brannan purchased more than 2,000 acres with the intent to develop a spa reminiscent of Saratoga Springs in New York. He intended to say "I'll make this place the Saratoga of California," but in fact said "the Calistoga of Sarifornia".

In 1937, as the Model A was dominating America’s roadways when a promoter with the colorful nickname of “Fancy Pants” came to Calistoga with a ‘fancy’ idea. He believed the town’s horse racing track was ideal for another kind of horsepower. He persuaded the town’s leaders to promote a car race on the Napa County Fairgrounds. About a dozen cars showed up for an afternoon of hippodrome-style speed exhibitions. It was the beginning of a tradition that has endured for over 70 years.

Step back in time, and be a witness to redwood trees that once grew in abundance here and were turned to stone by a local volcano.  Follow the trail of majestic petrified redwood giants in a fascinating grove in beautiful California wine country.

 The only petrified pine tree in this forest

Mount Saint Helena is located 7.5 miles north-east of the property and is what remains of the volcano that petrified this forest 3.4 million years ago

Ash Fall

This tree is growing out of the middle a petrified tree.

 Old Faithful Geyser of California is one of only three “faithful” geysers in the world because of its regular eruptions. This geyser has also proven itself to be a good predictor of earthquakes. When the geyser’s regular eruptions are delayed or diminished, an earthquake is likely within the next couple of weeks in the 500 miles surrounding the geyser.
 To this day, Old Faithful Geyser of California remains as one of the most photographed places in the State of California.

The Schultz Museum continues to share the legacy of Charles M. Schulz, while warming the hearts of visitors from near and far.

Tile Mural
This mural, is composed of  3,588 ceramic tiles or about ten years worth of daily strips originally published between 1956 and 1988.  The tiles were hand selected strips to compose a secondary scene of Lucy holding a football for Charlie Brown

"Kite eating tree"

It might seem odd that the monumental sculpture called Cyclisk was installed across the street from an auto body shop and towers over a section of town highly populated with car dealerships, but it was no coincidence. The $37,000 piece was built with funds from Nissan, which is building a $3.7 million dealership in the city. Santa Rosa’s “1% for art” law dictates that 1% of major construction projects be devoted to public art.
It weighs 10,000lb, stands 65 feet tall and is made from 340 recycled bicycles and one tricycle.  It took nearly four months of welding to manufacture.

Family wedding

Bodega Bay, California

 On our route to the Bay we recognized the Bed & Breakfast that we stayed at 20 years ago.

For more than 30 years, Marin Agricultural Land Trust has worked with local families to save their farms and ranches. Marin’s farms provide delicious milk and cheese, meat, vegetables, fruit and wine to people in the Bay Area and beyond. With the public parks that surround them, farms preserve a contiguous open landscape that is home to abundant wildlife, verdant grasslands, sparkling streams and dense woods. These working landscapes have been faithfully husbanded for many generations alongside nature and create an extraordinary place unlike anywhere else in the world.



Point Reyes National Seashore

is a 71,028-acre park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula

Point Reyes is the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent.



Skull of a California Gray Whale weighing 30 to 40 tons.



Although surrounded by seawater, the Point never  had adequate wells or springs to supply fresh water.  The lightkeepers were forced to devise this elaborate system for catching and storing rainwater.



The Point Reyes Lighthouse, built in 1870, was retired from service in 1975 when the U.S. Coast Guard installed an automated light. To get to the lighthouse itself, you must walk a half-mile from the parking lot to the Visitor Center, and then down 308 steps.  The stairs leading down to the Lighthouse are open Fridays through Mondays; closed Tuesdays through Thursdays. When wind speeds exceed 40 m.p.h., the steps to the lighthouse are closed for visitors' safety.  Initially when I realized that we had come on a day the Lighthouse was closed I was bummed. After seeing the 308 steep steps that I would have to climb each way I was somewhat relieved that they weren't open.


The Point Reyes Lifeboat Station is a National Historic Landmark. It is the last remaining example of a rail launched lifeboat station that was common on the Pacific coast.



Barbequed Oysters

Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve

established to preserve 805 acres of coast redwoods



Colonel Armstrong moved to Sonoma County in 1874.  He saw that thousands of acres were being reduced to clear-cut stumps.  He began to purchase land in the dense redwood forest.  The Armstrong family allowed the public to visit and enjoy the beauty of the peaceful redwoods. To preserve some of his land from this fate he deeded 400 acres which in 1934 became Armstrong Redwood State Park.  In 1964, after insight into tis ecological importance suggested that this vital resource should be more effectively managed.

When the tree undergoes stress, the flow is interrupted and a sprout begins to grow. Should the sprout survive, it may eventually grow into a full-grown tree. When one tree produces many of these sprouts and a number of them survive, it's not uncommon for them to form a ring around the original tree and produce what is commonly called a "family circle" or "fairy ring". The original tree may pass away, yet leave its descendants behind in the family circle. These trees are all related to each other because they came from the original tree, and that is why they are called a "family circle." These family circles are easily seen in most redwood forests



Say Bodega, and many people think of Alfred Hitchcock’s famous horror movie, “The Birds.” The thriller was filmed in 1963 at The Schoolhouse on Bodega Lane.



More Barbequed oysters

Built in 1873, the redwood house was originally the Potter Schoolhouse, then a local community center, an inn, a restaurant, a guesthouse and then served as the spot where screaming children fled for their lives in the movie "The Birds". It’s now a private residence, with patient owners who hope that too many people don’t peer in their windows.

Children's Bell Tower



As we were approaching the Bell Tower I said "wait Dave it looks like there is a Blue Heron" to which he says "It's a statue" and then the statue turns it's head and we both laugh.

We got a chuckle out of the handicap accessible table out in the middle of nowhere.

Entrance to Bodega Bay

"Hole in the Head"

Today, visitors of Bodega Bay know the famed Hole in the Head as a lush, tranquil pond home to a variety of migrant birds — but it could have easily been a different story had it not been for the band of individuals that came together to derail plans for the PG&E nuclear reactor proposed for the site in the early 1960s.



1962 picture of the 180 foot deep reactor foundation hole

Where the Russian River meets the ocean.