Friday, July 27, 2012

PCH~CALIFORNIA ROUTE 1

7AM SAN FRANSISCO TOUR~JULY 4th, 2012


Started the morning off in Pacifica CA with a beautiful sun rise/moon set.

Breakfast at the famous BOUDIN'S BAKERY on Fisherman's Wharf.
Yummy sour dough bread made from a recipe they've nurtured since 1849.
Also the only place open!




Empty streets...



Crissy Field Dog Beach... with a view of Alcatraz.


And in the other direction, The Golden Gate Bridge.


Transamerica Pyramid as seen from China Town


Another triangular building, The Sentinel, gorgeously green with the Transamerica
Pyramid in the background.


Seriously this is just beautiful...house on Lombard of "crookedest street in
the world" fame.


So many reasons to return to this beautiful city but top on my list is to
tour the building murals.
Here is a portion of Bill Weber's Jazz mural in North Beach.


Heading east...

PCH~CALIFORNIA ROUTE 1

MONTEREY CA...7AM tour left me wanting to return for shopping, food and people watching.

Barista coffee in a real mug, way to start the morning.


Cannery Row, love Steinbeck's words, I see a reread in my future.

Street art...YES!


Critters in the bay




GIANT REDWOODS "ambassadors from another time" as John Steinbeck called them
or Sequoia Sempervirens, are trees whose ancestors date to the age of the dinosaurs. These giants also earn the award as the world's tallest tree, world's tallest living thing for that matter.


Kathy saw her dog living in this redwood! I have to agree.

On the road again...
lighthouse

Lily Of The Nile

Pacifica Beach~ we stayed here for our last night in CA

Finally no fog so we could watch the sun set into the pacific.










Thursday, July 26, 2012

PCH~CALIFORNIA ROUTE 1

Simply put, the central Californian coast is breathtaking.
It's availability makes it extra special, no sneaking glimpses through
estate walls or chain link fences.
A gift from the Creator for all to enjoy.












The view on other side of the roads ain't bad either....









PCH~CALIFORNIA ROUTE 1

July 2, 2012

PELICANS

There are sights like this around every corner...


Northern Elephant Seals! So named because of their large size and long pendulous noses on the males. These large animals spend most of their lives at sea, coming ashore only to molt, give birth, and mate.
This group are all males in the process of molting,not exactly cute but compelling to watch. Although they are loners when in the water these fellas make up for that solitary life style on shore.










PCH~CALIFORNIA ROUTE 1


July 1, 2012
MORRO BAY CA, the Gibraltar of the Pacific.

The town's most striking feature is Morro Rock, a 576 foot high volcanic peak jutting
from the ocean floor. It is part of a 21 million year old chain of such rocks nicknamed "the nine sisters".
Morro Rock stands at the entrance to the harbor, and a causeway connects it with the shore.
There is no public access to the rock itself because it is a reserve for the locally endangered peregrine falcon


Morro Rock in the fog







The Morro Bay Power Plant, with its three towering smokestacks, has been a landmark in the city since the 1950s,  affectionately referred to as "the three cigarettes".





Snowy Egret


Giant Green Anemone, not that "giant" but cool none the less.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

PCH~CALIFORNIA ROUTE 1

On the road again...Seal Beach to San Francisco...no plan just stopping here and there when the spirit moves.

June 30, 2012
Seal Beach CA
Local fishermen(women) on the pier








My sister spent most of her adult life in Seal Beach.
She was laid to rest in the Pacific Ocean on June 30.
Safe Home Mary.
N 33° 42.514
W 118° 07.196





Carpinteria CA

A classic sight on So California beaches.


Historic Palm trees of Carpinteria

Santa Barbara CA
We had breakfast here...yes, an early start!

Beautiful Beach, amusing panhandlers and a blue heron in flight






Solvang CA
We just had to stop here! OSTRICHES


This fella has such a perplexed look

Yes, we got to feed them. They are so strong and powerful when running.
we didn't ask why they had an ostrich farm, didn't even peek in the freezer. o_o

Cacti in bloom~I am a happy camper.