So we got the brilliant idea to rent a Prius and drive up the coast to visit my sister. But the Los Angeles area was out of Priuses, so we rented an SUV instead.
Leaving the Los Angeles area, somewhere near Magic Mountain.
Central California, hundreds of miles of what I’m guessing are cherry trees.
And a few cows.
The bugs on the windshield just outside of San Francisco.
Windmills somewhere near Dublin, CA, also just outside of San Francisco.
As you get closer to San Francisco, the sun goes further into hiding.
Crossing a bridge to Treasure Island, which sends you across another bridge into downtown.
Downtown San Francisco, trying to navigate our way to Union Square.
The seven-story Macy’s in Union Square.
If you go to the seventh floor Macy’s, there is a portal to the Cheesecake Factory on the eight floor.
If you put your name in at the Cheesecake Factory, you can wait out on the balcony for fantastic views of Union Square.
The back side of the Macy’s sign.
A Free Tibet event.
The view of Union Square.
Union Square has stylized heart sculptures at its corners.
Leaving town, via the Golden Gate Bridge.
North of San Francisco, the trees go from scrubby to pine-y.
And finally to Humboldt State University, surrounded by redwood forests. This tree is a fake redwood. They use it for redwood research.
Wandering along the trails near HSU, trying not to stumble onto the nearby disc golf course.
Ford Escape money shot! They should rent it to us for free in exchange for this view.
When my sister texted me to say there’d been an earthquake in Japan that sent the California coast into a tsunami warning, I thought she was kidding. But then I went down to breakfast where they had the TV on and saw the news. Boats had been lifted from their docks and taken out to sea in Cresent City and several beaches were closed.Of course that was nothing compared to what the people in Japan were facing.
Thriving downtown Blue Lake, CA. That building is a clown school. Or, more accurately, a college of “physical arts.”
The mural says “Blue Lake Downtown 1910.”
Trinidad, CA. Although the sea was rough, it didn’t stop boaters and kayakers.
Another beach in Trinidad.
We made a bathroom stop and ended up wandering more trails through the redwood forests.
Banana slug. Exciting, right?
In the Redwood National Park. The sun came out for a few minutes while we were on this beach. My sister said “you brought the sun with you!” Apparently that is more than they usually get?
We stopped when we saw a sign that said “Big Tree 0.1 miles” and took more trails through the redwoods. These trails were probably the most impressive.
My sister says that the elk hang out near the “Elk Crossing” signs. Again, I didn’t believe her. Huh.
