[Mustang Sammy]

Another year has gone by, and Yours Truly (henceforth called YT) is still playing catch up with these travelogues. Before my next visit there happens (and my memories fade), better to write up the experience from a year back.
February 2024 was (as always) cold and rainy, but with enough sunny patches to enable some nice sightseeing when I was there, on a work trip, with a short extension into a personal vacation. You will see plenty of sunny blue skies, some overcast ones, and some SPECTACULAR sights, which is a big reason why people are so reluctant to leave Northern California.

For those interested, here (Short drive through the California Bay Area)is an account of a short drive I did on one of my visits in 2023.
Above is what is known as a shameless plug, by the way

Transiting through Singapore. Changi airport is the best in the world, by a huge margin.

After landing in SFO, it was off (via the extremely clunkily organized) monorail shuttle to the rental car center, where I (excitedly) chose a Ford Bronco. The vehicle itself was unfortunately not the true-blue SUV, but a rebadged Ford Escape. It drove and handled well enough, so no complaints.

Picture taken from the slow monorail taking us to the rental car center. The plane I took to get here can be seen.

The first weekend after landing was devoted to catching up with old buddies and clearing the brain fog of jet lag. I did manage to squeeze in a short and scenic drive into the Santa Cruz hills to the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, one of my regular weekend hangouts back in the day. My travel companion was JC, an old friend of 35 years.

After a short drive on Highway 85, picked up JC from South San Jose and headed to the hills. From Saratoga via CA Highway 35, we joined highway 9 which took us to Hwy 236 (Big Basin way) which as you can guess from the name, took us straight to the Park. T’was a nice twisty drive on A-mazing roads. Hwy 9 & 35 are regularly used by enthusiasts of two and four wheeled steeds to stretch their legs on weekends. We stopped along the way at a vista point, where we were lucky enough to run into a bunch of car enthusiasts with their powerful and drool-worthy machines. Some pictures below for you to feast your eyes on.

Highway 85



City Road. Where are the potholes, red light jumpers and vehicles driving the wrong way?



Have stopped here so many times en route to the Big Basin, back in the day



The Skyline to the Sea trail. Goes all the way from the hills to the Pacific ocean.



Trail goes along the edge of the ridge



My ride, the Blue (Pseudo) Bronco, with a lovely old Porsche Carrera



BMWs with a Miata



Porsches with their German cousin

https://youtu.be/z54hBjvK8bk

Cars making a grand entrance to the rest area



American muscle: Mustang, Corvette
Japanese power: GTR



A souped-up Civic



One of the twisties we drove on. LOTs of fun

https://youtu.be/ScnPb8BwpIU

The end of Hwy 9 and the beginning of Hwy 236 (Big Basin Way).

After reaching the park I was shocked to see how much it had changed. I had read about the massive wildfires in 2020 that had done a lot of damage, but was unprepared for the degree of devastation they had inflicted. Signs were visible as we got close, but at the park HQ, the visitor center, interpretive walkways and exhibits and whole bunch of wonderful visitor amenities were gone. A few years of drought followed by lightning strikes set off the conflagration, which burned more than 86,000 acres!! Read the links for more information if interested.

https://journal.wildlife.ca.gov/2023...ds-state-park/

https://www.savetheredwoods.org/blog...ds-state-park/

To their massive credit, the State park service and volunteers have already done a lot of rebuilding . Trail signs are up, and some new information boards have also been put up. It will be a long journey to restoring the park to its original grandeur, though.

Burnt out trees visible on the approach road (Big Basin highway)



Burnt out skeleton



Hollowed out trunk

[Mustang Sammy]

We set off on the Dool trail, which gave us a nice walk past some of the old giant Redwoods, up some steep-ish climbs, to the Ridge trail, which was (as you might guess) an open ridge with wide open skies and bright sunshine, and then back down to the park HQ. There were large patches of burnt out trees, but also plenty of new of life everywhere. Nature is resilient, and will bounce back if only we stay out of the way.

How many centuries have these ancient giants seen?



HUUUUGE



How small are we compared to these other creations of nature?



JC leads, I follow



Finally can see some real RED wood, that is not hidden by charring



Mushrooms



Green shoots of hope



The circle of life



Variety of undergrowth



Ridge trail under a sunny sky



Wide open skies



The trail descends



Curious device attached to tree. Is it a smoke/fire detector?



Your Truly inside a tree hollow



The Park Service regularly clears dried up leaves & branches now





Wildflowers



Thank god for fast cameras

[Mustang Sammy]

Some of the information boards about Giant Redwoods, fire in the park and the other flora and fauna inhabiting the area.

[Mustang Sammy]

After the refreshing weekend, it was back to work from Monday, and the week went by in a blur of meetings and reviews of different sorts, powered by Octane 95 caffeine.
The highlight of the work week was a team offsite conducted at Club Auto Sport, which is an extremely cool place with a hodge-podge collection of old tools, weapons, sporting memorabilia, model cars and some amazing old automobiles. See below for sample pics.

The conference room. Can be quite distracting at first



Model cars



Model bikes



Model planes and American footballs



More model cars



Guns and tools



Model cannons



Swords



Austin-Healey



The Austin-Healey engine






Buick Eight front and rear views



Beautiful Cadillac ElDorado



NASCAR Buick Regal


Some info about the above car



Greenman Casale Special 1957


Info on the above car



Harley with Sidecar



The first Mazda to win LeMans, using a rotary engine





Posters about the above Mazda



Info on the Wankel Rotary engine



Some more NASCARs



Nash-Healey with an old Mustang



Info on the Nash-Healey



A new Camaro in a mall parking lot

[Mustang Sammy]

The Significant Other (SO) was nice enough to fly over to the Bay Area in the middle of the week. As it drew to a close, our holiday plans kicked in. A day tour of San Francisco followed by a weekend getaway in the beautiful town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, the latter being around 140km south of Silicon Valley, and then a couple days in Tucson, Arizona.

San Francisco

After returning the Bronco, we picked up a Volvo S60 sedan and zoomed off towards the city by the Bay. With a 247BHP turbo charged engine under the hood, butter smooth automatic, and < 10,000 miles on the odometer, it was a dream weekend getaway car.

Coming from India, it takes me some time to wrap my mind around the fact that you can travel X miles in the US in Y mins, where Y < X.

Battling through some (by US standards) heavy traffic, we reached our first destination, the iconic and always-visitable (is that be a word?) Golden Gate Bridge.

Streets of San Francisco



Some traffic on Van Ness Ave


With the SO at the Golden Grate Bridge


Just the Bridge. The thing is so beautiful, there is no picture that doesn't look great

Inaugurated in 1937, the structure stands as a testimony to man’s innovative spirit, grit and artistry. After having been to many countries, I still think this bridge, combined with the beautiful location, is one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The bridge connects San Francisco to Marin County and the northern California coastline.
As always, it was cold and foggy, but the sun did eventually chase the fog away. We shivered our way up and down the walking path, while locals merrily jogged past us in vests and shorts. We read (and photographed for your reading pleasure) some nice information boards around the bridge (which is included in the next section) then picked up a couple of souvenirs before heading back to the car.

Bridge from Closer up

https://youtube.com/watch?v=--oFSEp98Yk?

Vistas of the San Francisco Bay as seen from the bridge. You can see the island of Alcatraz with the eponymous (now defunct) prison, the Bay Bridge in the distance and the San Francisco skyline. Bellissimo, or as we say in Devanagiri: अती सुंदर



Walking on the bridge. It is always FREEZING here.
Mark Twain is supposed to have said: "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".



Plenty of walking trails around the bridge in the Golden Gate Recreation Area. There is an old army base called the Presidio, which is also lovely to walk around in.

A change for the (much) worse since the 2000s were the signs posted every few meters everywhere around parking areas of the bridge, and elsewhere in the city as well, warning people to not leave anything valuable in their vehicles, especially not where it could be seen. Smash and grab robberies have become depressingly frequent in California, possibly due to the lax enforcement of laws against petty crime.


It was now onwards to our next destination; the tourist trap of Pier 39, also known as the Fisherman’s Wharf. It is an extremely kitschy but fun place with overpriced souvenir stores, seafood restaurants and places selling candy of various kinds. As the SO was a first time visitor to CA, it was a must-see. We grabbed a very forgettable lunch there and then walked around the pier and marina, saying hello to the sea lions that are permanent residents of the place, and will hopefully not be deported by Trump. A ton of yachts are parked there, a testament to the wealth in America and in this city.

Here we are, at Pier 39 on the Wharf



This shop sells hot sauces of all kinds. We did not dare to sample or buy.



Sea lions enjoying the winter sun. Do you Sea them?



The Marina. Can imagine real life soap operas happening in these yachts.
The 2nd iconic San Francisco Bay Bridge can be seen in the distance. It had collapsed in 1989 during a big earthquake.



Marina with a view of the Coit Tower (in brown) and the Transamerica building in the distance.
We couldn't see the Coit tower as there was no parking available anywhere around it.



The notorious prison of Alcatraz can be seen behind the yacht. The tight security, cold waters and strong currents of the bay around it made it supposedly un-escapable.
It was closed shortly after 3 inmates successfully escaped and supposedly survived. The story of their escape was made into a movie starring California's own Clint Eastwood.



Ki Gull hai Paaji?

After driving around on the side streets of the city and ogling at the beautiful houses (see below for examples) we headed to Lombard Street aka the Crookedest Street in the world. It is an EXTREMELY steep uphill drive, following which you cross Hyde Street and then descend extremely slowly down the Crookedest Street part. Again a very touristy thing to do, but also a must-do, and the houses with their flower pots and architecture are beautiful, not to mention the amazing city and Bay views all around.

The iconic San Francisco trams



Lovely house near the pier. Many more such examples



This is the classic architecture of San Francisco houses



1st pic of the Crookedest Street


With the SO posing


A pretty house on the street. These folks must have some patience to deal with the hordes of tourists.



And.... one more

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xjc6wLMWTcg?

Cars descending the street. It's easier than it looks, especially for us Desis who deal with Indian roads.



What's more beautiful, the flowers or the lady? There is only one right answer.

After a well earned coffee break, the rest of the day was devoted to driving around the up & down streets, through cool neighborhoods like Little Italy (and its naughtier neighbors, which are not described in this family-friendly writeup) and the financial district with its classical architecture. Tired but happy, we called it a day and headed back to our hotel in San Jose.

Pretty church in Little Italy



Street in Little Italy, with the Italian flag colors making the location obvious



Lovely old Jaguar



Up & Down roads of the city, the Bay Bridge in the distance



The Financial district. San Francisco is the banking and finance hub for the West Coast.


The iconic Transamerica building from close up



Colorful graffiti

Tony Bennett sang "I left my heart in San Francisco". I like to think that I take back a small part of the city with me whenever I visit. God willing, can do a few more such trips as long as work (and my ability to take that loooong flight) allows.

[Mustang Sammy]

For those interested, here's a lot more info on the Golden Gate Bridge. Others can skip to the next section.

PS: Other countries have nowhere near the depth and diversity of history and culture as India, but they do such an amazing job of maintaining and showcasing what they do have. Not to mention how easy it is to access.

One more picture of the bridge? Did I say how beautiful this thing is?



Defending the San Francisco Bay has been a key focus of the US military



Different bridge types



Why is it so foggy here?



Information on the Golden Gate National Park


Story of how the bridge was built follows below
























Interesting facts about the Bridge



A sample picture showing the progress of the bridge construction



Information on suspension cables



The million rivets holding everything together



The bridge structure



The bridge as an object of art.



How the bridge is kept looking beautiful all year round, year after year



Plaque commemorating the Silver anniversary



Bonus: Seals vs. Sea Lions

[Mustang Sammy]

Carmel-by-the-Sea

Next morning it was onwards to Carmel. Hwy 101S, CA156 via Monterey and then a short stretch of the iconic Hwy 1 (Pacific coast highway). Unfortunately a massive storm had hit the area the day before our visit, resulting in massive flooding, closure of some areas and an almost 100% power outage.
Our stay, the Carmel Garden Inn, was also impacted by this, and the B&B staff were extremely kind and helpful, saying we could leave if we wanted and move up to Monterey, where there was a better chance of power. Still high from our SF visit, we decided to take our chances and stay at the inn.
BTW the same storm also caused significant damage in Silicon Valley, including to some of our friends' homes.

YT posing outside the room. The fallen leaves & debris from the storm can be seen.



Big & Comfy B&B

A short drive on Ocean Avenue took us to Carmel beach, which was WINDY. We struggled to stay on our feet and not get blinded by the sand particles. The views were BEAUTIFUL though.

Walking to the beach



Graceful Monterey Cypress trees



YT pointing to the beach. What a natural pose, even if I do say so myself.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=NWChcKjM3bM?

EXTREMELY windy from the after-effects of the storm. We could barely stay standing, and the flying sand particles could take out an eye.



Another entrance to the beach



Rainbow against Monterey Bay

A combination of driving and walking on the beach road showed us some of the most beautiful homes you can see anywhere, framed by graceful Monterey cypress trees giving the place the stamp of coastal California. Some of the homes are constructed in the Mission style, some modern with huge windows to take in the ocean views and some are clearly inspired by European castles and fairy tales.
I am sure 1BHK flats in Mulund(E) are more expensive though.

How beautifully the cypresses align themselves with the wind








Beautiful homes. Can't imagine the electricity bills and cost of housekeeping..



No T-BHP post would be complete without a nice car pic. This Yellow Supra is quite the looker.













Fantastical shapes



Our ride, parked on the roadside.

A stopover at the Carmel Mission, one of many established by the Spaniards when they colonized California. There are 21 of these California missions along the coast and slightly inland, starting from San Diego in the south to the northernmost one is in Sonoma, a couple hours north of San Francisco. The buildings and their campuses are beautiful, and worth visiting if you happen to be their vicinity.
The Carmel mission chapel was closed as a result of some storm damage, but there were some nice dioramas of life in those days, which we were allowed to see.

Dioramas of life in the Spanish colonial days.

We then walked around the town for a bit, enjoying the sunshine that had dared to peek out, followed by lunch at a nice local restaurant (one of the few open, all of which were extremely crowded).
Interesting fact: Clint Eastwood (yes, the actor/director) was once the mayor of this pretty little town, and has a huge residence here, in addition to a hotel-restaurant. We unfortunately didn't get to see him, although we did feel lucky.

Interesting that the Google search top line talks about his being a former mayor, not an actor or director



Pretty storefronts all along the tiny "downtown"


Quaint cobblestoned alley


The Dametra cafe, a Greek restaurant where we had lunch

A relaxing afternoon indoors was followed by a final outing after sunset to see the same spectacular beach in the dark. Power was still not on, so we had to rely on the thick comforter to keep warm, and the room was freezing cold when we woke up the next morning.

It was a dark and stormy night...


Felt just a bit scary driving around at night all by ourselves

[Mustang Sammy]

The next day’s plan was to either visit the Point Lobos State Park, which has mind blowingly beautiful views of the rugged coastline, and is claimed by many to be the inspiration for RL Stevenson’s “Treasure Island”. That being closed due to the storm, we headed to the other option, which was the famous 17 Mile Drive, the location of the Pebble Beach Golf Club, which also hosts auctions of very expensive cars for the ultra rich who frequent such places. The drive also boasts of some spectacular views.
Unfortunately this was also closed, so we did one last darshan of Carmel beach, said our goodbyes to this beautiful town, and headed up CA-1.
Made a few stops along the way at some beautiful and cold beaches and enjoying the beauty of the coastline.

One last trip to the Sea-by-Carmel



Angry waves of the (ironically named) Pacific Ocean



Rugged California coastline



Finally, a close-up of the Volvo



Beautiful green meadow close to Half Moon Bay

Then it was time for me to (reluctantly) hand over the keys to the Volvo, and for us to board our flight to Phoenix, Arizona, and onward to Tucson, where we were spending a couple of days with R, the SO's BFF.

Crossing the mountains en route to Arizona

[Mustang Sammy]

Tucson, Arizona

After landing in Phoenix we took a cab to Tucson: a long straight drive on the I-10, to be warmly greeted by R in her palatial home.

In the car heading to Tucson

She showed us around the local sights, treated us to yummy homemade and Mexican food and in general showed us a great time.
We went to a golf tournament, a quintessential American experience. Everything was on a large scale, scads of food & drink, and plenty of beautiful people (none comparing to the SO of course). R and her hubby were gracious hosts.

Tents set up to accommodate the visitors and their libations





Nicely manicured lawns of the golf course

Day after was a short drive to a local nature spot called Sabino Canyon which has plenty of places to walk, hike and otherwise take in the beautiful surroundings. We took a tram ride to the various walking and vista points, which is a quick and easy way to get an introduction to the place. The park has huge numbers of the famous Saguaro cactus, which is also found growing in residential communities in the area. We didn't get to see the truly gigantic specimens though.
We decided to walk back, and it was quite an invigorating experience. This is the best time of year to visit Arizona, before the blazing summer heat kicks in.

Three of us in the tram heading up



Fields of Saguaros, stretching as far as the eyes can see. One could imagine this as a scene out of the Wild West



BFFs posing with the big guy



The Sabino Dam



Water flowing downstream of the dam



Rock, tree & sky



Big solitary specimen



More Saguarii


A rose among the thorns



Marching back to the parking lot

Tucson is definitely worth a visit, and there's a somewhat famous ditch known as the Grand Canyon which is not too far away, as is the lovely resort town of Sedona.

Our 3 days completed, it was time for me to head back to India and to work, with the SO following a few days later.

A lovely holiday, with more to come...

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Vijay T]

Beautiful witty travelogue.

Very nice fotos of beautiful houses.

Everything is this country is grand..

[sumathindra]

Nice one!

Have been to SFO many times and trust me each time you get to see something new and the city never ceases to amaze you. At times I wish when will our cities be like this? Having said that the things I admire are the structuredness and standardization across the country!

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Mustang Sammy

Attachment 2724071
Curious device attached to tree. Is it a smoke/fire detector?

I believe that is a camera trap, some sort of infra-red light array on top that gets triggered by animal movement at night and captures their images. Have seen a few in our Western Ghats forests, attached in the same way to trees. Helps with big cat and other creature census.

[Amrik Singh]

SFO is so full of attractions that no amount of pictures would fo justice. Already have TL buried deep down here. Hope to do more clicks and a write up in next few months.