San Francisco: The bad boy chronicles. EDIT: Point Reyes, Pics added.

bblost · 30th November 2010, 00:36

I found this to be a highly overated and rather boring drive.
There is a toll of 9.50 Dollars.

There are a couple of lovely houses along this stretch. The crowd was 90% Indian. For a moment you would think you were back in India or something.

YouTube - 17 Mile Drive 1

YouTube - 17 Mile Drive 2

YouTube - 17 Mile Drive 3

YouTube - 17 Mile Drive 4

bblost · 30th November 2010, 00:42

Mystery Spot near Santa Cruz.

A MUST VISIT.

There is a guided tour thru this place and the charge is 5$ per person. Also note that there is a parking fee of 5$ per car.
But its totally worth it. This place has something weird going on with gravity. You will see balls rolling up instead of down. You cannot stand straight no matter how hard you try. A pendulum swings in a crazy fashion.

I totally enjoyed it. Initially felt a little nauseas but soon overcame it. Found that closing my eyes usually helped in getting my bearing right. One other strange thing is the absence of all animals and birds here. Even the trees grow in a weird manner with all the branches on one side.

I highly recommend this place.

YouTube - Mystery Spot 1

YouTube - Mystery Spot 2

YouTube - Mystery Spot 3

YouTube - Mystery Spot 4

YouTube - Mystery Spot 5

YouTube - Mystery Spot 6

bblost · 30th November 2010, 00:44

Also visited the Santa Cruz Water Front.
The pier had free parking on account of Thanksgiving. So we said thank you to the parking meters.

There were a bunch of Sea Lions hanging out under the Pier. Quite a noisy bunch.

YouTube - Santa Cruz Sea Lions 1

YouTube - Santa Cruz Sea Lions 2

YouTube - Santa Cruz Sea Lions 3

YouTube - Santa Cruz Sea Lions 4

All these Sea Lions ended up confusing this poor dog.

YouTube - Santa Cruz Confused Dog

Santa Cruz

YouTube - Santa Cruz 1

YouTube - Santa Cruz 2

Jelly fish in the water.

YouTube - Jelly Fish

A Sea Otter swims by us in Monterey.

YouTube - Sea Otter

A lovely lunch for me. Totally loved the Salmon and the Pumpkin Pie. If you are in Monterey, look up this place if you like my kind of food. Guru however did not like his sandwich.

YouTube - Lenny and Valentina in Monterey

bblost · 30th November 2010, 00:55

If you love driving on curves. This is a must drive road for you. Its to the North of San Francisco and is simply one of the most beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.

This peninsula juts out into the sea and the view is phenomenal. The waters are rich in sealife and you may get lucky and spot a whale or two.

The route form SFO takes you thru Muir Beach, Stinson beach and then Point Reyes.

The last video will give you and idea of what to when expect driving here.

YouTube - Muir Beach 1

YouTube - Point Reyes 1

YouTube - Point Reyes 2

YouTube - Point Reyes 3

YouTube - Point Reyes 4

YouTube - Point Reyes 5

YouTube - Point Reyes 6

YouTube - Point Reyes 7

YouTube - Point Reyes 8

YouTube - Point Reyes Whale

YouTube - Towards Point Reyes 1

YouTube - Towards Point Reyes 2

YouTube - CA 1 Evening Drive

tsk1979 · 30th November 2010, 02:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

I found this to be a highly overated and rather boring drive.

I prefer Big Sur any day to 17 mile drive

meghan · 30th November 2010, 02:09

Nice to see this thread since I too am living in the Bay Area for the past year.
Good to know even you found 17 mile drive overrated - I haven't done it yet!
A small correction - its point reyes and not reves Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service)

Yosemite next (though now may not be the best season)?
In case you want nice drives, try driving on Skyline Boulevard around Palo Alto, on of my favourite drives since there are a lot of preserves around plus you get awesome views of the Bay and the Pacific as well if the weather cooperates!

Also, if you go on CA-1 again, if you reach Pfeiffer beach an hour before sunset, you can also get to see this -

bblost · 30th November 2010, 02:16

Thanks Meghan. I have corrected the typo in my post and on youtube.

vasoo · 30th November 2010, 12:18

Posting photos would have been better than videos. We cannot access them in the office and need to be careful about the volumes.

You are absolutely right that 17-mile drive is highly over-rated. In fact you have much better drives along the CA-1. We used to drive all the way from Santa Cruz up to Eureka in the north and back. There are sonme really beautiful spots on the way to watch the Pacific.

bblost · 3rd December 2010, 04:30

I finally brought my motorcyle shopping to a close.

This is what I bought:

Helmet
Cycle Gear - SEVEN ZERO SEVEN: Vendetta 2 Centurion Full-Face Motorcycle Helmet, BLACK
$ 112.

Spare Visor: $ 20

Helmet Skirt:
Cycle Gear - SPEEDMETAL: Wind Stopper Helmet Skirt,
$10

Jackets
For me
Cycle Gear - TOUR MASTER: Draft Mesh Motorcycle Jacket, BLACK
$ 70

For my friend
Cycle Gear - JOE ROCKET: Nova 2.0 Textile Motorcycle Jacket, GRAY/YELLOW
$ 99

Knee Guard
Cycle Gear - EVS: 2009 Option Knee Guards, BLACK
$ 18

Kidney belt
Cycle Gear - O'NEAL: 2008 Element Belt, BLUE
$ 16

Riding Yellow lens sunglasses
$ 27

All the above are prices w/o taxes.
So you need to add about 9.25%

Raincoat
Tour Master :: Rainsuits :: Elite Series II 1-Piece Rainsuit
$ 73 including taxes
I chose the yellow on top color combination.
The fit is a little loose, should be easily able to wear my jacket and/ or laptop back without any problems.

I had earlier mentioned that the helmet cost me 149. But the online price was showing 112.
The online price then went back to 149 to finally come down to 119 yesterday.
I happened to visit the store. Told the guy about the price difference. Was immediatly offered a refund with base price as 112.
I used that to buy the skirt and shades.

The Raincoat was not in stock. SO I went to Golden Gate Cycles. The price was 75$ plus taxes.
I asked if I am eligble for thanksgiving sale.

The guy asked me to wait a minute. Got a phamplet and gave me a discount.

I will add some pics soon. A friend of mine went crazy when we went to Point Reyes.
The resolution is a little big. Any suggestions for s/w that will reduce the resolution of all pics in a directroy?

prince_pervez · 3rd December 2010, 04:52

^^Awesome gear! Need tips on how to claim it on project ?

How long are you in SFO ? I am planning on a West to East coast drive this month, now that I have done North to South

Let me check if we can meet then. But the plans are still in planning phase.

EDIT: About the large pics, when I was uploading my Miami pics, I found that the software was resizing automatically before uploading. You might want to try that first. Take a large image of arounf 2 MB and try uploading on T-BHP. It will resize. The ones it cannot, it'll let you know.

bblost · 3rd December 2010, 05:03

No I don't think any of this gear can be claimed as expenses.

I am leaving SFO this Saturday. Will have a short stopover in middle America for a week and then leave for India before next week is over.

vivekiny2k · 3rd December 2010, 06:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

I will add some pics soon. A friend of mine went crazy when we went to Point Reyes.
The resolution is a little big. Any suggestions for s/w that will reduce the resolution of all pics in a directroy?

Vivek's weblog: Image resizing, cropping and applying a border.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

No I don't think any of this gear can be claimed as expenses.

I am leaving SFO this Saturday. Will have a short stopover in middle America for a week and then leave for India before next week is over.

where exactly?

bblost · 3rd December 2010, 07:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by vivekiny2k

Vivek's weblog: Image resizing, cropping and applying a border.

Thanks, I will check this out. I am a big fan of irfanview. Love that sweet piece of code.

Quote:

where exactly?

Dallas.

aargee · 3rd December 2010, 08:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by bblost

Raincoat
Tour Master :: Rainsuits :: Elite Series II 1-Piece Rainsuit
$ 73 including taxes

Haha!!! So you too bought that huh??? But I got them for $55 (flat no tax) on Black Friday sale!!! There were only 3 colors, Yellow, Blue & Red (damn!!! Black color is not up for sale for some reason). Also get a rain boot cover without fail, it will be very useful.

You need to check Motorcycle Parts, Motorcycle Accessories, Motorcycle Parts and Accessories at JCMotors.com. & one more (sorry forgot now) & they offer the best prices.

bblost · 3rd December 2010, 11:39

Wow, if you got a TourMaster elite for 55 its a very good deal.

The 1pc suit I saw at cyclegear which was not my size, was priced at 50$ w/o tax. But the tourmaster is a lot superior in quality.

I did not buy the boot guard because my normal shoes are the army boots.
They don't absorb water and work really well.

Plus that is what I usually wear to office.

Sometime I may wear my woodland shoes, but those are also quite strong and keep well in water.

30th November 2010, 02:09	#111
meghan BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Mountain View Posts: 114 Thanked: 20 Times View My Garage	Nice to see this thread since I too am living in the Bay Area for the past year. Good to know even you found 17 mile drive overrated - I haven't done it yet! A small correction - its point reyes and not reves Point Reyes National Seashore (U.S. National Park Service) Yosemite next (though now may not be the best season)? In case you want nice drives, try driving on Skyline Boulevard around Palo Alto, on of my favourite drives since there are a lot of preserves around plus you get awesome views of the Bay and the Pacific as well if the weather cooperates! Also, if you go on CA-1 again, if you reach Pfeiffer beach an hour before sunset, you can also get to see this - Attached Thumbnails Last edited by meghan : 30th November 2010 at 02:17.
	(1) Thanks

30th November 2010, 02:16	#112
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,353 Times View My Garage	Thanks Meghan. I have corrected the typo in my post and on youtube.
	() Thanks

30th November 2010, 12:18	#113
vasoo Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Memphis TN Posts: 1,039 Thanked: 246 Times View My Garage	Posting photos would have been better than videos. We cannot access them in the office and need to be careful about the volumes. You are absolutely right that 17-mile drive is highly over-rated. In fact you have much better drives along the CA-1. We used to drive all the way from Santa Cruz up to Eureka in the north and back. There are sonme really beautiful spots on the way to watch the Pacific.
	(1) Thanks

3rd December 2010, 04:30	#114
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,353 Times View My Garage	I finally brought my motorcyle shopping to a close. This is what I bought: Helmet Cycle Gear - SEVEN ZERO SEVEN: Vendetta 2 Centurion Full-Face Motorcycle Helmet, BLACK $ 112. Spare Visor: $ 20 Helmet Skirt: Cycle Gear - SPEEDMETAL: Wind Stopper Helmet Skirt, $10 Jackets For me Cycle Gear - TOUR MASTER: Draft Mesh Motorcycle Jacket, BLACK $ 70 For my friend Cycle Gear - JOE ROCKET: Nova 2.0 Textile Motorcycle Jacket, GRAY/YELLOW $ 99 Knee Guard Cycle Gear - EVS: 2009 Option Knee Guards, BLACK $ 18 Kidney belt Cycle Gear - O'NEAL: 2008 Element Belt, BLUE $ 16 Riding Yellow lens sunglasses $ 27 All the above are prices w/o taxes. So you need to add about 9.25% Raincoat Tour Master :: Rainsuits :: Elite Series II 1-Piece Rainsuit $ 73 including taxes I chose the yellow on top color combination. The fit is a little loose, should be easily able to wear my jacket and/ or laptop back without any problems. I had earlier mentioned that the helmet cost me 149. But the online price was showing 112. The online price then went back to 149 to finally come down to 119 yesterday. I happened to visit the store. Told the guy about the price difference. Was immediatly offered a refund with base price as 112. I used that to buy the skirt and shades. The Raincoat was not in stock. SO I went to Golden Gate Cycles. The price was 75$ plus taxes. I asked if I am eligble for thanksgiving sale. The guy asked me to wait a minute. Got a phamplet and gave me a discount. I will add some pics soon. A friend of mine went crazy when we went to Point Reyes. The resolution is a little big. Any suggestions for s/w that will reduce the resolution of all pics in a directroy?
	(1) Thanks

3rd December 2010, 04:52	#115
prince_pervez Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Redwood shores, CA, USA Posts: 4,210 Thanked: 51 Times View My Garage	^^Awesome gear! Need tips on how to claim it on project ? How long are you in SFO ? I am planning on a West to East coast drive this month, now that I have done North to South Let me check if we can meet then. But the plans are still in planning phase. EDIT: About the large pics, when I was uploading my Miami pics, I found that the software was resizing automatically before uploading. You might want to try that first. Take a large image of arounf 2 MB and try uploading on T-BHP. It will resize. The ones it cannot, it'll let you know. Last edited by prince_pervez : 3rd December 2010 at 04:55.
	(1) Thanks

3rd December 2010, 05:03	#116
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,353 Times View My Garage	No I don't think any of this gear can be claimed as expenses. I am leaving SFO this Saturday. Will have a short stopover in middle America for a week and then leave for India before next week is over.
	(1) Thanks

3rd December 2010, 11:39	#120
bblost Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 11,008 Thanked: 15,353 Times View My Garage	Wow, if you got a TourMaster elite for 55 its a very good deal. The 1pc suit I saw at cyclegear which was not my size, was priced at 50$ w/o tax. But the tourmaster is a lot superior in quality. I did not buy the boot guard because my normal shoes are the army boots. They don't absorb water and work really well. Plus that is what I usually wear to office. Sometime I may wear my woodland shoes, but those are also quite strong and keep well in water.
	(1) Thanks