California

The Redwoods 2025 – Pea Soup Andersen’s

Posted on June 25, 2025 by JimG

Wedenesday, June 25th, 2025

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.   We headed back to Visalia to visit Sophon’s aunt and then back home. Unfortunately, we ran into construction and the traffic around San Francisco was horrible.

I couldn’t help but notice that when we were up in Oregon and Northern CA, people were considerate when it came to driving and generally, used the left lane for passing.  One we were south of Eureka, CA, there were a lot of self-entitled fast lane campers with passing done in the right-hand lane.  It says a lot about CA.

If you have ever driven up the 101 or the I-5 you would have seen signs for Pea Soup Andersen’s which were roadside icons with a Windmill and Danish cookies in the gift shop.  They are known for their split pea soup which isn’t high on my list of things that sound good, but I have to admit, their pea soup is good!

I enjoy going to Pea Soup, it reminds me of when I was young and my parents would pile us into the back of the station wagon to take us on a road trip.   We loved a good road stop and you can tell, Pea Soup Andersen’s is from that era.   am not sure if my parents ever stopped at Pea Soup Andersen’s when they drove through California, but they would have loved it. Continue reading →

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Redwoods 2025 – Fern Canyon

Posted on June 24, 2025 by JimG

Tuesday, June 24, 2025

After my previous trip, I learned that there was an area called “Fern Canyon”, it is where they filmed scenes from Jurassic Park II in it. It was on my list of places I wanted to see.  Unfortunately, I should have done my homework.  I learned that you needed a special parking permit and when I checked the website, there were no passes available for months.  The only other way of seeing the area was to hike to it, an 8-mile hike.

However, I read that they released additional parking passes the day before.   The morning before, I checked the website right at 9:00 AM and sure enough, I scored a parking pass for the following day.  I lucked out!

I finally did a bit of homework, and I began to get concerned.  There were various message boards that talked about how the rough drive and how you had to pass through two streams.   Was it worth risking my car?

They also talked about having water shoes and I wondered, what exactly are water shoes?  I debated if we should go or not and finally decided that at any point, if I felt like I was putting my car at risk, we could always turn back.

It was a long bumpy drive and there were a few streams but it wasn’t a raging river.  I have seen more rain rushing down the street than I did in those streams.  We arrived and headed to Fern Valley.  It was worth the trip. This was a highlight and you don’t have to be a Jurassic Park fan to appreciate the gully lined with ferns.

And no, we were able to walk across the streams on planks and my shoes got a little wet but not soaked.

It was gorgeous and it was the highlight of the day.  As we left the park, we saw elk!

For dinner we at the Irish pub close to the hotel.  We really like that place.

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Redwoods 2025 – The Redwoods

Posted on June 24, 2025 by JimG

Tuesday, June 24th, 2025

It wouldn’t be a trip to the redwoods without seeing the redwoods.  After breakfast we headed to the CA redwoods and my first thought was, it doesn’t matter if the last hike looked just like the hike I was on, there is something about the redwoods which takes your breath away.    These trees were around when Caeser was ruling Rome.  There is a woodsy smell, a dampness to the coastal air and the size of the trees are amazing.

We didn’t have the Guide Along app on our last trip to the redwoods, a lot of the places we were headed to we saw before but we enjoyed seeing it all again.   Along the way we learned a lot about the area and the conservation of the redwoods.  It is sad that only a small percentage of the original redwood forests still exist.  The area that the Ewok village along with the area where the final shots of ET were filmed are gone, the areas were logged.

The last time I was here, knowing that the trees date back to biblical times, I felt as if I was in an area that was timeless.  If my grandparents had driven through the park, they would have seen the same trees and it wouldn’t have looked much different.

At one stop, after we parked, two classic 50s cars pulled up and I thought, yes, we are in an area that is timeless! Not too long after that, we saw a car that was even older. Continue reading →

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Redwoods 2025 – Another trip up the West Coast!

Posted on June 21, 2025 by JimG

Lady Bird Johnson Grove

Saturday, June 21, 2025

We left around 8:00 AM in the morning.  I wasn’t going to attempt the entire drive; the plan was to visit Sophon’s Aunt in Visalia for lunch and then continue to Ukiah where we would spend the night.  We would then venture into Eureka, CA and into Redwood Tree territory.

Everything went as planned.  It was nice to Sophon’s Aunt, and she was excited to see us.  We are planning on spending more time with her on our way back.  Visalia is close to the Sequoia National Park which we also wanted to see.

Visalia is in Central CA and it isn’t close to a big city.  We made it appoint to bring Thai specialties from the Thai market along with some baked goods we picked up from our favorite bakery.

After lunch we headed to an REI in Frenso to pick up an Annual National Park pass. As I purchased it, I found myself thinking that this is the first time I have purchased an annual park pass and I plan on using it!

We arrived in Ukiah, found a place to eat, filled the car up with gas and turned in for the day. Continue reading →

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Catalina Island

Posted on June 28, 2024 by JimG

The Casino

June 28, 2024

We woke up early and we walked to the iconic Avalon Casino building.  Although the building is called the casino, we were told that there isn’t a casino in it and never has been.  The word “casino” means gathering place.  Unfortunately, the building wasn’t open when we got there.  I found a schedule but it mentioned that opening times depended on cruise ship arrivals.

We walked around the outside of the building and I couldn’t help but notice how quiet everything was with the exception of a few small groups of scuba divers who were suiting up. As much as I would have loved to go into the building, I was enjoying the quiet morning.   The Catalina Express would be bringing in visitors, I was glad that there weren’t any cruise ships.

After our walk, we went back to the hotel, packed everything up, checked out and had them store our luggage while we got lunch.   After lunch, we headed to the pier where we hung out waiting for boat back to Long Beach.

I was surprised at the amount of wildlife, I could see plenty of fish, I spotted a sea lion along with Cormorants.   It was a nice ride back to Long Beach.

Overall, a fun weekend. Continue reading →

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Catalina Island Backcountry Tour

Posted on June 27, 2024 by JimG

June 27th, 2024

We were picked up at our hotel by Backcountry tours and was taken to see the other parts of the island.  Part of the tour was on dirt roads, I was glad that we were in an air conditioned truck as opposed to an open air vehicle.  Our guide from Backcountry tours explained that they offered a variety of services that include hauling camping gear and setting up camps for hikers that want to hike.  With the steep hills, I could see where carrying food and gear could be a challenge.

We enjoyed seeing the rest of the island and hearing about the conservation efforts.  Unfortunately, we did not get to see the Bison which were brought to island in 1924.  Fourteen American Bison were brought to the Island and now, a hundred years later, a herd of about 150 roam the island.

After our tour, our guide dropped us off at “The Lobster Trap” where we had lunch. I rarely get lobster, but decided to have the lobster roll. I wasn’t disappointed. Continue reading →

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Catalina Island

Posted on June 26, 2024 by JimG

The Casino

June 26, 2024

I haven’t been to Catalina since the early 90s.  At the time, I was living in Long Beach which is one of the locations that the Catalina Express boats go in and out of.   We got up, headed to Pann’s for breakfast and then headed to Long Beach to catch our 11:15 boat.  We made good time which allowed me to drive by my old apartment and reminisce.  I had moved to Long Beach for work.   I loved my job, I loved my apartment and have very fond memories from that time.   I have always said that if I could go back and relive a time, that time period would be at the top of my list.

I had purchased a package deal from the Aurora hotel which included the transportation to and from the island, the taxi from the pier as well as a tour of the Island. When I called the hotel to book the package, I was impressed with how friendly and helpful they were.  Overall, I felt the room and the bathroom were small but we had an ocean view and it was only for a couple of nights.   I would definitely stay there again!

The Wrigley Family bought the back in 1919. This is the same Wrigley family that owned Wrigley field along with the Chicago Cubs.  It is hard to imagine the amount of money that this family made off of chewing gum.  At any rate, the family is still owned by the Wrigley family and is known for its wildlife and scuba diving.

When we arrived, we noticed that Avalon was crowded with lines almost everywhere.  I knew that a lot of people will go to Catalina for the day and there was a huge cruise ship parked off of the pier.  I wondered if it was going to remain as crowded as it was.   As we headed out to dinner, we noticed that the cruise ship was leaving and the crowds had dissipated. Continue reading →

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The Lost Jedi-diah

Posted on October 17, 2023 by JimG

Tuesday, October 17th 2023

The weather was better the following day and we wanted to go back to Crescent City and Jedidiah to do some additional exploring and hiking.   Although the weather was cool, it was a beautiful day with beautiful scenery and Jedidiah had a different feel with the sun.

We started with driving along the ocean, stopping in and around Crescent city to appreciate the coast line.   We actually ran into our tour guide from the day before when wet stopped at one of the beaches.   We then headed back into Jedidiah Redwoods state park.

A couple of years back, I had pulled a page out of a “Visit California” magazine that had an article called “A Geek’s Guide to California”, there was a picture of a man standing in a Redwood Grove looking up with a smaller picture below with had George Lucas,  next to Princess Leah, Chewbacca, Hans Solo, C3PO and R2D2 with redwood trees behind them.  The article talked about the Sci-Fi movies that had been filmed in the area.

It wasn’t there to find the exact places where E.T. finally went home or the areas that served as also served as the moon of Endor, home of the Ewoks in the Return of the Jedi, the scenes in Jurassic Park: The Lost World, but it made me want to explore it even more. Continue reading →

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Ultimate Redwood Experience – Crescent City and Jedidiah State Park

Posted on October 16, 2023 by JimG

October 16th, 2023

I woke up and it was raining.  I was hoping by the time our tour started, the rain would let up but it hadn’t.  I had booked the Ultimate Redwood Experience from the redwood Sightseeing Tour Company and when met our tour guide met us in Crescent City, CA, I could tell he was hoping that we would postpone until the following day.  We had made the half hour drive from Brookings, OR to Crescent City, CA and we were the only ones on this Group Tour and I wanted to spend the following day exploring on my own and we were visiting a rain forest.

We made a few stops around crescent City and then we headed into Jedidiah State Park. I was a bit confused because I had seen it listed as a State Park as well as a National Park.  The guide explained that it was comanaged by the National Park Service and California State Parks as are other Redwood Parks in the area.

It is difficult to describe the experience.  The trees are 300 feet tall and thousands of years old, it makes you feel small and yet part of something bigger. The air is fresh and earthy, it felt healthy to be breathing it.   The grove is shaded, leaving plants that can grow in limited light, it is eerily quiet with no birds and surprisingly, no bugs. Continue reading →

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The Legend of Bigfoot

Posted on October 15, 2023 by JimG

October 15th. 2023

We continued heading north towards Brookings, Oregon.  The 101 also known as the Redwood Highway, travels through the redwood forests and at times, along the Pacific Coast. The drive is stunning.

We came across a road stop called The Legend of Bigfoot in Garberville. It looked too fun not to stop!  We were in Bigfoot territory and I was enjoying it. I grew listening to Bigfoot and Loch Ness monster stories – I am a fan of urban legends and loved the X-Files.  I was  hoping to see Bigfoot and capturing footage on my camera. Unfortunately, the wooden carvings of Bigfoot was the only thing that I captured on my camera!

Overall, a fun stop filled with touristy stuff that is fun to looked at.  They also had redwood carvings of Bigfoot  along with Smokey the Bear, Shrek, and a variety of garden gnomes both for display and for sale. I checked out the refrigerator magnets, coffee mugs, and t-shirts.   I picked up a spoon rest and coffee mug and after I left, I hoped that we would pass it on the way back home so that I could stop and pick up a 2024 Redwoods calendar and a refrigerator magnet!

Continue reading →

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