California Coast Vacation '99
Part - 4 -
Mendocino to Berkeley to Santa Cruz
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- We woke up in Mendocino's Blair Witch House. and Norman was ready with breakfast. This was first class service. We had some excellent food, and Norman helped fix my camera, and then we got a goodbye picture in front of the house, and off we went to see more of Mendocino. Unfortunalely, Nancy wasn't feeling good, and we got into an arguement about it being the same ocean as yesterday, so we left town, not enjoying the morning. I think the damp foggy weather gets to her.
Friday afternoon, Sept 10
We skipped the Coast route, heading inland away from the foggy coast, and stopped in Potter Valley to See our neighbor's dad, who owned the local bar. He was a jolly guy serving drinks to a bunch of old hippies. He said they used to have a lot of rednecks in here but we chased them all out.
The food was good, we exchanged a few stories, and off we went to pick up Nancy's sister's girls in Berkeley. We were supposed to pick them up in Daly City, but Nancy wanted to pick them up, so Berkeley it was. We passed right through Santa Rosa, where they have "Railroad Square" , and nearby in Sonoma, they have "Railroad Town", but Nancy wasn't in any mood for it. We stopped at the Staples where I got the tape recorder on the way up and exchanged it for a smaller digital one. I got the Sony "BALLOON" which fits in your pocket, records 99 messages, and was only $29. It turned out to be a lot of fun and well worth the money.
Ruben and John (our neighbor's dad) in Potter Valley
- We missed the Sonoma Coast, Point Arena, and Bodega Bay
Graduating Siri, mom Suvanna, and freshman Lisa at UC Berkeley
Friday evening Sept 10
- We crossed the Richland Bridge to Berkeley, which wasn't nearly as scenic as the Golden Gate Bridge, and arrived at Siri and Lisa's apartment about 6:30. Luckily there was little traffic going our direction. We relaxed for a few minutes, and the went to Telegraph Ave in Berkeley for dinner.
Telegraph Ave, Berkeley
Nancy wanted Thai food, so we had some good spicy food. The street was a cool street, with lots of. Telegraph Avenue is one of the few marketplaces in Northern California specializing in hand-crafted goods. Daily, you can find quaint boutiques, cool incense, tattoo shops, and street vendors and artists set up along the sidewalks.
After dinner, we got back to our car and made our way out of the city, over the Bay Bridge, and through San Francisco on the way to Santa Cruz. We missed the road to the Coast Highway, so we took the 101 to San Jose, where we caught the highway down into Santa Cruz. We arrived about 10:30 and I was tired from driving all day, so I jumped into the jacazzi for some relaxation and soothing water.
That evening figured out how to run my cool new pocket digital taperecorder. It was fun. I just whipped it out of my pocket and pushed a button to leave a quick message, and then back in my pocket as I adjusted my camera for a photo. Together the vacation story could now come together perfectly. Too bad there was only one day left. I passed out shortly after, ready for the Santa Cruz boardwalk in the morning. It had been a long tiresome day, and I hoped tomorrow would be better.
Friday night, Sept 10
Our hotel was the Ocean Pacific Hotel, where we a room with 2 queen size beds and a jacuzzi.
It's at 120 Washington St. at Pacific Ave, Santa Cruz, phone# 831-457-1234, or 800-995-0289. It's $99 per night with AAA discount, we talked to Linda.
California Coast Vacation | Page 1 - Yosemite | Page 2 - S.F. & Fort Bragg | Page 3 - Fort Bragg & Mendocino | Page 4 - Berkeley to Santa Cruz | Page 5 - Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur | Page 6 - Cayucus, Morro Bay, Port San Louis, Pismo Beach | Pre-Photos | After-Photos | With Frames | Escape Frames
