Wednesday, May 31, 2017

Dartmouth Symphonic Band Banquet

At the end of the Dartmouth Middle School's school year, the Symphonic Band held a final banquet to celebrate all of the band's accomplishments.

The banquet was supposed to start at 7:00pm, so we arrived at 6:30 to wait in line. The banquet was really created a bit later. We stood in line for a catered dinner (Alex sat separately with his friends). After eating a good dinner,  Mr. Sam Neipp showed us a slide show and played some of the band's performances from the recent Disney Trip.


Mr. Neipp kept a diary and shared some memorable entries about his music students, i.e., what he thought of each student, who could join the Symphonic Band, etc. It was touching and moving. He also gave out awards for the best new band member, etc.


The food at the banquet was surprisingly delicious, and we especially enjoyed the chocolate fountain!


Lots of kids were crying afterward. It was a very memorable and touching event.

Monday, May 29, 2017

Kinetic Sculptures Race in Ferndale

Our first stop in Ferndale occurred during lunchtime after we had hiked at Humboldt Redwoods State Park nearby.


At first, we stopped by Ferndale Pizza, where Alex ordered and ate an entire pepperoni pizza! I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo (which was well prepared), and it filled me up.

After lunch, we decided to stop by at Humboldt Sweets. Yelp indicated that it might be closed (but Yelp has been frequently wrong regarding working hours). Luckily for us, Humboldt Sweets was open! This charming little shop had some of the best cakes, and we enjoyed eating them.


The owner was amiable and gave us a considerable portion of the cake. It was big enough for the whole family! The desserts looked freshly baked and almost as good as cakes in Cafe Demel in Vienna. Some German customers commented on the quality of the cakes here (and that's quite a compliment).

We overheard some other customers talking about the Ferndale Kinetic Sculptures event and decided to come back the next day to see it (and maybe get more cake!)


The cinnamon rolls were also delicious! We ate much more than we should have!

We returned to Humboldt Redwoods State Park for more hiking but came back the next day to see Kinetic Sculptures for ourselves.


Some sculptures were quite funny; some were pathetic; others were silly.


The band, mostly amateur musicians, sounded quite good and entertained us the whole time. 


The winner of the 2017 Race was Trilobike Test Kitchen, picture below:


There were many other interesting entries, like the Lightning Bug below:






Sunday, May 28, 2017

Hiking Humboldt Redwoods State Park

After waking up at 7:00 am and quickly showering, we dressed and headed for breakfast at our Best Western Plus. I was surprised at how busy it was at 8:00 am; everyone had the same idea of getting an early start on breakfast.


There was not a lot of variety at Best Western (but at least it was free), so Alex decided to make himself a waffle while I selected the scrambled eggs (which were mildly edible). The coffee was
"très horrible," and I had to immediately chuck my tasteless cup into the trash.


We decided to drive to Humboldt Redwoods State Park by taking the Avenue of the Giants, stopping at all the relevant redwood tree groves, and ending up eventually at the Visitor Center, where we would ask about suggested hikes.


Before proceeding to the park, we drove through a drive-a-redwood exhibit off the road. 


The exhibit also features some cute tree-houses, and we couldn't help ourselves to photos.





From here, we drove to some of the nearby redwood groves on the Avenue of the Giants. There were lots of redwoods, and some were very densely arranged.


We stopped by one grove to explore the nearby South Fork of the Eel River. It was shallow, and Alex played with some of the many pebbles.


He was also trying to test out the water-proof effectiveness of his new hiking shoes. They seemed to be okay.


We stopped by the Visitor Center, and the ranger suggested we do the short free guided walk at 11:00 am, followed by the nearby Rockefeller Loop.


We enjoyed our guided walk, and the tour guide explained some interesting facts about California redwoods. After the short stroll, we headed to Rockefeller Loop.


The ride there was relatively slow due to the deplorable / porthole-laden road. Even though it was 1.7 miles away, it took about 10 minutes to get to the Rockefeller Loop parking lot.



Alex got to do some climbing and scrambling onto the giant fallen redwoods.

After the beautiful hike, we decided (as recommended by the ranger at the Visitor Center) to drive for lunch at Ferndale.


While there, we enjoyed a delicious pizza at Ferndale Pizza and the best cake ever at Humboldt Sweets.

After lunch, we returned to Humboldt Redwoods to continue our hiking.


Our first stop was Founders Grove - a short hike through beautiful redwoods. There were many people here (compared to other hikes), but the walk through the woods was quite enjoyable, and Alex got to climb some large logs.


After this hike, we drove to the Drury-Chaney Loop trail - a longer hike through the more scenic wilderness.


As it was getting late (and we were tired), we returned to our Best Western Plus for rest (and maybe dinner). Unfortunately, our favorite local restaurant - Cecil's New Orleans Bistro was closed. We decided to explore the town, but nothing else was worthwhile. The only open Coffee Shop was full - but the food served failed to impress me.


We decided instead to purchase bottled water and a few Haagen-Dazs ice cream bars for our dinner (we were not hungry anyway after the massive lunch at Ferndale.


Monday, May 31, 2017


After waking up and packing, we ate our complimentary breakfast at the Best Western Plus and continued to the Visitor Center - as the hike I wanted to do could not be found. The ranger convinced me to do the Bull Creek Trail near the Big Trees on the map. The drive there was prolonged and painful due to the horrible road.


Hiking here was fantastic, and we were so glad to have come here. There were many giant trees and very tall trees. Walking here was very pleasant and peaceful.


After hiking a few miles, we returned to Ferndale to observe the Kinetic Sculpture Festival from 1:00 - 4:00 pm. On the way there, we stopped by for lunch in La Fortuna, where we ate at the highly recommended Eel River Brewery. In addition to burgers, this establishment had some interesting items on the menu - like German morning beer? (Yes, in the old days, everyone drank beer for breakfast, lunch, and dinner because normal water was polluted and unsafe). This beer had a shallow alcohol level - obviously.

I ordered the fish & chips and was thrilled with my meal. We ran late, ate quickly, and headed to Ferndale, another 40-minute drive.



Saturday, May 27, 2017

Exploring the Lost Coast

On Saturday, May 27, we started our long drive from San Jose to Garberville and Shelter Cove (aka the Lost Coast).

There was a lot of traffic on I-880 and US-101, so we stopped by for lunch at a well-regarded (according to Yelp) eatery - Sarah's Sweets and Eats in Petaluma.

I ordered a delicious Pastrami Reuben sandwich, while Inna ordered the Monte Christo sandwich. Both of the sandwiches were delicious!


We also tried the Chicken Soup, which was also excellent.


After our fantastic lunch, we continued our drive to Garberville. On the way there, we stopped in a small town for coffee and ice cream. We continued to Garberville, where we checked in to our Best Western Plus hotel.

We were told it would be OK to visit the Lost Coast - as there was not much fog.


We enjoyed exploring the beach, climbing rocks, and examining all the leftover driftwood.


Inna was playing her role as the resident shutterbug, taking photos of Alex playing with rocks.


It was cold, and I was still somewhat complicated despite my multiple layers of clothes. Eventually, we decided to explore other parts of the Lost Coast, so we headed to Seal Rock.

Inna took some fantastic photos of seals with her Nikon P900 superzoom camera.


There were so many cute seals!


I mostly stayed in the car as I was cold, while Inna played the shutterbug. From here, we decided to explore the tidepools near the Lighthouse at Mal Coombs Park.


Although we expected to find some of the numerous creatures that dwell in the sea (such as starfishes, clams, oysters, crabs, etc), we did not have much luck. Other than birds, we did not find anything worthy of note.


After exploring, we decided to return to Garberville for dinner.


When we returned to Garberville (a one-hour drive), we headed for Cecil's New Orleans Bistro. We were seated quite quickly (despite having no reservations).


For dinner, I ordered the Blackened Salmon - the best dish we tried. It was expertly prepared and not very spicy.


Inna decided to try the Shrimp Clemenceau - a delicious dish with tons of shrimp. I ended up helping her!

Alex ordered Chicken Strips with Fries, but he ate almost none - as he was not hungry.

We decided to try the classic Pecan Pie for dessert and were not disappointed. It was delicious!


It was a fine finish to a very long day of driving and exploring, and we wanted to have the energy for a full day of hiking at Humboldt Redwoods State Park the next day.


Friday, May 26, 2017

A Day out in San Francisco

Since Friday, May 26, was a Juniper Holiday, Inna and I decided to see Monet's "The Early Years" exhibit at San Francisco's Legion of Honor Museum.

The drive there was uneventful, though finding parking was a challenge. There were several intriguing sculptures in the courtyard of the museum. The sculptures looked like they were made from wet clay - yet they were solid.


We decided to get a single, yearly membership since it allows the member to attend all exhibits at the Legion of Honor and de Young Museums (and free admittance to one guest).


After getting our tickets for a 2:15pm show, we decided to grab lunch at the well-regarded Cinderella Russian Bakery nearby. When I parked nearby, I noticed my Toyota Sienna's TPS (tire pressure monitor) light was on. I was hoping that it was just low pressure.


Inna and I sat at the bakery and ordered a few Russian favorites, including Napoleon Torte, Vareniki with Cherries (Vishni), and blintzes with mushrooms. Both Inna and I really liked the Russian delicacies!

After our delicious lunch, we returned to the Sienna minivan and noticed that my front driver's side tire was flat. I immediately called AAA Roadside Assistance and ordered a vehicle to tow the car to the nearest tire center. After about 40 minutes of waiting, Jose Towing showed up, loaded my van, and dropped it off at the nearby Big O Tires on Geary St. Thankfully, it was still open for business!

The manager on duty examined my tire and said the damage was unlikely to be repaired. I purchased two new Michelin Defender 225/60R17 Tires to replace my front tires. The bill was high - $431.10 (but I had little choice).

While the tires were being replaced, Inna and I decided to hike around the area, heading to Presidio and exploring the neighborhoods. We found some excellent hikes at Presidio and plan to return.

We stopped by for coffee at "As Quoted Cafe," where I tried the Bone Broth soup, and Inna tried the coffee. I didn't enjoy the soup much, but Inna liked her coffee.

At about 5:10pm, BigOTires called me to say my minivan tire installation was complete. Inna and I returned to BigOTires and picked up our minivan. We decided to get some delicious ice cream at Ghirardelli Square. Inna agreed to share her "Strike It Rich" sundae with me - Butter Pecan and Vanilla ice cream, butterscotch sauce, diced almonds, and handmade hot fudge topped with whipped cream.


After eating the sundae, we walked around the Aquatic Park Pier near the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park.

Although we did not see Monet's "The Early Years" paintings, we enjoyed exploring the city.