ramblings of a Seattle travel, food and photography hound
Not far from the junction of Highways 44 and 89 above Old Station is an interesting volcanic attraction that you can walk through. It is a lava tube about 1,300 feet long that was created less than 20,000 years ago when lava flowed over this area. Tubes are formed when the top part of the... Continue Reading →
If it hadn't been for a comment made by my son-in-law, I might never have considered going to this national park in Northern California. He said that it was underrated and that it deserved to be visited by more people. I can understand his opinion because as a geologist, the park is a showcase for... Continue Reading →
A giant replica of a martini olive sits on the corner of South Avenue and Hall Road in Corning, California. It isn't someone's idea of a practical joke but a symbol of the fruit's importance to this part of the Sacramento Valley in California that produces olives and olive oil. A visit to Lucero Olive... Continue Reading →
One of the best surprises of eating on the road is coming across little gems. It wasn't that Nancy's Airport Cafe happened to be the closest place at mealtime. It was mentioned in an article in the latest issue of a bimonthly AAA magazine published in Northern California, called Via, in which a food critic... Continue Reading →
South of Williams in California, there are vast fields of sunflowers almost abutting Interstate 5. In bloom right now, they are hard to miss with their bright yellow petals. But, rather than growing them for florists, they are grown for a different commercial purpose: their seeds. Such a pity because these sunflowers would brighten up... Continue Reading →
Every one of us can recall when one of our favorite restaurants closes its doors for good. It's all the more upsetting when it was responsible for introducing you to a defining dish, one that stays in your memory long after you've had it, one that hasn't been matched by any restaurant since. Such was... Continue Reading →
We had hoped to pass through Berkeley at around noontime or so for a quick snack. Visions of a legendary dessert at Bette's To Go—the chocolate espresso twinkie—played with my mind. This Hostess namesake, a dense chocolate cake filled with espresso cream and enrobed in chocolate icing, landed in the Sterns' 500 Things to Eat... Continue Reading →
The small town of Elk, CA, population of just over 200, can boast that it has one of the most spectacular collection of sea stacks offshore. To the north on California Highway 1, there is a turnout high above the ocean that offers as dramatic a coastal view as you'll ever see anywhere. Some of the... Continue Reading →
In the middle of the vast redwood empire where the tallest living things on Earth live, a small section of Van Damme State Park just south of Mendocino features a pygmy forest. The trees are so small that their trunks can be only 1/4" in diameter yet be almost a hundred years old. The forest... Continue Reading →
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