Purple ZR-1 Road Trip to Yellowstone and the Pacific Northwest

[8cam]

Originally Posted by QB93Z

We drove as far south on CA-1 as Mendocino and went out to the headlands

I have driven hwy 1 from Stewarts Point all the way down past Laguna Beach, so most of the state, and it's absolutely stunning and hugely varied. When we did the north end, we were in Sonoma, and the road from Geyserville to Stewarts Point was one of the most amazing drives I've ever made.

We'll be out there again in September, and my wife and I will make the drive from San Francisco down to LA over a 3 day trip (hey that's a road trip!), with stops in Monterey, Santa Barbara, and Santa Monica before flying home. She's never made that drive and is really looking forward to it. Beautiful area of the country.

I'll also take her to San Simeon and Hearst castle. FWIW I am a Comstock and that should be my house! There's a long story....

[Racinfan83]

Originally Posted by C4Ray

Here we again... Racinfan83, what about what makes you happy sir? I say leave your wife at home and take that trip! Make a strong stand and do what you want for a change? Some of you may or may not know but compared to the rest of the world, American men are seen as wonderful and faithful husbands. On the hand American women have a very unfavorable reputation. Just sayin'.

Jim: Beautiful topic and thread ... Enjoy your amazing trip!

Actually, being with my wife makes me happy. If I had the time off (which I don't) and the money (which I don't) - she wouldn't have a problem with me going. We've been together for 30 years, work about 110-120 hours a week between us, volunteer for a cat rescue group AND a pet rescue food bank, and still have all our home responsibilities. Not to mention my parents live 250 miles away and one is in Veterans home and other can barely manage on her own. So we are dealing with that too.
She would go on a road trip if I forced the issue. However - I wouldn't do that unless I was sure she was OK with it. I would really much rather do it with her then without her. She is my best friend, my rock, my everything. Not ashamed to say it either. She doesn't like riding in a car for a long time and driving for a long time even less. I've been a truck driver, and love road trips. We're different. But we are awesome together.

Jim - LOVE your trip diary and pics! Awesome that you take the time to share with the rest of us - it is very much appreciated!

[BlackSheepz]

I just read all 12 pages of this to catch up. Then I went and read the road trip where you picked up the Purple Z.

Thanks for Sharing Jim greatly looking forward to vicariously living the rest of your journey through Forum pictures!

[ZR-1 Franz]

Hello from Switzerland,

Thank you again, to you and Lyndi for these great pictures.
The "tree-pictures" are amazing. I love redwoods, they are majestic
trees. As an architect and gardener, we design, build and maintain
gardens. I am very interested in these trees. We have one in our garden,
a baby compared to these giants. I planted it about 30 years ago,
and nevertheless it is about 45 - 50 feet high. I love this tree.
Those that you visited now are not the same kind we have.
They are coast redwoods (Sequoiadendron sempervirens). I would like
to have one of them too, but it would die during wintertime here in
Switzerland. The one we have is a Sequoiadendron giganteum and
I hope we shall see pictures of them during your trip, when you will visit Yosemite
National Park, where they are native to.

Best greetings from Switzerland and have a safe trip,

Franz

[QB93Z]

On Sunday we got a very early start and drove to San Francisco. We got to the Marin Headlands National Park on the north end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The morning fog had not lifted so even though the sun was up, the bridge was not very photogenic. Lyndi got this interesting photo of Alcatraz:




We drove to the next overlook and the SF skyline was revealed beyond the Golden Gate Bridge:




Since we were at the Marin Headlands National Park before the Visitor Center opened, we explored the coastline of the headland. The sea lions were basking in the morning sun:




We sat on a bench and watched some surfers enjoying the mild waves:




We crossed the bridge and headed for Fort Point.





to be continued....

[QB93Z]

Fort Point was built starting in 1852 and is under the south end of the Golden Gate Bridge. The Fort is park of the Golden Gate National Park and is well preserved. We enjoyed exploring the Fort and getting interesting perspectives on the bridge:






We drove into San Francisco and spent the rest of the day seeing some of the sights. We visited Alamo Square and found the "Painted Ladies", a row beautiful houses:



to be continued.....

[QB93Z]

We really enjoyed visiting Fisherman's Wharf. It is a vibrant bustling part of the city:




The line of people waiting to ride a cable car was daunting so we opted for the quick photo on one of these icons of San Francisco:




There are lots of tours available in San Francisco. Even though we didn't take a tour, we especially liked the niche business of a tour conducted in a real 1955 Fire Engine:



San Francisco is a hard city to drive in. There are a lot of bicyclists and pedestrians, and foreign tourists that are not very familiar with the normal driving conventions of American Cities. The hilly streets add to the adventure.

All things considered, we found San Francisco an enjoyable place to visit and explore. This is an unusual recommendation for us because we usually feel overwhelmed by the crowds in urban areas after being in the wilderness of the National Parks. We will be scheduling a return trip to San Francisco.

We bid farewell to the City by the Bay and crossed the Oakland Bay Bridge


Jim

[QB93Z]

Our visit to San Francisco marks the end of the outbound part of our trip. I feel it is appropriate to post a picture the sums up our feelings of pride in this great nation of ours.

We have seen many sights, witnessed the splendor of nature in many ways. But the most impressive things we have seen are the efforts of the men and women who make America safe and strong.



Jim and Lyndi

[JFFerner]

I'm taken with some of your photos, such as those of the redwoods. The vertical images seem to go on forever and without any distortion. Special lenses? Photographers' trick?

And so it goes..Jim

[secondchance]

Originally Posted by QB93Z

Jim

Great pics!
Remind me to reseat your defroster grille.