BASEBALL PARKS & OTHER STUFF

This trip to the East Coast was quite diverse. It included two ball parks, one historical & one new. Lou counted that we saw fourteen lighthouses & climbed four. We toured & photographed three state capitols. We explored two big cities & drove the length of both Cape Cod & Long Island. So, without further adieu here is a recap of our twelve day trip back east.

This view of downtown Boston ("Baah-stahn" if you use the New England accent) from the water is one of my favorites. We took a National Park service cruise to the Boston Harbor Lighthouse, the oldest continuously operating lighthouse site in the United States.

The Boston Harbor Lighthouse on Little Brewster Island. We were allowed to climb it by paying a few dollars more. This lighthouse still has the old-style Fresnel lens & is the only one currently in operation today.

 This photo of Graves Lighthouse is zoomed way in so the quality isn't too good. I wasn't aware that there are dozens of Harbor Islands in Boston Harbor, many of which are recreational destinations for locals.

Lou & I have both visited Boston years ago. One of the things I recall vividly is that an old church from the 1700s would be intertwined with big city high rises. It struck me as odd how the modern city grew up around historical buildings from the past. The Freedom Trail winds its way through downtown Boston.

The Old State House is an example of how downtown has encroached on the past - it is the oldest surviving public building in Boston. I overheard a woman wonder what it must have been like before all the skyscrapers. The first reading of the Declaration of Independence took place on this balcony.

The Massachusetts State House (or Capitol building) borders the Boston Common. 

One of the old narrow streets that are found along the Freedom Trail. The oppressive humid heat wave & my sore feet found me wishing for Paul Revere's horse to get around. I don't sweat a lot but the high humidity had me dripping sweat like an NBA player.

We drove the length of Cape Cod to Provincetown & back all in one day. We were expecting awful congestion but were pleasantly surprised that we didn't encounter any huge traffic jams at all. Even though the Kennedy Compound is located in Hyannis Port, the entire Cape Cod area felt much more down to earth & welcoming than I expected.

Chatham Light is one of many lighthouses that dot the coast of Cape Cod. It was described as an arm being held up with a bent elbow - the shoulder is where it begins in the mainland & the fist is Provincetown at the tip.

Nauset Light - I've never figured out why some are called just "lights" & others are "lighthouses" - is another of the lighthouses still functioning on the Cape.

The Three Sisters Lighthouses are no longer in use but were moved inland & saved for their historical value.

The Highland Lighthouse, sometimes called Cape Cod Lighthouse, is one of the lighthouses still available to climb. 

Provincetown is located at the tip of Cape Cod. It is a thriving small town with lots of shops & seafood restaurants. We ate dinner at the restaurant on the left with the red, white & blue banner under the window.

Lou had the whole New England Lobster while I opted for the Lobster Alfredo.

Our final day in Boston was a busy one. We began the day with a visit to John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, a tour of Sam Adams Brewery, a visit to the Massachusetts State House & finally a baseball game at Fenway Park.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum located a little south of downtown Boston.

This sailboat, a gift to him at age 16, was one of JFK's favorites. He was an avid sailor & loved the water. The clouds, Boston skyline & the edge of the building made for a beautiful photo op.

The entrance to the Samuel Adams Brewery in an old part of Boston. Most of the brewing is done elsewhere since this facility is really small. They primarily develop new beers here now & give tours. The tour is really just an excuse to have some free beer - which is fine!

Enjoying some of the local brew before heading off to Fenway Park.

Fenway Park is what many fans call "old school" when it comes to traditional baseball parks. There wasn't any fancy sign to photograph & it was wedged in between other buildings. This statue of Ted Williams giving his baseball cap to a boy is near one of the entrances. 

The view of "the Green Monster" from our seats. The left field fence is really short to accommodate the available space so they built the wall really tall. The old park has wooden slat chairs that require everyone in the row to stand & fold their seats up to allow a patron to pass by. It had a lot of  personality & I enjoyed the place immensely. A great place to visit but I wouldn't want to watch all my games there - I'll take AT&T Park for sheer beauty. 

Our seats were in the lower deck under the overhang which was much nicer for comfort. Plus it was a night game. Unfortunately, the Giants lost the game, but seeing a game at Fenway Park was great!

We were up bright & early the next morning to drive 75 miles to New London, Connecticut, for the ferry ride across Long Island Sound to Orient Point, New York.

The view of New London as our Cross Sound Ferry pulled away from the dock. This scenic seaboard village looked like a fun place to visit someday.

We passed the New London Harbor Lighthouse on our way to Orient Point, Long Island. The car ferries travel every hour or so between New London & Orient Point - an hour & twenty minute crossing.

The Orient Point Lighthouse in the sound with another ferry behind it.

The ends of both "forks" of Long Island were lush & scenic. We took a short car ferry to Shelter Island & another one off the island to head to the easternmost point of Long Island. Once we approached the Hamptons, the traffic became worse & worse. There was such gridlock that we couldn't make it to an estate we planned to tour before closing time.

Montauk Point Lighthouse is another of the lighthouses we were able to climb. It is located at the far tip of the South Fork of Long Island. Most of the lighthouses are tight quarters at the top so the number of people allowed up at any given time is limited.

The view from Montauk Point Lighthouse looking at the very end of Long Island, about 120 miles from Manhattan.

It doesn't say "Keep Off The Sign", just "Keep Off The Dunes" so the seagull was following the rules. There is a 3/4 of a mile boardwalk over the dunes to reach Fire Island Lighthouse. I spotted this sign & gull enjoying the view.

Fire Island Lighthouse is part of Fire Island National Seashore off the coast of Long Island. This was yet another lighthouse available for climbing. And if they are available to climb, we must climb them!

Getting into New York City was absolutely crazy! Lou did an admirable job of white-knuckle driving through lower Manhattan to our hotel in the Financial District. It was stressful enough that we were ready to simply check into our hotel & attempt to relax for a while before venturing out.

The next morning Lou toured the 9/11 Museum. I've been to the site of the World Trade Center disaster twice & visited the memorial a couple years ago. I wasn't in the mood for more somber sightseeing so I scoped out the ferry situation to Governor's Island. We both loved the view from the One World Observatory at the top of the new Freedom Tower.

On the short ferry ride to Governor's Island from Battery Park we were treated to this view of Manhattan's Financial District. That's the new Freedom Tower on the left with the spire on top.

Also from the Governor's Island ferry, we were able to zoom in on Lady Liberty holding her torch high in the harbor.

We passed the 9/11 Memorial on our way to the Freedom Tower. The square hole is where one of the World Trade Center towers stood. The two holes are lined with the names of everyone who perished in the tragedy.

The sun wasn't at the best angle but that's the Empire State Building & a tall, thin condo complex looking towards Central Park from the One World Observatory on the 100th floor of the Freedom Tower. The elevator ride takes less than a minute with a video playing on the walls as you ascend the tower.

The view straight down from the One World Observatory to two baseball fields near the Hudson River.

And here we are at the top with the view of  Lower Manhattan behind us. No, I didn't grow - Lou is just scrunching down so we could fit more background in the photo.

Several years ago Lou & I started checking our San Francisco Giants schedule then planning a trip around seeing them play in a different city. When we discovered last year that they would play both the Boston Red Sox & New York Yankees in one week, we started planning our vacation! They are in opposite leagues so this is an unusual happening.

Several years ago we heard our Giants announcers mention Finnerty's, a Bay Area sports bar in the East Village of Manhattan. It is owned by a Bay Area man who organizes bus trip to Yankees & Mets games when the Giants are in town. They also have buses to Niners, Sharks & Warriors games in New York. When we heard about it, we put it on our list to do someday. This trip was someday! There were 300 fans milling about inside & out waiting to head to the game - I don't know how we snapped this shot with no people in front.

We never saw a game at the old Yankee Stadium but we made it to the new Yankee Stadium. The Giants had a six game losing streak going but managed to win the game we saw by 2 to 1 in the 12th inning. That was their only win on the road trip. 

The view from high above home plate when we first arrived at the ball park. Our seats were in the third deck just to the left of the left field foul pole. It was hotter that hell but we watched the entire game & cheered loudly.

A small part of our Finnerty's group enduring the afternoon heat to watch our Giants win. We yelled & chanted "Let's go Giants" all the way out of the stadium & back to the bus!

Our last morning in Manhattan we took a tour of NBC Studios that included a look at The Tonight Show studio & the Saturday Night Live studio among other things - no photos were allowed inside. I'm a huge Jimmy Fallon fan so this was a really special treat for me.

We made our escape from downtown Manhattan on a Sunday morning but it was still a harrowing drive to make our way to New Jersey. We were waited on hand & foot by our friends, Kevin & Pete, & their Wheaton terrier, Boots. It was a nice, relaxing couple of days. The guys run a helluva bed & breakfast! And Boots is a real sweetheart. Thanks, Kevin & Pete!

My buddy, Boots.

Our last couple of days were pretty easy, with visits to Dover & Trenton, which was a good thing since we had lots of travel delays. We managed to arrive home at 12:30 AM (should have been 6:30 PM) but our luggage was still on vacation until the following day. AND our air conditioner picked that day to conk out. Oh, well, it's all part of the adventure!

We decided to take a 260 mile roundtrip road trip from New Jersey to Dover to visit the Delaware State Capitol since we are on a quest to visit all 50 state capitols. This trip put us at around 40 each.

The Governor's Mansion in Dover. It wasn't open on the day we were there but we could at least see the exterior.

These huge flowers in various colors were all over in Dover. Are they giant hibiscus, M'Lynn? Or anyone? They were literally 8-9 inches across - measured with a sheet of paper I was holding.

Our final day was spent touring Trenton where we visited the New Jersey State Capitol & met the Lieutenant Governor, Kim Guadagno. She was telling us how beautiful her "Garden State" is & added, "If you've been to Newark, it's a dump." We were surprised she said that but I told Lou, "She IS Chris Christie's Lt. Governor." Wish I could have met him.

The Old Barracks in Trenton is one of the few "taverns" that housed soldiers during the harsh winter months. Our tour was interesting, I think - the woman leading it had her large breasts squished into a Wonderbra revealing lots or cleavage. I know how men must feel not being able to keep your eyes on her face.

FROG JUMPING IN CALAVERAS COUNTY

Those of you who live in Northern California or who are fans of Mark Twain are probably familiar with "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", an 1865 short story by the author & humorist. It was his first great success as a writer & brought him national attention.

Lou & I have wanted to experience the annual Calaveras County Fair & Frog Jumping Contest for many years but trips or other plans always seemed to take priority. This year we finally made it!

Although the forecast was for a 60% chance of rain, we were lucky with beautiful weather - the first drops didn't fall until the drive home. This is a pond near the entrance to the Calaveras County Fairgrounds.

The Main Stage which is the sight of many frog jumping contests over the four day event.  My sister who has lived in Calaveras County for many years warned us that it isn't nearly as exciting or enthralling as it may seem. She was right but it was still fun to see it once.

As you can see, the record of 21 feet 5-3/4 inches was set by "Rosie the Ribiter". Now, I was thinking that would be really impressive to see a frog jump over 20 feet - BUT I didn't realize that they are scored the total of three consecutive jumps.

The frog must be placed within the green circle & the "jockeys" (why they chose that name instead of handler or owner who knows) are allowed to yell or hit the ground but cannot touch the frog. It goes hop, hop, hop & the straight line distance from the the middle of the green circle to its final landing is the distance. So, it is better to go straight than zig-zag.

Even though we saw a couple of frogs who jumped over 15 feet, to be honest, after about half an hour of watching Lou & I were ready to move on. Like most county fairs there were several other events & attractions. I do have to tell you that I was raised in Alameda County & their fair is comparable to the California State Fair in size with lots to see & do. Most other county fairs I've attended could literally be seen entirely in less than two hours, Calaveras included.

This was an event that involved two horseman & one cowboy on foot who had to set up a catch pen, herd the cattle into the trailer, load the horses & all jump in the truck to stop the clock. The quickest time won. Kind of crazy!

A place to sample the local brews.

There were about four small buildings to house the exhibits & a few midway rides including this ferris wheel & zipper. I love wild rides but make it a personal policy NOT to risk riding on things that are put up & taken down every week by people who are likely one step ahead of the law. 

Of course, I am convinced that the number one "fair food" is a corn dog. But so far the aforementioned Alameda County Fair has the absolute best corn dogs!  Darrin says it is because they haven't changed the frying oil in twenty years.

There were a few "special exhibits" & an arm wrestling event at this year's fair to add to the frog jumping. It was well attended given the size of the county but it was quite nice to not be forcing our way through crowds.

I could not resist snapping this photo. My son was a model railroader so I've seen lots of really fancy layouts with all sorts of scenery, towns & bridges. This was the model railroad exhibit at the fair - I mean, come on, you couldn't do better than this??? And the old guy running it had fallen asleep in his chair - too funny. 

There were several old tractors & other ancient machines chugging away.

Apparently, arm wrestling is a worldwide competition but honestly, in my opinion, it was a couple of steps behind the frog jumping in keeping my interest.

The drive from our house to the Calaveras County Fair took just under two hours. It has some beautiful scenery through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Although the green rolling hills are already turning brown it was still lovely. The cloud formations today made for some jaw-dropping moments.

This was a garden with an old mill wheel at the fairgrounds.

These were some of the amazing cloud formations but my photos didn't do them justice. I just love white puffy clouds & have way more photos of them than I need.

I took this photo out the windshield of the car as we drove along Highway 49. It says "Calaveras Cement" on the overpass & the date is 1935.

RUSSIAN RIVER

This is how their website describes the area - "The Russian River Resort Area is a vacation destination offering fine restaurants, wineries and activities. The Russian River is made up of small eclectic hamlets & towns."

I recall taking day trips to the Russian River as a kid (50+ years ago!) & my dad before me often vacationed in the "camping resorts" (80+ years ago!). Having not been there in many years, I treated Lou to an overnight birthday excursion exploring the Russian River area.

At the risk of sounding a bit jaded, I think that Monte Rio's founding fathers used the term "vacation wonderland" quite loosely.  Nothing I saw fits the description of "wonderland". Their website lists the population as 1154 but I have no idea where all those people live since the tiny town seemed deserted on a Sunday afternoon! 

The local theater is built in a quonset hut. We saw an article on the Rio Theater in our Sacramento newspaper which told how it was set to be demolished but the locals raised the money in record time to save it. People bring blankets to keep warm in the unheated theater for movie nights.

The largest town along River Road is Guerneville with about 5000 residents. Back in the day celebrities & rich people journeyed to the area but today it seems to be a haven for old hippies & the gay community. I didn't know that Guerneville has one of the highest gay resident concentrations in the country. Numerous gay bars make it one of the most gay friendly regions in our state. Fun fact - the "Gay Russian River" website lists the town as 69 miles north of San Francisco.

Downtown Guerneville. Although we only got a few sprinkles during our getaway, the overcast skies wreaked havoc with my photo ops. Someday I'll learn to replace dreary, gray skies with blue in Photoshop!

The historic Guerneville Bridge was built in 1922. It is currently a pedestrian bridge to cross the Russian River. 

I don't know if this is wisteria or lilac (I'm sure some of my horticulturist friends will let me know). But it was beautiful & was in bloom all over the area.

The old River Theater in Guerneville doesn't appear to host movies or shows anymore. The marquee says it is available to rent but when we peaked through the windows there was junk everywhere. 

I love all the old neon signs in Guerneville. We were too lazy to take a ride & see if they are still lit up after dark. We spent an hour or so watching our Giants beat the Dodgers (yaayyyy!!!) at the local sports bar, McT's Bullpen (behind the drug store).

This lollipop window decoration certainly fits the "eclectic hamlet" description from Russian River's website.

A few more of the many flowers blooming around town.

The next morning we headed to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Preserve. It is marketed with the following statement, "As stunning as Muir Woods with its majestic coastal redwoods but without all the people." That is an accurate description!

We arrived at Armstrong Redwoods at 10:00 AM & had the place mostly to ourselves for the first hour. The self-guided nature trails were interesting to explore & photograph.

The Colonel Armstrong is the oldest tree in the grove at approximately 1400 years old & 308 feet tall. The other landmark tree, the Parson Jones, is the tallest at 310 feet but it is "only" 1300 years old. Pretty much a toss up.

These Saw Ferns are prolific throughout Armstrong Redwoods. This one was covered with rain or dewdrops & made for a great picture.

This cascading waterfall only flows soon after it rains. The volunteer "park ranger" told us about it & gave us directions to find it. Our morning hike ended up being a little over two miles with perfect conditions & just a few fellow hikers.

Between March & July the mouth of the Russian River at the Pacific Ocean becomes a "Harbor Seal Nursery" as mothers give birth to their offspring. While Harbor Seals are adept swimmers they are almost helpless on land. Signs instruct spectators to stay back at least 50 yards so as not to disturb the nursing mothers & their babies.

There were several groups of Harbor Seals along the shore of the Russian River. A sand bar builds up at the mouth of the river providing a secure area where the seals feel safe to give birth & raise their pups. 

The water in the foreground is the Russian River. The water in the upper right is the Pacific Ocean. They join together just to the right of this photo.