While Silvette grew up in the Queen Ann area of Seattle, a number of years ago her parents and siblings one by one immigrated to Santa Barbara, California. Even our daughter, Andrea, went down to Santa Barbara for college. Our family is the only one left here in the Seattle area. Because of that, we have made quite a few trips to Santa Barbara over the years and have become fairly familiar with the area. This year Silvette’s sister invited…
Articles with Pacific Ocean
Tillamook County Beaches on the Three Capes Byway
When we drove through Tillamook on previous trips, I never saw any beaches. The town is actually some distance from the ocean. I always wondered if there were any beaches in the area worth visiting. Monday was the day we were going to figure this out. We planned to drive the designated Three Capes Byway and discover what beaches existed along the way. Highway 101 goes along much of the Oregon coastline with beautiful ocean views. However, as it nears…
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Exploring the Filoli Gardens and Half Moon Bay Cliffs
South of San Francisco in the town of Woodside, one can step back in time to an earlier era of refinement and luxury. Filoli Gardens is a place where one can imagine life of a bygone era. Visitors can explore a large mansion built in 1917 in which only two families have lived. They can also explore the beautiful gardens around the home. Of course none of this comes free, but if one is willing to pay the price, they…
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A Christmas Exploring Maui, Hawaii
When out kids were young, we had a fairly predictable Christmas pattern. For Christmas Eve we would go to a church service and then to my wife’s parents for dinner and presents. On Christmas Day it would usually be time to join my family for a celebration, and in the afternoon we would go see a movie. However, as the kids grew older, and family dynamics changed, Christmas became less predictable. In 2013 our kids said they wanted to have…
More Than Just Redwood Trees
Redwood National and State Parks is more than just the redwood trees in its names. While the trees are often the star, the parks covers a lot of territory so a visit will allow you to see more than just trees. On our second day in the park we saw trees, but we saw more as well. During our first stop of the day, we saw no redwoods. We would take a fairly short hike around the Yurok Loop. The…
Scenic Vistas Along the Northern California Coast
The California coastline stretches 840 miles along the western United States. There are many beautiful locations along the coast, but most people think of locations in southern California such as San Diego, Santa Barbara, Big Sur, or Laguna Beach. However, heading north of San Francisco one can encounter some stunning views along the coastline that are less crowded and well worth the visit. Highway 1 runs along the California coast. It is a winding and twisting road. It will take…
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Exciting Sights at Channel Islands National Park
Over Thanksgiving week my daughter and I had the opportunity to visit Channel Islands National park off the coast of California. Our family traveled to Santa Barbara to be with my wife’s family for Thanksgiving. We went down there two years ago, but a fire forced us to evacuate. It was time to try again. My daughter, Andrea, lived in Santa Barbara for five years for school. She graduated from Cal. State Channel Islands. I have been down to Santa…
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Kauai Travels: A Waterfall and Cliffs to Explore
We arrived in Kauai on a Saturday afternoon. We spent the rest of the day getting settled and checking out the resort we were staying in. The resort was right on the beach, but it also had a nice pool area with a lazy river and a number of hot tubs. It was a great place to relax. Surrounding the pool were a lot of hibiscus bushes, and they were putting on quite a show. The colors were really beautiful.…
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