Just because I haven't posted in the last year (or so) doesn't mean I've been loafing around all this time. Yes, work is work and that does eat into my travel and leisure time. Oh well, it pays the bills and believe me, I am more than grateful to have such a wonderful job working with great people. Some of my travels have taken me up to Northern California for some unhappy matters, which I won't dwell on. This blog is about the fun stuff!
So having said that, it wasn't all doom and gloom in Northern California. When I wasn't bogged down with family matters, I escaped to Calistoga. This little gem up in the wine country has managed to maintain its small-town laid-back charms over the decades. St. Helena, on the other hand, has managed to morph into some kind of Las Vegas strip for wineries. Don't get me wrong, I love St. Helena too, but when I'm in Calistoga on a summer day, its like going back in time to the uncrowded streets and quiet days of my childhood in Marin. There are spas galore on the main and side streets, but my favorite is Indian Springs. They offer mud baths, massage, body treatments, and best of all , a huge olympic-size pool of full of water from the nature's hot springs. For some reason, I just love the light scent of the sulphur in the water, which mingles with the surrounding landscaping of lavender and other herbs. Best of all, some excellent restaurants are within walking distance, so just take a stroll down main street, have a great meal, then go back to the spa for more relaxing.
I also went to Rio Verde, Arizona, which is sort of near Scottsdale. Although I wasn't exactly a single traveler since I was with some family and friends for Christmas, I did drive there on my own from San Diego. The trip was about 7 hours, mostly on interstate 8. Talk about a boring drive! Unless you think rocks, dirt, and cactus is interesting , that is. It helps me to take a driving break every hour and a half to two hours, if only just to stretch my legs. There was a point somewhere in Arizona where I was on this little two-lane highway and there were no other drivers, homes, businesses, lights, or even a highway sign for miles and miles and miles. I was starting to get freaked out. Seriously, that is the emptiest place I have ever seen. Some people love that rugged, barren southwest landscape. I don't get it. You can hike in Arizona, but all you see is more rocks, dirt, and cactus. We went horseback riding. That was an adventure, especially when we forded the Rio Verde going out an coming back. A word of warning: Arizona can get quite chilly in the winter. We were freezing when we got back! All in all, it was nice being with family and friends for Christmas, but as a travel destination, Arizona just didn't do it for me.
I'm going to try an attach a video I made with some pictures of the Calistoga and Arizona.http://youtu.be/lZV9geLBnCM
Okay, next post I'll talk about the really fun trips I took to Oahu and Kona.
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