This post is the sequel to my trip along the Pacific Northwest coast. After my first week in a largely humid environment, my second week was spent in a largely dry Mediterranean climate. The limit from one ecosystem to the other was rather sudden. It had rained hard all night in Eureka, California. I drove South along Highway 101 among the tall redwood forests: every thing was dark green. At Redwood Valley, I turned on Road 20 towards Clear Lake and suddenly the landscape was very much drier, small brush on grey stony lightsoil. In Lakeport, I was already among the grapevines announcing the Napa Valley further South.
My first highlight from the Southern part of my trip was my lunch in Lakeport. The chef at the small Park Place Restaurant had upgraded the concept of the fish burger by replacing the battered fish with a battered whole soft-shell crap. Yuck factor: it looked a bit like eating a giant spider. But it was deliciously. I very seldom take photos of my food, but this original treat was worth keeping a trace of.
I then drove through the Napa Valley and its vineyards. However, I did not stop there to sample wine, preferring to taste a glass of wine here and there with my meals. Ironically, I drank a lot of water in Calistoga because I stopped in one of the local spas for a thermal mud and hot spring bath. Immersing myself in the thick hot mud bath was a strange experience, and I must say, rather oppressive after ten minutes with a very hot mud cask all around my body. This was followed by a HOT bubble bath and then a HOT humid hammam. I drank a lot of cold water to stay hydrated and avoid overheating.
I did not stop to visit San Francisco. I preferred to stay in rural and natural areas. I met up with my old university friend Martin Jambon who is now a programmer in one of the Bay Area start-ups. We spent a whole day trekking 18 km up and down the Muir Woods to Stinson Beach and back. However, the ocean was still too cold to get into the water.
Driving on further South, I visited Monterey Bay Aquarium and the following day dove into the bay with an 8-mm thick wet suit. My dive computer finally explained to me why I could not get into the ocean up to now: it was only 12°C at the surface and 10°C 10 meters deep! I cannot say it was pleasant dive: it took more than one hour for my fingers to be fully prehensible again. I was nonetheless delighted to see in their natural habitat most of the sea creatures I had seen behind glass in the aquarium, including a curious sea lion at the surface coming to see other large bobbing sea mammals.
In Central California, I was struck by the beautiful landscapes of 
the Big Sur coastline. The constrast between the ecosystems from one valley to the next was very sharp. When the coast was very dry and windy, just a stream going through a narrow protected valley was enough for a lush humid redwood forest to emerge. Further inland, the temperature rose dramatically to 38°C. I really wondered why the Spanish missionaries decided to establish San Antonio di Padua mission in the middle of such a hostile environment.
I finished my trip with the city lights and stars in Los Angeles and Hollywood.
This is where I finally managed to get into the Pacific Ocean and enjoy the surf at Santa Monica Beach!
Beaches in mind
The beach boys. That's why God made the radio, Capital records
My first highlight from the Southern part of my trip was my lunch in Lakeport. The chef at the small Park Place Restaurant had upgraded the concept of the fish burger by replacing the battered fish with a battered whole soft-shell crap. Yuck factor: it looked a bit like eating a giant spider. But it was deliciously. I very seldom take photos of my food, but this original treat was worth keeping a trace of.
I then drove through the Napa Valley and its vineyards. However, I did not stop there to sample wine, preferring to taste a glass of wine here and there with my meals. Ironically, I drank a lot of water in Calistoga because I stopped in one of the local spas for a thermal mud and hot spring bath. Immersing myself in the thick hot mud bath was a strange experience, and I must say, rather oppressive after ten minutes with a very hot mud cask all around my body. This was followed by a HOT bubble bath and then a HOT humid hammam. I drank a lot of cold water to stay hydrated and avoid overheating.
I did not stop to visit San Francisco. I preferred to stay in rural and natural areas. I met up with my old university friend Martin Jambon who is now a programmer in one of the Bay Area start-ups. We spent a whole day trekking 18 km up and down the Muir Woods to Stinson Beach and back. However, the ocean was still too cold to get into the water.
Driving on further South, I visited Monterey Bay Aquarium and the following day dove into the bay with an 8-mm thick wet suit. My dive computer finally explained to me why I could not get into the ocean up to now: it was only 12°C at the surface and 10°C 10 meters deep! I cannot say it was pleasant dive: it took more than one hour for my fingers to be fully prehensible again. I was nonetheless delighted to see in their natural habitat most of the sea creatures I had seen behind glass in the aquarium, including a curious sea lion at the surface coming to see other large bobbing sea mammals.
In Central California, I was struck by the beautiful landscapes of 
the Big Sur coastline. The constrast between the ecosystems from one valley to the next was very sharp. When the coast was very dry and windy, just a stream going through a narrow protected valley was enough for a lush humid redwood forest to emerge. Further inland, the temperature rose dramatically to 38°C. I really wondered why the Spanish missionaries decided to establish San Antonio di Padua mission in the middle of such a hostile environment.
I finished my trip with the city lights and stars in Los Angeles and Hollywood.This is where I finally managed to get into the Pacific Ocean and enjoy the surf at Santa Monica Beach!
Beaches in mind
The beach boys. That's why God made the radio, Capital records
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