Nancy's Travelblogue

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: SF Ferry Building Farmers Market

2009-11-07T17:58:00.005-07:00

My cousin Ellen from Montana visited recently. We took the ferry from Oakland to San Francisco and hung out around the piers on stunning morning. Her photos of the food at the Farmers' market are so wonderful, I'm posting them here.

SMART Cars are Smart

2009-11-03T22:52:00.010-07:00

The first SMART car appeared on my block last week. Isn't it cute! Be assured, my neighborhood is not "smart" or upscale in any way, which is why I'm so pleased. These new cars have hit the mainstream and, at least in the Bay Area, are now found in ordinary, working class neighborhoods like mine, along with Peets coffee.

I first saw these little cars in Europe in 2007, before they were distributed in the United States. I would never have believed these cute cars would be gracing the U.S. Interstates within a few months, and my very own neighborhood with two years.

Here are some photos of the Smart cars I saw in Europe.

This one in Jelsa, on the island of Hvar, Croatia.

These last two photos from Vienna.

Where is God, and who cares, anyway?

2009-10-30T21:50:00.005-06:00

I don't talk about it much, but my spiritual life is important to me. Karen Armstrong is my favorite religious writer, and something of a spiritual guide. So I was excited to find an article by her in the current print issue of Foreign Policy. She addresses current myths such as these, with cogent arguments. Here are some excerpts and paraphrases:

God is dead. NO, When Nietzsche announced the death of God in 1882, he thought that in the modern, scientific world people would not be able to understand religious faith. ... but it is only since 9/11 that God has proven to be alive and well beyond all question ....
God and politics shouldn't mix. NOT NECESSARILY. Theologically illiterate politicians have long given religion a bad name ... The manner in which religion is used in politics is more important than whether it's used at all. J. F. Kennedy and Barak Obama have invoked faith as a shared experience that binds the country together ...
God breeds violence and intolerance. NO, HUMANS DO. All fundamentalism -- Jewish, Christian, Muslim -- is rooted in a profound fear of annihilation. History shows that when these groups are attacked, militarily or verbally, they almost invariably become more extreme.
God is for the poor and ignorant. NO. The United States is the richest country in the world and the most religious in the developed world. None of the major religions is averse to business; each developed a nascent economy. Still, the current financial crisis shows the religious critique of excessive greed is far from irrelevant.
God is bad for women. YES
God is the enemy of science. HE DOESN'T NEED TO BE. Science has become an enemy of fundamentalist Christians who campaign against the teaching of evolution in public schools and stem cell research because they seem to conflict with biblical teaching. ... The conflict with science is symptomatic of a reductive idea of God in the modern West ...
God is incompatible with democracy. NO.

So I was horrified when I went to the Foreign Policy website to post the link to this article, and found a long litany of scathing comments for my favorite writer: "this is the stupidist article I've seen." "Dumb is right." "How can she miss the most essential points?" And so on. Is it me or the other readers who misses the point? FP is not a magazine I ordinarily read (I got it as a gift subscription), but I didn't know I was so out in the woods as to be 180 degrees off the mainstream.

Figure it out yourself at http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2009/10/19/god_0?page=full

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: Alameda Oakland Ferry

2009-10-02T22:50:00.012-06:00

We took a day off from real life today and played tourist in our own hometown. We got up early and took the Oakland/Alameda Ferry to San Francisco getting off at the Ferry Building Marketplace. That old Ferry Building that I remember as the tallest building on the skyline in the later 1950s, is no longer even visible on the skyline, thanks to the skyscrapers that popped up in San Francisco's boom years. No matter, it is a high class destination now -- much more than just a ferry hub. Now you can buy gourmet olive oil, gourmet wines, gourmet organic fruit, gourmet mushrooms and every other kind of gourmet yummy that you'd expect to find in San Francisco. With prices to match.

We stayed simple and started out at Peet's then moved over to Boulette's Larder for a fancy breakfast overlooking the wharf. Here is a photo of Jonathan's poached eggs on a pork and chard loaf. As you can see from the photos it was a sparkling autumn day, and lingered in the sun with our coffee and tea till almost lunch time.

Turns out today is Gandhi's birthday and we witnessed a lot of activity around Gandhi's statue on the Ferry Building Square. First we saw some gentlemen polishing his statue, next we saw a ceremony honoring this great man, and finally, I took a photo of with a wreath.

Our planned destination for the day was the Asian Art Museu m, and we arrived there in the early afternoon. Wonderful exhibitions of early photography from India, China, Korea and Japan. Then on to the Southeast Asia galleries. I never tire of that museum and never stop learning. We stayed till closing time.

Which meant we took the ferry back to Oakland at the end of the day with the sun on the water. It was a scrumptious day, and testimony to the fact that if you live in the Bay Area you don't have to go far away to be on vacation.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: Oakland Chinatown Oral History Project

2009-09-12T17:22:00.010-06:00

Most people think of San Francisco when they think of Chinatown, but actually Oakland Chinatown is as rich and interesting, and without the tourists.

According to Oakland journalist and Chinatown native Bill Wong, Oakland Chinatown was settled in waves, the first in the 1850s following the Gold Rush. Most of the early settlers came from Southeast China near Hong Kong. The early settlers made a living however they could -- as cooks,gardeners, and laundry men, and of course as workers on the railroad.

The next wave came in 1906 earthquake when great numbers of Chinese from San Francisco, displaced by the earthquake, relocated to Oakland. Families put down roots, family and business organizations emerged and evolved, and the community found an identity within the larger Oakland community.

World War II accounted for another change and the emergence of a Chinese American Middle class in Oakland, and became home to a larger Asian American community. Japanese Americans found a home in Chinatown, as did Filipinos, Koreans, making a lively mosaic of cultures, languages, traditions, and values.

The Oakland Asian Cultural Center, located right in the center of Chinatown at the Pacific Renaissance Plaza, has recently completed an oral history project, bringing the stories of Chinatown through the words of longtime residents. The digital archive is now online and there will be a public celebration in Saturday, September 19, at 1:30 p.m.

For more information and photos about this event, check Bill Wong's blog.

DEEP LANDSCAPE

2009-09-05T15:52:00.016-06:00

My mother ... and her mother as well ... grew up in the Midwest where the landscape is lush and moisture hangs in the air. Though they both moved to California as adults and never looked back, they never quite got used to the western landscape. To them, a desert was simply a badland, and the golden hills in the Bay Area were just an ugly brown.

I, on the other hand, am a product of western landscape. It's natural and comforting for me to see the horizon far in the distance, either across an expanse of ocean or a wide stretch of desert. I like expansive unobstructed views where plants grow sparingly, so that each tree or shrub or cactus has its place in the landscape, without competitors. I like to watch the sun set and the moon rise when the air is crisp and dry, and then you wait a little longer and the whole sky comes alive with with stars, so many more than you could imagine if you lived in the humid east. (And yes, I'm a fan of the Dark Sky Association.)

A recent trip to Pennsylnvania took me out of my "western landscape comfort zone." I was bowled over by a total sensory experience, not just visual but also aural, olfactory, and tactile. It was the hot damp air that hit me immediately, as I stepped out of the airport. Walking through a park the sounds and smells hit me hard -- taking me back to my own early childhood in the Midwest. I guess it is the smell of cut grass, or maybe just aroma of so much plant life in a small place, that took me back to long ago when I played in the weeds and grass, my little body so small that they enveloped me. And the plant life nourishes the noisy bugs, cicadas I believe, who treat you to their own music 24/7. It's part of the landscape.

The visual impact of the eastern landscape came later in the trip, but stayed the longest. Green in the summer? Seems upside down. The foliage blends together to form a visual impression with textures, filtered light, shades of green, and layers of density. They form a kind wall between you the viewer and the horizon, so much so that I feel closed in and a little uncomfortable.

Some people are deeply affected by the physical landscape, others not at all. My trip to the east reminded me how deeply I am affected by my own physical landscape, how deeply I am a child of the West, and the West is me.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: Lilla Serlegi Musician

2009-08-30T14:28:00.003-06:00

When Lilla Serlegi came to San Jose from Hungary two years ago as an au pair, she didn't know a word of English, so she used her musical talent to find her community in the area. She joined several tamburitza bands, including San Francisco's Slavonian Traveling Band and is becoming entrenched in the Bay Area's Eastern European music community.

Lilla was was raised in the Croatian community of Horvatzsidany in western Hungary and is fluent in both the languages and musical traditions of both countries. Lilla's specialty is in plucked instruments of the tamburitza family, and her singing talent is close behind.

Lilla is sharing her musical expertise through lessons and workshops for more information, contact tamburitzalessons@gmail.com

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: Freight & Salvage Re-opening

2009-08-30T13:28:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was the Freight & Salvage's grand opening in its new location in the Berkeley Arts District (2020 Addison St.). Musicians, long time fans, and curiosity seekers joined for a two day celebration of roots music -- from Balkan to Appalachian to Celtic. The new space is a quantum leap from the old in concept, size, and elegance. The auditorium is similar to the design of Berkeley Rep theater, and lined with planks from the old Freight (so I'm told). The acoustics are to die for. There is a large lobby and second floor for classrooms.

But the Bay Area secret, and what I really am here to write about, is the Freight & Salvage Oral History Project, master minded by Andrea Hirsig. If you've ever attended a concert at the Freight, you know Andrea because she is the one who introduces each concert and tells us all to dispose of our "detrius." Off stage Andrea is a ball of energy and one of the nicest people I know.

Over that past year or so, Andrea initiated a documentary history of the Freight, and has interviewed long time audience members, performers, and staff members. Plans for a commemorative book are in the works. Interviews include Nancy Owens, the founder of the Freight; performers Terry Garthwaite and Toni Brown; and singer Holly Near.

Stay tuned for the next phase of the oral history project, and if you are a Freight musician or audience member with a story, stop by and talk to Andrea next time you come by.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: Ferenc Tobak

2009-08-29T09:23:00.008-06:00

Hungarian musician, instrument maker, and self-taught ethnomusicologist Ferenc Tobak has opened the eyes of many San Francisco Bay Area music lovers by introducing eastern European bagpipe music to local audiences.

Last night's concert at the Croatian American Cultural Center was a spin on this theme, with the addition of guest musicians from the Hungarian Ethnographic Museum in Budapest, local Didjeridu musician Stephen Kent, and the Center's own Slavonian Traveling Band.

The show started with short film documenting Ferenc's research among the Csango people of Moldavia in the 1990s. At the time of Ferenc's trips, the bagpipe was almost obsolete in this area. It was certainly uncool to be a bagpipe player, and Ferenc went door to door in some of the rural villages "outing" reluctant bagpipe players. He found some elderly musicians who kind of remembered the tunes, or maybe had a non-functional bagpipe in the trunk. Piece by piece Ferenc reconstructed the music, the instruments, and the culture behind it. See photos of the musicians here. Or hear a sample here.

Ferenc is also an instrument maker. He makes bagpipes, flutes, and any kind of wind instrument. In fact, I first met him in the Budapest airport about ten years ago where he was arguing with the check in agent about the charges for his extra luggage. His extra luggage consisted of hundreds of pounds of plum wood he had collected from a certain region in Hungary. This rosewood would become the chanters for his bagpipes, and other flutes and whistles he made in his studio in Northern California. H

This concert is part of a concert series, Culture at the Crossroads, held at the Croatian American Cultural Center this fall.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: Berkele Kite Festival

2009-07-27T11:30:00.010-06:00

Take 1000 kites plus 10,000 people plus a lovely day at the Berkeley Marina and what do you get? The Berkeley Kite Festival! This annual event draws kite fliers from around the world and kite lovers from all over the Bay Area.

We started our morning at the 4th Street Terrace where Peets is, then walked over the Hwy 880 walkover. This is a trip in itself, to be above all the traffic instead in the middle of it. Here is a photo from overhead:

The kite festival is one of the more visually interesting of all the Bay Area Festivals. There is a kite battle event, kite making activities, and a whole section devoted to a Kite-flying society from Hamamatsu, Japan. But the event that really blows me away is the Kite Ballet. This is where individuals or teams choreograph kite formations to music. The idea is hard to imagine and to catch in a still photo, but here is a video from a previous year.

I'm sure the organizers were delighted to have the right combination of wind --- to please the kites, and sun -- to please the people, and everyone had a great lazy summer day.

WINE IN CANADA

2009-07-22T21:38:00.019-06:00

Visiting the Okanagan Valley got me really interested in Canadian viticulture, so I looked it up in the Oxford Companion to Wine. So interesting that I will summarize it here.

As of 1997 Canada had as much land cultivated for grape growing as New Zealand. Growing areas are concentrated in four provinces: Ontario (60 wineries, 560 vineyards, 18,000 acres), British Columbia (55 wineries, 132 vineyards, 4000 acres), Nova Scotia (4 wineries, 150 acres), and Quebec (30 wineries, 330 acres). (1998 statistics).

The Canadian wine industry begins in 1811 when the German Johann Schiller domesticated the labrusda vines he found growing along the Credit River near Toronto. But not till 1866 was Canada's first winery, Vin Villa, established, on Pelee Island on Lake Erie. In the late 19th century the industry grew quickly, yielding 76 commercial wineries by the end of the century.

In the Okanagan Valley and along the St. Lawrence River it was the Church rather than the farmers who encouraged the industry. Prohibition in Canada (yes, they had it too!!) began in 1916, and actually was good to the wine trade. Thanks to some wild political lobbying, wine was exempt from prohibition and the number of wineries actually increased during this period.

But other government regulations emerged during this period. The Provincial Board Liquor System created government monopolies which still control alcoholic beverages in Canada and collected millions of dollars in tax revenue. This may have changed in the past decade as some provinces are privatizing wineries.

Canadian wines may have a poor reputation or no reputation at all, but that is changing quickly. Until the 1970s Canada was known for fruity highly alcoholic wines. But recently boutique wineries have emerged in the four wine growing regions. SOURCE: The Oxford Companion to Wine / edited by Jancis Roginson, 2nd ed. (Oxford University Press, 1999)

Since we were in the Okanagan Valley, I was most interested in viticulture from that area. This Valley is actually a desert - the northern tip of the Sonoran Desert, and temperatures are mitigated by the Okanagan Lake which flows through the center of the valley. The most common grapes grown here are Merlot, then Chardonnay. The best known winery in the area is Mission Hills Winery, but I really enjoyed visiting the Gray Monk winery.

Then there is the wine itself and how it makes you feel. I love these quotes from the Gray Monk reception room wall:

In wine there is truth if you drink enough,
In wine there is wisdom if you drink the best,
In wine there is bliss if you drink the rest.

God in His goodness gave us the grapes
To drink both great and small
Little fools will drink too much
And great fools not at all.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: Music Mondays at Jack London Square

2009-07-20T21:08:00.011-06:00

It's a perfect Bay Area summer evening. The sun is shining but the fog is rolling in along the horizon. Sailboats are traveling in and out of the marina. You have live music, and you have good friends for company. It's Oakland's Musical Mondays at Jack London Square!

This evening I joined my friend Angie at Jack London Square for the FREE concert that is the Musical Mondays series. Tonight we heard The Bobby Young Project, a local blues band with both talent and energy. Bobby Young's vocalist held the show till Oakland blues singer Wylie Trass arrived and took over. This is when the musical event evolved from pleasant-way-to-spend-an-evening to a blow away! Trass enraptured the audience with his vocal renditions of of old standards and a dialogue with us listeners. Wylie is the guy in the center.

There is only one thing missing -- an audience. I was surprised at how scanty the audience was for a free blues concert in a wonderful setting. There are even board games set out, should you get bored.

Oaklanders! Support local musicians and enjoy yourselves at the FREE concert series which, given the dismal state of the city's finances, may be the last. Head down to Jack London Square for a concert every Monday in July. The stage is located next Heinhold's, which has a history of it's own, but a special meaning for me, because it is where I took my son -- a Jack London fan -- for his first legal drink on his 21st birthday.

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SECRETS: China Camp State Park

2009-07-17T23:47:00.016-06:00

In my lifetime of hiking in the Bay Area, I somehow missed China Camp State Park, on the bay side of San Rafael close to the San Rafael bridge. Not only is it a great find for me, but it is the most convenient hiking spot in Marin County for East Bay residents.

The blurb on the park website says, " the park's ridge separates the 1890s from the 21st century. While the view south has changed immeasurably, the view down to China Camp on San Pablo Bay is almost exactly what it was in the early 1900s."

So true. The area was a thriving Chinese shrimp fishing village from the 1870s through approximately the 1930s. Some of the buildings still survive and there is an interpretative exhibit in one of them. Here are some photos of the village area:

In addition to the village there are 1500 acres of open space, laced with hiking and mountain biking trails. The trail that I took -- the Shoreline Trail -- is not a shoreline trail at all, but a view of the shoreline. It was an easy six miles in mostly shade following the ridge above the shoreline. Great walk for a break in woods. Here are some photos:

MONTANA CANADA TRIP: Reflections

2009-07-10T19:16:00.016-06:00

A story:

Jim and Martha are in a cafe talking about Martha's upcoming trip.
Martha: I'm traveling to San Francisco via London, Cairo, Istanbul and Mumbai.
Jim: Wow, what an adventurous itinerary. But don't you already live in San Francisco?
Martha: I do. But after the experience of these exotic destinations I will be a different person. I will view my own city and every detail of my life through the lenses of London, Cairo, Istanbul, and Mumbai.

This simple story illustrates why travel is so important to me -- that I see my own life differently after each trip. I savor not only the travel days, but also the planning, the anticipation, and most important now, the aftermath

I traveled 4300 miles with my sweetie in his Prius. Early on we figured out who's to navigate and who's to steer, who's to call the shots about how much money to spend and where to eat, and after that it was all smooth sailing. Every day now, we recall something about the trip -- some horrible incident that we laugh about now, some funny incident that we tell our friends about, or something in the news that relates to one of our destinations. And we will keep talking about the trip and recounting the highlights way into our old age. That's for sure.

I learned a great deal. The trip got me out of my intellectual comfort zone of computers, history, and library science, and got me thinking about the natural world. For instance, I learned that climate change is not just another fad of urban intellectuals, but is visible and measurable in the northern latitudes where we visited. This phenomenon is especially visible through the disappearance of glaciers. We spoke to park rangers, long time residents, and saw photos demonstrating the certain and rapid demise of U.S. and Canadian glaciers. Food for thought.

This was, above all, a journey of scenery. We visited five national parks: Yosemite, Glacier, Banff, Jasper, and Crater Lake. We saw wildlife: elk, mountain sheep, as well as all the little critters and birds. We drove through mountains, forests, deserts, farmlands, rivers, lakes, and waterfalls. We had a feast of wildflowers in Canada. It adds up to a great humility for the largeess of Nature, and puts our human contribution to the big picture in perspective.

That said, I have tremendous respect for our forebears who forged lives for themselves in these northern climates before highways and electricity and central heating and wireless internet. For the indigenous peoples who lived well in these harsh climates for thousands of years. For European explorers and settlers who endured physical hardships we can't imagine to make a life for themselves. For the workers who risked their lives to build the railroads and highways through and over mountains in the harshest kinds of climates. Even for the railroad magnates, both in Canada and the U.S., who had a vision to open up the west, and create destination hotels in the most beautiful spots in the world.

We met wonderful people along the way, and a few nasty ones, just like at home. We chatted with park rangers, waitresses, visitor center employees, and fellow tourists. We heard about falling in love and out of love, of missing children at home and loving being away from them, of taking risks in business and the aftermath when it didn't work out, of young people's dreams and old people's dreams.

This journey was also filled with the quiet moments, usually long meals and good wine. Since Jonathan loves to "dine" and I love to try out local wines, long leisurely meals were our way to relax. We visited most of the big hotels in the national parks for a budget meal in an elegant setting. We also looked for restaurants featuring local fare with an elegant twist. Turns out most of the best restaurants in Canada bill themselves as "Mediterranean" though I'm not sure why. We dined at a number of these restaurants, though I usually ordered salmon and local wine -- nothing to do the the Mediterranean. The exception was in Banff where I got one of the best Greek meals I've ever had.

Finally, last stated but most important, is reconnecting with family. This trip was an opportunity to visit with my four Austin cousins -- and their cousins -- all together and as adults. It is unlikely that we will ever convene again, certainly not at my aunt's home, which will soon be sold. Every blood relative is in some sense, a mirror to myself. Though I relate to each of my kin in a different way because they are individuals and so am I, there is another, unspoken connection that is just there. Just because we are kin. Since I've had so little opportunity in my life to know my kin, this convening on the Missoula property was especially meaningful.

Now I'm home and moving on with the activities of everyday life, but somehow in some small way, my Montana Canada trip keeps me company all day every day.

MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 21. Crater Lake, Oregon ->Oakland, California

2009-07-06T23:27:00.001-06:00

Today is our last day. Crater Lake was added to the itinerary after the trip was planned, so we didn't give it the time it deserves. But Crater Lake has more visual impact than words, so here is a sample of what we saw:

After a leisurely and late lunch at the Crater Lake Lodge,
we left Crater Lake at 4:30 p.m. and drove straight to Oakland down Hwy 5. Here is a wonderful photo of Mount Shasta.
End of vacation!!

MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 20. Yakima, Washington -> Crater Lake, Oregon

2009-07-05T22:58:00.006-06:00

Another long day today, from Yakima all the way through Oregon to Crater Lake on the southern border. We're back in the U.S. now and heading towards home, and I feel the homecoming strings pulling me slightly. Today's trip through Oregon is also desert, much to my surprise. We drive fairly steadily all 330 miles in order to get to Crater Lake at a decent hour. ...

Only to find that our B&B is impossible to find using Google maps. This is the real boonies, Crater Lake notwithstanding. Eventually we do find it, Crater Lake B&B in the town of Fort Klamath, which in itself is hard to find, because it is one of those towns you miss if you aren't attentive. We were tired and hungry and I was annoyed that we had to drive yet another 10 miles to the nearest restaurant for a mediocre meal.

Here is a photo of our B&B.
And some of the lovely country between it and Crater LakeWe went to bed early to rest up for a day at Crater Lake and the long drive home to Oakland.

Accommodations: Crater Lake B&B ****
More photos

MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 19. Vernon, British Columbia ->Yakima, Washington

2009-07-04T13:29:00.011-06:00

This is our last day in Canada. We have a fairly long drive, 350 miles to Yakima, Washington. We get a late start because of a delightful conversation with our Okanagan Valley hosts Roy and Liz, and savor our last Canadian moments. The Okanagan Valley extends from Vernon, where we are staying, to the U.S. border. Once on the road we make slow, unpleasant progress along a road under construction that ought to be a freeway.

Anyway, we finally arrive at the border. I have mixed feelings about leaving Canada and stop at the duty free gift shop for a few more souvenirs of Canada to take with me.

Back in the U.S. at last we drive straight south on Hwy 97 to Yakima.

Another surprise! I never knew that Central Washington was as much a desert as the so-called desert states of Utah, Western Colorado, or New Mexico. Here's an example:

We arrive in Yakima in the early evening. Yakima is a city of 84,000 and the population center for central Washington. It's a farming center and also the nearest city to the Yakima Reservation. After we settle in at our B&B we head for town for a twilight dinner at an outdoor cafe.

This is the 4th of July, and again, I'm looking forward to a small town celebration of this uniquely American holiday, but without much luck. There is a large fireworks display which we hear but barely see from our seats in the cafe. The only impact of the holiday is negative -- the freeway exit back to our B&B is closed because of the fireworks, and Jonathan did some quick talking to the highway patrol, and they removed the barriers especially for us out-of-towners.

Accommodations: Birchfield Manor Country Inn ****

MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 18. Vernon, British Columbia

2009-07-03T12:57:00.003-06:00

A layover day, and we get to explore Canada's wine country. This is the only part of the trip where we experienced warm weather, and had to plan activities around the midday heat, instead of finding ways to keep warm.

Our host Roy suggested a short hike to a small waterfalls nearby, then a late lunch and tour at the Gray Monk Winery. We took him up on the whole plan. The hike was a pleasant two or three mile walk along the stream. We never did get a good look at the falls, but that's not a problem since we kind of overdosed on waterfalls in the past week. Good exercise.

Then we headed for the Gray Monk Winery, spending over an hour in stopped traffic along the way. (Okanagan Valley infrastructure has not kept up with tourist interest). The winery is one of the best known in the area, but one of hardest to get to. We turned off the highway, then down a narrow road, to an even narrower one, and then almost missed the small sign to the winery.

All worth it. We had a leisurely meal plus wine sampler at the Grapevine Restaurant. We arrived during the period between lunch and dinner when the waiters have time to chat and even the owner came over to say hello. All of this on a warm patio overlooking the winery. Here we are at the end of the meal. Very hard to tear ourselves away from this lovely place.Such a lovely afternoon, and I wasn't quite ready for our day to end. Since I was at the wheel, I decided not to turn in on the road to our B&B, but to continue up the mountain to see where it would take us. We drove .. and drove and drove ...up, up, up with only scanty directional signs and no company on the road. Eventually we did arrive. The road went to Silver Star Ski Resort, which in the summer is a lively hangout for the younger crowd. It is an old resort. The Vernon Ski Club house in this photo was established in 1935. All the buildings in town are painted in very bright, contrasty colors -- a Victorian palate gone wild. We arrived at sunset. It was getting cold and dark so we didn't linger, but I'm so glad we took the high road that evening instead of going straight home.

Accommodations: Castle on the Mountain *****
More photos

MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 17. Hope -> Vernon, British Columbia

2009-07-02T12:21:00.000-06:00

Today we left Hope to travel north, then east, to the Okanagan Valley, Canada's wine country. It is Canada's mildest region, and actually forms the northern tip of the Sonora Desert. It is the Okanagan Valley as wine growing region that planted the idea for this trip in the first place.

Three or four years ago we were browsing the Sunday New York Times, and Jonathan came across an article about the Okanagan Valley being the northernmost region (at the time) in the world for growing grapes. He wanted to see this area, and I'm always interested in anything to do with wine. So the idea stuck in the back of our heads until this opportunity came up and we planned a three week trip around this destination.

The Valley is 100 kilometers long and the main feature is the Okanagan Lake. In addition to wineries, people come here for summer recreation, winter recreation, and to retire. People here have a sense for business (some tasteful, some not) and there is plenty of development and enticements for tourists to part with their money.

Our destination was Vernon, at the northern tip of the valley. It is one of the least crowded towns and one where we felt right at home. The hospitality at Castle on the Mountain resort sure helped us plan our time in the Valley. Innkeepers Roy and Liz, a youngish couple from London recently relocated to Vernon, were able to second guess just what would appeal to us for food, wine and recreation, and we were pleased with every one of their suggestions.

We dined the first night at town of Vernon at a white table cloth restaurant in town, whose name I forget. Of course, we sampled local wine. The menu, the service, and the ambiance was wonderful.

We came home well fed, relaxed from the wine and sat on our deck to watch the stars emerge as dusk set over the valley.

No photos of Vernon, but here is from the road from Hope to Vernon.

Accommodations: Castle on the Mountain, Vernon ***** (see my review on Trip Advisor)
More photos

MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 16. Hope, British Columbia

2009-07-01T11:24:00.010-06:00

Today is a layover day. The sun is shining and we are in one of the most beautiful spots in the world, being served breakfast by our hostess, Eileen, and learning all about Hope. Here is a photo of our B&B. Our room was on the second floor looking out on the mountains.

Eileen is a native Canadian who spent most of her childhood on a farm in Manitoba and her adulthood in Calgary. Calgary got too big, and other life changes made her decide to begin a new chapter. She visited Hope, bought a wooded lot at the edge of town, and had the vision to see it as a setting for a B&B and a new life. That was just two years ago, and new she has the new house/B&B and her new life up and running.

We wanted to spend the day exploring the area in a fairly leisurely way, so Eileen suggested a hike to the old railway tunnels at Coquihalla Canyon Provincial Par k. Perfect idea. We started at the bottom of the hill and walked along the river from town up to the tunnels. We enjoyed wildflowers, ferns, and interesting moss on the rocks. Up towards the tunnels the path got steeper and the river more dramatic as we approached the canyon.

Built for the Kettle Valley Railway in 1914, the train route only lasted a few decades. What an engineering and building feat to have hacked through solid granite to construct these railroad tunnels out of the sides of cliffs! The area is hard to photograph but this photo gives an idea of the scenery.

After our walk and a rest, we were in the mood for a fairly nice dinner. Restaurant options in Hope are scanty, but we settled on a Korean meal in one of the three or four restaurants that could be considered decent.

Hope is a world class destination waiting to happen. It has all the criteria -- natural beauty, two hours from Vancouver, outdoor recreation opportunities -- yet somehow it remains a sleepy town, with minimal tourist facilities (especially restaurants!). When I asked Eileen about this, she said that the downtown businesses and much of the surrounding real estate is owned by old British Columbian families with conservative ideas. She said that when this generation passes on, development will be up for grabs, and it will be interesting to see whether Hope the kind of tourist destination it will turn in to.

Today is Canada Day, the Canadian equivalent to our July 4th. Except that the day celebrates the union of Canadian provinces into a single nation, instead of the U.S. celebration of the severance of the colonies from the mother country. I was hoping to see an authentic Canadian celebration in this small town, but in fact, British Columbians don't do much for Canada Day. It's a day off work, and a time for families and friends to gather for a barbeque, but not much else.

Accommomdations: Misty Mountain B&B *****
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MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 15. Prince George -> Hope, British Columbia

2009-06-30T10:52:00.005-06:00

We got a very early start for one of our longer drives, Prince George south to Hope, almost 400 miles. We met Fraser River again at Quesenel, then got to walk over it on this old railroad bridge.
At this point I was in vaguely familiar territory, as I had once driven a loop from Vancouver north along the Fraser River and down to Hope, but many of the details are a blur. Quesenal I remember because of the name.

After Quesenal the landscape changed gradually through Williams Lake, 100 Mile House (note the name that survived after the Canadians switched from miles to kilometers), Cache Creek and Lytton. The railroad and the highway followed the Fraser River, I'm sure an ancient transportation byway. We traveled through forest, farm, high prairie, and tribal lands always following the river.
It was a long drive, and we arrived in the gorgeous mountain town of Hope, a small town at the confluence of the Fraser and Coquihalla Rivers. Our accommodations were heavenly. The B&B consisted of two guest rooms in a private home at the edge of town, a few steps from the woodland and at the foot of Mount Hope. It was a warm night and the sun set late. We sat on the porch enjoying the dusk settle over the forests and the mountains.

Tomorrow would be a layover day in Hope, and I knew this would be a highlight of our trip. We slept soundly that night.

Accommodations: Misty Mountain B&B *****
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MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day. 14. Prince George

2009-06-29T23:16:00.004-06:00

Today was another layover day, and since Prince George is ... well ... Prince George, I spent the day resting, reading, doing the laundry and generally catching up instead of sight seeing. Prince George is an ordinary looking town as you can see in this photo ...
and as I learned along the way, a town where you have to scratch the surface in order to reap the riches. As we went through the day we had some extraordinary conversations with locals, especially young people. For example, one of the students we met at the visitors' center marine ecology student conducting a survey of people's attitudes on tourism to Antarctica. She hopes to visit Antarctica soon. Another highlight was a trip to the University of Northern British Columbia, situated on a hill overlooking the city.

In the late afternoon we went for a drive northwest up Hwy 16 to Vanderhoof. It's a quiet farming village that Jonathan fell in love with and decided, "Next time, we're staying here."
Here is a photo of the area:

We returned to Prince George for an outstanding Mediterranean dinner at the local hot spot.

Accommodations: Best Western Prince George ***

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MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day 13. Jasper National Park to Prince George, British Columbia

2009-06-28T23:14:00.018-06:00

Ever heard of Prince George? I sure hadn’t until we planned this trip, and that's one of the reasons I wanted to check it out. Turns out it is a university city of approximately 70,000 in the geographic center of British Columbia. In fact, Google was in Prince George a few days before we were, with trucks and video cameras to capture street views for Google maps.

But I digress. Our projected drive for the day was 250 miles so we looked for advice about what to see and do along the way. Fortunately, I met Lorraine, the Jasper Lodge travel agent, who has a house in Prince George and makes the drive often. She gave us good advice and we turned a four hour drive into an eight hour touring excursion with no trouble at all.

The scenery northwest of Jasper was quite lovely, alternating mountain ranges and wide open meadow land. We reached the Continental Divide right at the Alberta/British Columbia border and at the edge of Mt. Robson Park. Here is Jonathan at the Divide:

Right here at the Continental Divide is Portal Lake, and small but charming lake that was exceedingly photogenic!

We stopped at Mount Robson Park Visitor Center, for a break, a chance savor the awesome view of the mountain and walk through the meadow.

Further on, we stopped at the Ancient Forest, a blip on the road which Lorraine told us not to miss. This are is an isolated rain forest ecosystem; surrounded by mountain, desert, and prairie; that is one of the amazing quirks of nature, the exception that proves the rule. The area is known for its "ancient" red cedar trees. We stopped for a walk. We did indeed get rained on, and though we enjoyed the cedar trees, they didn't have quite the impact on us, since as Californians we are so familiar with the sequoia sempervirens in our area.

We arrived in Prince George at the end of the day, tired and hungry, to a horrendous B&B situation, which I won't go into here. After some serious discussion over a mediocre meal and a stiff drink, we decided to pay the cancellation fee and remove ourselves from the B&B. An awkward moment, for sure, but we hightailed it over to the local Best Western, and I've never been so comfortable in a Best Western as we were those two days in Prince George.

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Accommodations: Best Western Prince George ***

MONTANA CANADA TRIP - Day.12. Jasper National Park

2009-06-27T22:53:00.007-06:00

This is our lazy layover day. We’ve traveled about 1800 miles so far. All smooth and fairly comfortable, but in truth, it feels good to stay over in one place, anywhere.

We decided to splurge and stay once in one of the old Victorian hotels built in the 19^th century along the railroads. The (very smart and crafty) railroad magnates built these hotels to give wealthy tourists a reason to take the train. There are such hotels in Glacier National Park in the United States, and both Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada. The most grand (and famous) of all is the one at Banff – the Banff Springs Hotel now owned by Fairmont -- where we had tea a few days ago.

We stayed in the Jasper version, the Jasper Park Lodge, a scaled down version of the Banff Hotel. The Lodge is located on the site of one of the two settlements which make up Jasper. This site was called Tent City in the early 1900s. The railroad turned it into a resort about 1915 and it grew and changed over the years. Now it is owned by the Fairmont chain, and they have put their brand on it. It consists of about 500 units scattered around the grounds, as well as a golf course and Lake Beauvert, as well as an elegant (and overpriced) lodge with restaurants, spa, shops and all kinds of other luxuries. Unfortunately, for all this luxury, there are no espresso drinks and no wireless internet, two criteria I most wanted.

But that is not a complaint. This is a fine place to lay over, and we can walk, read, sleep and do nothing – all in luxury and in the midst of incredible scenery.

We drove into the town of Jasper, which is a small town within the national park, a smaller and less expensive and less pretentious town than Banff. We walked around, stocked up at the grocery store, and had a decent mealin an Italian restaurant. All in all our time in Jasper was relaxing, down to earth, and fairly low key, the Fairmont Jackson Lodge notwithstanding.

Here is a view from our walk around Lake Beauvert:

And here is a view of the town of Jasper:

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MONTANA CANADA TRIP. Day 11. Banff to Jasper

2009-06-26T22:04:00.000-06:00

Today was an amazing day of mountains, glaciers, rivers and waterfalls, and changing weather. We left Banff early for our drive to Jasper National Park by way of Lake Louise. We drove up Hwy 93, nicknamed Icefields Parkway, for reasons we would soon learn. The highway was built in the late 1930s by a Canadian version of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The guide books tout this as the most scenic highway in the world, and I would surely rate it in my top 10. And I've seen a lot of scenic highways in my life.

Our first destination was Lake Louise, my request because friends told me it is less “done-up” than Banff and would be more to my liking. Indeed, it was. The lake (named after one of Queen Victoria’s daughters) is a turquoise gem set within the high mountains. The gray-turquoise color is caused by silt that slides into it with each year’s snowmelt. It turns deeper blue as the summer progresses and the silt settles. We walked to the end of the lake and back, sorry we couldn’t spend more time there. Here is a good view:

Back on Icefield Parkway, we had plenty of opportunity to view glaciers, or what is left of them. There are seven large glaciers and twenty-five smaller ones along the Icefields Parkway. We were reminded once again that we are witnessing an endangered geological phenomenon. It was most clear when we stopped at the Athabasca Glacier. In the mid 1800s this glacier extended across what is now the highway and covered the parking lot. Look at it now and draw your own conclusions.

I'm sorry that the subject of climate change is so fraught with political overtones. The changes are real, and measurable, and easily observed in northern latitudes.

As if we didn’t get enough great scenery, we took two short detours to see the Sunwapta Falls and Athabasca Falls. Both are canyons where the Sunwapta and Athabasca rivers respectively change course suddenly from a shallow river bed to steep, narrow canyons with tremendous force. Here is a photo of Athabasca Falls.

We arrived at Fairmont Park Lodge Jasper, our splurge hotel, for a late supper overlooking the lake. It was still light outside when I turned out the light at 11 p.m. Here is our view from the dining patio.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge ***

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