This is a city I never get tired of, no matter how many times I go back. Of course, we had to stop for the official tourist entrance picture, complete with the freezing cold wind to let us know we were really there. There were tons of sailboats out . . . I don't know if there was something going on, or if it was just a great day for sailing. Either way, it was fun to watch them.
After arriving in town, we had to wait a few hours to check into our hotel so we went to Golden Gate Park. I love a good park, and this one is one of the best.
We stayed a block away from this entrance to Chinatown . . .
On the way to Fisherman's Wharf . . . Sure there are other ways to get there, but the trolley is the most fun!
The last night in town was the best. I have wanted to see Wicked FOREVER! It was better than I imagined. Finally the soundtrack makes sense. :)
Clear Lake is a place that should be renowned for its marketing. It takes true talent to get "Clear Lake, the Switzerland of America" out of what really ought to be called "Murky, Algae and Grass-Filled Lake, the Utah of California, With Great Views" However, with good company, there is always fun to be had, even when the place is not as expected. Here are some of our geocaching adventures . . . Cherie took one for the team here: This time Joan spotted it: This is where a neighbor stopped to say she thought we looked like we were geocaching and we needed to beware of rattlesnakes. We stopped sticking our hands in dark holes after that. This reminded us of Tahoe. It was at the end of the road near what was once a thriving resort town, and is now a collection of crumbling building foundations. (Not quite the town we thought we were headed for, but interesting nonetheless.) This stream was a welcome relief on a hot hot day. To cool off, we headed out to the lake for some wave runner time. I really must do this again, and again.
More than one person has looked at me as if I was crazy when I told them Wine Country was on the California itinerary this year, especially when they found out that my traveling companions don't drink either. No worries . . . We have had plenty to do . . .
After a week at home, it's time to hit the road again . . . This time to California. Joan, Cherie and I started the trip with a 12 hour drive to Angel's Camp. Joan and I were relieved that the road was entirely paved, the car had no mechanical issues, and there were no bars between the seat in the car and our behinds. Cherie didn't seem shocked by this. Strange . . .
We took the scenic highway to Angel's Camp. There is still some snow here! Who's in charge of the marketing here? They should probably be fired.
After a leisurely morning, we headed off to Moaning Cavern. Apparently, back in the day, it made a moaning sound because of these. . . which led people to check things out. Unfortunately for them, there was a surprising drop once inside. These bones were excavated from the bottom. Now, people get down there this way . . .
More pics of the inside . . .
Outside the cavern, they had a zip line. Thematically, I don't see the connection, but it's a good way to gather some tourist dollars. Here we are getting started . . .
Here is the middle. I am very proud of the fact that I was able to hold the camera AND the harness tightly at the same time. Maybe someday I will only use one hand to hold on. . . Well, OK, probably not. Notice how at the end of the line, the catchers missed me and I went back the way I came.
Just hangin' around . . . The rescue . . .
After that adventure, we went into town to check things out and find some caches. Angel's Camp is famous because it is the setting of Mark Twain's short story, "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." They have embraced this and there are frogs everywhere. As we drove by this site yesterday, I told Joan and Cherie that there absolutely had to be a cache there. Here we are finding it. Sadly, no handsome prince appeared . . .
Many of the stores were closed today. We saw this in one window.
The last stop on our path was Quepos in the rain forest. On the way, we stopped for some geocaches (of course) and taught the taxi driver all about geocaching. There was much head shaking but he was a good sport and even helped us look for the caches. We also stopped and saw some crocodiles along the way.
Ziplining was a highlight of this leg of the trip. I almost got my hands to let go of the harness. The guide had to push me off the platform for the Tarzan swing because I was not about to step off into nothing, but I survived (much to my surprise). It was so fun, we went back for a second run after winning tickets in a raffle.
The nightlife in Quepos was pretty limited, but the hotel owner pointed us toward a couple of expat events. The first one was "Drinking and Thinking" at the Dos Locos Restaurant. We went early to have dinner and had some Nachos Locos while playing Nacho Loco. Then, we pooled our collective knowledge of useless facts and got second place in the game.
The next day was scuba diving. It was my first time in the ocean and I was properly impressed, despite the limited visibility brought on by the rainy season. We saw a ray, starfish, lobsters, a bunch of fish and a couple of turtles. I survived having no air at 30 feet due to a temporary tank problem, and a few jellyfish stings. I feel very tough. For the evening festivities, we got together with the local expats again in the pool area of our hotel for karaoke night and won the previously mentioned zipline tickets. It seemed most of the expat crowd went to Costa Rica for a brief visit and ended up staying. I can see why.
The last day there, we went to Manuel Antonio Park and accomplished our goals of seeing monkeys, a sloth, and the beach. Of course, we also hiked around in search of geocaches as well. The hike was hot and humid, but the views were beautiful. Many thanks to Chris for doing Face Plant in the Mud Prevention Duty while we were hiking.
After the rain forest adventures, it was time to head for home. We spent our final day in Costa Rica . . . yes, you guessed it . . . geocaching. After a short detour to the shuttle company's office to pick up some forgotten items, we headed to the park to find "The Rooster, Rebirth, and Brainless." I felt a little brainless having to carry my scuba fins around with me but was glad to have them back. Here's Joan at The Rooster holding them for me while I did the math to figure out the next stop. Here's the lake we walked around.
