February 2013 USA

Photos from our walk in the vineyards.


Plans for the spring are travels in overland truck in West Africa 15 March-15 May!
http://www.dragoman.com/holidays/details/overland-dakar-to-accra-loop

28 February 2013 Thursday (Geyserville CA)
After filling with petrol and propane in Healdsburg, JoAnne and I enjoyed lunch with her friend Teri who lives up Chamise Road with wonderful views of the Dry Creek Valley.


27 February 2013 Wednesday (Geyserville CA)
JoAnne is working at Twomey Winery today so getting organized for my travels in Africa and also washed my van....it really needed it and the weather is wonderful! When JoAnne returned, we walked to Preston Farm and Winery hoping to find some fresh veggies but not much left.....but did visit with the sheep and pigs!

25 February 2013 Monday (Geyserville CA)
JoAnne and I are hiking to Pritchett's Peaks....not to the top but close enough for a good view of these rock formations.....almost seven hours!

24 February 2013 Sunday (San Jose to Geyserville CA -130 miles)
Driving north to Sonoma to visit JoAnne in Geyserville.....she is housesitting at a nearby vineyard called Fall Creek.


21 February 2013 Thursday
Final visit to the dentist to get crown! Stopped at a few bookshops in Menlo Park looking for books on West Africa and found a couple of interesting older books at a used bookshop called Feldmans (Travels in West Africa by Mary Kingsley and Dakar-Outpost of Two Hemispheres by Emil Lengyel)....then a burger for old times sake at our former hangout the Oasis!

20 February 2013 Wednesday 
Down the hill to check email and found that I now need visa for Benin, which I had not initially requested because we were told we could get enroute.....so a busy morning of filling out more forms and finding a fedex to post more paperwork! We also need euros for this journey so found a Wells Fargo that does sell euros but not at the best rate.

18-20 February 2013 (San Jose CA)
I did visit Mercey Hot Springs but not the best for camping so returned to Joseph Grant County Park on Mt Hamilton.....where it SNOWED!

17 February 2013 Sunday (Casa de Fruta on Pacheco Pass CA)
Decided to splurge for overnight at Casa de Fruta RV Orchard Resort for a nice hot shower (it was wonderful after having none for several days!)and to plug in and have internet! Plus it was fun to walk to the fruit market area where heaps of families are enjoying the sun and riding the train through the park and the carousel....a mini disneyland here that all started with a fruit stand back in 1908!

16 February 2013 Saturday (Los Banos CA)
Restocking and catching up on internet at Starbucks in Los Banos....will overnight at the Los Banos Creek Reservoir campground tonite right on the lake with heaps of birds....and I was the only one there......odd for a long weekend....and only $13 senior rate at a California State Park!

15 February 2013 Friday (San Luis Reservoir CA)
Exploring the area around Sisk Dam with overnight at Basalt Campground....this campground was closed the last time that I passed through three years ago.

13-15 February 2013 Wednesday-Friday (Paicines CA)
Hiking the Pinnacles which is now a National Park instead of National Monument.....good timing for me since last Monday was celebration with over 600 folks and this is long weekend and campground is fully booked and next week is rain! Beautiful rock formations and great uphill hike of about 1400 feet and nine miles.

12-13 February 2013 (San Jose CA)
Hiking Joseph Grant County Park on Mt Hamilton above San Jose 


11 February 2013 Monday (Fremont CA)
More work on my van! I had a new radiator installed January 2012 in San Diego just before I drove to Baja.....it is now leaking......but East County Auto in Santee will not honor any warranty unless I bring it back to them......so will pay the price to have it done here.....then maybe I can get on the road again!


8 February 2013 Friday (Palo Alto CA)
Another dental appointment with oral surgeon for extraction of number 31 (on the other side of my mouth....so not for easy eating!)....then the weekend to work on my taxes!


7 February 2013 Thursday (Palo Alto CA)

Back at Annette's in Palo Alto for morning dental appointment.....crown prep on #14! Rain is forecast for the next few days....which it did a bit this morning and then sunshine for the afternoon!

We will attend an event this evening organized by Annette for the PaloAlto Citizen Corps and which will feature Dr. Karel Schrijver, Senior Staff Physicist, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center. Dr Schrijver, recently quoted in National Geographic (June 2012 issue), will talk about the space weather forecast for the next few years with a chance of catastrophic blackouts: "Solar Storms - Sun Struck…Are We Prepared?"...should be quite interesting!

6 February 2013 Wednesday (Fremont CA)
Spent most of day at Grant and Dan's Transmission (Dan has moved on and now Steve is working there)....they had to pull the front grill to replace all the transmission cooling lines but hopefully that will fix the problem. Then visited Jim at Centerville Radiator where he determined that I did have a leak. I had a new radiator installed January 2012 while in San Diego but the guy down there will not honor any warranty unless I bring the van to him.....and how do I do that when it is leaking?


5 February 2013 Tuesday (Fremont CA)
Before I departed for Australia last November, my van was leaking both transmission and radiator fluid......so time to get that fixed, which is not easy when you do not know who to find to do the work....correctly the first time! So have spent several hours having various mechanics suss out the problem and maybe tomorrow it will be fixed.....


3 February 2013 Sunday (Palo Alto CA)
Off to camp in the hills while this city watches the 49ers lose the Super Bowl!

2 February 2013 Saturday (Palo Alto CA)
A grey foggy day today....morning walk with Annette and Tom through the neighbourhoods of Palo Alto...then a catchup on reading three months of mail!


1 February 2013 Friday (Palo Alto CA)
Back in the USofA getting things fixed! I broke a tooth during my travels so visited Annette's dentist down the street and he suggested both a new crown for the broken tooth and also extraction for another tooth that has given me problems for years.....and I should do this before heading to West Africa for two months! Also completed my visa submission for Africa trip.
Just gorgeous weather here in California!