West Coast Sojourn

[HuangLao]

Holy Moly

Surely there must be something roofed at a more human price.

Or is it a question of location location location ?

Perceived and fanciful snobbery of the very particular class distinction?

[DrWilly]

FOJ.

of course it’s location. The median price of houses in most Aussies cities is also around $1M

[helge]

The median price of houses in most Aussies cities is also around $1M

with prices starting at over a million bucks.

A misplaced ....'also' ?

Or has 'median' got a special meaning in Zambia ?

[Stumpy]

Now looking to buy houses but that can be daunting with prices starting at over a million bucks

Yeah it's crazy for most. My youngest and her husband just bought a place in Burlingame. My oldest and her husband moved to Austin Texas and got a much larger house brand new for about 1/2 the cost.

I feel for your daughters AO. I just saw the top 10 most expensive cities in the world to live and 4 of them are in California. 3 in Australia, 2 in Canada and Hong Kong was #1.

Anyway GREAT pics and a nice journey along the Pacific Northwest. My Uncle lives up near the Trinity mountains and can see Lassen across the valley. Lots of really nice little Mom and Pop restaurants along the route you took towards Crescent City. I took my wife on that drive.

Keep the pics coming. I am looking forward to my trip back in a few months.

[aging one]

To get this back on track. I have always felt in awe and wonder when in a redwood forest. So big so majestic and so old. The groves I will be posting up are some of the oldest dating back 1800 to 2500 years or more. The ecosystem they live is beyond belief. The friends you saw in the dinner photo were also roommates the last two years of university, so 50 years later we are back in the redwoods to trip again, this time without the chemicals. Crescent City was chosen because the woman waving is an artist who lives there. She does linocuts and uses nature. Here is an older and a newer one.




The last one is sentimental, its her late husband playing the cello. Died just 4 months ago, another reason for the visit. Cheer an old friend up. She had arranged the whole thing and it was just perfection.

[DrWilly]

A misplaced ....'also' ?

Or has 'median' got a special meaning in Zambia ?

buzz orf and read the post again, dumbo.

[helge]

buzz orf and the post again, dumbo.

?

Nice prints up there

[BLD]

My oldest boys in year 11 very switched on at 16 years of age I've been taking him for driving lessons every chance we get he needs to do 50 hours. Now he just started a part time job at KFC a short walk from school. His decision and maybe good to get him out of the house and a bit independant. He's a great kid

[BLD]

They are very proud to be Thai and love having dual citizenship, but at this time they prefer to live in America. They both went to top universities and want to take advantage of that. They really enjoy their jobs, Vanessa at Space X and Kayleigh the entrepreneur with her media consultancy. Its safe to say they make more money a month than they would a year year. Now looking to buy houses but that can be daunting with prices starting at over a million bucks. If they had their dream they would retire early and move back to the beaches of Thailand as both surf and enjoy scuba.

It's a shame duel citizenship isn't an option to them. Lao insist only 1 passport. Communist govt. Can't argue

[BLD]

Yes, property here in Perth is crazy expensive..I'm lucky I paid that rascal of about 20 years ago after a lot of ditch digging in nasty places . No point in selling it though coz then I've just got to replace it? Feel sorry for the younger generation.

[Joe 90]

Now looking to buy houses but that can be daunting with prices starting at over a million bucks

Gotta feel for the younger generation now.

House prices are disproportionately higher to salary than they've ever been.

35 year mortgages on offer in the UK now if you can save up 20% deposit.

All that on top of a £75k University student debt.

Yet the minimum wage is still only £12 per hour,doesn't equate.

[aging one]

So up early to head a bit north to the National Park where the big redwoods live.





The Smith River




Redwoods





Looking up as we had 50 years ago.




The biggest trees are in the Grove of the Titans





What is know as the mother tree believed to be about 2800 years old.

[Edmond]

Looks like Yogi's arsehole.

(The tree not the woman)

[bsnub]

Looking up as we had 50 years ago.

It is a special place and every time I go there I am lost for words.

I can only imagine what all of you were experiencing at that moment.

Special.

[aging one]

It is a special place and every time I go there I am lost for words.

I can only imagine what all of you were experiencing at that moment.

Special.

Awe and wonder, "most" people are deeply moved by their visit to the redwoods. You realize how small and inconsequential you are.

[bsnub]

Awe and wonder, "most" people are deeply moved by their visit to the redwoods. You realize how small and inconsequential you are.

Indeed, and I can imagine what you experienced all those years ago, tripping. You experianced magic with those people and to reunite 50 years later is amazing.

[BLD]

Looks like Yogi's arsehole.

(The tree not the woman)

That might of been a bit inappropriate eddo cheddo? You must of thought you were on the Noone does inappropriate humour like the Brits did in the 60?

[aging one]

Since we finished up touring the redwoods about 2:30pm we took off for the Lighthouse. It is still active and was started in 1856 with a gas light, long since replaced. The lighthouse keepers get free lodging out on Battery Point. It is accessible by foot but only at low tide.

Not accessible at high tide, but fine at low. "not my shot"



Beautiful seasonal flowers





Pebble Beach in front of our house just down some stairs.




Now home for a Tri Tip and salmon meal. Sadly the wine was flowing and the photography stopped.

[katie23]

Thanks for the pics & stories, AO! Your daughters are still very pretty. One looks like you and the other looks more like her mom.

That old tree (2800 years) is huge! Glad that you've returned safely to BKK.

[Edmond]

It is accessible by foot but only at low tide.

Not accessible at high tide, but fine at low

That's very cool, I always loved places like that. There are quite a few like that along the coast of Brittany. Mountain biked out to one once and had to make sure to get back across in time, or you'd be out there for a few hours.

[CalEden]

AO great photos/thread, thanks! Back to the Pappy Van Winkle Bourbon, what where your impressions of it?

[Edmond]

..... Space X?

[aging one]

Better finish this off. From Crescent City we went up into Oregon to Ashland and friends for the night. No shots as we just cooked and drank Rouge River wine. to Weed Ca, to see Mt. Shasta. Then down to Chico Ca. Where I went to university.

Weed Ca. with the best view of Mt Shasta a dormant volcano which belongs to the same chain that had Mt. St. Helen erupt.





Bidwell Park, one of the biggest city parks in the US and also where the filmed Robin Hood all those years ago.





It was memorial day there.



Out with friends from uni, Mexican of course.





Then headed to Santa Rosa Ca. to visit and old friend just to kick back barbecue and drink wine. Prawn and scallop dinner.



Searing off some scallops






Really nice bottle of wine, what a cellar they had.



Tri Tip and grilled veggies the other night.






Now down to the bay for a night, then off to see Vanessa and Space X along with Malibu and the LA Canyons. But no photography is allowed in Space X so I have "lifted' a few shots of what we were able to see.

[DrWilly]

oh man, that food and drink looks so good.

And the volcano views. Beautiful!

[Stumpy]

Nice Job AO and the food looks delish.

Man so odd to see Shasta without snow covering it entirely until damn near mid to end of July. That feeds Lake Shasta and a few incredibly good Rainbow, Cutthroat and German Brown trout rivers. Going up to see my uncle when in my mid 20's to fish and turkey hunt, there was always snow darn near down to the base. Same with Mt Lassen. ( Don't want Spamdreth to pollute your thread so hopefully he isn't looking ).

Cheers and thanks for the top quality pics.