Day 8 - Part 2

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Okay, this was a "10" for the cute factor.
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Can't you just hear Nathan Lane yelling "Pumba"....?
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I think Karl's legs are as long as these guys'

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PCH Tour 2007 Day 8

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Our favorite exhibit. These two were having so much fun and we were able to get numerous pictures of their frolicing. Makes you almost want to join them....NOT!!! LOL
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Kent caught this one. Looks like you are right there next to him.
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Looks like a casual conversation.

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Day 7 - Part 3

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We left Visalia this am and drove for about 5 hours to get to San Diego. Here is just a sample of the view. There are mountains everywhere.
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KJ saw some army vehicles and was really excited. There are a few military bases along today's route. He saw strikers, a Chinook (helicopter) and an F-15 from Miramar (Top Gun).
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Day 7 - Part 2

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Kent done good! The minute we received our room assignment, I knew we were in for a treat! The room # is 1900! Anytime your room number ends in a zero, I think you will be getting a larger area...well, it worked in this case.
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We are on the 19th floor and from the left bed, you can see the stadium - Petco Park. Home of the San Diego Padres MLB team. We were psyched!
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The bathroom area has granite tops and the decor is Asian inspired. A sliding door...what a nice touch!!!

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Across the room, at the other window is a seating area for computers. Room for a roll-a-way bed...Teagan's room!

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Leading from one area to the other.

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The roomiest by far. Everyone's favorite hotel, so far.

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PCH Tour 2007 Day 7

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After getting settled into our room, we walked across the street (rough life) to enter the stadium. Game time 7:05 pm LA Dodgers vs. San Diego Padres
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The sun was setting right before our eyes. We only had about 5 minutes of game time before the sun went down behind the stadium.
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Two shots of the game. San Diego came back in the bottom of the 9th down 5-1 to beat LA 6-5!!! It was a great game to be at!!! We were feeling the crowd's excitement!

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During the game, we all got a text message...

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My niece is officially getting married to Jeff!!! (What a lucky guy!)

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Day 6 - Part 5

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What a contrast from yesterday! We have now seen the deep blue sea and some of the most spectacular mountains in CA. The Sequoias are a site to see for all their grandeur.
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Day 6 - Part 4

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When I was 10 years old, my father took me to California from Chicago (my home town) on a train. Sequoia was one of the places we visited. I wanted to "recapture" that image that I vividly remembered having taken when I was up there for the first time. So, in my hand is the picture that was taken back in 1971. The second picture is the original. The caption is from a woman that I showed the original picture to as I got off the "General Sherman" sign. She said ,"Oh, now you have completed your circle."
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Day 6 - Part 3

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These two pictures were taken from a vantage point high above Moro Rock. KJ took the first one with his camera. The second one was taken with Kent's Canon digital SLR. The winding turns you see in KJ's picture were the actual road we took to get up to the forest!!! Not for the faint of heart, mind you!
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Day 6 - Part 2

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Here are just a small sampling of the views we saw today. The sequoia trees are majestic and beautiful to witness.
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PCH Tour 2007 Day 6

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He smiled for the camera!
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This was taken with an extremely high powered zoom lens!!!
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The best thing about nature is that you can enjoy it when you can see it readily. Not the case with this one... (Arrow points to the head...the tail is above and to the right of the exclamation points!!!)
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Just a bug on the van.

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Day 5 - Part 2

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No words can describe today with enough emotion to convey what we felt and saw! It was spectacular!!! There are two sets to today's pics. Ten in all. (Every picture on this blog will enlarge to full screen if you click on it.)
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PCH Tour 2007 Day 5

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A picture painted a thousand words today...let's just see, shall we...?
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Day 4 - Part 2

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Just to let you all know, if you put your cursor over any of the words that are a different color, it will take you to a web site related to the word(s).

K

PS I'm waiting here at 1 am for the clothes in the dryer. Someone went into the laundry area and opened our door and the jeans sat for at least 15 minutes not drying and using up our quarters...(makes Karen nutso)!!!!!
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PCH Tour 2007 Day 4

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Okay, today was All About Karen Day!!! I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. Napa Valley of California is a place I've only heard about for years. And I saw the movie "Sideways" which made me want to go even more. We took the Napa Valley Wine Train Tour which was a 3 hour lunch tour through Napa Valley and many of the wineries. We could see rows and rows of grape vines for miles on the rolling hills and ridges. Some were almost close enough to touch! We didn't get off of the train at all but we did return by car to visit the two favorite White Zin makers of mine! First was the furthest out...Beringer. We went to the wine tasting room for samples of some interesting varieties. I had the less dry, white/blush samples. Kent mixed some reds with a blush. All were tasty (but I already knew that!) My favorite was the Sparkling White Zinfandel.
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The other winery I was anticipating was Sutter Home. We got there 7 minutes before they closed! We tasted a Reserve White Zin and a White Merlot and White Cabernet. All were delicious. That's why I prefer them at home. I'm never disappointed.
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On the wine train, the kids sat across from us so we took some pictures of them. They had an "okay" time. I think they were being nice. It wasn't something that they were interested in, though. And the food was a gourmet style that they weren't used to. They couldn't wait to get their hands on some "real" food....McDonald's for dinner!!!!! (We were happy about that, too!)
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Karl goofing around.
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A picture of a random vineyard from the train. There weren't any fences around these vineyards. Trustworthy place to live?
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Tomorrow will bring the most spectacular pictures of the trip...PHC from San Francisco to Big Sur. And over to Visalia for two nights to visit the Sequoia and King's Canyon National Park.
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Day 3 - Part 2

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Now, comes the good stuff!!! Our picture of the day was in front of Ghirardelli Square. It is the old building where they used to make this decadent chocolate. It has since moved and this location is becoming another tourist mecca. We were going to enjoy a famous Ghirardelli Hot Fudge Sundae experience but since we ate dinner late and it was a Sunday night, the shoppe was closed. So, tomorrow is another day!!!!!
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After taking the pic of the day, we walked around GS for a bit and then sat down for breakfast (or lunch, for the guys) at a place called Lori's Diner. There were several in the downtown area, as well. KJ purchased a book the day we went to Alcatraz and reads it every sitting moment that he has. (see that Kimmy - summer reading!!!)
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After eating, it was a short walk to the cable car starting point. We purchased our souvenir tickets/postcards and waited about 15 minutes for our turn to ride one of the coolest modes of transportation in the world. Run on an underground cable, this thing goes up and down steep hills, and safely, I might add!!! Our conductor was a hoot. He even let me ring the very nostalgic bell-I was in heaven!!!!! (Rice-a-roni...)
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The kids were hanging on the outside on the way back to the hotel. They really had a great time!
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Ah, yes, no trip is complete without a stop at T & Co.!!! LOL Karl told Teagan she wouldn't be getting anything there because she was with him and the T gifts were only for when he went away somewhere without her!!! She pouted, to say the least!!!! (Just for a second, though!)
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Dinner was the low of the day...very expensive and not so good. We won't return and I let the manager on duty know why!!!

All in all, another wonderful day!!!!
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