Fresno, CA and the surrounding area

Just did a quick drive around this morning ..... planning on King's Canyon and Yosemite after the holiday.

In Clovis, CA, Festus from Gunsmoke is staring at you ... there is a fenced statue bearing the likeness of Festus dedicated to the actor who played him, Ken Curtis.

Located in Caruthers, California is a gas station with something peculiar atop its roof. If you're traveling along Highway 41, you can't help but stop and notice this WWII-era fighter jet, nose-down into the station's pump island.

For a town that refers to itself as "Swedish Town," this water tower is right up its alley. Located between Bakersfield and Fresno, Kingsburg's water tower is uniquely shaped like a coffee kettle, complete with a colorful, Swedish-like design and handle.

After running some errands and returning to the campground, there was the Sunday afternoon ice cream gathering and I learned to play Hand and Foot, a card game.

Current status

Well, I have been traveling full-time now for 18 months (2 years for my Jeep).  I have about 66,000 combined miles on the two vehicles. Here is the current map of where I have stayed -

And this is where I have driven ....

Green - 2015; Orange - 2016; Pink - 2017

A lot of miles .... and not nearly enough.

California - Named by the Spanish after Califia, a mythical paradise in a Spanish romance, written by Montalvo in 1510.

Historic Bear Flag raised at Sonomaon June 14, 1846, by a group of American settlers in revolt against Mexican rule. The flag was designed by William Todd on a piece of new unbleached cotton. The star imitated the lone star of Texas. A grizzly bear represented the many bears seen in the state. The word, "California Republic" was placed beneath the star and bear. It was adopted by the 1911 State Legislature as the State Flag.

California Facts and Trivia

• California's Mount Whitney measures as the highest peak in the lower 48 states. Its most famous climb is Mount Whitney Trail to the 14,495 feet summit. Wilderness permits are required.

• In 1925 a giant sequoia located in California's Kings Canyon National Park was named the nation's national Christmas tree. The tree is over 300 feet in height.

• More turkeys are raised in California than in any other state in the United States.  (There's a comment there waiting to be made)

• Fallbrook is known as the Avocado Capital of the World and hosts an annual Avocado Festival. More avocados are grown in the region than any other county in the nation.

• In the late 1850s, Kennedy Mine, located in Jackson, served as one of the richest gold mines in the world and the deepest mine in North America.

• An animal called the riparian brush rabbit calls Caswell Memorial State Park (near Manteca) its home. Endemic only to the state's park system, the critter lives in approximately 255 acres stretching along the area's once-vast hardwood forest. 

• The largest three-day rodeo in the United States is held on the Tehama County Fairgrounds in Red Bluff.

• Demonstrations on making toothpaste from orange by-products were popular attractions at the Los Angeles County fair in 1922. The fair is held in Pomona.

• Located in Sacramento, the California State Railroad Museum is the largest museum of its kind in North America. 

• California Caverns claims the distinction of being the most extensive system of caverns and passageways in the Mother Lode region of the state.  

• On Catalina Island in 1926, American author Zane Grey built a pueblo-style home on the hillside overlooking Avalon Bay. He spent much of his later life in Avalon. The home is now a hotel.

• Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge contains the largest winter population of bald eagles in the continental United States. 

• In Atwater the Castle Air Museum has the largest display of military aircraft in the state.

• The Country Store in Baker has sold more winning California State Lottery tickets than any outlet in the state.

• Reputed to be the most corrupt politician in Fresno County history, Vice-leader Joseph Spinney was mayor for only ten minutes.

• The Hollywood Bowl is the world's largest outdoor amphitheater.

• The first person to personally receive a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood was actress Joanne Woodward. She received it in 1960. Death Valley is recognized as the hottest, driest place in the United States. It isn't uncommon for the summer temperatures to reach more than 115 degrees.

• The first motion picture theater opened in Los Angeles on April 2, 1902.

• Inyo National Forest is home to the bristle cone pine, the oldest living species. Some of the gnarled trees are thought to be over 4,600 years old.

• San Francisco Bay is considered the world's largest landlocked harbor.

• Sequoia National Park contains the largest living tree. Its trunk is 102 feet in circumference.

• Yorba Linda is home to the Richard Nixon Library.

• The Coachella Valley is nicknamed The Date Capital of the world and The Playground of Presidents.

• One out of every eight United States residents lives in California.

• If California's economic size were measured by itself to other countries, it would rank the 7th largest economy in the world. 

• California is known variously as The Land of Milk and Honey, The El Dorado State, The Golden State, and The Grape State. There are more than 300,000 tons of grapes grown in California annually.

• California produces more than 17 million gallons of wine each year. 

• Fresno proclaims itself the Raisin Capital of the World.

• The highest and lowest points in the continental United States are within 100 miles of one another. Mount Whitney measures 14,495 feet and Bad Water in Death Valley is 282 feet below sea level.

• Castroville is known as the Artichoke Capital of the World. In 1947 a young woman named Norma Jean was crowned Castroville's first Artichoke Queen. She went on to become actress Marilyn Monroe.

 

Cambridge, England

What a fantastic place to visit!  The architecture, the history, the culture, the intelligence, the fun, the music, the high-90 degree heat with humidity and no air conditioning anywhere, and some really terrific relatives .... awesome.  A beautiful place.

 Hatfield House - home of the 7th Marquess and Marchioness of Salisbury and their family. The Estate has been in the Cecil family for 400 years.

Cardboard boat race on the Cam River

The Polar Museum - The Domes

RAF Bar with the historic ceiling (and where DNA understanding was developed)

A phone booth now used as a neighborhood book exchange

Posting a letter

Percy Pig candy

A beautiful concert at King's College - J.S. Bach - was exceptional.

Just being among all this beauty was a treat.

Seoul, South Korea (final)

I spent the day on a tour of the DMZ and the JSA.  I highly recommend, if you ever go to South Korea.  You have to book the JSA tour at least 3 days in advance (to obtain approval from the US government), and you are escorted by US Army soldiers the entire time.  No pictures of South Korea are allowed; no pointing; no eye contact; conservative dress. 

Nowhere is the tension between North and South Korea more palpable than in the no-man’s-land known as the Korean Demilitarized Zone, or DMZ. As a divided nation, only 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) separate the North from the South in what is the most heavily armed border on earth. The 150-mile (241-kilometer) zone has served as a buffer since the 1953 cease-fire agreement between the United Nations and North Korea that put the Korean War on hold. Even with its past, the area is quite safe for tourists.

The DMZ can only be visited as part of an organized, guided tour, during which travelers get the chance to see the Joint Security Area, also known as Panmunjom, where the North and South met for peace talks during the war. Here travelers can see both North Korean and South Korean soldiers each guarding their respective sides of the DMZ.

You even get an opportunity to stand on the the North Korea side of the border! (which is very unsettling). 

At the DMZ you have an opportunity to walk down Tunnel 3 .... but be aware - it is an 11% grade in and OUT.  ha.

We made a stop at the Dora Observatory and Dorasan Train Station enroute. 

Dora Observatory is on the South Korean side of the 38th parallel. Situated on top of Dorasan (Mount Dora), the observatory looks across the Demilitarized Zone. It is the part of South Korea closest to the North.

Seoul, So Korea (continued)

Today was a trip to the War Memorial of Korea. The Memorial is exceptionally well done and I learned a lot. 

The Korea Peace Bell - a wish for true freedom and peace

Some of the Artillery on display

The Statue of Brothers is an 18-meter wide and 11-meter high symbol of he War.

 We had intended to follow this up with a trip to the National Museum of Korea, which would have been really nice, but I pooped out and we went back to the hotel to rest for dinner.

Dinner was authentic Korean BBQ, which was really good, followed by a walk around Gangnam.  There are some very unique, impressive buildings in this area.

Dessert was ice cream ...

Seoul, South Korea

I am here for a week visiting with my son (he's here on business).  It is a 13 hour flight from LAX ( I got to cross another thing off my bucket list by flying first/business class).  American, in all their rationalization, takes the flight from LAX to Dallas/Fort Worth before heading to Korea, so the flight was over 21 hours including the lay-over.  It was my first time to enjoy the Admiral's Club, so that was a nice treat.

Since it was about 40 hours since I'd slept, Friday was low-key with walks around the immediate area of the hotel (JW Marriott) and to bed early. I did make a several-hour visit to the Express Bus Terminal Market, a traditional Korean market place located in the underground passage of the subway.

Saturday was "hit the ground running" and we saw some amazing sights.

The N Seoul Tower - on top of Namsan Mountain, is the best location to see the city of Seoul.  The Tower is the 10th highest tower in the world.  You get to the tower either by cable car or walking; the observatory by way of an elevator.  On a clear day .....

The painting on the buildings is exquisite

Then onto Bukchon Hanok Village - This district between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace is packed with over 900 Korean traditional houses.  Members of the royal family and noblemen lived here during the Joseon Period.













The highlight of the day was Gyeongbokgung Palace - Built in 1395, this was the main royal palace and heart of the Joseon Dynasty for 500 years.  The National Palace Museum of Korea, which showcases royal culture, and the National Folk Museum of Korea, where the life cycles of Koreans in the olden days can be observed, are within the grounds.  There were a lot of Koreans, mostly women, dressed in the traditional costume, which made walking around especially nice.

 

Dinner was at Din Tai Fung for Dim Sum, followed by some frozen milk at O'slo.  Yum.










"The haechi, protector of Seoul"