Moro Rock and Sequoia National Park

I am afraid of heights. Really. I dislike even stairs where the railings have openings in between the rods. I guess the idea that I would not be able to squeeze between these rods even if I wanted to does not reduce unconscious fear.

Moro Rock is one of the most picturesque places in Sequoia National Park, in my opinion. But there is a catch. You have to walk up many many many steps along steep edges and large openings between railing rods. I had to do it...

Slowly, step by step, I tried to convince myself that it was not that steep after all. As I hiked higher and higher, I felt a bit dizzy, but still continued the hike. I stopped several times to take pictures and admire the beauty of nature, but also to think about how small we are and how negligent my presence is in the volume of trees and mountains around me.

At some point I thought that I would have to stop, that my courage would exhaust its last drops. I kept going until I reached the top of the rock. The view unfolded 360 degrees and was truly incredible.

 Going down was a bit scarier, but there was no other way. Had to do it :)

After combating my fears a bit, I headed to the largest tree in the world - General Sherman Tree. Again, that feeling of insignificance just consumes you when you stand next to this giant tree that is so so so very old.

Actually, there were quite a few trees of similar size:

Finally, there is a cave. Yes, a Crystal Cave in Sequoia National Park! Who would have thought?! The tour costs $18 and lasts about an hour. Be sure to buy tickets in advance here or otherwise you have to hope that there is an extra spot on the tour. We were able to get in, but I am not sure how it works during the busy season.

The guide talked about the history of the cave and its structure. At the end they turned off all the lights and asked everyone to be quiet and listen to the sounds of the cave. Several people freaked out as they were afraid of the darkness. No, it was not kids either! Really cool experience.

The hike to the cave is downhill and is very easy, but coming up required some effort. If you had never visited a cave, it is worth going there for sure!

Two day trip: Day 2 - Point Reyes National Seashore

Early in the morning I left my AirBnb and headed out to get some breakfast. On the way to my planned destination, I stopped at the lookout point right off Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. It was a bit foggy, but certainly worth $5 toll.

I had breakfast at Theresa & Johnny's Comfort Food, probably the least favorite part of my trip. I then was on my way to Point Reyes. Since I only had about 5 hours to spend in the park, I asked the guide at the Visitor's Center which trails would be the best to take. She suggested that I visit the lighthouse and stay in the area for the sake of time.

There is a parking lot less than a mile from the lighthouse, but it does fill up very fast. The best time to get there is before 9 AM. Hiking towards the lighthouse is picturesque and very easy.

When you get to the lighthouse, there is a staircase leading down, estimated over 300 steps. Downhill it makes no difference...

... and the views make all worth it.

Uphill, on the other hand, you really feel those 300 steps...

Another area I stumbled upon is Elephant Seal Overlook. Unfortunately, I did not see that many seals, but quite a few pelicans and birds. As I later found out, Point Reyes is famous for its rich diversity of birds. I saw many people with binoculars and high-end equipment searching for birds all over.

The road less traveled by...

Historic house

Spider of the historic house

Where I would like to live...

Finally, I went to the beach...

Two day trip: Day 1 - Fairfield and Napa, CA

I have finally found a cat sitter! That meant that I could leave my house overnight and travel somewhere farther than I am used to. I have to say, I was nervous to leave Kitty with anyone. However, I met the person in advance and saw she was kind and sweet, so I figured if not now, then when?

I planned a two day trip leaving on a Saturday morning and coming back on Sunday. This post will describe Day 1.

I headed out at 7.30 AM and arrived at Fairfield, CA around 11 AM, which is when my tour at Il Fiorello Olive Oil Company was scheduled. Oddly, I was the only person on the tour... I felt that the tour was designed to my own interests, so I took advantage of learning as much about olive oil production as possible.

You would be amazed how much we DON'T know about olive oil. Did you know that most olive oil in supermarkets is not extra virgin, and most of the time contains a mix of vegetable and olive oil? How about that each bottle should have a date of production and bottling instead of simply an expiration date? Well, neither did I.

At first I was a bit skeptical since the tour was given by a biased party, but after tasting real olive oil and Trader Joe's kind that I bought a month ago in a supermarket, I realized how much I was missing out. Surprisingly, false advertisement of the grade and purity of olive oil is not actively followed by FDA.

Going back to the tour, it lasted about 1.5 hour and consisted of the tour of the facility and trees...

as well as the garden and the mill.

At the end of the tour I did olive oil tasting paired with bite-size portions of food. You could also do wine tasting there as well, but I drove, so no wine for me.

Very cool experience! I brought home a bottle of olive oil and a jar of jam produced locally. As a bonus, I also met with the chef who showed me how to bake pumpkin mandarin cupcakes and I even got to try one!

I then headed out to go to Napa. I was not planning to do much wine tasting, again because I was driving, so I booked a segway tour. In Minneapolis only 4 months ago I tried segway for the first time and really loved it. It is a convenient way to see the town/city if you only have limited amount of time. This tour did no disappoint either.

Gale, the owner of the company, was my tour guide. Again, I was the only person on the tour, yet she was absolutely fine with just me. Since I did not require too much training, we went straight to see the attractions of Napa.

I have absolutely no idea why the parking limit is 24 minutes... Why not 23? 25?

World Trade Center Memorial

View from the bridge

Gale was so knowledgeable about history of the town and local places to eat. Even though it was not part of the tour, we stopped at a local Italian take out spot Clemente's at Val's where malfatti are skillfully cooked by the original creator and his family.

Malfatti - the most amazing Italian food I have had in a long time!

I would absolutely return for another tour with Gale and her segway company. This time I would go for a food and wine tour though :)

Before leaving Napa, I stopped at Oxbow Public Market, a popular place for restaurants and fancy stores.

Spice shop at Oxbow Public Market

I had delicious sushi rolls at Eiko's Japanese restaurant recommended by Gale, super fresh! On the TV set you could also watch your sushi being made:

Really cool, but a bit tiring day. It was time to go to sleep...