A relaxing time in Monterrey.

“Reach deep within, and reconnect with the essence of your being.” ― Bryant McGill, 


Yosemite was awesome and there were the lodge was amazing.  However, my time at Yosemite ended and I am off to explore other areas.

My first stop is Pinnacles National Park near Monterrey, California.  Pinnacles is a park known for it's wildflowers.  Apparently, Spring is the best time to visit, when I visited it was about 100 + degrees.  Hot for a fox. 

Those mountains, or dare I say Pinnacles in the background are really cool .  I hear there is some good hiking in the spring.  Perhaps my humans will get the hint. 

More Pinnacles at Pinnacles National Park. This trail leads to an old mine.  This little fox like to stay above ground, thank you. 

More trails to explore. I must come back in the Spring. 

Pinnacles was nice, it was smaller and less crowded than Yosemite but it has potential.  Did I mention it was hot?  I heard that Monterrey, California is nice. Looks like they have a nice Marriot to explore.  

Once I settled into my room I decided to go out and about in Monterrey.  They have a ton of historic buildings and a history walk.  Apparently, Monterrey was the capital of Spain's holdings on the west coast. They had a customs house and a presidio.  Eventually, Mexico gained it's independence from Spain and Monterrey sided with Mexico and became part of that country until Northern California was named part of the United States and not Mexico around 1848.

Amazing trees in the customs hall. 

An old general store.  An ice cream would hit the spot right now.  

As you may recall my journey started as an exploration of the Grand Lodges and Hotels.  I have found one in Monterrey.   This lobby is amazing and this chair is so comfy.  A fox could get used to the good life. 

A beautiful sculpture on display outside of the lobby.  Do you see the bay in the background?

Speaking of Monterrey Bay......lots of nice sail boats in the harbor. 

No visit to Monterrey can be complete without a visit to Cannery Row. 

It's a tad touristy.  It does have a Ghirardelli shop that gave out free, yes free samples. 

I also saw this treat that Droopy might like. 

This fox is tired and needs a rest.  Perhaps I will sit on this promenade and enjoy the scenery for a while. 

Merry Christmas

I interrupt my  philosophical journey to wish all of my blog pals a Merry Christmas.

Yosemite on my mind.

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” – Helen Keller

Spending the night in a tent cabin at Yosemite isn't the most daring adventure in the world but it's a lot of fun.  This fox needs hot chocolate, luckily there was plenty of dining options at the park. 

I read that they have a famous hotel here at Yosemite, called the Awanhee Hotel and it's pretty darn nice (and expensive).  However, it fits into my mission of seeing the great hotels.
I took a tour to learn more.

I can't believe I have the mural room all to myself. Where's room service? I could use a cup of hot chocolate. 

I am a sucker for a good mural and a forest scene to boot.  Right up my alley.

After the mural room I headed upstairs to wander around. 

The main hall was used as a hospital after WWII for recovering soldiers.  A the height of the recovery there were 900 hospital beds.  Of course, back in the day smoking was allowed in hospitals and with 900 soldiers recovering from service there was a lot of smoking going on and that being said some of the decor was damaged.  

Here is the great hall today.  Notice the rug on the wall?

The Awanhee Hotel has one of the largest Turkish rug collection in the world.  The builder of the hotel noticed the rugs being used a packing material for crates on San Francisco harbor.  There were lots and lots of rugs and they were cheap (my kind of guy) and so they bought them, used them in the Awanhee Hotel and the rest is history.

This room looks comfy.

A great hotel but it's time to explore the valley. 

Is that Half Dome or El Capitan?

Yosemite Falls is in full motion.  This year there was record rainfall in California so the falls are flowing strong. 

I decided to take a day trip to Glacier Point.  Nice view but the wildfires are restricting my view. Phooey.  

After a few minutes and a few miles on the trail the view opened up.  

After a few more miles on the trail I ended up at the base of Vernall Falls.  

All of these falls flow into the Merced River.  Interesting fact: Merced was a close contender for naming the dog, Sequoia.

Time to leave the valley. 

Waiting for the bus

The bus took me to Mariposa, California and dropped me off in front of a brewery.  My kind of bus line. 

California, here I come!

"One day if I go to heaven... I'll look around and say 'It ain't bad. But it ain't San Francisco.'" — Herb Caen


Hello readers, welcome back to my travelogue/philosophical journey.  Last time I checked in with my blog audience I fell asleep in a comfy chair, had a dream to go to California, and well, here I am.

As you may or may not recall my journey to find myself started with an idea to see the great lodges of the Northwest.  I decided to expand my search to the great hotels.  Here's a pretty fancy place in San Francisco. I didn't stay here because it's a tad expensive but it's a cool place to check out. 

My hotel was pretty cool too.  It was built after the 1906 earthquake and fire and it's in great shape for being over 100 years old.  I am waiting patiently for the bellhop  to bring up my luggage. 

Huh, no mention of the stuffies making the 8th floor great.  I better have a chat with the manager. 

Boxed water?  Huh, only in California.  This coffee cup is the perfect size for me. 

Time to explore.  This plaque commemorates San Francisco's sister cities.  I got to tour the old church in the background too.  Not a bad place, they said "everyone's welcome" and as a fox in an urban city I appreciate that. 

No trip to San Francisco is complete without a walk down Chinatown.  Should I buy one of those crispy ducks hanging in the window of certain stores?

No duck but I did get Dim Sum.  It was such a nice day I decided toto walk down to the pier.

I look good against the background of San Francisco don't I?

I think this picture has the potential to be on the front of the blog.  Notice the big smile on my face.

On the way back to the hotel I headed through Ghiradelli Square.  

This place is awesome!

Next stop: Yosemite!!!!!!!

I started my journey at the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir in Yosemite.  It was a beautiful area that wasn't too crowded.

Of course there is a big dam making the reservoir and it's somewhat controversial.  It makes for a great lake and wonderful views. 

Let's do some hiking:   Where should I go?  

I didn't go to any of those places but I found a nice trail around the lake. 

Goodness, this fox is tired.  I need to find some lodging.  I hear Curry Village has lots of tent cabins.  It ain't the Ritz but it will do.