This travel blog focuses on things to do in BERKELEY and SAN FRANCISCO. It also features more travel destinations throughout Northern California. All are presented in small, easy-to-digest chunks of text along with plenty of photos so you really get the picture. Discover even more weekend adventures at my BERKELEY AND BEYOND website at www.berkeleyandbeyond.com. This blog is a continuation of my out-of-print guidebook--WEEKEND ADVENTURES IN SAN FRANCISCO & NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.
I-5 between Sacramento and
Redding parallels one North America’s great wildlife migration routes.Known as the Pacific Flyway, it runs the length of the Central Valley, where the
birds find plenty of food and water. Once composed of oak woodlands, grasslands and
marshes, this area now grows rice, nuts, fruits, and vegetables.
wildlife refuge in Willows, California
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge headquarters 752
County Rd 99W. Maps are available on the
website.Bring binoculars.
Hwy. 20 exit, 15 mi. S of town, just N of
Williams.Free. This refuge is about 7 miles off the
freeway.It has a 3-mile gravel loop
drive, a viewing platform near the start, and a 1-mile walking trail.
Norman Rd./County Road 68 exit, 5 mi. S of town.Fee. This
refuge has a 6-mile automobile tour that loops the marsh along a dirt levee
road with two lookouts, a viewing platform, and a 2-mile walking trail.It was here that Alfred Hitchcock shot the
final scene for The Birds.
Claimed for England in 1579 by Sir Francis Drake and later discovered by Don Juan del la Bodega of Spain, the Bodega Bay area was settled in the early 1800s when Russian explorers arrived to trap sea otters. It is the second largest salmon port on the Pacific coast and the busiest commercial fishing port between San Francisco and Eureka.
But it is probably best known as the location for the 1962 Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds. Built as a schoolhouse in 1873 but now a private residence, the old Potter School featured in the movie still stands about 5 miles south of town in the tiny inland town of Bodega, as does St. Theresa’s Church, a picturesque building dating from 1859 that is Sonoma County’s oldest continuously active Catholic church and a state historical landmark. The movie’s Bodega General Store is now the Bodega Country Store.
the Potter School in the 1962 Alfred Hitchcock film "The Birds"
in Bodega, California
St. Theresa's Church in the 1962 Alfred Hitchcock film "The Birds"
in Bodega, California
2362 San Pablo Ave., West Berkeley, (510) 845-3780. W-F noon-5pm.
exterior of California Typewriter store in Berkeley, California
A Yelp review says that there exists here at California Typewriter “a package deal ($75) to do a general cleaning and minor repairs.” But good luck with getting that deal now, after the documentary film “California Typewriter” was released in 2016 with appearances by Tom Hanks, John Mayer, and Sam Shepard. If you love old typewriters, be sure to view this well-done film. I swear my old Smith-Corona portable was a co-star, and I’m pretty sure this is where my husband helped me pick out a very old Underwood for a long-ago birthday (not too long after that my auntie gifted me with a family heirloom--another Underwood that is its twin, so now I have dueling typewriters). The beginning and ending of the film take place on Highway 15 to Las Vegas, a road I drove just two weeks before I saw this film. What a coincidence in a film loaded with coincidences for me. But what is most amazing to me is that this sweet shop in my home town was chosen to star in this delightful movie. If you’re in the market for a pre-digital typewriter, or you have one in need of repair, when you go looking be aware that the sign out front says “California Office Machines.”
display window at California Typewriter store in Berkeley, California
interior of California Typewriter store in Berkeley, California
ceramic "Typewriter" by Robert Arneson
my initials spelled out in typewriter keys, worn on my sweater
Lone Pine is where the real west became the reel west. The first full-length movie filmed in the area was The Round-Up in 1920, starring Fatty Arbuckle. More recently, scenes were filmed for horror film Tremors in 1990 with Kevin Bacon and for Gladiator in 2000. Assorted artifacts and a spectacular collection of original posters for hundreds of films shot in the area are displayed here at the Museum of Western Film History, including the 1937 Plymouth coupe Humphrey Bogart drove in High Sierra and a hideous life-size grabboid from Tremors. Be sure to view the introduction film shown onsite in a well-appointed small theater.
vintage cameras displayed at Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, California
Gene Autry memorabilia displayed at Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, California
Hopalong Cassidy memorabilia displayed at Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, California
Humphrey Bogart memorabilia displayed at Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine, California
And do take a drive through the nearby Alabama Hills, where the films mentioned above as well as countless Westerns have been shot, including The Lone Ranger. The area is populated picturesquely with huge, odd-sized rocks and boulders and has stood in for other countries and galaxies as well--think the 1939 epic Gunga Din, which was the biggest film production ever.
Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California
Alabama Hills boulders in Lone Pine, California
visitors to Alabama Hills boulders in Lone Pine, California
Mt. Whitney behind Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California
Skull Rock at Alabama Hills in Lone Pine, California
155 N. Grant St., (760) 878-0364. W-Sun 10-4. By donation.
outdoors wagon display of Eastern California Museum in Independence, California
Founded in 1928, the Eastern California Museum displays a large collection of more than 400 Paiute, Shoshone, and finely-made Panamint tribe baskets. Most date from the 1880s to the 1930s and were specifically for trade to tourists and settlers.
indoor display of Native American baskets at Eastern California Museum in Independence, California
Among the area artifacts from mining and pioneer life are several treasures--an 1890s Regina music box (purchased in San Francisco)
and a green dress that once belonged to Amelia Earhart (she never lived here, but her husband had a house in the area).
Amelia Earhart's green dress displayed at Eastern California Museum in Independence, California
I particularly like a labeled bird-egg collection.
bird eggs displayed at Eastern California Museum in Independence, California
The rustic outdoor Little Pine Village--a sort of faux ghost town--displays cabins and farm buildings as well as farming and mining equipment and trains. Some of the buildings were brought in from other places, and one of the outhouses is a rare three-seater, where you can take a leak and get leaked on through the ceiling at the same time. A peaceful Native Plant Garden offers a pleasant walk.
Native Plant Garden at Eastern California Museum in Independence, California
Off Hwy. 6, 4.5 mi. N of Bishop, (760) 873-5950. Daily 10am-4pm. $5; train rides additional. No dogs.
visitor center at Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site in Bishop, California
antique train at Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site in Bishop, California
A replication of the 1883 frontier community of Laws that developed here as a railroad depot for Bishop, the 11-acre Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site features 30 original 19th-century buildings. Some were here from the past, and others were brought in to recreate the town. You can visit a newspaper office, a beauty parlor with a scary-looking permanent wave machine,
permanent wave machine at Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site in Bishop, California
a post office, a medical building, a replica mine shaft and headframe, and way more. When the town sprang up, nearby Keeler was the largest producer of silver in California and Laws had as many residents as Bishop. Vintage locomotives and railroad equipment as well as mining equipment are sometimes operated. A restored Death Valley tourist railroad car is restored and often available for rides on summer weekends.
restored Death Valley tourist railroad car at Laws Railroad Museum and Historic Site in Bishop, California
This railroad shut down in 1959, hurt by the popularity of trucking. “Nevada Smith” starring Steve McQueen was filmed here in 1965. Visitors can wander through on their own, but sometimes docents are available for a tour. Pack along a picnic.
exterior of Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
Housed inside a 1939 airplane hangar that once was home to the Boeing School of Aeronautics, the Oakland Aviation Museum is located on the North Field at Oakland Airport--just two blocks from where the airport bus drops riders at the Rental Car Center, making it a candidate for something to do if you have a long wait for a flight. The vintage aircraft collection includes a crowd-pleasing favorite--a rare giant 1943 Short Solent mk3 flying boat that once flew passengers from London, England to Johannesburg, South Africa and to Australia. It is sort of a baby Spruce Goose, and the last of its kind in the world. Those long journeys took even longer--four days--because the plane flew only in daylight hours, so everyone overnighted along the way. The Solent was featured in the 1981 movie "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark," and is the star of this collection. This treasure is opened at an additional fee for tours on weekends, when you can capture a selfie seated in one of the comfy seats inside, but can always be viewed from the outside. And it can be rented for special events--think a birthday party, an anniversary.
1943 Short Solent mk3 flying boat at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
1943 Short Solent mk3 flying boat at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
1943 Short Solent mk3 flying boat at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
interior seats on 1943 Short Solent mk3 flying boat at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
1943 Short Solent mk3 flying boat in action at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
None of the planes displayed here are flyable. The collection also includes a T-3 tail glider that was built on the premises, a scale-model blimp hanging from the ceiling, a Hiller helicopter from a local aviation company, and a small plane like the one John Denver flew. Young children will especially enjoy the playground in front featuring kid-sized planes to play on, as well as a play table inside and a few models to climb in for a photo op.
crashed plane at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
interior of hangar at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
Kitfox Classic IV-1200 Taildragon plane at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
toy Flying Tiger plane for kids at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
Small side rooms hold focused collections, including the Engine Room where engines from different eras and types of aircraft are displayed, Women in Aviation featuring photos of Amelia Earhart (who landed here in Oakland in 1935 at the conclusion of her record-setting flight from Honolulu, and who also famously began her ill-fated 1937 flight around the world right here), Black Americans in Aviation & Space that details the famous Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, and the General James Doolittle Room (this famous World War II aviator was born in Alameda).
Amelia and Carole prepare for takeoff at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California
Open Cockpit Day is held periodically. Visitors then can enter a variety of aircraft. Additional special activities might include Canine Companions for Independence, live music, refreshments for purchase, and roller derby demonstrations.
1991 St. Helena Hwy. (Hwy. 29), (800) RUBICON, (707) 968-1100. Tasting & tours daily 10-5, by appt.; $45-$135; (707) 968-1161.
Founded in 1879 by Gustave Niebaum, a Finnish sea captain who made his fortune in the Alaskan shipping trade, Inglenook is the fourth-oldest winery in the Napa Valley. This is also the largest contiguous estate vineyard on the famed Rutherford Bench, Napa Valley’s finest area for producing spectacular Cabernet Sauvignon. The property is now owned by legendary film director Francis Ford Coppola, who has lived in a home on part of the estate since the 1970s, and who, when the winery was up for sale, made an offer they couldn’t refuse. And not too long ago, Mr. Coppola was finally able to purchase rights to the original Inglenook name and changed the property over from its previous Rubicon Estate name. Now, visitors must reserve a tour, and after checking in at the Visitor Center will drive through a stately iron gate, then down a grand, long lane lined with cone-shaped London plane trees, arriving at the impressive vintage estate.
closed gate at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
entry lane at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
chateau at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
Tours here are made to your order. Ours began with tasting a crisp 2016 Sauvignon Blanc, which we carried with us to view Napa's first winery tasting room.
2016 Sauvignon Blanc at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
Napa's first winery tasting room at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
We borrowed paper parasols to protect us from the sun and continued outside with our wine. Our guide was charming and knowledgeable and relayed to us many interesting stories. We viewed the vineyards
tasters Carole Terwilliger Meyers and Gene Meyers at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
and a magnificent redwood tree, then visited the South Barrel Room where special events are held,
South Barrel Room at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
and re-entered the chateau on the second floor, where we viewed an authentic Tucker automobile like the one that was used in Coppola’s movie, ”Tucker: The Man and His Dream” (the original Tucker--like Coppola’s five Oscars--reside at his namesake Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville).
Tucker automobile at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
Here, we also viewed his collection of magic lanterns and a video of FFC telling the story of how he acquired them.
On the first floor, after quickly perusing the tiny Centennial Museum that documents the winery's history, we settled into our private tasting room amid ancient dust-covered Inglenook bottles that looked like they hadn’t been touched in centuries. While we nibbled from a platter of olives, nuts, and cheese, we sipped a 2014 Edizione Pennino Zinfandel ($48), a 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon ($75), and a 2013 Rubicon ($210), and, but of course, all were delicious. (We heard that Bill Murray had visited a few days before and that Francis Ford himself dropped in to join that tasting.)
tasting at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
Sebastian Pacheco leads tasting at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
wine pour at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
A gift shop extraordinaire purveys many things you didn’t know you needed,
gift shop display at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
and The Bistro cafe serves coffees, wines by the glass or bottle, and light snacks, and offers both indoor and outdoor seating. I hear that if you order some granita Francis-style, you’ll get a splash of red wine on top. Cigars are also available for purchase. And just as in the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris, which this part of the estate is designed to resemble, guests can borrow wooden sailboats to float in the courtyard fountain.
drink menu at The Bistro cafe at Inglenook winery in Rutherford, California
