San Jose: Past, Present & Earthquakes - October 2015

Allenwood Drive in San Jose, AZ

Everyone was born somewhere. I was born in a little town called San Jose, California. You may have heard of them by now with the whole Silicon Valley thing, but the area used to be more famous for orchards instead of Internet millionaires. San Jose and Silicon Valley are the core of the modern Bay Area with lots of computer industry which has greatly transformed the area.

Mineral Springs in Alum Rock Park

On my recent trip, I was able to arrive early enough for a hike through Alum Rock Park - a large park nestled in a valley on the east side of San Jose. I lived near this park for the first seven years of my life, and my mother was a park ranger his as well. This park was also where I was baptized. Besides holding a special part of my childhood, the park itself is gorgeous with a lot of history and near wilderness near one of the biggest cities in the United States. Hiking here was a treat, even with the strong sulfur smell from the mineral springs!

Cambodian Beef Kabobs

My old neighborhood has seen a wave of new immigrants and different communities since we left nearly 30 years ago. San Jose has always been a cultural melting pot with large communities of Latino, Asian, and Eastern Europeans coming for a better life and more opportunity. Old school burger joints are now all night Pho restaurants, but the neighborhood still brings back memories of the shopping malls, churches, and other fragments of my childhood memory.

Apple Corporate Headquarters

After reliving some memories, it was off to experience the current state of San Jose. Most of the big tech companies - Apple, Google, Facebook - are not located in San Jose, but rather in the western suburbs of Mountain View, Sunnyvale, and Cupertino. My first stop was the Apple Headquarters which is located on the former site of one of my father's early Silicon Valley employers. Growing up in San Jose with a parent in the computer industry put me front and center in its development and explosive growth. We always had an Apple computer at home and at school, and I still write this blog on an iMac. Due to all us fans, Apple has set up a special Apple Store at the facility, and their attractive campus is always a fun stop for tourists.

Are you a Mac or a PC?

The Computer History Museum in Mountain View has become one of the best museums in the world displaying and showcasing the advance of computing technology in the world. I toured this museum on a free museum day, saving my admission for a tasty espresso in the lobby. The museum has a tremendous amount of historical archives and equipment, from early mechanical computers, through the punch card and tape days, all the way to present video games and Internet. If you are a tech person, this is the hall of fame.

Game Day at Avaya Stadium

The San Jose Earthquakes have been playing soccer since 1974, and are one of the teams in Major League Soccer. This is their first year in the new Avaya Stadium, so I decided to see at least one of their games in the inaugural season. I like watching our local Sacramento Republic FC, and the hope is that Sacramento will eventually land a MLS team with a new stadium. Hopefully, Sacramento will have a stadium like Avaya. Even on a chilly and windy night, the design of the stadium was modern and clean with great views and an eclectic mix of food trucks and pre-game activities. Our stadium should be much closer to rail though, since parking and getting out was more challenging than settling for a 1-1 tie for the game.

Hiking Trail in Alum Rock Park

San Jose is not the most interesting place in the universe. While it has its history and culture, many other California cities have a more storied past and present. As the capital of Silicon Valley, San Jose settles for the industrial hub and major suburban destination more similar to Houston or Phoenix. Still, it is my hometown, so I will always have a special connection to San Jose and the whole Silicon Valley experience. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below:

Fall Colors at Alum Rock Park

Picnic Pavillon at Alum Rock Park

Path to Mineral Springs at Alum Rock Park

Hiking Trail through Alum Rock Park

History of External Storage Media at Computer History Museum

Nintendo Shrine at Computer History Museum

Interactive Pong Display at Computer History Museum

Dot Com Bubble Memorabilia at Computer History Museum

Children Playing Soccer before San Jose Earthquakes Game

Main Mezzanine at Avaya Stadium

Game Action with San Jose Earthquakes v. Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Fans cause an Earthquake after a Wondo Goal

Malakoff Diggins SHP & Nevada City - August 2015

Visible Scar of Hydraulic Gold Mining

Not that there is a bad time to head to the mountains, but the summertime is always a nice time to escape the heat of Sacramento and return to the pine forests this time near Nevada City, CA. I have always wanted to visit the Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park and return to Nevada City, so this last weekend was a perfect combination. Nevada City is located in Nevada County - of course - which is generally about an hour north of Interstate 80 heading to Reno and Lake Tahoe. The state park is very remote requiring deft skill to navigate rural Nevada County without getting lost, especially when the GPS routes you down a steep canyon and a rickety wood bridge!

Main Street of Malakoff Diggins SHP

Malakoff Diggins is the site of one of the largest environmental disasters in the United States. While hydraulic mining - using high pressure water to cut into rocks - had been around for a very long time, the application of it on such a massive scale during the California Gold Rush caused widespread damage throughout Northern California as large volumes of rock and earth washed down into the valley. This damage led to the nation's first environmental regulations which shows how monumental the results.

Restored Saloon Interior

Once a day, the park staff conduct a tour of the restored mining town including several restored buildings. Until 1965, the area was still inhabited by residents who maintained the few buildings still standing. The State of California took over the care and restoration of the area to showcase the historical nature of the Gold Rush - good and bad. The town had nearly everything the miners needed and wanted, although the winter snow made things very harsh. Nevertheless, as long as the whiskey and gold were flowing, everyone was pretty happy!

Restored Drug Store Interior

Many state parks have similar buildings, but the extra care shown to the buildings here is unique. After enjoying the history of the town, I drove further to the actual mining site. It is here where you can see the massive scale of the operations. Pictures cannot do justice to the damage done to the area, although modern strip mining and mountaintop removal sites are still doing a great job of destroying the landscape in other states. The juxtaposition of the environmental scars and natural beauty of the recovered forest is pretty cool.

Downtown Nevada City

After a long day at the mine, I retired to the big city similar to miners of old, but a lot faster with modern transportation. Downtown Nevada City tries to recreate their heyday by restoring their historic downtown with wineries, restaurants, and even a few saloons. I arrived just in time to hit one of the wineries for a nice tasting before heading over to a cute restaurant for some cheese fondue. Before leaving town, I found a neat little ice cream shop selling one of the best ice cream cones I have ever enjoyed - lemon custard.

Delicious Lemon Custard Ice Cream

For some reason, the California Department of Transportation put a real freeway between Nevada City and Grass Valley which is weird for a pair of small mountain towns, but convenient for heading back to Sacramento. Our region was built for good or bad on the Gold Rush, so it is important to understand where we came from. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

Old House in Black & White

Interior of the Livery Stable

View of Main Street

Example of the Hydraulic Mining Equipment

The King's Saloon and Drug Store

Interior of The King's Saloon

High-End Bedroom for the Shop Owner

Restored General Store Interior with Root Beer Barrel

Gourmet Kitchen during the Gold Rush

Old and New

Exterior of Livery Stables

View of Diggins Area

Leftover Rubble Landscape

Nevada City Wine Tasting

Cheese Fondue with Bread and Apples

Chicago - August 2015

Chicago Skyline with "El" Train

There are only a few cities that I know intimately. Obviously, I know a lot about Sacramento, Phoenix, and Flagstaff after living most of my life in those cities. San Francisco is a popular destination for those of us living in Northern California, and I know it well. Rounding out that list, somewhat surprisingly, is the city of Chicago, Illinois. Now you may ask, why would a California boy know a lot about Chicago? It IS weird and all due to one of my closest friends deciding to move there after leaving Arizona and is not entirely due to the availability of free lodging in one of the world's most interesting cities!

Buckingham Fountain with Chicago Skyline

I have visited Chicago nearly annually since 2004 and have seen everything. I can give tourists directions and make train connections with the ease of a local. Chicago is a classic big city and proud of it. Many large cities are just big small cities, but Chicago embraces its loud and big status as the capitol of the Midwest and the official Second City. The city is alive with youth and energy. Visiting Chicago in the summer can be relentless with the humidity and temperature each leapfrogging each other to ever unbearable levels. However, there is just so much to do when the city puts away the sweaters and snow shoes and takes a summer vacation!

The Field Museum South Entrance

This trip was primarily to experience the Chicago Air & Water Show, but it was a good excuse to see my friend's new condo and hit the sights. I have seen many things in Chicago including but not limited to the following:

• Art Institute of Chicago
• Chicago Pizza Tour
• Cold Martinis and Hot Music at Jazz Clubs
• Eating Italian Beef Sandwiches and Chicago Popcorn
• Enjoying Caribou Coffee
• Enjoying Grant and Millenium Parks
• Frank Lloyd Wright Houses in Oak Park
• John Hancock Tower
• Museum of Science and Industry
• Navy Pier
• Northwestern University
• Riding the Chicago Elevated Railway (El)
• Seeing the Green River during St. Patrick's Day
• Shedd Aquarium
• Shopping along the Magnificent Mile on Michigan Ave
• Shopping at Marshall Field's
• The Field Museum
• The Second City
• University of Chicago
• Visiting the Free Lincoln Park Zoo
• Watching Cubs Games at Wrigley Field
• Watching White Sox Games at U.S. Cellular Field
• Willis (Sears) Tower

If you are looking for a great trip, pick any of the above and book your trip immediately. Chicago also has many world class restaurants and music and art festivals year round - although visiting Chicago in the winter is very difficult to enjoy.

El Station on the Blue Line at Western

After recovering from my long train trip on the California Zephyr, I boarded the El and headed to the Loop for some museums. Downtown Chicago is rich with culture including several excellent museums. The Field Museum was showing a special exhibit on Vikings. Feeling my heritage, I entered the museum and exhibit to learn about my ancestry. The term "viking" described their journeys of exploration, trade, and general mayhem, not the people. Most went home to their farms spending the long winters telling tales of their adventures.

Big Beef Hot and Wet from Al's Italian Beef

Lunchtime brought me of course to Al's Italian Beef for the iconic Chicago sandwich and namesake. Asking who has the best Italian Beef in Chicago is like asking for the best croissant in Paris, peach cobbler in Atlanta, or best ribs in Kansas City. This beauty was born of convenience due to its location in downtown Chicago, but ordering it wet (extra gravy) and hot (pickled hot peppers) makes it special. The Italian Beef is thinly sliced roast beef soaked in an Italian-seasoned thin gravy and heaped on a roll with peppers and/or cheese. Intense beef flavor and melt-in-your-mouth tenderness.

I also got to see the United States Navy Parachute Team - known as the Leap Frogs - at the restaurant. These Navy Seals were eager to fill up with Italian Beef before their rather unfortunate jump the following day. There was an accident with their joint display with the Army team which ended tragically in the death of an Army parachuter. This is a reminder that these guys do risk their lives daily, except when safe in line waiting for a delicious lunch.

Ancient and Modern at the Art Institute of Chicago

After lunch, I spent the rest of the afternoon lingering at the Art Institute of Chicago with thousands of other art fans - or maybe just tourists looking to escape the heat in the air conditioned museum! This place is truly awesome being one of the best art museums in the world. They were ranked as the best museum in the world and are very humble in placing a giant foam finger near the entrance quietly proclaiming "We're Number One!" Jokes aside, this place is massive and has an amazing selection of art from all over the world across the ages. Their selection of American art may be the best anywhere, and their Impressionist section always hogs my time. They have the famous Seurat painting made iconic by Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Whistler's Mother. This place is an absolute must for any art lover.

Children Enjoying the Air and Water Show at Lincoln Park

After a wonderful night of pizza and the Chicago skyline, it was time to hit the main event - the Chicago Air & Water Show. This massive air show combines aerial acrobatics with the Blue Angels over Lake Michigan along the Chicago shoreline. The free event also includes a lot of water activity, but this requires fighting the massive crowds on the beach, so we made our way to Lincoln Park for a good view. Most of the city braved the heat and humidity to see the spectacular displays. I did not get to see the Leap Frogs make their brave leap, but I am sure it was impressive. If that was not enough, we spend the evening with friends in Little Italy for a local Italian Festival and watching drunk college students play bocce ball. Awesome.

Chicago Deep-Dish Pizza for Breakfast

The combination of humidity and a long train ride ended up taking a lot out of me during this trip, so a quiet last day was spent wandering the local neighborhood playing dog-owner and enjoying the feel of the big city. I was lucky enough to give up my return air ticket in exchange for enough credit for another future adventure. Chicago is a wonderful town, and I highly recommend visiting early and often. Please enjoy the rest of my pictures below.

Entrance to Western Blue Line Station

Interior of The Field Museum

Wabash Street near Roosevelt University

Main Entrance of Art Institute of Chicago

Subway Entrance in Downtown Chicago

Underground Subway Station in Downtown Chicago

Underneath the Elevated Railway in Chicago

Hot Summer Day in Lincoln Park

Blue Angels Against the Summer Chicago Sky