Lake Tahoe and Yosemite

5th September

All good things should be extended, so we have extended our trip!

We had to skip this Friday afternoon's activities because our friends See Hack and Han are taking us to Lake Tahoe.  So we were the last to leave Meadowood.  Lake Tahoe is a 4 hour drive from Napa Valley.  

The lake is a beautiful thing as we can see here.  The lake straddles Nevada and California.  

The elevation for the next two days is going to be around 9,000 American feet or over 4,000 metric metres.  Luckily it was a warm September, no ice or snow up here.

We stayed on the Nevada side.  Casinos are a mixed blessing to the area, I just want to remember Lake Tahoe differently, so no pics of them.

Dinner was at the Chart House Seafood restaurant.  I had the Spicy Ahi Tuna ( Yellow Fin) with wasabi mash and a Ichthyosaur IPA made in Sparks City, near Reno.  Locals say "give me an icky".

The Icky is the state fossil.

6th September

The next morning we made our way to the North side of Lake Tahoe.

Then we drove alongside the Sierra Nevada mountain range through DEATH VALLEY - muah haha.  Sierra Nevada means snowy range, but perhaps not this time of the year.  Marcus and I drove through the Spain version in Andalucia on our way to Granada in 2012.

We went past Lake Mono, which doesn't drain into a river or stream.  The water just evaporates leaving all the dissolved minerals behind.  So it became heavily salted and alkali fortified.  If you fell in, you would not drown and come out very clean too.

Lake Mono is at the west entry to Yosemite National Park.  Our first stop in Yosemite was for a cheese burger in a grill cafe - only in America!

Yosemite is full of pretty meadows, and rippling streams.

Rock climbers.

Then we drove towards Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point where all the key granite landmarks were awesome and appropriately admired.

They give the granite peaks names such a El Capitan, 3 Sisters and Half Dome.  You guys can take a guess.

We'd been travelling for 14 hours and about 800 km from Lake Tahoe to Yosemite and back to Fremont.  A quick Thai dinner at Merced, before we finally arrived at See Hack and Han's place in Fremont.

Napa Valley

3rd September

Apart from a hosted dinner, we had a free day to do what we wished.  Some went outlet mall shopping, others to Fishermans Wharf or shopping around Union Square.

We were invited to a band try-out at Spotify that afternoon.  They are based on Market Street, in the Tenderloin area.  After a couple drinks on the rooftop, we left, the music was too loud, although we appreciated the invite to hang out with the young folks there.

Jo hosted the dinner that night at the Town Hall restaurant.  The food was American and very good.  The menus had our names printed on it.

After that we ended up in the The View Lounge at the Marriot.  More beverages were consumed, but I left a bit earlier at half past midnight.

4th September

Today we took a 1.30 hour drive to Napa Valley for some wine tasting at Raymond wine and V.Sattui vineyards.  

The Raymond tasting was interesting and the quantities generous, they offered us wine in the various raw stages of fermentation.   

And I learned that you can talk about Carbenet Sauvignon for hours (or listen for hours depending on your POV).

The venue in both places were very scenic and the weather was sunny.  We were also very happy at V. Sattui where lunch was served to a famished bus load of slighty morning drunk people.

We wasted a bit of time at St. Helena township when most of us wanted a nanny nap at our hotel.    Still I found a Nazi VW beetle with a radial engine to shoot. 

Accomodation that night was at the expansive golf, tennis and croquet resort Meadowood, St Helena. The resort is spread over 250 acres.

The gala dinner was at the Castello di Amorosa.  A vineyard with a 141,000 sq feet castle which took 15 years to plan and another 15 years to build. It was opened in 2007.

We were warmly welcomed by these distinguished-looking gentlemen.  

And the management team recognised the Achievers on stage.

There was a fire-eating and juggling performance.  

The dashing Italian man from the cruise was again spotted in the crowd, this time with an alluring lady in a red dress.  So alluring, she made everything around her colourless.

Dinner was in the basement where some of the Government team sat together.  

The high standards so far were again maintained - good food, wine, company and venue.

The after-party was at the Cantina in St. Helena.  Wisdom prevailed in my case, and we retired back to our chalet, to give the various internal organs some recovery time.

A 36 Hour Monday

So this is my first Super Achiever trip with Spark Digital, travelling with Wang Theng and about 70 of my collegues.

1st September

We arrived in San Francisco at noon on Monday having already gone through 24 hours of NZ Monday. If I included the next 12 hours of San Franciscan Monday, it will be a 36 hour Monday.

Update:  It appears my time zone differential equation is slightly off.  The actual addition should be 19 hours making it a 43 hour Monday.  Thank you Simon Gilliespie.

Most of us were slightly haggard from the fight because it was cold on the plane and turbulence for some of the flight.  With tail winds up to 200km/h we were early into SFO.  There were no queues at immigration plus the absence of traffic due to Labor Monday, we were at the Palace Hotel by 1.30pm.  

This took the Events Team and hotel staff by surprise, because some of the rooms were not ready.  It took most of the afternoon, for some, to get room sorted and bags brought to the right place.

First event was a cruise and dinner around the Bay.  We were taken there by a faux SF cable car which was really a bus underneath.

We had a band, Ravioli dinner and drinks on the boat.  The twilight scene was very nice, and I managed to catch a few patriotic shots of the American flag backlit by the setting sun.

I also spotted this handsome Italian man on the boat.

After this we were returned to the hotel.  While some retired, the hardier ones took positions in the Pied Piper Bar at the hotel to really finish off the evening and themselves.  There are some amazing paintings in this bar, and the price of drinks there is a small price for admission.

2nd September

Wang Theng and I booked for the Foodie Tour today.  A nice young lady Corrinne from Avital Tours was our guide, and she specialises in the Mission District Food Tour.

It was a small group and there was Jo, Richard, Daryl, Oona, Ian and us.

We learned about the San Francisco history and food scene while meeting the restaurant owners, chefs, industry experts and of course, eating our way through the neighborhood! 

We walk around the Mission District and stopped by these shops to sample their specialities.

Craftsman & Wolves: The Rebel Within - a bacon and tomato muffin with a soft boiled egg inside.

Bi Rite Market: Dry Creek peach, Somerset peach

Gracias Madre: Quesadilla de Camote paired with house made Sangria

Mission Cheese: Altbier from Hanger 24, paired with Classico goat gouda from Tumalo Farms (OR) and Pleasant Ridge Reserve from Uplands Cheese (WI).   I ate the cheese and drank the beer before I remembered to take a photo.  So the warm glow of the light bulb is all I can show for this stop.

Dandelion Chocolate: Single Origin brownie flight L-R Equador, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar.  They flavour their chocolate by using cocoa varieties and roasting techniques rather than additives.  So sugar and cocoa are the only ingredients.  All the tasting by employees makes it necessary for them to have a really good dental plan, and cardiologist.

The other features of this tour were the Mission Dolores church;

and some fabulous murals, especially in this lane between Valencia and Mission;

and at the Womens Centre.   

Later that evening we joined the Hartendorps for a craft beer session at Mikkeller Bar on Mason.

We could not decide where to eat, so it was off to Annabelle's on 4th Street, my standby restaurant when indecision strikes.

Then it was coffee and dessert (for some) at the The View Lounge at Marriotts across the street from Annabelle's.

Golden Gate, Muir Redwood Forest and UC Berkeley

12th Jan 2014 Sun

Everyone took their time getting ready, so we only got out at 11.30 am.  Han and See Hack picked us up then, and the plan was to drive over the GG (Golden Gate) Bridge, take a walk through Muir Redwood Forest and visit UC Berkeley.

The drive over GG was pretty awesome, much like Viaduct du Millau.  We stopped for pictures on the Marin County side.

Then it was lunch at In and Out Burgers, specially requested by Maylene and Melissa.  The menu here is very simple and limited.  You have 3 choices; burger, cheese burger and double cheese burger.  Then you add drinks or fries.  The food actually taste good, because of the limited menu, they can actually prepare the food on premises.  Unlike other places where everything has to be reconstituted.  The staff here are well paid too, $11.50 an hour according to the hiring poster.

Then we wandered around Muir Redwood Forest where these redwood trees are thousands of years old.  There is one particular cross section on display showing the rings that were formed when the wheel was invented, Jesus was born, and I guess the outer most ring should be captioned "timberrrrrrr".

Then it was on to UC Berkeley, very nice campus.  They were renovating the student centre which looked huge.  Sadly for the ladies, the merchandising shop was being renovated too, so no shopping here.

We then drove over the new Bay Bridge, and saw the old one being dismantled along side.

After a short rest at the apartment, we decided to dine at House of Nanking.  The food was cheap and delicious, and the bottle wine only cost $12.95 for the white, and $14.95 for the red.  We had one of each!

Catherine ordered off the Chinese menu, dishes that were not available on the English menu.

13th Jan 2014 Mon

I'd booked for us to visit Alcatraz today.  Everyone was good and we were there early for the 11 am boarding.  We took the Hyde Street cable car there.  When everyone got off at Lombard, I took the opportunity to hang off the side.  No one else was game.

The ferry to Alcatraz took 15 mins.  It was an interesting visit, especially with the audio guide telling us about the inmates, escapes, living conditions and so on.

I didn't think I'd enjoy it, but I did.  The best part was that we had to catch the 12.55 ferry, so there was no time to buy anything from the Alcatraz shop.  However, this was more than compensated by the afternoon spent at the Market Street Westfield Mall.

Shopping must be very draining, and no one wanted to eat out for dinner.  So Catherine cooked instant noodles with lettuce and eggs for everyone.

14th Jan 2014 Tues

Catherine thought that the Segway tour was some kind of a bus tour.  So she had a panic attack when she found out.

Her expression during the Segway training was priceless. Here are some pics.  I didn't join them and instead sat in the Buena Vista bar while I waited for their return.

Marie the tour guide did a good job, and Catherine was an enthusiastic convert when she returned from the tour.  The girls all voted it one of the most fun thing to do.

Enjoying the antics of the sea lions at Pier 39.

Then it was on to the Aquarium where we went through a sea tunnell and saw some cool jelly fish.  The otters were the highlights of course, and they had touching pools where you are allowed to touch stingrays, baby sharks and other plants.

Lunch was pretty forgettable at Pier 39.  Deep fried sea food and the mandatory clam chowder in sour dough bread. Ugh!

The Exploratorium had recently moved to Pier 15.  So we dropped in.  It is full of hands on scientific experiments such as electromagnetic, sound, light, motion, genetics, perception and so on.  Good fun,  and we would have stayed longer but closing time was 5 pm.

Then it was time to meet up with Han, See Hack and their boys Sean and Ryan for dinner.  We went to Straits in the Westfield Mall, as it was where the ladies were shopping anyway.  

Bid the Foos a fond farewell, and I am sure we will see them again in SF or NZ.  Thanks, guys, for showing us SF.

15th Jan 2014 Wed. 

There were no concrete plans for today.  Maylene and Melissa took off earlier to Brandy Melville in Chestnut Street.

The rest of us went to Macy's in Union Sq to buy jeans for sons and dads.  We ended up in Ross where the said jeans were procured for half the price.  Even I bought a designer jean DKNY brand which the girls say is a designer brand.  Me so hip!

View from Green St where our apartment is located.

I got bored and left them to it and went home to watch some TV and drink wine.  

We tried to meet for dinner but no one wanted to eat out.  So I was sent out for takeaways from a nearby Chinese restaurant.

16th Jan 2014 Thurs

Time to go home.  The shuttle was booked to pick us up at 3pm.  The morning was spent configuring bags and repacking to meet baggage allowances.  It didn't work out and we had to buy another extra check-in bag.

So 7 checked in bags for 5 of us.

The three-storey building on the right behind the trees is where we stayed.

While the ladies were sorting themselves out,  I took the bus to Haight Ashbury and spent an hour there.  Interesting place.  Full of herbal and smoke shops.  Recycle clothes and vinyl.  Very hippie.

WT announced that everyone was ready.  So I came home and we walked into Chinatown for lunch.  Then it was back to the apartment to polish off any left-overs, like wine and beer.  I was happy with that.

Another view from Green St.

The Supershuttle was parked outside our apartment at 2.30 for the 3 pm pick up.  So we boarded at 3 and was all checked in by 4.30 pm.

Catherine wanted me to show the remains of broken iPhones.  The camera is kaputt also but I can't be bothered dragging it out.  That would make it a camera selfie.

We are still in gate G at the Cafe Del Mondo waiting for our boarding call as I write this.  Might write a wrap up of the trip with random observations later.  Ciao.