Here are a few more photos of some of our favorite places. Photography by Valerie.
Colosseum: Rome, Italy, December 2014. Continue reading
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Selected Photos-Volume 3
Here are a few more photos of some of our favorite places. Photography by Valerie.
Cliffs of Moher: County Clare, Ireland, March 2015. (For scale, notice the structure on top of the far cliff and the little people at the upper right.) Continue reading
Greenfield, CA
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Greenfield is on Highway 101 south of Salinas. While here we visited the Monterey peninsula and Pinnacles National Park.
We have been to Monterey before on a road trip and it’s a beautiful place to visit. We checked out the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, Lovers Point Park, Point Pinos Lightstation and had a terrific lunch in Cannery Row at The Fish Hopper restaurant. We also stopped at the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pacific Grove. This is one of several wintering sites for these colorful butterflies along the Pacific coast. Temps were in the mid-50’s when we were there so they were not very active and we saw only a couple of them. We’re hoping to see more at the grove in Pismo Beach.
Piedras Blancas Light Station
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The Piedras Blancas lighthouse was first illuminated on February 15, 1875. A mere 8 years later a severe earthquake caused some damage about 70 feet up from the base. Finally in 1948, after additional earthquakes, the determination was made that the upper three floors had to be removed. Therefore, the lighthouse stands at 70 feet tall rather than the original 100 feet. The original Fresnel lens was preserved and is on display in the nearby community of Cambria.
The lighthouse is located on a very scenic stretch of California coastline 5.5 miles north of San Simeon. In 2001 the Bureau of Land Management assumed management of the site with the objective to restore the light station to its period of greatest historical significance. The non-profit Piedras Blancas Light Station Association raises funds and provides volunteer assistance for restoration and maintenance. They also conduct scheduled tours which provided us the opportunity to tour the site.
Coventry, RI
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We wanted to be able to make easy day trips to both Newport and Providence (south and north) so we chose a central location, Coventry where we parked at the Hickory Ridge Campground.
Second Act 