Super-fantastic Journeys

Muir Woods National Monument is located just 16 miles Northwest of Fishermans Warf in San Francisco. Muir Woods is a stand of Coastal Redwoods protected over the years and allows visitors to walk amongst these giants.  Many of the trees in the area are 500 - 800 years old, and the tallest tree at the monument stands 258 feet tall.  The trees create their own climate below the canopy allowing many different plants and animals to live here that would not do well in the arid climate otherwise.  The Coastal Redwoods grow in Northern California, primarily between San Francisco and Oregon.  They thrive here because of the fog.  The fog will condense on the needles in the trees, then drip down into the forest below.  This process is how these giant trees get enough water to sustain the forest that they create. Being so close to San Francisco Bay area Muir Woods is a popular destination and requires you to make a paid reservation just to get parkin.  We made our reservations months in advance

298 Gough St. San Francisco, CA 94102 415 503-1666 Web Site Service: ✮✮✮✮✮ Food: ✮✮✮✮✮ Cleanliness: ✮ ✮✮ ✮ ✮ On our last night in San Francisco, we visited with a couple at the table next to us at the restaurant.  They obviously knew good food based on what we had just eaten, and somehow we got on the topic of dumplings.  They shared with us that their favorite place for dumplings is Dumpling Home.  Dumpling Home is hidden away in a neighborhood south of downtown and not in the China Town area, so this was a real find. The great news is that the dumplings are the best I have had in my life, and now you know about this amazing hidden gem in San Francisco. We went to lunch at Dumpling Home right before we caught our flight back home.  Since the timing was a little tight, we showed up about 10-15 minutes before they opened, and a line was already forming.  The line continues to grow after we arrived, so we knew this must be a trendy spot because we were there on a Tuesday at lunch. It was

 Bridges are an amazing engineering marvel.  The desire to get from one side to another has caused humankind to span some pretty amazing gorges, rivers, and other natural wonders.  Bridges can be attractions in themselves as you are traveling across the United States.  This made me curious to learn what are the 10 highest bridges in the United States, and how many have I been across. Let's Look at the Top 10: 1. Royal Gorge Bridge - Colorado - Crossed It At a height of 955 feet, the Royal Gorge Bridge is more of a tourist attraction than a bridge that is used for the purpose of transportation.  It is located near Canon City, Colorado, and spans the Arkansas River below. It was actually the highest bridge in the world when I visited it in my youth, a title it held until 2001 when it was surpassed by the Liuguanghe Bridge in China.  The bridge is a suspension bridge and the span length is 1, 260 feet.  A steel structure holds wood planks that make up the deck.  It was completed in No

 If you always look forward to Easter because you know that there will be lots of those delicious jelly beans, then you will be excited that at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, California it is always the right time to grab a handful of these delicious little candy treats.  Jelly Belly is known for making highly flavorful jelly beans in a wide variety of flavors.  Some like very cherry, you can never get enough of.  While others like buttered popcorn, you will always find me sorting these out and throwing them in the trash.  If you want to go extreme then take your chances with some of the flavors from the Harry Potter collection.  I have been done eating buggers for a while and don't need a jelly bean tasting like that or ear wax. The Jelly Belly factory tour is a self-guided walking tour through the upper-level balcony above the production floor.  The tour costs $5.00 for adults and $2.00 for children.  Kids under 2 are free.  After paying at the front desk, getting your pap

825 W Royal Lane #120 Irving, TX 75039 972-707-7277 Website Service: ✮✮✮✮✮ Food: ✮✮✮✮✮ Cleanliness: ✮ ✮✮ ✮ ✮ Just went to Tikka Taco for the first time and really enjoyed the amazing flavors of the food. I ordered the Lamb Kheema bowl with the Tikka Taka Tak sauce.  The bowl was layered with rice, a minced lamb cooked with garlic, ginger and Indian spices, and topped with shredded lettuce and onions. It had just the right amount of heat to it to awaken my taste buds while still allowing the flavors of the minced lamb with garlic and Indian spices to come out.  The serving size was right on the mark as well.   The Biryani rice is really worth trying if you have not tried it before.  The rice is flavored with spices and it really accompanies the dish well.  White or brown rice is available if you prefer.   The service here was great.  While you order at the counter when you walk in, they brought our meal to us and the wait time was minimal.  I visited with the owner briefly and learned a

Georgetown is an old gold mining town located less than an hour from downtown Denver.  Growing up in Colorado, Georgetown was just one of the small towns you drove by while going somewhere else.  Now Georgetown is a great place to visit and use as a base camp for more exploring in the area.  The town of Georgetown has changed over the years in a very positive way but has maintained a lot of its old mountain charm. Georgetown is known for the Victorian houses built here back in the 1800s, and many of them are still standing and well maintained.  Many of the yards are full of flowers during the summer, making for a beautiful town to explore. Where I Stayed Microtell Inn & Suites 2190 Argentine St. Georgetown, CO 80444 720-741-8989 Website Service: ✮✮✮✮✮ Rooms: ✮✮✮✮ Cleanliness: ✮ ✮✮ ✮ ✮ Amenities: ✮✮✮ Microtel Inn & Suites George Town - Photo from Wyndham Hotels The Microtel Inn & Suites is a new property in Georgetown and sits on the west end of Lake Georgetown.  I was nicel

Distance: 4.1 Miles Trail Type: Out and Back Elevation Gain: 1066 feet Difficulty: Moderate All Trails Map I grew up hiking on this trail and made my most recent visit here in July 2021.  This is one of my favorite trails in the area.  The trail is a great length and has some elevation gain to it allowing you to spend much of the hike above the tree line.  This provides you with some great views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the lakes that dot this valley.   The road to get to the parking area has been greatly improved and is easy to navigate with any vehicle, just take your time.  The trailhead is clearly marked and has a decent size parking area available, however, I am sure that it can fill up quickly on the weekends. The hike begins in the forest and rises gently up to the first lake along the journey.  Naylor lake is a good size lake and a side trail takes you up to it.  Naylor lake will provide you with many scenic views as you continue to climb up the valley. Depend