Boarding the bus at the end of the day, Pescadero, July 11, 2004. The Mountain of Hope Cemetery, just north of Pescadero, was our last stop of the North Coast Sunday Drive day. Note that everyone is smiling. Happy to be leaving the cemetery? Happy to be going home? Or just delighted with the class?

Santa Cruz County Redwoods – April 30, 2005

With the help of a Discovery Charter bus driven by Chrissy Graves, we spent the day wandering through the Pajaro Valley and into Aptos, reconstructing the natural and cultural history of the coast redwood.

We were the guests of Graniterock so that we could visit two isolated groves of redwoods still growing alongside the Pajaro River. Here the group poses for a photo. We are facing the redwood grove that is behind the photographer.

Chris Mann was our guide and after we visited the redwoods, he led us down into the quarry itself. Here he’s explaining the technical elements in mining granite.

In the afternoon we were the guests of Monte Toyon camp in Aptos. During our hike to see their redwoods, I took the group through the rhododendron garden without warning. Note the expressions of the group members. That’s Mary Delaney, teacher from Notre Dame Elementary school in the foreground.

Members of the group pose at the entrance to the rhododendron garden at Monte Toyon camp.

This is what the inside of a huge burned out old-growth redwood looks like. Called the Mother of the Forest, the entire class could have gotten in the tree with room to spare.

The group at the wonderful overlook where they could see all the way to UCSC, Lighthouse Point and Point Pinos over on the Monterey side. All smiles after a busy day.

Riding the Rails to Paso Robles – April 9-10, 2005

After taking hundreds of folks overseas over the past 30 years, I thought it was time to take a group overnight to Paso Robles. The trip sold out early, and we had fifty folks boarding the bus on the Saturday morning bound for San Jose.

The Coast Starlight arriving in San Jose. Though this train is usually hours late, it was only about 20 minutes late.

The Paso Robles adventurers respond to the arrival of the train. Yeaaaaaaa!

When we arrived at Paso Robles we were greeted by our Discovery Charters bus that had made the trip much more quickly than we did on the train.

Our first stop in Paso Robles was the Pioneer Museum, a wondrous collection of regional stuff. Our host for this visit was docent Harold Franklin, foreground. Harold is a local boy who is now a retired fifth grade teacher.

Harold was excited about all the history of the area, but he was almost orgasmic as he described the Janesville Pump that has been lovingly restored. This was one of a series of pumps that pushed oil in a pipeline from Coalinga to the San Luis Obispo coast.

Two old history dudes – Sandy and Harold Franklin. Each recognized qualities of himself in the other. Scary thought, yes?

Our second stop in the afternoon was the Eberle Winery about 5 miles east of Paso Robles on Highway 46. One of over 60 wineries now operating in the region, the good folks at Eberle gave us a tour of their caves and, of course, let us taste some of their wine.

Gayle Ortiz of Capitola’s bakery of the same name happily tasting wine.

Adventurer Harriet Talan holding a bottle of special vintage water. She did, however, taste some wine too.

One of the side benefits of going on a Lydon adventure – and visiting a winery – is the chance for group members to get to know each other.

The History Dude declared his winery surrender with the universally understood symbol of the upside-down wine glass in the pocket. Note the Coast Starlight pin in the upper left. That was a gift from Charlie and Pat Kieffer.

We awoke the next morning to find that our bus had metamorphosed into a dozen Ferraris. Actually a Ferrari club was spending a weekend in Paso Robles. Seventeen Ferraris.r.

The group posing at the James Dean memorial, Cholame. James Dean was killed on September 30, 1955 about a mile east of here.

We were fortunate to have Parkfield’s landlord do a brief overview of the history of Parkfield. Jack Varian came to Parkfield in the early 1960s and now operates a 17,000 acre cattle ranch.

We stopped for lunch at the Hacienda, a building designed and constructed by William Randolph Hearst’s architect, Julia Morgan. After lunch, the History Dude waxes out on the Hacienda lawn.

There must have been a stiff breeze coming from the left hand side of the photograph – note that all five of these folks are leaning and all five have their left legs crossed over the right. I don’t know what it means, but it means SOMETHING!

Mission San Antonio. Out trip ended here and group members wandered through the wildflowers, reveling in the afternoon sun.

Well, almost everyone reveled in the sun. One decided to read beside the restroom. Most folks read INSIDE the restroom, but we were an independent-minded group.

Our bus driver, Tutty, befriending a dog in Paso Robles. Tutty kept us on schedule and in good humor throughout the trip.

 

Point Lobos: Land, Legend and Literature – November 14, 2004

Three Cabrillo instructors--Marcy Alancraig, English; Dave Schwartz, Geology; and The History Dude, History—led a group of fifty folks across the Point Lobos landscape. This is tag-team teaching – as one of us ran out of breath, the next stepped up and kept up the pace. We taught the group until they were numb by day’s end.

Dave Schwartz doing a geology solo – he’s in the center with his back to the camera. Though it may appear that the group is not paying attention, we have a portable PA system that makes it possible for everyone to hear so they don’t have to cluster around. The location is Coal Chute Point, Point Lobos.

With the group perched atop Ixchenta Point overlooking Monastery Beach (the Monastery is across the water in the trees), Sandy is telling stories while Marcy waits her turn. She probably disagrees with what he’s saying, but that’s what makes all this so much fun.

The group draped on Ixchenta Point.

Dave Schwartz describing the underlying geology of Point Lobos. Note the microphone in his right hand. Notice his intensity. Geology is intense business.

The group out at Sea Lion Point, in the setting sun with the Big Sur coast looming behind them to the south. They are so full of literature, history and geology that they’re ready to burst. Mercifully, the class ended soon afterward.

 

Sailing Through History: October 30,2004
Exploring the Monterey Peninsula by Sea

A group of 25 adventurers boarded the Derek Baylis and sailed out of Monterey and south around Point Pinos, Cypress Point and into Carmel Bay. Part of our objective was to get a view of the Carmel River area and Point Lobos from the sea.

Class member Heidi Gottfried driving the Derek M. Baylis. There will be ample opportunities for class members to "take the helm" during the trip. (Note: The boat has two wheels, so while a class member is driving, the captain is standing beside the second wheel, just to make sure...)

The group out on the open ocean. Note how warmly the class members are dressed. It's a good idea to bring warm clothing as the wind and water are a bit chilly off the Monterey Peninsula. That's UCSC's Professor Gary Griggs with his hat on backwards eating an apple in the center of the photograph. There's also a former mayor of Watsonville in the photograph. Can you find him?

Darryl Downey gives us a sense of vertical, while Carolyn Swift in the corner on the right gives us a feel for how far over the boat is heeling.

Group gathers aft. Carmel-by-the-sea ex-mayor Jean Grace is in the foreground eating, while Steve Swift (with the hat) behind her is thinking about doing anything but eating.

The group is all smiles as we moor the boat alongside the wharf at Monterey.

Return to the Epicenter
October 17, 2004

Together with our neighborhood Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) we planned to do a hike back to the epicenter of the Loma Prieta Earthquake on the occasion of its 15th anniversary. Unfortunately, it rained very hard overnight, so the CERT team quickly responded (they're trained for emergencies, after all!) and we set up an alternate event, catered lunch and all, at Cabrillo College.

IMost of the 55 registered class members eating lunch in the classroom at Cabrillo College. Everyone was in good humor and happy to learn about the tectonic forces that rumbled through the county 15 years ago.

Class members gathered around the buffet table. We had planned to cater this incredible lunch up in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, but inclement weather forced us to do it on the deck outside the Cabrillo classroom.

The special commemorative cake donated by Heather's Patisserie in Aptos. A number of local businesses donated goods and services for the event. All proceeds went to the Redwood Drive CERT team to purchase emergency radios and other equipment.

Cabrillo Geology Instructor, Dave Schwartz mesmerizes the assembled multitude out in the epicenter area later in the day. We took a shortened hike to the epicenter later that afternoon. It was pouring rain, but you can see by the looks on their faces that the group was delighted to be there and Dave Schwartz took the opportunity to tell them more about the epicenter.

Special Guest Jim Christmann at the epicenter describing the shock waves that hit his boat on October 17, 1989. Jim was returning from a day of research on Monterey Bay when the earthquake hit at 5:04 PM. The shock waves that came through the water and hit his boat -- a large, fifty foot, steel ship -- made such a noise that he thought he'd run over something in the water and shut down the engines. Note how his hand is burred as he describes the shock waves.

The commemorative glasses that were set up for the toast at 5:04 PM. The sparkling cider in them was donated by Martinelli's of Watsonville, and we thank them.

The group assembled in the rain in the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park late in the afternoon.

Capering Through Capitola with Sandy and Carolyn Swift
Wednesday July 14, 2004

Carolyn and I have collaborated on numerous historical projects over the years including the now out of print history of Capitola (From Soquel Landing to Capitola by the Sea) published in 1978. Carolyn has been the Archivist at the Capitola Museum and the official Historian of Capitola for ten years. We decided to put together a walking tour of Capitola and scheduled it mid-week to avoid the weekend crowds.

I always try to arrange something special, in this case, the eastbound Wednesday Union Pacific train crossed the trestle just as we passed beneath it. Is that juice, or what?

The "Windmill House" or the House that Jack built, one of the many structures that we learned about during our daylong walk through Capitola.

On the site of the recently demolished Lent House. Carolyn is explaining the unfortunate circumstances that lead to the house being torn down. Everyone is sad.

One of the treats of the day was a visit and tour of the Rispin Mansion. Here Carolyn is describing how Henry A. Rispin built the house and lived here during the 1920s.

Ron Beardslee is attempting to restore the house, and here he explains to us some of the engineering complexities of the house's construction.

No, this is not a graffiti art display….Down in the basement of the Rispin House, Nancy DiCicco describes some of the interesting Prohibition-era false doors and plumbing. The graffiti reflects the decades-long neglect of the building.

The group after our tour of the Rispin Mansion. The building is owned by the city of Capitola, and if Ron Beardslee is successful, renovation of the building should begin this year.

The Mysterious North Coast, A Sunday Drive
July 11, 2004

This was a repeat of a popular tour first taken in March. The itinerary was adjusted
a bit based on the earlier experience. We had a smaller, much more maneuverable bus this time and we could get in and out of places a lot more easily. Our driver, Christine Graves, was excellent.

After stopping at Laguna and examining the railroad ramparts at San Vicente Beach, we wandered around Davenport, stopping at the landmark and historic St. Vincent's Catholic Church. Built out of Davenport cement and with local funds, the church was dedicated in May of 1915. The group was able to examine the interior of the church.

Lunch spread, Pigeon Point. Some folks take my suggestion to put on a lunch spread very seriously.

In front of the Native Sons Hall, Pescadero. During our Pescadero adventure, we had the assistance of several Pescaderans including Mr. Ed Weeks (plaid shirt at top of steps) whose ancestors came to Pescadero in 1853; Lynne Bowman (in the cowboy hat at far left of front row) a relative newcomer (8 years residence) who is spearheading efforts to restore Pescadero's historic structures, and Dr. Meg Delano (third from left in front with green top), retired physician (21 year property owner along Pescadero Creek) who has been very involved in coordinating the community's efforts to recapture its history. Note the very friendly group members on the porch to the right of Mr. Weeks. The Native Sons Hall was originally built as a Methodist church in the 1870s, but is now owned by the Pescadero community, and the Native Sons of the Golden West.

The remarkable redwood truss supports inside the Native Sons Hall. Sande Low, together with Tess Black, has been conducting oral histories with many of the town's old timers, and Sande laid out a sample of those for folks to look at while they visited the building.

Ann and Greg Timm were gracious enough to share the story of how they came to Pescadero almost three years ago, bought this wonderful house and began restoring it. Greg believes that it was built sometime in the early 1860s, and the love and care that he and Ann have put into the house and garden makes it glow.

Exploring Nisene Marks
June 19, 2004

With the warning that the hike might be strenuous, we set off in the early morning at White's Lagoon and hiked down Big Slide trail, had lunch atop the extremely factured cliff top created by the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, and then hiked up to Five Finger Falls (historic Monte Vista Falls).

The group at Five Finger Falls. Just downstream from this spot I tossed a few salmon eggs into a pool to demonstrate the presence of young steelhead. They came after the salmon eggs, snapping them up before they hit the bottom. According to pedometers worn by class members, we hiked about 8 miles during the day, and traveled through 40 years of intense logging history. The group was amazed when shown the photographs taken during the logging era, as the forest is in the process of regenerating and the scars of the logging era are disappearing.

Walking the Rails with Bruce and Sandy
May 22 and May 23, 2004

The prospect of hiking down the railroad line from Felton to Santa Cruz with Bruce MacGregor was so popular that we had to open a second section to accommodate all those interested. Of course that meant that Bruce and Sandy had to walk the route twice. Tough dudes.

With the assistance of a portable PA system, it was possible for Bruce and Sandy to be heard even at some distance. This is the group about an hour and a half into the walk, entranced by Bruce MacGregor's storytelling. He's standing in the middle of the assembled group.

We had lunch at Paradise Park, and after lunch we had a guided tour of the place lead by park historians including Joanne Nelson and Barry Brown, we got a very passionate and personal introduction to the history of the Paradise Park Covered Bridge by Cyndy Crogan. Shown here, Cyndy is waxing eloquently about her research into the construction and maintenance of the bridge.

You'll have to ask one of the class participants to tell you just how we got all those people across Highway 1, but I will tell you that the crossing gate is down and the lights are flashing.

At the end of the six-mile walk, Roaring Camp brought us a very special train that took us back to Felton.

Georgia Clark and her crew went to the trouble of printing up a special ticket for our train ride.

Group on train riding back to Felton. Railroad Historian Bruce MacGregor is in the left foreground. He's in heaven when he's riding a train.

Bruce MacGregor at the end of the second day. Bruce and I walked the rails from Felton to Santa Cruz twice in consecutive days. Compare Bruce's expression in the photograph above - end of first day - and in this one, end of second day. Even a railroad crazy like Bruce can get tired….

San Juan and Kim Novak
April 18, 2004.

This daylong tour was a mix of movie magic and history as we traced the footsteps of Alfred Hitchcock and his shooting of the movie Vertigo. We paid particular attention to the whereabouts of Kim Novak during the shooting of the movie. (The instructor has a thing about Kim Novak.) One of the treats of the day was a climb to the top of what locals call "Pagan Hill."

Though I promised that the walk was "only a quarter mile," it turned out to be much farther, proving that you can't always trust the History Dude.

The group - after a "only a quarter mile hike" - assembled at the top of the hill. The concrete cross was placed here in the 1920s and is always illuminated at night.

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