Sunny California

Yes, I've found the sun: Petaluma, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, all warm and sunny. I've just returned from a kayaking run in Santa Cruz Bay with my hostess, Jonna Paz. I arrived here last night . My CS my hosts, Rich and Jonna, have a gorgeous house on the beach. I could move here. The beaches are full of walkers and surfers. I was a bit apprehensive about going into the "big" waters with my kayak as there were fair size waves coming in but it turned out ok. Jonna and I went to a large wharf where at least a hundred sea lions and seals were resting under the docks. You could hear their sounds from half a mile away. We got to about fifty feet from them and had a good look. Unfortunately, my camera's battery went dead. I think I need a new one as it was charged up yesterday and just died. Jonna took some pics and hopefully, she'll send me copies.

San Francisco was incredible however, I was only there for a day and didn't get to kayak under the Golden Gate Bridge. I got lost a few times and had trouble finding a place to put in my kayak. I went to Fisherman's Wharf and drove up and down many streets. The views were astounding: houses perched on the side of a hill, Alcatraz, beautiful harbours with million dollar boats, cyclists everywhere and good cycling lanes. It was amazing to see these cyclists going up the steep streets.

I noticed a lot of joggers too and many, many people walking their dogs. I ended up on the GG Bridge 4 times and paying $6.00 every time...it's just not well indicated. And that's how I missed the kayak launch area. I ended up on the other side of the bay.

I also spent a day in Petaluma(north of S.F.) hosted by Neil and Linda. They also have a very charming house that they are sprucing up with paint and having the hardwood floors redone. We went for a walk downtown and they pointed out areas where the movie American Graffiti was shot. It's a beautiful city with many old buildings that have been preserved and maintained. A very charming place.

The drive down he coast was breathtaking. I was stopping every 15 to 20 minutes to admire the vistas and take pictures. Absolutely stunning views and they tell me some drives further south are even more beautiful. This is where travelling alone has its drawbacks: no one to share the moments with. So, I called my daughter Julie and my mom and then I felt good.

I bought a cell to keep in touch and it's pretty inexpensive.