Birds frolic in its ponds. Verdant trees tower high above your head. And everything seems to be at perfect peace. At first glance, at least.

What you don’t know is that the Japanese Tea Garden is home to a disguised Sea Monster, hidden in plain sight. And even without the sea monster as a point of interest, the Garden is a wonderful place. After all, it’s oldest public Japanese garden in the US, and there is history behind every corner.

So let’s begin with the first thing you’ll see.

The Verdancy of the Main Pond

Upon entering, you have lots of options in which path you can take. You can take the pathway around the Main Pond to see the massive 5-roofed Pagoda reflecting in the water, or you can start heading toward the Torii gate. Did I mention how absolutely vibrant and lush this place is? I visited in September, which seemed to be the best time to visit San Francisco, overall.

Not only had I picked the right month, I also happened to be there on the right day, because in the distance was an awesome, mysterious white mist that surrounded the entire garden. You can see more examples of this in the photo gallery that accompanies this article (link below).

And not long after I entered, I found myself at the foot of a very strange (to the point of being somewhat wacky), bridge called:

The Taiko Bashi (Drum Bridge)

Without a doubt, the Drum Bridge, made from carefully cut strips of wood, is something you must walk over during your time at the Garden. In fact, this was commissioned, built, and blessed in Japan before it was brought over to San Francisco. To complete the bridge and the nearby Bell Gate, the builder sold the family rice fields. Only decades later was his son able to repurchase the family fields. Things really came full circle, which is synchronistic considering that the bridge forms a perfect circle when seen with its reflection in the water below.

And yes, the bridge is a bit steep, but the view is worth it.

The Buddha without a Shelter

Although you might not guess at first glance, this 10 foot tall bronze statue is over 200 years old. It was originally cast in Tajima, Japan, for the Taionji Temple; but in 1949 it was presented to the Japanese Tea Garden. And I’m thankful for this because the statue itself seems to radiate the energy of Japan to all of its surroundings.

Perhaps because it was blessed before it came to America, but it lent a welcomed energy to the Garden. Its name, “Amazarashi-No-Hotoke”, is certainly appropriate since it means “The Buddha that sits throughout the sunny and rainy weather without a shelter”.

And you know what? It didn’t even need a shelter.

The Ornate Temple Gate

I continued wandering the many vibrant paths of the garden; and when I saw this, I was instantly amazed. For the first time in weeks, I felt as though I were actually in another nation. This ornate Temple Gate, and an amazing 5-roofed Pagoda nearby, came from San Francisco’s 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. And despite being nearly 100 years old, they were in very good condition. The white and red-orange paint of both made them pop out against their verdant surroundings.

The Zen Garden & The Sea Monster

At last, after wandering through the Garden, admiring its many plants, statues, and bridges; I came upon the Zen Garden within. It was so immaculate and meticulously maintained that I wouldn’t have guessed that it was designed in 1953. And although landscape architect Nagao Sukurai claimed that this Zen Garden symbolizes a miniature mountain scene, I think we both see through that illusion.

Do you see the head? Do you see the green body of the creature? Surely, you see the tail rising up out of the water. These are not miniature islands and forests. Don’t let the azaleas fool you. There is more going on here than meets the eye.

I encourage you to look at a larger version of the photo in the gallery. See the triangular stone head at the left? This is a Sea Creature that has shape-shifted into bits of plant and stone. Don’t believe me? Have a closer look and come to your own conclusion.

In either case, the Japanese Tea Garden within the Golden Gate park is a lovely place to visit to relax, have some tea, and reconnect with nature. Recommended.

Stumbling Across the Twisting Trees

Having explored nearly every nook of the Garden (and my stomach beginning to rumble), I took the West Gate exit and headed toward Stow Lake.

This strange, twisting tree was something I came across as I moved west. It didn’t seem to grow up so much as it grew around and along invisible lines of force. And while it didn’t try to kill me (at least not in an obvious way), it did look menacing. Nearby the creepy tree, I also saw a group of people playing bicycle polo.

Because that’s just something they do in San Francisco.

— Bonus —

Marco the Spacefarer appears in all 27 photos in the accompanying photo gallery. If you’re new to the “Where’s Marco” game, it’s similar to “Where’s Waldo” or “I Spy”, and it’s totally fun!

Learn how to play —>
Then find him in the photos! —>

Coming up Next:

An incredible view of San Francisco and the bay from Twin Peaks. And then, I got to visit the little-known Sutro Baths ruins on the west side of the city, discovering some mysterious caves nearby in the process:

See what happened next —>

— — —
All accompanying photos are in the Japanese Tea Garden photo gallery. With so much free, high-quality content, why not tell a friend and share this article?

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1. What’s Hidden Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge (Historical Fort Point Review)
2. International Rose Test Garden Review: Top 10 (& the Best Free Activity in Portland)
3. Lan Su Chinese Garden Review: A Visit that Transcends Portland (& Time itself)

And although I didn’t know it at the time, I too would soon be harnessing that power as I rode a cable car westward toward Golden Gate Park. I also didn’t know about the hilarious bright-red guy… but we’ll get to that.

First, let’s explore the origin of this power: the Cable Car Museum, for within the museum is the mythical powerhouse that drives the cable car lines. And as you’ll soon realize, the Cable Car Museum is a must see. It’s free, it’s educational, and it’s a blast. Even the welcome sign has something to teach us.

A Friendly Welcome & The Sheave Room

I decided to wait until the end to checkout the Sheave Room downstairs. First, I would investigate the rumbling sound coming from deeper inside. And since the sign had introduced me to a new word, I also needed to find out what a “sheave” was. As I proceeded inward, I soon realized the source of the sound I’d been hearing.

There was a powerhouse just below me.

The Source of the Sound

Of course! The source of the sound I’d been hearing was the very source of motion for the cable cars: the winding machinery, which consists of the electric motors, the cables, and the sheaves.

I should probably clarify here. A “sheave” is a wheel with a groove for a rope to run on. When connected to an electric motor, as in the case above, a series of them can be used to power cable cars around the city. And these sheaves are constantly spinning at a leisurely 9.5 mph.

In fact, four separate cables were being routed through the cable car powerhouse below me, and a sign nearby explained that each were supported by large sheaves and hundreds of small pulleys as they moved in channels under the San Francisco streets. To move, each cable car had a grip mechanism that, when used by the gripman, would grab onto a cable running just below the street to pull the car along.

The system, while designed over 100 years ago, was nonetheless amazing.

A Tale of 22 Lines

Soon, I came across this 6 ton giant. Grip car #46 (pictured above) was part of the Sutter Street Railway in the 1870s. Apparently, during the heyday of cable cars from 1880 to 1906, nine different railroad companies operated twenty-two cable car lines throughout the city. Competition was rife, and to prevent other operators from using their tracks, each company used different track widths.

Of course, the heyday didn’t last forever, and by 1956 the tracks for the three remaining lines were absorbed into San Francisco MUNI and standardized to work together.

Whatever company grip car #46 had belonged to, it was well-preserved; and I tried to imagine this car going down the streets of a much younger San Francisco without all of its modern skyscrapers and tech company giants. Obviously, it was quite a different world back then.

A Friendly Warning from the Vigilance Committee

We need look no further than a nearby sign threatening the hanging of thieves (pictured above) as an excellent example of how society has changed. I’m not sure where this was posted originally, but I doubt it was created for the museum since it was founded in 1974.

And yet, it’s very likely that this building has contained the winding machinery powerhouse for longer than that, so perhaps it was posted in the powerhouse to prevent any lawlessness. As you know I’m not a lawyer, so if anyone could leave a comment to illuminate me as to whether or not there actually were hangings in San Francisco in the 1800s, I would appreciate your insight.

At last, the Sheave Room

Eventually, I made my way down to the sheave room which routed the cables under the street. It was quite a feat of engineering, and I found myself staring at half a dozen or so wheels as they spun with an almost hypnotizing rhythm.

What would it feel like to harness that power? I decided to head back up the stairs to street level and find out.

Hanging Out & The Friendly Gripman

After waiting a few minutes, a cable car approached, and I jumped at the opportunity. It was already pretty full, but I’d never done this before and knew this was something I had to do while the opportunity was fresh.

Somehow I found a comfortable seat on the side. Ahead, I saw the gripman use the huge grip lever to clamp onto an unseen cable below the car, and soon we were roaming up one of San Francisco’s hills with ease. As we sped along at a smooth 9.5 mph, I held onto a grip and hung out from the cable car a few feet, resembling a rhesus monkey as I snapped some photos. Below, I noticed that another cable car track ran parallel very near to the track we were on.

Soon, I realized the interesting ramification of this as another cable car passed very close by us. So close, in fact, that I had to put my backpack on over my stomach so we could pass by without bumping elbows with anyone in the other car. I’m not sure if this is a common problem, and if our car hadn’t been so packed, it wouldn’t have been such a squeeze.

Welcome to Wonderland

Seeing the city by cable car is a unique and unforgettable experience. As we headed west toward Golden Gate Park, we passed construction projects, city monuments, famous hotels, and this hilarious man in a red suit (pictured above).

Now, at the time I didn’t know anything about the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, but later I learned that they require all of their doormen to wear these hilarious “beefeater” uniforms. Apparently, they’re going for a Medieval theme… or Alice in Wonderland. Either would work. Anyway, this guy fit into his surroundings about as well as a Bengal Tiger would have.

It was magnificent.

Soon, we were near the Haight-Ashbury intersection, just a few short blocks from Golden Gate Park. I jumped off the cable car and asked the gripman what I owed him. He waved his hand and told me it was free. Perhaps he could tell I wasn’t from the city, or perhaps he’d gone over capacity and already filled some kind of quota. In either case, I was grateful for his generosity; and as I walked west along Haight Street, exotic sounds of a street performer playing a sitar floated through the air.

The wonders of the Japanese Tea Garden were just ahead.

— Bonus —

It will not surprise long time readers to hear that Marco the Spacefarer continued to follow me on that day and therefore appears in all 15 photos in the accompanying photo gallery. If you’re new to the “Where’s Marco” game, it’s similar to “Where’s Waldo” or “I Spy”, and it’s totally fun!

Learn how to play —>
Then find him in the photos! —>

Continue the journey

As I alluded to above, next we explore the beauty of the Japanese Tea Garden nestled within San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park and the disguised sea monster inside:

See what happened next —>

— — —
All accompanying photos are in the Cable Car Museum photo gallery. With so much free, high-quality content, why not tell a friend and share this article?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

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1. International Rose Test Garden Review: Top 10 (& the Best Free Activity in Portland)
2. Exploring Pier 39, Chinatown, & My Own Personal Parade in San Francisco, CA
3. Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Review

When I arrived at Seacliff State Beach (safely near Santa Cruz), I was surprised to be struck by the realization that I’d been here before. Yes, images of that long pier in the distance echoed in what seemed like ancient memory. Still standing near the entrance, I looked to my left and noticed a colorful sign explaining the dangers of riptide, and I pitied any lost soul who dared swim in these waters, for I knew the secret. I knew what had caused the tragedy exactly 80 years before my arrival.

I surveyed the beach. Combined with a stubborn haze, the overcast clouds gave the entire scene a blue, gloomy look; and up ahead the sea seemed to merge with the sky into an unholy, unnavigable soup.

In the distance, I saw the stone monolith, but I looked away. Not yet. Not yet. Instead, I walked along beach in meditation for some time, but I knew I would be drawn to walk down the long pier once again, just as I had as a child long ago.

When I could resist no longer, I walked up the beach and stepped onto the long pier, the same pier that led to the results of the tragedy that had occurred long ago. And with understandable hesitation, I made my way down the pier to the immense grotesqueness that waited for me at the other end.

Along the way, I passed such unspeakable things. For some ineffable reason, I observed a box of dead squid on the edge of the pier. Having been stolen from the unfathomable watery depths, they had been reduced to a pile of lifeless blobs, their eyes still open and evoking the appearance of pure shock.

I stood there for some time, pondering the meaning of the pile of dead things in the box. And then, urged on by a nameless impulse, I continued my sojourn. I could see parts of the grey mass now…

Soon, I saw the vessel in its entirety. Around it, the sea itself seemed to form a hellish black mire which the ship was no doubt anchored to for all eternity. The ship itself was tortuously long and loathsome, and atop it were hundreds of blackened birds. And a closer examination filled me with sensations I cannot express.

Indeed, mere photography cannot grasp the scope of this grotesque vessel that had been turned to stone so many decades before. Of course, being people of science, I doubt you will believe this, but how else can you explain a ship that is made entirely of stone? Haven’t you heard the legend? After all, who would build a ship made of stone? No one. At least, no one of sane mind.

There are other, decidedly saner, explanations. Legend tells that this ship was once called the SS Palo Alto and was built for the Great War; but by 1919, the war had ended. So, being too late for the war, it was henceforth used as an experimental ship, outfitted with exotic energy devices designed by Nikola Tesla himself. (Although no one in the Defense Department will admit to this, of course. They maintain that the ship was docked for ten years before it was purchased by the Seacliff, Co. and the moved here, but that is only half of the story.)

And then, the great tragedy occurred.

According to the story, one of Tesla’s energy devices was successfully used to open a portal to another world. The crew rejoiced… until they saw what tried to come through. It was vast and unspeakable, and if it were to enter our world it would release universal pandemonium. In a panic, they rushed to close the portal—but not before a final blast of energy emerged from it, changing the molecular structure of the ship and its crew forever. In an instant, the otherworldly energy transformed the ship into solid stone.

The fate of the crew was even more hideous, for just as the ship was once lovely and useful before that day, the hundreds of birds that now sit on the vessel were once its crew. Since that day, they congregate together atop the rotting vessel in desperation as the memory of their human lives slowly fades. Only by staying together do they fight the tide of forgetfulness and remind one another of who they truly are.

— Bonus —

It will not surprise long time readers to hear that Marco the Spacefarer continued to follow me on that day and therefore appears in all 8 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging.

If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

Can you find him in all 8?
Seacliff State Beach photo gallery —>

Continue the Journey

To my surprise, the Cable Car Museum turned out to be much more than a mere museum, for within that legendary museum is the powerhouse which powers the cars around the city. In fact, I would soon be harnessing that power as I rode a cable car westward toward Golden Gate Park, seeing a hilarious bright-red guy in the process… but we’ll get to that:

See what happened next —>

Let it be known that the legend involving SS Palo Alto is currently unsubstantiated and intended to be enjoyed solely in your mind. Offer void where prohibited. Not valid in the State of Utah. No motorcycles after 3PM.

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Seacliff State Beach photo gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. Tell a friend about Byteful Travel… if you dare.

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

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2. Coit Tower Review: A Secret San Francisco View
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The Magic of Travel stayed with me well after the weekend as I was practically swept up into visiting the Muir Woods national park which contains one of the planet’s last remaining primeval forests, complete with one of the tallest species of trees on the planet: the Coast Redwoods.

I’m super excited to share this article with you all because it was a life-changing experience for me. And in this article I’m going to give you a brief tour of what I saw at the Muir Woods Monument by consolidating the story into five main things I learned during my time there (including the answers to the questions above). And as an added bonus, at the end I’ve added the breathtaking view from Mount Tamalpais that we saw at the end of that same day.

So what are the Muir Woods, anyway? And what makes these redwoods so special?

Behold! The Vast Muir Woods.

If the map above reminds you of something out of Tolkien’s Middle Earth, I can’t say I blame you. The topography feels old, and the park itself is enormous. Named after naturalist John Muir, the Muir Woods National Monument covers an area of over 220 hectares (that’s over 550 acres!). It’s most easily accessed by car, and it costs around $5 per person (which, as you’ll see, is totally worth it).

Roughly 240 acres of the park are made up of the rare and magnificent old-growth Coast Redwood forests that are the main focus of this article. Which brings us to the first lesson the redwoods taught me that day:

1. How an Old Tree Brings New Life

The coyote warning on the billboard near the parking lot came as a surprise. Apparently, bringing pets down the trails was an unequivocally bad idea because it attracted predators. It made sense, but I couldn’t help but find the advice “If attacked, fight back aggressively” slightly amusing.

Only when we walked under the Muir Woods sign arching over the path did it completely sink in for me that I was about to meet redwoods—the tallest of all living things—for the first time. When I came to a closely-knit group of Coast Redwoods towering high above me, I stopped for some time, admiring their immense size. And nearby I noticed a plaque explaining how they’d grown so close together.

Apparently, a single redwood had grown there hundreds of years ago but was severely damaged so that its trunk had died. The exact cause of this was unknown, but not all was lost. Despite the terrible damage, the tree’s root system had lived. In time, hundreds of young, bright-green burl sprouts began to spring up out of the ground, forming a circle around the root crown of the original tree. The ring of trees I was now looking at was a direct result of that ring of sprouts that had emerged from the original redwood.

So, in a way, they were siblings. Very, very old siblings. In fact, some of these trees were more than a thousand years old, which makes one wonder:

2. What 1,000 Years Really Looks Like

Nearby was this incredible display of a cross-section of a Coast Redwood tree. And since the scale of this doesn’t come across that well in the photo, I want to make it completely clear to you: this cross-section was ginormous.

According to a plaque nearby, a careful study of this tree’s rings revealed that it had lived for 1,021 years! The painted white lines on the cross-section highlighted some of the historical events that occurred in other parts of North America while the tree was alive. Do you realize what this means? It means I was literally seeing the effects of over 1,000 years of history in a single glance. And you certainly can’t say that every day.

Not all of the rings were the same either. Unusually wet years tend to result in wide rings while dry years tend to result in narrow rings. There were also battle scars in the form of dark areas of ash and charcoal which meant that the tree had lived through fire and healed afterward. In fact, fire has a significant impact on the life cycle of the Coastal Redwood, which brings to mind the:

3. Surprising Challenges of Being a Redwood Seed

As I kept walking through the forest which towered high above me, I came across a single, tiny pine cone set atop a white plaque which happened to be all about redwood seeds and the peril and promise involved in being one.

Turns out that Coast Redwood seeds are exceedingly small. Usually less than an inch long, it takes about 100,000 of them to weigh a single pound. And to grow into a full-grown tree, one must fall on fresh, mineral-rich soil that has somehow been exposed. This is rare since it takes fire, flood, or the downfall of an older tree for this to happen; but when it does, it gives these little seedlings a chance to take root.

And even though mature redwoods produce thousands of these cones each year, the viability of the seed is low to discourage seed predators (typically well below 15%), which means that the vast majority of the seeds will never have a chance anyway.

So, as you can imagine, when a viable seed does find a fertile piece of land, it wastes no time and grows rapidly, with young trees known to reach 20m (65 ft) tall in just 20 years! This helps renew the forest canopy to create an unchanging blanket of shadow on the floor below, and this “shadow world” allows for some interesting adaptations on the forest floor. In fact, it’s the perfect time to discuss:

4. What a World of Shade Allows

As I said, direct sunlight rarely reaches the floor of a redwood forest. This leaves the opportunity for shade-loving plants such as moss, ferns, and lichen to thrive in this cool, dim, moist environment, where they may get as little as 5 percent of direct sunlight.

What I love about these shade-dwellers is that they have special adaptations like the ability to bend toward the diffused sunlight as it passes overhead. For instance, the redwood sorrel (which looks similar to a clover) is so well adapted to low light levels on the forest floor that its heart-shaped leaves fold down and hide if too much direct sunlight hits them. But once shade or diffused light returns, they unfold and turn toward the light once again, all without a sound. Which reminds me of:

5. The Hidden Magic behind the Eerie Calm

On the surface, the Muir Woods seemed darker and quieter than I first imagined, and I was surprised at how little wildlife I saw… until I came across another plaque which illuminated the situation for me.

It rightly pointed out that it’s easy to remain hidden in the dense forest. And, more importantly, many forest creatures are nocturnal. Many also live high in the forest canopy or in the soil; and when you examine closer, redwood forests are surprisingly lively places, especially at night. (Which is probably why the park takes reservations for ranger-led walks on nights lit by a full moon.)

Even though I didn’t see that many creatures besides chipmunks, grey squirrels, and a few birds, I didn’t mind because the other creatures weren’t the main reasons I came. Let’s be honest. You go for the redwoods, and I relished in that. These trees are echoes of another era, and I found their presence grounding and inspiring.

Having thrived for millions of years throughout the Northern Hemisphere along with dinosaurs and other plants and animals which are now extinct, redwoods have proven themselves experts at survival. And when a massive meteorite impacted the Earth roughly 65 million years ago, it caused environmental changes that destroyed the dinosaurs and uncounted other species.

But not the redwoods.

Redwoods managed to survive the catastrophe and have gone on to survive fires, floods, windstorms, droughts, and earthquakes. They have even survived the emergence of new forms of life, including people, flowering plants, and broad-leafed trees. As the tallest and among the oldest living creatures on the planet, redwoods truly are giant survivors from a time of giants. And while over 40 species of redwoods once thrived in an ancient climate, I’ll focus on being grateful for the 15 species that remain today, serving as a symbol of what life on this planet is capable of as it provides unique habitats and immeasurable inspiration, year after year.

I’m exceedingly thankful to the National Park Service for protecting these woods and many other important reserves around the US. The NPS and similar organizations are one of the major reasons we still have any redwood forest left at all, and they’re a great example of a conscious approach toward protecting the planet.

Up to Mount Tamalpais

Before the sun had set too low into the sky, we finished off the day by driving along the Panoramic Highway up to an observation point along Mount Tamalpais. To my great delight, I was able to see an incredible view of the clouds rolling over the hills to the south, seeing part of Richardson Bay (and perhaps even a bit of San Francisco) from what felt like a mile up. We were truly above the clouds.

Needless to say, it was stunning.
The perfect ending to an unforgettable day.

“This is the best tree-lover’s monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world.”

~ John Muir

— Bonus —

Marco the Spacefarer continued to follow me that day and therefore appears in all 26 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. And I’m considering putting up hints that show what he’s near. Would anyone be interested in that?

If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

Can you find him in all 26?
Explore the Muir Woods photo gallery —>

Continue the Journey

On the surface, Seacliff Beach may seem harmless. Actually, forget that. Even the surface can be a hellish mire, as I soon learned. Indeed, a tragedy had happened 80 years before I’d even arrived; and events had come together so that I could visit Seacliff to witness the results of that tragedy for myself:

See the Secret Tragedy of the SS Palo Alto —>

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Muir Woods photo gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Coit Tower Review: A Secret San Francisco View
2. Cable Car Museum Review: A Free San Francisco Mechanical Marvel
3. Exploring Pier 39, Chinatown, & My Own Personal Parade in San Francisco, CA

What we didn’t know at the time was that the Computer History Museum contains the largest and most significant collection of computing artifacts on the planet, including an Apple-1, the first Google production servers, a Cray-1 supercomputer, and a lot of other great artifacts of the early computer age and beyond.

With over 90,000 objects, photographs, and films (and hundreds of gigabytes of software), in its category this museum has no equal. So, needless to say, we were in for a real treat, and in this article I’m going to reveal the 7 most memorable artifacts I stumbled across that day, including the “Godfather” of the iPhone and a 150 lb. computer that you just HAVE to get your loved one this holiday season.

But we’ll get to that.

1. The Charles Babbage Difference Engine (#2)

When you first walk into the Computer History Museum, the Babbage Difference Engine will probably be the first thing you see. This incredible machine (designed by Charles Babbage, the first computer pioneer) is a highly precise mechanical calculating engine, able to solve mathematical expressions without the use of any electronic components. (There are a LOT of gears.) As if that weren’t enough, it automatically prints an inked hard copy as a record. And all of this was designed decades before anyone had created an electrical computer.

First designed in 1849, this incredible machine consists of over 8,000 parts. The fact that this 11 foot long behemoth even exists is incredible, and only two were ever built (hence #2 in the name). If you want to see it in action, the museum even offers scheduled demonstrations! And even though Babbage never built this machine and died unacknowledged in his time, his machine now stands as a memorial to his work.

2. The Legendary Apple-1

After passing the front desk, I turned the corner and saw shelves upon shelves of early computers. And then, at the far end of the room, I saw this unassuming computer behind glass. Even though this unit bares no label, this is an Apple-1. First conceived in Steve Job’s garage in 1976 and designed by Steve Wozniak, the Apple-1 was the first computer ever sold by Apple Computer. (Jobs and Wozniak went into small-scale production when The Byte Shop ordered 50 assembled boards.)

I wondered if this Apple-1 that was now behind glass might have been one of those original 50 that were ordered. Probably not, but it was amazing to think that something that now looks so simple to us was part of a major revolution.

3. The First Google Production Server

Nearby, I stumbled across an interesting tower of a computer. A sign below explained that this was Google’s first production server, one of many, many servers designed to process the thousands upon thousands of search requests per second from Google users.

Of course! Only a server would have this many ethernet cables pouring out of it.

Apparently, the first Google data center had about thirty of these monsters; and even though they were difficult to repair, they provided Google with its first large-scale computing system which allowed the company to grow quickly at minimal cost.

Today, Google utilizes over a million servers! (And they’re much, much faster than this early example.)

4. The Cray-3 “Brick”

Speaking of fast computers and cabled monsters, this quirky little box was probably the best example of tons of power packed into a tiny package in the entire museum. Designed in 1993, the Cray-3 “Brick” contains multi-layered circuit boards submerged in fluorinert. This little guy is so fast that a computation that took Cray-3 only 1 second would have taken the 1947 ENIAC sixty-seven years to perform! Behold, the power of 15 gigaflops. (And that’s fast, especially considering a gigaflop is a billion floating-point math operations per second.)

5. The Omnibot 2000 “toy” robot

In my exploration of the museum, I also came across some computers that tried to be more human-like in appearance and in behavior. Although they usually didn’t do either of these things very well, their attempts were often amusing and charming. The Omnibot 2000 is a perfect example of this.

Hailing from 1985, this little guy spoke, moved, and carried objects. You could give it commands by remote control or feed it programs on magnetic tape. There were even plans to sell optional accessories like light & sound sensors and even vacuum cleaner attachments! But in this case, I think the Tomy Kyogo company got ahead of itself there, considering that it never made any of these accessories.

Still, it’s pretty cute, isn’t it? Droid-esque, even.

6. The Apple Newton

Some of you may not have even heard of this relic of Apple history gone by, but in the early 1990s useful handheld computers were just starting to appear in the marketplace. By 1993, Apple introduced the Newton which is, in some ways, the godfather of the iPhone.

Along with most other early attempts at handhelds, the Newton sold poorly. In fact, handhelds only achieved some success later when they focused on doing a narrower range of tasks better than their PC counterparts.

I find it somewhat ironic that the situation has now reversed. Handhelds (like the iPhone) have now gotten so powerful that, far from being an accessory, some people now use them as their primary computers.

7. The Utter Joke that was The “Kitchen” Computer

Out of everything in the museum, this one is probably the funniest and least realistic vision for the future computing. Witness the Kitchen Computer featured in the 1969 Neiman Marcus catalog as a computer that allowed housewives to store and retrieve recipes. Above is a picture of that this unlikely event. Did I mention that the interface only included binary lights and switches? Or that it cost over $10,000?

Just imagine: it’s Christmas morning, and your wife spends five minutes unwrapping this shiny behemoth of a computer.

“It’s red!” she exclaims. “My favorite color!”
And you reply: “Even though its 150 pounds and no one outside of a computer science department could ever hope to figure out how to store recipes on it, that’s okay, honey! It’s a symbol of our love!”

Clockspeed? 0.6 megahertz.
Thankfully, there’s no evidence that any Kitchen Computers were ever sold.

Verdict

Simply put, the Computer History Museum is my favorite museum in Silicon Valley. Actually, it’s my favorite museum in all of California because no other place comes close to having so much of computer history literally at your fingertips. In addition to being family-friendly, it’s probably the best place in the world to learn how the human race went from the abacus all the way to supercomputers, and seeing that history firsthand is a blast! Oh, and when you go, ask about the free tours that are given periodically. I happened to stumble into a tour during my visit, and I really enjoyed it. (These people really know their stuff and are happy to answer questions.)

Obviously there was a lot I wasn’t able to include in this article, including the haunting red & black Cray-2 supercomputer, the famous PDP-8, the Behemoth Recumbent Bicycle, and much more. To check those (and all the photos) out in high resolution, be sure to swing by the photo gallery that accompanies this article. And when you see the photos, keep in mind that the museum has been renovated since I visited it in 2009, so it’s even more stylish and futuristic now than when I visited.

— Bonus —

Just like with every travel photo I’ve released since December 2010, Marco the Spacefarer followed me that day and therefore appears in all 32 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. Can you find him in all 32?

The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

And remember to:
Explore the Computer History Museum photo gallery —>

Next: A Breathtaking View of San Francisco

This article concludes our exploration of Silicon Valley, at least for the foreseeable future. Next, I moved onto San Francisco itself, and in the next article we’ll explore Coit Tower, the breathtaking view of San Francisco from the top, and the best souvenir a traveller could ask for:

See what happened next —>

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Computer History Museum gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under Creative Commons. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Intel Museum Review: 5 Exhibits that Changed How I Thought of Microprocessors
2. Denver Art Museum Review: Top 5 Sights (Psychedelic Exhibits to Flying Foxes)
3. Chicago Field Museum Review: Top 3 Exhibits

Basically, it was incredible. The minute we parked, Steve Jobs walked out of the building, shook my hand, and offered me little gingerbread cookies that were in the shape of apples. Then we rode a hovercar around the campus as Steve gave us a personal tour! And afterwards, all three of us got MacBook Airs as parting gifts.

Yep, that all happened… in my dreams.

While we didn’t actually meet anyone famous, it was still fun to see the campus that is the source of so much innovation (and now the most valuable company in the US).

As with Google, you aren’t going to get a tour unless you personally know someone who works there. However, even if you’re like me and don’t know anyone there, you can still check out the Apple Corporate Store which is right on campus.

Stuff You can’t get Anywhere Else…

What’s great about the Corporate Store is that it offers a lot of stuff that no Apple Store has. And let’s be clear. This NOT and Apple Store. It’s the Corporate Store. There are important differences. Namely, it has A LOT of Apple-branded stuff, including shirts, pens, water bottles, and strange things you’d never even guess. I think I even remember seeing branded crayons and a puzzle.

Seriously, crayons.

And since Apple doesn’t sell any clothing in its normal Apple Stores, it was funny to see Apple branded shirts alongside MacBooks in the Corporate store.

Surprisingly, while the store was a bit smaller than the Apple Stores, they still found the space for a row of strange boxes arranged in shelves like books. What could these be? Ah yes! These were holdovers from the time when people used to etch software onto plastic discs and safely seal them in cardboard boxes so that people could buy them, take them home, and put the plastic disk inside the computer.

I know what you’re thinking. “How barbarian!” And you would be right, but this is how it was done in 2009. Those of us nowadays know better though, don’t we? After all, why would we even waste time with discs when everything is available digitally? Plus, it’s a heck of a lot more environmentally friendly to go completely electronic.

By now, the Austrians were starting to get restless. They appreciated the historical value of where we were, but I don’t think they were Apple geeks like I am. And eventually I decided on getting a small blue pen with an Apple logo on it to commemorate my visit. Who knows, perhaps next time I would be visiting a very different Apple Campus than the one I saw on that day.

After buying the pen, there was one more photo that I had to take: the Infinite Loop sign itself. The street is perfectly named since it encircles Apple Campus, and it’s already gained notoriety (including becoming a nickname for the Apple Campus itself), so I was pleased that I had the chance to photograph it for myself.

Conclusion & Looking Forward

To put it in a nutshell, you’re probably only going to enjoy visiting Apple’s Campus if you’re actually interested in the company or the history behind it. This is definitely not an “attraction” like Intel’s museum; and, like Google, this is a living, breathing public company that does not give tours, nor should you expect it to. However, if you have some time in your Silicon Valley exploration (you’re a fan of the company’s products or history, as I am) I recommend stopping by. It’s the best place to get Apple branded everything, and as with all Apple Stores you’re free to use the Macs to browse the web.

And it’s only poised to get better. By 2015 the disc-shaped Apple Campus 2 should be complete and will no doubt be a billion times more photogenic and marvelous to visit. Seriously, have you seen the concept art for the building? It’s going to be a California landmark.

I just hope they let members of the public visit the park in the center of the disc-shaped structure, because I have a feeling it will be a breathtaking sight.

— Bonus —

Just like with every travel photo I’ve released since December 2010, Marco the Spacefarer followed me that day and therefore appears in all 10 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. Can you find him in all 10?

The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

And remember to:
Explore the Apple Campus photo gallery —>

Next: We meet the most Incredible (& absurd) Machines Ever.

We conclude our explorations of Silicon Valley with an visit to the world-renowned Computer History Museum. With over 90,000 objects, photographs, and films in its field, this museum has no equal. In our explorations, we discovered a behemoth of a machine (which was the most amazing mechanical device I’ve ever seen), the iPhone’s “Grandfather”, and the most absurd $10,000 Christmas gift you could ever imagine:

See what happened next —>

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Apple Campus gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Intel Museum Review: 5 Exhibits that Changed How I Thought of Microprocessors
2. Visiting the Minneapolis Central Library
3. Computer History Museum Review: 7 Striking Exhibits from the Digital Age

Today I’m excited to share with you my visit to a wonderful free museum in Silicon Valley where I had a chance to meet true artifacts from technology history face to face.

As I said before, I had joined forces with two fellow travellers from Austria to explore the best of Silicon Valley. And, as you can probably imagine, that day we visited many incredible and historical locations, including the Googleplex, Intel’s headquarters, Apple’s campus, and the famous Computer History Museum.

So today I’m going to continue the tale of that incredible day by telling you about our stop at Intel, which turned out to be a bit more welcoming than Google was, for reasons which I’ll get into.

Intel’s Welcoming Vibe

To be frank, I found Intel’s headquarters to be much more inviting than Google’s. Even Intel’s lobby seemed significantly more relaxed and inviting.

Although Intel Museum adjacent to the lobby had a lot to do with that.

A number of things jumped out at me while I explored the Intel Museum, and today I’m going to focus on the top 5 most awesome exhibits, because they changed how I thought about microprocessors forever.

1. The History of how Everyday Objects use Microprocessors

Did you know that, as early as the mid-1970s, Intel’s computers were giving intelligence to traffic lights?

This exhibit is one of the first you’ll see when you enter, and it highlights some practical uses of microprocessor technology that I’d never considered. Some of the displays even seemed to be written in a nostalgic style, possibly because they were written by those who actually worked in the industry during the 1970s when the microchip revolution was occurring.

It’s truly amazing when you stop and think of the unprecedented change that has occurred in the computer industry over the last 40 years, and my amazement only increases when I also consider how that change has rippled out to affect every other industry on the planet. Even the existence of this website is a reflection of that revolution.

Still, it is fun to reminisce about the good old days.

“I think we paid for the R&D in the first five months of shipments. Those were the good old days!”

~ Ed Gelbach, Intel’s first director of marketing
(speaking about the 8080 processor)

2. Illustrations of the Complexity of the early Microprocessors

Have you ever seen the inside of a microprocessor before?

Before visiting the Intel Museum, I hadn’t. And when I saw this huge poster, I just about stopped in my tracks. The photo above shows hundreds of tiny switches (or transistors) inside of a microprocessor. In fact, it’s the “switching” of these tiny chips that allow the microprocessor to work. (I put “switching” in quotes because these switches don’t actually move. They’re electrical and only allow electricity to flow in certain ways.)

The photo above shows only a segment of the entire processor, and if you think that’s cool, consider this: that’s a photo of an early processor. Today’s chips have millions and millions of transistors!

Sometimes I wonder how human beings could ever design these things. Although since computers are used in such a high degree to design modern microprocessor chips, you could almost say that computers have just as much to do with the design of these modern chips as humans do. Truly, computers do design themselves, but they still need some help from us… for now.

3. What a Pentium 4 wafer looks like close up

If you’re not familiar with them, microchip wafers are pretty cool. They’re important because they’re used in a key step in the production of processors. (Not to mention they taste delicious.)

See those colorful squares in the wafer above? Those are dozens of Pentium 4 chips. Think of it as making a batch of cookies. Would you only put one cookie in the oven? Of course not! That would be a complete waste of time if you wanted more than one cookie.

And, believe me, Intel makes a LOT of cookies…
I mean chips…
I mean microprocessors…

Sheesh, what’s the deal with these technology/food crossover words? Wafers, chips… You’d think that computer engineers aren’t fed enough or something. Or is it that they’re fed too much?

Anyway, the batch of cookies analogy applies here because when Intel makes a batch of processors, they etch dozens and dozens of them onto large wafers like this. And since Intel makes millions of processors per year, they find that manufacturing the chips on a grid to be very efficient. That way, the same processes to make a chip can be applied to all the chips on a wafer at once, saving immeasurable amounts of time.

See? It’s just like cookies.

4. The Incredible Multi-Level design of the “Fabs”

All this talk of wafers and cookies is making me hungry. Let’s talk about “fabs”. (And no, I’m not talking about Favored Alcoholic Beverages.)

Far from a source of inebriation, a “fab” is technical slang for a semiconductor fabrication plant. Basically, it’s a magical place were microprocessors are made, including the one that you’re using to browse the web right now.

And while exploring the museum, I came across this detailed model of a fab plant (pictured right) which explains the purpose of each of the four levels of a fabrication plant in detail. Isn’t it incredible how much goes into creating our modern microprocessors?

This fab model was pretty intriguing. For instance, did you know that processors can only be produced at certain temperatures and humidity levels? That’s why, directly above the clean room where processors are produced, there’s a level called the fan deck which carefully maintains temperature, humidity, and air purity. And below the clean room is a “subfab” level where most of the power transformers, pumps, and other support systems are.

As you can see, these multi-level fabrication plants are delicately balanced ecosystems, carefully designed so that microprocessors can be born and live out a long healthy life. Who knows, the next chip Intel makes could end up inside a pacemaker that keeps you alive someday.

5. Excellent Interactive Video exhibits, and much more.

Overall, the amount of thought and care that went into the Intel Museum surprised me. I was impressed at how much effort had been put into retelling the history of the microprocessor, including interactive video exhibits.

One exhibit that sticks out in my mind was an interactive display showing excerpts of Robert Noyce’s journal, one of Intel’s founders. And when I read about the early days at Intel, I was struck at the uncertainty founders of Intel had to endure in those early days. They knew they were on the right path, but it still took time for them to “calibrate” before they began to resemble the Intel we know now. For instance, did you know that Intel’s original name was NM Electronics during their first year?

The founders soon revised the name and decided to call it Integrated Electronics, eventually shortening it to the “Intel” that we know today.

Verdict

Even though I can’t say the Intel Museum is my favorite museum in the valley (that title goes to the Computer History Museum), it’s definitely a fun place to explore. And while the Intel Museum is admittedly rather Intel-centric, it is nonetheless a fun place to visit to experience the history of the microprocessor and the fascinating way that they’re produced.

It can be adequately explored in about an hour and is provided free of charge. In fact, by adding a museum to their headquarters, Intel is helping educate the public, improve public perception (and goodwill) towards Intel, and help put a friendlier face on the company.

— Bonus —

I hope you enjoyed this overview of my visit to the Intel Museum. I really enjoyed taking the time to explore it. As always, Marco the Spacefarer followed me and appears in all 18 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. Can you find him in all 18?

The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

And don’t forget to:
Explore the Intel Museum photo gallery —>

Next: Visiting the Birthplace of the iPhone & more

In the next article, we continue our explorations of Silicon Valley with a brief visit to Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, the birthplace of the iPod, iPhone, and iPad. You could almost feel the brainpower in the air. And while there, we visited the only store in the world owned by Apple that doesn’t sell computers: the Apple Corporate store, which sold more strange stuff than we ever guessed:

See what happened next —>

— Bonus Resource —
Or, for more explorations of great little museums like this one, you can also check out: 15 of the Best Small, Quirky, and Unusual Museums in the US from our friends over at BootsnAll.

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Computer History Museum Review: 7 Striking Exhibits from the Digital Age
2. Chicago Field Museum Review: Top 3 Exhibits
3. Denver Art Museum Review: Top 5 Sights (Psychedelic Exhibits to Flying Foxes)

If you guessed Google, then you get a virtual Kewpie doll*, complete with really tiny wings!

And if you haven’t realized it yet, today we’re going to explore Google’s corporate headquarters, known simply as: The Googleplex.

As you may remember, during my entire journey to the US West Coast and back, I didn’t take a car (nor at any point rent a car) to use. Instead, I relied on carpooling, craigslist rideshare, and public transportation, sometimes with amazing results. So how did I end up getting to the Googleplex in this case? Well, an obvious answer is that I could have taken a bus, but the universe had a better opportunity in mind.

How Me and 2 Austrians got to Google

The Flow of Travel swept everyone up that week and proceeded to arrange things into win-win-win situations. My Couchsurfing host was fantastic, and as it turned out she was also hosting a young couple from Austria, as well. They too wanted to explore Silicon Valley. And we soon realized that I knew more about what was good to see in the area than they did, and they had rented a car. They were the wheels, and I ended up being the navigator, wielding my iPod touch which contained the directions to our destinations.

That day we explored many incredible and world-changing places, including Intel’s headquarters (complete with an Intel museum); the Computer History Museum; Apple’s Campus; and, of course, the Googleplex.

When we arrived on that gorgeous Thursday afternoon, we weren’t sure what to expect, and we certainly had no idea that we were going to have a small run-in with Google security… But I’m getting ahead of myself. This story starts simply.

It starts with a bike.

1. Google Bikes are Everywhere

Besides the Google sign itself, this was the first “Googley” subject we saw. And we soon realized that there were dozens, perhaps hundreds of these bikes all over the Googleplex. We later found out that anyone in the company can ride these bikes from place to place; and since all of them are shared by the company, you never have to lock them up or worry about losing your bike. And I imagine with so many of them, a bike tends to show up right when you need one.

2. Behold, Googley Architecture!

As I’m sure you can imagine, the Googleplex is big. Really big. Over a dozen acres kind of big. The building pictured above is one of the five core Googleplex buildings, and it’s one of the more interesting bits of architecture you can see here. Just think, at the time I took this picture, they could have been writing the first few lines of code for Google Plus…

Oh, and then I found a T-Rex.

3. Meet Google’s Pet & His Flamingo Friends

As a company, Google has an interesting culture. They have a unique spirit, and many people outside the company forget that Google is still relatively young.

Their motto “Don’t be evil.” has been criticized and questioned over the years, but one thing I will never question is their decision to buy a cast of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and place it in their courtyard. Paleontologists need not fear, though. This is a cast (or copy) of an original skeleton, so if it gets damaged no historical records are lost. And below it there were even plastic pink flamingos stuck in the ground, presumably as food for the beast.

Later, I learned that its name is Stan. Isn’t that sweet?

4. Google has a garden? What’s next?

Did you know that Google grows food?

One of the surprising things I noticed at Google campus was the Google Garden. It’s a part of their participation in a program called “The Growing Connection” which is a global network of young food producers. Not far from the Google cafe, various plants were being grown using Earthbox, which is basically a special type of planting box that waters the plants from below instead of above. According to a nearby plaque, the Google Culinary Team incorporates (or plans to incorporate) all of the food grown at Google into the Google Cafe menu. Very cool.

5. The Legendary Google Cafe

From the Google Garden, I could see the Google Cafe, a magical place where the food is actually provided to the employees free of charge. It’s even color coded for healthiness: green meaning the most healthy, yellow meaning not so healthy, and red meaning “use in moderation or your kidneys will surely fail”… or something like that. I’m guessing donuts are red, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to see inside the cafe since I didn’t know any Google employees.

6. See Live Searches Coming In

Around this time, I also entered Google’s main lobby. As you might expect, it had an air of charged energy, and I stayed in there just long enough to look up onto the wall to see a projection of the Google searches that were coming in at that very moment. The legend of this wall was what attracted me to the Googleplex in the first place. I had looked forward to this moment for weeks. I would finally get to see some of the inbound searches being typed into Google from all over the world. Quickly, I looked up, reading small words projected onto a white wall. I thought about how these searches had been typed just fractions of a second ago… from all over the world.

Perhaps a half dozen searches were displayed at once onto the wall. Most of them were misspelled, and I remember one of them referencing “hot dogs”.

Hmm.

Alrightythen! So people weren’t searching for the answer to life, the universe, and everything… but that was okay. I had done it. I had seen the live search wall, and that in and of itself was gratifying. (Gosh, I’m a huge geek, aren’t I?)

And of course, not all of the searches could be projected at once. Google processes over one billion search requests every day, so if they were to project all the global incoming searches each second, it would probably fill the side of an entire building. So with that in mind, I’d guess that this was less than 1% of incoming searches.

7. Enter Google’s Sculpture Garden

Another surprise on the Googleplex (and the last key sight you shouldn’t miss at the Googleplex) were a number of stone busts of important figures. One such figure was Sylvia A. Earle (pictured above). If you’re not familiar with her, she’s a well-known oceanographer who has led over 60 expeditions worldwide. Her list of accomplishments is pretty impressive. From 1990 to 1992, she was chief scientist at NOAA; and she was named Time magazine’s first “Hero for the Planet” in 1998. And, perhaps not surprisingly, she was instrumental in adding the ability to display oceans in version 5 of Google Earth.

A Run-in with Security

Before we left, we even got to meet a Google security guy. He was checking on us to see if we were having trouble finding our car, but we knew our car was just ahead. As you can see from the picture, he was riding a pretty snazzy 3-wheeled scooter. I asked him if I could take a picture of him, and he agreed. Thanks, Google guy!

The Verdict

The Googleplex is a cool place to visit, but remember that Google is a publicly traded corporation. So don’t expect free food or a tour unless you have a friend who works there. (I didn’t, but it’s easy enough to walk around and explore for yourself as long as you don’t go into any of the buildings besides the lobby.) However, even without a Google friend there are plenty of things to see and plenty of photo opportunities. The live search in the lobby and the T-Rex stand out the most for me; and I feel lucky to have visited the headquarters of the world’s most visited website on the planet (not to mention my favorite search engine). Definitely recommended if you’re a geek like me.

But, as I said above, that wasn’t all we saw that day. The Intel HQ and the Intel Museum is next in this series, so stay tuned and don’t forget to subscribe.

— Bonus —

I hope you enjoyed this overview of my visit to the Googleplex. As always, Marco the Spacefarer followed me and appears in all 9 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. Can you find him in all 9?

The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

And don’t forget to:
Explore the Googleplex photo gallery —>

Next: How a museum changed how I thought of Tech History

Next, I made a brief visit to Intel’s headquarters, only to discover that they have a free museum right on campus. Inside, we learned firsthand the amazing processes used to create modern chips, saw original artifacts from technology history face to face, and even met an Intel robot:

See what happened next —>

*The Kewpie doll in question is completely imaginary intended to be enjoyed solely in your mind. Offer void where prohibited. Not valid in the State of Utah. No motorcycles after 3PM.

— — —
All photos from this event are in the The Googleplex (Google’s Headquarters) gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. A Visit to crooked Lombard Street & The Pedestrians Who Wanted to Die
2. Top 5 Portland Sights from a Remarkable Walking Tour & The View from Big Pink
3. Ashland’s Lithia Park Review: 7 Rare Glimpses along my Walking Tour

Today we get a first look at San Francisco, where I discovered a store only for Left-handers, stumbled across an awesome free magic show, felt like I had parade thrown in my honor, and more.

Now, to be completely honest, I’d been here before as a kid, but I’d never had the opportunity to explore it independently. Being there as an adult obviously changed everything. And as it turned out, I’d picked just about the perfect day to begin my San Francisco explorations, and not just because it felt like a parade was thrown in my honor… but we’ll get to that.

Can you eat and juggle at once?

My explorations began at Pier 39, a famous pier that had basically turned into its own street over the years. From candy shops to fresh fruit, there were certainly plenty of things to eat here. And if you wanted to empty your stomach rather than fill it, there was a full-sized carousel nearby, as well.

Towards the end of the pier I spotted a little shop whose uniqueness really caught my eye. They call it “Lefty’s”.

Even though it’s a pretty small place, I really enjoyed checking it out, and not just because I’m left-handed. They had fridge magnets with witty leftish sayings, and left-handed… everything. You name it, and they probably had a left-handed version of it, including notebooks and pencils. (The pencil bit is true. “Left-handed pencils” were for sale. Only in San Francisco could something like this be sold.)

And then there was the magic show.

When I left the store, I noticed a man on a nearby stage performing magic and doing various other feats, as well. And not the kind of feats that make you roll your eyes, either. He was doing some rather fancy stuff, like eating and juggling simultaneously. But the bit that really stuck in my mind was an audience participation activity that I’d never seen before: he created an 8-legged human chair.

How to do the 8-Legged Human Chair Trick

To make a human chair, you start with 4 normal chairs arranged in a circle, pointing four different directions. You then get four victims to sit in the chairs, and you then pull out the first chair. After you pull out the chair, you tell that person to lie down on the person’s lap behind them. You do this with all four chairs and… well, you’ll see soon enough.

I watched the magician pull the chairs out, one by one. And when it seemed as though the four guys were on the brink of utter collapse, he finally pulled the last chair out from under them.

But no one fell. In fact, no one scarcely moved at all.
The 8-legged human chair was supporting its own weight!

The tricky part came when they wanted to get up. All of them were too afraid to get up because each knew they would start a chain reaction that would cause all of them to collapse. So, carefully, the magician told them all to grab his arm for support. They still all collapsed; but, thankfully, it was a graceful collapse onto the stage and painless compared to what it might have been without his help.

Seeing Alcatraz Island

Now that the magic show was over, I wandered over to the north end of the pier and looked across the bay. It seems that my timing was perfect because a magnificent white sailboat was passing near the pier at that moment.

Only today did I realize, while post-processing these photos, that I’d actually taken a picture clear enough to make out the name of this sailboat. In the closest photo (which is in the accompanying gallery), you can clearly make out the name “Naniloa” (which means “most beautiful” in Hawaiian) inscribed on the side.

It was quite beautiful.

And behind this beautiful sailboat was something that was quite the opposite: Alcatraz Island, still looming like a mysterious shadow over San Francisco bay even after all of these years.

A Parade in my Honor?

Having explored Pier 39, I wandered over to Chinatown before I had to start heading back. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to explore Chinatown as long as I would have liked due to time constraints, but it did feel as though I’d stepped into a different country. The vibe of the air itself seemed to have changed. And, to my great surprise, just minutes after I’d arrived, a parade began.

Dozens of Chinese drummers marched through Chinatown and a huge float with giant pink lotuses came down the street. See for yourself!

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that some of the yellow shirts they were wearing had the words “Falun Dafa” on them (which, in and of itself, is an interesting story), but just for fun I decided to pretend that this parade had been thrown in my honor. After all, they had started it just moments after I’d arrived, right?

And the celebration didn’t end there.

More Confetti than You Can HANDLE

On my way back to the BART station (which is a good local train system), I noticed another celebration going on as I passed San Francisco’s Union Square. Celebratory music was playing, ribbons were in the air, and people were even breakdancing. It seemed like quite a party, and the confetti-level was pretty intense.

From researching later, I discovered that I’d actually passed by the 17th annual Korean Day Festival; and I gotta say, those Koreans sure know how to mash play on a sweet jambox.

Recap

So that was my first taste of San Francisco in years, and it was just a tiny fraction of what was to come. I would return the following weeks and explore the incredible yet little-known Sutro Baths, Lombard Street, Coit Tower, and innumerable other spectacular sights which I’m very much looking forward to sharing with you in the coming months.

— Bonus —

I hope you enjoyed this overview of my first day exploring San Francisco. As always, Marco the Spacefarer followed me and appears in each of the 27 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article. Can you find him in all 27?

The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo or “I Spy”, but more challenging. If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

And don’t forget to:
Checkout the Wandering San Francisco photo gallery —>

Next: 7 Surprises from my Googleplex visit: A Tour of Google HQ

Our next stop takes us deep into Silicon Valley to explore the headquarters of the most visited website on Earth: Google. When we arrived on that gorgeous Thursday afternoon, we weren’t sure what to expect, and we certainly had no idea that we were going to see a T-Rex, or have a small run-in with Google security…

See what happened next —>

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Wandering San Francisco & Chinatown gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Cable Car Museum Review: A Free San Francisco Mechanical Marvel
2. Coit Tower Review: A Secret San Francisco View
3. Muir Woods Review: Secrets of the Primeval Redwood Forest north of San Francisco

It was better.

We had just left Pfeiffer Burns Park, home to my absolute favorite waterfall in the US, the breathtaking McWay Falls; and on our way back north, my aunt and I spotted another captivating park within Big Sur: The Andrew Molera State Park (or AMSP).

As it turned out, this second stop in Big Sur would give me the opportunity to touch the waters of the Pacific for the first time in over four years. And in this article I’m going to recount the time when I charged a huge gaggle of seagulls (and lived), as well as show you the top five most memorable aspects of my visit. Not surprisingly, the first has to be…

1. Big Sur’s stunning coastline

From the road, the AMSP doesn’t look like much, but appearances are deceiving. To get to the good stuff, we followed a trail that led toward the beach. As it turned out, the trek to the beach was at least twice as long as we had thought. Thankfully though, the trail itself was alive with activity. Along the way we saw a deer (which actually had the courtesy to pose for a photo) and crossed a bridge over a fast-flowing river that I later found out was the Big Sur river itself.

After walking for nearly a half hour, the trail opened up onto the beach, and we finally saw the crashing waves of the Pacific Ocean. Blue waves lapped the pebble-covered shore; and instead of being the warm embrace I mentioned above, the sea air was brisk and cool that day, and the smell of the Pacific sharpened my senses.

Something seemed out of place though. What was it?
Oh yes, how could I possibly forget the…

2. Mysterious, Crude Huts on the Beach

Not pictured in the photo above were the strange, crude wooden huts that we found along the beach. Made primarily of driftwood, they were large enough for one or perhaps two people to squeeze inside, but they certainly weren’t going to keep any rain out. I got inside one, sat down, and looked out onto the crashing waves. In the distance, I heard seagulls.

I wondered what it would be like to actually live here on the beach, to let the sound of the waves become my lullaby and the sound of the seagulls become my alarm clock. I wondered what it would be like for even just a few days. Or, if I were marooned here far into the past, how my perspective of this place would change after being here for more than a week.

Of course, I’m sure they’d never allow it today. The beach isn’t one of the 24 designated camping spots in the park. Still, I wondered who made these huts and for what purpose.

After examining the huts, I began walking along the beach, studying it. In my observations, I was shocked by the…

3. Stunning Patterns in the Sand

Now, I’d walked beaches before. (I was born in California, after all.) But I’d never seen anything like this.

Beneath my feet, the water had created an exquisite pattern of curving lines etched in the sand. Like ancient tree roots reaching deep into the Earth, these curving lines which changed in width and depth were reminiscent of an ancient pattern in geometry of which I had no name for. Perhaps I’d never seen this before because this phenomenon only happens when the beach is littered with small pebbles… Whatever the reason, the effect was very elegant and caught me by surprise.

Something about the river behind me caught me by surprise, too. When I looked behind me, I was greeted with a beautiful sight.

Towering high above the river was mountain peak in the distance that, after doing some research, I can only guess is Post Summit (though I can’t confirm that). That wasn’t the surprising bit though. The surprising bit was the…

4. Crystal clear water of the Big Sur River

When I approached the edge of the river, I instantly knew that this river was special. Even as the river dropped off, I could see to the bottom of it easily. The submersion of the two large stones before me almost seemed to be a lie. They seemed way too defined to be underwater… but they were. In fact, if it weren’t for the reflectivity of the water, I could probably have seen the entire riverbed from where I was standing!

I decided to follow the river north, and it soon curved west again and emptied into the ocean as I’d seen before. And where it was emptying into the ocean, I could actually see where the river had eaten into the side of the beach. I can only surmise that, over time as the beach continues to grow, it gets overtaken by the river periodically, only to eventually reform again.

How many times do you think this cycle has occurred? After all, this river had been here, in some form, for thousands of years at the least.

But of course, the most entertaining element in Big Sur region is the…

5. Fascinating Wildlife (Alive or not.)

Near the river, I began to notice some oddly mesmerizing signs of life, the most interesting of which was the dried-up remains of a large pelican. It was spread out, wings slightly open, and its head was resting on its side. The pelican corpse seemed to fit in with the pebble-covered sand perfectly; and, in the strangest way, I found this dead thing aesthetically pleasing to photograph.

Perhaps if anything stays in one place long enough, it starts to look as though it belongs there. I knew I wouldn’t be there for much longer, though. Soon, it would be time to leave, but before I left, I knew I had to make some time to interact with much livelier subjects.

It was then that I began my approach.

I carefully approached a group of perhaps two dozen seagulls standing near the waves. I came closer and closer, seeing how close I could get before they flew off, but they didn’t seem to mind my presence much.

So, in a crazy moment of wild abandon, I charged at the entire flock.

Suddenly, the entire group took off into the air, flew over the ocean, and circled around, most of them landing on an outcropping of rock that was farther out. (The trick to charging a flock of seagulls is to pay close attention to where they flee and have somewhere to take cover. After all, you don’t want poo in your hair… or worse.)

After a few minutes, a few of the seagulls did return to where they’d been standing. Those few were the brave ones; and henceforth they were known as the Bravegulls.

See AMSP & Pfeiffer Burns in 1 Day

I recommend seeing the Andrew Molera State Park (AMSP) if you have time after seeing the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (which is more photogenic and easier to access). In addition to being considered the most reliable surfing area within Big Sur, overall it’s a wonderful place to relax, observe the local wildlife, and simply enjoy the Pacific. And since the AMSP is only a 20 minute drive north from the Pfeiffer Burns Park, it’s easy to visit both on the same day.

I hope you enjoyed this overview of the AMSP. As always, Marco the Spacefarer followed me and appears in each of the 21 photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article.

The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo, but more challenging. If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

And don’t forget to:
Checkout the Andrew Molera State Park photo gallery —>

Next: Last Glimpse of Big Sur (Sunset Timelapse video)

When was the last time you saw a sunset? I mean really saw it. Have you ever seen the last morsel of the sun slowly dip below a watery horizon? See just that in the next article which features a video of an authentic Big Sur sunset…

See what happened next —>

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Andrew Molera State Park gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Review: The Famous McWay Falls of Big Sur
2. Red Rocks Park (& Amphitheater!) Review: Top 3 Stunning Sights
3. Ashland’s Lithia Park Review: 7 Rare Glimpses along my Walking Tour

Today, you will.

By the time I visited the Big Sur region, I’d already been in California for a few weeks, catching up with relatives in the area. And as it turned out, things worked out better than I could have planned. In all her years of living in California, my aunt had never seen the Big Sur region either, so we decided to make a day trip out of it.

We made our way south, down California’s curvy and breathtaking State Route 1 (also called Highway 1), which runs along the California coast for hundreds of miles; and it came up so fast that we nearly passed up the first park I wanted to see: the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, famous for having one of the only two tidefalls in all of Big Sur. (FYI: A tidefall is a waterfall that falls into the ocean.) And even before we crossed over the small bridge near the entrance of the park, we were given a taste of the visual feast to come.

A Taste of What’s To Come

Later on, we realized we could have parked just beyond the bridge, as we saw some other people do, and avoided parking in the (rather expensive) parking area nearby. After all, it’s legal to park on the side of the road, so when you visit, you may want to check to see if any parking is available just beyond the bridge near the entrance of the park.

To reach the lookout point, you walk through a tunnel that leads under the bridge you just drove over before you parked your car. At the end of the tunnel you can go south or north, left or right. I opted to head north first, down the Waterfall Trail to see McWay Falls in all its glory. The trail itself was etched into the side of the hill; and far below me, the blue sea churned and crashed into rocks lying in the middle of the bay below the falls. I wished I could go down to the beach, but because of the sheer cliffs, there was no way to get to get down without climbing gear.

The Stoic Avis

When I reached a vantage point, I noticed a small blue bird sitting perfectly still, perfectly calm on the wooden fence that was the only barrier between me and the seething currents below. The bird didn’t seem concerned about the seething currents below, or anything for that matter. Instead, it preened itself for a moment, and then looked out to the falls. This bird must have been very used to dealing with humans by now. I approached slowly, and when I was only about one meter away, it still stood there, utterly failing to raise the slightest suspicion towards me. So without even using my camera’s zoom lens, I was able to get this gorgeous close shot of him. And as I continued on, the bird still remained there.

The Majesty of McWay

When I reached a more favorable vantage point and looked out at McWay Falls, I became speechless.

I’d seen many photos of McWay Falls before. Heck, I’d even used a photo of the falls as my desktop wallpaper for weeks at a time. But obviously, even the best photo pales in comparison to actually seeing it, which is exactly why you should consider making time to visit Pfeiffer Burns State Park the next time you go to the Golden State.

As you can see from the above photo that I took, this tidefall is absolutely beautiful. The water crashes onto the beach just a few meters from the Pacific Ocean, and the entire scene seems so picturesque almost to the point of being deliberately designed. But the photo above is just a miniscule slice of the whole picture. Sure, the falls themselves are beautiful, but behold how much more extraordinary the scene is when you take it all in at once. I didn’t know it at the time, but that day was my 110th day on the road, and I was about to see what was perhaps the most incredible natural beauty I would see in my entire 150+ day journey.

Taking it All in… At once

At the time, I had no idea this photo would be The One. But the way everything comes together in this picture (the warm tan rocks by the falls, the cool blue bay, and the magenta blooms at the bottom) results in a photo that, out of all the photos I took that day, comes the closest to capturing the dynamic and rare beauty that is within the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. If you haven’t figured it out already, I’ll say it now: The sheer radiance of this place will blow you away.

The Rocky Coastline Northward

McWay Falls, while being the favorite bit I saw that day, is definitely not the only stunning sight you can see at the Pfeiffer Burns Park. As I continued to follow the right-hand path, I came across some spectacular vistas of California’s rocky coastline as it stretched north. These places are on postcards for a reason.

The Mysterious Crumbling Path

In my explorations of the trails, I even tried to reach the falls itself and take a picture from the top if it looking down, but such a trek turned out to be hazardous without climbing gear. However, while I was exploring the area, I did discover a very old path behind the falls that I can only guess once led down to the beach. Except that now, between me and this intriguing path that was neatly carved into the rock, was an impassable ravine. Just beyond where I was standing was a drop off; and about a dozen meters below, water swirled around jagged rocks.

But it looked as though things hadn’t always been this way.

I can only guess that the path was cut off from land-access when the Brown family (who once owned this area and called it Saddle Rock Ranch) gave this land to the people of California as a state park in 1966. According to the agreement, the Brown family requested that beach access be closed off to the public so that it would remain perfectly pristine and beautiful, and indeed it has.

The Cliffs of Insanity are Southward

After I finished photographing the area, I continued wandering around and was pleased to find some well-worn paths that headed south, as well. After passing a bunch of trees that arched over the path like a thatched roof, something scurrying in the sand startled me. What could it be? What if it was a venomous snake? What if the antidote was on backorder?

The small something that was scurrying was actually just a small brown lizard that stood still just long enough for me to photograph it. I felt silly for being caught off guard by such a small creature.

And after all this, I hadn’t even seen half of the entire park. But I’ll leave these sights for you to explore when you arrive there, and instead I’ll leave you with my favorite photo of California’s coast that I took that day. For if you visit McWay Falls, follow the left-hand path, and look south, you will soon see an incredible view of thriving trees (and even houses) that cling to life on the edge of insanely sheer cliffs towering high over the largest ocean on the planet.

And that kind of beauty is what Big Sur is all about.

I hope you enjoyed this overview of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. As always, Marco the Spacefarer followed me and appears in each of the photos in the photo gallery that accompanies this article.

The “Where’s Marco” game is like Where’s Waldo, but more challenging. If you’re new to “Where’s Marco”, learn how to play —>

And don’t forget to:
Checkout the Pfeiffer Burns State Park photo gallery —>

Next: The Time I Charged a gaggle of Seagulls (and lived)

In the next article, we explore the Andrew Molera State Park which turned out to have a lot more in store that I ever would have thought. From mysteriously abandoned huts on the beach to the immaculately clear Big Sur river, there was a lot to explore. And wait until you see the corpse…

See what happened next —>

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Andrew Molera State Park Review: Top 5 Sights
2. Ashland’s Lithia Park Review: 7 Rare Glimpses along my Walking Tour
3. Red Rocks Park (& Amphitheater!) Review: Top 3 Stunning Sights

The wind had changed by mid-August, and after my Portland explorations had come to a close, I made my way south, this time by way of ride share. And little did I know of the vibrant sights and melodies that awaited me.

After briefly jumping off of the freeway and saying goodbye to my ride share partner (whom I consider another craigslist success), I set foot in Ashland, Oregon; and now that I see the whole journey in retrospect, I often suspect if it was all according to some higher plan that I unconsciously decided to step into, because as it turned out, Ashland fit into my journey just as effortlessly as magnets snap together.

And while I was catching up with some relatives, I learned about Lithia Park, a park that I would soon discover was a centerpiece of the city itself, a centerpiece that I would soon learn might just as well be called the Jewel of Southern Oregon.

Heading to Lithia Park on Foot

Even the walk to Lithia Park was overflowing with green, radiant life. Apparently, late summer is the perfect time to photograph plants in Ashland, because everything seemed to be in bloom. It was the perfect time to explore Ashland on foot. In fact, I was shocked to see how cultivated some of the streets were. As you can see from the photo to the right, you can’t walk down the street in Ashland in the summer without feeling close to nature.

Not unlike Madison in Wisconsin, Ashland is what I would call “cozy-sized”, meaning it’s somewhere between the size of a sprawling metropolis (like Chicago or New York) and a small town. Cozy-sized cities are usually diverse enough to have lots of places to explore, but are small enough to make it pretty easy to walk anywhere within the city. And it didn’t take long to reach the entrance to Lithia Park which was marked by a sign with dozens of bright flowers growing below it. Nearby was a plaque with a map on it, and in the distance I heard faint music.

What makes for a Richer Experience?

The plaque explained some of park’s history, including a very interesting bit about the park’s landscape architect. Apparently, in 1914 the Park Commission engaged John McLaren, who was also the landscape architect of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, to design improvements to Lithia Park. (And, in just a few weeks time, I would have the opportunity to explore that park, as well.)

The point being, they didn’t just hire Bob Joe Landscaping, Inc. to design the park. Far from it, Ashland’s Park Commission recruited some of the very best talent to design what has become a treasure trove of biodiversity in the area. Smart move, Ashland.

After passing the Meyer Memorial Lake, I discovered the source of the beautiful music I’d heard before. To the side of the main path, sitting under a million verdant leaves, was a man playing an exquisitely-crafted cello. Just as the jazz concert had made exploring the International Rose Test Gardens an even richer experience, the presence of his music made appreciating the natural wonders of the park even more enjoyable. After taking a couple minutes to capture that moment with my camera, I gave him some encouraging words and continued down the path.

Yoga under a Red Oak

And so, I began wandering though the park. I soon realized that you couldn’t throw a stick without hitting 17 different types of trees all beside one another, each having a numbered sign below them explaining exactly what they were and what made them unique. From the towering Black Oaks to Ponderosa Pines, this park had an impressive level of diversity for belonging to a city of less than 25,000 people.

Under one red oak, a man dressed in red rested in the shade. Nearby, a woman did what looked like yoga under the warm sun. The air was sweet, the temperature was perfect, and the sky was singing.

From Roman Fountains to Van Houtte

I continued heading south, deeper into the park; and I soon came across a Roman-looking fountain. Doesn’t it look like something out of a Tolkien book? A plaque at its base explained that it was dedicated to John Fregonese who restored the fountain in 1987. I looked down into the water and wasn’t surprised to see a few bucks worth of change at the bottom. What is this strange human compulsion to throw money into bodies of water? Do they really think it grants their wishes? Alas, I digress…

Everywhere I looked, there seemed to be some kind of tree or shrub that I’d never seen before, not that I’d necessarily have a reason to before that moment. After all, I’m no botanist. The English Holly tree (pictured above) stood out to me though. It had vibrant little green berries which were almost certainly poisonous to humans. There was also a purple-leaved plum tree whose leaves were maroon even though it wasn’t autumn, and an amusingly-named “Vanhoutte Spiraea” hybrid shrub.

Vanhoutte? Really? Like Karl Van Houtte?

Then again, considering “van hout” means “wood” in Dutch, perhaps they were simply at a loss for what to name a mere tree.

Is it graffiti or art?

A few minutes later, I came across an interesting piece of what I’ll call art (though you may disagree with me) scrawled onto a nearby shaded seating area. It consisted one arrow pointing up, conveniently marked as “down”, and one arrow pointing down, marked as “up”; and the words “time to rethink” were written between the two arrows.

Now, I usually find graffiti to be an eyesore and thoroughly annoying, but this one was different. I liked how its white ink complemented its surroundings, but I liked how it challenged my perspective even more. Who was I to say which way was truly up or truly down?

After all, there is no up or down in space, and aren’t you (and everyone else) hurtling through space as you read this?

The Wonders of the Japanese Garden

Near to this unusually thought-provoking piece of art was a small Japanese Garden that was nestled within Lithia Park, and even though it wasn’t nearly as large as the Lan Su Garden in Portland, it was a good size relative to the rest of the park. Sure, it didn’t have the range of species and architecture that the Lan Su Garden in Portland had, but it didn’t have the space for all of that, either. And let’s not forget, unlike the Lan Su Garden, this garden relies entirely on public funding, which also allows it to be available to the public free of charge.

Considering those circumstances, it was done quite well; and, after being foiled by a small bird who refused to be photographed, I came across a lovely Fullmoon Maple tree (pictured above) which stood out to me as one of the more beautiful and colorful specimens of Japanese horticulture in the garden. See how the leaves turn reddish on the edges? That coloring is normal for the summer, so just imagine how it must look in autumn!

The Path to Joy and Unity

On my way out, I noticed that, although over an hour had gone by, the man playing the cello was still hard at work, and I hoped that he had gotten more tips in the time I’d been exploring this jewel of southern Oregon.

Clearly, I’d just seen the most beautiful part of the city, but on my way back to my cousin’s place, I noticed something that nudged me to use my camera one last time before leaving Ashland and continuing on to the Golden State.

As I was walking back, I noticed a path leading under a bridge. At the head of the path was a sign that read “The Path to Joy and Unity”, and beyond it I could see paintings on the ceiling of the bridge. I couldn’t resist. I followed the path and discovered some great paintings on display, including a huge montage of Emperor penguins and Polar bears playing in a snowy landscape. I realized this was an outdoor gallery of sorts, and I continued to follow the path which led me out from under the bridge and back into daylight. At the end of the path was a huge wooden statue that reminded me of a totem pole (pictured to the right). As you can see, the statue was pretty epic, and it was an excellent way to finish off my explorations of Ashland.

The Lowdown on What’s Up

If you’re visiting Ashland or even if you’re just passing through, I highly recommend taking some time to visit Lithia Park. It’s beautiful, it’s family-friendly (there’s even a fantastic children’s play area), and it’s free. Whether you stop to snack in the shade of a Red Oak, stretch beside a spiraea shrub, or sit in silence, I can’t think of a better place in the area to sit down and reconnect with nature. After all, where else in Oregon can you see this much biodiversity, have your perspective challenged by graffiti, and possibly even hear Bach cello suites being played in the distance?

And if you’re really brave, don’t just sit in the shade or walk around. Instead, why not hang upside down on one of the trees? After all, isn’t it time we rethink what’s up and what’s down?

Oh, and that sneak we all know as Marco continued to follow me all the way to Ashland. I did some looking around, and this sneaky devil seems to be easier to find in these photos than in past trips. Perhaps he wants to be found? Remember, only 7 photos of the park were included in this article, and a lot more gorgeous photos are in the photo gallery that accompanies it:

Checkout the Lithia Park photo gallery (and find Marco) —>
If you’re new to “Where’s Marco?”, learn how to play —>

Next: The Wonders of Big Sur & McWay Falls

Have you ever seen life cling to wind-torn rocks towering high over the ocean? Big Sur brought these stunning sights and much more. And in the next article, we visit Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, where I captured breathtaking views of McWay Falls as it crashes down into the Pacific Ocean below:

Come with me, to McWay Falls —>

— — —
All photos from this event are in the Lithia Park gallery. All photos in the Byteful Gallery are under a Creative Commons license. With so much free content on Byteful Travel, why not tell a friend?

Or select a city to explore its attractions:

Read related articles

1. Top 5 Portland Sights from a Remarkable Walking Tour & The View from Big Pink
2. Andrew Molera State Park Review: Top 5 Sights
3. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Review: The Famous McWay Falls of Big Sur