A grand day out
2005-02-06 05:13:43.181879+00 by Dan Lyke 0 comments
This morning Charlene said "I need a vacation, where can we go?" So we
looked in a couple of books, and picked Castle Rock State Park. Had a great hike
down to the waterfall and back up through the boulder field to Castle
Rock itself. Lots of folks out climbing, and the view from the
waterfall out towards Goat Rock reminded me a lot of Chattanooga, with
all of the fantastic sandstone crags out in that area.
I didn't bring along a tripod, so there were some "could be great art" shots that were handheld way too long, but we were there to be in the day.
On the way back down from the Santa Cruz mountains, we saw the sign to Hakone Gardens, and on a whim pulled in there. Cringed a little bit at the $7 parking fee, but... it was well worth it. The best Japanese garden we've ever wandered through. A great bamboo grove, with all sorts of different bamboo, the fish pond was truly spectacular, and even in this season, before the flowers, there was some good foliage. Highly recommended.
We stopped for dinner in Saratoga. an extremely yuppie tourist town. Walked past a coffee shop that served $7 green salads, several art galleries, two restaurants that wanted $20 for a plate of pasta, antique shops, and there, nestled amongst the day spas was the "Saratoga Rose International Gourmet Market #2". A Persian deli that had a few tables in the middle for "eat here". Very yummy, and highly recommended if you ever find yourself there.