From Drag racing to RedwoodsI cannot help myself. Mustangs grab me

I cannot help myself. Mustangs just grab me.

And this one is for William Tesner in Cape Town!

I never thought I would ever see a live Ford Torino Snake. This one is a beauty and super fast too. 10.601 seconds over a 1/4 Mile.

A Mustang smoking the tyres before lift-off.

This Mustang was super fast!

Almost missed him! Simon taking off for a 15.6.

This building in Berkeley has been wrapped in steel as an attempt to prevent earthquake damage

Entrance to UCLA Berkeley

Berkeley Athltics track. Rather a strange colour!

The Berkeley Campus Campanile. Bells ring on the hour and a long session at noon.

Two unusual old growth trees on the campus. Beautiful. The trunks are massive.

New Football stadium.

New artificial Rugby surface made specifically for rugby. No 'grass' burns on this surface. We met the rugby coaches and they want young South African Rugby players with good grades to come to Berkeley. Come on SACSies!

Simon Scott ('08) knows what this is. Do you?

Up into the hills of San Francisco with Marek ('79) and Mel Dutciewicz and the Redwood forest. Not the gigantic ones, just big ones in the hills.

Marek and Mel up ahead as we climb to the view oint

Looking up into a Redwood in San Francisco Hills.

Mel gives some idea of the scale of these 'small' Redwoods!

Looking accross from the viewpoint. Typical San Francisco fog rolling in off the Pacific Ocean

Thick moss on a tree trunk. It is a rain forest after all.

Unusual tree trunk

Could have filmed 'Lord of the Rings' here!

Castle Rock is aptly named.

Visit to the amazing SF Google Campus with Mel and Marek. Taken around by Sean Boyce who is in engineering development. He just said "I cannot tell you" to all we asked. Highly secretive!

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Yay!

Healdsburg at last and a unique little bakery/restaurant for Brunch with Graham and Nikki Weerts.

Many American Craft/Hunting/Gun shops have these huge murals painted on them. All very patriotic and some quite beautiful.

Graham's tasting room for Stonestreet Wines in Healdsburg

Unique wall decor in the Tasting Room. All the objects, leaves, grasses, skeletons, branches, etc on this wall, come off the farm.

A view accross the Tasting Room. The huge diagonal steel beams are for earthquake proofing as this is on the San Andreas Fault line!

One of Grahams best and most productive vineyards way up in the hills on the Kendal-Jackson estate. As far as you can see in the backgrouns, is all part of it to the far hills. Graham is responsible for all the vineyards and production now as well as being the Chief Winemaker.

Looking West

Looking South

Looking East.

Graham in one of the cellars with wood and stainless steel vats

For the very special Kendal-Jackson wines

Unusual concrete 'egg' vats. Keep the temperature constant.

Passing view of the cellar. Great thanks to Graham for taking me for miles accross the estate and for Graham and Nikki for being amazing, generous and kind hosts. They cured a little homesickness with a braai to inaugurate the new braai at their new home in Healdsburg California

Some idea of the majestic size of an old growth Redwood standing sentinal next to the road. Totally awesome.

Another massive Giant Redwood 

Even a Ford Explorer can squeeze through this tree!

The Camry about to make its entrance!

This was the seminal moment of my trip, observing, being awe-struck, touching and being filled with the spirituality of these giant pre-historic trees. It is an overwhelming and emotional experience never to be forgotten and never to be taken lightly or for granted. I still say that wherever we go we must plant trees and lots of them. They will be our saviour if we believe and allow them to be. But, we need millions of them. Start planting now even if only your children or grand children get to see them as giants. Not plantations, forests. Not Palm oil trees, but diversity for the wildlife to flourish again. Do it in our gardens, office blocks, at our schools, on our farms in the parks and open ground of the neighbourhoods, on the sidewalks just everywhere you can. Plant trees.

The journey continues.

San Luis Obispo with Paul and Lorna Texiera and beyond.

Main shopping street in San Luis Obispo, California. Little like Knysna

The stream running through the centre of town

Waterfront in Murro Bay near SLO. Quaint shops and some nice restaurants and a nursery full of Aloes and 'vetplante' from the Western Cape. Awesome. Bought some for Paul.

Yachts moored at the Waterfront and the bluff in the background.

So much like the Garden Route. Pretty uncanny. Beautiful farmlands

Bluegum trees just like in the Western Cape. Beautiful dark soil for vegetables and Strawberries

More scenery similar to the Boland

Looking accross toward Murro Bay. Lagoon in the forground

South of Murro Bay in the Reserve. Like driving to Cape Point. The waves roll in accross the Pacific.

Closer view of the Bluff. Shingle/pebble beach

Standing on a reef extending out into the Pacific. Small rollers coming in

More scenery like the Garden Route.

One of two small studio's built from scrap Corrugated Iron and timber by Paul and Lorna

The second Studio building. So ingenious and pleasing to the eye.

One of the many Aloe plants going into the Courtyard garden at Paul's Physical Therapy practice

Lorna sealing the ceiling boards for the two Studios and on the cellphone helping daughter Petra with an English project on Metaphors at the same time

The unfinished Courtyard Garden by Lorna and Paul

A wall constructed from discarded fence timber and scrap steel. Very rustic and pleasing to the eye

Interior shot of the ceiling of Paul's practice. All the pipes and ducts are exposed and the celing is plywood with a high gloss finish

This is the lounge area of one of the 4 apartments behind Paul's practice. I styaed in this one. Very Scandinavian feel.

The Kitchen of my apartment with a resurrected old gas range and cupboards

Pretty large and very comfortable bed and some original paintings

1950's bathroom finish

The view from my apartment dining area out to Monterrey Avenue, SLO

Mexican style reinforced concrete 'Webr' Braai with a turning vent on top. Great steak came out of this

Reminder of the gabion structures along the road from Camps Bay to Hout Bay. Paul and Lorna made them to shore up the embankment

Paul and I with our 'tipples'.

Lorna's magic kitchen in their 'home made' home. Paul's brother Simon made the concrete counter top.

Paul constructed this bed with some very heavy lengths of timber from the roof structure

Hollow core surfboard of 1960's style. Just superb craftsmanship by an old board builder in SLO

My apartment in Paul's complex from the road side. More recycled boards on the wooden fence

Exterior of the fence alongside the Garden Courtyard

Elephant seals near the ott Hearst Castle. They are HUGE!

Pacific Coastline on USA 1

USA 1

USA 1

USA 1 on the way down to the coastal plain

Another shot of the Elephant seals on the beach

The drive from San Luis Obispo to Berkeley was spectacular even through Santa Cruz and the mountain raod to San Francisco. Only took six and a half hours. Easy drive other than two motorists who should hand in their drivers licences as I reckon they are too sh*t scared to drive. Every curve, every minute change of direction and the brakes were jammed on full force. Made for some colourful thoughts about what I may have done to him if I had a FORD F-350 Supercharged 6.3 Litre Turbo Diesel V8 with a full bumber kit in front!

Reached Berkeley at 3.30 pm and we left for Sonoma Raceway to go and Drag! The journey continues