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.