The Washington's Mansion in Mt. Vernon

This was not our first visit to the mansion. We had the mansion walkthrough visit few years back, but we thought of signing up for another same tour, but this time, more locations to visit included in our itinerary.

We started the mansion tour at 10:50AM and it was a fast paced tour because of a growing crowd! Most of the tour inside wasn't guided but just a quick-paced glimpse of the various rooms and kitchen.

This mansion became the beloved home of George and Martha Washington after they got married in 1759 until George Washington's death in 1799.

Did you know that in 1799, there were at least more than 300 men and women and children enslaved at Mt. Vernon? They were the ones who worked mostly within the estate including farmers, carpenters, cooks, and cleaners for the Washington family.

George Washington wasn't happy about the institution of slavery, so after the Revolutionary War, he had questioned it. Ultimately, he freed 123 slaves he owned outright! The rest still remained slaves including Martha Washington's descendants!

The tour is also a visit to more than a dozen outbuildings that includes slave quarters, kitchen, blacksmith shop and stables.

Also, the tomb of both George & Martha lies within the property near other family members in the tomb. It was completed in 1831. There is also an original burial vault located nearby (no photo, sorry).

Another place worth visiting is the distillery & gristmill close by, located 3 miles from the estate. You need transportation to visit the site if you are strictly on a scheduled trip.

The gristmill was built of a large stone built in 1771. It produced flour & cornmeal and was exported as high-quality products. In 1797, a distillery was built adjacent to the gristmill which became a successful producer of rye whiskey and other distilled products in 1799. Both buildings used technologies that were cutting edge in the late 1700's, and still fully functional and reconstructed.

An Afternoon Visit at The Palace of Fine Arts

One of the mostly recommended places to visit when you're in San Francisco is the Palace of Fine Arts in the marina district of San Francisco, California. It is specifically located on Baker St., at the eastern edge of the Presidio and at least 2.5 miles west of Fisherman's Wharf and 3 miles northwest of Union Square. It has a tranquil lagoon filled with variety of birds and even turtles.

It was originally erected for the Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915 for the purpose of artwork exhibits.

The palace is only one of the few surviving structures from the Exposition when the original palace was demolished in 1964.

One of the main reasons why it became one of the tourist's main attraction is its Greek-architectural style colonnades with soaring central rotunda which became as its most recognizable features, and mostly easily seen from San Francisco's northern skyline.

The place is even famous for wedding events and other special gatherings, so don't be surprised if there are ones you see while you're visiting. 😊

Also, another interesting thing to note is that the Palace of the Fine Arts has been locations of movie shoots from the year 1950's and later.

Up to this day, the palace has been San Francisco's favorite landmark to love! No wonder, it's got breath taking views you'll ever cherish after your visit.

The Magnificent Scenic Drive Along Avenue of the Giants

At last, as we reached California from our Oregon road trip, we got to experience sight seeing along this world famous scenic and magnificent 31-mile drive!

The good thing was, we took time enjoying these 51,222 acres of redwood groves by stopping over and took so many photos as much as we did!

Amazing! Our Creator deserves to be praised because of these majestic trees standing gallantly in the entire 500 mile redwood belt.

This scenic drive is about 200 miles north of San Francisco and 100 miles south of the Oregon boarder. It is a 31-mile country road that intersects Highway 101 and is easily accessible with convenient services provided along the way.

This location has also some picnic areas, camping, hiking, swimming, fishing, rafting, biking or just a place where you can enjoy and experience serenity amidst the cool hush of these ancient old growth forests.

Experiencing The Tour-Thru Tree!

There is a tour-thru tree in Klamath, California which is a privately-owned toruist attraction. It was purposely created for tourists who want to have a unique experience of driving through a healthy, living Redwood tree. (Sorry, not in the photos, coz I was the photographer...😞

This tour-thru tree is approximately 785 years old. It was burned in the past but survived. When the area was logged in 1967, it was spared due to its gigantic size, then a tunnel was made through the tree until it was completed in May 1976 then it opened to the public the following month.

The tree has an opening of 2.23 meters wide and 2.90 meters high which enables passages of even bigger vehicles like vans, pick ups and even those with car top luggage carriers.

Take Note: if your vehicle has rigid extended mirrors or extra wide tires, it would NOT go through!

The tree is also 17 feet in diameter at eye level and is about 90 feet tall to the point where the top was blown off. The side branches has an overall height of 183 feet! So, go figure! 😁😉

A Wonderful Experience at Trees of Mystery & Sky Trail

The Trees of Mystery is an easy-access attraction in Klamath, California along US Highway 101. It is located in between the huge Redwood National State Parks with lots of things to be done and enjoy.

At the entrance is the big statue of Paul Bunyan; - the legendary man from whom the trail of tall tales is devoted to his folklore and his unique adventures reflected in giant redwood carvings done with a chainsaw.

The end of the trail museum is also located on the entrance area which is a native American museum that displays one of the finest private artifact collections in the world. Entrance is free to visit the museum.

Take note: There is a lot of walking if you are thinking of going on the Main Trail which is at least 8 miles. Be sure you have a good plan when it comes to going and coming back (that would be 16 miles of walk total), and the Sky Trail is only until 5pm. This is only if you have a plan of completing the walk along the Main Trail.

If you think you are running out of time to catch the Sky Trail, shuttle service is available between the courtyard at the gift shop and Brotherhood Station. Be sure to ask at the front desk of the gift shop about their shuttle service. 

You can either ride the shuttle to and from the Brotherhood station (this is where the embarkation area for Sky Trail is), or ride one way.

If you want to experience gliding through the forest canopy, try the Sky Trail, - a 7-9 minute-ride in an enclosed 6-passenger gondola to Ted's Ridge. You can see gorgeous views here from the observation deck.

The Sky Trail gives you a bird's eye view of the redwoods as you also witness these magnificent tree formations, shapes and sizes. Amazing!!😍

From Ted's Ridge, there is a mile walk going down through the Trees of Mystery where you can see the largest tree on the property called "The Brotherhood Tree." As you continue to explore, you will witness various extraordinary specimens of redwood trees of which are highlighted along the trail with informational displays and audio presentations. You will see the Cathedral tree, - one of the most majestic trees of all, with 9 living trees growing as one in a cathedral formation! In fact, many weddings and Easter services are being held in this area quite often!

The Sea Lion Caves; - A Must See Adventure!

While traveling the Oregon coast, don't miss dropping by at the Sea Lion Caves in Florence, OR along Highway 101.

It is here where you can witness the natural and wild habitat of the sea lions where not only you can enjoy but for your little tots as well!

These sea lions (also called Stella sea lions) are warm-blooded mammals and are wild, so their manners are often unpredictable when it comes to choosing their place to stay. They can make their homes either inside the cave and/or outside on top of rocks. If you will be lucky enough to get the chance to see them hanging out inside the cave, then you are allowed to join the tour going to elevator which carries you down more than 200 feet into the world's largest cave!

These caves are formed over 25 million years ago, soaring as high as a 12-story building and as wide as a football field. It has been taken with great care and undisturbed for these magnificent creatures to enjoy their habitat!

courtesy photo of sealioncaves.com

So, if you are both a nature and animal lover, this place is a "must-see" as you will be seeing the sea lions in their natural home!

The Sea Lion Caves is also open year round and is considered to be the "treasure of the Oregon Coast", and America's largest sea cave!

Don't forget to bring your camera and don't miss taking your photos with the sea lion sculpture, or perhaps some "neighbors" that sometimes hang out close to the caves such as the Cormorants or Guillemot pigeons; - or perhaps take lots of scenic vistas, including the Heceta Head Lighthouse from the north of the caves.

There are still many ways to see various things and wonderful views, as well as hearing delightful sounds as you slowly walk along a gently-sloping walkways! 😊👌😉🌸

The Astoria Column

If you are on a road trip to Oregon Coast, don't forget to visit the Astoria Column in Astoria, Oregon. It is located at Coxcomb Hill off 16th St.

The Column towers all above Astoria and is the most ideal spot to get a panoramic view of the ocean, rivers and mountains.

As part of our road trip, we dropped by there as our first stop during our Oregon Coast road trip going to our final destination; - SFO! 😊

An important note though, - don't dare going there on a foggy day (as we did, - actually we didn't know it was foggy on the area). We were not so fortunate enough to see the views, and the column was not even open for going up to the observation deck.

If the column is open to the public, visitors can go inside through a spiral staircase of 164 steps going up the observation deck. It has an elevation of 600 ft. with a depth foundation of 12 feet. It was dedicated on July 22, 1926, and further had undergone repairs, restorations and upgrades from 1936-2016 including its plaza.

The murals on the column are images of events between 1792-1818 reflecting historical milestones during the pivotal years in Astoria's history.

Astoria Column is rich in history you wouldn't want to miss! Discover more of it as you visit!