Point Sur Lightstation--A Mystical Sentinel Located High on a Big Sur Rock

Lighthouses are mystical sentinels, charged with a singular purpose: to guide passing ships through treacherous waters into safe harbors. They stand in solitude, often perched on remote cliffs amid hostile environments. They emanate a haunting splendor and evoke fascination through the many stories told by the men and women who lived the keeper’s life.

The beautiful California coastline is dominated by towering cliffs and rocky shores. Navigating the Pacific Ocean’s treacherous surf along its jagged shoreline was a formidable challenge for mariners. Point Sur Lightstation in Big Sur is one of those mystical sentinels, commissioned to guide the state's merchant traffic safely to their destination.

Point Sur Lightstation is literally located on a solitary 361-foot volcanic rock connected to the Big Sur coast by a short strip of sandy land and rocks. Money was allocated for Point Sur in 1886 to build the light station. Three years later, on August 1, 1889, the light station keys were turned over to the first keeper. He and three assistants staffed the lighthouse and fog signal 24 hours a day.

The four keepers and their families lived an isolated life. The trail to Monterey was long and often treacherous, so trips were rare. The U.S. Lighthouse Service provided a horse and wagon to get mail and supplies from Pfeiffer's Resort. Each family was allotted a garden area for fresh vegetables. Bulk supplies such as coal, firewood, animal feed, and some food came on a lighthouse tender' about every four months. One function of these long, broad ships was to service remote light stations inaccessible by land.

Like most remote lightstations, Point Sur was very self-sufficient. As the years passed, life became increasingly less isolated at Point Sur, specially following the completion of Highway 1 in 1937. Two years later, the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for all aids-to-navigation. Lighthouse Service employees were absorbed into the new program and allowed to become either members of the U.S. Coast Guard or remain civil service employees.

In the 1960s, the U.S. Coast Guard began automating lightstations in an effort to make more efficient use of their personnel. In 1974, the last keeper left Point Sur. Today a U.S. Coast Guard crew services the lighthouse regularly.

The Point Sur Lightstation originally contained a first-order Fresnel lens. Light from Point Sur's Fresnel lens was visible for 23 nautical miles. The lens was in use until the 1970s when it was replaced by a modern aero beacon mounted on the roof of the fog signal room. The lens remained in the lighthouse tower until 1978, when it was disassembled and transported to the Allen Knight Maritime Museum of Monterey for display. The aero beacon was later moved into the lighthouse tower. The aero beacon was eventually replaced by an LED light presently mounted on the outside rail of the lighthouse and flashes every 15 seconds.

The tour operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is $20 for adults. Visitors enter through a gate on Highway 1, opened by one of the tour guides. The view of the massive, distant rock crowned by the light station is spectacular. After passing through the gate, you drive down a long road flanked by a beach on one side and rocky terrain on the other, arriving at the base of the rock where you park your car. The guide begins the tour here and, following opening remarks, leads the group up the winding road that ascends the rock, stopping at select locations to discuss its construction and share stories of its formidable history.

On the ocean side of the rock, the road splits—one branch leading to the lightstation complex atop the summit, the other crossing a bridge to the lighthouse perched on the edge. The lighthouse was our first stop. As we stood beneath the towering beacon near its entrance, overlooking the ocean crashing far below against rocks teeming with barking seals, the guide described the light keeper’s duties and the operation of the Fresnel lens. We entered and ascended the circular staircase to the lantern room, where we gathered for more historical insight, then stepped onto the lantern deck outside for a sweeping 360-degree view from the top. After descending and exiting, we entered an adjoining building that housed a museum.

We then followed the guide up a long stairway to the summit, where we found a large barn, a building filled with carpenter tools and a blacksmith shop, a water tower, a garden area, and two houses—one for the keeper and his family, and the other, larger house for his three assistants and their families. We toured the keeper’s residence but did not enter the assistants’ quarters. The guide informed us that the assistants’ house was haunted, and that every Halloween it is decorated and opened to the public for a good scare. The lightstation is also one of the best places to view the whale migrations, which include the giant blue whale at 110 feet. After paying the $20 in the gift shop, we descended the long road back to our cars.

The tour’s history is intriguing, and the panoramic views from both the lighthouse and the summit complex are spectacular. The ascent up the 361-foot rock is challenging—best suited for the sure-footed and hearty—but well worth the effort. The guides are personable and informative. The tour lasts three hours and is packed with rich detail. The light station embodies everything one might expect from a California lighthouse. The gray, cement-blocked lighthouse structure exudes a mystical presence, and the surrounding complex carries a haunting allure.

Points of interest:

Notable shipwreck - Ventura 1875. Notable wreck - the dirigible U.S.S. Macon crashed and sank.

Admission:

Adults - $20, Ages 6-17 - $10, Ages 5 and under free.

Moonlight Tours - $30

Halloween Tour - October 18 and October 25, 2025 at 5:30pm

Tour Schedule:

Saturday and Sunday - 10am

Wednesday - 1pm

Information:

(831) 625-4419

Napa Valley's Impressive Castle Winery Near Calistoga--Castello di Amorosa

Castles are fascinating structures of antiquity that have withstood the test of time. Their battery towers and massive walls were constructed from one of earth's more durable materials, stone. The landscape they dominated, was its kingdom. Due to these attributes, they became symbols of protection, wealth, and power. On the outskirts of Calistoga in Napa Valley, you are offered an opportunity to tour a modern-day castle patterned after a medieval-style Tuscan castle, which also happens to be a winery.

Castello di Amorosa is the realization of an all-consuming passion for fourth generation winemaker Dario Sattu. Dario's interest in medieval architecture inspired the blueprints for his visionary undertaking. He spent two decades searching for a dream property in the Napa Valley, and in 1993, he finally found an ideal parcel consisting of 171 acres near Calistoga. The parcel contained acres of beautiful forest and hills, a stream and a lake, and a great Victorian home. His vision to specialize in making small lots of primarily Italian-style wines and showcase them in an authentic, medieval castle setting where they would be sold directly to the public, not in stores or restaurants, was now ready to materialize.

Dario began work on his architectural masterpiece. It took more than 8,000 tons of hand-chiseled local stone and nearly one million antique bricks imported from Europe to complete the castle. More than 200 containers of old materials and furnishings were shipped over from Europe to decorate the interior. There are 2,000-pound hand-hewn doors. All ironwork including lamps, gates, and door hardware was hand-forged by Italian artisans. The construction took 15 years. Upon completion, Castello di Amorosa had all the elements of an authentic medieval castle: a moat, drawbridge, five towers, high defensive ramparts, courtyards and loggias, a chapel, stables, an armory, and even a torture chamber. It contains 107 rooms in total with 95 devoted to winemaking, no rooms alike.

The sprawling castle grounds have a genuine Tuscan feel, beautifully landscaped with views of its expansive vineyards. To enter the castle, you ascend a long run of stone stairs, where at the top you cross through an arched entry and immediately step back in time on the noble quest of finding the perfect wine. Its majestic courtyard is surrounded by walls of hand-squared stone and ancient brick, Tuscan-style breezeways and loggias, and table settings for wine tastings. The Great Hall is the highest-appointed and most sought-after room with hand-painted Italian-style frescoes and a 500-year-old Umbrian fireplace. The impressive Grand Barrel Room is 12,000 square feet of 40 ribbed, Roman cross-vaults all constructed from ancient brick shipped from Europe. Other notable rooms include the Chapel, Royal Apartment, Terrace, Wine Library, and Torture Chamber.

Castello di Amorosa offers five tastings and tours. We chose the Seated Tasting Experience for $60 per person featuring five highly acclaimed Reserve and Current-Release wines. We were free to explore the castle on our own with roaming access to the Courtyard, Truncated tower, Chapel, Great Hall, and Knights Hall Gift shop. Although not on the list, we did get to see the torture chamber. The wines were all very good. The list of Italian style-wines includes Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Pinot Bianco, Sangiovese, La Castellana, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Access to the castle, tours, and tastings are open to visitors with reservations only.

Castello di Amorosa means Castle of Love. Ascend the stone stairs, cross through the castle's arched entrance, and step back in time where you will be surrounded by the aura of the 14th century. Experience winemaking and wine tasting at its best while royally soaking in the opulence and mystery of castle life. You will love your visit to Dario Sattu's impressive Tuscan-style winery in Napa Valley near Calistoga.

4045 Saint Helena Hwy, Calistoga, CA

Immerse Yourself into an Unforgettable California Spectacle--Pacific Grove's Famous Winter Residents

Each winter, east of the Rockies, millions of Monarch Butterflies migrate to the fir forests of Mexico's Central Highlands in the Sierra Madre mountains in the states of Mexico and Michoacán, west of Mexico City, the place where they winter from October to late March. West of the Rockies, they will migrate to the eucalyptus trees in California's Pacific Grove near the Point Pinos Lighthouse. I have seen it. It is an awe-inspiring sight.

Looking up from the ground below the tree's outstretched branches, you view what you think are its leaves, but you notice something out of the ordinary. As you zoom in with the telescopic lens of your camera, an extraordinary spectacle comes into focus. You are treated to a vision of a restless sea of orange and black clinging to the canopy of leaved branches. The brilliantly colored Monarch Butterfly is among the most easily recognizable butterfly species that call North America home.

The Monarch Butterfly is a work of art. The wingspan of a full-grown adult can reach nearly five inches. If one of these soft denizens of the air landed on your hand, you would barely notice it. They are as light as a feather. Yet, they can navigate winds that would challenge your steady balance. These beautiful and delicate creatures are a marvel of technological miracles and achieve a feat no human can do without the assistance of instrumentation to guide them. They often go unnoticed by us humans until they begin their monumental migration, a time when you will see hundreds of them flying through your neighborhoods.

With no training, no map, and using a brain about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen, the Eastern Monarch Butterfly makes the epoch journey from Canada to the small patch of forest in Mexico. How does this astounding insect find its way? It utilizes a built-in solar compass.

Up to four generations will make the journey north from spring to summer. Each generation will travel several hundred miles, lay eggs, and die, typically living from 2 to 6 weeks. While consecutive short-lived generations make the journey north, the season's last generation will complete the entire trip back to its place of origin in Mexico all on its own.

How does the last generation know it is time to leave? Its biological clock tells it the time has come. It stops laying eggs, builds muscle, and stores fat. As a result of this process, it grows larger, flies ten times as far, and lives eight times as long as the previous generations, up to 8 to 9 months longer. It is a butterfly super-generation.

Next, its solar compass heading flips from north to south, and it begins its way back to a place it had never been to or seen. After a two-month journey and up to 3000 miles, millions of them arrive at the exact location where their spring relatives wintered and began the seasonal odyssey north.

The Monarch Butterfly and its migration did not slowly evolve over time, it was ingeniously designed. It is the only butterfly known to make a two-way migration similar to birds, aside from the Painted Lady Butterfly. Unlike other butterflies, which can overwinter as larvae, pupae, or even as adults in some species, Monarchs cannot survive the cold winters of northern climates. Therefore, it has no predecessor and no equal.

Summing up, there is no truer defining statement about this ingeniously designed creature than these words, "But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you; Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; And the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this?" (Job 12:7-9 NKJV) The very first Monarch Butterfly ever to exist was imprinted with its vital genetic code by God at its creation.

I encourage you to take a trip some opportune day to the shores of the Pacific Ocean in California and stand under the tall trees of Pacific Grove. There you will see a spectacle seen nowhere in the world, other than in the Sierra Madres of Mexico's Central Highlands. You will be immersed in an unforgettable vision of a restless sea of orange and black clinging to the leaved branches of the eucalyptus tree, the winter home and origin of the majestic Monarch Butterfly.

Monarch Grove Sanctuary is at 1073 Lighthouse Avenue. With the entrance located just off Lighthouse Avenue, the city park is open from sunrise to sundown and is free for all visitors. The best time to see the monarchs is noon to 3:00 p.m. when the sun is shining brightest on their trees and when a docent is always on duty.

Bodega Bay--The Place Where The Birds Rule And The Gateway To The Sonoma Coast

"It's the end of the world," said the man sitting at the end of the bar with a capricious smile and a drink in his hand. The place was Tides Restaurant and Bar located in Bodega Bay, CA. It was a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock classic thriller "The Birds."

Bodega Harbor was the place where Melanie Daniels(Tippi Hedren) was unexplainably attacked by a lone seagull while heading towards a dock in an outboard motor boat where her love interest, Mitch Brenner(Rod Taylor), awaited her arrival. The Tides Restaurant and Bar was where Mitch took Melanie to care for her bleeding head. Later, at the same restaurant, a debate ensued between some of the patrons as to the strange behavior of the birds. "Not likely," said a bird lover and amateur ornithologist concerning the likelihood of a bird exhibiting violent tendencies towards humans.

Birds have been known to swoop down on cats and even people, if they consider them a threat to their nests. I have been a witness to such curious behavior. There have been times when I have observed a little bird menacing another bigger bird for some reason unknown to me, but to attack a human without provocation, that would be out of character in the world of birds. On one occasion, I was dive bombed by some seagulls while eating at Disney's Magic Kingdom in Orlando, but the birds were more interested in the food I was holding than taking out some anonymous vendetta against me. The family owned parakeets when I was just a toddler. I don't particularly recall any malevolent behavior on their part. Although, when it sat on my shoulder, it would peck my ear. It was somewhat bossy at times. Always told me to take out the garbage. Should I have been concerned?

As the movie progressed, the attacks from our fine feathered friends became more frequent and vicious. If you dare to watch the movie at some point in time you may want to close your eyes when Mitch's mother visits a neighbor friend. It isn't a pretty sight. Then, there was the scene after the crows attacked the children as they left the schoolhouse. Mitch finds the school teacher(played by Suzanne Pleshette) laying on the ground outside her home. Let's just say the birds have a thing about eyes.

They seemed to defy the idea that birds of a feather flock together only. These were no mere random acts or isolated incidents. Their maneuvers gave the appearance of being coordinated with one prime objective--punish man. The movie doesn't come right out and say that. Hitchcock leaves that up to us to figure out. At the climax of the movie, when Mitch and his family along with Melanie are forced to leave their battered home, one of the birds takes a parting shot with a peck to Mitch's hand as if to say, "It isn't over. It's only the beginning."

This was the premise of Hitchcock's first horror/fantasy film that scared audiences back in the early sixties. Bodega Bay was the setting he chose. It is a real place 1 1/2 hours north of San Francisco at the southern end of the rugged and beautiful Sonoma Coast. Hitchcock chose it because of its foggy weather and mystical landscape, which at that time was subdued and open. It has been over sixty years since the movies release and the Visitor Center in Bodega Bay receives thousands of Hitchcock fans every year. When you mention the movie to the receptionist, she will give you a sheet of paper listing all the points of interest and locations.

 

Although the original Tides Restaurant and Bar was destroyed by a fire in February of 1968, you can visit the newer Tides, which was built in its place--a complex with a snack bar, gift shop, seafood store, an elegant restaurant with a spectacular view of the harbor, and an inn. The old pier where Melanie was first attacked is still there. The farm house and the dock across the bay where Mitch lived all burned down in the late 60's. The old Potter School is the only original building used in the movie that stands to this day, and you won't find it in Bodega Bay. It is located some six miles inland in the town of Bodega. The schoolhouse was an abandoned building when it was first discovered by Hitchcock and rebuilt for the movie. Years later, it became a bed and breakfast, but now is a private residence. You can take pictures of it, but no longer able to tour it. You could politely ask the present owner, but the response may not be polite one--I read that in a review. The school teacher's house next to the schoolhouse was only a facade built for the movie.

I was just a young man entering my teens in 1963 when "The Birds" made its debut. The movie has since been a favorite. Hitchcock's spellbinding masterpiece has had an effect on my psyche. Whenever I see birds massing together I wonder, "Could this be it." There is a passage from the book of Revelation in the Bible that speaks of the birds being called to a great evening meal of God where they will eat the flesh of men. I wonder if Alfred had this text in mind when he was first inspired to write the script and storyboards?

Surrounded by tall hills and tall trees, the drive into Bodega Bay from the south is picturesque and narrow with many twists and turns. Once you reach the misty, tranquil waters of the harbor and begin to navigate its shoreline, you will sense the lingering remnants of nostalgia left by the movie. It saturates the old surviving salty structures of yesteryear as well as the contemporary. Bodega Bay is also the gateway to the rugged and scenic Sonoma Coast all the way to Goat Rock near Jenner.


Sonoma Coast Lodging

Inn at the Tides in Bodega Bay

One last parting thought. The ending we have become accustomed to seeing in the movie was not part the original script. The ending that was supposed to be was scraped due to costs. Picture in your mind the great Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco covered with birds. "It's the end of the world."

Climbing Halfway To The Stars On A Cable Car--San Francisco Will Take You To Greater Heights

Charleston and San Francisco are very similar and at the same time mountains different. Over the years and miles apart, the two cities have competed for the top spot as "the number one destination" with the readers of Conde Nast Traveler. This year San Francisco was named 11th.

Don't call it "Frisco", sophisticated locals prefer you call it "The City." For more than a century, it was the only city in the western United States. During those years, it was an island of urban entertainment and culture, rivaling big cities like Chicago and New Orleans. Today, it is the second most-densely populated major city in the United states.

If you are planning a visit to "Twitter Town" for the first time, finding your way around can be daunting. If you do not have a smart phone with a GPS, I conclusively suggest you bring a GPS or as in my case, have a helpful son giving you the needed directions.

San Francisco drivers are merciless towards newcomers attempting to navigate the network of steep hills, lane changes and numerous exits. A long time resident and Lyft driver called it a city with no left turns. After leaving the airport, I found it to be a city of wrong turns. You will need to cross that bridge when you get there and San Francisco has two of them, The Golden Gate Bridge and the Bay Bridge.

Coit Tower

Once you get to where you want to go, San Francisco is both fascinating and intriguing at every turn of the corner. Wonders like Outer Sunset's expansive surfing beaches, Vista Point's panoramic mountain view like no other, the awesome Golden Gate Bridge walk, and the ageless and majestic Muir Woods will fascinate you. Attractions like the spooky audio tour of Alcatraz, the movie rich Sentinel Building, the city's world renowned cable car system, and the 210 foot Coit Tower in the Telegraph Hill neighborhood will intrigue you.

Sentinel Building

To sum it all up, San Francisco's stunning landscape and diverse cityscape will take you to greater heights, literally. And once you get there, you be "above the blue and windy sea" where "little cable cars climb halfway to the stars!" Hope you enjoy the images as much as I did seeing them.

Outer Sunset's beaches

Vista Point's breathtaking views

Views around the Golden Gate Bridge

Alcatraz

Muir Woods

A final note of interest. The redwood's of Muir Woods hold the secrets for a long life: 1) Family; the children all grow near the parent tree, 2) Community; each family reaches out to neighboring families, 3) Stand tall; the redwood's grow straight and are the tallest trees in the world, and 4) Thick skin; the redwood's thick bark protects it from insects, disease and fire.