Robert Plant at Harvey's Outdoor Arena

Went to the Robert Plant concert at Harvey'a Outdoor Arena last weekend. Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters didn't disappoint. Robert put on a great show and the band are a very talented group of musicians. This venue is awesome with great sound and the weather couldn't have been better. 

Amador County Wineries

If you are looking for something to do in the Sacramento area try the short trip up the hill to Amador County and visit the many wineries. What Amador County offers is a relaxing day of wine tasting without the crowds you will find in Napa and Sonoma. Each winery has something unique to offer and there are events every weekend. It is kind of like the atmosphere Napa had years ago before the wineries started getting too touristy and told you what you could taste that day. In Amador most wineries will let you taste everything they produce. How else can you decide which wine you like and will purchase.


Most wineries are outside of Plymouth, Ca. and is a short ride from Sacramento in the Wine and Gold Country. Towns have names like Fiddletown and Drytown from the gold rush. For a list of events check out this site. https://amadorwine.com/events-4/

Yosemite National Park

View of Half Dome from Yosemite Village

I just came back from an annual trip to Yosemite, one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Every year, going back to when my mom started going as a kid, we try to get a campsite in the valley. It's hard to get reservations, and we have been lucky most years, but there have been years where we had to find other accommodations.

This year we ended up with one double and one single site. My brother took the single and my daughter and I took the double. In all we had a fairly large group. The weather couldn't have been better. The days were in the low 80's and the nights cooled down enough to make sleeping comfortable. There is still a lot of water coming off the falls but the river were not too fast and rafting and swimming in the river was possible (Last year the current was to fast to enjoy the river).

Days were spent taking hikes, hanging out at the river and hitting the bar at Half Dome Village. Nights were spent around the campfire catching up on family stories. Yosemite offers something for every type of person. Trails come in difficulty from flat to very steep. Rock climbing is for the serious hikers. The scenery and wildlife is everywhere for those that just want to relax. There are restaurants, bars, museums, cafes, stores and activities for everyone to enjoy.

For children I would recommend the bike trails, valley walks and the museum that includes an Indian Village. Happy Isles also has a nature center. Half Dome Village also has an ice cream parlor that the kids go crazy for. There are places around the park where you can take them in the evening for a movie or slideshow on the history of the park.

For the older crowd a day hike is good to take. Make sure you are in good enough shape to take the hike. The Mist Trail is fairly easy up to the bridge. The Valley Floor Trail Lower Yosemite Falls are also fairly flat. Harder hikes are Upper Yosemite Falls. The Mist Trail past the bridge, and hiking down from  Glacier Point. My advice is to read the trail map be careful of difficulty. It would take a lifetime to do every trail, the John Muir Trail can go as far as Mount Whitney which is 211 miles.

If you are planning on camping in Yosemite my advice is to get on the reservation system before they are open for that week and pick a few sites in different campgrounds. be ready to click book at 7 am Pacific and hope for the best.

I hope from the pictures you see the beauty of Yosemite and want to visit.

Lower Yosemite Falls

Vernal Falls

Start of Mist Trail

Mist Trail

Newcastle Australia

Christ Church

One of my favorite stops on our cruise was Newcastle, Australia. We didn't have an excursion planned and decided to wing it in the city.

Newcastle is a city on the east coast of Australia with a beautiful inner city, small city vibe and long beautiful beaches with a bluff looking down on the beaches.

We started the day in the inner city walking the main shopping area and then made our way up a hill to the Christ Church. It is a nice walk from downtown and on the way there is a cemetery where you will find grave sites from the convict era. It was interesting to read how some had died and their ages. The church itself is a Gothic style and being up on a hill stood out as our ship arrived. You can tour the church as I would recommend.

After touring the church we wanted to get some lunch and took a taxi to one of the beaches for food and drinks. The driver recommended the Merewether Surfhouse at Merewether Beach. The restaurant sits on a bluff overlooking the beach with incredible views. Also at Merewether Beach you will see the Merewether Baths. The baths are swimming pools built into the beach. There are filled from the ocean during the tides and provide a safe place to swim where you don't have to worry about rip tides and sea creatures. I found the best part of Newcastle to be their beaches. I also learned that Newcastle is a port city where coal is exported to other countries, mainly China. From the beach you will find ships lined up waiting to be filled with coal.

After lunch we did something I like to do in a city I have never been to before. I did it in Rome and it really worked out. So after lunch we had the same taxi driver take us on a tour of the city. It is fairly inexpensive and if you get the right driver you will get a flavor of the city you won't get on a normal tour.

After the tour it was back to the ship. I really liked Newcastle. It does not have the big city feel and is the type of city I could live in.

Merewether Beach

Merewether Surfhouse Restaurant