Ghosts of the past

As recalled on March 5, 2008.

I was able to sleep in a bit this morning because my first destination of the day...the USS Hornet Museum...didn't open till 10:00 am. Last night in Santa Rosa, I had dinner from a place I saw on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. Upon host Guy Fieri's recommendation, I went to Willie Bird's for their turkey dinner. They get their turkey from locally grown birds, and it was worth the visit...delish!

The USS Hornet Museum in Alameda, CA is a floating landmark...onboard the aircraft carrier of the same name. The Hornet is a remnant of past wars...World War II and Vietnam...and was an active participant in the Apollo 11 and 12 missions. My visit there was an interesting and informative experience. As I walked through the bowels of the ship, onto the flight deck and up on The Island, I found myself reliving its history through exhibits, narratives by volunteers who offered up insightful tidbits of info, and the ship itself. The Hornet was the flagship of the early Apollo moon missions, and the quarantine facility that housed the astronauts when they returned to Earth was located there. Like my trip had been so far, there were hardly any other people around. It's just so much enjoyable that way...I hate crowds!

I grabbed a quick sushi lunch nearby, then drove down to San Jose and the Winchester Mystery House. I'm sure a lot of you have heard of this place. They've done stories about it on TV, like on Discovery and Travel Channels and A & E. The house was once owned by the heiress of the Winchester Rifle Company, and is purported to be haunted. History claims that in order to placate the ghosts of those who died from Winchester rifles, the widow had construction done on her house. Thirty-eight years and 160 rooms later, the Winchester House currently stands as a testament to her legacy...and her obsession. With hidden rooms, doors that go to nowhere, staircases that end at the ceiling and windows on the floors, the mansion is quirky as it is mysterious. Myself and 8 others were led through the house by a witty and gregarious tour guide named Wayne. I had always wanted to visit this place and it was well-worth the price of the deluxe tour.

Before leaving San Jose, I took a quick look at the World's Biggest Monopoly Board. Located in a park, it's an exact replica of the famous board game. In fact, if you go to Google Maps, you can see an aerial view of it. My pitstop for the night was San Luis Obispo, and I was under the mistaken impression it was only a couple of hours down the road. Boy, was I wrong! It turned out to be another FOUR hours drive time! Now, one thing I try to avoid when on road trips, it's driving in the dark. I don't want to take the chance of car trouble and having to deal with the danger that increases after the sun goes down. So, after an exhausting...and nervous...four hours, I finally reached my destination at 7:00 pm. There was a minor moment of confusion when I was looking for an EconoLodge, when I SHOULD have been searching for Super 8. So much for my meticulous planning! First, I get my driving itinerary mixed up, then my hotels wrong. To top it all off, when I was backing out of my parking space to get some dinner, I hit a wall! Luckily, I was only crawling, and there was just a small scratch on my thankfully hard bumper. Still, it ticked me off that I injured my beloved groupie mobile! On a high note...one more day until the Beach Bash! I'm in the homestretch...I can't wait!