Muir Woods National Monument, Mill Valley, CA

When in Rome, right? I actually hadn't been to this national monument yet, and was very stoked to go. It's pretty simple if you can have someone shuttle you to the entrance (Thanks, Aunt Sherry). The walking is mild to medium difficulty. If you stay on the boardwalk, it's very easy. If you choose to try some of the trails, a good gym shoe or hiking shoe/boot wouldn't be a bad idea.

We were able to walk the full boardwalk and some of the Hillside Trail in about 1.5 hours. I think seeing both sides of the forest, from the valley floor and from some heights on the trail, is a great way to take it all in.

Part of the trail is called a "cathedral" and they ask patrons to be a bit more quiet here, take in the natural surroundings with your ears, and let the animals do what they do. The forest has ears, Man!

If you are in the area, and either make reservations or like to just wing it, give this place a shot.

New-to-Me Breweries, Monterey & Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA

I hosted some visitors in the last month or so, and, for me, one of the best parts of the trip was that they brought me to new places. Usually I'm the one bringing folks to all new spots on their trips here, but this time, friends knew what they liked and sought out those kinds of places before arriving. We all got to try some new places together, which was an awesome way to host and travel.

One of the types of places we all happen to like is a good brewery or some type of beer establishment. They found a number of them I hadn't yet been to, and we tried two of them: Fieldwork Brewing (Monterey location) and Yeast of Eden (Carmel-by-the-Sea). Both are different and both are delightful. 

Fieldwork is a CA chain of tasting patios/rooms. The afternoon we went it was sunny and warm out, so their patio was hopping (get it?!). We enjoyed all of the beers to some degree, and not being one for IPAs, I tried four "normal" beers. My favorites were Vanillaberry (technically a sour, but this was very drinkable) and their stout, which is named Admiral Snackbar. I'll totally be back to this place anytime I'm in Monterey.

Yeast of Eden is a natural fermenting brewery. They have some of their own beers on offer as well as other brewers available. Great location, restaurant, and beers. I tried four, liked three. One just didn't taste right to me, and the waitress commented that it is a bit hit-or-miss among patrons. I would also easily go back to this place when in town. I'd also very much like to eat a full meal there too as everything we saw go by looked tasty.

Captain + Stoker Coffee, Monterey, CA

Spending the long Memorial Day weekend in Pacific Grove/Monterey recently allowed myself and the friends I was with to seek out some new spots. I brought my "standard" list of places, but they also did their own research and came up with some great new ones for any future visitors. One of those places is a coffee shop called Captain+Stoker Coffee.

For those of you not nerdy enough about bikes to know, the name of this shop is a reference to tandem bicycles. The "captain" on a tandem is the driver, the "stoker" is the person stuck on the back. In a sense, the stoker uses their legs to "stoke" the fire of the bicycle engine. Sidenote: this word, stoker, comes to bikes from steam ship or locomotive use - a person responsible for literally "stoking" the fire in the firebox to keep steam plentiful. Well, now that you know where the name comes from, you may understand why there are bicycles on the walls of this place. 

Not only do they brew up some great cups of java, but they also have become known for their avocado toast ("avo toast" to some). It contains most things you'd think of and some you might not - Fresh-baked sourdough bread, avo spread, crisp arugula, olive oil, pepper flakes, and a lime on the side to squeeze. Genius. They also have other flavors of toast, like PB+Banana and Cinnamon+Sugar, plus handmade sweets and baked goods. It was almost too much... to get over that, the 2nd day we went back we ordered almost one of everything. Smart.

Even their decor and lighting were cool, IMO...

No joke on the roasting works either, right there on premises...

Everything we put in our maws was tasty. I will be back virtually anytime I'm on the Monterey peninsula. Just go. If you're near, go.

Cable+WiFi+Cellphone vs. Cellphone-Only, Watsonville, CA

With my recent move to the top of, ok, middle ways up a mountain, I lost access to normal cable/WiFi providers (Spectrum, Comcast, etc.). They simply don't offer service this far up "the hill". Now, there are satellite cable & WiFi providers, like HughesNet, but they didn't save much money and, frankly, were jerks on the phone. You could also go the route of Dish Network or DirectTV, but it's not my property and I would feel a bit odd about installing hardware on someone else's property or building.

So, I sucked it up and decided I'd go old school. For $20, I'd buy a simple HD TV Antenna (from Amazon) and see what I got. Well, it turned out to be about 12 channels in English (slightly more than that in Spanish as well). CBS comes in, but no NBC or ABC. It's really basic, but for the positive, it did remind me of childhood and "changing channels" by hand for the family. Ah, it was a simpler time.

Well, soon after seeing my basic TV options, I inquired with my cellphone provider about their options for viewing content on my phone. I thought I'd at least be able to stay abreast of some content and be able hold a conversation with someone else if a cool reality show came up.

Lo and behold, AT&T had me on a plan that was 5GB of data (with Rollover) for $80/month. What I was not aware of until I inquired on my own is that they had recently redone their plans and had one called "Unlimited & More Premium", also for $80/month (based on a single user/phone line). I did loose Rollover data (which is basically moot if you now have unlimited data) plus I gained access to their Watch TV app, which allows for a single premium channel and 30+ normal cable channels (TBS, Bravo, AMC, CNN, etc.). This seemed like a no-brainer to me - Done.

I did some quick Googling and also found out how to get the content from my phone to my HDMI/Internet-equipped TV (a ~4 year old Vizio model). For Apple there are at least two really simple options. Being a single user with a single TV, I decided to go for the cheapest and most simple, Apple's Lightning to HDMI Adaptor, at an MSRP of $50 (more on price below). I can plug this into phone and TV, and also charge the phone while viewing content. It seems so simple and easy now - who knew? More importantly, do cable providers want us to know?! I mean, AT&T owns Direct TV. But I digress - quickly, other options to stream this content include using Apple TV to mirror content b/w multiple devices (TV, laptop, phone, etc.) or a WiFi-enabled option like Google Chromecast or the like.

A note on the price of this adaptor - Target sells it at the time of this post for $39. BestBuy sells it for $54.99. I think it's easy to see where you should purchase it. Finally, as far as extra costs, for this set-up I also purchased some longer charging and HMDI cords. This allows one to use the phone as a "remote" further away from the TV, and also work on a better cell signal in your space, if needed.

It has worked good (not great) so far. I would not say the signal I personally receive is amazing by any means (your cell service may be much better), and there are some times it works poorly. But, I've watched GoT epsodes to catch-up and the finale live without much trouble. RedBullTV came through great live and previously taped content. Movies and shows from most of the cable channels stream well enough to watch without much interruption. It's not HD quality and ease as from a cable box, but I simply remind myself how much I'm saving.

And is there a cost savings? Is it significant? You friggin' bet there is! Here's how it breaks down for my bills over 12 months, below. This also means my new "hardware" (antenna, cords, and Apple HDMI adaptor) is paid off by then, as one-time costs.

If you find yourself in a multi-person dwelling, out on your own, or simply tired of paying for cellphone, cable AND WiFi, I think you might want to look into these new styles of "viewing content". #merica

Ranch Milk Mexican Grill & Craft Beer House, Watsonville, CA

I don't know how I feel about this place, but here's some viewpoints.

Positives:
- For starters, at about 5:30PM on a Sunday, it was not busy at all. I got in just before the dinner rush and I was eating shortly after. They definitely had a good to-go crowd come in too. It was getting busy once I was eating.
- The food and drinks are cheap. No matter how you slice it, the Mexican offerings are all reasonably priced (in comparison to all options in the region) and the beers are very modestly priced too.
- The food and drinks are very good quality and value. I liked everything I put in my mouth and felt it was worth the prices I paid, if not more.
- They have a good number of local and not-so-local beers on tap. Gotta be something for everyone, right? They had all the beers scrolling on a LCD screen, with prices and IBUs. I believe it was two full screens with about 24-30 beers in all.
- They have a patio. Even in Northern CA, sitting outside can be a boon to your night.
- They have ice cream! I mean, if that doesn't seal it.

Not so Positives:
- A restaurant with lots of art, stuffed animal heads, etc on the walls can be perfectly kitsch really easily (like the Wooden Nickel already posted here). The same kind of stuff, not done as well, looks like a hot mess and clutter at best. This place is the latter, IMO. They have stuff all over the walls (lights, posters, artwork, merchadise for sale, etc.), but without much sense to it all. I thought it was just someone trying to use free brewery give-a-ways or literally trying to hide holes or wires in the walls. Even the name seems like they tried to cram everything in it... why not mention the gas pumps too?
- Oddly laid out. Perhaps this is the vibe they're going for, but there's an old "market" and gas station in front of the restaurant as you walk in. I get this is part of their history, but again, it simply feels cluttered for no reason.
- Weird bar. The bar itself is about 5-feet wide, which is ok, but when the bartender can't place a drink in front of you, it might be too wide. There are also two levels to the bar, it steps down slightly nearest the patrons. How about one solid bar top, in a normal width? While you're upgrading the bar area, I'd also love a foot rest down by my feet in front of the bar too.
- The rest of the decor is just as uninspiring. I think some of the old things can be cleaned, updated or upgraded to make this place really good. I don't think it would take much.

Having said all of the above, I'd still go back for it's lowkey vibe, cheap prices and solid service. They all seemed like nice people working there.

Mount Madonna County Park, Watsonville, CA

This place is no joke, keep your head on a swivel.

They have a very  handsome covered gathering place and a very cool open air auditorium...

 Walk down here...

Bam, seats!

Agua por su caballo. Nice to see a "hitchin' post" still has a place in the world too.

You don't see these much anymore (not much cell service in the park either, so this is gooder).

Not something you see in every county park, and if I were an archer, I think I would be pretty stoked by this "disc golf style" archery range (last pick of course map). And I know what you're thinking too, so let me answer it now, no crossbows. Nuts.

I've camped here, "hiked" here (what defines hiking vs. walking anyways), and I still haven't seen all this park has to offer. I'll be back.