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Day 2 - San Jose & Winchester Mystery House
From Fresno we continue up the CA-99. A few miles up the road near Madera we started seeing billboards for Valley Pistachio. Boy, those sound good. We're glad we stopped - they had free samples. We settled on some regular salted pistachios, some hickory smoked ones, and a bag of dark chocolate covered almonds (for dad) which I found were more potent than a Starbucks Coffee.
http://www.valleypistachio.com
Built by Sarah Winchester, widow of rifle manufacturer William Winchester,
this unique structure includes many outstanding elements
of victorian architecture and fine craftsmanship.
Construction began in 1884 and continues without interruption
until Mrs. Winchester's death in 1922.
The continual building and remodeling created a
160 room house covering an area of six acres. California Registered Historical Landmark No. 868.
Sarah W was not very tall as is demonstrated by this 'right size' door next to a regular door. Our 9 year old thought the door was just the right size for her. There were also plenty of beautiful stained glass windows, both on the house an in the store room. A most beautiful window is even on an inside wall where the sun will never grace it.
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/
San Francisco Pier 39
Just how do you suppose we picked the Bubba Gump resturaunt for dinner? Yup, you guessed it - "That looks good". And with 2 kids it was in our price range. For a more romantic dinner, you may choose Neptunes Palace.
The pier offers many tourist attractions including this 2-story double-decker merry-go-round. The kids gave it a test drive and it got two thumbs up.
There were plenty of shops to browse through and the 3-d movies looked like fun. We picked up a small supply of Ghiradelli chocolate - just to tie us over until tomorrow.
Trip Facts
Distance
152 miles
to San Jose
then
47 miles
to San Francisco
Valley Pistachio
Country Store
20865
Avenue 20
Madera
Marriott Courtyard
Emeryville
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Adventure 2004
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