CChin

Car Rental – The Way It Should Be

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Aug 222015

Its been awhile since I’ve posted anything. So I decided I should focus on the travel side this time. I wanted to share my thoughts on a car rental service…yes, a car rental service.

For my day job, I’ve been doing some travel recently. In all destinations, a car rental is generally necessary. Long line, slow or poor customer service, a sub-standard car which keeps shrinking in size and a litany of other complaints all seem to happen. Hertz’s Gold Plus Rewards, National’s Emerald Club or Avis’ Preferred, which allow you to bypass the counter and lines to proceed straight to your car. With these exceptions, the car rental experience can raise your blood pressure.

Enter Silvercar, “Car Rental, The Way It Should Be”. Its name, derived from the only vehicle you can rent from them, an Audi A4 Quattro in Silver, carries across its website and phone app. You register on their website, giving basic car rental types of information such as name, address, insurance preference, etc… and then download an app to your smartphone. When you arrive at your destination, you tell them that you arrived (via the app) and they’ll either come pick you up or give you instructions on how to get to their rental facility. The first time you rent from them, they’ll greet you and verify your Driver’s License and credit card at the car. You then use the app to scan the QCode on the car and your rental period begins. The car will unlock itself and the keys are inside. You’ll do the requisite car inspection using the app noting any dings, scratches and such and then your off. Simple as that. Every subsequent time, you simply get to the facility, chose which Silver Audi A4 Quattro you want, scan the QCode and your off.

The Audi A4 Quattro itself, is generally always a current year model, with less than 30,000 miles on it. Included is satellite radio, a wi-fi hotspot (in-car, free data) for your devices, a toll tag transponder (for which they only charge you the actual toll if incurred) and ancillary services. If you return the car needing gas, they’ll charge you a $5 service charge to go fill the gas, at prevailing rates, which is quite reasonable for the service. No more games trying to empty the tank. If your car has any issues, they’ll work with you to resolve. If need be, I hear they’ll even bring you a replacement car to wherever you are at. When you return the car, they don’t mind if you’ve left a few things that need to be thrown away since they’ll need to clean the car anyways.

Finally, they’re using the web social media model in that if you use a referral code, you and the referring person will receive $25 via PayPal on your first rental. Now you can’t beat that.

My recent business trip to Denver allowed me to summit two 14ers (14,000+ feet peaks) in one weekend. Now, truth be told, I took the easy way out (yeah, didn’t hike it all the way up) and drove the Audi up. It handled like a charm, much better than a standard rental car.

View of Upper and Lower Lake Chicago from Summit Lake area on Mt Evans. This valley was formed by Glaciers and are considered Paternoster Lakes.

Should you find yourself in a major city where there’s a Silvercar, give it a try. And, to be self promoting, if you don’t have a referral code, please use mine: CCHIN2.

Bay Bridge @ Night

Location Report, Travel 1 Response »

Dec 302013

As the year draws to a close, it was time to capture a in-transition period for the Bay Bridge. The western span of the Bay Bridge, has a light show, “The Bay Lights”, that started on March 5, 2013 and runs through March, 2015. The Bay Lights was created by artist Leo Villareal. It is the worlds largest LED light sculpture consisting of 25,000 white LED lights. Programmed by the artist, it creates a never-repeating, animated display across the western span of the Bay Bridge.

On the eastern side, the new Eastern Span of the Bay Bridge was completed and opened on September 2 of this year. The primary purpose of this new bridge was to replace the old one with a bridge that is seismically more fit for the region.

For more Information:

The Bay Lights – Website for the organization, www.thebaylights.org

SF Oakland Bay Bridge – Website for the project, www.baybridgeinfo.org

More SF @ Night Photos

Oct 6, 2013 – Sierras Fall Foliage Report

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Oct 072013

With Carol Leigh’s board ending, fall foliage reports for California are sparse and scattered. Having read various reports, some had indicated that fall was early this year. Taking a chance, I decided to take a drive to the Hope Valley area and then return to the bay area via route 49, not quite entering Plumas County. For the most part, peak in some areas is past with leaves already having come off the tress and in other areas, a mix, maybe about 60 – 90%. The effects of chilly evenings, wind and some warmer days is having an interesting effect this year. Bottom line – Go Now! Below are the observed conditions;

Hope Valley – The area around Sorensen’s resort is about 90% with the rest of Hope Valley varying from 60-80%. The effects of the weather patterns causing the “lemon-lime” effect in tree leaves. Most of the colors in this area are aspen yellows with some hits of orange in the area.

Rt 89 to Rt 49 Junction – Driving along the river one can observe that most of the trees there are around 75 – 95%. Other areas away from the water, the trees may be 50 – 80%. For the most part, this area is pretty much at peak for about another week. Most colors are yellow aspens.

Rt 49 – Sierraville – Downieville – Grass Valley – As you drive along the river, color is abundant. The river areas is at peak or will be at peak in the next week. Areas away from the river seem to be around 50%. As you travel west from Sierraville, colors progressively get more brilliant and closer to peak. Most aspen yellows with a sprinkling of oranges and reds.

More Photos: My Gallery

Resources:

California Fall Colors – Contender for Carol Leigh replacement site.

Fall Leaves Interactive Map – Link to a visual map of fall colors as reported by the Sacramento Bee.

Fall Leaves – More direct link to map – updated every Thursday

Plumas County Fall Colors – Fall colors site from Plumas County Tourism department.

Natural History Wanderings – Sandy Steinman’s site with nationwide reports.

Parcher’s Resort – Decent site for Bishops Creek area reports.

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch

Location Report, Photography, Travel 1 Response »

May 132012

Situated on 50 acres of hillside overlooking the Pacfic ocean are the Carlbad Flower Fields. Planted on the main fields are the Giant Tecolote Ranunculus flowers. Just below, towards the highway are the Carlbad Premium Outlets and up and over the hill is Legoland. As odd as the location may be, the Flower Fields have been there since 1965 and has been a popular tourist attraction due to its proximity to the highway. It was started by the Frazee family with seeds brought to the area by Luther Gage. Every year, these fields are open to the public for a limited time, generally during the spring when the flowers are in full bloom.

This year, the pattern of the fields has changed for the first time in 15 years. The new color pattern was designed by a professional colorist.

Surrounding the fields are other flower oriented attractions. One of the most notable is the historic Poinsettia Display where you can find the world famous Ecke poinsettias. Aside from the Poinsettia display, there are the antique tractor rides around the field, the “Artist” gardens, the American Flag of flowers, the Sweet Pea maze, the Cymbidium Orchid Greenhouse and Santa’s Playground to keep the kids busy.

During this visit, Canon happened to be sponsoring a mini-class on macro-photography. As with a free or low cost events (you need to pay admission to get into the fields, otherwise free), the barn was packed.

If you get hungry after walking the fields, two exits north on I-5 in downtown Carlsbad is an excellent italian restaurant, Vigilucci’s Cucina Italiana, where they claim to make everything fresh and to order. True to their word, I had special ordered a dish of pasta that was very well prepared. Highly recommended.

For more information:

For more photos, visit my gallery.

Website Link: http:www.theflowerfields.com

Restaurant: Vigilucci’s Cucina Italiana
2943 State Street
Carlsbad, CA 92008
(760) 434-2500

Apple Hill – California Sierras

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Oct 112011

As the cool crisp air of fall arises, I long for the New England tradition of apple picking and everything else apple related. Here in the Bay Area, one of the best options is to head east on Highway 50 toward Lake Tahoe to an area known as Apple Hill, located in Camino, Placeville and Pollock Pines California. Originally an association of 16 ranches, Apple Hill is now comprised of over 50 ranches with christmas tree growers, wineries, a micro-brewery and spas. Many of the ranches are only open from Labor Day through Chrismas Eve. Kid friendly, one can pick apples, go for a hay ride, attend many of the festivals, pick pumkins or chop down a christmas tree. Of course, the main attractions of the area are Apple Cider, Cider Doughnuts, streudels, pies, dumplings and turnovers.

While up there, if your timing is good, you can get some decent landscape shots. Rolling farmland hills can be found almost anywhere along with fall harvest (Halloween and Thanksgiving) types of decorations. Pumkin patches, hay mazes, horse rides, petting zoos and other venues can keep the kids content.

For more shots of the area, see my gallery at: http://cchinstudios.zenfolio.com/applehill2010

For more information on Apple Hill, go to the Apple Hill Grower’s website at: http://www.applehill.com

Spring Mountain Vineyard

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Oct 042011

Spring Mountain Vineyard(SMV), located on the eastern slopes and lower half of Spring Mountain in St. Helena, CA, on 845 acres. SMV was once three separate properties: La Perla, Chevalier and Miravalle. Visits to SMV are by appointment only. SMV has four levels of tasting – Varietal Tasting, Estate Tasting, Explore Elivette and Library Vertical Tasting. The fee is waived with the purchase of wine of varying amounts, depending on the tasting. During this visit, we visited Miravalle and did an Estate Tasting.

The tasting was lead by Sarah Livermore, a very knowledgable and gracious host and tour guide. After a brief tour of the grounds, we sat down in the dining room of Miravalle to do some tasing. Overall, the wines were quite good and the tasting quite enjoyable and educational.

As you enter the gates and park in the visitor area, you immediately notice the greenhouse and the Carriage House. One of the differences you’ll notice immediately is that the vines are grown vertically – Vertical Gobelet vine training. SMC did this primarily because of the topography of the vineyard. SMV says that this allows the vines to follow the topography of the vineyard on hillsides, that it preserves topsoil, improves yield and quality, reduces stress on the vine and canopy management on all sides of the vine means even ripening and higher wine quality.

SMV practice sustainable winegrowing methods since its new ownership in 1992. The most common sustainable winegrwoing practices include avoiding herbicides and insecticides and embracing natural, biologically-based regimens. The goal of sustainability is to avoid depleting the long-term health of the land and environment for short-term gain.

SMV is a must see if you’re ever in the area and wish to visit an outstanding vineyard, away from the crowds.

Winery Website: http://www.springmtn.com/

Address:
Spring Mountain Vineyard
2805 Spring Mountain Road
St. Helena, California 94574-1775

It’s Cherry Picking Time!

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Jun 182011

Destination Ideas for the Bay Area: Brentwood, CA.

In the Bay Area, Memorial Day kicks off the annual Cherry Picking Season. Brentwood, one of the most popular Cherry Picking Destinations, has seen a steady increase in traffic over the years in terms of visitors during this specific time of year(estimated to be @150,000 per year). Brentwood, located about 56 miles east of San Francisco, offers a day-trippable destination that has year round u-pick and farm stand choices.

Harvest season for cherries in Brentwood generally runs from Memorial Day Weekend through July 4th weekend. This year, due to the unusual weather and rains, peak season has varied. The rains during the weekend of 6/7 forced closure of many u-pick farms. This past weekend, June 11, 12, was primo for cherry picking. The skies were partially cloudy and sunny, the weather temperate (at least for the Brentwood area in summer) and the fruit plentiful. There are numerous venues for different tastes. In the U-Pick category, our favorite was Bacchini’s Fruit Tree, for Strawberries, you have to go to Chan’s Fruit Stand and in the farm stand category, there’s just too many to choose from.

At Bacchini’s, there was a lot of ripe Bing, Sour and Ranier cherries to choose from as well as white peaches. The plums were almost barren and others such as Pluots were also almost sold out.

For more information, you can find maps, harvest times and other bits of information at: http://www.harvest4you.com/.

For more pictures, check out: http://cchinstudios.zenfolio.com/p825863615.

Burney Falls

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Jun 082011

Having visited Burney Falls over ten years ago, I yearned to return to photograph the falls and area in detail. Unfortunately, this trip, the trail down to the falls was closed. It turns out that the trails were closed for the summer and fall of 2010.

The park, officially called McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park, is located within the Cascade Range and Modoc Plateau natural region. It consists of about 910 acres of forest and five miles of streamside and lake shoreline, including a portion of Lake Britton. The main attraction is the 129-foot Burney Falls, one of the most visited in the state.

Being in a volcanic region (Lassen Volcanic National Park is not too far away), the landscape was created by volcanic activity as well as erosion from weather and streams. A constant stream of water emerges from springs at and above Burney Falls.

For more pictures, check out the Burney Falls album. Since the trails were closed and the sun had set, very limited photos were taken.

Hello Again

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May 292011

After a long hiatus of not posting here, I’m looking forward to getting out more, getting some captures and sharing them with you. I recently started viewing the Yosemite Nature Notes series (Produced by Yosemite Conservancy and the park itself) on YouTube which re-ignited the desire to get out there and start shooting again. The phenomenom that I posted last year at Horsetail Falls is mentioned in Episode 9, Frazil Ice. In honor of the National Park System, I’ve just started again with the posting for Lassen Volcanic National Park. Stay tuned for more…

Lassen Volcanic National Park

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May 292011

Lassen Volcanic National Park, located in Lassen County in northeastern California, is on the southern end of the Cascade Range. Lassen Peak last erupted in 1916, when Congress made this a national park. The eruptions started in May 1914 and forever changed the surrounding area. Lassen Peak, at 10,457 feet, was formed 27,000 years ago as a volcanic vent on the northern flank of Brokeoff Volcano.

Route 89 is the main road through the park. Within the park, there are many active volcanic features as well as areas deeply affected by past eruptions like “Devastated Area”. There are over 150 miles of hiking trails, 17 miles of which are part of the Pacific Coast Trail. There’s also plenty of backcountry areas, fishing, boating and hunting.

Our only hike during this visit was a short one into Bumpass Hell. Bumpass Hell is an area named after an early settler who severly burned his legafter falling into a boiling pool. The hike leads to an area that has the largest concentration of hydrothermic features in the park. The trail, only about a 3 mile roundtrip at an altitude of 8,000 feet, is a fairly easy one. At the end, there’s a 100 foot drop into the thermally active basin area. Sulphur is the dominant smell.

On this particular trip, we were looking for some fall foliage colors. Unfortunately, we were a bit early, off by maybe a week or two. The visit was in October, 2010. Some color was to be found by Manzanita Lake, which was about 30%. Additional color was found in the northern half of the park between Summit Lake and Manzanita Lake. More photos can be found at my Lassen Volcanic National Park gallery.

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