Irish Cat

I'm taking my wife to California towards the end of July for our 20th Anniversary.  Neither of us have been before, and I want to try to see as much as possible.  I've put together a fairly aggressive plan for the 12 days that we will be there.  I realize that we will not get to fully explore any of the areas we are going to visit but perhaps if we ever go back we can focus our next trip on a particular area depending on what we like from this go around.  

We will be flying into Ontario (LA) mid morning and from there I plan to rent a car and drive to San Diego for a few days after which we will spend a day driving along the coast from SD to LA and spend whatever time is leftover in the LA area until dinner after which I will drive a couple hours north to Visalia where we will stop for the night.  The next day we will spend exploring Sequoia National Park then spend the night in Fresno and the next day at Yosemite.  We will then head to San Francisco for three nights.  I plan to perhaps travel up to Napa one day and spend the other two in San Francisco or Oakland.  We will then spend the next two days traveling the Pacific Coast Highway back to LA we will then have  day and a half to spend in LA as our flight home doesn't leave  until 4PM.   

I've already got hotel reservations for each night but they can be changed if need be.  I've avoided staying in downtown areas opting instead for hotels which will have parking and plan to take public transit into areas like downtown San Francisco.  My wife loves the beach, and I'd rather go to the mountains, so it seems like my plan will accomplish things that will make each of us happy.  

My question you you all is what are some things that are can't miss that we should definitely make plans to include in our trip.  We really aren't interested in theme parks, and will probably not include any zoos (I know San Diego zoo is top notch) or museums as we can do these types of things closer to home.  I'm really more interested in the natural sites such as the coast, mountains, etc. as well as landmarks such as the Golden Gate bridge. Plus these are things that we should be able to do regardless of Covid restrictions.  If you  have any suggestions for things that you think are can't miss, please let me know.  I've still got time to make plans and change our itinerary.   Thanks.

On 4/7/2021 at 9:03 AM, bugatti said:

Yep. And honestly, it is a great formula. They have the talent to win it all as evident by their ability to compete with teams early in the season. I give them props for scheduling tough OOC games and being highly competitive. Even if they drop a couple games early, the conference tilt allows them to rise in the polls and get up to a high seed and slotted to play in the West bracket, which traditionally is the easiest of the brackets. A break here and there and you can find yourself in the Final Four with the unpredictability of the tournament. Before Baylor the highest seed they played was #5 seed Creighton, a fringe top 25 team. (Another classic example of why I fundamentally dislike the NCAA tournament.)

I have to wonder if perhaps this is due to the fact that they normally have a veteran team which is more prepared early in the season than come time for the tournament the teams which rely on younger players have a chance to catch up to them. 

On 3/16/2021 at 12:24 PM, Bluegrasscard said:

I find it a bit interesting that both coaches won with players on the roster that were not "theirs" as they were on the squad prior to the coaches being named.  

That statement is way more true regarding Tubby than it is for Cal.  The top 8 players on the 1998 team were all recruited by and played for Pitino, with the exception of Evans who did not play due to having to sit out because of a transfer.  The only player on the 2012 team that had any impact on the season, was Miller who was recruited and played one season for the former coach.  

As a UK fan while I've been disappointed, I'm not really worried in the least that next year could be a repeat of this year.  For the most part it seems that teams which rely on upperclassmen have had good seasons and teams that rely heavily on Freshman such as UK or Duke have had subpar seasons. 

I think that this is mainly due to the fact that they lost the ability to workout as a team over the summer and eliminated many of the non-conference easy games which would have allowed them to get some in game confidence.  Not to mention the lack of any home crowd.  There was also very few games if any in which the entire roster was available.  I can't remember exactly, but it seems like Brooks didn't return until after Clarke was out. Hopefully none of those issues will exist next season.  

I feel like this team was starting to turn the corner a bit.  They gave us a glimpse of what they were capable of for short periods but just never seemed to put it together for an entire game.  

On 3/1/2021 at 9:14 AM, MJAlltheWay24 said:

Seems like Chris Mack owns Coach K.  Someone might need to fact check me on this, but I was told yesterday that Chris Mack is the first coach to ever beat Coach K three games in a row.

My gut reaction was no way that this is true, and since I'm a bit of a nerd I did a little research to see if I could disprove it.   I skipped his Army years as my the site I choose from my initial Google search didn't seem to have their schedule readily available, so I started with his first year at Duke 80-81 and it didn't take long to confirm that my gut reaction was correct.  

Wake Forest, coached by Carl Tacy won the first 8 games they played against Coach K's Duke teams beginning on 1-14-81 until Coach K finally beat him in overtime on 2-18-84.  

Also during this time Dean Smith's North Carolina teams beat Coach K 6 games in a row beginning on 1-16-82 until the streak was snapped on 3-10-84 in the ACC tournament.  

I'd bet there are others if somebody fully researched this.  

I think you have to keep in mind that there can be a difference between what Cal advises a player privately and what he says publicly.  I believe that even if he thinks a player is better of to return for another season, should that player ultimately declare for the draft, Cal is going to support that decision as far as the public is concerned.  

On 2/18/2021 at 4:25 PM, bugatti said:

I always thought it was odd. When it was first announced they were going with the checkerboards to honor horse racing, my initial reaction was, "Why?" I get it is synonymous with the state, but so is bourbon, fried chicken, and Mammoth Cave.

Maybe we could dip the jerseys in red wax?  

I've watched a lot of basketball.  Can't ever recall anyone drawing a charge while getting posterized.  

On 2/16/2021 at 7:48 PM, Bert said:

How many of these 5 coaches if they were to resign today would be able to have another coaching job by the end of the week?  I feel confident Cal would.

End of the day more likely.  

I believe that Gough is the all time leading tackler for Owensboro High School.  

On 1/28/2021 at 12:11 PM, Voice of Reason said:

Some of the claims made by the anti mask and anti restriction crowd are proving false.  For example, people claimed suicides would go up because of all the restrictions but suicide rates for 2020 were almost exactly the same as in recent years.

However, I believe there definitely were major negative impacts from virtual schooling and sports restrictions that will have repercussions for the next several years, or longer.

You sure about that?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/11/23/covid-pandemic-rise-suicides/

Quote

Even more alarming, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently asked young adults if they had thought about killing themselves in the past 30 days, 1 in 4 said they had.

...

In Arizona’s Pima County, officials have sent two health bulletins alerting doctors and hospitals to spikes in suicides. In Oregon’s Columbia County, the number of suicides by summer had already surpassed last year’s total. In the sprawling Chicago suburbs, DuPage County has reported a 23 percent rise compared with last year. And in the city itself, the number of suicides among African Americans has far surpassed the total for 2019, even as officials struggle to understand whether the deaths are being driven by the pandemic, racial unrest or both. What has shocked medical examiners in Chicago is the age range — from a 57-year-old deputy police chief to a 9-year-old child.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/24/us/politics/student-suicides-nevada-coronavirus.html

Quote

Since schools shut their doors in March, an early-warning system that monitors students’ mental health episodes has sent more than 3,100 alerts to district officials, raising alarms about suicidal thoughts, possible self-harm or cries for care. By December, 18 students had taken their own lives.

https://abc7news.com/suicide-covid-19-mental-health-teen-coronavirus/8079510/

Quote

"Kids have hit a wall," said Christine Garcia, a San Francisco psychologist who says on Halloween night eight teenagers ended up in a San Francisco emergency room after attempted suicides. "Typical is usually one or two at most, and eight is an insane number."
 

There are countless articles available on the subject.  I have two teenage daughters and I have personally seen how being shut out of school has affected their mental health.  

On 1/27/2021 at 12:40 PM, TheDeuce said:

LeBron is the best athlete of all time. I'm not sure there's really a lot of debate to be had there. 

I would agree in terms of team sports, and I guess it depends on how you define athleticism, but I think that perhaps some Olympians could be in the conversation.  

19 minutes ago, Voice of Reason said:

What Patriot is number 2 in Super Bowl appearances and how many?

Stephen Gostkowski played in 6 Super Bowls with the Patriots.

I think you have to give the nod to Brady what he has accomplished is more impressive to me for three reasons. 

One, it's been speculated by those that currently rank high school prospects that had there been a star rating system back then Brady would have only been a low to mid 4 star prospect.  He was drafted 199th overall into the NFL.  With LeBron, I can remember seeing rankings that had him listed as the nations best high school player from his sophomore year, and he was the consensus #1 pick in the NBA draft.  

Two, Brady is the only person that will have ever appeared in 10 Super Bowls.  Whereas LeBron is one of four men to have appeared in at least 10 NBA Finals.  While I think it is likely that LeBron will reach or surpass Russell's 12 appearances, currently he does not lead his sport in that regard.  

Three, Brady will be playing in this upcoming Super Bowl at 43 years old.  LeBron is 8 years younger as he was 35 at the time that the most recent NBA Finals were completed.  Whether or not he would still be able to play at the NBA's highest level remains to be seen.  

22 hours ago, John Anthony said:

Stacks of cash in McDonald’s bags.  Can’t fit 10k into a happy meal very well apparently.

Perhaps this explains why Clemson football players had no problem being served a mountain of McDonalds food rather than steak and lobster during that infamous celebratory dinner a few years back.  

14 minutes ago, Bert said:

I thought back in the early 90's Kansas destroyed UK in Rupp, by line 40 pts?  Or was that not in Rupp?

It was 150-95 but it occurred at Phog Allen.  

8 minutes ago, snakesnot_2000 said:

Maybe. But I doubt if he would have transferred if that was entirely the case.

 

A side note is Mac Jones committed to UK until Bama offered. Never thought he would turn out like this and if he had gone to UK , would he have been developed like he did at Bama?

Good players sit on the bench and never get their shot or never develop because they have poor coaching.

Hard to say.  He certainly would not have had the stats or wins that he had at Bama, but more than likely he would have produced better than anyone else on the roster.  Don't forget it's possible to be a #1 overall draft pick as a QB at UK.  You wouldn't expect great coaching at a place like Northern Iowa but it seems to have worked out for Kurt Warner. 

I know in Bama the name Bear Bryant is right up there with God, but whenever UA builds a new stadium it should probably be named after Saban.  Bryant won 6 championships for the school in 25 seasons, a feat the Saban has matched in just 14 seasons.  Not to mention that it is now much harder to win a national championship these days as you have to actually win it on the field  and not just by swaying the opinion of journalist.  Heck Bryant won twice won national titles in seasons in which they lost the bowl game.    

After tonight I think this one looks a little different.  

3 minutes ago, GrantNKY said:

Olive Garden for me. Now I realize it’s just a dressed up, overpriced fazolis. 

Ain't that the truth.  My wife likes going to OG, I usually feel like I could have got better food for way less two doors down at Fazolis.  

1 hour ago, John Anthony said:

Donovan would say no again, then it’s Holtmann’s if he wants it.  If he says no you’re looking at Shaka territory.

I think I'd rather see UK try to lure Kenny Payne back before any of those options.  

I really don't see how Dabo ranking OSU is much different that Day's post game locker room speech that got leaked.  Both can be used as bulletin board material for the opposing team.  I won't post a link due to language, but it's an easy Google search if your so inclined.  

https://www.bgdailynews.com/sports/prep/bgs-littlefield-has-family-connection-to-state-final-opponent/article_c3d9dd0d-a8e3-546c-9fd7-4996c4f25b69.html

Article from the Bowling Green paper.  Former Owensboro coach Gerald Poynter's grandson will be playing for Bowling Green.  He died Littlefield's freshman year on an Owensboro / Bowling Green gameday.   

So are any of these proposed nicknames for Cleveland picking up steam? 

50 minutes ago, R1 sports fan said:

What radio station can I listen to this game? If possible.

https://www.owensbororadio.com/player/?playerID=603&fbclid=IwAR1_lMLXhAv01LYuHsZ3JCGDTNrKq7BHqqFTpf-jUAYmm-RMAkkzJYDtDaE