San Jose and Eureka

Bethanne and I out on the town!

Since Bethanne arrived on Saturday, we have been to San Diego, San Jose, Arcata/Eureka, Bakersfield, and are currently on our way to Orange County. Whew! It's been a crazy travel week for us, but it is a great way for BA to cover a lot of California ground! Unfortunately, I have been SO sick, and the weather has not been ideal. But we have had fun none-the-less.

In San Jose, we visited the Winchester Mystery House. I didn't know anything about it, but apparently it has been widely covered on The History Channel. Long story short, this woman was married to the CEO of Winchester rifles, and her child and husband both died. She went to a fortune teller who told her to buy an unfinished house, and complete it. So she moved from CT to San Jose, bought a 6 room house, and continued to build until her death, 24 hours a day, when the house stood at 160 rooms. "The spirits of those killed with Winchester guns" were haunting her and she was told she must keep building. There are stairs that lead to nowhere, doors that open to 10 foot drops, windows in the floor- it's BIZARRE! The tour took over an hour, and the house was like a maze. We then went to dinner at Gordon Bierch, a great brewery they have out West.

Some shots from inside the Mystery House

Next we played in Arcata, and stayed in Eureka. We spent a lot of time hanging out at the hotel, but walked around the cute town and went to lunch at a really old oyster bar on the water that is a historical landmark there. This was the height of my cold, and I was pretty miserable! We found a pharmacy strait out of 1950 and I re-stocked on cold supplies- I just can't believe that I was sick the one week BA was here, but we are still having fun!!

Downtown Eureka, CA