Day trip drive: Calcata, Italy

by Jamie Rhein on

When I browse the photos in Gadling’s photo pool to look for a “Photo of the Day” post, inspirational, lush, funky and interesting shots are aplenty. It’s hard to choose between them. Yesterday’s choice, David Farley’s shot of the restaurant, La Grotta dei Germogli gives a hint of the pleasure of being there which is one reason it caught my attention. It left me intrigued, prompting me to find out more about it. Oh, my goodness! This is a reason to head to Italy.

Calcata, where the restaurant is located, is a medieval village in the hills, 30 miles from Rome, thus a day trip suggestion. The town, over the years, has been taken over by the artsy crowd. When the government condemned it back in the 1930 because officials worried that the volcanic rock cliffs that it sits on would crumble, people moved out. But, the 1960s happened and hippies and artists moved in turning the town into a happening place.

I came across this New York Times article that details Calcata’s path from ghost town to groovy. It has something to do with the positive energy the village exudes. If you’re going to be in Rome, this looks like a terrific gallery and eatery filled spot to mellow out. There’s the blue chair folding chair on the balcony overlooking the hills with your name on it. It’s at the La Grotta dei Germogli. If you go, the gnocchi with almond pesto sounds delicious.

Cash and Treasures: Digging for Benitoite

by Jamie Rhein on

Cash and Treasures, as mentioned in a previous post, is a Travel Channel show that features kid friendly places. Host Kirsten Gum, an engaging sort, heads to where you can dig up treasure with or without kids.

Episode: Digging for Benitoite

What is it? Benitoite is an electric blue gem considered rare.

Location: California State Gem Mine. Between Hollister and Coalinga, California. The mine, first opened in 1907, has been active at various times, depending on who owned it and world events. It was closed during World War I, for example. It opened to the public in 2005.

Digging details: If you’re going to find benitoite, the best time to find it seems to be at night using a black-light headlamp. “Oh, my goodness. It looks like a full constellation on the ground,” said Gum when she switched on her light to look around.

During the day you pay $100 for a whole day of digging which allows you to fill a 5-gallon bucket. At night the cost jumps to $500, but can be split between two people. One person wears the lamp and both people look. You can rent the black light for $100. Gum found her stone worth more than the cost of the dig at night. The total value of the gems she found was $2,040.

What you pair digging with: You can camp at the mine or at a campgrounds near by. The area of the Coast Mountains and the San Joaquin Valley is stunning and there are remnants of the area’s mining history. The mine’s Web site suggests riding OHVs, motorcycles or dune buggies to the mine since the road is rugged. Don’t bring the family car unless it’s hearty is the basic idea behind the suggestion.

Digging drawbacks: You can dig all day without much success of finding benitoite, although, the thrill of the possibility can keep one looking. At night, the word cold doesn’t even capture it. Gum said it was 15 degrees.

Family Plus: This is something the whole family can do and kids under 14 are free. Camping at the mine is only $20 per night per family. Even if you don’t find benitoite, you’ll find other minerals. Kids like rocks.

There’s more: Head to W. Scott Forrest Gemstones in Clovis, CA to get the benitoite appraised and then to Leher Design in Larkspur, CA to turn it into jewelery.


I see dead people

by Jamie Rhein on

I have succumbed to the fascination in viewing dead people. I’m not talking about funerals, but about viewing dead people who have been dead awhile, as in years and years. The recent public viewing of Padre Pio, a Catholic saint, in San Giovani Rotondo, Italy has brought back memories.

Ho Chi Minh was my first preserved body tourist attraction. Mao Zedong was the second one. I wasn’t really comparing which of the two looked better when I went back for a second gander at Ho Chi Minh, but preservation has treated him better, in my opinion. Neither of these former leaders looked real, though–more like odd wax dolls.

Of all the interesting sites one can see in Beijing and Hanoi, the draw to their mausoleums is impressive. Tourists line up in the midst of people who come for patriotic, reverent reasons. The pomp of such attractions interests me as much as the attractions do themselves. Each place has rules to follow. For example, line up single file and check your umbrella. There are no umbrellas allowed Ho Chih Minh’s masouleum from what I recall. I have a memory of chekcing mine.

The changing of the guards and the hushed tones as people file past the glass sarcophagus, perhaps thinking how similar the glass case reminds one of the fairytale Sleeping Beauty, also add to the mood. But, there will be no waking up here. There is no lingering, no stepping back for a second glance. When one walks past Mao and Minh, it’s in single file at a steady slow pace and then, whoosh, you’re out the door.

In San Giovani Rotondo, it looks like people have some time to linger for a decent look at Padre Pio–even snap a photo. Padre Pio, was a mystic monk who is said to have had stigmata, bleeding on his hands and feet, similar to where Jesus’ wounds would have been. Death seems to have taken the stigmata away. There aren’t even traces.

The picture I saw of Padre Pio startled me at first. “Wow! he looks great,” I thought, but then read that the face is covered by a silicon mask made to look like his face. Evidently, his actual face isn’t quite as pristine. It’s not clear how long the saint will be on view before he’s buried again.

One of these days, I may head to see Lenin. His is the first body to have been preserved for generations to come. There are rumors that perhaps all of his body parts aren’t real anymore, even though these bodies go through special cleanings to keep them in shape for onlookers and admirers.

The photo by steepways is tagged as Lenin’s death mask. If I’m feeling ambitious, there’s Kim Il-sung, the former North Korean leader. He’s in Pyongyang. Neil has been there as chronicled in his series “Infiltrating North Korea.” Here’s a post on Kim to get you in the mood.

Cash and Treasures: Travel Channel’s family friendly fare

by Jamie Rhein on

I have become enamored with Cash and Treasures, the Travel Channel’s show dedicated to digging up things and making money while you’re at it. For the last three weeks, I’ve caught the Wednesday night, 10 PM episode and picked up some ideas for places to stop on our trip west this summer. The number of treasures one can dig up in the United States, Cash and Treasure’s primary focus, is impressive.

Unlike a lot of other travel shows where one wonders if the world has any children at all, new host Kirsten Gum, who is the replacement for Becky Worley who had twins, chats with kids in every episode. Gum heads to family friendly places where kids are as welcome as adults to pick up digging tools and have at it. Gum also seems to enjoy the kids she is talking with, and for the most part, doesn’t use them as photo ops. They are given time to talk about what they are finding. At the dig spots, Gum delves into the history of the area and why whatever is being mined is considered worth finding.

Along with finding out where and what to dig, people who tune into the show can find out how to make some money off their finds. Gum takes her stash of whatever she’s found during that particular episode to people who show her how to clean it, mount it and turn it into jewelery. Many of the businesses have been in operation for years and the people who run them are experts. Since each place Gum has visited is worth a detailed mention stay tuned. One place will be the focus of one post. Gems, bones, gold and fossils are on the menu.

Video: Earth Day ode to the John Muir Trail

by Jamie Rhein on

I’ve been thinking about John Muir and people who have such a passion that their whole life is dedicated to its pursuit. John Muir, as I wrote in a previous post, was dedicated to the preservation of nature. To really see the world as John Muir, the founder of the Sierra Club, saw it, hiking the John Muir Trail is one option. The trail winds 211 miles through mountainous scenery that includes three national parks: Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia.

Typically, people start at Mt. Whitney and head to the Yosemite Valley. The best time for hiking is July through September. The Pacific Crest Trail Association has a terrific guide that explains details about the trail and gives suggestions about planning a hike.

To enjoy the hike from the comfort of your computer screen, here is a video I came across with exquisite shots that vary between landscape, closeups and people. It’s perfect for enjoying the earth and reinforcing why it’s important to take care of it. Thanks to raceyjones for sharing on YouTube the 20-day hike he took on the John Muir Trail August 2006.