Went on a couple of fantastic hikes at Jack London State Park with Julie today. In just a few miles we wandered through the ruins of the winery, into eucalyptus groves, past vineyards flashing their fall colors, then into a beautiful redwood forest. Later we checked out Jack London’s gravesite in a peaceful knoll (his wife’s ashes are also buried here and nearby are the graves of two pioneer children) and the remains of Wolf House, his home that burned down just as it was being completed. It was going to be a fantastic structure, snuggled in amongst redwoods. We were both amazed at how many books, short stories, essays, poems and plays Jack London wrote in his comparatively short life. We both remembered Call of the Wild and White Fang, but didn’t realize how prolific he was in addition to the ranching work he loved (but was not very successful at). Definitely got us interested in learning more about him and reading more of his work.
After our hikes we did a bit of wine tasting at Larson Family Winery, a very relaxed, fun place with good wines. It was a great way to finish a day of hiking and we decided we should do it more often!
