Toro Petroleum in Hollister

A few weeks ago, I came across this enormous tank truck while walking along McCray Street.  It was parked at the gas station with the four silo-sized gas tanks, near Walgreen's. I've always been curious about that station, but never enough to learn about it. Until now.

The station is one of four outlets for Toro Petroleum, which has headquarters in Salinas. It offers fuel and oil products and services to the farming, trucking, manufacturing, automotive, food machine, marine, and aviation industries. Wow! The things we can learn about our town from the Internet. If you're interested in learning more about that station on McCray Street, check out Toro's website.

San Juan Bautista Cemetery

"What do you want to do for your birthday?" the Husband asked me last month.

"For starters, I want to have a coffee and croissant at Vertigo Coffee, then walk over to the highest point in town and take pictures."

So, off to San Juan Bautista, we went. The breakfast was delicious, thank you very much, Vertigo. And, yes, we walked across town in the wonderful rain to the San Juan Bautista Cemetery.

What can I say? Cemeteries are interesting, especially the cemetery in San Juan. We can across many headstones of people who died in the late 1800s. I found it curious that back then the husband's name was more prominent on his wife's tombstone. 

The San Juan Bautista Cemetery, at the northwest end of the city, is also known as the Larios Cemetery for Don Manuel Larios, who deeded 10 acres of his rancho to San Juan for establishing a cemetery. To learn more about Don Larios and his family's plot, read Frank Perez's story Honoring His Family's Past.

Everything about a cemetery is fascinating. I wonder what may be the reason that loved ones placed certain decorations on the tombstones.

When I see a chair beside a tombstone, I imagine a loved one sitting and finding a calm of being there.

The Small Town Feel and Comfort

I just love it! This is looking south on College Street from the Ding-a-ling Cafe during breakfast. That cafe has some of the best salsa around. I like spreading it on my pancakes, followed by syrup. Yummmmm!

Hiking and Biking Nearby: Coyote Creek Trail

On New Year's Day, the Husband and I took a walk with friends at the southern end of Coyote Creek Trail in Morgan Hill, which is about 26 miles north of Hollister. It's a very scenic trail that anyone can enjoy, from babies in strollers to older folks like me who prefer to stroll. If you're walking, do keep your ears open for bicyclists coming up from behind. That all-of-a-sudden whistling you hear just may be an approaching bicyclist.

Coyote Creek Trail is over 18 miles long that runs through Santa Clara County. It has three sections that will eventually be connected. The longest segment is paved, and mostly flat, going from Morgan Hill to Tully Road.

For more information, check out these links:

• Coyote Creek Parkway
• San Jose, CA: Outoor Fun: Coyote Creek
• Yelp: Coyote Creek Trail and Bikeway 

 

Outstanding!

These cows are definitely out standing in their field above Quien Sabe Road. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

Whooo-hooooo! It's the first day of our new adventure around the sun. May you all have a 2015 trip full of wonder and joy.