Motor Tour Day 4: Off-Driving Day in San Francisco

Day 4 Soundtrack: The Monkees...

When I planned this road trip, I decided to give myself a bonus day in San Francisco so I could do a little sight-seeing, spend a little extra time with my cousin Sheryl, and have a day off of driving.  So today I tried (and failed) to sleep in, and then went on a little side tour to San Jose. 

One of the things I had planned to do was go to the Computer History Museum (Where Computer History Lives™) to have a look at the Babbage Engine and other historical computer gadgets, and generally geek out.  But sadly for me, the museum is currently under major renovations and isn't open on weekdays.  No vintage computing technology for me. 


What I would have seen if the computer gods hadn't cursed me.

However, the other museum I wanted to see was open: The Winchester Mystery House.  This is an architectural oddity built and designed by an heir of the Winchester rifle fortune.  She was batshit crazy.  She was somehow convinced that all the tortured souls who had been killed by Winchester firearms had taken to their spirit forms, and made a beeline to San Jose to haunt her.  And that the only way to appease these spirits was to ensure that the mansion was continually under construction.  So what began as an 8 room farm house exploded and mutated into a 14 bedroom, 13 bathroom, 6 kitchen, 2 ballroom, 1 seance room clusterfuck.  Oddities include doors that open to a two-story drop outside, staircases that lead up to ceilings, fake doors leading to brick walls, a window in the floor,  and a kazillion little two inch high steps winding all over the place. 

I wasn't allowed to take photos inside, so the best I got was a few shots of the exterior.  Be sure to pay attention to the "Door to Nowhere" in the photo on the right:



After my little adventure, I headed back beachside and Sheryl made us some delicious risotto and we watched the San Francisco Giants beat the Texas Rangers for the World Series championship.  And tomorrow I get up early to drive down Highway 1 to Los Angeles...