California

Jul

2018

Traveling the American West

We’re about to head out for our summer trip, and this year we’re headed out to the American West, our old, familiar, and in many ways favorite travel location.

We’ll head west from Florida, all the way to California and turn right, making a big loop around the western part of the US and southern Canada. And we’ll be posting images and videos all along the trip.

Take a look at what we have in mind:

We’ll be headed out for a summer trip around the American West this year. We’ll make our way to California, north to Alaska, British Columbia, then down through the Rockies. Have a look:

Jun

2017

Columbia State Park – A Photo Gallery

One of the California Gold Country must see places is Columbia State Park. Located in the foothills along Highway 49, just north of Sonora, this state park is rich in Gold Country Lore.

Relic Wagon
A restored cargo wagon on display at the Columbia State Park, California.

Main Street Columbia
Except for possibly the pavement in the street, Main Street Columbia looks much like it did in the gold rush days.

Businesses Along Main Street
Typical businesses along main Street in old town, Columbia state Park, California.

The Book Store
There's a book store on main Street in Columbia State Park that's worth a visit.

Blacksmith
There's a working blacksmith shop in Columbia.

Johnson's Livery
A restored Livery stable in Columbia State Park in California.

Main Street Storefronts
More storefronts along Main Street in Columbia State Park.

Fire Engine
You can't get too close, but you can view these restored fire engines at the Fire Department in Columbia State Park, California.

Fire Engine Papeete
This fire engine was purchased in 1852. It was originally built for the King of the Sandwich Islands, but the sailors who were to deliver it jumped ship in San Francisco in search of gold, leaving the engine stranded.

Main Street Columbia
Some buildings in Columbia State Park are in less repair than others.

Volunteers at Columbia State Park
Volunteers dress in period attire as they decorate the streets of Columbia State park, answering questions and telling stories.

St Charles Saloon
Selling all the favorites of the 1800s', the St. Charles Saloon is an example of how some folks made their money the old fashion way during the gold rush in California.

Butcher Shop
Imagine what a butcher shop must have been like in 1860.

Warehouse
This might have been a warehouse in Columbia, in the 1800s'.

Blacksmith
Inside the blacksmith shop is an anvil and fire for working iron.

Fallon House Theatre
The Fallon House Theatre is still in use today for performances and community meetings.

Columbia Gazette
The original Columbia office Gazette produced a local newspaper. Today it's used for much the same purpose, printing information about the State Park.

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Panning Gold
You can try your luck at gold panning along this sluice box just outside of town at the Columbia State Park in California.

Jun

2017

Bodie State Park – A Gallery

Bodie State Park is located along California Highway 395, south of Reno near the town of Bridgeport. It’s an easy day trip from Yosemite over Tioga Pass. Bodie is almost unique in that it is one ghost town that, even though only a small percentage of the original buildings are still standing, it looks like it was a vibrant town only yesterday. Well worth the time to visit.

Old Door
One of many beautiful old doors.

wagon
One of the many wagons used when Bodie was a working town.

Window Display
Display mannequins as they might have been in use in Bodie, California, now left to the dust and ghosts of another time.

Fire Station
The fire station at Bodie State Park, California.

Old Mine
Abandonded mine buildings at Bodie State Park, California.

House
One of the many abandoned homes.

Window Display
Mannequins left for the ghosts.

Fire Station
What's left of a once active fire station.

House
At one time a family lived here.

House
Another house abandoned, all that's left are memories.

Fire Hydrant
A fire hydrant still in the ground at Bodie State Park, California.

Outhouse
An abandoned outhouse.

Outhouse
One of many abandoned outhouses.

mining equipment
As you walk the grounds, you will find a lot of mining equipment just laying on the ground.

Old Mining equipment
Old mining equipment at Bodie Ghost town.

Outhouse
One more outhouse.

Apr

2015

Mono Lake: A Soup of History

One of the disadvantages of traveling the eastern Sierras is that it’s a long way from most people’s homes. Most northern Californians have to come all the way over the mountain passes to get there, and southern Californians have to drive several hundred miles along Highway 395, through some of California’s most inhospitable terrain before arriving at their destination. Of course, it could be argued that one of the best reasons for going to the eastern Sierras is because it’s hard to get there, and therefore doesn’t receive the tourist pressure of other parts of the state. Continue reading →

Feb

2014

Knights Ferry

In our present day country, we drive about on our road system that’s probably among the best in the world, and give little thought to the hardships that must have existed when this fabulous land was a wilderness; when a wheeled vehicle had never crossed the landscape, and nothing was moved that could not be carried on your back. We drive through little towns like Moss Landing, or Sweeneys Crossing, and give little thought to how they got their interesting names. To us, they’re just names. It might be a surprise then, that the little frontier town of Knights Ferry in the California foothills between Oakdale and Sonora got its name because it was once home to a modified whaling ship used for carrying passengers, goods, and livestock across the Stanislaus River. Continue reading →

Dec

2013

Mono Lake as a Winter Destination

If you’re a photographer and you live in California, you’ve probably been to Mono Lake at least once. Mono Lake seems to be a required stop for all amateur photographers at least once. The reasons are obvious if you’ve been, with the quiet beauty of the eastern Sierras in the background, the unusual formations called Tufa Towers, and the opportunity for large vistas. All of the possibilities that are apparent at Mono Lake are coupled with its proximity to Yosemite National Park just over Tioga Pass, and Bodie State Park (the famous 19th century ghost town) just north and slightly east on Highway 395, make this stop a must see, especially if you’re visiting other attractions in the area. Continue reading →

May

2013

Columbia State Park

A good deal of the recreation in California in the summer months centers around water, or the highest parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The Pacific Ocean brings mild weather with ocean breezes, and the Sierras offer high altitude relief from the constant heat of the San Joaquin Valley. The truth is, for all the great recreation available in California, it’s a hot, dry landscape in the summer months. It’s not called the “Golden State” because of the gold rush in the 19th century, but for the golden fields of dried up grass. For the most part, the summer in California is a dry, uncomfortably hot place. Continue reading →

May

2013

Gold Mining Techniques

There are three principal methods of gold mining in California. Placer mining was one of the most popular, and involved removing gold from deposits in the ground, where it washed down from larger deposits. A faster, and much more destructive method was hydraulic mining, where gold was forcibly removed from deposits by spraying deposits with high volume, high pressure nozzles, washing entire hillsides down to a sluicing operation where heaver elements, like gold, could be separated out. The third mining method is hard rock ore mining where ore is extracted from mine shafts or open pit operations. The ore undergoes treatment that extracts gold salts from the ore, then goes through a smelting process to re-constitute the gold.

California

Traveling the American West

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Columbia State Park – A Photo Gallery

Bodie State Park – A Gallery

Mono Lake: A Soup of History

Knights Ferry

Mono Lake as a Winter Destination

Columbia State Park

Gold Mining Techniques

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