Sacramento

Welcome to Sacramento, California!  Sacramento is the capitol city of California, harboring almost half a million people in the city limits, and over two and a half million people when the total metropolitan area is counted.  Yup, it's big!  But that doesn't mean that it is a huge, concrete jungle like some large cities.  As you can see in the above photo, there are big, beautiful trees in this city.  In fact, a nickname of the town is the "City of Trees."

The love affair with the natural beauty of this place was born from the beginning.  When the Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga with his expedition team entered into this river valley back around the year 1800, he found a land with towering oak trees and cottonwoods, with wild grape vines, with clear river waters teeming with fish, with the cheerful chirping of birds, and with a floral aroma wafting through the air which was reminiscent of champagne.  The blissful experience prompted him to say “Es como el sagrado sacramento!"  This is like the Holy Sacrament!  With that sentiment, he bestowed the name Sacramento to the principle river running through the valley.

As impressive as this land was, it was not settled until around around 30-40 years later.  It wasn't a Spaniard, but rather a Swiss immigrant by the name of John Sutter who initiated the settlement of the area.  Sutter built a trading post and stockade which became known as Sutter's fort.  With business partner John Marshall, Sutter set up a saw mill, Sutter's Mill, to begin harvesting some of the great timber available.  One day at the mill in 1848, John Marshall found some loose flakes of a shiny yellow metal which changed everything.  Gold!

John Sutter and John Marshall were two of the men who sparked off the great California Gold Rush.  Despite trying to keep their find a secret, word leaked out.  Soon people were migrating to the region to make their fortune.  Recognizing the large influx of people, Sutter's son, John Sutter Jr., got together with a man named Sam Brennan and together laid out the plan for the city of Sacramento.  In February 27, 1850, the city was incorporated.


Sacramento has an impressive capitol building.  I think it looks better than the White House!

Downtown at the courthouse, lady Justice is flanked by oaks.

In 2002, Time magazine rated Sacramento as America's most ethnically and racially integrated city.  They have a large Asian population, including the decedents of many Chinese immigrants who had fled  their country back in the 1840's and 1850's due to the Opium Wars.  Below you can see the seafood section in an oriental supermarket there.  Wow!  It is quite large compared to most U.S. markets.

Let's get back to nature for a while, which is very easy to do in Sacramento.  They have an great walking path along the American River, a large tributary of the Sacramento River.

Along the walking path, wild flowers greet your eyes, and your nose.

Wild grasses, with their own type of beauty, also share the landscape with the flowers.

And speaking of flowers, Sacramento has a delightful rose garden near the heart of downtown.  I took the time to smell a few.  ;-)

Besides natural adornments, several of the houses in town were a feast for the eyes as well.  Gingerbread decor and bold paint colors make these houses inviting homes.

Even houses with more simple architecture often had eye-catching palettes.

And sometimes, far less often, it was the content of the yard, not the color of the house, which caught the eyes.  Check out this crazy, larger-that-life lawn art.  Funky!  I like the big yellow kitty.  OK, well I am off to my next adventure.  Travel on!

Death Valley National Park

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death... Welcome to Death Valley National Park! I was prepared for the heat, but I wasn't prepared for the beauty! Wow!

Death Valley itself is a graben; a graben being a region of the earth's crust which sinks lower in elevation as pieces of the crust on either side pull apart from one another. It easily secures the award of being the lowest, hottest, and driest National Park in the U.S.

The park was established in 1933 by President Hoover, and expanded even larger in 1994 under President Clinton. It is truly a national treasure for those thirsty for natural beauty, and it will leave you thirsty for more... water.

Above I am at the mouth of Mosaic Canyon, which had an excellent short hike. And a short hike is all you want to do in the heat of the afternoon sun, believe me!


Deeper into the canyon, erosion-smoothed marble-like dolomite abutted a conglomerate formation which looked like natural concrete, with layers of carved mudstone all around.



A long, lonesome road cut through Death Valley, providing easy access to many of the park's most picturesque locations. But like most of our other National Parks, Death Valley had acres and acres of back country for the more adventurous visitor to explore.



That little green sign by the side of the road reads “Elevation Sea Level.” Hmmm... I wonder if they will have to move that sign soon?



For the most part, Death Valley is a rocky desert, but there are a handful of locations with sand dunes. It is believed that they have accumulated in those particular locations due to the patterns of the wind currents where the wind typically slows enough to drop the fine sand it carries.



I saw this neat pattern in the sand at the top of a dune. Cool! Well, actually, hot! The sand scorched my toes!



There was a really pretty driving loop called Artist's Drive.



The palette of colors were terrestrially limited, yet still incredibly beautiful.



It was definitely worth the detour to see these majestic mountains.



As you can tell, there is not much vegetation out here, but it is here, and it supports a plethora of heat-adapted animals.



This is Badwater, literally! A small spring trickles up through the ground in one of the lowest elevation spots in the park. Yet this water is super-saturated with salt. You would die sooner by drinking it than not.



The salt deposits in Badwater formed a crusty, crunchy layer on the top surface. Bring your French fries! Salt for everyone! Badwater basin is the lowest point in North America, with an elevation of 282 feet (85.5 meters) below sea level.



My favorite spot which I had the chance to explore was called Zabriskie Point, which fortunately is also one of the most accessible points in the park. So you should definitely put it on your list if you visit.



After a brief uphill hike, there was a nice view from a hill near the parking lot.



But if you get there early enough in the morning, you definitely need to take the badlands hike at Zabriskie Point.



While you're hiking, if you keep your eyes open, occasionally you will see a hole bored into the side of a hill. This is a remnant of the borax mining operation which once operated in Death Valley, before it was a National Park. It's hard to believe that anyone would work all the way out here in the middle of nowhere, and in this oppressive heat! It was probably much more comfortable to be in the borax mines than it was to be outside in sunshine.



On the return leg of the hike, you traverse through what would be a river valley, if there was water around. Instead, you see the record of floods past in the layers of rocky debris.



With the horizontal layers of rock deposits, and the angular layers in the sandstone, it was a line-lovers dream!



Well, that's it for this trip. I think I am starting to hallucinate from this heat. Was that a purple bunny with wings and antelope horns? I, um, I'm going to go drink some water. See you next time!

San Francisco

Welcome to San Francisco, the 13th most populous city in the United States! Here I am in downtown, shortly after I got off the BART. What's a BART? Why it's the Bay Area Rapid Transit system, a network of subway and above-ground light rail trains to help move people efficiently. You need something like that when you've got over 800,000 people living in the city, and over 7,000,000 people living in the San Francisco Bay area!

San Francisco is a beautiful and functional city, and a real melting pot of cultures that makes any visit an enriching experience.

On the other hand, I'm not sure if I would want to live there. It's close to two major earthquake-producing fault lines. In 1906, the whole city was destroyed when an earthquake struck in the early hours of the morning. Not exactly the kind of alarm I'd like to wake up to!

Even still, with its thriving arts and culture, attractive hilly terrain with adjoining waterfront, and mild climate, it is easy to see why people are drawn to live here.


This is Vaillancourt Fountain in part of the city known as the Embarcadero. It's really a cool structure that has pathways around and throughout it.



I liked this metal man statue. :-) In the background you can see the clock tower of the ferry building. Thanks to the bridges, not many ferries run anymore. The ferry building has become a place for nice restaurants and boutique shops. Behind the building they have a farmers' market on the weekends.



If you like lines in your architecture, there are plenty of picturesque city shots to enjoy.



San Francisco has a large China Town. In fact, about one third of the population of San Francisco is Chinese American. This district has many jewelry stores, trinket shops, and Chinese-flavored home furnishing stores.



This is part of Golden Gate Park, a large span of green space close to downtown. It's a great escape to trade skyscrapers for towering trees. :-)



On top of Buena Vista Park, you can get wonderful views of the cityscape, but my favorite photo from this park was of these trees.



One of the things that San Francisco is known for is their pretty and historic Victorian-style townhome.



Home like these made the walk through the city quite enjoyable.



Mmmm... Philz Coffee! This is one of my favorite coffee spots in the whole world. :-) They've got about 20 hand-crafted coffee blends to choose from, and they'll brew each one a cup at a time for you. Yummy!



This it the Bay Bridge, connecting San Francisco to Oakland, replete with a little touch early morning fog to give it a magical quality.



I'm not sure if you can see me, but I am riding this metal arachnid! There were several pieces of public art accenting the city to ponder, inspire, and enjoy. As for me, I'm going to ride off to my next adventure...

Mt. Diablo

Welcome to Mt. Diablo! This upthrust stands a proud 3849 feet in elevation practically all by itself, thereby providing spectacular views in all directions at its peak. And it's growing! every year, Mt. Diablo adds a whopping 0.118" to 0.197" to its height. Blame it on plate tectonics. This mountain is about thirty miles east of San Francisco. It's got many pleasant hiking paths, and a road that goes right up to the peak.

The name Mt. Diablo was actually due to a mistake. Back when the Spanish colonists dominated the region, they had given a name of "Monte del Diablo" to a thicket of woods nearby the mountain, with "monte" meaning woods or thicket. Probably due to the thicket's proximity to the mountain and a misunderstanding of the Spanish tongue by English speakers, we end up today with the mountain's name as what it is today.

The mountain was sacred to the native American Indians of the region; the Miwok and the Ohlone. According to their mythology, their ancient relatives were created on this mountain peak. The legend has a few variances, but essentially center around an anthropomorphic coyote deity forming men on the mountain.


Below is the roughly the same shot as with me above. It was very picturesque there.



There was a cool-looking shrub which grew in many places on the mountain. As you can see, it had gnarly reddish wood, often accompanied by whitish lichen.



Rugged sandstone outcroppings adorned the landscape, providing for some nice rock climbing. In the distance behind me is an outcropping equipped for novice rock climbing, including the addition of some safety railings and steps.



On my way to climb the rock, I snapped this shot of the rugged beauty.



I made it on top of the rock! In the lower right-hand corner of the shot, you can make out the shadow of one of the safety railings. I was impressed that they had managed to add this feature without really destroying the vista.



There were wonderful views to be had at almost every angle. Doesn't this just call you to a picnic lunch? :-)



Well, if it isn't my old friend Campanula exigua, a.k.a. pretty bluish purple flower.



This pleasant hike was along fossil ridge. I didn't see any fossils, but I still had a good time.



Finally, I'm at the top of Mt. Diablo itself. The view was quite impressive, and the visitor's center at the peak was crawling with earwigs! Sorry I didn't get a photo of that. :-(



And here I am at the peak with a view to the northwest. And here I go. See you next time!