Happy Birthday

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

On Saturday we celebrated my daughters 14th birthday by bringing her and some of her closest friends on a day trip to San Francisco. We started out the day by catching the cable car to Fishermans warf.

From the end of the Cable Car line we walked to Pier 39 and had lunch at North Beach Pizza.


After Lunch we walked back through Fishermans Warf and of course ever 14 year old girl wants to stop in every shop along the way. We made it to Ghiradelli Square and had her birthday Ice Cream sunday's at the world famous Ghiradelli Ice Cream shop.

Then back on the Cable Car for the return trip downtown. We still had a little bit of daylight left so we drove across the city to the beach to watch the sunset. The end of a great day.

First snow of the season

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Here we are on Tioga Pass entering Yosemite National Park. We were there the first weekend of October and experienced the first snowfall for the season.

The pass is subject to winter closure, due to high snowfall, normally from around the end of October until the end of May the following year, though these dates are subject to considerable variation. In heavy snow years, the road usually closes in early-October and could open as late as mid-July. In light snow years, the road could be closed in December and open as soon as April. The pass is at 9943 feet above sea level.

Fall Morning in Yosemite Valley

Monday, October 20, 2008

Bodie

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Bodie State Historic Park is a genuine California gold-mining ghost town. Visitors can walk down the deserted streets of a town that once had a population of 10,000 people. The town was founded by Waterman S. Body (William Bodey), who had discovered small amounts of gold in hills north of Mono Lake. In 1877, the Standard Company struck pay dirt and a gold rush transformed Bodie from a town of 20 people to a boomtown.
Only a small part of the town survives, preserved in a state of "arrested decay." Interiors remain as they were left and stocked with goods. Designated as a National Historic Site and a State Historic Park in 1962, the remains of Bodie are being preserved in a state of "arrested decay". Today this once thriving mining camp is visited by tourists, howling winds and an occasional ghost.