Sailing to San Francisco

At the Maritime Museum near Hyde Street Pier in San Francisco I discovered dioramas, ship models, and remnants of the wooden ship Niantic. California’s 1849 Gold Rush spelled the end of her varied career at sea; once arriving in San Francisco Bay, the crew deserted to search for gold. Like so many other ships, Niantic was abandoned in the bay. She was later converted to an onshore hotel — only to be destroyed by fire in 1851. More than 120 years later, Niantic‘s remants were rediscovered during a routine excavation. You can click on any of the images to enlarge and read the text.

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The Adventure Continues… Carpinteria State Beach

Another beautiful day in Southern California and another state beach I have never had the pleasure of seeing in person. This episode of California’s Golden Parks, originally aired in February 2006, features Carpinteria State Beach is just twelve miles south of Santa Barbara and is a great family destination that offers a mile of beach for swimming, surfing, fishing, tidepool […]

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Seen in Susanville

I would have liked to spend more than a couple of hours wandering the streets of Susanville during our trip to Eagle Lake last September. But even in the short time I was there, I saw a lot of great details and reminders of this small town’s fascinating history. Here’s hoping that I’ll get a chance to go back someday […]

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Tale of the Mermaid

I visited San Francisco’s Maritime Museum last summer, and I’ve shared a few images previously here. I really enjoyed studying the artifacts, the ship models, and the dioramas exhibited on the museum’s ground floor. But one of the most intriguing displays is the story of Kenichi Hori, the 23-year-old who in 1962 sailed alone across the Pacific in the sloop […]

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