Rock gardening
Rocks of all shapes and sizes at Caples Lake near the Carson Pass, Highway 88.
The Adventure Continues… El Dorado County Fair
This summer has not been a good one when it comes to wildfires, not only here in California, but unfortunately all around the world. This morning part of my sadness comes from the fact that a beautiful area I’ve very recently visited and enjoyed hiking and photographing has become ground zero for our region’s latest forest fire — El Dorado […]
Rust in Peace, Part 3
I have one final entry for my rusty metal series! These images were shot in June and July 2021 at a variety of locations in Amador, El Dorado, and Calaveras counties. The Argonaut Mine, located within the small town of Jackson (Amador County) was in operation from 1850 until 1942. In 1922 the state’s “deadliest recorded mining disaster” occurred there, […]
Rust in Peace, Part 2
More images of the rusted machinery at Angels Camp Museum in Calaveras County. Shot in late June 2021.
The Adventure Continues… Trona Pinnacles
You might want to have a nice big glass of cool water handy while you watch this episode of California’s Golden Parks from 2008. There’s not a whole lot of it to be found in these unique and beautiful — if dry — desert locations. The state’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has designated the Trona Pinnacles as an Area […]
Rust In Peace, Part 1
When I visited the Angels Camp Museum in Calaveras County, before I even stepped inside one of their exhibit buildings I found a whole yard full of historic machinery, some of it clearly rescued from rusty oblivion. I could recognize a few of the pieces; the old generator from the Utica powerhouse looks very similar to those I’ve seen in […]
Big wheels, Take 2
I only just realized that I completely messed up the mid-June blog post about my visit to Kennedy Tailing Wheels Park in Jackson, so I thought I should try again and hopefully get it right this time. I do want to thank all the people who clicked “Like” on the original version!
Along the Mormon trail
Since I live only a short drive away from the site of Mormon Island 1 (normally located under the waters of Folsom Lake since 1955, except during drought years), it may be only natural that driving along Iron Mountain Road, near Pollock Pines in El Dorado County, always gets me wondering exactly why this route is known as the Mormon […]
Mountain wildflowers
Even though we’re in a drought this summer, I still found plenty of colorful flowers growing in the high mountains of El Dorado County in late July. I’ve used the Google Lens app to tentatively identify a few of them.