I have heard the story of San Francisco’s great earthquake and fire in 1906 countless times, but walking around certain parts of the city can still bring the history back to life in unexpected ways. Visiting the California Academy of Sciences in 2016, I entered the earthquake simulator and experienced first the shaking of the Loma Prieta quake in 1989 […]
A few images from my visit to San Francisco in August 2023.
As we drove along Highway 40 to north Texas and back again, we passed so many light-brown signs along the road pointing toward different state parks. I felt some serious twinges of regret every time I spotted the familiar color-coded indicators, wishing we had time to stop and explore each park. New Mexico alone has 35 state parks — Ute […]
I have a bit of regret now that I didn’t shoot more street photography as I walked around our small Roanoke, Texas, neighborhood; at the time I was super focused on finding some bright red cardinals! And as I mentioned before, most of my time was spent indoors thanks to the warm temperatures. This small and well-established neighborhood was full […]
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.
Here are some images from an outing I joined back in April 2024. It was sponsored by Folsom Lake SRA, and two park aides led us along the Salmon Falls Darrington Trail on the South Fork of the American River at Folsom Lake. Because the morning was overcast and slightly drizzly, some people who had signed up for the hike […]
There are a number of trails to explore when you park at the Rattlesnake Bar area of Folsom Lake SRA, but the trip out to Avery’s Pond is one of the most popular. The best time to hike the trail is in the springtime, when wildflowers are abundant and there are few if any annoying dry weeds. Of course, poison […]
Russian Gulch State Park is such a beautiful place to explore, especially on a cool afternoon in October. The sky sent down a light drizzle as I started along the headlands trail, but by the time I had circled back and later headed to the landward side of the park — following the road that crosses beneath Highway 1 — […]
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 […]