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“Pic of the Week”, June 7,2019: Conservation Carousel, San Diego Zoo Safari Park
My wife and I share an affection for carousels. She’s in love with carousel horses (we have one standing in our entryway). I have a greater interest in a larger variety of carousel animals.
So you can see from these images that the lovely carousel in San Diego’s Zoo Safari Park really appealed to me. It’s themed “conservation carousel” and contains 60 mostly rare and endangered animals that can take you for a ride. An appropriate menagerie of critters for this terrific family travel-friendly destination.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Jun 7, 2019
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.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
Remarkable Sequoia National Park
Going back through my travel records, I was surprised to find that it’s been almost 20 years since I last visited Sequoia National Park — my, how time flies. I’m glad I spent a lot of time exploring this park during the 1980s and 1990s because it’s a special place.
Sequoia NP was about a 4 hour drive from our home in Southern California (under ideal traffic conditions– often more like 5 or 6 hours) and was one of the easiest to reach natural destinations near us, so we visited it almost every year. The park spans over 400,000 acres so it’s impossible to see it all. It’s part of the UNESCO Sequoia-Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve (1976).
What’s so special about the park? Lots, to be sure …
.All Trips / Food / Nevada / North America / Southwestern USA
We breakfasted at Peg’s a number of times during our week in the Reno area and tried a variety of breakfast entries. All were excellent! Peg’s is especially known for its omelets and “Glorified Skillets”. While …
Nevada’s great Breakfast Diner! Peg’s Glorified Ham n Eggs
While I don’t usually focus on reviews of restaurants, I do like to share special places that I’ve enjoyed during my travels. Today I’d like to make you aware of a wonderful breakfast/lunch diner I discovered while visiting Northern Nevada .
Peg’s Glorified Ham ‘n Eggs was founded in Reno in 1999 by a husband-and-wife team, Fred and Joanna (aka “Pops and Peg”). The original restaurant became so popular that there are now eight sites, including Carson City (the one we visited), Sparks and Henderson.
Peg’s Glorified Ham in Eggs
We breakfasted at Peg’s a number of times during our week in the Reno area and tried a variety of breakfast entries. All were excellent! Peg’s is especially known for its omelets and “Glorified Skillets”. While …
Tagged breakfast, Carson City, diner, food, Reno
“Pic of the Week”, December 7, 2018: Unbearably Lake Tahoe
An art form I enjoy, which has seen growing popularity these past few decades, is chainsaw carvings. As the name implies, the artist uses chainsaws of different size to work a piece of dried raw wood into the final carved piece. The carvings are often large and heavy. The wood is then generally stained or painted and sealed with varnish or polyurethane to protect the art.
While driving around Lake Tahoe this past summer — a beautiful scenic drive that’s highly recommended — we came across several homes on the California side of the lake that had some fine examples of carved bears. I thought they were quite good and stopped to get some photos. Not sure if all the ones …
Dec 6, 2018
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“Pic of the Week”, November 23, 2018: Paradise Valley, Nevada
While on a road-trip last year, I drove through northern Nevada and came across a rather pretty place in the desert. Relatively green and lush, it was known as Paradise Valley. One of about a dozen places by the same name I’ve encountered in my travels and like the rest of them, visually striking. This was a place of horse and cattle ranchers.
Don’t know much about the region but it was worth stopping and enjoying the view.
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Nov 22, 2018
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.All Trips / Arizona / North America / Southwestern USA
The National Atomic Testing Museum, Las Vegas — unlike any other
I’ve been to Vegas more times than I can remember. It’s always been a decent weekend getaway destination and is a good place to meet up with friends as it’s easily accessible, has reasonably priced accommodation and great restaurants. And if you want you can explore the desert, catch a live show, gamble, or go to a night club.
I’m not much of a gambler or a nightclub guy, but I do like to visit an interesting museum. The National Atomic Testing Museum (NATM) certainly is different than most and if you have an interest in science and military history, is well worth a visit. The museum opened in 2005 and is operated by the Nevada Test Site Historical Foundation. It’s …
California / North America / Southwestern USA
“Pic of the Week”, July 6, 2018: Flying A Service Station, Truckee
I’ve previously discussed my visit to the small town of Truckee, which rests on California’s eastern Sierra Nevada slopes and which you can read about at this link. The town has a nicely preserved historic core, with lots of buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
My favorite building in Truckee was this old Flying A Service Station, which brought back memories of many like it I’d see when I was much younger, under a variety of banners like Texaco and Sinclair’s. Most of these old buildings have been torn down and replaced by large self-serve fueling outlets, each with an attached convenience store. These new structures may be efficient but they lack the intimacy …
Tagged Flying A, service station, Truckee
.All Trips / California / North America / Southwestern USA
Truckee, California
Situated slightly north of Lake Tahoe and a little west of Reno, I’d driven past this small city on route I-80 many times. But it was not until this past summer that I actually stopped and explored it. The day of our visit was dry and hot and the sun intense as it can only be at high altitude, the heat draining our energy; still, we took our time, stayed hydrated and enjoyed visiting Truckee.
The town’s original name was Coburn Station, after one of its saloon keepers. It was renamed ‘Truckee’ after a Paiute chief named Tru-ki-zo. This friendly chief greeted the first Europeans migrating to California and legend has it that he rode toward them yelling, “Tro-kay”, Paiute for …
Tagged railroad, Sierra Nevada, Truckee
