Get update alerts
Locations
- .All Trips
- Art
- Car Culture
- Central America/Caribbean
- Food
- Food Tour
- Pic of the Week
- Sl;ovenia
“Pic of the Week”, July 3, 2020: Snow Plant, California
The only place I’ve ever seen snow plant is on the western (wetter) slopes of California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, especially in Yosemite National Park. It’s hard to miss seeing snow plant if its there, as it’s bright red and stands out against the melting snow and tree litter in which it grows.
Some interesting facts about snow plant:
1) It’s a bright fleshy red plant (herb) of the Indian-pipe family, usually 15-30 cm (under a foot) tall
2) It grows in high-altitude conifer forests of California, Nevada and Oregon (generally between 1000 – 3000 m altitude)
3) It derives its nourishment from soil fungi attached to the roots of pine trees, and does not need sunlight to survive
4) It usually pops out in late …
Jul 2, 2020
Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, July 3, 2020: Snow Plant, California
“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
Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, June 7,2019: Conservation Carousel, San Diego Zoo Safari Park
.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 …
“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
Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, December 7, 2018: Unbearably Lake Tahoe
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
“Pic of the Week”, June 22, 2018: Views of Lake Tahoe
Lovely Lake Tahoe! It has been described as the “gem of the Sierras” and it’s hard to argue with that.
Its statistics are impressive. Lake Tahoe is situated in the Sierra Nevada mountain range at 6,225 ft (1,897 m) and straddles the California/Nevada border. At 1,645 ft (501 m) deep, it is the second deepest lake in the United States — only Crater Lake in Oregon is deeper at 1,945 ft (593 m). It holds more water than any lake in the US, excluding the five Great Lakes.
And the scenery is spectacular. As are the hiking opportunities around the lake!
(Click on thumbnails to enlarge, right arrow to advance)
Jun 21, 2018
Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, June 22, 2018: Views of Lake Tahoe
“Pic of the Week”, February 23, 2017: Western Gorillas
While gorillas are the largest of the great apes, the western (lowland) gorillas are the smallest and least endangered of this subspecies. Native to the Congo River Basin, they live in lowland tropical and swamp forests. They are quiet, peaceful animals whose existence is threatened by deforestation and poaching.
Male gorillas are up to 1.55 meters tall and weigh up to 157 kg; females are 1.35 meters and weigh up to 80 kg. They are mainly herbivores, feasting on leaves and fruit but occasionally eating ants, worms and caterpillars. Western gorillas are nomadic, wandering in groups of up to 30 individuals in search of food. Each band is lead by a dominant “silverback” male ( so called because of a silver …
Feb 22, 2018
Comments Off on “Pic of the Week”, February 23, 2017: Western Gorillas
