'Frisco by ferry

San Francisco Bay Ferry fast boat

SF skyline with rocket-looking Transamerica building

Alcatraz prison

SACRAMENTO, CA - - Car free and care free in San Francisco...until we'd walked about 8 miles round trip to get up close and personal with the Golden Gate Bridge. 
     Sane people avoid driving into Sn Francisco.  So we looked for an alternate plan to avoid the tense atmosphere which can evolve when driving in big cities.  We took the SF Bay Ferry from Vallejo to Pier 41 which is right next to Pier 39...better known as Fisherman's Wharf.  After lunch, we walked toward the Golden Gate Bridge looming in the distance.  And walked.  And walked.  Took some photos.  Then walked back.  Nearly four hours round trip.
     If there is a next time we will figure out how the trolly system works.

Bee mine

ribbitt

buzzzz

dunk, dunk

SACRAMENTO, CA - - Less than an hour away from where we are staying is the Yolo Wildlife Area.  This is a huge low lands /wet lands / rice farming area  is a great bird habitat for Spring and Fall migrations.  In the Summer, without much wet land areas the birds are a bit scarce.  So we followed other vehicles who (apparently) knew where the good location was.
      We heard a rendition by the frog chorus; watched bees checking out the sunflowers and a California sandpiper family out for brunch...this was a Sunday.

Day trip to Point Reyes Lighthouse

Lydia braces for the wind and the incline.

A vibrant red alge called 'rock violets'

SACRAMENTO, CA - - We've located some areas to take off to for a day trip.  We've been to Point Reyes lighthouse, but that was in 2010.  It seems any trip from where we are staying involves Interstate travel and / or twisty back roads that take 20 miles to go 10..if a relatively direct route were possible.
     One reason to go was that in PR it would be mid-60s and in Sacto the temperature would hover in the mid-90s.  Of course, cool on the cost meant it would be foggy (what's known as the marine layer) and windy.  Great.
     It was hazy and windy when we arrived.  There are 300 steps down to the lighthouse which are closed to visitors when the wind gusts reach 40 mph.  A 20 mph wind would make most people think twice.
     The lighthouse, on the Bay of Farallones, is part of Point Reyes National Seashore.  The light begn service in 1870 and was automated in 1975.
     The rusty red colored substance on the rock in the bottom photo is an 'furry' alge called  Trentepohilia (the scientific name).  More commonly known as 'rock violets' the alge is a survivor species in that it 'lives with harsh winds; salty air and very little moisture. 

My cellphone can swim!

SACRAMENTO, CA - -  This is a preemptive confession, because Lydia doesn't pass up many 'moments' where she gets to explain that I sometimes do stupid or very stupid things.  In this case it was leaving my cell phone in the shorts that I dropped in the washing machine. My phone went through the wash cycle and the spin cycle. Fortunately, it was discovered before going into the dryer.   Even I realize that forgetting my phone was very dumb.
      A couple of years ago when Lydia got a new cell phone, we got a two phones for one deal.  Astutely, she had packed the spare for this trip...in case something (read: me being dumb) happened to one of our phones.
     When confronted with the phone retrieved from the wash, I pulled out the battery and with the phone 'open' set everything out in the 88-degree sun for about 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, Lydia is hinting that I should start looking for an AT&T dealer so we can swap sim cards from my old phone to the new spare.
     But, hang on a minute.  I got my cell out of the sun none too worse for wear except for the condensation on the screen.  I put the battery back in; plugged in the charges and left it for 20 minutes.  The phone fired up; I punched in Lydia's number and the call went through very much to her amazement.
     Good phone?  Dumb luck?  Who knows?  Dumb move, good outcome.  I'll take it.

Lumpy furniture

Lily

Ginger

Buster's favorite pose

SACRAMENTO, CA - - We've become parents!!  At least for three and a half weeks.  How did we get a family?  Well, we decided not to seek work in a national park this year and instead try our hand at being house sitters.  Hence our gig in Sacramento.
     The "family" consists of:  Lily, a small extremely well behaved dog of indeterminate mix; Ginger, a well-fed tabby who might sit in your lap if she feels like it and Buddy, who is best at not being seen until it's meal time.
     We've spent a lot of our free time...when not doing dog walks...getting an idea of what is relatively nearby.  There's Old Town, a historic district; a number of farmer's markets; some good grocery stores including Trader Joe's; a lot of parks and green areas. 
     Of course there's a bad drought in all of California.  Today was only 100-degrees while tomorrow will be 103.  Fortunately we have a HUGE wide screen tv. 

I'm hiding

Marmot time

SACRAMENTO, CA - - We camped in Yosemite's High Country on Sunday night.  We checked out our favorite stores, the visitor center and then ambled over to the Tuolumne Lodge.  Just before leaving, we wlked up to a nearby waterfall and there he was.  Now seeing a yellow-bellied marmot is not normally cause for celebration.  But after 7,000 miles of basically wildlife free viewing we were happy to have someone pose for us

Storm clouds over Goldfield

Strong winds, lightening and thunder. 

GOLDFIELD, NV - - We're waiting for some rain to cut the dust factor.  There has been flash flooding nearby on Hwy 95.  Weather report advice:  Don't drown, turn around.

The Fourth

GOLDFIELD, NV - - I blew it.  I forgot my small camera when we went to the Fourth of July celebration at the park in Goldfield.  I knew I screwed up when a big black bin containing the BBQ pork arrived in the bucket of a yellow front end loader.  This meat wasn't cooked in a smoker, but in a bin buried with hot coals.  This was a pot luck, bring a dish affair and it seemed most folks did. 
     There was plenty of food; plenty of desserts; a water slide for the kids; lots of folks to get introduced to and just a good time.  Goldfield has about 300 residents.  In the Nevada's high desert.
     And there were fireworks (at about 9:30p. PDT) to end the day. 

Bryce Canyon National Parrk

Look closely at the center of the photo for the natural arch.

CEDAR CITY, UT - - For the past two days we've been in Bryce Canyon NP.  We camped for $7.50 per night; ate meals from our ice chest food pantry and hiked a bit.  At 8,000' the air is thinner than OB with daytime temperatures in the high 80s going down to the 50s and below at night.
     The park's rim trail is a great place for photos and we've posted many over the years.  This shot is from a new area for us.  The natural arch in the sandstone formation probably took thousands of years to get this big.  A combination of wind, rain, winter storms and the contraction/expansion (freeze and thaw) of the variable winter weather all contribute to Mother Nature's handiwork.