'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.

Open road, clouds

The sign we recently passed read: Next services 108 miles

RICHFIELD, UT - - We're camped in a  nice, quiet, shady KOA.  The breeze takes the edge off the 92-degree temperature.  Really!  It only feels like 91-degrees.  It's a dry heat the locals like to tell you.
     Notice there's no windshield wiper in the photo.  That's because Lydia is driving.  We do take turns.  We'll probably head to Bryce NP.  Hopefully, we'll be able to get a campsite.  Bryce is a popular destination.  You don't always realize how many people are on vacation and going to the places you want to go to.   Normally, we'd be working...but not this year.

"The most photographed horse in South Dakota"

Iron Star, Hill City, SD

GRANBY, CO - - We've put some miles on the "Magic Bus" since my last post including a trip through Rocky Mountain National Park, complete with bit of rain/snow mix.  However, what stands out for me over the past three days has been a 'hybrid sculpture" (a sculpture incorporating different articles / materials in the art) of a horse on main street in Hill City, SD.
     The complete horse is exceptionally real looking, but it is the head / face which stands out.  You expect the animal to nuzzle your hand and look for an apple or a lump of sugar.  (Click on the photo to see it in larger format.)

Ho, ho, ho

He's jolly; he's green

MITCHELL, SD - - It could be the perfect pairing:  The Jolly Green Giant and the Corn Palace.  Unfortunately, JGG is in Blue Earth, MN and the CP is here in Mitchell.  The town of Blue Earth (named for the blue / black clay in the banks of the rivers which flow through the area) erected the statue in 1978.  It commemorates the close ties the area has with the Green Giant company.
     The fiberglass statue weighs 4 tons; is made of fiberglass; cost $43,000 to manufacture and stands 55' tall.  JGG gets a red scarf for the holiday season.

Yooper farewell

Any farther and we would have been in Lake Superior

Green chair, fog

Fog art

HUDSON, WI - - We're going to put on some interstate miles heading to Wyoming.  Probably makeit to Sioux Falls, SD or points West.

Ice fishing, Google, pickles and pasties

Storage area

Smile!  You're on Google

Grand Marais, MI

Supper or lunch or breakfast

MARQUETTE, MI - - Yup, we're in "Yoopers" country,  Michigan's Upper Peninsula.   But first, a bit of back tracking:
       What do a lot of Canadians do in Winter?  Go ice fishing. It's cold, it's gloomy, the fish aren't biting so it's time for a beer.  The do their fishing hunkered up in "quaint" shacks set out on the ice.  In Summer they story them in what looked like a poor excuse for a shanty town.
      Not too sure what the Google guy was accomplishing.  The road we were on was endless miles of trees / scrub / swamp / wetlands and more of the same.
     Everyone would like a summer house shaped like a pickle barrel, right?  Anyway, this oddly shaped former abode is now a museum and is actually on the Register of National Historic Buildings.  The owner had a very good lobbyist.
    On the U.P. the comfort food of choice (besides beer) is a pastie.  Think Italian calzone only with flaky crust and filled with potato / meat /veggies / or any number of things.  Actually quite good. 

Nice parking job

Should you really worry about the waves?

Yes. 

TROIS PISTOLES, QUEBEC - - Two days ago we were driving along a stretch of highway bordering the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.  We see sign posts warning that waves can breech the sea wall and make a mess of your  vehicle.  Well, maybe.  Then a bit farther down the road we come across these two boats left high and dry by the waves and weather.  We looked pretty closely at these two boats but didn't see any parking tickets.

A final resting place with a water view

An out-of-water view of the Canadian WW II sub Onondaga

The cemetery in St. Luce

Scenes of La Martre, Quebec

Phare (lighthouse) de La Martre with dandelions and blue sky

An older home with tractor, bay and a chair in the garden

Land's End and more rain

Cap des Rosiers lighthouse

CLORIDORME, QUEBEC - -  Today's plans were rained out.  We had hoped to take a tour boat from Perse to the Ile Bonaventure.  The island is a combined Canadian National / Provincial Park.  What makes it special is that it is home to the largest migratory bird sanctuary in North America.  However, the wind/rain/rough waters kept the tour boats in their safe harbor so no group bird shots and no shots of myself or Lydia turning green or barfing.
     So we headed out and encountered the area's roller-coaster terrain.  The coastal road, the only road around the Gaspe, goes up and down with regularity...sometimes with sign reading 9%; 12% even 14% grades.  In the dry and in a car which handled well the swoopy road would be a kick to drive.
     We're also traveling along a good part of the Quebec Maritime Lighthouse Trail which consists of 45 lighthouse locations.  The Cap des Rosiers light is Canada's tallest (121-feet) and has been standing for over 150 years. 
     You might notice that the photo looks gray.  We parked, ran quickly to a spot to take a picture and ran back to the van before the wind and rain could do too much damage.

Scenes on a rainy day

Snack time...and a view of the bay

Homard (lobster) right off the boat and heading for market.

PERCE, QUEBEC - -  The rain has been steady, but not too heavy.  The wind puts a chill in the bones.  So, 36 miles down the road in a nice Ville named Perce we decided to forgo a campsite in favor of a dry, warm motel.  Fortunately, the motel is a short distance from a very nice bakery / coffee shop.  The results of our first stop are shown in the top photo.
     Later, while walking around in the drizzle we noticed a small craft heading into the harbor with the morning's catch.  You could get seasick just watching the boat slowly come alongside it's mooring in the rough water to unload.

In Quebec, you get to practice your French

Fishing boats nestle behind a breakwater / storm shelter

Lydia looking for new lands to conquer

PABOS MILLS, QUEBEC - - The sunshine of yesterday afternoon has deserted us.  A steady light rain apparently will keep on making things gloomy all day.  We know the drill of early season forays into coastal areas - - both East and West.  So we'll drive on, look for interesting photos and not let the rain bother u too much.