I next found myself in the city of San Rafael, just north of San Francisco Bay. Apparently my traveling companion has an interest in the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, and one of his more distinctive designs was the Marin County Civic Center. Constructed over the period from 1957 to 1970, it was one of [...]
We didn’t spend as much time in San Francisco as I’d hoped to, though we certainly could not leave without visiting the magnificent Golden Gate Bridge. The views from the bridge were quite amazing, though it was extremely windy. There were a few times where I almost blew away!
Next we journeyed up to San Francisco for a walk around the waterfront. The docks were very crowded and touristy, but still provided some interesting views. We thought about taking a ride on the cable cars, but the line was extremely long. So instead, we opted for a short cruise around the harbor. It was [...]
What trip through California could possibly be complete without visiting Apple HQ? I tried to sneak in through the side door, but even small gnomes like me can’t make it past their security. Oh, well. I’ll just have to wait like everyone else to find out what’s coming next.
After spending the night in a wonderful little bed & breakfast, we journeyed back to view more of the park. First on today’s agenda: Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Hetch Hetchy was described in the past to be as equally stunning as Yosemite Valley. I’d love to have seen what it looked like before the dam was [...]
The next stop along our journey was the famous Yosemite National Park. We chose to enter from the east, driving over the 9945 ft (3031 m) high Tioga Pass. Next we stopped at Tuolumne Meadows, where we refueled and observed the local wildlife. Several scenic lakes lie along Tioga Road, including the scenic Tenaya Lake. [...]
We spent the night in the beautiful town of Lone Pine, then proceeded north to Mono Lake. This lake contains very unusual formations called Tufa, which almost make it seem like you’re on another planet.
After recovering from my experiences in Las Vegas, we proceeded west to Death Valley, the lowest and (occasionally) hottest place in the United States. First, we visited the lowest spot in the park, Badwater Basin. The floor of this basin is 282 feet (85.5 meters) below sea level. Proceeding northwest through the park, I was [...]
