Wednesday, September 7, 2011

From Wizard to Angel Island

We joined Matt, Shin, and Kata on a bike ride around Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay.
Check out the 180 degree photo that Andreas made (see below). 

The views were absolutely stunning.  We ate lunch at our own white sandy beach with a view of the Bay Bridge and downtown San Francisco.

What is that in the sky?  Turkey Vultures (Birds of Prey)!

Here are some GPS tracks of our ride...We decided that next time we'd like to camp overnight on the island.

American River Bike Trail...Fun in the scorching heat

We joined Matt for a bike ride along the American River Bike Trail in Sacramento.

It was 67 F/19 C when we started our ride, but a hot 89 F/32 C by the time we finished.  We rode 25 miles/40 km.

There were a lot of thorns on the bike path and Juliette ended up with another flat tire! Luckily, Andreas was prepared and fixed the bike.
We turned around at Folsom Lake.  We really should have brought along our swimsuits for a quick dip.
We were surprised to see people stand-up paddle boarding alongside the kayakers down the river.  Could this be anymore "Californian"?
Here is a GPS track of our ride.

What time is it? Let's Check the Sundial Bridge...

We visited the Sundial Bridge in Redding, CA  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sundial_Bridge_at_Turtle_Bay

It was pretty darn cool and an accurate bridge/clock.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Back in California..

We enjoyed panoramic views of Mount Shasta on our way to Burney Falls. 


We were awed by Burney Falls (McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park) which President Theodore Roosevelt described as the "8th Wonder of the World."
The accommodations at Burney Falls State Park were impressive.  We rented a very nice cabin http://www.burney-falls.com/.  There was also a wifi hot spot near the visitors center. Here is a photo of us in the middle of the park on the net (and in the dark). We could hear the roar of the falls from our wifi hot spot.
Burney Falls also had can crushers on their recycling bins!

Last Day at Crater Lake

Andreas watched the sunrise over Crater Lake.  There was a thick fog blanketing the lake which was stunning (pictures can't do it justice).
The magnetic feet on our tripod kept picking up sand.  Darn that magnetic volcanic soil!

Our final destination: The Pinnacles http://www.craterlakeinstitute.com/natural-history/geology-pinnacles.htm   They look like something that belong to "He who should not be mentioned."