California Trip - Summer 2008

To see the photos in much larger screen-size versions, click on the photo group title that appears when you slide your mouse cursor over the bottom left corner of the small photo. When you get to the Picassa site collection click on the "Slideshow" link. There are 5 groups of photos in this post.


Wedding Celebration

Held at the Roberts Regional Recreation Area, near Oakland. Friends and family of Sarah and Sergio. A beautiful Sunday afternoon.


Yosemite Valley & Evergreen Lodge

Monday’s breakfast was in downtown Alameda. Arrived in the valley of the Yosemite National Park mid-afternoon. Began with a walk to the Lower Yosemite Falls. Martin climbed to the base of the falls while Sarah, Laura, Nicki and I waited and watched and played with the cameras. On the drive out of the valley we spotted a bear (tagged 31) and a one-antlered deer in the same meadow. Arrived just at sunset at the Evergreen Lodge and had dinner in their outside area and roasted marshmallows in the fireplace of the recreational building (internet access and free landline phone). Watched a few shooting stars on the balconies of our cabins. Tuesday began with Martin and Sarah climbing up to a pool beneath Bridal Veil Falls, lunch in the Ahwahnee Dining Room, walking in the valley, and then back to the Evergreen Lodge. A good sunset, great dinner again in the outside dining area, more marshmallow roasting. Nicki spotted a deer running between our cabins.


Carlon Falls - Tuolumne River

Kids woke up Wednesday with a scorpion in their bathtub. Martin relocated it to a more natural environment. Goal for the day was to swim beneath a waterfall. Headed for Carlon Falls near the Evergreen Lodge on the northern border of Yosemite National Park. We thought it would be a nice scenic walk along the Tuolumne River but it turned out to be a mile and a half one-way of undeveloped trail with some steep ups and downs. You wonder what you’ve got yourself into but the falls was worth the exercise. Nice drive back to Alameda. Dinner with Sergio at Zachary’s Pizza Excellent deep dish pizza - not Lorenzos- but the best on the west coast.


San Francisco Chinatown

Started Thursday with a great breakfast in Oakland - Rockridge Cafe. Then we drove into San Francisco and did a walking tour of the Chinatown area. Finally we drove south along the coast to the Half Moon Bay area watching surfers and pelicans with dinner at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company.


California Coast - Beginning & End of Trip

Photos taken Sunday along the coast near our hotel in Alameda at the beginning of our trip and Thursday near Half Moon Bay at the end of our trip just before going to the airport for the overnight flight home. Touchdown Friday morning in Cleveland at 6:30 AM.