Dead End

The roe is harvested to hatch a new generation of fish and the fish
that are still edible are sent to local food banks.

Mmm Mmm Good

Jessica's turn this time.

Jacob Learning to Fly Fish

Kitchen at Sutter's Mill

Where's the microwave?

Growth Spurt

Jacob really has been growing a lot lately. We are going to have to
raise the ceilings.

Self Portrait in a Kaleidoscope

This is the thing to have after you get a haircut. To make sure they
didn't miss anything.

Refreshing Drink

Just close your eyes. The water is fine.

At the Exploratorium they have this exhibit to see if you can get past preconceived notions.

Royal Republic?

Why there is a statue of Spanish royalty under the dome in the State
Capitol of a republic is beyond me.

Alcatraz

This is as close as we got to Alcatraz. Thanks Congress.

Alcatraz Model

This is what we would have seen if we had gotten to Alcatraz. Thanks Congress.

Raindrops on the window

I liked this picture that Jessica took.  We went up to a rifle range in the mountains and it was cold and rainy so the kids sat in the car for most of the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgDRXPzsXQQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBq9I8oYrmE

Thanks Congress

I sure am glad they shut down National Parks so that China wouldn't
have to forclose on the White House.

Looms at Sutter's Fort

Sutter was a business man. One of the ways he made money was selling
textiles that were made by people staying in his fort.

Inside Sutter's Fort

The main building in the middle of Sutter's Fort in Sacramento.

CA Governor's Office

The entrance to the Governor's office is guarded by this bear.

Beaumont

Looking down at the city of Beaumont from the San Bernardino Trail.

Hiking Cross Country

The snow obscured the trail completely so we turned off the trail and made our way slowly up this steep slope. Very slow going.

First Signs of Snow

It has been a really dry year in southern California but there was snow on the trail above 8,000 feet. Mostly on northern slopes where the sun does not reach. It wasn't slippery but it did have a crust from melting and freezing that would sometimes give way and leave you standing hip deep in snow. Then you crawl out, take another step and hope you don't fall through again.

Jumping Salmon

The salmon who didn't find the fish ladder tried to get up the old fashioned way.

Golden Gate Bridge

Taken from the north side of the bridge with the sun over my right
shoulder just before sunset, the orange of the bridge really shows
through. San Francisco in the background.

Misty Mountains

Before the trail turns up again we are treated to this view.

CA Assembly Chambers

This is where all the hard "work" happens at our State Capitol.

View West from SB Trail

On the way up the San Bernardino Trail this mountain across the valley dominates the view. These are geologically young mountains and are constantly shedding rock.

Near the top of the mountain on the right you can see highway 18 cut into the mountain on the way to Big Bear Lake.

Jessica Finishes Elementary School

The posting is a bit overdue, but this was Jessica in July when she finished fifth grade.  This year she started middle school.  Congratulations Jessica!

City Lights

Just before it went completely dark, the mist cleared and we got a spectacular view of the city below us.

Steam Locomotive

Old Locomotive at the Railroad Museum in Sacramento. The museum is at
the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River where
the city of Sacramento began.

Kids at Sutter's Mill

Sutter's Mill was a lumber mill on the south fork of the American
river where gold was discovered launching the California gold rush.

CA Treasurer's Office

Complete with a safe to keep the money in. The safe is open these
days because we don't have any money.

Misty Sunset at Limber Pine Bench

We made it into camp just before sunset.

Jess in the Window

The buildings at Sutter's Fort are made of adobe. Adobe buildings
have thick walls and the window openings are bigger in the interior
than on the exterior to allow more light in.

Mission Dolores

Mission Dolores in San Francisco is different from other missions I
have been to. The others are more like wilderness outposts with
fortified wall and communal living. Perhaps San Francisco was already
settled enough not to need physical barriers, because this mission is
more reminiscient of a European cathedral than a California Mission.

The Jelly Bean President

Ronald Reagan was famously fond of Jelly Beans. He used them to quit
smoking and had them at all his cabinet meetings. We took a tour of
the Jelly Belly factory outside of San Francisco.

Mt. San Bernardino

We are still low enough that the snow was not a serious factor, but it was about to make life interesting. We are to spend the night about halfway up this peak.

Limber Pine Bench Camp

I guess the pines have to be limber so the wind doesn't snap them off. It was cold and windy as we pitched tents and cooked dinner. As soon as the sun set we were in our tents and asleep.

photo bomb

Here I am photo bombing Mark's record of entering the winderness area.

Sutter's Fort

Sutter's Fort was an early outpost in California. It was a safe place
that settler's travelling to California could stop at after their
journey over the Sierra's, get their bearings and move on. It is
located in Sacramento at the northern end of the Central Valley of
California. The Central Valley is the agricultural heartland of
California and in a dry state like California it has been the center
of water rights controversies since the early 1900's. The Sierra
mountains form the eastern boundary of the valley and snowmelt from
the eastern and western slopes is channeled into aquaducts that must
supply both the farmland of the Central Valley and the population of
southern California. As we drove through the western side of the
valley on the way home there were dust storms the entire way as there
is not enough water for dust suppression.

Cloudy in LA

The morning brought beautiful weather for us, but back down off the mountain, Los Angeles was covered in clouds.  This was during our hike to San Gorgonio in April

Wallihan's at the CA State Capitol

We took a road trip to Oroville, Sacramento and San Francisco, combining a family vacation with a civics lesson.

Pumpkins for Halloween

This year we carved Jack-o-Lantern's with the English again. From
left to right Angry Pumpkin, Ursula, Smiley, Fire Eyes, Elmo, Dopey,
Cookie Monster, Kid Scared in a Bed (I know, right?), Rectangle.

Hatchlings

The hatchery at the end of the fish ladder has a dozen long shallow
tanks, maybe 100 yards long, full of baby fish waiting to be released
into the Feather River. The whole think is covered with chain link
fencing to keep the raptors out.

Wallihan's with Salmon

The fish ladder leading to the hatchery is complete with underwater
viewing areas. Caution, don't use the hinge on the left when there is
water present.

San Gorgonio Wilderness Boundary

About a mile up the trail we cross the boundary of the Wilderness Area. Wilderness Area is a legal designation to protect the wildness of the area.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Wilderness_Preservation_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._Wilderness_Areas#California
http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/wildView?WID=521

San Bernardino Trail Head

Three friend from work and I went for a four day trek across the highest ridge in southern California, culminating on Mt. San Gorgonio, the highest point in California south of the Sierra mountains. Here we are at the beginning trail head.

Incoming

Jacob on the receiving end of a pass during a flag football game.

True Grit

Jessica and Jacob hanging out with the Duke at John Wayne airport.

Last Stretch of Trail

Looking back from the South Rim at the final stretch of trail for our
journey. It looks much better from above than from below.

San Berdoo Trailhead

In April some friends from work and I went on a 4 day hike through the San Bernardino Mountains to Mt San Gorgonio. San Gorgonio is the highest mountain in Southern California (south of the Sierra Nevadas). 

Colorado River

Colorado means "red color". A reference to the red sand that gets
washed into the river when in rains. Further downstream, below
several dams, the water is clear and blue as the lakes formed by the
dams allow the red sand to settle to the bottom
(https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/PmV4EAHGftCKcTZuJR-Pkt2UbL51viCelWWNFj9KrIc?feat=directlink).

Endeavour

Paddle Wheel Race

You have to operate a pump and aim the nozzle at the paddle wheel to
make it roll to your opponent's side.

Not as easy as it sounds. And everybody gets wet.

At the California Science Center.