And here are my California photos

[Roger]

Well, I really enjoyed seeing Melli's super photos of California. That is absolutely one of my favourite places. We have had four vacations there so far. Since some of you have shown an interest in seeing my pix, here are some of them.

First I have to apologize that I can't post my best photos because most of them were taken before I had a digital camera. Our scanner isn't working so I can't even scan them. So all I can post is some of the photos we took in our 2004 visit. Unfortunately, we didn't go to Los Angeles or San Diego this time so I have no photos of these cities to post. And with regard to the places we always go (the San Francisco area and Palm Springs and the rest of the Coachella Valley), I had already taken most of the "basic" shots so did not repeat them in 2004.

So with all these excuses out of the way, I will try to make this interesting anyway. Here goes.

Those of you who used to watch the Dynasty series will recognize the Filoli mansion. This is where they filmed the series:

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This is one of the pretty gardens around Filoli:

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[Roger]

At the Big Basin Redwoods State Park, the trees are really BIG!!! Here I am standing in the middle of the trunk of one of them:

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When you look up, you see the trees stretching up hundreds of feet. The oldest are 1500 years old.

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[Roger]

Twice Kay and I have tried to drive down the coastal road south of San Francisco. Californians call it the most beautiful seascape in the world. Well, we wouldn't know. The first time we tried, we couldn't make the drive because the "storm of the century" had washed out bridges and caused mudslides to cover the road in places. This time we were only a little luckier. The weather was as warm as summer even though it was March. So with the Pacific cold all year long, a lot of fog resulted. So this is the best shot we got and, as you can see, the road and the sea are buried in fog/cloud:

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So we would occasionally drive into sunlight but immediately disappear into cloud again:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifCO800.jpg

[Roger]

We stayed near Cambria on our drive south. On a pre breakfast walk on the beach, we came across this poor baby seal, stranded and starving:

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Kay tried to coax him back to the sea. She didn't succeed. We had to leave but when we left, others were trying to figure out how to get him back to the sea. I guess we will never know if he ever made it. Someone was going to phone for some official help:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifDCcrop800.jpg

Since this is near Cambria, this would be a good place to show photos of the Hearst Castle, the home of the previous newspaper baron. It really is a monument to too much money and not enough good taste. Unfortunately I don't have digital photos of this abomination.

[Roger]

We always end up in Palm Springs, or Palm Desert, or one of the other towns in the Coachella Valley. The desert has the perfect climate in March, warm and dry. In fact, it has never rained or even been cloudy any time we have stayed there.

Here is part of the main drag in Palm Springs:

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Here is a photo of me (don't laugh!) also on the main drag waiting ever so patiently while the women in our party poke through yet another store:


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[Roger]

This is the street where we rented a house. Love those bougainvilleas!!

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This is the club house for the entire rental community:

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[Roger]

Some of you know Debbie Smith (also known as Debbie Cross-stitch by Randall Waller). She is the lady who does the fantastic cross-stitch portraits of Shania, some of which hang in the Shania Twain Centre in Timmins. Well, Debbie lives in Banning which is just outside Palm Springs, so we met with Debbie and her husband Jack for dinner one evening. Here is Debbie with me:

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Debbie broght along some of her works to show us. This one is my favourite. Yes, it is in black and white so I haven't lost the colour somewhere:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifENcrop800.jpg

[Paul]

Absolutely beautiful, thank you for showing us those. I do recognise the Dynasty mansion, I didn't know you could go inside it.

[Roger]

Kay and I love the desert. When we were younger, I would have wondered why anyone would love a desert. But then we took a vacation in Arizona one year and we were just swept away by the rugged beauty and the gorgeous weather. So every visit to California we head for some of their deserts and do a little hiking. Here are shots of different places we went in 2004:

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In this photo, the rest of our elderly but intepid group make our way up yet another hill:

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We see lizards from time to time:

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Here he thinks he is hiding:

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Finally a one of the cactuses in flower:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifHF800.jpg

We are looking forward to the Australian part of our trip next year. We will spend about a week in the "red centre" of the continent at Alice Spings and Ayer's Rock (Uluru). We will do more hiking there.

[Roger]

No one should visit Palm Springs without riding up the lift to the top of the San Jacinto mountain. It is the steepest mountain in North America. It is quite something to ride the gondola up. We go at the end of the daylight so we can experience the view of the valley in both daylight and in the dark. In between we have a meal up there. Oddly enough there is snow up there. I keep asking myself why on earth I leave Ottawa, travel thousands of miles south and go up the mountain to see more snow!!

Here is a shot of the valley on the way up:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifFX800.jpg

[Roger]

Alas! Most of our photos of San Francisco and surrounding area were taken before we had a digital camera. We took a cruise across the Bay to Tiburon on the other side and had lunch there. It is so much more peaceful there than at the waterfront in Frisco. Here is a pic of the infamous San Quentin prison:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifIG800.jpg

Here is a view of San Francisco from Tiburon:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifIW800.jpg

Here are two more photos of the Golden Gate Bridge:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifJO800.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v112/Ardern/California/CalifJV800.jpg

That's it folks. I must take more "basic" photos of San Francisco and the rest of California with the digital camera the next time we are there.

[Troll]

Great pics Roger.

[melli]

Wow, stunning pictures Roger! :up: They brought back some awesome memories to me. :love: California is one of the most beautiful places in the world! I wanna go back there!

[randine]

Great pictures! California looks awesome! Thanks for sharing!

[Blue_Firefly]

Holy smokes!!! Those pictures are gorgeous Roger!!! I love the pics with the bougainvilleas :D Such lovely colour!!
The seal pictures are really sad though...

Thanks for sharing them with us! :)

[aFinn]

Unfortunately, we didn't go to Los Angeles or San Diego this time so I have no photos of these cities to post.

Those of you who used to watch the Dynasty series will recognize the Filoli mansion. This is where they filmed the seriesAaaww, I would have loved to see San Diego pics as I am interested in seeing it someday, would have been nice to see what it's like.

Hahahah, ooh that Dynasty...best comedy series of it's time. I used to watch it with room mate and we'd 'write the manuscript', guess what they'll do and say next, and as they were so predictable, we'd get it right most of the time :p



Twice Kay and I have tried to drive down the coastal road south of San Francisco. Californians call it the most beautiful seascape in the world. Well, we wouldn't know.Oh man, what rotten luck you had. I've seen pics from that coastal road, and the pics are breathtaking.

We stayed near Cambria on our drive south. On a pre breakfast walk on the beach, we came across this poor baby seal, stranded and starving:
...Someone was going to phone for some official help..aaawww :cry: So sad... hopefully they were able to help the little guy... *sniff*



Kay and I love the desert.
So every visit to California we head for some of their deserts and do a little hiking. Here are shots of different places we went in 2004:Wonderful pics!!!


We are looking forward to the Australian part of our trip next year. We will spend about a week in the "red centre" of the continent at Alice Spings and Ayer's Rock (Uluru). We will do more hiking there. Isn't Alice Springs like extremely hot or something? :p

[Roger]

Isn't Alice Springs like extremely hot or something? :p


Absolutely! And we will be there in the hot season. Well, if the temperature exceeds some figure, they don't allow you to go out into the desert. But it will be in the 40s (Celsius) for sure. But remember that when the humidity is less than 10%, it actually doesn't feel as hot as more humid places at a mere 30C. The big danger is dehydration and heat stroke. We never venture out without a lot of water and big hats.

Also, a lot of our outings will be outside of the middle of the day. We have one hike scheduled that will begin before the sun comes up. In another, we start out in late afternoon and end up at a BBQ under the stars. I can tell you that in the desert the night sky is breathtaking! Of course what is really weird south of the equator is that the sky is unfamiliar. The moon is upside down, and like the sun, travels from right to left across the sky instead of left to right, and many familiar constellations aren't there but a lesser number of unfamiliar ones are to be seen.

[Alex]

Nice, lovely pics the yours Roger. Thanks for sharing :great:

[ShaniaKoukla]

Stunning photos Rog. Don't forget me when you're on your next vaca, I'm sure I can fit in your carry on LOL JK

[StarryShania]

Wow beautiful photos !