Post by paulshiroma on Sept 3, 2012 15:39:05 GMT -5
Admittedly, this isn’t a “formal” rock hounding post but we did do some rock hounding while we were out and about. And some geocaching, hiking, museums, fishing and, above all, some great times with family!
Our summer trip was up to Gull Lake in the eastern Sierra’s where we met up with the extended family and stayed at a couple of vacation condos for a long weekend. We did a lot of hiking, fishing, and I managed to slip in some impromptu rock hounding along the way. The fish were biting so both boys had a chance to land their own trout.
Here’s the front of the vacation rentals. Nice places. For those of you looking for a place up in Gull Lake/June Lake area, these are the Interlaken Condo’s. Very comfortable and fully furnished – move in ready! My father and I chatting in front of the condo.
Walker Lake:
Parker Lake:
The pass just to the west of Parker Lake. When I was in high school my father and I used to backpack into this area but we came in from west and stopped at the top of the pass. We used to look down (east) on Parker Lake from the top of the pass.
Some hiking photos:
These two are looking east towards Mono Lake (center right).
I kept getting lapped by my party as I was constantly stopping to pick up and examine rocks. LOL.
Large obsidian piece, approximately 20 inches across. I briefly considered trying to dig it out … briefly. Then common sense took over and I took a photo instead. I did take a few smaller pieces and loaded up my cargo pants with rocks. Fortunately, I've gained some weight and my pant waist was already tight so I didn't have to worry about tightening my belt ;D
This was a boulder of serpentine , I think. There were pieces chipped off showing a bright green interior which didn’t show up well in the photo.
After the weekend, we followed my parents out to Walnut Creek to spend a few days with them, do some sightseeing, hiking, geocaching and such.
Hiking up on Shell Ridge – looking west into downtown Walnut Creek. My parents’ house is at the bottom of the hill.
At Heather Farms Park, looking north east towards Mt Diablo.
Geocaching:
We also visited the California State Railroad Museum in Old Town Sacramento, the Lawrence Hall of Science in UC Berkeley, and the Tilden Redwood Valley Railway (Nathaniel and I rode the train twice).
The return trip we decided to use Highway 101 and come down the California coast rather than use Highway Five. Highway Five is great if you’re in a hurry – folks seem to average 85 MPH – but since we were coming home on Friday, the start of the Labor Day weekend, we figured on using the less traveled but longer 101. It was great drive, pleasant and slow. We stopped in Soledad to see one of the Missions since Andrew’s going into Fourth Grade and will be studying California History (and the Catholic Missions are a big part of California history) and then had lunch in San Luis Obispo at The Apple Farm.
My "new" used ride - 1993 Toyota Land Cruiser. Bought it from a friend from church. Needs some additional work and I even got to do some repairs while I was up in Walnut Creek (AC leaked and had to have it repaired and charged) ;D Given the reputation of these vehicles and their off-road ability, I hesitated only briefly before pulling the trigger. Took us up to Gull Lake, through Yosemite, to Walnut Creek and down Highway 101 to home safely.
Also, I want to thank Diana Dolce for the 14 inch saw! We got to meet and she showed us around her rock work shed. It was great meeting her and Rick (and her chickens). Had to disassemble the saw to get everything to fit in the truck for the drive home but we made it. Thanks for checking out the thread.
Paul
Our summer trip was up to Gull Lake in the eastern Sierra’s where we met up with the extended family and stayed at a couple of vacation condos for a long weekend. We did a lot of hiking, fishing, and I managed to slip in some impromptu rock hounding along the way. The fish were biting so both boys had a chance to land their own trout.
Here’s the front of the vacation rentals. Nice places. For those of you looking for a place up in Gull Lake/June Lake area, these are the Interlaken Condo’s. Very comfortable and fully furnished – move in ready! My father and I chatting in front of the condo.
Walker Lake:
Parker Lake:
The pass just to the west of Parker Lake. When I was in high school my father and I used to backpack into this area but we came in from west and stopped at the top of the pass. We used to look down (east) on Parker Lake from the top of the pass.
Some hiking photos:
These two are looking east towards Mono Lake (center right).
I kept getting lapped by my party as I was constantly stopping to pick up and examine rocks. LOL.
Large obsidian piece, approximately 20 inches across. I briefly considered trying to dig it out … briefly. Then common sense took over and I took a photo instead. I did take a few smaller pieces and loaded up my cargo pants with rocks. Fortunately, I've gained some weight and my pant waist was already tight so I didn't have to worry about tightening my belt ;D
This was a boulder of serpentine , I think. There were pieces chipped off showing a bright green interior which didn’t show up well in the photo.
After the weekend, we followed my parents out to Walnut Creek to spend a few days with them, do some sightseeing, hiking, geocaching and such.
Hiking up on Shell Ridge – looking west into downtown Walnut Creek. My parents’ house is at the bottom of the hill.
At Heather Farms Park, looking north east towards Mt Diablo.
Geocaching:
We also visited the California State Railroad Museum in Old Town Sacramento, the Lawrence Hall of Science in UC Berkeley, and the Tilden Redwood Valley Railway (Nathaniel and I rode the train twice).
The return trip we decided to use Highway 101 and come down the California coast rather than use Highway Five. Highway Five is great if you’re in a hurry – folks seem to average 85 MPH – but since we were coming home on Friday, the start of the Labor Day weekend, we figured on using the less traveled but longer 101. It was great drive, pleasant and slow. We stopped in Soledad to see one of the Missions since Andrew’s going into Fourth Grade and will be studying California History (and the Catholic Missions are a big part of California history) and then had lunch in San Luis Obispo at The Apple Farm.
My "new" used ride - 1993 Toyota Land Cruiser. Bought it from a friend from church. Needs some additional work and I even got to do some repairs while I was up in Walnut Creek (AC leaked and had to have it repaired and charged) ;D Given the reputation of these vehicles and their off-road ability, I hesitated only briefly before pulling the trigger. Took us up to Gull Lake, through Yosemite, to Walnut Creek and down Highway 101 to home safely.
Also, I want to thank Diana Dolce for the 14 inch saw! We got to meet and she showed us around her rock work shed. It was great meeting her and Rick (and her chickens). Had to disassemble the saw to get everything to fit in the truck for the drive home but we made it. Thanks for checking out the thread.
Paul