Rio Grande Wild Turkeys

Along with the deer and foxes that frolic in the neighborhood, we also have flocks of Rio Grande Wild Turkeys. The other day a flock of females came past our house making it easy for me to get a few images.

Kennedy Mine Tailing Wheels Park

The Kennedy Mine, near Jackson, was a large and deep mine that operated until 1942. Above is one of the ore buckets used to bring ore to the surface.

The Catholic Cemetery in Jackson

A cemetery with a long history always has plenty of children. This marker announces its resident with a rattle and a baby shoe on top.

A Few Things Seen in Sutter Creek

As you can tell, our adventures are beginning to repeat. We made another visit to Sutter Creek to have a coffee and a scone at the place on Main Street we like. This time we had a pistachio scone...very nice.

This town hasn't had wooden sidewalks for quite some time. But you can tell that this sidewalk has been here and seen lots of action.

Bear Valley and the Crawdad Republic

On a hot Sunday afternoon we drove east on CA-4 to Bear Valley. At 7,000 feet it was a little cooler, but not a lot. Our purpose was to attend a concert of the Crawdad Republic.

Another Visit to St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church Cemetery

Amador City is near Jackson, the county seat of Amador County. We decided to stop in again at the Serbian Church and have another look about.

Amador City

The county just to the north of Calaveras is Amador and the small town of Amador City is found there.

Groveland

After exiting Yosemite on the western side, the first indication of civilization we encountered is the tiny town of Groveland. It is clearly a jumping off place for getting into the park.

Yosemite National Park

After our explorations east of the Sierras, we headed back toward Angels Camp. However, we decided to try an alternate, longer route back west. We used our seniors pass for the national parks and drove back through Yosemite. To actually visit the park, reservations are required and things are really packed between now and late October, after we are back in the PNW. But, it is possible to get a timed pass for the purpose of simply driving through. This is what we did.

Mono Lake Cemetery - II

It is clear that some people interred here are of modest means. The marker above is made by hand with love.

Mono Lake Cemetery

Mono Lake cemetery sits up the hill just north of the lake. From this higher vantage point, you can see the road leading down to the lake. A turn just before the lake takes you to the left in the photo and out to the cemetery.

Mono Lake Sunrise - III

This morning was calm and the water glassy. This gave me lots of reflections to mirror the spires. Even when, as in the image below, there is little to generate a specular reflection, the smooth lake surface plays it role in filling the space between mountains and foreground with gentle reminders of the scene beyond.

In other directions, the water give the towers a bit of an iceberg feel with just a much apparently below as above the water line.

With the sun now well above the surrounding mountains in the east, I take my leave of this serenity and beauty. I encourage you to visit this delightful place.

Mono Lake Sunrise - II

It is possible, at some times at least, to book a guided canoe tour of the lake. I'll bet that is amazing. To be able to get closer to the tufa and the birds would be great.

Mono Lake at Sunrise

A place I have wanted t visit for many years, Mono lake, is a fascinating place. This alkaline lake is an abundant source of brine shrimp and alkali flies. These, in turn, support the roughly two million migratory birds that visit this place each year. In the past, native americans ate the pupae of the flies. Thus, this unlikely place, in a desert landscape is a highly productive place for life.

Bodie - II

As the town decays, there are juxtapositions of things from different eras. A wagon from the 19th century and a truck from the 20th hep create a tableau of this mining town.

Bodie

Driving east of the Sierras we find a place that is cooler and clearly wetter than the central valley and the western slopes of the mountains. At the end of a narrow paved road followed by a drive on dirt we come to the ghost town of Bodie.

Above is the Methodist Church built in 1882. There used to also be a Catholic Church as well (also from 1882) but it burned in 1928.

Although it once held as many at 10,000 people, only about 5% of the structures from its heyday still stand. Multiple fires have seen to that.

Driving East Over the Sierras

We headed east over the Sierras because, like the proverbial bear, we wanted to see what we could see. One of the first things we noticed is that, to our surprise, the eastern Sierra Nevadas is greener. 

Stockton Rural Cemetery

The Rural Cemetery in Stockton was founded in 1861 and contains many residents that are well known for their successes and failures. Some were pillars of the community, others were, well, of ill repute.

I don't know who the fellow buried above is but he has an interesting tombstone. A quick look at the hand pointing up suggests that perhaps the wrong finger is raised. However, if you count the fingers you see that it is indeed the index find and the thumb is in an unexpected place. Still, it catches you attention.

Jackson Flea Market

We drove to Jackson for the once/month flea market. It was small and filled with lots of stuff that rates as useless junk in our book. I'm sure that some found treasures there, but we were clearly in the wrong place.

I did find a couple vehicles worth a look. The first is this old truck that one of the vendors arrived in.

Farmers Market, Sonora

Just off of main street in Sonora in a parking lot, we find the certified organic farmers market. Being organic and all makes this are bitmore upscale that some markets. But we still find the street performer singing a song that only he can quite put into into its current form.

The Cemetery at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church

As you have seen, there are variety of cemeteries in Jackson. The high point of this tour is the cemetery at St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church. Just a short way north of downtown is the oldest Serbian Orthodox Church in the America.

Pioneer Cemetery, Jackson

The main portion of the pioneer cemetery in Jackson has many monuments and fenced sections. The trees here are mature and the space is well shaded.

Jewish Cemetery, Jackson

In a portion of the pioneer cemetery in Jackson, we find the jewish section. Above we see that poor little Rosa made it in this world less than a year.

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park - II

This 135-acre park preserves a great outcropping of marbleized limestone with 1,185 mortar holes —  the largest collection of bedrock mortars anywhere in North America.

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park

About 12 miles east of Jackson is this intriguing state park. There is a campground and a large glade surrounded by mountains. In this pleasant valley we find a display of bark houses. These resemble Teepees but they are built of cedar poles and bark interwoven with willow or grapevines. These are the style of homes built by the Miwok peoples who lived here.

So Many Things for Foxes to See and Do

 

These are indeed handsome animals. Their colors blend well with the browns and greys of the landscape. It is fun to stand and watch them explore the world.

Foxes on a Frolic

Mom is done with this feeding even if all the kits are not. Once she get clear of them, that's all there is. She doesn't let them near here again this afternoon.

The Family of Foxes have an Outing

 It turns out that the family of foxes are living under the neighbor's back deck for now. In the mornings and afternoons they come out to frolic and investigate the world.

A Grey Fox Visits One Morning

I typically go for my morning run about 5:45 or so. The sun is up, or soon to be up, but it is not yet peeking over the higher Sierras to our east. I often see animals. Lots of Black Tailed Deer, families of California Quail, and the occasional Grey Fox. But on this morning I was greeted with a fox posing on a rock in our front yard.

Wat Dhammararam Buddhist Temple - II

 

Most of the other statues are depicting more serene scenes that seen in the last post. The one above seems be Buddha in a calm state, meditating.