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| Soo Line - Central California 1996 |
" . . . [the Soo Line] is named for the Minneapolis, St. Paul and Sault Ste. Marie Railroad (MStP&SSM), which was commonly known as the Soo Line after the phonetic spelling of Sault . . ."
So, "sault" is pronounced as "soo." Didn't know that.
I guess this was taken somewhere on the route to Yosemite. There's railroad stuff to be seen in Escalon, so maybe I saw the boxcar there.
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| Valley Hills - Central California 2026 |
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| Dilapidated Structure - Central California 2026 |
Interesting drive back home: I got turned around in Merced and had to switch on the GPS lady - she was able to get me to Highway 99 north. But then she found an alternate route cutting across the Sacramento Valley utilizing a series of small two lane roads.
I don't know how much time was saved, but the drive was nicer than freeway traffic. I had to stop at one intersection for pix of hills and a falling-down structure.
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| Tree, Lake Don Pedro - Tuolumne County 2025 |
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| Lunch at Lake Don Pedro Overlook - Tuolumne County 2025 |
Sometimes I stop at the McDonalds in Oakdale for lunch. Not this time! Fritos 'n Coke Zero and cheese sticks. Yum! Then the drive home in Friday afternoon traffic.
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| Digger Pines - Tuolumne County 2024 |
Driving past Lake Don Pedro to experience a genuine car camping trip. My goal was to camp somewhere in the mountains west of Bishop, but I knew in advance that it was going to be a long drive.
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| Ogden Drive House Afternoon - Los Angeles 2024 |
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| Highlander - Fresno County 2024 |
Leaving Los Angeles . . . making sure that the AC was turned off and the refrigerator unplugged. Then the drive back up Highway 5.
So, actually there were two trips to Los Angeles in July, the first one with Hali and the second with Shawna (and Nolan). The photos I've posted were taken during both trips with an iPhone 12 Pro Max. (I brought my Canon G5XII, but didn't use it. Then it somehow went missing during the first trip.)
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| Clouds - Central Valley 2024 |
I was able to get a window seat on the flight back to the Bay Area. Here are some clouds drifting over California's Central Valley, with some extra clouds over the Sierra in the distance.
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| Palm Trees (Harris Ranch) - Fresno County 2024 |
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| Side Entrance (Harris Ranch) - Fresno County 2024 |
Our usual rest stop at Harris Ranch. Alas, when we arrive it's too late for breakfast and too early for lunch. But we wander around, stretching our legs.
Couldn't help noticing that the palm trees had been given quite a trimming.
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| Horse Training - Tuolumne County 2023 |
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| Lake Don Pedro - Tuolumne County 2023 |
I wanted to spend a few days in the area around Bishop in the Owens Valley last October . . . hiking, taking pix etcetera. I followed the usual route on highway 120, stopping to take some photos here and there. Of course, one of the must-visit scenic views was the one of beautiful Lake Don Pedro. (Compare to 2015 photo.)
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| Highway Five South - Stanislaus County 2023 |
Driving down to Los Angeles in April. Alas, the weather was not nearly as dramatic as it was earlier in the year.
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| Gas Station Bus - Fresno County 2023 |
Taken during Mike's April trip down to Los Angeles. He somehow missed Harris Ranch! Must have been listening to a really engrossing podcast.
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| Highway Five South - Stanislaus County 2023 |
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| Canal, Ranch Buildings - Stanislaus County 2023 |
Diving down to Los Angeles with some dramatic clouds overhead. Of course I had to stop at the viewpoint.
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| Palm Trees, Wind (Harris Ranch) - Fresno County 2022 |
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| Harris Ranch Gift Shop - Fresno County 2022 |
As I've said, we always stop here. You know.
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| Bonsai - Fresno County 2022 |
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| G. Washington / ATM - Fresno County 2022 |
That bonsai stand has been there - across the highway from Harris Ranch - for a number of years. Guess that they must be doing OK.
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| Ranch Building - Stanislaus County 2022 |
We've made a few trips down to Los Angeles recently, once flying, two times driving. The driving trips took us down Highway Five, where it's fairly easy to become disoriented. Disoriented in the sense that although you know the direction that you're traveling (north or south) it's difficult to know exactly where you are in that featureless drive.
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| Trucks, Highway 5 Rest Stop - Fresno County 2022 |
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| Truck, Highway 5 Rest Stop - Fresno County 2022 |
We had a picnic lunch at one of the rest stops along Highway 5. Triscuits 'n cheese 'n Coke Zero! Yum!
No photos after that until we reached L.A.
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| Harris Ranch Fountain - Fresno County 2022 |
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| Harris Ranch Horse Art - Fresno County 2022 |
We always stop here to use the bathrooms. Located in Fresno County, which spans quite a large West/East corridor in California, ranging from here in the Central Valley to Kings Canyon National Park in the Sierra Nevada.
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| The Wardrobe - Davis 2022 |
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| Root of Happiness - Davis 2022 |
Last photos taken in Davis. I was using a small Canon G5XII . . . very nice camera indeed.
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| Bizarro World - Davis 2022 |
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| Music with Beer - Davis 2022 |
Alas, it was too early in the morning for me to participate in Music with Beer.
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| Varsity - Davis 2022 |
In late January I drove over to Lake Tahoe for some snow/ski adventures with Masa, Shawna and the grandkids.
I myself did not participate in the ski adventures, however. Going there as an observer.
On the way there, I stopped for a mid-morning break and took a short walk around Davis.
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| Lake Don Pedro - Tuolumne County 2020 |
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| Lake Don Pedro Viewpoint - Tuolumne County 2020 |
