Donner Lake - Truckee, California

The Historic Lake and Pass in which the infamous Donner Party could not pass in the winter of 1846.  With modern day road ways, navigating this pass takes but a few mere minutes along Interstate 80.  Although, for the Donner Party, they confronted this rocky terrain just as winter had set in.  The Donner Pass area averages about 400 inches of snow in a year, making it one of the snowiest places in the United States, just imagine trying to pass that in a wagon train.

We made a little climb up to the Donner Summit and had a direct view over the lake.   Mayci even got to play in the snow over the Fourth of July!

 Its the simple things in life.

Rainbow Bridge with Donner Summit in the background.


 Hey! Look, I think we are on to something.....

Fireworks on the Lake - Lake Tahoe, California

Sitting on a grassy ledge that we would before the sun went down away from the whole mess of people just a few miles down, we had a perfect view of the firework show!  This was the first time for me taking fast action shots in the dark, so plenty of lessons were learned in a short matter of time!

Alpine Adventures - Lake Tahoe, California

 Lake Tahoe:
America's Largest Alpine Lake and Second Deepest Lake.

Sitting on it's shores while in the sunshine made for an awesome way to spend the Fourth of July!

Fourth of July Rodeo 2010 - Folsom, CA

Celebrating it's 50th Anniversary, the Folsom Rodeo was a good way to start of the Fourth of July festivities! From seeing some of Central California's finest rodeo competitors, flag drop from a plane, fireworks and laser show, and of course, the ever so funny clown show to tie it all together!

Folsom, more commonly known for it's renowned prison in the Classic of Johnny Cash, was a major destination for early miners during the Gold Rush to California.  Now, a powerhouse for alternative energy in the central valley of California in hydroelectricity in creation in of the Folsom Dam.

Fire Works display following the Rodeo

 Kent Lane, a competitor in skydiving since 1976, has jumped over 8,000 jumps for exhibition and competition all over the world.  He is also made the first successful jump off of the El Capitan in 1978 as a free fall jump.

Golden Gate Bridge - San Francisco, California

Declared as one of the Wonders of the Modern World, the Golden Gate Bridge remains the second largest suspension bridge in the United States.  At it's grand opening in 1937, the Golden Gate broke the world record for being the longest main span bridge up until 1964 and even longer as the tallest bridge where it was not surpassed until 1998!  

Another interesting fact about this 'record holding' bridge is that it can be considered to be the most recognizable bridge.  That record might be due to the fact that it is also considered to be the most photographed as well!

 
Average daily Traffic: 118,000 cars.

With six lanes for bay commuters and city visitors along with a walking path spanning the mouth of the bay, people have been able to save countless hours of driving around the edge of the bay or taking ferries to and fro.  

Bixby Bridge - Monterey, California

Spanning a distance of about 715 feet and standing about 300 feet from the rocky bottom, this bridge made it's way to the top of my Favorite's for travelling California Highway 1!  Just a short drive south of the one of the world's most beautiful bays, Monterey, this bridge is one of the most well known along the winding coastal drive, a drive that I could casually drive after class!

Moored in the Marina - Monterey, California

The Marina of Monterey was a great place to walk about to clear one's mind.  Hearing the sound of the sea lions bellow over the crashing of the waves against the rocky breakwater jutting out into the bay ease the mind as one passes along the boardwalks shadowed by the masts of resting sail boats.  

San Francisco City Hall - San Francisco, California

After the destruction of the 1906 earthquake that struck the city of San Francisco, the reopening of the New City Hall was celebrated in 1915.

Spanning it's massive diameter of 366 feet, the dome is the fifth largest dome in the World.

This Plaza is ranked my second favorite place of San Francisco, behind the Coit Tower (which is hard to beat!)  The Plaza is home to not only the City Hall, but also the Herbst Theatre, The Supreme Court of California, The War Memorial Opera House, Asian Art Museum, and of course, the Symphony Hall!

I often find myself entangled in the architecture which varies from one 

building to another, but yet compliments each other so well in this area!

Sunset on Santi Pietro e Paolo - San Francisco, California

'Santi Pietro e Paolo cattedrale' or Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral, a Roman Catholic located near Washington Square in San Francisco.  Home to many of San Francisco's Italian-American, and more recently Chinese-American Roman Catholics  sermons are held weekly in English, Italian, along with Mandarin.  Happened to stumble upon this after touring the Coit Tower on the eastern end of the city and the picture on the right, you can see the steeples of this church on the right hand side of the street.  (The church blends in with the houses in the background especially at that time of the evening)

Monterey State Beach - Monterey, California

Me - "Remind me why we are swimming toward THAT BIG WAVE!?"

Matt - "Because it is BIG!"

Me - "Ok, Race you there!"

                                                                         WINNER!!!

Malibu Beach for Martin Luther King Jr Weekend

Walking in an Underwater World - Monterey, California

After returning home in Montana for Christmas, made my initial tour of the Monterey Bay Aquarium with my mom and of course had a great time!   The Aquarium stands at the top of the must-see list of the Monterey Bay area whether you are just passing through or if you happen to live there!  These were the most unique Seahorses I have ever seen!  (Yes, the picture on the right is of seahorses.)  

Yes, I think my favorite is the Jellyfish!

Water-born Christmas Trees - Monterey, California

A different kind of a Christmas stroll for my mother and I, both being native Montanans, to do so on a boardwalk in a just jackets!

Onward to the Whales - Monterey, California

Upon leaving Chicago, Illinois, I have found myself on the Central coast of California in the historic city of Monterey!

View from Asilomar Beach, near the Pacific Grove Lighthouse.

Little feet even make marks in History....

A span on the Monterey Peninsula from a whale watching boat with my mother after Christmas break.  We made the trip back together from Montana.  We could not have asked for a better day to be out on the water with these sapphire skies and a light breeze!  Not to mention, the whales were very active and thousands, and I am not exaggerating that number, of jellyfish in the Monterey Bay.

The Experience of RTC - Great Lakes, Illinois

I am in the center between the two white flags

The Graduation of Division 360 on October 16, 2009, from the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois.  

The Graduation Hall at Great Lakes at which we spent quality time going over drill after drill until we had what been told "simple steps" committed to mental and muscle memory!

The first site visitors to the Willis Tower, formerly known as the Sears Tower unless you ask a native Chicagoan then it is still and will forever be the Sears Tower!  Surprisingly, Arabic and Russian are not on here...

I believe going to the top of the Tower is a must for any site-seer in the Windy City!  Not only for the view, but for the bird's eye view of what else you can explore within this historic city from the 108th story "bubble".

I wish I had been paying a little more attention as to where this church was exactly.  I know it is somewhere on the northern side of Chicago near a Christian Academy that has architectural styles similar to Swiss Protestant structures and near a historic downtown area with random odd's and end's shops.  If anyone knows more about this church, please leave a comment for me!  I would like to revisit this area again someday!