White Pines Lake

White Pines Lake is a quiet little lake, well known to local residents, but often overlooked by visitors scurrying up to Big Trees State Park or Lake Alpine. Only a mile from Arnold, the lake makes a great family destination for fishing, picnicking, or just taking the kids to a playground. For hikers, mountain bikers, and equestrians, the new Arnold Rim Trail leads south from the lake 10.5 miles to Sheep Ranch Road near Avery.  As you enter White Pines off of Blagen Road, you may see a small sign proclaiming, “White Pines is not Arnold.” Although the two communities share a zip code, White Pines has a proud history all its own. The area around White Pines Lake was originally a lumber mill. After the mill closed, a dam was put in and a lake established with thoughts of selling lots around the lake. When the plan fell through, the lake and surrounding property were sold to the Calaveras Water District.

The Sierra Nevada Logging Museum on the western shore of White Pines Lake draws hundreds of visitors every year. Across its six acres are spread many of the old machines used in logging in Calaveras County. The 2400-square foot museum building contains exhibits which convey the history of logging and the lumbering industry in the Sierra Nevada. Around the grounds is an array of fascinating logging machines, from a 66,000 pound steam donkey to a Shay locomotive. Visitors can also view crawler tractors, logging arches, a logging cabin, and various saws. I highly recommend checking out White Pines around sunset, which was when the below photos were taken. Calaveras county is definitely more beautiful in person, so make a trip up to the area when you can! Perhaps go during the famous county fair and jumpin' frog jubilee  that Mark Twain based his short story on. Cheers!

Hollywood Hiking

I'm so excited to visit my family in Southern California next week. Summer in the Bay area usually consists of windy days and foggy nights, which I look forward taking a break from. I remember last year for the 4th of July, Z and I were bundled up to watch the fireworks atop the beautiful albeit windy Bernal Hill. I finally developed these pictures from a previous hike that my sister, cousin, and I completed. It's getting harder and harder to find places that will develop my film for a good price. The place I went to also did not do such a great job scanning my photos, so everything is a bit off. I really need to get into developing my own film or finally invest in a nice digital camera. Sigh!

Even though most of my family lives in Southern California, we had never done the Hollywood hike up the winding trail to see the sign itself. To be honest, the thought never appealed to me since it is what all the tourists do when they come to this little city covered in smog. Looking back on the photos, it reminds me that my pasty white legs could use some sunshine and doing touristy things are fun every once in a while. 

Camp Virgo

Last weekend, my cousin (it was his birthday too!) and a couple of friends headed up the coast to go camping in the little town of Mendocino. Mendocino is located about 3 hours north of San Francisco and the drive takes you on windy roads through Redwood forests and cliff-dropping coastlines. Along the way, we stopped in a cute little town to pick up supplies and then a winery for some free tasting. The weather during the weekend was gorgeous but the nights dipped down as low as in the 40's. Our campsite was located off Caspar beach and we were able to camp in a forested area within walking distance of what seemed like a private beach. Around the area, visitors could go hiking, kayaking, or play some arcade games in the near-by general supply store. I spent the weekend eating a bunch of good food, drinking, listening to ghost stories, and sitting close to the leaping fire for warmth. Sometimes living in San Francisco, I do not really get a chance to view the sky at night to see the stars twinkling bright, but when you're in the middle of nowhere there really is not much fog or city light to compete with.  I had a really great time with fantastic company. I could not have asked for anything more for a birthday weekend. 

Above are some abalone divers getting their kayaks ready. We camped next to a bunch of these divers and they had left-over abalone and eggs to give us for breakfast one morning. It was delicious! These guys were so used to the great outdoors that they had no tents and simply slept on mats at night. They must have laughed at our camp's "glamping" set up. Such amateurs! 

I'm already restless since I've caught the camping bug. I can't wait to set out for another camping adventure.