Category: Free Site

Sometimes Pictures Say It All-Sierra Mountains of California

Posted in California, Federal, State and City Parks, Free Site, Incredible Vistas, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , 2 Comments

California has been hit with a massive drought for many years. Dry reservoirs, dry creek beds and my dry dead lawn are just a few of the things that were immediately apparent last year. Less so were the towns whose wells had run dry so people were having to truck in water for basic needs. Huge sinkholes began appearing due to the disappearing underground aquifers. Entire lakes almost vanished.

Where I live we depend on the snow pack of the Sierra Mountains to supply us with water year round. Water for trees, fruits and vegetables, human beings and swimming pools. We live in the high desert but grow food to feed the world. It is insane.

Last year the snowpack  was 5% of normal. About 20% the year before.  Nothing grew except the massive fire danger from the dead and dying trees. This year the snowpack was 90% of normal…a huge improvement and everyone is smiling again. For now. Because usually after an El Nino we are followed by years of further drought. We can only hope it doesn’t play out this way next winter.

Today I thought I would share pictures we took while up hiking in the mountains today where wild flowers are growing in huge swaths of bouquets over entire mountainsides. It’s a place where the sound of water is once again pounding down the ravines… LOUD, crisp, and clear. And its where the bears are disappearing (hopefully) up into the back country where they belong. Because in these parts, where bears break into cabins and destroy everything in site including the entire building; bears are referred to as giant rats and some folk shoot them for doing what they do best…getting in to everything and everywhere.

So today I hope you enjoy these pictures of my part of the country.

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Henderson’s Shooting Stars

Red flowers-unsure of name     California Poppies and Lupine

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A Brain Mushroom

Ancient Native American site

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Tree visited by too many woodpeckers

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Yep, it was a beautiful day in the neighborhood today. Thank goodness for the snows of the winter!

 

 

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The Best Graveyard-Stirling, Scotland

Posted in Architecture, Free Site, Gardens, Historical, Religious Shrines, Scotland, UncategorizedTagged , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

If you are like me and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE genealogy than you will understand this post. Otherwise, you just might not.

Sometimes the perfect place to visit is the cemetery. Some people talk to loved ones and some take along picnic lunches. I love to look at the stones. Especially the ancient ones. Usually they are a piece of artwork and often the artists behind them have their own story to tell. I take pictures of these headstones and put the pictures of them up on http://www.findagrave.com so people can connect to the relatives in their past. To date, I have contributed over 5,000.

My favorite graveyards happen to be in Scotland. I am going to introduce you to the one in Stirling known as Old Town Cemetery. It’s a great place to go. Sitting atop a hill between the huge Stirling Castle and the Church of the Holy Rude it is the only cemetery in the UK that was laid out to celebrate the establishment of Presbyterianism. It is a vast place containing graves from the 1600’s up until the present. Because it encompasses so many eras you can really see how headstones change with the times.

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There are many Key Stones contained within the cemetery including Martyr’s Monument which recognizes those who suffered martyrdom in pursuit of religious and civic freedom in Scotland. The Reformer Statues stand in honor of those ministers who fought King Charles who was attempting to establish Episcopal teachings throughout the country. Here you will also find the ornate monuments of local businessmen who carved enormous headstones to honor their families.

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But my favorite monuments are the small unique ancient ones. Often devoid of names it is the unusual carvings that capture my fancy. Skulls, ancient symbols…they are all there.

So next time you are visiting a city take a trip to the local cemetery. It usually has a great view and you just might “meet” some interesting people too!

Kepaniwai Heritage Gardens-Maui, Hawaii

Posted in Federal, State and City Parks, Free Site, Hawaii, HistoricalTagged , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Nestled in the Iao Valley on the island of Maui is a park dedicated to the native people of this Polynesian island and the immigrants who settled within her arms. It is a peaceful hamlet of lush tropical plants contained within the memorial gardens and traditional homes/buildings of the Koreans, Portuguese, Chinese, New Englanders, Japanese and native Hawaiians.

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This beautiful park was established in 1952 and within you will find such items as a New England Salt Box, a Hawaiian grass hut, a beautiful Chinese moon gate and many other treasures as diverse as the people who settled here.

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You will also find small waterfalls and ponds that are fed by the Iao stream which meanders through this county park.  This is the perfect place to picnic, cook a few burgers and just chill out from the “stress” of a Hawaiian vacation. While not maintained to the high caliber you would expect of such a unique and national treasure, nevertheless it is a place to relax and learn a little more about the peoples who grew this island to what it is today. Hopefully in the near future Maui will step up and give this park the attention and showcase it deserves.

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World’s Biggest Truck At Sparwood, British Columbia-Canada

Posted in Canada, Free Site, Great Fun For The Kids, Trucks, Cars and Big MachinesTagged , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Two years ago, Dave and Kullen were traveling through British Columbia, Canada, on their way to Waterton. Along the way, they came across the world’s largest truck…the Terex Titan 33-19 … which was once used in mining operations on the west coast of California and at the Kaiser Steel Mine located in Sparwood, B.C., Canada. Today it sits as a roadside tourist stop after being decommissioned in 1991. Sadly, it no longer holds the title of the World’s Biggest Truck which was been passed on to some other behemoth steel creature but who cares! This is one big fella in its own right and the engineer in you will love to go inspect it and kick a tire or two.

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The Titan 33-19 was built by a division of General Motors who expected the Titan to become “THE” mining truck used by the top operators in the world. Yet, the Titan never did enter into regular production because shortly after it was introduced at the 1974 World Mining Congress in Las Vegas; prices for coal decreased dramatically resulting in mine closures or significantly decreased outputs. Thus the truck with a $1.5 million dollar price tag in 1976 was just too expensive for companies to invest in and plans for it to become “The Top Model” serving the industry were scrapped.

Some of the more impressive facts concerning the Titan33-19 are:

It has a wheelbase of 29 ft 11 in with an overall length of 66ft. 9 inches. It stands 22ft. 7 inches tall, her width is 25ft. 7 in  and she weighs in at  over 548 tons.

The truck has served as a tourist attraction since 1993 after being decommissioned in 1991.

According to Kullen, “The truck was bigger than I expected it to be and one tire is bigger than the length of your entire body. I would love to visit it again sometime.”

The Titan is located off HWY 3 in Sparwood, British Columbia, Canada.

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