The American River

Another B-E-A-Utiful weekend here in Northern California. #Chloe_dog and I tried to take full advantage by heading down to the American River. The salmon are just starting to run. Lot's of fisherman, from the bridge's, the bank's and guided drift boats. I got a few photo's, thought I'd share them with you.

Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area 10-16-11

It's always nice when you wanna get away and spend a little time to yourself, to have somewhere to go that's not so far away. One of my favorites is the Vic Fazio Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area. About 20 minutes from my house, it's locate along the Pacific flyway and along Highway 80. After a long dry summer there is much water in it yet, but in another couple of months the entire area will be flooded.

I wasn't sure what, if any birds I would see today, but the Causeway never disappoints. There were a variety of raptors and shorebirds on hand. I also took the dog with me so she could run on the levee surrounding the Bypass.

Remember - if you click on the pic, you can see it full size

It was a great day with just a few high thin clouds. 80 degrees.

What?



Must have been a couple thousand of these guys, they were every where



Still dry is the Bypass, but give it a couple months





A pair of Kites



I guess Mr Redtail Hawk is not allowed in Mr Kite's territory



Mr Redtail hiding out




In the summer, they grow rice in the Bypass. Looks like these guys are parked until next year

Egret





White Faced Ibis



Guess I spooked them



Mr and Mrs Kite moved to a better tree



Great Heron





Harrier - taken through the windshield - cruising over the wetlands looking for lunch



Coots and Mallards are always in the Bypass



Pied-Billed Griebe



Black Pheobe



Cattails are blooming



Coot

Lodi Grape Festival

Made it down to the Lodi Grape Festival on Saturday. My friends Houses of the Holy were playing the Budweiser stage there. They put on another fantastic show. These guys just keep getting better and better. If you love Led Zeppelin, these guys are the best Led Zeppelin tribute band in Northern California. I highly recommend checking them out if you get a chance. Check out their website Housesoftheholy.com for upcoming shows.

After the show, my daughter and I headed over to the rides and had some fun. 3 ferris wheels and the Zipper! Nice!!

San Francisco

Labor Day Weekend in The City.

So I spent a few days playing tourist in San Francisco over the Holiday weekend. So I thought I would share a few pictures with you.


First day I got to go to a Giants night game. They played the Diamondbacks. A great game, and the Giants won. AT&T Park is an amazing place to see a MLB game. I had such a great time.

The one thing about San Francisco is there is a lot of history and a lot of cool sights. When in The City you have to ride the cable car. It is a must.

Next I recommend checking out Pier 39, but only because everyone needs to say they have been there. It is mostly high priced tourist crap and lots of restaurants, but you can see Alcatraz and the seals. Plus that is one of the most famous spots.

And while your at the Wharf, make sure to walk down to Ghirardelli chocolate. So worth the walk. Great chocolate!!!

Lunch that day was at Cioppino's on Jefferson St. Great food.

Coit Tower is another landmark worth visiting. However, parking does make it difficult to get to. We lucked out and got a spot on the street leading up to the Tower. The views from here are pretty spectacular, with a 360 degree view of The City. You can see both bridges, the Bay Bridge and the Golden Gate. Also there is a nice view of Lombard Street, the Wharf, the Ferry Building and Treasure Island.

It was overcast the day we were there, but I got a few nice shots. The Bay Bridge

This one is from AT&T Park (it was a much nicer day)

Lombard St (The crookedest street in the world)

The Ferry Building

From Coit Tower, it was on to the Palace of Fine Arts. The Palace of Fine Arts was built for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. It's a cool piece of architectural history.

Once your at the Palace, you are at the on ramp to the Golden Gate Bridge. So head on over and take the walk across the bridge. The first day we were there that famous fog rolled in.

It was a bit clearer later that weekend. This is from the Lands End side of the bridge

Next up The Haight. More tourist destination than hippie hangout these days. Trendy little shops and Irish pubs made for a nice walk and a better lunch.

The last day, we drove through downtown and the financial district looking at the big buildings.

So another great weekend. Love The City. Have a good one!