Lighthouses, Goats, the Grimsby's, Cats, Bubble Tea, Donner Party, and the Sierra Nevadas...

Left San Carlos today after a week long stay with my cousin and her family, the Grimsbys. Such a lovely home they have, with three cats (Pearl (not photod-he's shy), Anna, and Tiger), and every plant growing you can imagine. I probably ate 30 fresh plums from the tree in the backyard during my stay! :P Auntie Barb, Christine, and I took a little excursion to Pescadero (the city and the beach) and got some cool photos of the lighthouse there. There was a goat farm a couple of miles up the road that had every kind of chevre (goat cheese) and goat-made product you could ever want. It was a lovely little farm. After a grueling but beautiful drive through San Francisco (I got reeeaaal lost), I decided to skip Oregon and Olympic National Park and start heading home. Embarrassing, but I am a bit homesick and miss my kitty and my friends-so I started heading East again. My fears were calmed a lot once I hit the Sierra Nevadas...such a beautiful mountain range with lots of cool places to check out. I stopped Donner Memorial State park, where there lies a monument to those that suffered and died there on their long journey from Illinois to California in 1846. The monument is erected to height to mirror the depth of the 22-foot snow drift that trapped the Donner party in their mountain camp from December 1846-February 1847. Surreal place to stand, indeed. After that, the sun started setting over the Sierras and I stopped to take a gaze into the sunset, taking into account the memory and legacy of those pioneers and their struggle in their westbound journey. A storm started moving in, the wind was blowing so hard that the sand was stinging my face, so I stopped to snap some photos and ended up in Reno, NV, just outside of California...

Pigeon Point Lighthouse near Pescadero, CA.

From wikipedia..."Pigeon Point Light Station or Pigeon Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse built in 1871 to guide ships on the Pacific coast of California. It is the tallest lighthouse (tied with Point Arena Light) on the West Coast of the United States. It is still an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. Pigeon Point Light Station is located on the coastal highway (State Route 1), 5 miles (8 km) south of Pescadero, California. The 115-foot (35 m), white masonry tower, resembles the typical New England structure. Because of its location and ready access from the main highway, Pigeon Point entertains a large number of public visitors." Full Article here...

Goats at the Harley Farm Goat Dairy.

Harley Farms Goat Dairy in Pescadero, CA...check out their website HERE.

Such a nice little place. The only living soul inside was a kitty sleeping lazily in a basket watching over the shop. She liked to be petted, but fell fast asleep before we left. :P

Anna and me. This little gal is a Hemingway Kitty and I was amazed with her six-toed paws. :)

My first bubble tea at the Loving Hut in Palo Alto, CA.

Bubbbbbleeesss! :) I liked this stuff. It was bubblicious.

Plums in the backyard.

Artichoke blossom in the backyard.

Grapes in the backyard...I'm telling you...everything grows in California!

Some fashion of lily in the backyard. These guys were about 6 or 7 feet tall and were simply beautiful!

Tiger, sleeping on the patio.

The Sierra Nevadas. :D

This is for you, Laura...I was trying to get a lovely photo of the Sierra's...hahahhaha! :)

Me looking to the west, just in front of the Donner party memorial.

Weather rock...

From wikipedia..."The Donner Party (sometimes called the Donner–Reed Party) was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada. Some of the emigrants resorted to cannibalism to survive, eating those who had succumbed to starvation and sickness." Full article here...

I thought this was a thoughtful quote.

On the back-side of the monument.

Some lovely flowers near the monument.

This one is for you, Sara! :)

Sierra Nevadas just before sunset.

Can't you just smell the mist? :P

Welcome to Nevada!

Storms a comin!!!

Check out those clouds! I was trying to get a photo of the lightning, but it was being elusive to the camera.

This was a marker on the I-80. The signs are below.

BAD PHOTO, but that is a forest fire across the interstate take from my hotel balcony in Reno, NV. I am assuming was caused by the storm that came through the area. It was windy and crazy, and I could see lightning striking in the area before I got to Reno (see above photos). :P When I went driving around to find dinner, I saw many a fire truck speeding away in the distance and the area was ridden with the sounds of sirens. By the time I got back to the room, I couldn't see the fire, so I guess they got it taken care of. The Sierra's are saved again!!! :P 

Reno-The Biggest Little City in the World...

Check back soon for more petroglyph photos and craziness as I travel through Nevada on my long east-bound and down journey. Peace and love to all! :)