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11MileCanyon
This is a section of the South Platte River, about 40 miles west of Colorado Springs, CO. It represents the "tail
waters" (exit water) from the huge 11-Mile Reservoir in the State Park of the same name. These waters are
designated "Gold Medal" fishing waters, where the fishing is so good that only artificial flies and lures
are allowed by law.
BalancedRock
One of the most famous red sandstone formations in the Garden of the Gods, a park full of remarkably up-thrust
red sandstone on the western edge of Colorado Springs, CO. A tourist landmark, the park was a gift to the City
from its private owner, on the condition that access remain free forever.
BeiHaiPark
One of several man-made stone constructions in Bei Hai Park, a large park just north of the Forbidden City in Beijing.
BeijingOpera
This isn't the real Beijing Opera, but more like a "dinner theater" where opera students perform
short (20-40 minute) scenes from famous operas. Just the right "dosage" for this tourist.
BeijingSubwayBikes
This is the bicycle parking area adjacent to one of the Beijing Subway stations.
BigHornSheep
One of the famed denizens of Colorado's "high country," this big horn sheep was kind enough to wander
down next to the highway that leads to the old mining town of Cripple Creek, about 30 miles west of Colorado Springs.
The altitude here was about 10,000 feet.
BlackTwinberry
As the name implies, the Black Twinberry produces two berries at each flower site. This one was found at around
9000 feet altitude in the mountains about 30 miles west of Denver, CO.
BryceCanyonNP
One of the natural arches carved into the sandstone at Bryce Canyon National Park in Utah.
Buddha
Just a sample of the many Buddhas that I saw in Beijing.
BuffaloAndGysers
The geysers of Yellowstone National Park make for a very untypical backdrop for a herd of buffalo.
Butterfly
I happened onto a swarm of butterflies just enchanted by this particular bush, along the banks of the South Fork
of the Yuba River in California, about 50 miles east of Sacramento, CA.
CalaverasDome
Calaveras Dome is an exposed, solid granite pluton, similar to the famous El Capitain in Yosemite National Park.
This one was adjacent to the Mokolumne River, about 80 miles southeast of Sacramento, CA.
CaliforniaPoppies
These orange poppies are the State Flower of California. There is no opium in their sap.
ChineseBirthdayParty
This was just one round of 3-4 (I lost count) courses served at a birthday party in Beijing.
ChineseMarket
This is just the pottery section of a huge Chinese Flea Market that is open every Saturday and Sunday in Beijing.
ChineseVegomatic
In the parking lot in front of a neighborhood department store in Beijing, this gentleman practices the ancient
art of "pitchman" as he extolls the virtues of the Chinese version of the Vegomatic -- it slices, it
dices...
ColoradoFlower
I found this flower next to the Gross Reservoir, about 20 miles west of Denver, CO.
CreekInColorado
I found this creek, one of the tributaries to Chicago Creek, just south of Idaho Springs (about 30 miles west of
Denver, CO), on my way to Mt. Evans, one of the two 14,000+ foot mountains in Colorado that has a paved road all
the way to the top.
Daffodils
These daffodils were growing by the side of the road, along Highway 49 just north of Grass Valley, CA.
DevilsLake
This is a small, high-country lake (about 9000 feet) near Highway 50, on the way from Sacramento, CA, to South
Lake Tahoe, CA/NV.
DevilsPostpileNM
This waterfall is located in Devil's Postpile National Monument, on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains
in California.
Eel
The delicious looking and delicious tasting eel was served at the birthday party in Beijing.
EngravedMarble
The marble plates are engraved by hand by a very skilled craftslady from one of the rural provinces of China, usually
working from just a photograph. She works in the Beijing Friendship Store (where all the foreigners shop for gifts),
and chips away at the marble using a pointed chisel. In effect, she's a human Adobe Photoshop and dot-matrix printer
all rolled into one.
FirstTrout
My first-ever trout, caught on a wet fly (midge pattern) in 11-Mile Canyon, one of Colorado's "Gold Medal
Waters," where only artificial flies and lures are allowed.
Flower1
I found this flower one April near the covered bridge in Bridgeport, CA.
Flower2
I found this "flower" in the same area (as Flower1) of Bridgeport, CA.
ForbiddenCity
That is me freezing my tail off outside the entrance to the Forbidden City.
ForbiddenCityInside
This is the ceiling of one of the main buildings in the Forbidden City. All ceilings therein are similarly decorated.
GoldOreStampMill
This "stamp mill" was used to crush the gold ore (chunks of gold-bearing quartz) taken from the hills
around Alleghany, CA (about 90 miles northeast of Sacramento, CA).
GreatWall1
This is a view looking down one of the steeper sections of the Great Wall of China.
GreatWall2
This is me freezing my tail off on the Great Wall. The temperature was about 38 degrees, with winds about 40 MPH.
HomeGrownLilly
I grew this lilly at home in Sacramento, CA, from a bulb. Sadly, the flowers only lasted about 1 week before they
wilted.
HumbugTrailWaterfall
This waterfall occurs about 2/3's of the way down the Humbug Trail. This trail connects the Malikoff Diggins State
Park to the South Yuba River. The state park contains the largest hydraulic gold mining area in California. The
sludge from this area polluted the Yuba River so badly that hydraulic mining was outlawed.
HutongLife1
The Hutong is a neighborhood of old, courtyard-style homes that is preserved by law (cannot be demolished to make
room for a high-rise). Within this neighborhood, socio-economic levels vary quite widely. This photo is typical
of what you see while wandering down the narrow streets and alleys,
HutongLife2
Another photo taken while wandering around the Hutong. The bicycles with the "cargo bed" at the rear
are the Chinese equivalent of the "pickup truck" for a large segment of the population.
JeffersonLake
This lake is about 1 x 1/2 miles in size, located just north of US285, about 50 miles west of Denver, at an altitude
of 10,100 feet. I caught two trout here while fishing from the shore.
LadyBugs
In August each year, the ladybugs appear in "mass quantities" in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.
This photo was taken along Kanaka Creek, near the old gold mining town of Alleghany, CA.
LavaBedsNM
Lava Beds National Monument, near the northern edge of California, is full of "lava tubes" -- tunnels
formed by lava flows which hardened on the top due to exposure to the air. After many years of rainfall, the insides
of these "lava tubes" develop formations similar to those seen in limestone caves. This is a close-up
of the ceiling of one of these tubes.
MarbleBoat
The Dowager Empress of China gave new meaning to the expression "military- industrial complex boondoggle"
when she used her "naval military budget" to build this ceremonial/party boat out of marble.
MenPlayingGames
This photo was taken behind one of the Beijing Subway stations, where retired men gather, with their pet birds,
to play some kind of board game.
MingDynastyVillage
This mountain village was built during the Ming Dynasty. It is now a tourist attraction.
MingTombTreasures
This "crown" or head-dress was displayed in the museum adjacent to the Ming Tombs -- previously secret
underground burial vaults for Ming Dynasty royals.
MiningShack
This shack is the former "home" of a gold miner in Colorado, circa 1880. Many of the old mining properties
from that era are still protected by rather new looking "No Trespassing" signs. This property, however,
looked very abandoned.
MokolumneBridge
This bridge crosses the Mokolumne River at about 3500 feet altitude, about 60 miles southeast of Sacramento, CA.
This particular section of the river is a popular recreational area.
MokolumneRiver
This photo of the Mokolumne River in California was taken about 200 yards upstream from the bridge in the previous
photo.
MountainGoat
This baby mountain goat appeared with his parents (and maybe grandparents, too) near the side of the main paved
road leading to the top of Mt. Evans. Mt. Evans is one of the 14,000+ foot peaks in the mountains west of Denver.
The mountain goat showed up at around 13,000 feet.
NorthMichiganLake
This lake is about 1.4 x .5 miles in size, at an altitude of about 9000 feet, about 100 miles west of Ft. Collins,
CO. I caught a trout here in the early morning, fishing from my pontoon boat.
OldFaithful
Need I say more? This geyser "delivered" on schedule, as promised!
PagodaStyle
This is typical of the pagoda-style buildings that appear in all of the public parks and historical places in Beijing.
RedRocks
The famous Red Rocks Amphitheater, an outdoor concert venue just west of Denver. Another natural outcropping of
red sandstone appears on the opposite side of the amphitheater seats, creating outstanding acoustics for concerts.
RoyalGorge
This photo was taken from the tourist train that runs through the bottom of the 1000-foot deep gorge of the Arkansas
River, about 50 miles west of Pueblo, CO.
RubiconRiver
This photo was taken with my first digital camera, an Olympus D320L. The water comes from a creek that feeds the
Rubicon River. This spot is at the bottom of the Nevada Point Trail, which descends about 1700 feet from the trailhead.
This is the largest descent that I ever hiked. The hike back up the trail, in late afternoon 95 degree weather,
instilled a great appreciation for the level of endurance that my body can endure when there just ain't no alternative.
SanDiegoPipeOrgan
This is a look "behind the scenes" at the outdoor pipe organ that is one of the many features of San
Diego's Balboa Park. There is simply no stereo system in the world that can do justice to the visceral experience
of "Live, from San Diego, it's Tocatta and Fuge in D Minor!"
ShangHaiAirport
On the return trip from Beijing, we made connections in Shang Hai. I was impressed with the ultra-modern look of
the airport.
SilkMarket
The Silk Market in Beijing really sells a whole lot more than just silk. In this alley full of dozens of independent
stall vendors, you can buy knock-offs of Gucci, The North Face, etc., at the lowest price you can negotiate.
TigerLilly
This Tiger Lilly is of the variety that appears on the banks of creeks in California. This one showed up along
Kanaka Creek, near the old mining town of Alleghany, CA. No, it does not grow naturally facing up -- I turned it
up myself to get better sunlight on the blossom.
WaterCalligraphy
This old man was writing Chinese characters related to Chairman Mao (it was the Chairman's birthday), using a stick
that dispensed water through a sponge tip. Since it was freezing that day, the water froze on the marble tiles,
thus retaining his beautiful calligraphy for many hours.
WeekendMarket
This photo shows just the pottery section of the open-every-weekend flea market in Beijing. Many of the items at
this flea market are hawked as genuine antique artifacts, when, in fact, they are virtually all of recent manufacture.
I was astounded, however, at the clever workmanship techniques that made them all look authentially "aged"
by the ravages of time.
WellingtonLake
This is a private lake, about 1 x 1/2 miles, at an altitude of 8500 feet. It is located 11 miles south of US-285,
about 50 miles west of Denver, CO. I haven't caught any trout here -- yet.
WildOats
These are wild oats that grow along residential streets around Sacramento, CA.
YellowstoneCreek
This colorful shot shows hot spring water as it flows into a creek in Yellowstone National Park. The colors arise
from the growth of certain molds and bacteria that just happen to thrive at the particular temperature of this
water.
YellowstoneRiver
No, this is not a copy of a picture postcard. This famous view of the large waterfall on the Yellowstone River
is a "no-brainer" -- just follow the trail from the parking lot, point your camera, press the button,
and you can't miss joining the ranks of Ansel Adams, et. al. This shot was taken from a man-made bridge over the
river -- "your National Park entrance fees at work."
YellowstoneTerraces
In the northern part of Yellowstone National Park, these "terraces" were formed by the flow of hot spring
waters down the sides of the mountains. In this picture, each "terrace level" is about 3 inches higher/lower
than the adjacent one.
YubaRiverBridge
When I first moved to California in 1981, this was the "main" automobile bridge carrying California Highway
49 over the South Fork of the Yuba River, a few miles north of Grass Valley and Nevada City. In later years, CalTrans
built a new bridge about 150 yards downstream, and this original bridge was retained for recreational use.
YubaRiverWaterfall
About 1/2 mile downstream from the bridge in the previous picture, a creek feeds water into the Yuba River over
this waterfall, which is about 30 feet high.
ZionNP
This is typical of the 2000-foot high sandstone canyon walls that are the main feature of Zion National Park in
Utah.
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