The USS Lincoln

Yes, this was a while back, but I am just now getting around to posting it. A few weeks ago L.A. had Navy week. The Navy brought in a fleet of ships and docked them down in the L.A. Harbor. The biggest and most popular being the Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, USS Lincoln. I really wanted to go down and take a tour of the Carrier, but people were up to 4 hours to get on the ship. So instead I waited til late Sunday afternoon, after the tours were done and rode my Harley down to the harbor to check it out from across the channel. Now trust me when I tell you this ship is big, and when I mean big, I mean BIG. It made the usual cargo ships that frequent that harbor look like private yachts. If one ever happens to float on in again, I will try to see it up close.

Camping Again

So the family made another trip to our favorite spot to go every summer. Twin Lakes, Mono Village, right outside of Bridgeport, CA. And when I say the family, I mean they whole family. Last year it was just Tia and I. This year we had my mom, dad, brother, nephew along with us. It was a great time and couldn't have spent it with better people.

The trip started with us driving north up highway 99 through the San Joaquin Valley. When hit Merced we headed north-east into the western side of the Sierra's to historic Highway 49. Highway 49 runs along the west side of the Sierras hitting a number of small mining towns that came about from the Gold Rush of 1849. We visited Jamestown, Columbia State Park and spent the night in Sonora. The picture above is from a steam locomotive that is in Railtown State Historis Park in Jamestown.

Nate in the Columbia Jail

After we spent the night in Sonora, we made our way to the eastside of the Sierra mountain range. The Sierra's are a rugged mountain range with only a handful of roads that lead west-east over the range. Ebbett's Pass was the road we took up and over. A great drive with lots of scenery. Near the very top of the pass is Mosquito Lake just above the 8000ft level. Here we are, in early July and the lake is still frozen. This was crazy to see.

Our Vacation Destination. Well sort of. We stay in the Mono Village Campground which is about a 13 mile drive west out of Bridgeport. It is such a small cute town and they have the best 4th of July parade every year. 

Here is Nate standing in front of one of the old restored vehicles that make up the parade. Most of the people in the parade were throwing candy out to the kids. So that is what has his attention, not this awesome truck.

This is a town of only about 800, yet they are able to raise about $12,000 every year for a 4th of July fireworks fireworks show. This was not some little show, it was an awesome that would rival Disneyland. With the campground being back in the mountains, we drove back towards town til we can see the town from a small bluff and took in the fireworks. This was the first time I got a chance to show fireworks and I am pretty excited about the result.

Here I widened the angle of the shot and let the picture expose as a car drove by. I like the result.

A shot at dusk of the mountain ridge behind our campsite.

Of course every year we go out here we have to visit Bodie. Here is our dog Bodie next to the sign of the town of Bodie for which he is named after.

Old barn in Bodie

Bodie Outhouse

My Wife's favorite, the Bodie Motel picture.

We visited Virginia City later in the week which is also an old mining town such a Bodie. However this town still thrives as a tourist stop now. Here is the Virginia & Truckee Railroad Diesel Engine that we rode on.

Back in the campground we took a hike up to the water fall that fills the lake at the campground up. The Sierra's had record snowfall this year and the snow and water was just crazy up there. The picture above shows the mountain range that sits over the back side of the campground.

And finally I leave you with the shot of the falls above the campground.