@PCTAssociation @AmericanHiking

For Memorial Day the family hiking group got together for the first time in a while. The older siblings are in college, but the younger ones joined in with the dads. We headed down I-5 from Ashland, hooked up with Highway 3 in Yreka, and parked once we hit the Pacific Crest Trail (a bit beyond Etna, California). Four miles of walking on the PCT later and we found ourselves at the place where I took today’s photo (photos actually as this is a photomerge of about eight photos).

More details about getting there and other lakes to hike to in the area can be found here. This area is called the Russian Wilderness, but we didn’t see any Russians on this day.

Posted on May 26th, 2015 under Other. Tags: california, hiking, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D750, photomerge. Comments Off on Smith Lake

Burney Falls (California)

We’ve been up and down Highway 89 probably close to a dozen times over the past 15 years. However, we’ve always been in too much of a hurry to stop and check out Burney Falls. What a mistake! We should have made time. Yesterday was the first time we took the time to stop. It didn’t take long, and the beauty of the this place is incredible.

Posted on April 27th, 2015 under Other. Tags: burney falls, california, landscape, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D750, waterfalls. Comments Off on Burney Falls

Iron Maiden ticket stub @ Cow Palace in San Francisco
(March 21, 1985)

@IronMaiden @cowpalacesf @ShorelineAmp

… I saw Iron Maiden for the first time. Thirty years and six more shows later, and I’m ready to see them again.

Iron Maiden @ Shoreline in August of 2012

Posted on March 21st, 2015 under Other. Tags: california, concert photography, iron maiden, metal, nikon d7000, sigma 85mm f/1.4 lens. Comments Off on 30 years ago today …

I don’t know who creates these things, but a few days ago (January 21) was Squirrel Appreciation Day. A few days before that I took this photo on the Santa Clara University campus.

Posted on January 24th, 2015 under Other. Tags: california, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D750. Comments Off on Squirrel Appreciation Day

Tonkotsu Orenchi Ramen (俺ん家らーめん) Santa Clara, California

We have no ramen shops in Southern Oregon. There are a few restaurants that sell ramen, but none of them are good. So when we get out of Southern Oregon we like to look for ramen. While in Santa Clara we decided to go to the #1-ranked ramen in the South Bay.

We had time to kill as the shop didn’t open until 5 p.m. We decided to find the place first and then browse shops nearby. However, when we got there at 4:20, there was already a line of about 30 people! I felt like I was at a popular ramen shop in Japan. We put our names on the list. By the time the shop opened 40 minutes later there were well over 100 people, and the place only holds about 50 or 60 people.

I’ve sampled dozens of bowls in Japan and about a dozen in the U.S., and this was the best ramen I have had outside of Japan. I had the tonkotsu (pork broth) bowl, pictured above, and Ellie had the shio (salt broth–photo coming soon).

The wait was well worth it. Word to the wise, if you are ever in the San Jose area, check this place out, but be sure to get there at least 20 minutes before they open. If you get there after that you probably won’t make the first seating which means you’ll likely be waiting an hour or more. Also, once they run out of soup they close so you may not get any (or your choice may be gone) if you show up after the first couple hundred people.

Posted on January 19th, 2015 under Other. Tags: california, food, Nikon 24-120mm f/4 VR G lens, Nikon D750, ramen. Comments Off on Best ramen in the USA