Travels With Wesley

Bodie is late 1800’s mining town in central California.  Here  is a link to the website: http://www.bodie.com/

A few images from a trip there  last summer.

Moon-like landscape in the Stanilaus Forest.

A derelict house.

California rangers live there to maintain and protect the site. This is called the Ranger House.

The Cain house.

The schoolhouse

Couple of vehicles.

The Bodie Methodist Church.

I f you are visiting the Lake Tahoe area, or the Mammoth area, be sure to take the drive out to Bodie.  Well worth seeing.

We stayed at the same house this time at Tahoe as we did in 2008.  The house backs up to the Upper Truckee Marsh, a beautiful wetland area on the south end of the lake.

http://www.laketahoerealestateblog.com/2010/08/05/south-lake-tahoe-ca-the-wonder-of-the-upper-truckee-marsh/

I spent several hours walking the marsh both trips.  Here are some shots from the marsh.

There is a park and beach at the south end of the lake, usually virtually deserted.

We visited the Lake Tahoe area this summer for the second time, the previous visit being in 2008.  This is simply the most beautiful lake I have had the pleasure of seeing.

 

Here are some facts about Lake Tahoe:  http://tahoe.usgs.gov/facts.html

The lake lies astride the border between California and Nevada.  We stayed in South Lake Tahoe, California, a community that could be described as “rustic” or “funky.”  The residential areas on the north end of the lake are more upscale and not as desirable from my point of view.

Coming from the eat coast, there are two ways to get to Tahoe, through Reno or through Sacramento.  This time we flew to Sacramento and drove from there, a long 2 hour drive. 

This masterpiece is the center piece of the Sacramento airport.  Not sure what it represents, but there it is.  I recommend that if you want to visit Lake Tahoe, fly through Reno, a much shorter drive than Sacramento.

One good way to see a lot of the lake and terrain is to take a boat tour of the lake.  You get a different perspective from driving around the lake, which is a very pretty drive.  A few shots from the boat ride.

A south lake apartment complex.

As you can see, it is a scenic delight.  I’ll share more pictures in my next post.  Also, to come some shots from a ghost mining town, Bodie, California.

Halifax, the capital of Nova Scotia is a friendly little city with a lot of interesting history.  The first day there was off and on rainy, but we got some quality walking time in.  Across the street for the Lord Nelson Hotel where we stayed was the Public Gardens, a lovely spot with music on Sunday afternoon.

                                                      Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/500 sec @ f/16 iso 1600

                                                Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/140 sec @ f/22 iso 200

Some folks having fun dancing to the band.

                                               Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/900 sec @ f/11 iso 200

                                                          Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/850 sec @ f/13 iso 1600

We had lunch at the Triangle Pub, near the Lower Harbour.

                                               Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/500 sec @ f/16 iso 1600 HDR toning applied in PS6

Winston taking a stroll.

 
                         Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/500 sec @ f/16 iso 1600

The Citadel is one of the primary historical sites in Halifax. This young man was playing the bagpipe for the changing of the Guards.

                     Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/2000 sec @ f/16 iso 200

                                             Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/1000 sec @ f/16 iso 1600

                                                Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/2000 sec @ f/16 iso 1600

The Old Town Clock sits on the harbor side of the Citadel.

                                        Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/3000 sec @ f/16 iso 1600 processed in Topaz Adjust5 

Finally, Spring Garden Street at night.

                                            Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/80 sec @ f/16 iso 1600 HDR toning applied in PS^ 

There are three iconic scenes of Nova Scotia, three things people associate with the province.  Peggy’s Cove which I discussed earlier,  the Bluenose II Schooner and the church steeples of Mahone Bay.  The Bluenose later, here is a view of Mahone Bay.

               Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 82mm 1/320 sec @ f/10 iso 200  processed in Topaz Adjust 5

Another shot of Mahone Bay.

             Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 18mm 1/320 sec @ f/14 iso 200 processed in Topaz Adjust 5

 

The Bluenose II is a schooner built by the Oland Brewery in Nova Scotia and launched in 1963, to replace the original Bluenose which at one time symbolized Nova Scotia’s prominence in the ship building and fishing industries..  The Bluenose II was gifted  to the Province of Nova Scotia by the Oland Brewery in 1971.  Here is a link to some of the history of the Bluenose. http://bluenose.novascotia.ca/history  The Bluenose II is currently being rebuilt in Lunenburg.

                                      Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 56mm 1/160 sec @ f/14 iso 200 

 

The curved metal beams over the Bluenose were part of the shell or building which covered the vessel while the hull was being rebuilt.  The shipbuilders lifted the superstructure off the boat and then scrapped and rebuilt the hull.  The building was being removed the day we were there.

Lunenburg is an interesting old fishing and shipbuilding community.  Here is a link to some information about the town.  http://www.explorelunenburg.ca/

There is a rebirth of the shipbuilding industry in Lunenburg, as evidenced in part by the rebuilding of the Bluenose II.  One small outfit was building dories by hand, the old-fashioned way.  What’s a dory you ask? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dory  This firm has been building dories for quite a while.  http://www.doryshop.com/

                                     Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 36mm 1/100 sec @ f/18 iso 1400 

 

A dory under construction.

 Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 35mm 1/20 sec @ f/18 iso 3200 

 

The workshop at Norse Boats, and the builder.

         Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 18mm 1/160 sec @ f/8 iso 200

                              Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 23mm 1/5000 sec @ f/16 iso 1600

 

Some other random views of Lunenburg.

                                      Fujifilm X100 23mm lens 1/1000 sec @ f/16 iso 200

     Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 48mm 1/126 sec @ f/16 iso 200

      Nikon D300 18-200mm lens 112mm 1/100 sec @ f/18 iso 250

 

I’ll finish up this trip next post with some stuff from our couple of days in Halifax.