Central California: 2026

We had a wonderful visit to Central California on the occasion of Maia Bickert and Eric Guetter's wedding. In addition to attending their fabulous and fun weekend at Lake Tahoe, we traveled through the region for a couple of weeks. We visited places like Yosemite, San Francisco, Point Reyes, and Monterey; we started and ended the trip in Sacramento. The whole trip was great, with only minor mishaps, mostly fine weather, lots of amazing places, and plenty of fun people along the way!

We started off in Sacramento, California's capital, where it was very hot! We arrived as a "heat dome" was settling in over the Sacramento Valley. Regardless, we spent a day exploring the city on foot and by car, visiting places like the city and state governmental bildings, a couple of cathedrals, the main city library, a few theatres and the fabulous Crocker Museum of Art.

Sacramento

The California State Capitol

Tower Bridge over the Sacramento River

"Great Canyon of the Sierra, Yosemite" Thomas Hill, 1871, one of the best of many paintings showcasing the beauty of California, in the amazing Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento

Lake Tahoe

Overlooking Lake Tahoe from the top of the Heavenly Mountain Resort (~10,000 feet / 3,050 meters above sea level)

Eric and Maia with Eric's family

Lake Tahoe Cruise from Zephyr Cove to Emerald Bay on this paddlewheeling Tour Boat

Inspiration Point at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe

At the far northern point of Lake Tahoe, here is the Post Office in Truckey. While Lake Tahoe has many streams that feed into it, all the water drains from the lake through the Truckee River and into Pyramid Lake in western Nevada.

Yosemite National Park

From Lake Tahoe, we headed south to Mono Lake, an extremely alkaline lake that features Tufa formations like this

Mono Lake is at the northeastern end of Yosemite National Park. We made a quick, one day visit to this amazing park, one of my top three favorites in the USA (the two others are Glacier and Grand Canyon).

We traveled through Tioga Pass and Tuolomne Meadows very early in the morning

We visited Tenaya Lake at dawn, and had the whole lake to ourselves!

A look back at Tenaya Lake from Olmstead Point

We spotted Half Dome at Olmstead Point

In Yosemite Valley, the center of the park, Bridalveil Fall was almost dry but still beautiful

El Capitan, about 3,000 feet above the valley floor, was spectacular

Yosemite Falls had even less water than Bridalveil. Most of the snowpack that feeds this waterfall was melted by mid August

A classic Yosemite view from the Merced River on the valley floor

Yosemite Valley from Tunnel View

Miraposa Grove at the southern end of the park features huge old Sequoias like these

Just to the west of the park, where there's smoke (Gann Wildfire near Sonora, CA), there's amazing sunsets (near Groveland)

John Muir National Monument and Beach

After that brief tour of some of the highlights in Yosemite, we headed west through San Francisco to the Muir Woods National Monument. This park, just north of the city, was named for John Muir, an early environmentalist who was a tireless advocate for protecting spectacular wild places (like Yosemite and others) through the formation of National Parks. This is a boardwalk through Cathedral Grove, featuring many California Redwoods

Cathedral Grove, Muir Woods National Monument, named for John Muir by then president Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. Muir called this honor "the best tree-lover's monument that could possibly be found in all the forests of the world."

Muir Beach, Golden Gate National Recreation Area

San Francisco

Alcatraz: The prison and the island, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area

The Golden Gate Bridge, shrouded in fog

Boats at Fisherman's Wharf

City Towers (l-r Salesforce, Coit, and the TransAmerica) from Pier 39

Grace Episcopal Cathedral

"The Crookedest Street in the World," Lombard St in San Francisco

"The Painted Ladies:" six connected Victorian houses

Haight-Ashbury: That famous intersection. IYKYK

Linda, ready to rock and roll on a California Street Cable Car

The Palace of Fine Arts, a public park and monument built in the Greco-Roman style, features statues and performing areas in this tranquil setting

Point Reyes National Seashore

Lighthouse at Point Reyes National Seashore

Drake's Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore. Sir Francis Drake is believed to have landed here and repaired his ship, the Golden Hind, on his first circumnavigation

This fence shifted about 16 feet along the Sam Andreas fault during the great (and destructive) earthquake of 1906. On the Earthquake Trail at the Bear Valley Visitor Center, Point Reyes National Seashore

The California Coast: San Francisco to the Bixby Bridge