FC2Video

This video provides a quick tour to a number of features of the Monterey Bay Acquarium on Cannery Row. The unique Kelp Forest, Sharks, Tuna, schools of fish, Rock fish, and other species are shown. A last look at the Jelly fish display is included along with views of artwork in glass depicting these interesting creatures.

Mariposa Grove of Big Trees is near the Southwest entrance to Yosemite National Park. Some of the largest and oldest trees on Earth are found here. Well worth a short hike.

A quick tour of Mariposa, CA on Hwy 140 near Yosemite. Art Park. Walkway along the Creek. A view of Main Street (Hwy 140) some restaurants a bookstore and other shops.

Trails near the entrance to Henry Cowell State Park near Felton, California.

One Minute of Fall in Wisconsin (well... maybe a minute and one-half).

The Grotto is an interesting Dive Site on the Mariannas Island of Saipan (near Guam) formed by the ocean making a cave in the island's volcanic shoreline. At some point the ceiling of the inland portion of the cave collapsed leaving a big hole with a path to the sea. Many snorkel and scuba dive in this site which is on the northeast coast of Saipan in the Marpi Forest.

Take a trip on a steam train through the Redwoods near Henry Cowell State Park at Roaring Camp which is just south of Felton, CA on Hwy 9.

South of Hollister on Hwy 25 in Central California is the Eastern Unit of Pinnacles National Monument. Condor Gulch Trail leads up to High Peaks Trail which is the primary location in this park where the California Condor is frequently seen soaring above the rocks and cliffs of the Pinnacles unique rock formations. My daughter and I arrived late in the day so we only went about half way to the high peaks to the Condor Gulch Overlook before returning to the valley below. Still it was a very nice hike despite never seeing the Condors. In Spring there are wildflowers and Turkey Vultures and the colorful rocks which make up the Pinnacles.

Along West Cliff Drive near the Lighthouse Point surfers congregate to surf the Steamers. I caught a July day when the waves appear to be 8-10 feet high. Surf, Sail, an Otter, Lighthouse Point, 'love birds', Seal Rock are all here.

During WWII when the US forces invaded the island of Saipan, Japanese leaders told their troops that to surrender to the Americans was dishonorable. That suicide was preferred. Wives were told they would be raped then killed and their children enslaved. Many, therefore, threw themselves off of either 700 foot high Suicide Cliff or Bonzai cliff. Others, fortunately, were convinced by a US soldier of Japanse descent that, no, these things weren't true and did not jump to their death.

A trip around the 5 mile long Saratoga Gap Loop Trail in Castle Rock State Park. This trail goes through woods, past wind carved rocks, through Chapparal plants, up to the Ridge Trail, an overlook, and Goat Rock before winding back down through the rocks to the woods and back to the parking lot. This is not a difficult hike but not an easy stroll either. The trail from Goat Rock back to the parking lot has areas where some rock scrambling is necessary.

Short video of a small plane flight from Saipan to Tinian. Tinian has historic WWII Japanese and American sites important at the end of the war including the site where Atomic bombs were assembled and flown to Nagasaki and Hirosima.

Some wildflowers displayed near the Nature Center building at Don Edwards Preserve near Alviso, CA. Kids on a field trip. April 2008

Mt Hamilton with its observatory is a prominent feature on the mountains East of San Jose. It is a common destination for cyclists and bikers because of the long, winding road leading up to it and the facility itself. Many, however, have never gone down the 'other side of the mountain' to the San Antonio Valley. This video shows just a little of what can be found there.

A random look around Saipan at Flowers, Critters, and Trees. Views of San Roque, surf breaking on the reef surrounding the lagoon, some local music here and there from the car radio in the background, local 'pop' art, and even a hermit crab who has a room with a 'view'.

A tour around Alum Rock Park, California's oldest city park, located in the East Hills of San Jose, California.

This Open Space area is just north of Woodside Road along Skyline Blvd above Palo Alto on the SF Peninsula. Nice Trails, flowers, woods, views of Half Moon Bay and the coastal range.