It was the best of times and more of the best of times... No kidding. We had nothing but fun with Nate and Kim since their arrival three days ago until their departure today. They played with Mom while I finished the week at work Friday. We watched some Olympics, read Valentines Day cards, and eat some GREAT steaks cooked by Nate that evening. The master chef and the table setting (complete with Martinelli's already in the glasses) will give you some idea of the event, but not of the fantastic taste! And it was nearly as good as left-overs.
Saturday we all drove up to Malakoff Diggins and did some hiking. I was worried that we might find a lot of mud (the red, permanent staining kind), but the trails were just dry enough to keep us clean, and damp enough to keep the dust away. We parked the car at Hillar tunnel (the entrance of which is shown below) and hiked over the hill because there was too much water to hike through it. Usually, that's the highlight of the trip.
We walked along the rim trail and saw the massive hole carved out by years of hydraulic mining from different perspectives. I remember being told by a college professor back in the early 70's that this "moonscape" would never heal. but here we are only 40 year later, and you can hardly see
This was the best shot of the day. Hiking back along the road from No. Bloomfield (where we had hiked and looked around at the buildings, abandoned facilities, and museums). The reflection in the pond is really nice.
Here's a panoramic shot of the diggins you can download to get the full effect.
Sunday was Ward Conference in Loma Rica, and since Mom and I both had assignments there, we dragged Kim and Nate along - and they went willingly even though it meant hearing me speak.
Monday we had to put Nate & Kim on the plane back to AZ, so we spent the day tromping around the Crocker Art Gallery (free admission, and really fun to see the old section), and Old Sacramento. I didn't take any pictures (except of a couple of turtles sunning themselves on a log in the Sacramento River), but Mom got this one of us in front of the Capital building.
This photo is actually from Saturday, but it seemed a good way to wrap this up. The name of the game the whole time Nate & Kim were with us was "how can we out-do the last meal." Everything we ate (with the exception of a very poor sandwich sop in Old Sac) was outstanding, with the winner being the stakes Nate cooked Friday night. But a close runner-up was the burgers at Squeeze-Inn. Just look at that happy man!
We can't wait to visit with them again.
