Tuck doing what he does best...swimming! This is the Salt River near the Phoenix/Scottsdale area.

Another view of Badwater Basin, looking down from Dante's Peak. The area below is 262' below sea level...the lowest spot in the US.

A view of the salt formations in Badwater Basin, looking West from Dante's Peak.

The pictures don't really show it, but there are a lot of colors in the rocks...best viewed at sunrise or sunset.

More of the eroded mountains above the salt flats.

Tenaya Lake in Yosemite...beautiful any time of the year. When we visited in June, most of the lake was frozen.

Claudia and Tuck at Tenaya Lake, Yosemite National Park. The last time were here (in June), the lake was partially frozen.

Some Aspens by the Tioga Pass Road leading into Yosemite Park.

The beautiful coastline of Mendicino. Surf, seagulls, fog horns, whales and seals...what's not to love?

Another view of the Mendicino coastline taken from the headlands.

Ahhh....the magic wireless remote and the camera on a tripod! Tuck actually sat still for a picture...amazing.

Claudia and Tuck watching the late afternoon surf from the Mendicino headlands. Tuck wanted to go swimming, which he did, but not here (rough surf and really big rocks).

The beautiful Point Cabrillo lighthouse. The lighthouse lens was made in England around 1900, shipped to France to the main manufacturing facility and then went around South America on a freighter. The lighthouse has been in constant use since 1909. The lens is a piece of art...thousands of intricate facets cut into glass, much like a diamond. Here's a link to a YouTube video about the lighthouse and the lens. Cool stuff.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW38ttIeX6c

Well folks....this is why we go to Mendicino. Late afternoon, taken from the headlands.

One of the artists in Mendicino. He comes every year to paint...and who wouldn't? Super nice guy, as was everyone we met in the area.

Claudia overlooking the Mendicino coast from the area where the artists were painting. Sorry for the lousy picture, the lighting was weird.

One of the artists at the "Mendicino Paint Out", which was going on while we were there. Artists from around the country participate in a week-long painting exibition, using local scenes. This artist is painting the Point Cabrillo Lighthouse.

The charming seaside town of Trinidad, CA.

The fishing pier at Trinidad.

Along the coastline, we accidently discovered the cool little town of Trinidad. Absolutely beautiful coastline and a charming town. We'll be back here for sure.

Tuck finally gets to swim in the Pacific! Yippee...he loved it, especially the yucky seaweed.

Claudia and Tuck on the beach at Bandon, Oregon. Bandon is a fishing town and a great spot to visit. Amazing oysters and crabs, caught right off the beach daily.

When you stand among these trees, you feel very insignificant. They've been here for over 2,000 years. It's a very religious experience...which is saying a lot for me.

Claudia hugging a giant redwood. We visited the Avenue of the Giants in Oregon. An amazing stand of ancient redwoods, some of them are over 2,500 years old and stand 350' tall. This one was about 20' in diameter.

Who says you can't cut a hole in a tree and drive a car through it? This tree was hollowed out in the 30's and is still very much alive. It's been owned by the same family all these years. It's a big hole, but meant for Model T's, not Ram trucks. We didn't fit, but we tried.

A family portrait among the redwoods. Thanks to the nice lady who walked by and took it.

While visiting Crater Lake, we stayed in the original ranger's cabin. Built in the 30's, it was moved from back in the forest to the campground. It was totally redone inside, but still pretty rustic....think a microwave sitting on a counter near an ancient wood stove.

A stream near our cabin.

Crater Lake. Beautiful, deep and round. Pictures don't really do it justice. It snowed the day before we arrived...Winter arrives early up there!

Crater Lake early morning

A shot of Wizard Island on Crater Lake. The lake was formed about 7,000 years ago when a volcano erupted and blew up. The crater collapsed and the lake formed over many hundreds of years. The lake is one of the deepest in the world, about 2,100' deep.

Lunch break at a campground in the Crater Lake Park.

Kids wanted to get in the Isetta and "drive it". Great fun watching their expressions.

That's me picking up the trophy for "Most Unusual" at the awards celebration. I think they were stunned that a big bucks street rod didn't win it. HA!

What do you tow a vintage trailer with....why, of course you tow it with a vintage station wagon.

Check this out...vintage T-Bird with mannequin drive-in restaurant waitress on roller skates. These people didn't miss a trick.

Another super cute vintage trailer. The weird thing is...they are surprisingly roomy on the inside.

How cute is this!

A Hudson convertible. Immaculate condition.

Another vintage trailer towed with an old Ford pickup.

Another shot of the woody wagon that tows their beautiful vintage Airstream.

Claudia beside a 30's vintage Pierce Arrow trailer. The interior was solid mahogany. Even a wood stove inside. Super cool.

This is the solid mahogany interior of the Pierce Arrow trailer. It looked like it just came off the showroom floor.

Another beautiful vintage Airstream...towed with a perfectly restored woody wagon. These people are dedicated!

This is the old wagon that tows the Airstream.

The Volvo and the Isetta at the local car show. This show was held at the Nevada County Fairgrounds...a great spot. Lots of shade, good food and cars from all over California.

The Isetta drew crowds for three days. Most people had never seen one. Their kids loved it.

A super cute vintage teardrop trailer. This couple won the "Best Decorated" display. This trailer was a 30's vintage....I had no idea these even existed.

What a great place for a car show! This picture gives a good perspective on how small the Isetta really is. The Volvo is about the size of a VW Beetle, which makes the Isetta the size of a golf cart.

A beautiful vintage Airstream Bambi. They towed it with a vintage woody wagon.

A 1908 Ford. It ran great...he had rigged up a modern starter to it.

The magazine cover. This shows the front wheel of my bike and references my bike in the "Reader's Rides" tab.

The magazine centerfold picture...the left half.

Centerfold...right page. These were taken in Punta Gorda by the harbor.

Page 1 of the article.

Page 2 of the article

Page 3 of the article.

Page 4 of the article

Page 5 of the article.

Claudia and Tuck near a geologic formation called The San Rafael Swell. Interstate Highway 70 cuts through this area, which is located in South Central Utah, about 30 miles West of the Green River. This area was formed about 60 million years ago.

A late afternoon shot of Spotted Wolf Canyon. Notice the "V" cut in the rocks at the center of the picture...this is where I-70 cuts through. A photographer's paradise for sure...beautiful views in every direction.

A side view of the Spotted Wolf Canyon area. Utah is one beautiful state!

This is a stump from a Bristle Cone Pine in the Great Basin Park visitor center. These are among the oldest living things in the world...with several living examples over 5,000 years old. Even after the tree dies, the stumps will stand for another 500-600 years! They're located in very few areas: The Great Basin, in a forest near Bishop, CA and a few in the White Mountains of California. The stump of one of the oldest ever found ( a tree the locals named Prometheus) can be seen in the visitor center. Prometheus has been dated (by counting the tree rings) at over 5,000 years old.

The visitor center patio - Great Basin Park. The large mountain in the background is where the campsites are located. We drove up and checked out the campsites. Fabulous.

A view from the road leading up to the Great Basin campground.

One of the campsites in the Great Basin National Park, which is located in Eastern Nevada, near the Utah border. Picnic tables on concrete pads, outdoor grills, fire rings, restrooms and showers nearby, plenty of room to park...this place has it all. You're "off the grid" here...no power or water hook ups.

Looking down into the Great Basin from the road running up to Wheeler Peak and the campgrounds. Wheeler Peak rises over 13,000'. The campground at the top sits at 10,000'. Miles and miles of hiking trails and biking trails await...and this park is one of the least visited of all the parks. Go figure....it's gorgeous.

A dead Bristle Cone Pine near the campground. The ranger said these are "only" 500-600 years old...mere babies compared to the living ones in the park.

Our tour guide Tuck supervising from the back seat. Taken from one of the campsites in the Great Basin Park. Dogs are allowed in the campgrounds, but not out on the trails, unless it's a BLM area.

The summit of the trailhead near the campground. The elevation is about 6,000 ft. here. Beautiful aspens and pines all through the park.

This is the map of the Great Basin park...it's huge!

A map of the parks in and around the Great Basin park...much to explore! An absolutely beautiful area and one of the prime locations in the country to do star-gazing at night, due to the fact that there are no big towns nearby.

A family of mountain goats checking out the scenery near the Flaming Gorge. They showed no fear of us and shortly after I took this, they just hopped off the hill...practically straight down...and headed down into the canyon.

Tuck checking out a mountain stream in the Flaming Gorge National Recreation area. This beautiful gorge sits partly in Wyoming and partly in Utah. We were in the Utah portion. Fly fishermen come from all over the country to fish these waters. Tuck didn't catch any.

Another shot of the Flaming Gorge canyon....taken from the road that cuts through the floor of the canyon.

The San Rafael Cut in Utah. Beautiful rock formations.

Another shot from the visitor center of the gorge. Not far from the center, there are beautiful campsites on the rim of the canyon. They're obviously super popular, as all were reserved. No wonder. How about that for a view near your campsite?

Flaming Gorge from visitor center

Flaming Gorge from the park road

We checked one off the Bucket List on this trip....and headed out onto the Bonnieville Salt Flats. What an amazing area. The actual time trials for cars and motorcycles won't start until mid August. Tuck loved it....although we still don't know why. He jumped out of the truck and just started running around.

Another sign with history about the Flats.

Out on the Salt Flats. The small hills in the background are actually the remains of the old shoreline. The lake evaporated about 10,000 years ago. This part of the salt is firm, but many areas are soft like quicksand and caused lots of misery for the early Spanish explorers, as well as the Donner Party on their ill-fated journey to California.

The Denver 2017 Auto Auction. This is a view of the auction line with the live TV cameras overhead. I need to remember to wear nicer clothes to these events.

A 1936 car hauler. Art deco at its best. This rig sold for $86,000.

The Denver car auction. I went looking for another project...but I didn't find anything affordable. Some amazing cars here, particularly the old VW vans and Toyota Land Cruisers.

A beautiful VW van, perfectly restored. Unfortunately...this one sold for $120,000. Yes, you're reading that correctly. Why, oh why, didn't I buy a bunch of these back in the 70's!

A 1982 Jeep Cherokee Laredo. This one sold for $30,000. The next time you see one of these....grab it.

1976 Toyota Land Cruiser. Probably the best vehicle Toyota ever built. They're getting rare and expensive.

Another shot of the fire on I-80 near Elko, NV. The highway was closed for about 36 hours.

Tanaya Lake....pure snow melt, stunningly clear and really, really cold.

As you enter Yosemite from the Tioga Pass, this is the first lake you see from the road. It was about 50% melted.

Yosemite....snow melt had all the streams overflowing their banks. Beautiful country.

A still partially frozen lake in Yosemite. The rangers reopened the Tioga Pass route the day before, so we headed there from Bishop. No crowds...wahoo!

How much snow remains in Yosemite in July....quite a bit actually. This snow bank was on the Tioga Pass road.

This is the back side view of Half Dome, as seen from the Tioga Pass road. On June 5th, Alex Honnold, from Sacramento "free climbed" the vertical face of Half Dome using no ropes. Holy s***!

Tuck goes swimming in Tanaya Lake, Yosemite. Crystal clear water....very cold!.

El Capitan mid morning light

Convict Lake taken with a Yashica T4. This is one of my cheapest cameras...just goes to show that good shots can be taken even with point and shoot cameras.

Beautiful Tanaya Lake....and a big stick. Doesn't get much better than this. We couldn't hold Tuck back...as soon as we got near the lake, in he went. A happy boy.

Entering the Las Vegas vintage bike auction...or play the slots?

The auction stage...live TV no less! I probably should have dressed up.

A huge showroom...about 750 bikes were auctioned.

Hard to believe that these old bikes hit 90mph. I heard Jay Leno bought this bike (he was bidding via the internet auction site).

I thought I'd bid on this one....I was about $75,000 short.

The house we rented in Tucson. Beautiful pool and view of the mountains.

A rock formation outside of Tucson...yep, they really are red.

A gorge near Sedona. We'll go back in the Winter after the tourists are gone.

Looking down on Sedona...altitude was about 4,500'.

The Alien Center near the top-secret Area 51. I'm sure this is the spot that inspired the writers of the X-Files series.

We took a day trip over to Sedona....what a beautiful place. To get away from the tour buses, you have to hike up to the tops of the hills.

A lunch break on the road into June Lake.

Amazing rock formations near Tucson. We named this one The Rock People. They were maybe 100' tall and sat right beside the road.

Another shot of Convict Lake. I took this picture holding on to a tree...the wind was gusting to 65. But oh...what a beautiful lake.

Me and my buddy at the overlook near June Lake. I tried my best to get him to face the camera....he hates having his picture taken. I get it...me too.

June Lake....simply a stunning place. Campsites everywhere around the lake. Small village store, etc. A great place to spend a few days or weeks.

The beautiful Sierra's, as we leave Bishop.

Another beautiful shot of the valley and the mountains. The Pacific Crest Trail hikers walk these peaks. If you look closely, you can see them. :-)

Late afternoon shot of Half Dome

Claudia and Tuck in the meadow by Yosemite Falls

One of the meadows on your left as you leave the park

An old poster as you enter the park. Bodie once had 10,000 residents. Only a small portion of the buildings remain. The town is high....it sits at an altitude of about 8,400 ft.

Just your normal everyday drive through paradise.

A little story about the town.

Bodie, CA....a super cool ghost town. This is looking up the hill toward some of the mines.

The church...the organ and the pews still ready for Sunday worship.

This is the old hotel....I'll never complain about a La Quinta again.

Some of the old mines on the hill. The deepest shafts went down about 1,800'. No wonder they all left.

Inside one of the homes. Beautiful wood stove, kitchen table and wallpaper still on the wall behind the hutch. Check out the size of the table legs. Tree trunks!

Claudia and Tuck checking out the old school house.

A view inside the school...books on the desks, a notice of a picnic on the blackboard. They just up and left. So strange.

The old hotel is leaning a bit. We found out that there was an earthquake on Dec. 29th, 2016 near Bodie that damaged a lot of the buildings. The town was closed for a while while they propped up some of the buildings.

Believe it or not, they had a gym in Bodie. Weights, rings and a wood stove....perhaps the first "CrossFit" franchise.

This wheel ran part of the lift mechanism to lower the miners into the shafts. It's about 15' in diameter.

What do you do with old tin cans....flatten them and put them over the siding for weather protection of course. Genius.

Another shot of a building on Main Street.

The gas station and the delivery truck.

The saloon...after the earthquake knocked over the bottles.

The view of Bodie as you come into town.

El Capitan looking up from the meadow

Bridal Veil Falls - view from the road entering the park

El Capitan - one magnificent piece of granite!

Half Dome - taken from Glacier Point.

Here we are in the meadow with Yosemite Falls roaring in the background. Amazing sound...Tuck wasn't impressed.

Mama Bear and her cubs - eating berries in a field as we entered the park. They paid absolutely no attention to us.

The Merced RIver flowing through the picnic area.

A view of some of the granite rock formations with the Merced River in the foreground.

We're all getting soaked at Yosemite Falls. Run out in the spray, take a quick picture, dry off your camera. Repeat.

The runoff from Bridal Veil Falls

Late afternoon shot of the valley as we left the park

Partial view of El Capitan - from the picnic area

One of the huge granite formations - late afternoon taken from the meadow

Bridal Veil Falls - taken from the meadow. Even from here, the mist would soak you quickly.

The meadow...always beautiful

Half Dome in the distance - the view as you enter the park

Yosemite Falls - getting wet and trying to keep my camera dry.

The Merced River late afternoon - flowing through the meadow. Beautiful!

Bridal Veil Falls - the rapids below the falls. A record snow fall was creating record falls and a rising Merced River. The noise was awesome.

This is a small car!

The Isetta enters her first car show....Grass Valley, CA. No one thought it was a real car.

Claudia giving poor Tuck a pee break. Somewhere in Arizona. The signs in the pet walk area were interesting..."Beware of snakes and scorpions". Nice.

A rest stop....Tuck is considering getting out...or going back to sleep.

Me and my buddy. He's trying to find some grass to pee on. He gave up....he's used to sand.

The drought in California is over! Waterfall at the Northern Queen Inn. Nevada City.

Now...that's a tree!

Remember the story about the storage unit from Hell? This is the view looking up from the gate. Grass Valley, CA.

Nevada City....the waterfall beside the Northern Queen Inn. We're starting to unwind....Tuck wants to jump in.

A little history of the town

View of the creek that runs through town

Claudia and Tuck standing in front of an old mining machine called a Stamping Mill. It crushed the ore that contained GOLD!

Some shops in town....with the mountains in the background.

Shop....or head for the mountains? Hmmm.....

The bar inside Three Forks Bakery & Brewery

Claudia and Tuck meeting a new friend....Suzy, the winery owner.

Claudia's heading down to look for gold....sadly, she found none. I'm hoping that she'll find a nugget...which will spare me from buying an expensive 40th wedding anniversary present later this year. :-)

Moving into the new home we're renting. Load number 1 arrives in...you guessed it...another Penske truck!

One of the guys...his name was Wayne, so of course, he was a great guy. When he isn't moving stuff, he's a rock climber. Our other guy was a whitewater rafting guide...two very cool guys.

View of the family room, looking into the dining area. View of lake out the back.

View from the deck....nice. The golf course lets you walk your dog on the cart paths after the course closes. Beautiful walk.

I'm having nightmares about boxes...

One of our walking trails in the Empire Mine State Park. These are old mining roads. Lots of old mining equipment sits out in the woods.

Tuck checking out the path....I'm sure there's a cookie in here somewhere.

Claudia and Tuck walking in the Empire Mine park. A beautiful place used by walkers, runners and horseback riders (looks like fun).

Tuck...our fearless scout dog leading the way.

To say the least...this is a very well-maintained trail!

Tuck on the bridge...about a second after I took this, the bridge started to sway and scared him. Claudia had her hands full getting him back.

Yes...this is as fun as it looks.

Heading to the suspension bridge.

A shot of Deer Creek from the bridge. I'll add a video the next time we walk it...the sound of the rushing water is great.

The creek, a sweet dog, the boulders, a forest to walk in...life is good.

Empire Mine trail....Tuck urging me to put down the camera and get my ass moving!

Empire Mine....a storage yard with some old equipment.

Full moon tonight. Quick shot of the house at dusk.

The old Volvo comes home!

Wow....the RAM vs the old Volvo. We've come a long way since 1958...but the 444 is more fun to drive and gets a lot more attention.

The Bridgeport covered bridge plaque. Built in 1862, the Bridgeport bridge is the largest single span covered bridge in the world. It's being restored and we hope to walk in it next year.

A shot of the bridge from the water's edge. This was built as a toll bridge. The wagon trains crossed here after making repairs to their wagons and feeding their horses.

Another shot of the bridge. Looks pretty good for being 155 years old.

A view of the South Yuba River rapids, taken from the Buttermilk Bend trail.

The South Yuba River. Pictures just don't do it justice. The noise from the rapids fills the valley.

BMW calls the bumpers on the Isetta "bumperettes". They're more like refrigerator door handles...which is what they were modeled after. The original designer of the Isetta was an Italian firm, named Isso. They made refrigerators after the war...hence the hinged front door.

The kids loved the Isetta....so did the parents.

An old Buick. The town shuts down the streets until 4:00 to let all the cars line the streets. A nice touch.

A super rare "Allard". I don't know much about them, except that they were produced in England after the war and only 1500 were made. The car show people escorted him to his parking spot. They didn't do that me. Maybe next year...we'll show them.

Taken about 10:30, before the show opened to the public. The owners walking around swapping lies about how much they've spent on their cars (hint...it's always way more than they tell you).

How's this for a classy ride!

An old Mini Cooper "woody" wagon. I want one of these!

Just to the right of this picture is one of our favorite restaurants...Pete's Tap Room. Great micro brew and wood-fired oven pizzas.

I'm pretty sure my first apartment was smaller than this Caddy.

Tuck supervising the sale

The Penske repair & maintenance depot. That's The Beast sitting off to the right. This place was amazing. They actually polish the concrete floors in the shop at night with buffers. Who does that?