Death Valley National Park: A Land of Extremes
Death Valley, a California desert valley near the Nevada line, is the driest and hottest area in North America.
Death Valley received its name from a party of emigrants who tried to find a shortcut from Salt Lake City to California in 1849. Instead, they were attacked by Paiute Indians in the bottom of Death Valley. The emigrants killed their oxen, burned their wagons to cure the meat, and headed west on foot. Thirteen died in transit, though the rest succeeded in reaching California.
Death Valley was once famous for a series of now-lost mines, and later became known for its production of Borax. In 1933 Death Valley was proclaimed a national monument—nearly 1.9 million acres in California and Nevada. In 1994, it became a national park.
Russian River, California
The Russian River is located a short drive from the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. For over a 100 years it has been the preferred getaway for these great cities. Come for the wine, river, redwoods and coast. Come to relax in the grandness of nature.
The east and west branches of the river join together just south of the lake and from there the Russian River flows south through Mendocino and Sonoma County, paralleled by Highway 101.
The river turns west at Healdsburg, receiving water from Lake Sonoma via Dry Creek, and empties into the Pacific Ocean at Jenner. Its mouth at Jenner is about 60 miles (100 km) north of the San Francisco Bay's Golden Gate.
Lake Tahoe, California / Nevada
Lake Tahoe is a large freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains of the United States, located along the border between California and Nevada at Lake Tahoe's major bend west of Carson City. The lake is known for the clarity of its water and the panorama of surrounding mountains on all sides. The area, often referred to as Tahoe, is home to a number of ski resorts and summer outdoor recreation.
Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States with a maximum depth of 1,645 ft (501 m) trailing only Oregon's Crater Lake. Tahoe is also the twelfth deepest lake in the world, and the fourth deepest in average depth. It is about 22 mi (35 km) long and 12 mi (19 km) wide and has 72 mi (116 km) of shoreline and a surface area of 191 square miles or 495 square kilometers.
Gold Country
Gold Country (also Mother Lode Country) is a region in the central-and-north-eastern part of the U.S. state of California, United States. It is famed for the mineral deposits and gold mines which attracted waves of immigrants, known as the 49ers, during the 1849 California Gold Rush.
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began shortly after January 24 when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in Coloma. As news of the discovery spread, some 300,000 people came to California from the rest of the United States and abroad.
Reno, Nevada
Reno holds several events throughout the year, all of which have been extremely successful. They include Hot August Nights (a classic car convention and rally and it has old Rock 'n' Roll.), Street Vibrations (a motorcycle fan gathering and rally), The Great Reno Balloon Race, the Best in the West Nugget Rib Cook-off (held in Sparks), a Cinco de Mayo celebration, bowling tournaments (held in the National Bowling Stadium) and the Reno Air Races.
Carmel-By-The-Sea, California
Carmel-by-the-Sea is a step into another world, unlike any city along the California coast. The cobbled sidewalks, quaint cottages, breath-taking seascapes, tucked away shops and incredible art galleries are a few of the attractions that draw travelers from around the globe to experience a part of California unique unto itself.
San Jose, California
San Jose is located in Silicon Valley, at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area. Once a small farming city, San Jose became a magnet for suburban newcomers in new housing developments between the 1960s and the 1990s, and is now the largest city in Northern California. When California gained statehood in 1850, San Jose served as its first capital.
Whiskeytown, California
Located 8 miles west of Redding, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is located at the juncture of the Klamath Mountain range and the northern edge of the Sacramento Valley, making it home to a special collection of animal and plant life. Some of the park’s features are Whiskeytown Lake, Shasta Bally (6,209 ft.) and numerous waterfalls, providing outdoor enthusiasts opportunities for water recreation, hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
Santa Cruz, California
The present-day site of Santa Cruz was the location of a Native American settlement since ancient times. It was also one of the earliest settlements of the Spanish during the exploration of Alta California in the later part of the 1700s. During the late 1800s, after California became part of the United States, Santa Cruz became widely popular for its idyllic beaches and Coastal Redwoods and became a popular resort community.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas (Spanish: "The Meadows") is the most populous city in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally renowned major resort city for the gaming industry, shopping, and entertainment. Las Vegas, billed as The Entertainment Capital of the World, is famous for the number of large casino resorts and their associated entertainment. The city's tolerance for various forms of adult entertainment earned it the title of Sin City, and this image has made Las Vegas a popular setting for films and television programs.
Outdoor lighting displays are everywhere on the Las Vegas Strip and are seen elsewhere in the city as well; as seen from space, Las Vegas is the brightest city on Earth.
Yosemite National Park, CA
The Yosemite region has something for everyone. From pristine Yosemite Valley and the Giant Sequoias to the spectacular panoramas and mountain vistas at Glacier Point or Tuolumne Meadows, or the historical communities that surround the park; the Yosemite experience is alive with natural beauty and a strong sense of American history.
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay began as a rural agriculture area, primarily used for grazing of cattle, horses, and oxen used by Mission San Francisco de Asis (established in June 1776). In the early nineteenth century land grants were given to Spanish settlers, who established farms and ranches. The community began to develop in the 1840s as the first real town in San Mateo County. Known originally as San Benito, the town was renamed Spanishtown and attracted a thriving fishing industry in addition to its continued importance to coastal agriculture.
San Francisco, California
Half Moon Bay began as a rural agriculture area, primarily used for grazing of cattle, horses, and oxen used by Mission San Francisco de Asis (established in June 1776). In the early nineteenth century land grants were given to Spanish settlers, who established farms and ranches. The community began to develop in the 1840s as the first real town in San Mateo County. Known originally as San Benito, the town was renamed Spanishtown and attracted a thriving fishing industry in addition to its continued importance to coastal agriculture.
Stanford University, California
Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly known as Stanford University or simply Stanford, is a private research university located in Stanford, California, United States.
Stanford was founded in 1885 by the former Governor of California and future U.S. Senator Leland Stanford and his wife, Jane Lathrop Stanford, as a memorial to their only son, Leland Stanford Jr., who died of typhoid in Europe a few weeks before his 16th birthday.
The Stanfords used their farm lands to create the university, and hoped to establish a major research university in the West, the first of its kind. In addition, the university was established as a co-educational institution, enrolling both male and female students.
