Yixin, Mian, and I are back from our trip up north. Although we had to cut our trip short due to poor weather conditions, we were able to make good use of the few non-rainy days there were to enjoy.

We first went up to San Francisco to stay at my Aunt Kathryn's house. The same night we drove up from Southern California we went downtown to watch the New Years fireworks display at the Bay Bridge. This is the second year in a row that I've been in San Francisco for New Years, but I found the fireworks display as fresh and exciting as ever.

Some of the places we visited while staying in the city I've seen before, such as the Golden Gate Bridge and Lombard Street. We went to a few new places above San Francisco, however: Muir Woods, an ancient redwood grove, and Marin Headlands. We hiked through both of these places.

Chief Engineer Strauss

The Golden Gate's shadow

Hiking up the Marin Headlands, we could see the storm blowing in.

The redwoods at Muir Woods.

San Francisco downtown area, as seen from the Twin Peaks.

Alcatraz from Telegraph Hill.

Telegraph Hill from Lombard Street.

The seals of Pier 39.

From San Francisco we headed to Sacramento. Unfortunately we couldn't stay in the state capital for long, because by the time we left San Francisco bad weather was already on us. Sacramento was so flooded, it was hard to come by a street you could cross without walking ankle-deep in water!

So we left Sacramento for Sonora, a small town in gold country, to stay with my uncle Chris and his family. While in the area, we visited a gold rush town, Moaning cavern, and Ironstone vineyard (to see the 44-pound gold specimen they keep there, not the wine).

Standing in front of the "natural bridge"

A small tunnel.

Draperies in Moaning Cavern

The gold town

The view from my uncle's deck, the morning we left Sonora.