Ray Bouknight's photostream  

I took the family to Pinnacles National Monument in late February 2012. I've always wanted to go to this place even though it is off the beaten path. Pinnacles NM has stirred my imagination. After hiking a couple of the trails and seeing all the magnificent rock formations, this park does not dissapoint. Pinnacles National Monument is an ancient volcano 3 hours south of San Francisco.

This photo was taken near the upper end of the Juniper Canyon Trail before it intersects with the High Peaks Trail. I was at about 2425 feet when I took this shot. Resurrection Wall (2045 ft) is the rock formation on the other side of Juniper Canyon. The Juniper Canyon Loop is about 4.6 miles with a gain of 1200 feet. The Pinnacles brochure from the National Park Service lists this hike as strenuous. My 8 year daughter did fine on the trail, though the High Peaks Trail portion is steep and narrow.

This was one of the last photos I took while in Santa Cruz - a glorious way to end our trip.

The Mountain Quarries Railroad Bridge (aka 'No Hands Bridge') is just downstream from the confluence of the American River. It was built in 1912 and at one point, was considered one of the largest concrete bridges in the world. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you look closely, you can see the highway 49 bridge and the Forresthill Bridge in the background.

We walked across this bridge on our way to the Black Hole of Calcutta waterfall in the Auburn State Recreation Area.