Family Vacation--Part I--Fresno to Carson City--Aug 08

We drove 2200 miles on our "Wild West" Family Vacation, from August 8-16. The first leg of our journey took us to Fresno, Sacramento, Placerville, Lake Tahoe and Carson City, NV. Two state capitals in two days!

First stop: pick up Ryan at the CSU-Fresno, at the end of his EFY stay. Brian went with us; he picked up Nathan and they continued on to Yosemite.



Next stop: Sacramento, where we toured "Sutter's Fort" --a huge commercial establishment built in Mexican Alta-California by Swiss immigrant Sutter about the same time Joseph Smith, Jr. was building up Nauvoo, Illinois.

Panning for gold at the original site of the California gold rush discovery. After several carefully panned scoops from the river bottom, I have a nice vial of black sand to prove that all the gold has previously been discovered.


Sunset on the beach at Lake Tahoe.


Visiting the Great Aunt Elaine Harris--Grandma Marion's sister--in Carson City, NV. She has the same warm smile, twinkly eyes, and generous disposition. She treated us to Sunday lunch. She emails Grandma Marion almost every day; they talk about everything; and Grandma Elaine knows more about our family than we do. She remembers all the cousin's adventures in Carson City--back to the 1970s and beyond.


With cousin Margo Leatham in Carson City.

Meeting the extended family!
Margo and Dan's son Joseph (far left) was newly set apart to serve in Santiago Chile. He gave a great farewell talk in Sacrament meeting. His brother Benjamin newly returned (6 weeks) from Minnesota (Spanish speaking) mission; and Ryan and Stephen.