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In late August, I toured three different underground sites in California's Sierra Foothills in historical Gold Country. These were all part of Sierra Nevada Recreation's Underground Adventures in California.

Stalactite Formation Black Chasm Volcano, CA ©2002 Jim Leftwich

Beginning in the late morning, the first tour was of Black Chasm near the community of Volcano, which is registered as a National Landmark. You descend down vertically into Black Chasm, where it opens up into chambers containing spectacular formations, including helictites. Helictites are an eccentric or "vermiform" form of stalactite found on cavern walls and ceilings and shaped in a gnarly twisting fashion, rather than growing vertically in the familiar icicle shape. From the catwalk, you can peer down a hundred feet or more to a subterranean lake.

Additional photos from Black Chasm

Mine Tunnel Sutter Gold Mine Sutter Creek, CA ©2002 Jim Leftwich

Next up was Sutter Gold Mine, a relatively modern mine located just outside the historical town of Sutter Creek. Started in the late 1980s, this mine was converted shortly thereafter to a tourist mine when the price of gold dropped below a level necessary for it to be profitable. The tour begins with a ride down into the mine inn open buggies. Once a thousand feet down, there's a lecture in a "safe room" blasted out of superhard "greenrock." A safe room is a place in a mine providing shelter during underground emergencies. After the lecture, you're taken on a walking tour through several mine levels and passages.

Additional photos from Sutter Gold Mine

Cavern Chamber California Caverns Mountain Ranch, CA ©2002 Jim Leftwich

Late in the afternoon I toured California Caverns near Mountain Ranch, which at an hour and forty minutes, was the longest tour of the day. This tour was a fantastic adventure through narrow, sometimes very cramped, passages. There were many very large chambers, and enormous ancient formations.

Additional photos from California Caverns

During all three tours I took numerous photographs with my Nikon 990, keeping the flash off. In order to get clear, focused shots with relatively accurate color, I had to either rest the camera on a railing or on some surface.

I was surprised to learn that most of these caves have been tourable since the Gold Rush, when enterprising cavern owners charged miners each a pinch of golddust to be taken on a candlelight tour. All I can say is that these people were mighty adventurous to go down in these caverns in their natural state, with such dim and relatively untrustworthy light sources.
- posted by JIMWICh on 9/14/2002 9:38:06 PM

- posted by JIMWICh on 9/11/2002 12:41:23 PM

Ahchoo! Pollen Burst - Animated GIF 9/6/2002 Mountain View, CA ©2002 Jim Leftwich

Gesundheit! It's pollen season, and for the past few days several large conifers in the courtyard outside my office window have been dumping huge amounts of pollen.

I propped my camera up on my window ledge and caught this sequence showing a huge cloud of pollen coming off a large conifer.

This particular species of conifer, the Atlas Cedar (cedrus atlantica), has very small pinecones, about the size of a thumb. It's a beautiful and majestic tree which is native to the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa. I'd never before noticed a tree discharging clouds of pollen. It's left small windblown drifts of yellow powder on the ground and sidewalks. I also noticed a number of people coming out of the building and walking down the sidewalk, only to be hit with a sudden blast of pollen. It's considerably fortunate that I don't suffer from allergies.

Our office campus was built in the 1940s on the campus of the historic Pacific Press, which operated near downtown Mountain View since 1904. It's laid out in a nice parklike manner and has many diverse trees, many of which are mature.
- posted by JIMWICh on 9/8/2002 7:52:04 PM

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