Well, well, well…I had a GREAT time in California last week! As promised, I have lots of pictures after the jump. Make sure you check them out.

The reason for heading out west was to attend a church conference up in Redding, CA. The conference ran from Monday night through Wednesday night. Since I don’t get out west much, I decided to leave extra early to take in some sites and to be able to attend Sunday services at the church.

I flew to San Francisco on Friday and headed up 101 across the Golden Gate Bridge.

I love bridges and I have watched shows on the building of the Golden Gate for years, so it was surreal to be on the bridge. The scenic overlook is worth the extra bit of traffic navigation, but as you can see, the views are amazing.

After crossing the bridge, I headed north on 101 until crossing the bay over to Richmond. From there, it was north on I-80 and I-5 to Redding.

Friday night services at the church were amazing! I have been wanting to get out to see the church for several years and it was very fulfilling to finally be there.

Saturday was an open day, so I took in the local sites. I headed up to Mt. Shasta because it was there and because it had snow. Being from South Georgia, seeing snow outside of captivity is a special treat. The drive up I-5 is amazing! Again, South Georgia is a lot of things, but mountainous or even hilly is not one of them. I was simply amazed at the beauty of Northern California.

After spending lots of time along winding roads, I finally started making my way up Mt. Shasta only to discover that they closed the road above the ranger station….so…no snow for me. But it was an amazing trip with lots of stunning views.

Next up was a stop at Burney Falls which was about an hour south east of Mt. Shasta. I’m not much of a waterfall guy, but it was a very pretty waterfall. The drive back from the falls was the highlight for me.

The trip back to Redding was full of twists and turns and ups and downs. It was like riding a roller coaster and I loved every minute of it.

Sunday was filled with the morning service and the evening service. Worship was amazing and the messages even better.

Monday brought the highlight of my trip. I finally got to meet Ken formerly of the now defunct It Comes In Pints? and currently of The Fifth String on the Banjo of Life. I’ve known Ken on the internet since 2005, but its only been in the last 6 months I’ve even seen his face and last weekend is the first time I’ve even spoken to him on the phone.

When I told him I was heading to Northern California and Redding in particular, he was delighted and said his family ranch was only about 30 miles east of Redding. What a stroke of good fortune! So, we worked it out that we would meet up Monday morning for a day at the ranch.

Wow!

If any of you get up to Northern California, look Ken up and try your best to see the place. Wow! It was absolutely amazing! The views! Wow!

He gave me the grand tour of the place, we shared many stories and a few beers and generally had a great time! Now for the pictures!

That last picture is of me standing next to Ken’s Stonehenge…it’s a long story!

He promised we would exercise our 2nd Amendment rights and he was true to his word. First we did a bit of quail hunting. I missed too many and only bagged one.

Later in the day we headed to the firing range! Now you’re talking!

He brought along a few handguns and assorted rifles and we had a good time squeezing off a few rounds.

.45, 9mm and .22 revolver

I enjoyed shooting the .45 the most. It was a very balanced gun and felt the best in my hand.

But since I didn’t want to bankrupt Ken, I switched to the more affordable 9mm.

I let Ken have a turn, just to be fair…

After having fun with the handguns, we took turns shooting various rifles at VERY distant targets

At the end of the day Ken showed off his latest trophy. Nice 12 pointer there….

I had a great time and Ken was an amazing host. Thanks buddy for taking the time to show this South Georgia boy around. I can’t wait until next time to see him again and bring the whole family. Thanks again!

The rest of the time was taken up with meetings and what not. The conference was very good and I will probably do a post discussing the finer points. We shall see.

Thursday I drove back to San Francisco and ended up in Chinatown for dinner and then Friday I flew home.

7 days is a long time to be away from my family. I mentioned to Jen that I don’t know how our service men and women do it. I cannot imagine being away from my family for a year or more. I think it would kill me. With that in mind, here’s a big THANK YOU to all the people serving in our armed forces. You guys are amazing!