Cave Darter

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When the temps hit triple digits TSG tends to wilt, so an afternoon at California and Moaning Caverns was our strategy to avoid meltdown. These are California's oldest "show caves", and what they lack in pristine flowstone and draperies, they make up for with funky infrastructure and wise-cracking summertime guides with their well-polished collection of subterranean puns.  Perhaps the most intersting feature to us was the 12-story spiral staircase utilized to reach the floor of the main chamber at Moaning Cavern.

Mark Twain Slept Here (not!)

#2 in a series: bogus resting places of old west icons

So there we were, cruising down Hwy 49, and there's this sign that says,

Mark Twain Cabin 1 Mile

Next Left

"Hey", we said, "that's cool, better check it out!" So, we drove up Jackass Hill and came across a cabin that Mark Twain never lived in.  A closer look at the Rotary Club plaque revealed that the cabin was built in 1922 "to commemorate the famed author's presence in Tuolumne County". 

Huh?

But the detour was worth it because of other features in the immediate vicinity...

Actually more interesting than the fake Twain abode were the kind-of-creepy stuffed frogs scattered about--they were hanging in the trees and entangled on the iron fence.  And there was the sign with a photo of a 30 year-old donkey that died in 2010. To top it all off, there was an emu on the property across the street.  It gaped at us as we drove past, noticeably uncomfortable in the heat.   Altogether the brief stop offered both more and less than we expected...a bit like life, if you think about it.

You Can Call Him Ray

Tonight was not the greatest night for any kind of decent photography, but we suppose the question must be asked: Why the heck were we so worried about getting a good picture when we should have been paying attention to the man up on stage...one of the preeminent performers of rock history?

Oh well, it's all good...TSG thoroughly enjoyed an all-too-short visit with Mr. Davies this evening, complete with all the hits (personal highlights: Dead End Street and I'm Not Like Everybody Else) . The only real bummer of the night? We had to save some of our singalong voice for our date tomorrow w/Adam, Chris, Jody and Brian. (aka Fountains of Wayne)

 ................eta: due to unforeseen (but quite foreseeable) circumstances pretty much beyond our control, TSG had to cancel our date with FOW this evening.   Say, as they say, lah vee (sp).