Saturday, January 20, 2007

Day Tripping / Part 1 ~ Ghost Town





Last Monday (Martin Luther King Holiday) I had a chance to spend the day with my Mom and Step Dad. We took a drive to Yosemite. On the way we stopped at a Chinese Camp located on Highway 49 a few miles south of Sonora. It looked as if everyone had just picked up and left everything. It is said to be known as a Ghost town. The only ghost I saw was a white owl at the St. Xavier Catholic Church Built in the year 1855….. I will tell you about it.

I was at the back of the church checking tomb stones and old iron gates out. As I slowly made my way to the side of the church, I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It was a beautiful white owl! I must have gasped because the owl twisted its head to look at me, quite possessively. I fumbled to get my camera in place to get a shot of it, but it lifted quickly, soaring its way to the next tree. As I began to chase it, from one tree to another, and another…, it headed to the front of the church and swooped to the side. While I was running and fumbling with my camera I almost ran right into my Step Dad. Looking at me, he seemed quite startled and puzzled as to why I was running so frantically. I thought it was obvious that I was trying to find the owl and that I was on its tail.
I ask him out of breath, “Did you see it? Where did it go?”
He asked in reply, dumbfounded, but interested, “See what?”
I said, “Are you sure you didn’t see it? It was the biggest white owl with wings out to here!!” (Eyes large and stretching my arms out wide, describing the owl as a child would.)
He said, “Really!?” and then started helping me look for it… However, it was gone! It just disappeared!

Or…
Was it a ghost? (Wink)

But I had a great day!

For more information on this Chinese Camp you can go to: http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ca/chinese.html

7 comments:

  1. LOL That is soooo Funny!about chasing the white owl! Speaking of taking pics, I was HOPING to go outside and lay in the snow for a snow angel pic but it didn't happen today! I thought to myself, if you didn't have that Blog would you go outside in that cold snow??? Yep! I probably would because every time it used to snow pretty good I would build a snow castle! but we haven't had much snow here lately soooo I'm wondering what texture it will be tomorrow for a pic, snow castle or just snow angel??!!Growing up on a farm,in the winter,I also used to love to go and feed our cattle hay. Sometimes they would scare me by chasing me with the haybales but I loved to hear them munching on the hay and seeeeeee the steam coming out of their noses and even runny noses! LOL I probably won't be on a road trip til Spring now! It sounds like YOU had a great time! xo, Cinda

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  2. Must have been a beauty, a white owl!

    Just read your other posts as well, glad to see that you enjoy blogging!

    Sophie

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  3. Hoo Hoo loves green tea Frappichino's???? ME!

    And look at you doing html at the bottom of your post...(I keep feeling proud of you :-)

    My parents Love it there. I wanna go!

    love you babe,
    xoxo Darlene

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  4. I want to go too. I love day tripping as you seem to find the most amazing adventures on those outings.

    Darlene, I want to learn to do that html thing so I can send my friends and family to read Marks story as well as some of these amazing ladies stories.

    You two are so very lucky to be so close to each other and share those green tea fraps.

    Hugs and love,
    Sheila

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  5. Very spooky. I love poking around old cemeteries.

    Thanks for sharing the pictures.

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  6. Angela...This sounds like a great day! I love old cemeteries... I also love Yosemite....how was it?

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  7. love this story. wish i could have ran to find the owl with you. owl's intrique me!

    xoxox

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