California knew we were coming

California must have known we were coming and wanted to make us feel welcome.

First, we arrived in Pope Valley...

There she be...that way...don't miss it...

Then, I received a special surprise when they named a village after me. :)

Thanks for the hospitality, California!

More CA pictures here.

A California wedding

Our main reason for traveling to California was for the wedding of our college friend Spencer, and his bride, Kim. Kim is from the northern mountain region of California, near Montgomery Creek. Her family has a sheep herd, and Kim was quite the show woman, showing sheep all around the country. In a way, that is how she met Spencer - through a mutual friend.

We first met Kim at our wedding, and we hold a special place in our hearts for them. Spencer helped Ronny wash his pickup after we left our reception as it was doused in maple syrup and cookies. I got to sit and chat with Kim while the guys washed the truck. We sure appreciated their help!

Once we got to the Stackhouse ranch, Ronny, of course, was excited to see the sheep.

This little guy was just too cute.

It was a beautiful area in the mountains. This is the view from our seats of the wedding ceremony looking to the west.

The wedding was a beautiful ceremony...

Kim came to the ceremony riding her horse, accompanied by her dad...

The reception was really beautiful and we ate their farm-raised lamb.

We got to spend some time with Ronny's Hutch friends...

It was the perfect end to a great vacation!

A view from the road

We spent a lot of our time during vacation on the road. But it was great because we got to observe a lot of beautiful sights!

 

Ronny got a lot of this view....

And I got a lot of this view...

But then we saw beautiful views like these...

 We saw corn!

 

Lots of winding roads...

 A copper smelter that I almost missed, but it was so historic!

This rock was painted by early settlers like a beagle...

 And when the stoplight needs a little help, 15 minutes later, I can help...

See more CA pictures here.