Images of Folsom

A New Look for Sutter St.

2010-04-01T12:43:00.000-07:00

Sutter Street is wearing a new look these days since the median was removed. It's definitely more open now, and plans are underway for further refinements including new larger sidewalks.

Chinese Diggings

2010-03-21T08:34:00.000-07:00

With the future of the Chinese Diggings site in question I figured it to be a good time to check out this interesting piece of history.

The Diggings are a series of maze like trenches resulting from ground sluice mining operations. This is one of many entry points into the trench system which can become quite deep at some points.

The mining operations were believed to have been active during the 1890's and early 1900. Since the entire area is essentially ancient river bed, one can see river cobble far below ground.

Although called Chinese Diggings, there is no record of who actually did the digging. The environment in the depths of the trench is markedly different from the surface. Cool and damp it sustains different types of plant life than the Oak trees and abundant Poison Oak found above.

Intersecting trenches covered in moss

In some spots, the trench reaches depths of 20 to 30 feet.

Artifacts!

The way out

The Chinese Diggings is flanked by Hwy 50.

Late February Storm

2010-02-26T17:33:00.000-08:00

As the rain gives way to the sun

Mormon Island Dam Strengthening

2009-12-20T18:03:00.000-08:00

I was out for a late afternoon walk at Mormon Island Dam. I've heard that they've been doing some work to raise and strengthen the dam, but was surprised at the scale of the effort.

They're busy moving mountains. All this dirt has been brought in from the spillway project near Folsom Dam.

Green Valley Road below the dam.

Palladio 16

2009-12-09T21:38:00.001-08:00

Palladio 16 theater had it's grand opening tonight, with the theater opening for business this weekend. The rest of the mall still has a way to go before its ready for business, so here's a sneak peak.

MyFolsom's very own John Gladding preparing for interviews on the red carpet.

Cool at the Pool

2009-12-08T21:37:00.000-08:00

Lembi Aquatic Center....
You know its cold outside when the warm pool water condenses into the cold dry night air.

Frosty Morning

2009-12-08T09:42:00.000-08:00

With the storm past and clear skies above, it made for some near record cold temperatures this morning. Everything was covered in a layer of frost as the Sun rose on Catlin Park.

Christmas Lights

2009-12-02T18:45:00.000-08:00

Nothing like Christmas time to brighten up the neighborhood.
Here's some light and color from Christmas past.

Rock 'N River

2009-11-12T18:35:00.001-08:00

Have you been over to the Folsom Art Center lately? They have a new piece of art sculpture out front called Rock 'N River. Check it out while you're there for the Folsom Focus opening reception or one of the other great events.

Fall Colors

2009-10-30T20:36:00.000-07:00

Fall and Spring in and around Folsom can be quite colorful. While Spring is most notably green, Fall takes on many stunning colors and contrasts.

Capital Airshow

2009-09-03T19:57:00.001-07:00

The Capital Airshow is coming up this weekend on the 12th and 13th.
Here's a few photos of last years action.

Graffiti Night Classic Car Show

2009-08-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

So I made it by the Graffiti Night car show on Sutter Street last Sunday. Most of the rides on display were truly immaculate. Along with the live entertainment it made for a good time. Here's a small sampling of the sights and sounds.

A way cool convertible.

This Chevy was seriously lowwww. The camera was sitting on the ground.

Can you say chopped?

Some amazingly restored old world cars....

And some way cool customs.

Love those tail fins!

I'm not sure who this guy was, but he wanted his picture taken.

Love that "space age" design.

Not sure what you call this. Retro-nerdy?

Smile!

This 50 Merc was had some serious time and effort into it.

California State Fair

2009-08-12T21:39:00.001-07:00

TNM

2009-08-07T15:17:00.000-07:00

With only a few weeks of TNM remaining and an unseasonably cool day, I headed down to Sutter St. to take in the action.

I wanted to check out Procissi Cellar Winery since they were doing some wine tasting. $6 got me 2 whites and 4 reds, of which the Primativo was my favorite.

Steve of MyFolsom.com fame was pouring. How come I seem to run into him everwhere there is wine.

davburr was there too.

Steve the charmer in action!

After getting my wine fix, time to head out and see what else is going on.

The falcon club was out in force with these awesome creatures.

They even had an owl.

The tunes were good!

Hey check out these cool glasses. I could look like the prison gaurd in Cool Hand Luke. Well... maybe not.

The performers were at it too.

This guy looked a little wooden. I told him to loosen up a little.

As a footnote, I also ran into Steve LaRose who was selling some of his excellent HDR photos. While he's got photos from all over the world, he's also got some cool shots of local places which look completely surreal due to the HDR techniques.

Thursday Night Market

2009-06-17T18:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday Night Market is a weekly street fair which takes place during the Summer months on Sutter Street in Old Folsom.

The event always draws a crowd, and starting this summer has been improved with even more entertainment and attractions.

Musicians to stimulate the aural senses.

The belly dancers demonstrate their skills.

And of course all the shops and restaurants are open.

Sacramento Railyard

2009-06-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

With groundbreaking commencing this month on the Sacramento Railyards Revitalization Effort, I figured this would be a great time to take one last look at this piece of history.

The first railroad in Sacramento as well as California was the Sacramento Valley Railroad finished in 1856 and engineered by Theodore Judah.

Judah's efforts to realize a transcontinental railroad was transferred to the power of "The Big Four" investors, who created the Central Pacific Railroad.

The First Transcontinental Railroad was completed in 1869, when Central Pacific's line joined Union Pacific's at Promontory Summit. Sacramento's terminus was the primary departure station for the railroad until 1883.

Central Pacific merged with Southern Pacific in 1870, and the former's maintenance yards were expanded with the addition of the Southern Pacific shops.

The shops were used for locomotive repairs, general maintenance and, occasionally, creation.

The yards steadily expanded, becoming the biggest railroad facility west of the Mississippi River and employing approximately one-third of all Sacramento workers in the early decades of the 20th century.

The Dynamometer Car is used for measuring the various aspects of a locomotive's performance. Measurements include pulling force, power, top speed, etc. With the proliferation of computers, the dynamometer car joined the ranks of obsolete equipment like the caboose and steam locomotive.

Springtime in Folsom

2009-04-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

When the cold, gray skies of winter give way to the warm and sunny days of springtime, the transformation in the Sierra Foothills is quite magical. This change is not lost on Folsom, whose normally brown prairie grasses give way to the vibrant greens of spring. Blue Oaks that pepper the landscape begin sprouting in anticipation of the coming summer and wildlife can be found in abundance during this seasonal rebirth.

The bees were definitely busy this day. About as close as I dared get.
Mr. Van Winkle, your tree awaits.

Folsom Lake Crossing Grand Opening

2009-03-28T18:11:00.001-07:00

Today marked the opening of the long awaited Folsom Lake Crossing. Thousands were in attendance for the opening ceremonies and ribbon cutting, followed by food and fun on the bridge. There was even a Johnny Cash sighting. So for those that missed it, here's a few shots of what went on.

The east approach provides great views of Folsom Lake. Look... there's even water in the lake!

Evidently there were some parking problems

Plenty of food and activities

Great views of the dam

And even a Johnny Cash impersonator lamenting the name of the bridge. (I'm with him!)

The band Dam Road Closed showed up to entertain the crowd

And a good time was had by all

Folsom Lake College

2009-03-23T21:15:00.000-07:00

The crisp early spring weather, along with the green hillsides served as a perfect backdrop for the eye catching architecture that is Folsom Lake College. Here are some images from a Sunday afternoon walk through campus.

More Folsom Lake Crossing

2009-03-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

With the opening of the new bridge only a week away, I was able to get access to areas not currently accessible to the public. Here's a quick preview.

The span offers some spectacular views from the bike path.

This is looking towards the prison

And here's some views that will not likely be had even after the bridge opens.

Folsom Lake Crossing

2009-03-08T18:56:00.000-07:00

With Folsom Lake Crossing ready to open on March 28th, the bridge is looking quite complete. Once open, the view from the bridge should be quite spectacular with Folsom Dam to the northeast and Folsom Prison to the southwest. Here's a preview.

Preston School of Industry

2009-02-07T18:36:00.000-08:00

Preston School of Industry a.k.a. Preston Castle is an interesting piece of California history dating back to the late 1800's. Located in Ione, CA, it was established by the state legislature as a rehabilitation facility for juvenile offenders.

The Castle is an example of Romanesque Revival architecture, which is quite unique to anything else found in the region.

The Castle has roughly 5 levels, including the basement.

The ironwork has an industrial look to it, common of the period.

Sandstone bricks for the building were made at San Quentin and Folsom Prison.

The Castle was shut down in 1960, and fell into disrepair over the next 40+ years until the Preston Castle Foundation took it over in 2001.

Lets take a look inside.

During its years of neglect, leaks in the roof allowed water inside which rotted the wood forming the ceilings and walls. This is what remains of the swimming pool which is in the basement.

This is one of the staff bathrooms. Those are leaves on the window sill and floor where mother nature found her way in.

This is the main stairway where signs of renovation efforts can be seen. This stairway climbs 5 levels up to the top of the structure.

Stairway to one of the dormitories. Notice the lack of railing.

This is the main corridor to the infirmary. The reel on the right wall is for a fire hose.

And here we are in the infirmary. Some of the bed frames are still present.
Kind of spooky.

This is part of the kitchen.

This is a community shower used by the prison wards.

And a place for washing up.

Don't think these have seen any use in a while.

Renovation efforts are ongoing for the Castle, but money and volunteers are always in short supply. This is just a glimpse of everything there is too see, and there is no substitute for being there. Tours and events are held throughout the year, so the next time you're feeling adventurous its definitely worth the trip.

Folsom State Prison

2009-01-15T20:27:00.000-08:00

Folsom State Prison might not be so well known if it weren't for the fact that Johnny Cash played a concert there for the inmates back in 1968, which secured the prison's place in pop culture.

Located along the American River, FSP officially opened in 1880. Much of the prison was constructed from granite blocks, hammered out by prison labor. It was the first prison in the world to have electric power which was supplied from the nearby hydroelectric plant.

While much of the prison is off limits to the public, there are some areas accessible for viewing. This is the east gate, and the FSP museum sits just across the driveway from here.

Here's a closer view of the east gate. Notice the detail on the granite arch, along with the industrial ironwork. Johnny Cash had his picture taken in front of this gate which appears on one of his album covers.

Nearby the parking lot of the east gate is this guard tower built into the wall of the prison.

Moving across to the north side of the American River, much of the prison is visible. The river at this point travels in a fairly steep canyon which acts as a natural obstacle to any potential escapees.

While there are many structures at the prison today, this is the original cell block constructed in the 1800's. In the center is the granite stairway leading to the main entrance.

This is a view from slightly upstream. The American River is to the right, with the prison in the background. The wall in the foreground is the old diversion dam built to divert water into the hydroelectric plant.

At the bottom of this long granite wall is the railroad gate. At one time a railroad passed through this gate to transport supplies to and from the prison.

The railroad accessed the prison from the south side. This is as close as one dare get today. While the tracks are long gone, the rail bed still exists, and runs parallel to the canal which supplied the powerhouse with water.

Folsom Powerhouse

2009-01-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

Looking for a journey back in time, then the Folsom Powerhouse is the place to go.

In operation from 1895 to 1952, it was the first hydroelectric power plant in California and supplied electricity to the growing city of Sacramento. In case you haven't been there, or even if you have, here's a photo tour of this amazing historical treasure.

Let's start at the beginning. The structure in the foreground is the diversion dam for which construction started in 1867. It diverted water out of the American River, which is visible to the right, for the short journey down to the powerhouse. The structures in the background are those of Folsom Prison. Prison labor was used in the construction of the diversion dam and canal.

These are hydraulic lifts which operated headgates along the canal. It hard to see here, but the canal runs behind and parallel to these lifts. The headgates were like doors that could be opened to release excess water back into the American River.

This is the forebay to the powerhouse. Back in the day this would have been full of water. At the far end the headgates and hydraulic lifts are visible, which controlled the flow of water into the penstocks leading to the generators. The roof of the powerhouse can be seen beyond the forebay. The forebay not only stored water for the generators, but also served as a settling area for sediment and debris.

Moving inside the powerhouse building these large vertical tubes called penstocks carried the water down onto the generator turbines. The turbines were connected via driveshafts to the electrical generators which were housed in a separate room.

Here we are in the generator room which contains four, 30 ton General Electric generators. Each generator stands over 8 feet tall and had a combined output of 3000 kilowatts.

This is a wider view to give a better sense of overall scale.

These generators were shipped around Cape Horn, South America. The apparatus to the left is the governor which controlled the speed of the generator in response to electrical demand.

Each generator bears one of these plates. Check out the patent dates!

And here is a closeup of the governor assembly. It was a feedback system which controlled the generator speed by adjusting the flow of water over the turbine.

This is a level indicator for the forebay, which resides high on the wall in the powerhouse.

After the water passed through the turbines, it exited in the afterbay to be returned to the American River. The water looks green here beacuse today it is stagnant and loaded with green alge.

Here's an exterior shot of the powerhouse and transformers, which stepped the voltage up for the 22 mile trip to Sacramento.

The electrical power arrived at Station A in Sacramento for distribution to the city. Station A is located at 6th and H streets.

"This power distribution network resulted in the the first overhead wire streetcar system in the central valley."

Christmas on Sutter Street

2008-12-25T18:34:00.001-08:00

Folsom Lake Peninsula

2008-12-15T19:29:00.000-08:00

December 13, 2008
With the forecast of rain looming, I decided to head out to the peninsula at Folsom Lake since the water level is at historic lows right now. Lake elevation was about 366ft at the time, a full hundred feet below full. Here's some of what I saw....

Heading in from the main gate I almost immediately came across this old bridge. I'm pretty sure this was part of the old road between Rattlesnake Bar and Mormon Island.

Heading in the general direction of the tip of the peninsula and Folsom Dam I headed down to the water line and came across a cache of hazard markers.

After walking for some distance, I crested a tall hill. There was the dam off in the distance. Still a long way to go.

Looking for some easier going, I headed for higher ground where I came back across the remnants of the road again. Its a little hard to see in this shot, but those are pieces of asphalt. I actually ended up following this for quite some time until the terrain turned sandy and it faded away.

I came across this ditch. The entire area from Salmon Falls on down is laced with these. It used to be part of a system that carried water to the mining operations. Only a little further to go now.

After about an hour and a half of walking I'd finally come to the tip of the peninsula. The dam was amazingly close from here. It was getting late in the day, so I'd better keep moving. Time to head back.

Looks like someone lost their motor cover. This was under 100 ft of water at one time.

Since I came in on the northern edge of the peninula I tracked to the south on my way out. The south side is definitely more rocky. Lots and lots of tree stumps out there too. All the trees were cut down when the dam was being constructed

This was some pretty squishy mud, as I found out. The open plains of uncovered lake bed were vast. This picture doesn't really do it justice. Thats Brown's Ravine off in the distance.

Almost back now, making my way through the campground I passed by this launch ramp. The water is so low that the bottom of the ramp is nowhere near the water. My feet were a little sore, but well worth the trip.

The Army Corp of Engineers is working on raising the dam by 8ft, which will add a lot of capacity, so the lake may not be this low again for a long time.