The store cat. Name unknown, but he/she was a very affectionate fellow.

Inside of the Iowa Hill Store

Another shot of the kitty

The trail started by the store. Even though the road to it was extremely hilly, it had a fair share of bikers.

The beginning. One minute later, I dropped the Van key so I had to leave them for about 10 minutes. They were later found by a local.

This stop had a natural cold temperature. Perfect for a group shot.

One of the contributer to the colder temperatures on this spot.

Pretty flower and a hungry ant.

First time you could spot the American River.

This is the other side of the river.

The trail sometimes went dangerously close to the ravine. The "gold panners" back in the day were probably not thinking safety first.

This is the trail looked for the most part.

First "hurdle". Clayton uses a rope to help him over.

Walking....

The mystery plant. There were only 3 of these odd plants on the entire trail. Two of them right next to each other (one is located to the left of Clayton)

Chris scopes out the area to see if the trails continues further.

The gang is patiently waiting for Chris' verdict....

And nope...it did indeed end here.

A Nina close-up.

This little tree-like plant was the only vegetation on this huge boulder.

Theron concentrates while climbing down.

Diana is chilling down her feet in the river.

More Diana posing...

Diana, spreading peace, love, and understanding.

A Theron close-up. And for once, a natural smile....or is he getting good at faking?

Cool looking plant. Overall pretty scarce but could be spotted on multiple locations.

Shot of the trail, heading back.

Another shot of the trail.

4 of these gigantic pine cones were found in one spot, very close to a dead mole. Coincidence?

A rattlesnake infested area. We were lucky not to see any, but we were warned.