Mono Lake (Thanksgiving in Mammoth)

Regular blog readers will remember that our Thanksgiving tradition is to spend the holiday at some unexplored (to us, at least) location. Usually, this involves freezing our asses off in a tent in some rustic area (see blog entries for 2008, 2009). This year, for some reason, neither Pat nor I felt up to "roughing it" so we decided to splurge and get a hotel room. I want everyone here to know that I lobbied for Death Valley (average daily November temp: 70 degrees) but both Pat and I were intrigued to check out Mammoth Lakes, a popular mountain town on the East Side of the Sierras. So, we booked a hotel room in town, and off we went.

When we checked the Mammoth Lakes weather report, we were dismayed to discover that the low for our first day would be 11 degrees. Luckily, we had packed warm clothing and even thrown in our snowshoes. This is our first view of Mammoth, at the visitors' center where we stopped to get some local information. Since we arrived late, we had an early pizza dinner, and hunkered down for the night.

The next morning (Thanksgiving) we drove out to Mono Lake. Mono Lake is a salt-water lake with no outlet to the ocean that was formed at least 760,000 years ago. It recently made the news when scientists discovered a plant that synthesizes arsenic rather than any of the six essential elements previously known to sustain life. But, that is an aside. On Thanksgiving Day, there were no scientists or tourists. Just Pat and I enjoying this amazing, eerie landscape.

We parked at the visitors' center (closed) and walked down to the lake.

We soon came upon the first of many Tufas we would see. The Tufas are limestone formations created by underwater springs that have been exposed as the lake levels recede. This one was so big that I could stand inside.

Later, we drove down to the Tufa State Reserve where there were many more Tufas both on the shore and in the lake.


A good view of Tufas on the lake shore.

Up close and persona Tufas.

More.



A final view of some Tufas in the lake. I highly recommend a stop at Mono Lake if you find yourself in the area. It was unlike anything I've ever seen.

After a quick stop at the hotel room to change and call the families, it was off to Convict Lake for Thanksgiving dinner. A friend from work had recommended this resort for Thanksgiving dinner, and we weren't disappointed.

Both dinner and the view were terrific, and the rustic dining room reminded me of our favorite Montana restaurants. And, on the drive home, we saw a shooting star. What an perfect ending to a great day!

NEXT UP: Hollywood

Bad Blogger!!!

Well! How does one become such a slacker?

At first, my goal was to blog once a week. Then, I downgraded to once a month.

And, somehow, after one final post in September, I seem to have given it up altogether. It wasn't a conscious decision--I just got busy, and blogging fell off my list of priorities.

The worst part is that there have been several blog worthy topics over the last several months. Luckily, I did manage to take some pictures, and my goal now is to go back and share some of these with you. In a few weeks, I hope to be caught up to the present.

Let's hope that 2011 is a good blogging year!

Anniversary Trip to Pismo Beach

In October, Pat and I celebrated our 10th anniversary. On one hand, it seems impossible that we have been married that long! One the other hand, when we started taking stock of all of the experiences we have shared, we wondered how we fit it all into a mere 10 years. I don't want to sound too mushy here (you all know that isn't my style) but I can't imagine being with anyone else. As Pat's mom always says we are "two peas in a pod" or as we say "two people: one brain." So far, it has been an amazing adventure, and I don't expect anything less in the upcoming years...

One thing I really appreciate about Pat is that despite my relentlessly practical side, he remains a romantic. Thus, I wasn't surprised when 10 red roses were delivered to my office on our anniversary. Rascal (shown here) and Stormy, of course, believed the roses in be in their honor and immediately started munching on them.

After a leisurely start Saturday morning we headed north on PCH. Our original destination had been Santa Barbara but ,apparently, SB is a very popular fall destination in SoCal. That is something I hate about California: there are so many people that it is almost impossible to plan spur-of-the-moment trips. This bodes very poorly for people like Pat and I who do not seem to have the "planning gene." In any case, Pismo Beach had been recommended as a laid-back beach destination so we wanted to check it out.

Our hotel, the Sandcastle Inn, was right on the beach in downtown Pismo. Quite nice.

I took this picture of Pat right outside the hotel when we arrived. That night, we had a wonderful seafood dinner at a restaurant overlooking the town. Too bad I forgot the camera!

The hotel had a really neat little patio on the beach where we ate breakfast early the next morning.

Then we went for a walk on the beach. Our hotel was right beside the pier pictured in this shot.

I even put my toes in the water which is unusual for me.

Pat, meanwhile, contemplated life before the drive back to the big city.

Hike to Mount San Jacinto

As our last hurrah of the summer, we decided to hike up Mount San Jacinto. Mount San Jacinto is one of what are called "the three saints"--the highest points of the three tallest mountain ranges in Southern California. We've already climbed the other two (Mount San Gorgonio & Mount San Antonio aka Mount Baldy) so we thought it would be a good opportunity to complete the trifecta.

However, we decided to take the cheater's route. Instead of hiking from the Idyllwild side (a climb of almost 5,000 feet), we drove out to Palm Springs and took the aerial tramway to an elevation of 8,516.

The tram ride was somewhat freaky and not for the faint of heart. The floor of the tram rotates 360 degrees (three times) while climbing the incline.

Looking back down to Palm Springs made me a little ill.

But, the view did make me very happy that I didn't have to hike up this portion.

At the top, we entered Mount San Jacinto State Park and began the 5.5 mile hike to the summit.

Despite it being almost 100 degrees in Palm Springs, the temperature was moderate and the scenery green and beautiful.

The grade was so easy that we were able to really enjoy ourselves.


After four mile of hiking, we hit the ridge.

Then, about a mile later, we were on the summit: 10,834 feet.


There was a US flag and a USGS survey marker. And about 20 other people. But, I still managed to get a picture of Pat without anyone else in it.

Lately, I've been forgetting my sunglasses everywhere we got so I look a lot like this!

After a brief stay, we headed back down the mountain, onto the tram, into the car and back home again. It is probably the last time we will get out this summer:(

NEXT UP: Conquer the Bridge Run

Adventures in Yellowstone

After a thankfully uneventful 12 hour drive from Long Beach, we arrived at what we think of as the southern gateway to Yellowstone: the Grand Tetons. Seeing those great mountains rising straight up from the valley made us feel like we had arrived.

After a night camping outside of Jackson, we headed straight for a Teton tradition: All-You-Can Eat Pancakes at Dornan's in Moose Junction.

You don't go to Dornan's for the food, you go for the view.

On our way to Bozeman, we made a few quick stops in The Park. Of course, we had to catch Old Faithful even though we have seen it countless times. When we drove up, it was erupting so we jumped out and took this not-so-great shot. But, it counts, and you get the idea.

And, here it is: The Old Faithful Inn, where Pat and I met 17 years ago (yes, I know, you can't believe we are that old, but it is true).

We both worked as waiters in the dining room for several summers in the mid-1990s. The dining room looks just about the same. I really do not miss waiting tables but I do miss the adventure of living in Yellowstone. It is something not many get to experience. I estimate that I probably hiked over 1,000 miles of trail when I lived there.

After a too-brief stop in Bozeman to see friends (see post below), we headed out into the Yellowstone backcountry in hopes of visiting a very remote area called Hoodoo Basin on a three-day, two-night trip. Here is a picture of us at the Lamar River trailhead.

The first three miles through the Lamar Valley were a bit hot but uneventful. Then, we ran into this fellow. If you look carefully, you can see the orange trail marker right behind this bison. Yep, he was right in our way. At first, we weren't too concerned, and we walked slowly toward him, veering just a bit off-trail. Just then, he lowered his head, butted it into the ground and started running towards us. We made an immediate retreat and ended up skirting him by about 100 yards. At least we didn't end up on the TV news!

Shortly after our bison encounter, it was time to ford the Lamar River. Luckily, it was only about knee deep. Still, the power of water always surprises me. It took a great deal of concentration (and a handy stick) to keep my footing.

We continued on until the Miller Creek Junction where there is a backcountry station in which rangers occasionally stay while in the field. Just to the left of the cabin you can see a big, ole bison keeping an eye on things. It was at about this time that Pat and I realized our assigned campsite was actually almost 15 miles from the trailhead, rather than the 12 we had originally estimated. This was not good news for two people who had not carried a full-size backpack for two years.

After what seemed like an unnecessarily long period of hiking we came to our campsite. I was a little uneasy to see a variety of bear prints by the creek near the campsite.

I became even a little more bear-a-noid when I saw the two bear poles.They seemed unusually high which made me think that the bears in this area must be extremely large. Let's just say I didn't sleep too easily that first night. But, it passed uneventfully, and the next morning, we decided to do a day hike to Hodoo Basin.

Despite evidence of the 1988 fires, the scenery was spectacular. However, it quickly became apparent that we weren't going to complete the 20-mile round trip journey to Hodoo Basin. Both Pat and I were having foot issues (blisters, etc), and we were feeling the effects of carrying 35-pound packs for 15 miles the day before.

So, we just did about 5 miles down the remote Miller Creek Trail and up towards Bootjack Pass. We didn't see a soul but we did come across the cool elk skull.

After a second night at our campsite, it was time to head for civilization. The hike out was hot and dusty, and we didn't have much mojo. Here I am whining at the hike's conclusion.


Even with battered feet and sore shoulders, we were back on the trail a few days later after two days of R&R in Gardiner, MT. We lucked into a great campsite at the Slough Creek Campground and decided to do one of our favorite trails, Pebble Creek, as a day hike.

After climbing 800 feet in just over a mile, hikers are rewarded with this splendid view of the Pebble Creek area. We hiked down the valley for just a few miles and then headed back.

On the hike back, the weather started to look a little sketchy. This is the face of The Thunderer, a mountain with a massive face. It looked quite ominous.

We were very lucky to see a lot of wildlife during our stay. Here is the first bear we saw, just outside of the Mammoth Hot Springs area. We weren't sure if it was a black bear or grizzly but, in hindsight, I think it was a black bear, despite its misleading brown coat.

We saw this black bear just outside of the Tower Junction area.

And another black bear, just a few miles down the road.

And, yes, a fourth black bear near Mount Washburn.

Finally: a Grizzly Bear! This great specimen was digging just beside the road, and we even got an amazing video (Posted on Facebook).

We also saw this mama pronghorn with her babies just outside the Slough Creek campground.

And, of course, there were buffalo herds everywhere. We also hung out with the wolf watchers one morning and evening, and saw wolves through our spotting scope. No pictures--too far away.


The Lamar Valley and a buffalo herd under a rainbow.

Finally, when we got tired of being dirt-bag hikers, we headed to the ultimate in luxury: Chico Hot Springs, where we just happened to get married nearly ten years ago. We spent the night, soaked and had an awesome meal in their renowned dining room.

The pool soothed our aching muscles and brought back some many memories. We only hope it doesn't take us another four years to get back to our most-favorite places.

Next Up: Hiking Mount San Jacinto.