Yosemite National Park

Before heading back east for the holidays I decided to spend some time in Yosemite. People have been telling me for years that the park is a must see destination. Many of those same people warned me about the tourist traffic in the park during the summer months. In early December the weather had been relatively dry and mild and the timing was right for me to explore Yosemite without fighting large crowds.

I arrived very early in the morning and planned to spend the entire day in the park. Yosemite Valley is breathtaking. From the first look as I emerged from the tunnel to the views from the valley floor I felt like I was looking at one oil painting after another. With so little precipitation the Yosemite Falls had been reduced to a misty spray compared to pictures I have seen of the powerful falls in the spring. This photo shows El Capitan from the Merced River. El Capitan is the largest granite monolith in the world rising 3,000 feet straight up. The cold and peaceful morning gave way to a mild afternoon with a slow trickle of tourist traffic.

I'm glad that I waited to experience Yosemite in the off season. It's hard for me to imagine such a serene place packed with 4 million tourists per year. 

Find A Penny...Pick It Up...

I left the coast yesterday to take advantage of some nice weather in the mountains before winter sets in. Today I was scouting the Sierra National Forest for some good camp locations...and generally just enjoying a nice ride through a really beautiful forest. When I came upon this little girl peaking out from the side of the road. At this point I'm about 45 miles into the forest so this poor pup is lost.

We got to know each other while I fed her the ham and turkey sandwich that I packed for lunch. She wouldn't even think of getting in the truck at first. But after a 10 minute pep talk she let me pick her up and put her in. She was scared, cold, skinny and hungry. We headed back out of the forest to try to get phone service again so I could call "Ralph" at the number on the dogs collar. During the winding ride for the next 20 miles I started to come to grips with the fact that this might be my new dog...at least for some period of time. Finally, I was able to make the call and talk to Ralph who was relieved to hear that "Penny" was okay. We quickly realized that we were almost three hours apart and agreed to meet in the middle.

Penny really calmed down about half way through the ride and even nodded off. She was still pretty upset but I think she knew that at the very least she wasn't going to be sleeping on top of a mountain tonight. She woke up to Ralph saying hello and was super stoked to see him. He said she had been out there since last Thursday when they were separated while hunting. That's seven days in the wilderness! She's so lucky not to be cougar food.

Holiday Parade

This is how they do a holiday parade in Santa Cruz. Sailboats, yachts, kayaks and more that were decorated from bow to stern in some wild themes slowly made their way through the marina. Boaters waved and spectators cheered...it was a really cool scene. The harbor and the surrounding neighborhoods were filled with families and friends "spreading holiday cheer". Basically a giant party just like a holiday parade back east except totally different...if you know what I mean. I always knew Santa had a pretty cool sleigh but I had no idea his yacht was so sweet.

Time For Bed...Hold On Tight!

It's windy on the coast right now. I just drove down from the mountains outside of Santa Cruz following a dude on a motorcycle the entire way. The road is very narrow, winding and sketchy on a good day. Tonight this poor guy was navigating an obstacle course of downed trees, limbs, bark, small branches and rocks while being pummeled by 35 mph winds with gusts near 60 mph (and it's dark and wet).  I was cheering him on for nearly 10 miles like we were on the same team or something. I wanted to give him plenty of space but when I would lose sight of him in the sharp curves I worried that he might be in the road when I came around the bend...making an already bad night much more dramatic.  He road calm and steady like a champ from my perspective but I'm sure it was hard to let go of the handlebars when he got home.

Sitting here now listening to the wind got me thinking about some of the windiest places that I've been. Strangely, the spot that was the windiest in the last year or so happened to be the hottest and the coldest as well (It rained a little too but nothing will beat Oregon for that in my book).

The weather in the hills west of Bishop, California was all over the place while I was there. Over a couple of weeks it was dry and very hot during some days and it snowed a couple of nights. Winds in the canyon gusted to 80 mph on more than a few days and nights. Clouds poured over the nearby mountain peaks so quickly that I felt like I was watching a nature movie on fast forward. For the most part it was really awesome but heavy wind gusts do make it hard to get a good nights sleep. It's like being on a boat in choppy seas... and tonight I'm back at sea on the U.S.S. TeleTrekker.

Happy Thanksgiving

I was incredibly lucky to meet Sean and Heather on my first trip through Santa Cruz last year. Since then we have had a lot of good times. They have invited me to stay in their home, introduced me to their friends and families, and most recently were thoughtful enough to invite me to share their Thanksgiving holiday. I couldn't even begin to adequately describe the level of esteem I feel for them. I consider them to be among my closest of friends.

Today was the Thanksgiving that everyone secretly dreams of. A gathering of cool people with a ridiculous amount of incredible food and libations with absolutely no family drama. Just a good time for an entire day. And we're even going to bed with a clean kitchen.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I missed my family today but I really felt like I was embraced by another. Thank you Sean. Thank you Heather.

It's Alive!

My first couple of hikes through the forests in Oregon really blew me away. It seemed like every square inch of forest was alive with lush vegetation, mushrooms, slugs...BIG slugs, and a carpet of moss that covers trees high up into the canopies. That's my friend Emily on the Drift Creek Falls suspension bridge. She has taken me on some great hikes over the last couple of years. The hike to see the falls is an easy one that brings you to the longest suspension bridge in Oregon which crosses a steep canyon and provides a great view from mid span. The rock face of the falls completely caved in a year or so ago and completely changed the look of this spot from tranquil to rugged but it's still worth the visit. Check out some before and after pics here. Thanks for another great summer Em. See you next year.

Look At The Size Of His Head

Thanks for the tickets Drew! This is Big Head Todd and The Monsters at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. I've seen a few shows at Red Rocks over the years but this one was the most fun. My brother and I dragged my rig out to the lower parking area and tailgated with friends Holly and Tara. In typical Colorado fashion the weather was all over the place. The entire afternoon was beautiful before the skies opened up during the show. It was great to see thousands of people dancing in an absolute downpour without a care. Todd puts on a great show and Red Rocks is a really special place. For the record I didn't notice that his head was abnormally large. Sorry you missed the show Alex.

Que, Que? Salud!

What do you do when the best happy hour in a sleepy northern Cal town is in a small historic bowling alley? You bowl, while enjoying $2.50 Stella's served in a proper glass. I'm pretty sure this place hasn't changed since it was built in 1960. There are 10 lanes and four stools at the food counter where I sat with a pleasant older Mexican woman. Neither of us understood a word the other said so we just smiled and nodded as we enjoyed our cold beers. As strange as it may sound we actually had fun. I had my camera with me so I messed around with the timer and ended up getting this shot.

Check out the Riverside Lanes if you're ever passing through the quiet town of Colusa, CA.

Jumping Cholla Batman!

The last post made me think of another place that is popular for bouldering. The Joshua Tree National Park in southern Cal is a cool place to explore because there are high and low desert areas offering a variety of terrain and scenery. The higher areas are full of cool rock formations of different colors and textures and sizes. There is some great hiking here with trails everywhere of all degrees of difficulty. The lower areas of the park provide huge views of open desert with distant ridges and ranges. This picture was taken in the lower part of the park in a cholla garden that is a pretty popular stop. Be careful though. They don't call them Jumping Cholla for no reason. It really is crazy how you can walk through this prickly gauntlet with no trouble. But somehow one or two of these things is stuck to your pant leg when you get in the car. They're not as sneaky when you're wearing shorts.

I've added a higher res version of this pic to a gallery here.

Bouldering In Bishop

Bishop, CA is a small town in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains that is home to the annual Mule Days Celebration in addition to some of the best bouldering in the world. To be honest I wasn't aware of either when I first rolled into town. I didn't stick around for Mule Days but I did learn a lot about the rock climbing culture while hanging out with Mike (pictured), Duncan and Mark who were in the states from the UK. They were on an epic 6 months road trip to climb on rocks big and small throughout the western part of the country. We all stayed in touch and met up three times in different towns and states throughout our journeys and had a blast every time. I'll see you guys in London.

Talk To Me Goose

That's not Goose. It's Jim at the controls of his old biplane above Seaside, Oregon. Unfortunately, he wouldn't do any loops or barrel rolls no matter how much I egged him on so I was forced to just sit and enjoy the views. It was killer! Jim might have the best job in the world.

Bad Idea

This just looks like an argument waiting to happen.

Just Hangin Around

These sea stars are bigger than the picture might lead you to believe. Most of them are about 12" across and 2" thick in the center. When the tides are low entire underwater worlds are opened for exploration along the coast. I spend a lot of time wondering around tide pools that are full of anemones, mussels and of course sea stars. I often wonder if they're happy to have a break from the relentless thrashing of the waves or if hanging there for 5 hours until high tide is agony. Here are ten quick facts about starfish.

I Blog, Therefore I Am

OK, so let's start a blog. I've been trying to think of some thrilling way to begin this thing but instead I've decided that it's best to just get the ball rolling with a recent event and see where it goes. And we're off.

I have fallen in love with the Oregon coast and one of my favorite coastal towns is Brookings. I always look forward to visiting my friends Captain Bill and Suzy when I'm there. Mushroom hunting is a big thing along the coast and Bill has taught me a lot about which ones are desirable and which should be avoided. I've chosen to maintain my anonymity in this photo and probably throughout this blog for fear of retribution by the Smurf army after destroying their village. These are King Bolete mushrooms and the largest one weighs around 3 lbs and can get this big in ONE day! So have no fear Smurf lovers...I'm sure they're all settled into some new digs by now.