A drive through one holy land to access another, with ice melting on the alpine lakes:
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We had an awesome couple of days hanging in style with Em. I probably didn't tell her enough how awesome she is and how much we appreciated our time together. The kids set new hoola-hoop records at her place:
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And then we had fun up a lake Sabrina, searching for the optimum paddling algorithm:
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That water was cold, but I had to set a proper example for the children.
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How terrible am I as a father? I rig up posed hero shots for my kids, and daughter got a little scuffed up on this one:
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Done playing Lord of the Flies for the day:
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We had more adventures with Em, also spending a day out at Gong Show Crags with Spyork and Gary and a few others. The highlight was the whole entourage huddling under a tree seeking shelter from a cloudburst, using makeshift rain shields, with our steep purchases oozing out from under us like sands from an hourglass. I think on the way out we passed Chinchen and his daughter heading up amidst the sporadic drizzle. Thanks Gary for being patient to help my kids through the slippery talus while Spyork and I ran to catch up after cleaning gear from a route. I must have forgotten the camera that day.
We spent a nice sunset evening at the Buttermilks:
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Then onward down Highway 395. Manzanar is worth a visit. Interesting chapter in American history that I learned virtually nothing about in school:
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Next stop, Alabama Hills:
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My lovely ladies:
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They say children grow from the rock there like pearls in an oyster:
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Why anyone would want to retire anywhere else is beyond me. I think I'm a little silly for not having planned my life around living there in the first place.
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Some sunrise pics after a lovely night at the Whitney Portal:
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East of Eden is not so bad either!
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It warms my heart to see the kidlin's chillin' and contemplatin'
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And time to head on back north:
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Somewhere on the road to a free campground near Mammoth. Never miss a photo op!
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Another day, onward to check out the west shore of Mono Lake:
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Eating this stuff used to be a delicacy for the local humans:
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They sure seem to think so:
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Well, our vacation don't last forever so we best be moseyin' up to Bode:
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This here's about where my camera battery died. I know we did more fun stuff, but heck I'll have to wait until the kids grow up and say "hey dad, remember when we..." but by then I'll probably forget how to feed myself. And hopefully there will be many more good memories filling up space, making it not such a big deal that I forget some really good bits. I know we all enjoyed it in the moments, and that's what counts the most.
