DAY 1 (drive from SF Bay, around the southern horn- Tehachapi- to Alabama Hills)
Red Cliffs Natural Preserve, California (not the place near Vegas)
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Alabama Hills night session after long drive from SF Bay. This was after a 1 hour dig-out getting buried up to axles in sand while looking for Mungeclimber, Dave Daly, and gang:
[Click to View Linked Image]
DAY 2
Morning in A-hills camp:
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Munge puttin' up a new route:
[Click to View Linked Image]
Kids seeing what there is to be done:
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
DAY 3
Whitney Portal side trip
Visit on googleusercontent.com
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Sometimes the car trips are boring as heck, but there are bright spots too
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Nice sunset from the big grocery store in Bishop, stocking up on food for next few days:
[Click to View Linked Image]
A late dinner BBQ somewhere out in the high plains. Sunset comes early in the winter:
[Click to View Linked Image]
DAY 4
Glorious sunrise:
Visit on googleusercontent.com
It's freezing.
[Click to View Linked Image]
Is it wrong that my heart bursts with pride seeing my daughter not caring in her flip-flops?
[Click to View Linked Image]
Weather's getting more interesting
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Mystery bite? We kept an eye on that one... nothing came of it in the last few years that we know about.
[Click to View Linked Image]
Splorin'
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
I think we might have stayed with Auntie Em that night to hide from a storm?
DAY 5
Stretch break en route to some more splorin'
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Modern kids with these new-fangled contraptions. In my day...
[Click to View Linked Image]
Visit on googleusercontent.com
[Click to View Linked Image]
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
[Click to View Linked Image]
Maybe some of this picture taking obsession is rubbing off?
Visit on googleusercontent.com
I think we chilled with Em again. Thanks Em!
DAY 6
[Click to View Linked Image]
What is that there hole?
[Click to View Linked Image]
Let's go see.
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
I don't think we got much deeper than this before I got the heebie-jeebies.
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Eastern Sierra makes Yosemite seem small. Death Valley makes Eastern Sierra seem small.
Visit on googleusercontent.com
It is a primeval place. If there is any shred of latent geologist in you, this place brings it screaming to the surface.
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Had to stop for this cool lookin' thing
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Visit on googleusercontent.com
We were all getting stir crazy after so much time cooped up in the car. Had a little family melt-down somewhere around here... emotional and physical low point for all of us:
Visit on googleusercontent.com
Visit on googleusercontent.com
But we rallied for dinner on the side of the road
[Click to View Linked Image]
Then it really took a turn for the awesome on a night hike in the dunes. Good strategy to leave the food behind, just a jug of water and sleeping gear. We all enjoyed this part quite a lot. Maybe a highlight of the trip.
DAY 7
Rise and shine!
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Just soaking it all in.
[Click to View Linked Image]
I don't know if I'm overindulging with the shares here. Just so much beauty everywhere.
[Click to View Linked Image]
Of course we need to do some barrel rolls. I tell you what, that got sand everywhere.
[Click to View Linked Image]
Just a drop of water in an endless sea.
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Rest break
[Click to View Linked Image]
This was a beefy one.
[Click to View Linked Image]
The tougher the climb, the more glorious the descent (find the people specks). This is our chance to be Laird Hamilton
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Where to draw the line? I am fatiguing of this effort to document it all in even a summary fashion.
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
[Click to View Linked Image]
Visit on googleusercontent.com
[Click to View Linked Image]
This about sums up the feeling!
[Click to View Linked Image]
There is still more adventure before this day is out, with the Wild Rose Canyon survival, Trona, and Wagon Wheel at sunset, and back to SF Bay that night! That will have to be added in here later.
Let's just wrap it up by saying this was the most action packed and varied experience I've had in a week. I'm tired thinking of it all now, but very glad we did it.
