Blog Archives

So, finally, here are the photos to match my previous entry from this weekend. The sets are grouped below by location:

First up…Yosemite National Park, with its glorious vistas from Olmsted Point to Tuolumne Meadow to rivers and lakes that tie everything together.

Then the tiny town of June Lake, where Pat’s cousin Bonnie welcomed us into her home.

Lundy Canyon…our main hike during the trip.

And lastly, the wonderful, odd-ball Mono Lake with its towering tufa.

We set out early Friday morning to visit Pat’s cousin Bonnie on the other side of the state. Zipped past rush hour backups in the opposite direction, and quickly found ourselves amongst the orchards of the Central Valley. An eye-blink later, we started our climb into the rolling foothills of the Sierra Mountains.

A quick stop for a burger-and-fries lunch, a quart of oil to squelch an ill-timed warning light, and we arrived at the entrance to one of the crown jewels of national parks…Yosemite.

We entered Yosemite along route 120, and saw no direct signs of the wildfire that threatened the entry on 140. Fresh breezes sent smoke in another direction, and we found brilliant blue skies. We did pass dozens of weary fire trucks…fresh from battle…returning to a local fire camp to refuel.

Our destination lay beyond the eastern entrance of the park, so our route was the less-travelled Tioga Road, which is closed between November and May. The route winds through high country scenery…other-worldly rolling fields of granite…serene grassy meadows…snow-fed streams and lakes. At nearly 10,000 feet, the Tioga Pass marks the eastern edge of the park, where our route began its steep decline to the valley beyond…the fringes of the Great Basin.

Arrived shortly at the peaceful town of June Lake…and cousin Bonnie’s home in the woods…a peaked-roof living room providing evening views of Carson Peak above. Dinner was a short walk away at the Double Eagle Restaurant…a gourmet mountain meal in a cozy dining room with pine-timber ceilings. Hearty grilled meats… mmmmm meat… topped off with a divine warm chocolate cake.

Cool mountain temps made for peaceful sleeping. I awoke in the middle of the night and peeked out at the brilliant, star-filled sky.

On Saturday, a peaceful early morning photo walk. Met a friendly neighborhood tabby named Orange, who had quite the purr-box Still no glimpse of the local bear…although I think I found bear poop. Not quite the same.

Our first trek of the day was a hike up Lundy Canyon in the Inyo National Forest. Multiple tiers of still, beaver-dammed ponds connected by babbling creeks and the occasional waterfall. Grassy shores dotted with red, violet, yellow, and white wildflowers. Aspen, willows, and Jeffrey pines. Fields of rust-red and orange basalt rocks. Darting tree swallows with brilliant blue backs.

Lunch in Lee Vining at the classic roadside Mono Cone walk-up restaurant…a wonderful BBQ western burger topped with bacon, a rich BBQ sauce, and a crispy onion ring really hit the spot.

Took a late afternoon stroll among the bizarre tufa at salty Mono Lake. The tufa are remnants of fresh-water springs making deposits in the salty lake. The lake’s water levels dropped dramatically decades ago when springs were diverted to the needy Los Angeles aqueduct revealing the twisted, white tufa towers. A sight like nowhere else I’ve ever been. Gulls ran along the shore with mouths open to scoop up zillions of tiny, black alkali flies.

On our drive back to Bonnie’s house, we stopped along June Lake and Gull Lake to watch the low sun sparkle on the cold blue waters with warmly lit peaks in the background.

Factoid of the day. Learned that beavers maintain their waterproofing by frequent preening using an oil that is secreted from two glands located near the anus. Charming!

Showers to wash away the days dust. Then off to dinner at the most unlikely of hot spots…the Mobil gas station near Lee Vining. The station’s popular Whoa Nellie Deli was packed at 8pm. A mouth-watering gourmet menu. Creative fish tacos with mango salsa and ribs with a huckleberry BBQ sauce were popular at our table. Our outside table had just the right breeze, although we failed to notice the lone sleeping bird above who ended the meal by pooping on Matthew. He was not amused 🙂 Paid over $5/gallon to top-off my gas tank…I was not amused 🙁

On the drive back to June Lake, pulled over to star gaze. The Milky Way crossed the sky. Jupiter shone brightly. Two satellites slid faintly across our view. Matt caught a glimpse of a meteor. What a brilliant display.

Sunday morning, a hearty breakfast at the Double Eagle. Omelets for most. Scrumptious chicken fried steak for me. I promise I will walk it off 🙂

Bonnie joined us on the first leg of our journey home. We drove back up through the Tioga Pass, into Yosemite, and stopped at the Tuolume Lodge…scattered tent cabins along the picturesque falls of the upper Tuolume River. Dipped our feet in the icy cold rapids.

Said our fond farewells to our gracious host Bonnie, and continued our drive home with a final stop at panoramic Olmstead Point.

Approached San Francisco with the setting sun in our eyes. Weary heads soon to meet familiar pillows.

Pictures soon.

I did a quick, uneventful trip to San Diego on Monday and Tuesday. There is nothing remotely interesting about my good ol’ Doubletree…which is why the window shot is relegated to the end of the post 🙂

I did have some free time in the evening to talk a much-needed walk along the beach. There were a few too many clouds for my taste…but a nice break nonetheless. The beach was a lot more crowded, but mostly families on summer vacation. Still, the surf was tempting, and there was a healthy sprinking of surfers.

I only wish my trip home was unstressful…but United kept up its fine record of the big DEEEEELAY. I mean, come on. If I was only on time 2/3 of the time in my job, my customers would bail on me. I don’t understand how you can run an industry with such a low standard of service.

I won’t likely be writing whimsical blog entries when the Big One hits, but today’s LA-centered earthquake was (thankfully) safely small enough. Still, I had the fortune of feeling the earthquake from my rental car in San Diego. I was parked and on the phone, when the car started to wobble, as if someone was hiding and pushing down on my bumper. Of course, in this case, all of the cars around me were wobbling as well. Sure shows the distance that waves from a 5.4 quake can travel…which does make me pause and think ahead to the Big One.

Funny, Jeff and I were just talking about our earthquake kit this weekend. Better get on that 🙂

On day 6, our Italian adventure moved by train from Venice to Florence. Two amazing cities…but the transition is striking, considering these cities are only a few hours apart.

The streets were wet after light overnight rain, but the clouds were breaking. Packed quickly. One last breakfast in the hotel. One final walk to S.Maria Della Salute.

A pleasant walk to the train station via Campo S.Margarita. Passed produce-laden boats and carts with fresh seafood. Naturally, the sun came out to warm…downright sweaty as we reached the station.

Boarded the 10:43 Eurostar train bound for Florence. Binaro 3. Carrozza 6. Posti 55/56. Waved Arrivederci to Venice as the train slipped across the lagoon.

Bright red poppies lined the tracks as we passed through Padua. Puffy clouds and filtered sun set off brilliant green fields of grapevines. Lush valleys between Bologna and Florence…like scenes divided by blacked-out tunnels. Hillside groves of olive trees. Secluded towns with signature church towers.

Arrived into Firenze Santa Maria Novella. A short 15-minute walk to our B&B via the sunny Piazza del Duomo.

We’re staying at our old favorite B&B…the Dei Mori…and its downstairs neighbor, the Badia Guest House where our room is actually located. The Dei Mori hostess, Suzzanne, is the quintessential B&B greeter. She is an American married to an Italian, and takes great pride in her adopted home. She oriented us to new or lesser known highlights, since we have been to Florence before. She also pointed us to four of her favorite local restaurants.

Grabbed a quick pair of wonderful, warmed sandwiches at nearby Cucciolo Pasticceria. Took a long re-orientation walk past a few of our favorites…Piazza della Signoria and the Uffiza Gallery. Walked along the Arno River to grab some warm afternoon sun photo of the Ponte Vecchio. Had a quick gelato stop at an amazing artisan spot, Gelateria Santa Trinita…Jeff declared this his favorite gelato in Italy! Passed the Pitti Palace. Turned around at the Porta Romana and the edge of the old city. Returned via the Ponte Vecchio…sadly where locks have apparently been banned since none were insight.

Ventured into the Baptistry of San Giovanni…the jewel box in front of the Duomo. The golden mosaic ceiling was breathtaking.

Dinner at one of Suzzane’s recommendations: Trattoria Baldovino, behing the Basilica di Santa Croce. The food was wonderful, creative Tuscan flavors. The colorful bruschetta. Jeff’s amazing tortallacci di patate–oversized tortallinis with a hearty meat sauce–and his petto di pollo–juicy chicken witha rich sauce of tomato and olive. My filetto di manzo all’ aceto–a marbled beef fillet in a dark, sweet basalmic reduction. Etc. Etc. All the dishes were mouth-watering. (Did I mention our dessert? Crostata con creme arance.)

Wandered back through Piazza Santa Croce and Piazza della Signora to finally shower and sleep :). What a VERY long day!