Gros Ventre Campground - Near Jackson Hole Wyoming

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Our stay at Gros Ventre Campground
was earmarked by moose sightings.

Momma moose and her young'un
walked right past our campsite.

An inspiring sunrise from Gros Ventre Road.

Mist rising off of the Gros Ventre River at sunrise.

The view from farther down the road just a short while later...


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Black Canyon Campground - North Rim

Fishtank Ensemble and the Boulder Acoustic Society were performing last night at the Paradise Theatre in Paonia, CO. last night.  The show was absolutely AMAZING.   High energy, dancing, so much creativity and happy people.  If you ever get a chance to watch either of these bands... I give them both my highest recommendation.  Best $15 I've ever spent for a musical event.

I didn't get any pictures of the music scene that are worth sharing.  We did, however, decide to camp overnight at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and it was impossible not to get some worthwhile pictures there.  The vistas are simply stunning.  We stayed at the North Rim campgrounds.  It rained while we were at the the concert, and things inside the tent got a little damp, but the morning views made the whole decision to camp out here worth any discomfort that we felt during the night.  Now I'll just have to remember to go to R.E.I. tomorrow and buy some waterproofing spray.

Initial view from Chasm View Trail on the north rim.

The first hint that what's coming is really going to be spectacular.

I think that this is my favorite shot.

It's  a long ways down...

This is also in the running for my favorite picture.

The final pic from the trail.  

My phone ran out of memory here.

There is a tent at the upper right edge of the water.

You can't make it out in this picture,

But it was a solid blue colored tent.

Very tiny from this vantage point.

Unitarian Universalist's Retreat - Pine Song near Vallecito Lake

 

The afternoon drive to Pine Song Camp.

 

 

We saw this rainbow later on during the drive.

The Rav as it should be, eclipsed by the wilderness.

Our tent was right on the Pine River.

View of the sunrise from our tent on Saturday morning.

Flowers alongside the Pine River

The facilities at Pine Song Camp were simple and beautiful.  

We had a couple of workshops in this space.

The worship service on Sunday was really wonderful.

Coffee setup at about 6:30am, before many were awake.

Saturday's continental breakfast was simple and satisfying.

That afternoon the campers shared a delicious potluck dinner.

Sunday's buffet breakfast was an elaborate affair. 

Burned out remains of a house, not far from Pine Song Camp.
Another abandoned building in the background.

There was an "office" built under the ground level.

Ant lions were living in the sand in this front section.

We found old cattle evaluation records in here.

They were dated between 1960-1962.

 View from inside the abandoned building.

Pine Song Camp was actually at about 7500ft.  

This reading is from where we stopped for lunch on the way back.

The sight that greeted us when we arrived back home on Sunday.

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Yosemite Trip July 2008!

Mike in Yosemite - July 2008

Christelle, Mike, Jane, Kate, Ria, Anush
Yosemite - July 2008

So we went camping in Yosemite! (Well, sort-of.) Ria gave us a ride, because she's awesome like that. We hiked the 5+ miles to the Glen Aulin camp and arrived late in the evening. Thanks to our wonderful host Christelle, we enjoyed an impressive camp dinner of steak, potatoes, green beans and salad. We met Jane, Anush (and we can't forget the ranger...) there and had a great time hanging out with the whole crew.

We hiked out the next day after spending a fabulous morning viewing the area from several vantage points, sitting next to the beautiful waterfall, and eating a hearty breakfast. We were escorted part of the way back by our campy entourage who were transporting other hikers' backpacks to another camp about 8 miles away.

On the way back to Monterey, we got to see the Mariposa fire close up. It was burning its way across the mountainside just on the other side of the river from us on Highway 140.

Camping?

If you know me, and if you'd be interested in camping over the weekend of June 21st... send me an e-mail or give me a call!

Camping Morning Glory

We went out to Big Sur this past Sunday to meet other members of the UUCMP congregation at their annual camp-out. This was the scene captured by my cell phone at about 9am on Sunday morning. We enjoyed a pancake breakfast and wonderful conversations with friends.

Saturn Just Off the Horizon

Midnight on a snow covered mountain.
The landscape basks in the moonlight.
White blanket covers the earth,
Radiant glow, crunching underfoot.
I can see for miles and miles.

Clear sky stretching out overhead,
Fog rolls down off the nearby peaks.
Sky filled with piercing bright stars.
Crisp smell of cold pines in still air.
Homemade baklava on an embankment of snow.

Saturn just off the horizon.

If this isn't the best way to start the new year... I don't know what is!

Happy New Year!