Yosemite backpacking trip

Backpacking the North Rim of Yosemite: 3 nights, 4 days out

Our route, roughly.

We had intended to do another route, but when we arrived, we found it was still too snow-covered. The North Rim was our other choice, and it turned out to be wonderful. Especially with (or maybe despite of) the advice we got - from a couple of very drunk Texans at the backpackers' campsite the night before we started - about an unmarked trail through (or rather, straight up) some rock slides...

Scrabble, travelers' edition - to pass the time at the backpackers' campsite the night before getting started...

Gabe: Really?? "GRIEF??" Come on, Meg, we're on vacation now...

Off we go.

The rock slides...

View of Yosemite Valley...

Ribbon Meadow, on our second day out. We were trekking over snow moments later...

Taking a rest on a cliff...

Campsite, day two.

View from North Dome, day 3.

Half Dome!

View of Half Dome, at our campsite on the final night.

Sunrise at the Arch at Indian Rock, day 4.

I believe Gabe is making oatmeal up there.

One year down...

First year of grad school, done. Looking back at my first year here, I can't believe: 1) I survived. 2) I now have two cats. Hm.

Joshua Tree

The end of the winter quarter brought a (short. very, very short.) "Spring Break"...

Camping at Joshua Tree!

The wildflowers in the southernmost part of the Park were in bloom...

The Joshua trees were also in bloom. The blossoms look like big popcorn balls...

Joshua tree in bloom

close-up

Joshua trees are funny things... Often, they are really impressive and striking to look at... But, other times, they look a little silly.

A hike (approx. 7 miles) through the "Wonderland of Rocks" to a little oasis called "Willow Hole":

Near our camp site:

Arch Rock

Kitten updates!

... I have to.

Not-Andy is the perfect size (and shape) to fit in my bag.

This pose, by the way, has become familiar.

Like this, but fuzzy. And cute.

Updates

I have been meaning to update this for... holy cow... about three months now....

Cough. Well. Better late than never, I suppose.

First! ...

Ski trip to Tahoe!

After living almost my entire life in the snowy northeast, I finally (finally!) put on a pair of skis... (Again, better late than never, I suppose...) Thanks to the Dillons and Duques, I not only survived, but had a great time.

See? Me, having a great time. (I am pretty sure I wiped out getting off the ski lift shortly after this was taken, but for the moment, I appear to be doing well...)

Lake Tahoe!

In the gondola...

Happy Birffday, Steve

Oh, hai! Today I am blogging cuz Megan is trapped somewhere she said it is called "paper hell" but I don't know what she is talking about because she likes papers it always seemed to us, she has so many of them all over the floor.

Anyway, we wanted to make a birffday cake with some ingredients we were thinking about. Maybe tuna and treats, which are our favorite flavors. But then Not-Andy made the plan get messed up because he found this box and I said no, but he said yes, let's not make the cake anymore, let's play in the box.

This is what he sounds like all the time with his little cat noises. I told him if you don't bake this birffday cake with me, I will show the world your little voice. And, ok, he said fine I don't care. But I also didn't tell him I was going to say this: THIS IS WHAT HE SOUNDS LIKE IN THE BAFFROOM. LIKE WHEN HE IS USING THE LITTER BOX! HAHAHA what a nerd!

Anyway, this post is dedicated to Steve, a guy we hear about, I think he has cats so he is a V-I-P is how I would put it. It's his birffday. Like I said, about the cake, it's all Not-Andy's fault. Bai!

Cannot stop taking photographs of cats.

"Oh, hai!"

Andy battles a toy bug, momentarily appearing to be in outer space. (Outer space, however, soon reveals itself to be a black futon...)

It appears Andy is victorious. He kangaroo kicks Not-Andy off the couch to celebrate.

Not-Andy is a man of letters. He is a big reader. Oh, I mean - he is a wee big reader.

Not-Andy has been chosen

He is pet of the week in the newspaper. (Here is Andy's pet of the week feature.)

We must attend to his toilette. He is so fuzzy; there is much to attend to.

I am giggling uncontrollably in the background that "He looks like Martin Van Buren..."

Which he did. A little.

Andy's Shenanigans...

Andy declares that this glass is empty. EMPTY.

I question Andy's choice of armor...

Andy and Not-Andy... are adorable

Andy is the tabby (about 7 wks old); Not-Andy is his sidekick (5 wks old)... I'm their foster mommy for a little while....

I think I am in love...

Andy (he came with the name "Andy")

... Not-Andy (he came with the name "Fluffy-bum"...)

Not-Andy attacks the dire threat that is... The Paper Bag.

At the end of the day, being so very fluffy, Not-Andy is... a lover, not a fighter.

Nnnooo.... to think. Pastina could have ROCKED this sport. One more wee trophy on her wee mantle. * tear

Aw, a training regimen, to prep for the big day. ...But, what?! Just cardio? No weight-training?

PETS! I WANT PETS!

I miss Pastina :( What a good ham she was.

Visited a pet store the other day to soothe my pet-withdrawal.

I feel very bad for you, hermit crabs. They have given you the most undignified shells ever! Especially you in the back, with the word "Rad!" painted on. And the "Go USA!" with little squiggles is just weird.

(Hm. Even NOT on a crab it would make me feel weird... Unless we are at the Olympics. Which we're not. Ok, sorry, sorry, I'm done.)

This hamster has a problem. "Seeds! Kernels! Must get me some seeds! Kernels!"

A day in LA

Began at the LACMA... (Above is a funny, hangy-down sculpture installation thing that little kids like a lot. I liked it a lot, too. You just have to be careful and look out for the big concrete post in the middle if you are running through it at high speed. We noticed they padded the post, though. Maybe there had been a mishap...)

"Immortal with Toad"

This is one of Raquel's favorite exhibits at the LACMA. All of these mini carvings are kimono accessories. Some are made of ivory; some are made of NARWHAL TUSK!

Here is a pet-related photo I could not resist adding.... It's a billboard I saw near Echo Park. Pet-related, but with an LA twist.

Peter is a great cook. He made us candied kumquat mojitos and then paella for dinner. NOM!

Oh, p.s. - I tried to find a recipe for the mojitos (they were really, really tasty) and here is one from the LA Times.

Last day at Olympic National Park...

Last day in the Olympic National Park... Having done the mountains (and survived -cough- ) we decided to check out the rainforest and the coast...

First sign you see, upon entering the Hoh Rainforest.... BIG SPRUCE TREE, this-a-way.... Okayyy....

Yep, that's pretty big... (over 270 ft. high, 12.5 ft. diameter, 550 years old)

This is the phone Frodo uses...

(I couldn't help including it, if only to illustrate just how lush and green everything is in the rainforest here...)

Along the Hoh River... We took a hike along the Hoh, amid rain showers, no surprise...

And saw this guy!!!! Eeeeek!

SO GREEN! This is club moss, which is actually more related to the fern family than to the moss family. It hangs on all the trees here...

Crescent Lake, carved by glaciers... The clouds are truly a part of the landscape here.

Mist and clouds...

Second beach (I think) at the La Push region... Great driftwood, empty beaches, and a healthy, powerful coastline.