Joshua Tree in March

Since I started in the melon program I have been going to Arizona every spring to sow trials. I always try to make time to visit Joshua Tree park on the way back. Rakesh and I spent a couple of days hiking around the park.

Lots of sun, although not as hot as Arizona.

Rakesh enjoying the breeze

Phacelia campanularia ssp vasiformis

There is a history of mining in the park and it is really interesting to visit some of the old mining sites. The conditions people used to live under were pretty harsh, but the lure of gold was a strong persuasion.

Sitting in an old rock house built under a giant boulder by miners

Only the foundation remains

The mines were covered with metal grates. There were a couple that you could squeeze into.

I went into one mine out of curiosity. I didn't go far because I didn't have a headlamp. It was really cool to be inside a mine and think what it must have been like to dig out that tunnel. Glad it wasn't me...

Entering the mine, just follow the tracks (and climb through the grate)

Long exposure shot inside the mine, I popped off the flash a couple of times as well. It was really dark.

We spent the night sleeping out amongst the Joshua Trees. All the campgrounds were full, I guess March is a busy time of year here.

Star Trails

The next day we spent in the Wonderland of Rocks. There is supposedly a hidden house (Oh-bay-yo-yo cave), built under a rock as well as a hidden arch in this area of the park. We spent most of the day hiking around and climbing over rocks trying to find these places. While it was fun searching we were not successful. Maybe next time.

Mt San Jacinto in the distance

Where the hell are we?

Rock face

Good times were had, hopefully I can get back there soon.

Tomales Point Trail (Pt Reyes)

Had a great day yesterday! Went back out to Tomales Point with Lori and Marjorie. The weather was beautiful, wind was pleasant and the elk were out in force.

Tomales Point is at the northern tip of Pt Reyes National Seashore and is a great place to see Tule Elk. It is only a 2 hour drive from our house, so not too far for a day trip.

At the beginning of the hike are a group of buildings belonging to an old Ranch. What an incredible place to live!

Living Roof

We saw four different herds during the 8 mile round trip.

Local Wildlife

Some flowers were blooming.

Iris douglasiana

Pollination in Action

Eschscholzia californica

Lori is Happy

Of course we hit up the Indian Restaurant in Dixon on the way back, YUM!

Stebbins Cold Canyon

We did a quick hike up Stebbins again, this time we took the new trail. I think it is about the same mileage as our usual route but a bit more rugged. My legs definitely felt the difference. Not too many photos, much of it is not very photogenic but still a worthy hike.

Here are a few shots of spring:

Stay clear of this one! All over the trail.

Gathering of the Gear Geeks 5

The 5th annual GGG has come and gone. This was the second one I attended and it seems to be becoming the tradition to hold it at Henry Coe State Park. There were around 60 people this year and it was great to see old friends, some of whom I have not seen since the last GGG.

Dead Live Oak

This is a great opportunity to geek out on the latest lightweight gear, there is always someone with the latest and greatest thing that you can touch and drool over. For many of us this is the only opportunity to see lightweight gear in person before purchasing. There are very few stores that sell this stuff, it is almost entirely driven by online sales.
Usually a couple of the lightweight cottage gear makers show up and this time was no exception. We had people from:

Six Moons Designs
Tarptent
Gossamer Gear
Trail Designs

There may have been one or two others that I didnt see.

The highlight for me was probably the annual wood burning stove burn off. Who can boil a liter of water the fastest?

Rick with homemade stove

Jack getting smoked

Checking out the Biolite

Burn baby Burn!

Winner was Marc with his set-up, sorry I cant remember the details. Some thought he cheated because he used a small battery powered air mattress inflator to help his fire heat up. But hey, there are no real rules and it is a multipurpose use item, so I give it a thumbs up for creativity!

I brought my camera but did not take too many photos, maybe next year. I did take a few flower shots, I love spring!

Yosemite in February

So I had a three day weekend and decided to check out Yosemite again. This time was just for photography, no crazy winter camping! I stayed in Camp4 again and there were a few more people this time but it was still not crowded at all.

Wildcat Fall (I think)

Perhaps it was due to the better weather but this time there were probably 2-3 times more people than during my trip in January. I tend to like solitude so this takes some adjusting for me, but I met a few really nice people and had a great time.

Bridalveil Falls

I wanted to see some different places this time and as the snow was mostly gone I had the opportunity to do a few hikes.

Just below Yosemite Falls

I hiked up to the top of Upper Yosemite Falls, about 3000 feet of elevation gain in 3.5 miles, so pretty steep. Great views on the way up but I thought there would be a better view of the top of the falls at the viewing platform. There is if you crawl under the gaurd rail and look over the 3000 foot cliff. I am not that brave so I leave it to others to document that.

Upper Yosemite Falls with Half Dome

Before leaving the park I did a morning walk from Camp4 to Vernal Falls over to Mirror lake and back to camp. Ill admit I was a little disapointed as the path to Vernal Falls was closed before you could really see the falls. I could have ignored the sign but I am a good citizen :)

Vernal Fall (barely)

Mirror lake was frozen and snow covered, so no mirror.

Ice detail

But it was a nice walk, maybe 7 or 8 miles and a good way to get some excercise before driving back.

Cathedral Rock

I am not sure when the park will get really crowded, maybe April, when the snowmelt is going strong and all the falls are flowing fast. I like being able to just show up and camp in the valley without reservations but this will not last much longer. If I get a chance, I will try for another trip in March.

Yours Truly

12th Annual Edwardian Ball

San Francisco has some great events, if you are into partying, I think this is the place to live. Lori and I enjoy a good party, so we decided to head into The City to check out the Edwardian Ball.

This is an annual event, and it seems to have become quite popular. I believe there were between 1000 and 1500 people stuffed into the Regency Ballroom. And it was stuffed, although there were multiple floors and multiple rooms, people were everywhere, not for the claustrophobic!

The costumes were amazing, some people dropped serious coin and effort to deck themselves out in the latest retro Edwardian/Victorian/Steampunk styles.

Lori, of course, pulled off a great low-budget costume and I pulled off a poor low-budget costume but at least I made some effort!

There was music, dancing, circus acts, burlesque, fortune tellers, mimes, a steampunk workshop, and much more. If this sounds interesting, check it out next year, I don't think you will regret it.