How good is Yangshuo?

Labor Day Sun!

After a week of some pretty stormy weather up here on Rainier the sun is back out and a fresh coat of snow can be seen covering the upper mountain. Today and tomorrow are shaping up to be a great couple of days. The Emmons route is still in great late season shape and the DC is undergoing some changes, making the route a bit more difficult but motivated climbers could still find some great adventures by climbing out of Muir. We even have a very motivated lady who is currently at Muir with skis and planning on having a nice (possibly bumpy) Labor Day ski down the snowfield.









Check in with rangers at the CIC or high camps for the latest conditions. Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend!

Unique visitor at Grand Portage State Park

We had a unique visitor today at the state park where I work. It was a rather chilly and blustery day, but that did not seem to deter this intrepid little woodpecker. He spent most of the afternoon pecking at the trunk of a fallen Spruce tree. He also apparently was not bothered by my presence, as I was only about 10 feet away from him when I made this picture. My first thought was that it was a Black-backed Woodpecker, but I have since been corrected and am told that it is an American Three-toed Woodpecker. Whatever he is, he sure was a pretty little bird and was a lot of fun to watch!

Yellowstone and Mammoth Hot Springs

Since most of the roads in Yellowstone National Park are closed in the winter, you are pretty limited when it comes to what part of the park can be explored. The only road within Yellowstone that is open year-round is the road from Gardiner, Montana to Cooke City, Montana. Gardiner is known as the "North Entrance" to Yellowstone National Park.



Above: I saw this old SUV just outside the entrance to the park. I couldn't resist the shot, with the " No parking here to end of street" sign. Also notice the license plate... it says "FAST SUV". I don't know about you, but to me this SUV looks like it is anything but fast!

I arrived in Gardiner in the early afternoon, with enough time to make the drive from Gardiner to Cooke City. I was hoping to see some wildlife (mostly Elk), but all I saw were a few Bison that were way off in the distance in a field. Oh well, it was still an interesting and beautiful drive. The scenery in Yellowstone certainly is worth the drive. The Lamar Valley in particular is especially pretty.



Since most of the roads in Yellowstone are closed and open only to over-the-snow travel, some companies do operate shuttle vehicles that run on tracks instead of tires. Using tracks gives the vehicles greater flotation so they can drive on top of the snow.



Above: This picture of the moon off the top of a mountain peak was taken just outside of Cooke City.



I spent the night in Gardiner, and after my drive to Cooke City and back I got a bite to eat then went back out to try shooting some of the Mammoth Hot Springs in the moonlight. It certainly was pretty cool to see the bubbling and steaming hot springs at night. The steam takes on a whole different mood at night than it does during the day. I also found a nice viewpoint which gave me a wonderful view of the valley and the "town" of Mammoth (which is basically a town where all the park service employees live). It was a very chilly night (I think the low that night was around 15 degrees), so I kinda froze my rear off but it was worth it!



The next morning I woke well before sunrise so I could go back to the park and photograph the hot springs in the morning light. Right after I passed the park entrance I finally got my Elk wish... there were half a dozen Elk right in the middle of the road! As I inched my car closer and closer to them all of them walked off the road except for one. The one that stayed stood his ground right in the middle of the road, and as I got alongside him I rolled down my window and took this picture of him. He just stared at me as I inched past him. I think if I leaned out the window, he was close enough that I could have pet him! What a great start to the day :-)



After my encounter with the Elk I drove the few miles up to Mammoth Hot Springs, gathered my gear and went off down the boardwalk to shoot the hot springs again, this time in the morning light. Once the sunlight hit the steam from the hot springs, it just glowed. Since it was still only about 15 to 20 degrees outside, and the warm air escaping from the hot springs was now being hit directly by warm sunlight, there was a lot more steam than there was last night.





Below: I used my "little" camera to take this self-portrait of me with my "big" camera. Look at all that steam in the background! Even though most of Yellowstone is 'closed' this time of year, there is still plenty to see and do!

Bonham Lake Sunset

Friday, April 1st - - It was a short travel day today, only 160 miles, meandering westward along the Texas State Highways north of I-20 and ending up at Bonham Lake State Park. A restful afternoon was spent walking along the shores of the lake enjoying the sunshine and 85 degree temperature! Clouds moved in during the early evening hours. I thought they would block out the sun but, as often happens, the sun broke through and the clouds enhanced the beauty of the sunset.

Snake

I had to run out and try to plant some wildflower rescues before it rained. But I was stopped short by a very pretty black and yellow snake at the edge of the woods.

"Hello, little snake. You're very pretty. Thomas will definitely want to see you. Don't go away. Stay right there!"

He didn't listen to me though. By the time I got back with the camera, he was gone. I tried calling him, but it didn't work.

"Come back, pretty snake!"
(Snakes are above flattery.)
"Thomas will be so disappointed!"
(Snakes are impervious to guilt.)
"I'll make you a big star!"
(Snakes don't suffer from vanity.)

Oh, well. As with Thomas and his recent misadventures, things don't always work out like you plan.

OK, so what do I already have a picture of, that a first grade boy might like?

Maybe this.


Teeth on a deer skeleton.


Guess who dragged it into the yard.


Yep, that's who.

OK, Monk is coming on. It's the Halloween episode - I have to go watch Danny's house!

Spring Ruffed Grouse

Yesterday we had to run down the shore to do some errands and on the way home we stopped to do a couple of fun things. One of which was to stop at Cascade River State Park to see a Ruffed Grouse doing its annual drumming ritual. Ruffed Grouse "drum" their wings in an attempt to attract a mate. Usually they choose to do this from the log of a fallen tree, but this grouse has chosen a nice moss-covered rock to do his drumming. It is a beautiful location for the grouse to be but the lighting is best in the evening. Unfortunately we were there mid-day and the grouse was in complete shade while the forest behind him was in bright sun. If my camera had a flash I could have gotten a better in-camera exposure, however I have never owned a flash for my SLR camera. The highlights and shadows tools in Lightroom allowed me to edit my original image into a pretty decent shot, though. This photo was taken right after the grouse stopped drumming. After they've drummed they stay "puffed up" like this for a few moments, with their tail fanned out. From a distance these birds appear somewhat drab in color, but up close you realize how much detail and color is actually in their feathers. They really are quite beautiful birds!

Yellowstone :: Grand Prismatic Spring

Wednesday, August 31st - - Upon leaving the West Thumb area I stopped to see Old Faithful. I waited a little over half an hour for the old fellow to erupt. I'll just say it was less than spectacular. Old Faithful can have eruptions that last from a minute and a half to over four minutes. I happened to be there during one of the short eruptions in which it does not reach its maximum height. The next eruption, 90 minutes later, would probably have been a long one but I decided to go on to the next site on my list of “must see” things.





This diagram shows the features within the Midway Geyser Basin, the largest of which is the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring.





The water from the springs and pools in the area eventually makes its way to the Firehole River flowing below. Even here you could feel the heat from the water as it passed by. The sulfur smell was quite strong also.





A boardwalk trail meanders through the area giving you an “up close” look at the pools and springs. This is at the lower edge of Excelsior Geyser, which is currently dormant.





A panoramic view of Excelsior Geyser from its northern side (as with all photos, double-click on the image to view a larger version). Water flows from the geyser pool, down the hill, and into the Firehole River.





Water from the Grand Prismatic Spring flows into the Excelsior Geyser.



A view of Excelsior Geyser from its southwestern side.



Looking to the west toward the boardwalk around Grand Prismatic Spring from the boardwalk on the west side of Excelsior Geyser. The water is only a few inches deep between the two features.





The Grand Prismatic Spring. Colorful tendrils are formed by the heat-loving microorganisms where the water flows over the edge of the spring.





Looking back toward Excelsior Geyser.



The Opal Pool. You can just barely see Firehole River in the upper center of the photograph and the mountains way off in the far distance.





It was late in the evening when I headed back to the campground. This photo was taken along the western side of the southern loop in part of the Hayden Valley – that's the Yellowstone River flowing through the valley.



It had been a great day despite a few quick moving rain showers. The temperature was in the upper 60s and lower 70s all afternoon – great weather for sightseeing and playing the tourist!

Transitional Weather

Last week we had our first real day of spring. The sun had that special gentle quality to it and overnight an army of crocuses tore through blankets of dried leaves. All around nature seemed to be smiling. Riding my bike in a skirt, tights, long sleeve top and wool blazer, I was pretty comfortable in the 56°F temperature. And I was also amazed how many cyclists I saw out in t-shirts and shorts!



When finally it is warm and sunny after a long winter, it's tempting to dress as if it is summer.But with the transitional weather in March and April, this is also the time of the year a lot of people tend to get sick. After all, 50-60°F is not really that balmy.And even with the kinder temperatures, Spring (in New England at least) tends to be windy - and the wind hits cyclists directly in the face and chest with more force than it does pedestrians.






It took me a while to find a comfortable balance dressing for Spring's faux warmth, but after a couple of years I've more or less settled on a system. The trick for me is to keep it light, but windproof in the torso and to keep my neck covered. I find windbreakers too casual for everyday wear, and I also tend to sweat in them. But I like lightweight wool blazers and thin (unlined) trench coats. They are breathable, and the fabric is dense enough to protect from the wind without being too heavy.




My eyes are sensitive to the sun and wind, and Spring brings a powerful mixture of both. On the bike, my sunglasses pretty much stay on most of the time and I smear moisturiser or vaseline around my eyes on windy days.






As far as keeping my neck covered, lightweight silk scarves work well once big wool scarves get too warm and bulky. They also fold up very small if it gets too hot for them in the middle of the day. Recently a friend introduced me to the amazing world of inexpensive "cowboy" scarves. She has a collection of silk scarves in every colour and pattern imaginable, and she buys them from these online cowboy stores for like $20 each. Done!




Dressing for work on the bike can be trickyin the springtime, and of course different strategies will work for different people. I don't like being too hot or too cold, but I also don't want to stuff my pannier with pounds of "just in case" layers when I leave the house, so I like a system without too much bulk. What's your method of dressing for transitional weather?

Little Butterfly

Fount this little butterfly on one of my flowers the day before it got so cold last weekend. I know he is gone now. I see these off and on but this is first time I have ever been able to get a photo of one. They are only about a half inch in length. Flower was about 2 inches across.

Nikki

I have 3 dogs. Nikki is our oldest at 14. Her4 she is with Codee. She is a Lab/Collie cross, and has been a good adoptive mama to both Codee and Tuffee as well as our cats. Tuffee has ears that flop, Codee has ears that stand up, Nikki's ears may either flop or stand up depending on the mood she is in.I don't know how much longer she will be with us. I see her going down hill every day. She is deaf, and almost blind, and can't seem to stand up for very long any more, but she still insists on going outside every time I go out, crying when I try to leave her in. At times she still trys to get out and run and play with the other dogs. We will let her do the best she can for as long as she can. When I got Nikki I had a
nother German Shepherd named DeeDee. When DeeDee got old she couldn't seem to remember where the door was to come in and I got tired of going around the house to the side to get her. Nikki seemed to understand DeeDee's problem and leaned that when I said to "Go get DeeDee." she was to go to the other dog and lead her back to the door, and DeeDee would follow her. Now I tell Codee to go get Nikki when she is either out and can't hear me or is asleep and I am going out and think she needs to come with us. Tuffee is good at grabbing Nikki's collar and leading her to the house when we are outside, also. It is amazing how animals seem to know the help that their friends need.

SC II - first real ice routes of the season

Sunday we went to SC-II. It was seriously cold. Temps were below 0° and the wind was howling like crazy. It was Laura and I, Joel Toretti and PA Matt, CO Matt and his wife Rebecca. We were greeted by the howling winds at the Cliffs parking area. Upon hiking in, we found that the cold temperatures had locked up most of the water. There is still some water running and with the forecast calling for the lower 20's, the water will be flowing again in no time. Climbs are looking good. Laura and I climbed Called on Account of Security which was bonded much better than several days prior. The climb is a little thin at the bottom, but gets better as you go up. FYI There's a V thread backed up by a screw at the P1 Belay for lowering from there. P2 wasn't quite formed up yet. Joel tried to get on The Awakening, but the climb was very brittle and the temps were a little less than favorable for gear placement. They opted to drop a TR on the right central and run laps. Matt and Rebecca opted to head out earlier due to the cold. We ended the day around 3:00. It was a good day and we made some new ice climbing friends. I was glad to get up Called despite the temps and thin, brittle ice. Here's a few photos from the day.

The Mini's

Dustin has 3 Miniture Horses. 1st is Lucky, a black and white pinto, next is Lucky's brother Cloudy who is solid black and then there is his newest mini Tank.



















Dustin's newest mini, a little stallion named Mini Tank because he is so small and built more like a draft horse. I am with him in first photo of him and Dustin in the last one.

More Moose!

(Click the image to view a larger version)

What a day! Saw FIVE moose today... 4 on the same bend of the Pigeon River, first a male and female pair, then another female with a calf showed up and scared the other two away. Fifth one was seen on Partridge Falls Road on the way home. Paddled 10 miles on the river... besides Moose saw lots of Beavers, the Otter family of 6, and many ducks. The cow and calf shown in this photo crossed the river upstream from me three times, and I was able to get images of them each time they crossed. The image shown here was my favorite.