Santa!

Santa - San Francisco  2025

Seen on Geary Blvd last month.

Lunch at Beautiful Lake Don Pedro

Tree, Lake Don Pedro - Tuolumne County  2025

Lunch at Lake Don Pedro Overlook - Tuolumne County  2025

Sometimes I stop at the McDonalds in Oakdale for lunch. Not this time! Fritos 'n Coke Zero and cheese sticks. Yum! Then the drive home in Friday afternoon traffic.

Half Dome

Half Dome - Yosemite  2025

Taken from Olmstead Point. Finally, a few scattered clouds!

Monday Goat Blogging

Goats, Fennel (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

Goat with Stick (Fairfax) - Marin County  2025

From last July. Our recent wet weather should provide them with plenty of tasty plant material next year!

Boulders

Boulder - Yosemite  2025

Boulder - Yosemite  2025

"In Yosemite, 'erratic boulders' are large rocks transported by ancient glaciers and left behind when the ice melted. These boulders can be made of a different rock type than the surrounding bedrock and are often found in unexpected places, such as on top of granite domes. Notable examples are found in areas like Tuolumne Meadows and at Olmsted Point."  --Gemini

I didn't have enough time to explore as much as I'd liked. I got distracted from the river/granite water features by several large (quite large!) boulders in the adjoining forest. Need to go back!

iPhone photos.

Tuolumne River

Tuolumne River - Yosemite  2025

Tuolumne River, Lembert Dome - Yosemite  2025

After parking the car I walked to the bridge and crossed over the river. My plan was to take a short walk following the river upstream . . . I seemed to recall areas where the river flowed over and through areas of sculptured granite.

Tioga Pass Mountains / Lembert Dome

Tioga Pass Mountains - Yosemite  2025

Lembert Dome - Yosemite  2025

Driving up from Mono Basin to the Tioga Pass entry station . . . easy to get through since the government shutdown was still going on. On my way to Bishop a few days ago I'd stopped at the Lembert Dome parking lot and wanted to stop by again.

I hiked up to the top of Lembert Dome in 2012 and had a little adventure coming down.

Convict Lake

Convict Lake - Sierra Nevada  2025

Of course, the usual very short drive up to Convict Lake. Not ideal conditions (cloudless sky, too contrasty due to partial sun on the right hand side).

Was better in 2023.

Highway 395 North

Highway 395, Sierra Crest - Owens Valley  2025

Crowley Lake - Owens Valley  2025

I've mentioned before that leaving Bishop the highway looks to be heading directly towards the mountains. (Eventually veers off to the right.)

Then, Crowley Lake, created by Los Angeles and famous for trout fishing.

Masa's Birthday!

Maz and Hanna, Playground - San Francisco  2014

Wow!

Monday Hairy Woodpecker Blogging

Hairy Woodpecker (Fairfax) - Marin County  2024

Small woodpecker with a distinctive high pitched "squeep" call. There are two of them hanging around here this year . . . maybe one is the same bird in last year's photo!

Aspens / Forest Floor

Aspen Branches & Leaves - Sierra Nevada  2025

Pine Cones, Aspen Leaves - Sierra Nevada  2025

So, after getting chased down the mountain by the cold and wind I drove down the road, stopping for some photos. Then over to a picnic spot for lunch and more photos.

Pine Needles, Leaves - Sierra Nevada  2025

Hanna's Birthday!

Exploring Hole in Tree - Marin County  2020

(Photo taken November, 2020.)

Wow! 

Windchill / Trail Issues / Lost Phone

Mountain Trail - Sierra Nevada  2025

Tree Trunks, Branches - Sierra Nevada  2025

"White fingers when cold are typically caused by Raynaud's phenomenon, a condition where blood vessels in the extremities narrow in response to cold or stress. This reduces blood flow, causing the skin to turn white or blue, accompanied by numbness or tingling. When warming up, the fingers may turn red and throb as blood flow returns. To manage this, keep hands warm and avoid cold exposure."

--Google AI

Mike's fingers were turning white due to the windchill, even wearing gloves. Very difficult to adjust the daypack waist belt!

The trail was pretty straightforward in parts: easily walkable going forward or gaining elevation. Some parts had granite steps to climb: strenuous but not that difficult. Then there were the sections that consisted of large rocks being piled on top of one another. Mike's granddaughter would have no problem skipping over them! But not Mike. He studied one problematic flat granite slab and thought to himself "Hm, looks like that could lead to a buttslide." And so it proved. Luckily, he landed on his daypack, so no harm from the slide.

Mike got up and continued down the trail. It took a while for him to realize that his iPhone was missing from his jacket pocket. How annoying! Fortunately he was able to use his Apple watch to find the phone, retracing his steps and pushing the phone location button on the watch until he could hear the iPhone's signal in the distance. There it was, lying on the ground!

Mike finally had to admit that the hike was turning out to be not particularly enjoyable. Time to turn around and head back to the trailhead.

iPhone on Ground - Sierra Nevada  2025

Sierra Hike Sightems

Roots, Granite - Sierra Nevada  2025

Pine Trunk - Sierra Nevada  2025

The windchill was making it slightly difficult to concentrate. But at least I managed to remember to take some forest detail photos.

Aspens, Wind

Aspens, Granite - Sierra Nevada  2025

Aspens, South Lake, Wind - Sierra Nevada  2025

I noticed some aspens huddled against a granite wall at the trailhead . . . took a photo using my Sony RX100 (finding it very capable so far - haven't made any prints yet).

It was quite cold, which made me a little apprehensive, what with the wind chill and all. I started off anyway, looking down on the aspens lining South Lake, some leaves still hanging on and the wind rippling the surface of the water.

Sierra Hike (Windy)

Mountain - Sierra Nevada  2025

Wind, South Lake - Sierra Nevada  2025

I had tried the hike to Treasure Lakes last year (2024), but didn't make it all the way. This time I thought that I should try it again, with an earlier start and sufficient hydration in my daypack.

But . . . the wind! The temperature was in the 40s when I arrived at the trailhead, and the wind whipping across South Lake made it feel much colder.

Monday Horse Blogging

Horse, Tree - Bishop  2025

Horse, Trees, Mountains - Bishop  2025

Within walking distance from my motel. 

Fritos & Beer

Fritos & Beer - Owens Valley  2025

Toyota - Owens Valley  2025

I found this neat spot last year: the entrance to an unpaved desert road with plenty of space to park and stretch out. Also . . . I had thoughtfully brought a folding chair this time!

Bishop Meals

Soba Dinner, Beer - Bishop  2025

El Pollo Loco - Bishop  2025

Soba brought from home and microwaved. El Pollo Loco just across the street.

Wow!

Saline Valley Road - 2

RV, Desert Hills - Owens Valley  2025

Sierra Crest from Saline Valley Road - Owens Valley  2025

I walked to the first ridge on the road so I could see the view on the other side. I was able to get a photo of the hills there as well as an RV heading down the road.

To the west, an imposing view of the Sierra crest.

Saline Valley Road - 1

Saline Valley Road - Owens Valley  2025

Similar photos have appeared before on the blog. This time I decided to walk down the road, first pausing at the tree for a closeup. Alas, I'm not sure exactly what kind of tree it is.

Tree (Saline Valley Road) - Owens Valley  2025

Death Valley Road

Death Valley Road - Owens Valley  2025

No Snow Removed - Owens Valley  2025

Drove up, parked the car, got out and walked around.

Valley Floor

Valley Floor - Owens Valley  2025

Dead Trees - Owens Valley  2025

One nice thing about this area: on one side of the valley you have mountains, on the other side you have desert. After aspen-viewing I drove down to Bishop, then south to Big Pine. Then, the road out of Big Pine towards Death Valley.

No clouds!

Monday Duck Blogging

Ducks - Bishop  2025

Taken during an afternoon walk in Bishop City Park. The South Fork of Bishop Creek runs right through the park with a large mallard population enjoying the pristine water.