Monday Marmot Blogging

Marmot - Sierra Nevada  2005

Taken above timberline during my dayhike up to Forester Pass. So, a little out of sequence here, but I needed a Monday animal post, so . . .

Kearsarge Pinnacles

Kearsarge Pinnacles, Lakes - Sierra Nevada  2005

Kearsarge Pinnacles - Sierra Nevada  2005

From the notes:

2:30—Camp on Kearsarge Lakes near shore. Nice views. Hardened camp sites with bear boxes. Mike meets 83-yr old backpacker. Uses packbag that he has made, and tarp that he has made. Just coming off of a 10-day hike. Last big hike was when he was 79. [Note: no matter how old you are and what you're doing, there's always going to be someone way older than you doing stuff that's way more impressive than what you're doing.)

5:30—Chardonnay. Yum! Will use the bear box tonight, as a precaution.

7:30—50º. Last alpenglow. I retreat into the tent.

Kearsarge Pinnacles, Boots - Sierra Nevada  2005

Kearsarge Pass

Kearsarge Pass - Sierra Nevada  2005

Mike, Kearsarge Pass - Sierra Nevada  2005

From my notes taken during the hike:

Up at 6 AM. 47º.

6:30—Sunrise.

8:-00—Leave campground. Seems like an awfully lot of fussing needed . . . toss all unused food . . . figure out what I’m going to take, what to leave behind . . . make sure that all backpack items in paper sacks & cardboard boxes are in pack etc etc.

8:20—Trailhead at Onion Valley (9200 ft elevation). Store toiletries in bear box. Notice at trailhead warning that bears are breaking into certain bear canisters. [Later: most likely the new transparent models. They have screw-on lids that may be a weak point.]

8:30—Start backpack.

12:35 PM—Kearsarge Pass. Tough.

1:20—Leave KP. Enter King’s Canyon National Park.

Kearsarge Pass,  Lakes Topo Map

Onion Valley Sagebrush, Sunrise

Sagebrush (Onion Valley) - Sierra Nevada  2005

Moon, Sunrise (Onion Valley) - Sierra Nevada  2005

Photos taken while at my pre-backpack Onion Valley campsite.

Kearsarge Pass / Forester Pass Backpack - 2005

Tent, Onion Valley Campsite - Sierra Nevada  2005

Nissan Maxima, Onion Valley  Campsite - Sierra Nevada  2005

As I was flipping through my earlier digital contact sheets I came across these photos taken during a solo backpack in 2005 over Kearsarge Pass. They were taken with an Olympus C-8080, my first "good" digital camera. Some of the photos are quite nice, if I do say so myself. (Earlier this year I posted some 2007 backpack photos.)

This was one in a series of hikes that I was taking that took me over the Sierra crest from Owens Valley into the back country. (Prior to that I had mainly done a number of out and back overnights.)

In those days my standard practice was to car camp the night before the start of the hike, thus ensuring an early start. Please note the powerful Nissan Maxima that I was using at the time.

Onion Valley Topo Map

Back of Trader Joe's

Bicycle, Chair (San Rafael) - Marin County  2019

Houseboat (San Rafael) - Marin County  2019

Waiting for Weight Watchers to open. (My monthly visit.)

Mt Tamalpais from Loma Alta

Serpentinite, Mt Tamalpais - Marin County  2019

Slow, Mt Tamalpais - Marin County  2019

Taken with my older Olympus E-M10 and a 14-150mm zoom lens. The camera is quite lightweight, good for hiking and backpacking.

Monday Goat Blogging (1965)

Goats - Okinawa  1965

I don't think that these photos have been posted on the blog before. One of my fellow servicemen in the U.S. Army was from Hyannisport, MA. He had somehow acquired a small sailboat and then somehow convinced me that it was a good idea to sail from the main island of Okinawa to one of the very smaller islands nearby.

Crazy, of course, since I can't swim, and we had no life vests.

Photos taken with a Nikon F, using Kodachrome film.

Boat - Okinawa  1965

Palm in Corner

Palm in Corner (Fairfax) - Marin County  2019

. . . in our house.

Marin Art

Mural - Marin County  2019

Teeth - Marin County  2019

Top: for some reason I've just noticed this piece.

Bottom: I finally stopped to park and take an iPhone photo of this outstanding example of dental art in Novato.

San Rafael Sightems - 2

Mini (San Rafael) - Marin County  2019

Mirror, Self-Portrait (San Rafael) - Marin County  2019

Of course I had to make a beeline to the mirror.

("A bee line is an idiom for the shortest route or a straight line between two points.")

San Rafael Sightems - 1

Barsotti's (San Rafael) - Marin County  2019

Roll-Up Door (San Rafael) - Marin County  2019

Walking around the Canal District in San Rafael with the small Canon G5XII.

Bay Leaves

Bay Leaves, Fog - Marin County  2019

Bay Leaves - Marin County  2019

Taken during recent hikes in Marin.

Buckeye

Buckeye (July) - Marin County  2019

Buckeye (August) - Marin County  2019

California Buckeye, first tree to leaf out in the spring, first to fade in the summer. Bottom photo taken during a 100 degree afternoon.

Poison Oak

Branches, Poison Oak - Marin County  2019

Branches, Poison Oak - Marin County  2019

Late summer Marin foliage.

Monday Dog Blogging

Dogs - San Francisco  2019

Cute, but just a little yappy, as I recall.

Oakland Sightems - 2

Red Chairs - Oakland  2019

Ali Golden - Oakland  2019

Small alleyway with an ice cream place. (Holding my ice cream in one hand and the small Canon in the other.)

Oakland Sightems - 1

Red Wall - Oakland  2019

The Town - Oakland  2019

Taken during a recent Diners' Club excursion to Oakland's Temescal district.

Mt Tamalpais Black and White

Mt. Tamalpais, Dry Grass - Marin County  2019

Mt. Tamalpais, Clouds - Marin County  2019

Top photo taken with an Olympus E-M1II and a 14-150mm lens.

Bottom taken with a Canon G5XII.

Truckee Experiences

Pizza and Beer - Truckee  2019

Wharfs - Lake Tahoe  2019

Pizza and beer! Good . . . except . . . gave me a touch of "pizza stomach" if you know what I mean.

We drove south to the north shore of Lake Tahoe, ran into a lot of traffic, turned around and drove back. But not before I pulled over to take an I-was-there iPhone panorama.

Truckee Flowers

Puffball - Truckee  2019

Hibiscus - Truckee  2019

Photos taken with a Canon G5X.

Truckee Sightems

Building, Window Reflection - Truckee  2019

Truckee Railroad Utility  Structure - Truckee  2019

I've always liked the high altitude light found in Truckee. But . . . on the perimeter of town you can see a lot of development taking place. With more to come, I expect.

Monday Cow Blogging

Cow and Fence, Fog - Marin County  2019

Cow, Road, Tree, Fog - Marin County  2019

Taken during some recent early-morning fog episodes. I had to grab the camera and drive over the hill to the San Geronimo Valley.

Trail Views

Hali, Meadow - Sierra Nevada  2019

Beaver Pond - Sierra Nevada  2019

The trail ends at a reservoir / meadow . . . there's supposedly a way to do a loop back to the highway, but we didn't see it. Along the way there's a beaver pond! Alas, no beavers sighted.

Trail Details

Tree Trunk - Sierra Nevada  2019

Pine Needles, Cones - Sierra Nevada  2019

I couldn't pass the dead tree by without taking a photo . . . it's the law.

And then, a quicky forest detail shot after removing a few twigs from the scene.