From The Blue Bubble To Shasta

I was in San Fran for a couple days to relax and refit.  Not unexpectedly I quickly grew restless and hit the road.  I spent the past few days in Bend, Oregon.   Here's some photos, and as you can see, Christmas is done a little differently in the Bay.

While in SF I came across a Santa-themed bar crawl.  

The mistletoe at a Chanukah party. 

Hold my beer and watch this.  I was soaked from head to toe, and my D200 was drenched.  Thankfully it continued to function without a hitch.

It never hurts to ask:  "May I take a picture?" Mind you, in the rest of America I would never attempt this photo with someone I did not know.  My mother always said to be bold, but I don't think this is what she had in mind.

Heading north on I-5.

Mt. Shasta from the town of Mt. Shasta.  I was originally going to make an attempt, but the Forest Service dissuaded me from doing so because the avy (avalanche) danger was too high with all the new snow blowing in.  So instead of a summit attempt I camped out and skinned up 1400 feet and skied down.  (Memo To File: Skiing in 3 feet of soft snow/fresh powder is hard as hell).

I went up with my new friend Mike, who I met in the parking lot.  Mike as over 1500 ski days in the past 18 years, so skiing with him was a very educational experience.  Mike brought his labs along, who by the end of the day were tired little doggies.

Looking down from above the treeline.  It does not get much better than this.

I felt right at home in Oregon.  The owner of this establishment, Jack, is one hell of a character with a fascinating life story.  We discussed guns, booze, hunting, scuba, and Democrats.  I wonder who he voted for....

Next stop -- Driggs, Idaho, Jackson Hole, Grand Tetons and the granddaddy of then all Yellowstone.

Flesh Lice or Fresh Lice?

While putting on the mandatory tire chains to access the upper regions of Sequoia National Park, I was approached by a petite asian woman asking for help.  It, was dark and snowing. The following exchange ensued:

Q: Do you flesh lice?
A: No. I don't have lice.
Q: Fresh lice please?
A:  I'm sorry I don't understand.  What about fresh lice?
Q: Yes, fresh lice please?
A: (Internal Monologue:  "What the hell is she talking about, what do lice have to do with Giant Sequoias?"  Queue dumb look on face.)
Q: Fresh lice please?
A: You want to borrow a flashlight?
Q: Yes.

After leaving Death Valley National Park, Emil and I traveled to Sequoia National Park to check out the giant trees.  Before arriving at the park I was confused as to the difference between Redwoods and Sequoias.  As the Giant Tree Museum made clear, Redwoods live on the Northern California Coast and are generally taller but thinner than their Sequoia cousins.  By volume and mass however, Sequoias are the largest living organism on the planet with some being over 2000 years old.  The Bristlecone Pine however is the oldest living organism on earth with some having an estimated age in excess of 4000 years.  Unfortunately, there are very few of these trees, and none of them live in SNP.

The Sequoias are so large that it is not unreasonable to assume they are made of concrete and were created by Disney in draw tourists to Cali.  Because of an incoming blizzard we limited our time in SNP so as to not get trapped in 3-feet of snow for several days.

If you look closely, Emil is standing at the base of tree in the dark crack.

Again, a little "abstract" but this is a picture of snow on the roots of a fallen Sequoia.

The trunk of a burned Sequoia.

Being on the road for weeks on end requires the occasional  laundromat vist.  Here's my whip on the streets of Fresno at about 8 a.m.

After doing some laundry and stocking up on supplies, head off to Yosemite National Park.

As many of you are aware, El Capitan is the home of big wall climbing and may be the most famous rock face in the world.   We did some scrambling on the first few feet of the Nose route and on a large bulge a few hundred feet to the left.  Good times all around and I plan on coming back for some of YNP's easy trad routes.

Now it's time to play America's favorite at-home climbing game -- Spot The Climber.

In case you are wondering, the face of El Cap is in more than 3000 feet.  

I'm in San Fran right now visting with some friends and relaxing for a day or two before I head out to Bend, Oregon.  Look for another update soon, with photos from San Fran and Point Reyes National Seashore.