Road Trip 2007

Destination, New Orleans

Chapter 1

Folsom, South Shore Lake Tahoe, Mellmac, Mono Lake

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As I already shared with you, my first night on the road was spent in luxury at my Son's home.  They designated a room just for Grampa!  They did this because they know how sad I am that they are now 2 1/2 hours away to visit instead of 45 minutes.  My sweet son and daughter in law.

Yes, these are the voraciously hungry baby swallows.  Can you hear them chirping?

DeDe (my daughter in law) thinks these babies are ugly. 

Now that is confusing to me as I thought all Mom's were convinced that any baby was cute, just for being a baby.

Perhaps some of the cuteness rubbed off from having to hose down the front porch under them, twice or more times a day,

 

Folsom Lake: As a kid in the early fifties, living in the Sacramento Delta was always a challenge due to flooding in the Spring.   I have several memories of having to wear knee high boots to wade through the flood water, just to get to my school bus stop.

The first year this dam was built and on line, in another words, doing it's job of holding back water, it was predicted that it would take five plus years for the lake to fill behind it.  

It filled up the same year it was finished, so much so the engineers were concerned that the concrete had not had time to fully strengthen.  We were happy that they did not release a lot of water because for the first time in years, we had no flood.

Yes, I am reminiscing.  I think it is wonderful that my grand kids don't know what a phonograph needle is and that at least two of them, don't have to worry about flooding from the American River.


and I never get tired of photographing Mono Lake.  So, shoot me.

The Gulls do nest here in Mono Lake.  The gray pigeon looking ones are teenagers.  They don't get the pretty white feathers until they are mature.  (Just like us.)   The gull in the second picture would pat the mud and then collect whatever it was, that boiled up to the surface.  I'm guessing Filot Mignon from the dancing enthusiasm he was showing.

Some Mono Lake Flora.


 The Mono Lake Moral Majority: Brine Shrimp and Flies.


On Friday, I camped in the Lundy Canyon Recreational area just a little bit north of Mono Lake and in the Sierras.  The campsites are maintained by the County of Mono.  They cost $12 apiece.  Why Lundy?  It has a lake, a trail, a roaring stream, camping and it's a very primitive wilderness like area at 8000 plus feet.  It is the best choice for a remote unspoiled Sierra Mountain experience.

At Lundy, you get to compete with the Beavers for the water.  When Beavers are lauded for their perseverance, hard work and engineering skills, it is no joke.  Check out these pictures:
The first photo shows a beaver hut in the center rear.  In the second photo, notice the height difference of the water behind the dam?  Amazing! Very industrious.  Bravo, Mr. Beaver.  By the way, have you ever tried to shave a beaver?  (Just teasing.  Don't get your panties twisted.)
 

A friend of mine is always pointing out what shapes she sees in this rock or that cloud and then, and then she gets indignant when I don't see the same thing.  I'll bet she claims this one looks like an Indian.  I don't get it.  It looks like a rock to me.  What do you think it looks like?

 
On this picture, locate the shadow, locate the fish!

The following two pictures show off this area and its primitive wilderness.  Imagine Mountain Sheep on the rocks of the first picture.  The falls in the second picture is the product of my telephoto lens saving me the actual trouble of hiking to them.  

Funny thing, I started up the trail thinking of hiking to the falls but my body said "Stop!"  Later I found out why.  I was at 8000+ feet elevation and apparently, I was starved for oxygen and I didn't know it.  It is funny how your body knows before your brain does.

So I am off to my next leg of this trip, hopefully ending up in Fruita, CO where I have four friends to visit.  Stuart and Saundra in Fruita and Joe and Jill in Glade Park.  Stuart and I were in the Air Force together.  Joe and Jill used to live in Sunnyvale and we were friends back then.  Saundra married Stu after Stu moved to Colorado.  She is such a sweet and friendly person.  I always enjoy my visits to this little piece of American paradise in Colorado.


Disclaimer:  No animals or humans were hurt in the making of these photos.

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