IN CELEBRATION OF 10...

Our new wedding bands arrived today.

They were made by a lady in the United Kingdom.  Her name is Hannah Louise Lamb.

If you look closely, there is a peak that looks very familiar. Yes, Mt. Whitney, and there is also Lone Pine Peak (not in view).  These rings pull apart.

She did a remarkable job.

Whitney...

Lone Pine Peak

A PERFECT +10...

Today is our 10th anniversary. Below is a trip report.


JULY 13:

We pick up our rental vehicle, a black Nissan Rogue.

We drive via SR 49 and SR 140 through Mariposa and Yosemite National Park. We stopped to walk around in Tuolumne Meadows to stretch our legs and enjoy the 360° scenery. There were no services: no gas station, the visitor center was closed, and all of the campgrounds from Crane Flat to Tuolumne were closed.

We stop off by Aspen Grove to reserve campsite 16 for July 15-16.

We arrive in Bishop and check in to the Creekside Inn in Bishop, CA. We stay in Room 224 on the second floor overlooking the creek that flows through the premises. The creek was overflowing due to the melts.

We dine at Whiskey Creek and order a vegan linguine alfredo. It was delicious. Our bartender Tom mixed us a concoction what he called Liquid Valium made with Crown Royal, peach scnhapps, orange juice, and cranberry juice.

JULY 14:

We have breakfast at Creekside. We then stopped at the Looney Bean Coffee Shop for some delicious coffee to go.

We arrive at Whitney Portal and prepare for our short 5.5 mile hike. We opted to go the Shortcut instead of the Stock Trail to avoid the Carillon Crossing which was a raging torrent of water.

We took our time and and enjoyed the scenery. We had to adjust to the altitude doing mountaineer breaths and going at a slow pace. The weather was exceptionally warm and the temperature was around the mid-80s. You could feel the heat coming off the exposed trail and the granite rocks. The shade provided excellent comfort from the sun.

We went passed the turn off to the lake and headed directly to the edge of the Whitney Zone. After a few photos we turned back and went in the direction of the lake.

When we arrived, we were not disappointed. The lake was calm and full to capacity. Some golden trout were seen breaking the surface. It was a sight to behold.

We head back down. On the way down near Switchback 14, we were swarmed by hundreds of dragonflies.

We reach the end of the trail and go to the vehicle to doff our hiking clothes for cleaner items. We stopped by the Portal Store to say hi to the proprietor, Doug. We ordered our vegan meal of Portal Fries. They were delicious! Fresh cut, deep fried twice to a golden brown. The picture below tells it all to the quality and quantity of our order.

We returned to Bishop to shower up and take a quick nap. We went back to Whiskey Creek for dinner. I ordered a portobello sandwich with sweet potato fries while my wife orders the While we were eating, I noticed a gentleman setting up to perform. He had a violin, mandolin, guitar, and a couple of banjos. It was a great show.

http://www.fiddlinpete.com/

JULY 15:

We eat our final breakfast at the hotel. We stop off at the Looney Bean to get our to-gos before heading north. We stop at Whoa Nellie Deli in Lee Vining for lunch. We order an Asian Salad and an order of portobello sandwich. Both were delicious. After eating, we proceed to our campsite and set up our tent. Lee Vining Creek was flowing. We have never seen the cascades like it before. We returned to the deli for another order of portobello sandwich for me and vegetarian chili for my wife.

JULY 16:

We break camp. We stop at Latte Dah and order two Americanos to go. We stop at the Mono Lake turnout to walk down to the shore and see the thousands of brine flies.

After travelling through Bridgeport, we turn left on SR 108 to Sonora Pass. It is such a beautiful drive.

We stop at a couple of spots along the way before heading to Merced for some vegan Chipotle before heading home up the SR 140 to Mariposa then onto SR 49 to home.

JULY 17:

We dined at the exquisite Erna's Elderberry House in Oakhurst. It was first time dining in that fine dining establishment. Our dinner was compliments of JayMi and MIL.

http://www.chateausureau.com/ernas-elderberry-house-restaurant/


The pictures that highlighted our trip in the Sierra Nevadas.

Log crossing...


Lone Pine Lake...


Two lovers with nothing better to do...I should have wiped my nose before taking this shot.


The rope...


We love going vegan...



Tuolumne Meadows...



Mono Lake...



Mono flies...


Sonora Pass...



Pacific Crest Trail...

10 years ago...

Aspen Grove cascade...

Outside of Yosemite on Tioga Pass Road...

My beautiful wife...

Our personalized menu...

Near the Whitney Zone.

BANDIT...

My MIL gets a new puppy and names him Bandit.

My wife and I went to the Fresno SPCA to pick him up.

My wife and MIL went to Fresno on Saturday, July 1, to look at puppies.

MIL wanted a female but opted for the male.

VEGAN WE...

ALLES GUTE ZUM GEBURTSTAG

Our neighbor, Klaus, turns 90 today.

He is a former Russian prisoner of war in WW II.

He has seen a lot in his lifetime and we are honored that he is our neighbor and friend.

HUNNERD...

Well, we are not in Phoenix, but the temperatures up here posted 100°+ over the last ten days.

That is a rare occurrence at 3,000 feet. Especially in June.

There is still July, August, and September.

So far, no major fires in our area...

Yet.

MEET THE PARENTS...

Some guy, my wife, EzeKiel, GenNis, AleLi, EriKa, and KC at Corlieu Falls of Lewis Creek.

We were honored by the visit of our future daughter-in-law's parents, GenNis and AleLi, and her brother, EzeKiel.  It was their first visit to our home.

We had met them two years earlier and KC's and EriKa's graduation in May 2015.

NAY MAY...

Only 0.13 inches of precipitation fell for the entire month of May.

2014: 0.54
2015: 1.87
2016: 1.83

Now, fire season begins in June.

GOODBYE, TOBY

We had to put my MIL's dog, Toby, down.

He had tumors in his lungs and his health was deteriorating rapidly.

We took him to the veterinarian. There they inserted a catheter in his left leg. He was then carried out to the car and placed in my MIL's lap. The vet went to the other side to administer the dosage that would end his life. He expired at 4:27 p.m.

We buried him next to Pop's tree at 5:15 p.m.

He will be missed. He was a very good dog.

YOSEMITE PLUS ANOTHER 4,300 MILES

Four beautiful women...

My mother, some guy, and my aunt...

Yes, I ate all of this.

My mother and Aunt KiMiko came to visit us.  They arrived at Yosemite Airport on May 9.

We went to Bass Lake to have a Forks Burger, we went to Yosemite National Park and had a good soaking from Bridalveil Falls and witnessed spectacular waterfalls.

My aunt celebrated her first Mother's Day in the United States.  My mother celebrated her first in 10 years.  It was a great feeling to have my mother, my aunt, my wife, and my MIL celebrate together for the first time.  My aunt even played pool for the very first time.

On May 15, we headed east.

The I-80 to and the I-70 back.

Through California, Nevada, Utah, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona.

We went through South Lake Tahoe and stopped there to make our lunches. As we ate, it started to snow lightly.

Then it was on to Salt Lake City, Utah, where we spent the night.

The next morning we drove through Wyoming and spent the night at North Platte, Nebraska. Prior to arriving we drove into a hailstorm and heavy rain.

Then, it was off to Platte City, Missouri, to visit my wife's cousin, ShaRon, and her husband Tim. All of us drove to Joe's Kansas City BBQ. I ordered a full rack of pork ribs and it was delicious.

Then, we headed out to Jacksonville Veterans Cemetery to visit my father's grave. We then drove to Lentner to visit my Uncle J and Aunt Pearl's gravesite at the Mt. Hope cemetery.

We stopped in Shelbyville to visit a couple of people before heading west on Highway 36 to Topeka, Kansas. While arriving in Topeka we drove through yet another storm.

Then, it was off to Denver, Colorado, for the night.

As we head out the next day, we encountered more snowy weather while traveling through the Rockies. It was quite a sight to see especially in May.

We crossed over into Utah and spent the night at St. George.

Then it was off to end our trip to our home.

C5...C6...C7...BINGO!

Had surgery on my C5-C6-C7 to replace a herniated disc in one section and to extract bone marrow from my sternum to fuse together another section.

Throat was sore from the tube they stuck down my throat so I could breathe.

Oxycodone and Tramadol...woo hoo...

Looks like a Japanese character.

No worries, that is super glue holding the skin together...

A PICTURE...

The above photo was taken by one of the local photographers in the mountain area. This photo hangs inconspicuously on a wall in one of the business establishments. If you don't look up, you will never see it nor know it was there.

One fact I do know, the subject in the picture passed away from bone cancer.

Letting go?
Worldly possessions?
Pain free?
I will find peace up there?

I leave it to you as what message this picture conveys...