6/29: Interstate and Back to the Stomping Ground

And just like that, it's basically July. How does this happen? Summer always flies, and this one more than most. This will be short since I'm just bumming out at Black Velvet Coffee in Mammoth before heading back into the mountains, but here's a quick recap of our recent weeks.

We've been having more amazing adventures, road trips, and reunions.

First: IDAHO! 

We took a great long weekend to go hang out around Eagle, ID visiting Kevin, Dawn, Bigsley, Scout, Felix and Bandit at their new beautiful home just west of Boise. It was a gorgeous, easy drive through the desert to get to their little oasis home. When we weren't watching the quailies (hi Dan!) and foal at the little ranch just out their backyard, we were seeing some cool sights, going on very short hikes with Mattie, drinking great beers, watching osprey (and maybe a river otter) snag trout in the Boise River, sleeping in (such bums), catching a soccer game here and there, exploring downtown Boise and the wide open foothills to its north, of course forcing the cats to hang out with us, and enjoying our little visit to a new place. 

Here are some pictures (Dawn gets photo credit for a few of these - THANKS!) from our Idaho roadtrip.

1. Exploring around the dam at Swan Falls on the Snake River.

We may have seen a fisherman get pulled down the river in his kayak by a sturgeon.

There were giant fish breaching out of the water and Greg almost lost it. 

We're gonna be back to find the petroglyphs (they're at Ceremony Park).

We love giant machinery.

This canyon is unexpected and awesome.

 

2. Downtown Boise! 

Hanging out around Freak Alley with little Mattie.

Watching soccer and eating Mexican food. Mattie got Greg and Kevin kicked out, so they

drank their beers on the sidewalk while watching the game inside. Dawn took me to a 

very dangerous store where I broke an ornament and 

bought things I definitely don't need for the cabin. 

The entire city is covered in a canopy of trees, the parks are lush green grass

and there is water EVERYWHERE.

 

3. Crooked Fence!

This place is awesome. 

Live music, great food, awesome beers.

A big dog-friendly grass lawn and a pond with bullfrogs that sound like cows.

Here's Dawn, Kevin and Mattie in front of our favorite Idaho brewery. 

 

4. THANKS KITTIES!

These guys were real troopers. Thanks for letting us come crash your new place, buddies! 

BANDIT!

Bandito is always lurking and somewhat suspicious. 

Of all the cats, he is the most like a wild thing.

He gave Mattie a little harmless bat on her nose one day just to let her know who was in charge.

FELIX!

Felix is a sweet handsome kitty.

He mostly was not interested in hanging around Mattie but did keep an eye on her from a distance.

He also has a really impressive half-goatee.

BIGGY!

Bigsley was the only one who actually seemed to like hanging out with us. Hooray!

After the first couple days he didn't even seem too fazed by Mattie.

In fact, he and Mattie may have made a pact to team up against Bandit. 

Of the two of them, Mattie was definitely the bigger scaredy-cat.

(I don't know how "scaredy" is spelled, or if it's even a word).

SCOUT!

Scout is hilarious. 

I love this picture.

This brave little lady walked straight up to Mattie while she was sleeping and started

checking out the new big creature in her house.

She wasn't so brave when Mattie moved at all, but as long

as she played dead, Scout was a brave cat!

She is sweet and tiny, and still looks like Toothless. Thanks Scout!

 

And little Mattie finally made it to Idaho. 

She had a great time relaxing in the yard, sleeping on the cool floor in the house,

and making friends with the kitties. God, she really loves cats.

She also loved the cats' food, so thanks for sharing.

Here she is on her bed in the back yard, probably enjoying the quails 

on a warm Idaho summer evening just like we did.

 

THANK YOU Kevin and Dawn (and kitties) for hosting us on our first - and definitely not last - trip out to see your great new home! Love you guys!

We headed back to Reno, spent a few days fishing in the Truckee and just bumming around the ranch.

Here's Greg hanging out with Butch Weirdhorse.

This horse cannot be trusted, but we like him anyway.

Mostly I give him a carrot and run away and hope he doesn't chase me.

Owlie was not at the barn when we got back, and I am concerned.

Then it was down to the Eastern Sierra...I mean, the real Eastern Sierra. That beautiful stretch of the Owens Valley that we will always think of as our summer home.

This time, we were heading down for the annual Jennings vs. Outlaws Fish-Off at Convict Lake!

We fished, explored, adventured, swam, ate, drank, Emme broke her arm and Daniel Nylen (our long lost brother showed up!) got a fish hook stuck in his finger, watched some more soccer, and just hung around the campground with our family, and old and new friends.

Here are some pictures from the weekend.

 Yeti, Grandpa and Anni at the campsite on Convict Creek.

Anni, Emme, Sidney and Aidan at the swimming/fishing hole behind camp.

Anni, Laura, Emme and Sidney.

Our family!

In front of the Convict Lake General Store.

Just like the pictures we used to take 32 years ago. 

With a few new additions - and even one on the way!

Floating, water fighting and lazing around on the shores of Convict Lake.

These two.

Grandpa, Sidney, Grandma and Anni.

Of course, little Mattie.

Enjoying the cool water, shade, and way too many treats.

A good life for a dog, when your people are BBQ'ing over a fire every night.

Then everyone left.

Usually when I say that, I mean that it's just me and Mattie (and sometimes Greg) hanging out in the Sierras by ourselves again.

But this time, I mean EVERYONE left. 

It was a warm, exhausting weekend of camping for Mattie. So she decided to head back to Reno with Greg for a few days of sleeping in an air-conditioned house at the ranch, making sure a minor infection on her foot healed up cleanly and quickly.

I'm still here on the East Side, camping up at Rock Creek Lake and keeping a good campsite for this weekend when SAM AND SARA are coming up! But that's not until Friday, so for a few days I'm really just out here on my own. It's amazing the difference a dog makes, and I find myself missing my little wilderness buddy. 

Still, the mountains are always good company and the sound of the water makes sleeping easy. Yesterday was filled with lighting and thunderstorms that rolled through the canyons and cooled everything down. Fish are hitting the surface and I can't figure out on what. 

Last night at dusk a little feral child (parents nowhere to be seen) came running up to me on the shore of the lake. The conversation when kind of like this: 

Boy: "Hey! Are you fly fishing?"

     "Yep."

Boy: "Hm. You gettin' any bites?"

     "No, just a few nibbles. No fish yet though. You?"

Boy: "No. Not yet. I don't really know how to fish."

     "It's pretty hard sometimes."

Boy: "Yeah. Are your flies real flies?"

     "No, they're fake flies. They're made out of string and feathers to look like real bugs."

Boy: (Long pause with a furrowed brow) "And they eat them?"

     "Well, sometimes. I'm not so good at it."

Boy: (Long pause) "Hm. Can I see some?"

     "Sure." (Get out the box of flies that Greg left for me). "See? There are all different kinds. They are supposed to look like different bugs they might eat."

Boy: (Looking skeptical) "They don't look like real bugs."

     "Yeah, I think maybe they look different to the fish though."

Boy: "Hm. Maybe." (Pause, thinking hard). "Well thanks for showing me. I talked to one guy today and he told me to buzz off."

     (Holding back laughter) "You got it. Good luck fishing!"

Boy: "Yeah I probably need some flies like those. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some. It would be fun to work at the tackle store." (Walks off somewhere in the dark, looking totally unconcerned about anything)

Just two more days until Greg and Mattie come back and our adventure clan is back together. In the meantime, he's of course sending me pictures of her totally passed out on the floor at Canepa Ranch.

Now, I'm off to do some wandering around in the sagebrush. And probably reading by the lake. And maybe getting some wild berry crumble at the Rock Creek Cafe (which is no longer Pie in the Sky, which is a total bummer, because after 37 years they stopped making pies...). Most likely some fishing this evening and another walk in Little Lakes Valley. You never know what you'll find in the middle of nowhere. 

Love from Black Velvet Coffee and Rock Creek Road,

Allison (that solo sign-off is a bummer and feels weird)

View out the front door at Rock Creek Lake.

There are few things more awesome than sitting out

a raging lightning and thunderstorm in a tent

with a good book and some snacks.

This morning's sunrise hike in Little Lakes Valley.

Mosquito Flats is living up to its name this year.

But nothing takes away from this view up to Bear Creek Spire.