7/6/16: Rockin' Rock Creek Week

Another great week of wandering, friends, beer, food, hiking, fishing, mosquitos and biting flies, beer, beer, etcetera and on and on forever.

Here's kind of what's happened over the past week, in pictures!

 

 I wandered solo in the Owens Valley for a few days.

There are places like this, that make you wonder if you weren't born in the wrong decade.

Or maybe century. 

It was hot, there are sphinx moth caterpillars everywhere,

I saw a big coyote and scared a few sleeping deer.

The evenings are perfect

and on a few days there were more scattered thundershowers.

 

When you are alone in the middle of nowhere,

it is totally acceptable to drive into town and buy

a large pizza and three sides of ranch

from Nik n' Willy's (duh)

and just eat that for (late) breakfast, lunch, dinner AND dessert

while out adventuring on the Benton Crossing Road for the whole day.

The new little used adventure mobile,

looking right at home near some cool hidden mortars.

McGee Creek always makes for a cool hangout.

By cool I mean really effing hot, but still awesome.

This reminds me of a great backpacking trip with

the one and only Mike Campanelli a few years back,

and makes me excited for upcoming trips

into the back country.

 

 Morrison and Laurel

and a nice view down to Hot Creek

at the end of a perfect day in the sagebrush.

 THEN FRIENDS CAME BACK!

Greg, Mattie, Milo, Sam and Sara all showed up early Friday afternoon.

We had our amazing campsite right on the shore at Rock Creek Lake

where we cooked, drank, fished, lounged, read, hiked, played hearts,

sat around the campfire, watched a bald eagle soaring and swooping over the lake, 

made up dumb songs (like "Dipshits on the Beach," the new single from Sam & Greg),

 got berry crisps a la mode from the Rock Creek Lake Resort (yummmm),

and generally just laughed and relaxed for three great days in one of the greatest canyons anywhere.

One of Sam's little Brookies (of course, released happy and healthy back into Mack Lake).

Patriotic Sam, with a Stars & Stripes Budweiser.

Patriotic Sara, making s'mores for breakfast on July 4th.

Because 'Merica means s'mores for breakfast

while a bald eagle flies overhead.

Our buddies left on Sunday, so Greg, Mattie, Milo and I headed back to our

favorite summer home along Lee Vining Creek.

It is always good to be back.

We even had a few browns on in the creek, but they are sneaky and elusive, and good at escaping.

I got bit by a thousand mosquitoes and biting flies, so had to put socks on

because they are ankle-feasters.

But I don't have matching socks.

 So, as always, MOUNTAIN FASHION:

Milo checking on everybody while Greg fishes in Lee Vining Creek.

 Sweet Mattie, relaxing on a perfect 4th of July evening

at our favorite secret campsite along a rushing Lee Vining Creek.

Home.

It was a perfect week in mountains and valleys

with great friends and sweet puppies.

 Yesterday, we came back to the ranch for some down time before heading

south for a Chris & Kelly wedding, Disneyland with the family,

then back north on the 395 for Friends Weekend 2016 at Convict Lake!

 Here's my favorite picture from the week:

a miracle portrait taken by Sam and Sara

where EVERYBODY is looking at the camera,

and Mattie doesn't look like she wishes she was dead.

Success!

 

Love from Canepa Ranch,

Allison and Mattie the Campfire Dog