Ruby Mountains - The Great Salt Lake - Park City, Utah

I drove from Eureka, CA to Elko, NV on August 23rd, and then explored the Ruby Mountains near Elko on the 24th. This mountain range was heavily glaciated in the not so distant past, evident by the broad 12 mile long U-shaped valley that I drove, as well as the cirques hanging beneath the peaks and ridges that lined both sides of the valley. This area seems loaded with great trails, some that I hope to explore in the future.

After the Ruby Mountains, I drove east into Utah, and crossed the Bonneville Salt Flats. A flat expanse of white surrounded both sides of I-80 for tens of miles leading to distant desert mountains. After exiting the flats, I soon arrived at the Great Salt Lake, another geological feature that I have only seen from an airplane. I hung out on the rocky shoreline that protects a boat dock at Great Salt Lake State Park, making sure to not get too close to the giant spiders that were taking refuge within every gap between the rocks. 

After staring across the salt lake and distant mountains for an hour or two, I drove over to the Salt Lake City Airport and picked up Carly Kovacik. We then made a quick drive over the Wasatch Mountains and had dinner in Park City, Utah. There is so much wealth in that town! It was fun...the beer and food was good, and I enjoyed strolling through downtown looking for magnets to add to my refrigerator collection. After our evening in Park City, Carly and I then drove four hours to Moab, Utah.

Brokeoff Mountain-Lassen Volcanic National Park

Kristin and I hiked Brokeoff Mountain in Lassen Volcanic National Park. Ongoing drought has decimated the early summer snowpack that I experienced last year when I hiked the mountain. But that was fine, it gave me a different perspective during my second ascent. We made it up and down the mountain in four hours...a nice quick hike on a brilliantly sunny Northern California day. After the hike, we made a stop at a boiling pool of mud at West Sulphur Creek--evidence of the volcanics that are still present beneath the surface. Check out the video at the bottom of the post.

Northern Lost Coast

Quick afternoon trip to the northern Lost Coast southwest of Ferndale, CA. 

Another Ascent Up Salmon Mountain

My coworker Zahaira Velez and myself made quick work of Salmon Mountain during late June. This is my second ascent of the mountain during the past month. It's a great hike in a beautiful wilderness so no complaints on my part. We passed a group of people improving the trail for horses, and it turns out I met the leader during a TREX prescribed burn last October. I hope we will meet agin this fall. Zahaira and I followed up Salmon Mountain the next day with a hike around the wild shoreline of Trinidad and the redwoods of Arcata. It's good to get outside during this period of covid madness.

Trinidad, CA and a Birthday Hike in Prairie Creek State Park

Kristin Bowman and myself enjoyed the beach scenery in Trinidad, CA on June 11th, and then followed that with a hike in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park on my birthday, June 12th. We walked a trail I've done numerous times in the past, heading north on the Foothill Trail, then heading uphill on the Rhododendron Trail before heading downhill on the Cal-Barre Road. We were in the rain most of the hike, but it was still fun. We ended the day eating a vegan concoction for dinner, as well as cherry cheesecake.

Canyon Creek Lake

My coworker Zahaira Velez and myself did a 16 mile roundtrip out-and-back to Canyon Creek Lake in the Trinity Alps located in Northern California. The scenery was a mirror image of the granite spires typical of the Sierra Nevada located well to the southeast. We hiked 7 miles up trail and then reached a creek crossing. I wimped out and crawled across a set of logs spanning the creek, while Zahaira was more brave and did a balance beam act across the logs that put me to shame. We reached the lower Canyon Creek Lake a mile later and soaked in glacially carved sidewalls towering above the U-shaped valley. A storm was rolling in and it actually started to snow and sleet at our elevation (around ~5,500 feet MSL)...snow in June!...we took one last look at the lake and then booked it back downhill.

Early May Ascent of Salmon Mountain

I ascended Salmon Mountain during early May 2020. It seems like this peak is turning into my inaugural mountain hike each year. I appreciate the steep snow slopes near the top that provide a brief moment of mountaineering. Otherwise, the hike through the pines is always appreciated. I've done this mountain many many times now, and usually there isn't anything too interesting to write about. However, the drive towards the trailhead featured not one but two large black bears running across the road ahead of my truck. They were big, likely males, and gave me something to think about during my walk in the forest.

Eureka to LA to Houston and Lubbock: A Funeral and Corona Observations

I flew from Eureka to LAX to Houston and then Lubbock during mid March, the beginning of the corona-craziness that has engulfed the world. I attended my grandmothers funeral in Lubbock. Few could attend due to fear of contagion, but it was still a great ceremony, and was attended virtually by many thanks to streaming video. My grandmother lived 98 long years...through a world war, a Great Depression, a moon landing, Vietnam, Generation X, and now the Millinneals. She was a strong woman, kind, sharp, observant, and wrote wonderful letters. She will be missed, but also celebrated.

The sequence of flights to Lubbock were nearly void of passengers. LAX was actually a joy to experience thanks to the lack of people. Houston Intercontinental was similarly pleasant. I had good views of Los Angles going to and from Texas. A few pictures of downtown LA, and SoFi Stadium are posted as well. 

Downtown Los Angeles.

An empty flight to Los Angles due to corona fear.

The Salton Sea; the southern terminus of the San Andreas Fault.

Lubbock, Texas.

The Guadalupe Mountains; highest point in Texas.

South-Central Los Angeles.

The new LA Rams stadium under construction, and the famous LA Forum center-left.