A Day

Clown fish are cool.

Trains are cool.

Clown fish really are cool.

Cora left today to join her sisters.  Her sisters were going to be there as support for her when she cut her hair.  She is tired of it being so long and, well, can explain it better on her site.

That left me free for the afternoon.  Not one to do normal things, I set out to see if I could find a what to the top of the Rattlesnake Hills.  I could, as it turns out.  I had to do a little creative driving, but I managed it.  Below you can see the roads were pretty good.  There were a bunch of cows in the way.

They were curious about me as I passed.

After some tense driving I found a high point and stopped.  Here is the view.

I think my truck is cool.  I have always liked the look of it.  I don't car if it is 9 years old.  It's a pretty good looking truck.

There are a few valleys hidden from the rest of the world.  It looked as though man had forgotten their existence.

I walked around the hill top looking for evidence that the US Navy had used it for target practice.  I found none.  I did find a few spring flowers!

I turned the truck around and went looking for that valley, since the maps say it has a road down through it.  Turns out it was a cow trail.

Yes, perhaps vehicles had been this way years ago, but I thought it best to check the road ahead before my two wheel drive tried it.

I found that the road did not go much further, rather it ended in a small canyon.  As I was checking out the road ahead, I chanced upon two coyotes.  I did not even think to take a picture, though I could have.  I was enjoying the sight, then they saw me and took off.  ONLY then did I remember the camera.  Still, here's their den.

This is the bedrock, which seems to show the columnation that is so common with basalt.  Still, usually, you see it from the side, not from the top.

Here is why the truck could not continue.

There it is in the background.  It was a beautiful little valley.

There were some tracks of a wheeled vehicle going a different direction.  i followed them to see if there was an outlet.  I found none and assume the vehicle had turned around and returned the way it had come.  Like I decided to do.

I got out to inspect the bottom of the draw and like this picture of the truck looking back toward the Lower Valley...that's Toppenish in the background.

There were some young calves that were in my way on the way back.  I let them cross in front of me.  I gunned the engine a bit more than I needed and startled them.

I got a moove on...get it, MOO-ve?  Yeah, I know, I am a comic genius.  They did not go far and stopped to watch me drive by...then followed.

Apparently they believe every vehicle brings hay...they were wrong.

This is the time to see the flowers of our desert area.  Most are small.

I made it back to paved roads without any trouble.  Overall, it was a fun outing.

It Started With Sunshine...

Dinner was in the oven.  Cora was exploring the internet with the Wii (don't ask me why, because she has a Laptop and a phone that gets the internet).  I had just finished drawing a dinosaur for one of our next coloring books.  The sun began to shine.  It was fairly mild outside.  I looked at the dogs.  They looked restless (I am sure Cora will tell you they were laying down sleeping or something).  I said something like, "Wanna go up on the hill and let the dogs run?"  but, what I really meant was, "Hey, let's get some family time out in the good old outdoors!"  Cora replied with something like, "Do I have a choice?"  Which really meant, "OH, YEE-ESSS! I love creating memories and getting out and hiking and letting the dogs run FREEEE!!"

After a little bit of driving on questionable roads...well, Cora was white knuckling it...we made it (O.K., I need new shocks and it might have felt a little more frightening than it was, O.K. I was clenching, a little too).  The weather had changed just a little:  The sun had gone.  

Still, Cora enjoyed herself!  We decided to get a family portrait...and realized Toby was staying out of the picture...

So, I held him up and Gypsy hid...figures!

The wind was blowing, but Gypsy was hot.  I like this picture.

And the camera never fires at the exact moment you need it to, still it's a dynamic photo...

Cora might as well be searching for Toby, who would run off in one direction and return from another after descending out of view.  We were on top of the hill and he would inevitably turn up from a direction we did not expect.  I doubt he ever stopped the whole time, except to mark every other sage brush and bunch grass he could find.

I enjoyed it and I think Cora did, too.

Spring is, without a doubt, here.  Below is a balsam root.  A plant the Native Americans used to travel to harvest each year.  Now they are simply a pretty spring flower.

Have I mentioned I love Macro?

Toby and Gypsy investigating a suspected Gopher Park.

Happy Easter All!  I hope you are enjoying it as much as we are!  Ham is about ready, potatoes are boiling and broccoli is almost done!  Bring on the full tummy!!

Hill Walk

Yesterday, I took the dogs for a walk.  They really enjoy going for walks.  I enjoy taking them.  We went to the top of one of the nearby hills to some public land.  It's bunch grass and sage brush.  There are sage rats for the dogs to chase and all sorts of wild critters and smells.  The dogs think it is Club Med.  I drove up higher than normal, for my regular and secondary parking spots were in use.  The first by some guys with off-road vehicles, the second buy some gentlemen with guns...black guns.  I was not worried, because all showed signs of resisting the urge to shoot me.  Well, actually, what they did was point their barrels at the ground and take out the magazines.  I smiled and wished them a good day and drove on past.   

I drove about 3/4 of a mile further and the dogs and I got out and headed away from that direction.  We could still hear the gunshots, but we worried not.  The views were magnificent (see above).  The dogs and I found an outcrop of basalt and heard the familiar whistles of sage rats warning that danger (dogs) was in the area.  The dogs did their best to find the whistler and have him out for some fun and games (games, I imagine, that included some chomping and biting[dogs aren't THAT imaginative]).  Below you can see Gypsy inspecting different holes for sage rats.  You can also make out my truck in the distance, in the upper right hand part of the photo.

I love this next photo...Gypsy looks good!

Those darned squirrels/rats were in the rock that Toby is leaning against.  The dogs simply could not get to them.

That didn't bother them, though.  The dogs enjoy this kind of thing.

Below they look as though they are paying close attention to the whistles...and, well, they were.

Toby made sure there were no entrances on top of the rock...that's my 4X4 dog.

The views were spectacular! Did I mention that?  Spring is the only time the brown hills turn green for a short time and even then the brown remains.

I thought I would throw in a self portrait.  I love the way the clouds threw shadows across the hills.

I had hoped to find some flowers, but it is still too early to find the Phlox in bloom.  I DID find these little guys.

I think the dogs and I needed to get out in the fresh air!  I hope to do this more as the spring continues.

Day Trippers

I have been aching to leave the area. I have a hard time staying around the valley for more than a few weeks at a time. Cora kindly acquiesed to go with me on a drive this weekend. We packed a few sandwiches an the dogs and drove up White Pass. We stopped to take some pictures and then continued to Ohanapecash. Which is where we had lunch.

Above is Toby thinking he would rather have lunch than a hug. Below we see the kids watchg out for those horrible chipmunks! Dogs are keepers of the little known knowledge that Chipmunks hope to someday take over the world, and therefore they (dogs) must be on the watch for Chipmunk trickery. Our dogs are super vigilent when in the forest. We feel so safe from those evil chipmunks when the dogs are with us.

We stopped to look at a cool bridge and the stream underneath...the dogs stayed in the truck.

I love the road! I love driving. The scenery was great and the company was pretty awesome, too.

looking down a long valley...

Indian Paintbrush on the side of the road at the top of the pass.

We stopped to see Boulder Cave andtook the dogs. Cora and Gypsy take a break next to a handy downed tree, which made a perfect bench.

Here we are coming out of the cave. I am guided by the dogs...which Greek God was it that travel through Hades? He should have had a couple Hell Hounds like me.

That trail to the cave seems steeper and longer than it used to...I think the Park Service is in cahoots with the chipmunks if you ask me.

All in all it was a wonderful day! Thanks for coming Cora!