It has become a tradition to have our Thanksgiving celebration in Bridgeport. All of my immediate family, along with Will's comes to the cabin for a few days of eating, skiing, eating, snowshoeing, and did I mention eating?
Oh, Christmas tree(cutting)!
It has become a tradition to have our Thanksgiving celebration in Bridgeport. All of my immediate family, along with Will's comes to the cabin for a few days of eating, skiing, eating, snowshoeing, and did I mention eating?
Matterhorn Peak
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| A couple miles in heading toward Twin Peaks. Matterhorn is off to the right out of the picture, |
Last Saturday, my sister, dad, brother-in-law, and his friend set out from Mono Village, Twin Lakes, Bridgeport up Horse Creek trail head with the hope of making it to the top of Matterhorn Peak. Matterhorn is the tallest mountain in the Sawtooth Ridge at 12,285 ft. We started out at 7am and returned to the car at 7pm.
Back-Packing Trip: Cottonwood Lakes to Miter Basin to Mt. Langley
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| At the top of Mt. Langley |
Trail Run: Three girls and four mountain passes
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| Section between Mono Pass and Parker Pass. |
Back-packing trip: Reds Meadow to Iva Belle Hot Springs
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| An ethereal evening soaking in one of the tubs after arriving the first day. |
A day on Bridgeport Reservoir
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| Kara, her perch, and her sidekick, Foxey. |
While on a run I was thinking about what I was going to write about in this post. As I was brain-storming and thinking about the day, it became apparent to me how different I am from my middle sister, Kara.
Custom Rods: A Functional Work of Art
About a month ago, Will got the urge to build and wrap fishing rods as a gift for our dads. When I asked Will what inspired him to do this, he simply said, "Fish."
Will is a very outdoorsy guy, his idol is Jeremiah Johnson (I have seen/fell asleep to that movie quite a few times now). Will's motto: If its out, I'm in. He grew up hunting, fishing, back-packing, and camping with his family. That is one of the reasons he ended up in Bridgeport as an adult. Now, he is a fishing guide in the Bridgeport area. Will has always enjoyed going on any type of fishing trip from Bluegill to Blue Fin Tuna from float tube to 100 foot charter boat.
Exploring the Bodie Hills
Rush Creek Trail Head
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| Starting out. June Lake Loop below. |
Cameron Canyon
In September 2013 I followed Will around Cameron Canyon while he hunted for grouse. We didn't find the type he was looking for but we had an enjoyable saunter among the changing foliage (Will was sitting next to me as I was writing this sentence but now he is walking away while shaking his head- I guess he doesn't appreciate my descriptive language) haha.
Crystal Lake and Mammoth Crest Hike
The trail head for this hike is at the parking lot at Lake George in Mammoth. It is about 1.5 miles up to Crystal Lake and then about 1 more mile up to Mammoth Crest. I hiked it this past summer with my sister, Kara, and my friend, Kelly.
The views on this hike are awesome!
Foxey Designs Office Makeover
For my Christmas and birthday present this year Will gave my office a much needed makeover made completely out of 2 by 2s and reclaimed pallet wood.
It was so fun helping with the design and figuring out ways to maximize the small space in our loft. The loft has a very low ceiling on one side which made for a very cramped working space.
A snowy trek to Green Lake
In December my brother-in-law, Steve, and his dog, Hailey, and I drove up Green Creek Road to the trail head for Green Lake. There was some snow but not enough to convince us that we needed to carry in our snowshoes.
Foxey Designs Stationery
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| Foxey Designs stationery |
Twenty Lakes Basin Loop
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| North Peak |
In June, my friend, Kelly, and I hiked the Twenty Lakes Loop. There was still some snow on the trail which made for some fun photos.
From Bridgeport, we drove south on highway 395 and turned right onto Tioga Pass (120 West). Before you get to the east gate of Yosemite, there is a sign for Saddlebag Lake on the right. That dirt road takes you to the Saddlebag Lake parking lot. From there we started on the trail around Saddlebag Lake (10,000 ft). This loop is a little over 8 miles. You can take a water taxi across the lake for a fee if you want to trim about 3 miles off the hike.
Foxey Designs Wedding Invitations
This summer, a college friend asked if I would use my photos to make her wedding invitations. I was thrilled and honored that she asked me and of course, I said, "Yes!"
I had never made wedding invitations before but I quickly started brain-storming creative techniques that I thought the bride-to-be would like. This is what I came up with. They were perfect for her rustic, autumn, nature-inspired wedding.
Duck hunting with Will
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| Stout catching the shell... when he should be catching a duck. |
Back-packing trip: Leavitt Meadows to Fremont Lake
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| Fremont Lake |
Crowley Lake Columns
Kelly told me about a trail run down by Crowley Lake that has amazing views along the way and natural column formations at the turn around. Since I have this week off, we made plans to run it together.
Mt. Whitney
Back in the summer of 2010, my dad, sister, uncle, and I completed a Mt. Whitney trip. We started at Cottonwood Lakes trail head and over several days, made our way to Mt. Whitney. This route is less crowded but much longer (37 miles total) than the popular Mt. Whitney Portal trail. We did it in 3 nights/4 days.
Camping at Obsidian Campground
This past July we went camping at Obsidian Campground. From Bridgeport you take highway 395 North for about 16 miles and then turn left on Little Walker River Road and drive a few more miles to get to the campground. It was beautiful, shaded by aspen trees and near Molybdenite Creek.
Snowshoes and Brews
It started with a snowshoeing trek with Steve, Ashley, and Will and ended with a trip to June Lake Brewery.
Our goal was to find enough snow to use our snowshoes. We found success up at Virginia Lakes (approx. 9,800 feet). The turnoff for Virginia Lakes is located on highway 395 at the top of Conway Pass (between Lee Vining and Bridgeport). This winter you can drive almost all the way to Big Virginia Lake when most winters the road is closed off close to 395. We only had to hike about a half mile from our car to get to Big Virginia and then we decided to hike across the lake and over the saddle to get to Red Lake.
Bridgeport sunsets
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| February 15th, 2015 |
The Ghost Town of the Eastern Sierra
As a kid, I remember summer vacations in Mammoth included a day trip to Bodie. I was enthralled by all of the old stories of the scandalous mining town.
Bodie is only about 24 miles from Bridgeport but the dirt road you have to travel part of the way makes it a pretty slow drive. I went and visited Bodie for the first time as an adult a few years ago and these are some of the photos I took.
Winter hike to Barney Lake
I went on this hike with my brother and sister-in-law, Steve and Ashley. We had a little trouble finding the trail head so I am going to do my best to describe it to you. We parked at Mono Village on the far end of Upper Twin. The best thing to do is go straight back through the Mono Village campground. Be sure to stay to the right of the creek and open meadow area that you will see. Do not cross the creek.
