The view from my window at the Los Tajibos Resort, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
I’m going to begin posting images and snippets of story from my Bolivia Experience. I’ve been back in the Estados Unidos for a couple of weeks, nearly. The FHWA project meeting is behind me. I’m recovering with Daughter and her family in Pennsylvania. It will take me a few more days to get my feet under me, deal with the backlog of tasks that need my attention, and figure out what I want to post.
I had a great time. I met interesting people. I talked about interesting water-related problems. I saw many interesting things, both about water and just interesting. I made a few images, but not nearly enough.
Bolivia is a fascinating place. I think Bolivia captured my heart while I was there.
There are a few trees on the western slope of the mountains near Hidden Valley Regional Park.
On Walkies yesterday, the Girl and I reached a bit higher than we have the last few outings. I wanted some elevation; she just wants to hike and hunt. With the time change, we’re out earlier (sidereal time) and the light is better. I like this. I think my morning routine needs some change with less indoor time early and more outdoor time early. The improving weather is a boost as well.
We had a string of wet, gray, windy, cold days. Those conditions make hiking more difficult. It’s not impossible, just more difficult. The light was not as pretty and the views not as nice, so the photographer wasn’t as motivated to get out.
Yesterday was cold, but not really cold. The sun makes so much difference. The Girl, who is nearly naked (a friend once said “Girl, you should know better than to go out in a sheer neglige!”), has to keep moving to generate the heat to keep warm. She does, never complains (well, rarely), and is the consummate lizard-hunter. Alas, we’re a little early in the season for her favorite prey to be active. (But she finds one once in awhile.)
The air felt good, with little wind and plentiful sun. The trails out at the Hidden Valley Regional Park are good, mostly. Some are quite challenging and I have yet to get to the top of the range. But with the higher path, we got farther back into the mountains than we have before.
While on the trail, we crossed a ridgeline and I saw this little pine, struggling against rock, wind, and lack of water. With the Eastern Sierra in the background, the scene was appealing. So, I made a few captures while the Girl searched for critters.
Unfortunately, I had a conference call to make, so I cut my hike short and headed back down the hill. I really wanted to keep going. Hiking out like that does something good for me and the mountains bring a peace that I love.
One the way down, I called Older Son to chat. I looked over my shoulder to check on the Girl and saw her “bounce” on a bit of brush. She was in full hunting mode, having jumped something she could chase. I laughed at her and called her to go. She’s such a hoot to watch.
Neither of us is perfect. I have my moments. She has hers. Most of the time they are at different points in time and they add out. Sometimes there is a nexus of conflicting desires and emotions and we squabble. I suppose that is the nature of relationships.
But we make up, apologize for our wrongs, and move on. The relationship grows.
Legally, dogs are considered property. “How long have you had your dog?” is a question I sometimes get. “She’s lived with me for five years,” is often the reply (if I give one). She is not property; she is friend, companion, helper.
We returned from our hike, tired, sweaty, and ready to get on with the day. I stripped off my wet base layer, cleaned up a bit, and prepared myself for my conference call. Then my day got started for real.
On Walkies the other morning, we came upon this wonderful frame of the mountains east from Hidden Valley Regional Park.
I am greatly enjoying our hikes at Hidden Valley Regional Park. When the weather is anywhere near OK, the Girl and I drive out there in the morning after breakfast and get as much hiking in as we can. The day is coming (soon) when we’ll have to leave here and move along. I will miss this park, as well as the many other areas we’ve been hiking here.
I love Nevada. The open space, the dry air, the mountains… these are some of my favorite things.
On morning walkies a few days ago, the Girl and I came upon this broken down old pine tree. Instead of just walking past, she sniffed about while I chased her out of my frame for a capture.
I am enjoying my time outdoors here in Reno. We often drive over the to Hidden Valley Regional Park. At first we spent time in the fenced doggie area. But later we began walking the trails, of which there are many. This suits me much better as I don’t feel compelled to watch the other dogs for aggression and I’m not required to interact with other humans (dogs are always OK).
On this particular morning and this particular trail, we came across this fallen-over pine. The texture and colors caught my, so we paused. I had the chase the Girl out of my frame several times. I laugh at her all the time because no matter which direction I face, she will run ahead in that direction. Either she thinks she’s the dominant dog, or she is so driven to check out what I’m looking at that she can’t help but run ahead.
Sometimes when we’re walking, I’ll change direction abruptly to see what she will do. I can hear her running up from behind. She’ll blow past me, often peppering me with sand and gravel, then slow up to start sniffing about again, looking over her shoulder (ostensibly for permission). Furthermore, it never fails that wherever I point my camera there will be a dog butt in the frame.
This makes me laugh, then I’ll scold her “Get out of my frame!”
On the way back down Dead Truck Canyon, this view of the dead truck presented itself. Yes, there is a dead truck in Dead Truck Canyon.
The hike last Sunday remains memorable. Although the wind was brutal in the saddle between Prison Hill and Stegosaurus Ridge, once out of the wind the day was very pleasant. The hike down was both easier and more difficult, of course. Easier in the sense that I was not climbing; more difficult on the tendons that pass the knee to connect the quadriceps to the bones. After a few hundred steps, those tendons complained a bit. But it was good because I am uninjured but the system was stressed. Stress causes adaptation, in muscles and connective tissue.
I’ll process and post a couple of captures of the dead truck from the trip up sometime. Maybe I’ll do it tomorrow. But, the one that captured my eye this morning was the view of the Dead Truck I saw on the way down the hill. The bed is full of sediment from the canyon. The light was not bad, too.
The hike will remain memorable to me. I had a great day and a great hike.
On our Dead Truck Trail hike, I stood in the saddle between the two adjacent ridges that overlook Carson City. The afternoon light on the city caught my eye and so I paused for a few minutes to take it in, and then to make a capture of what I saw.
Saturday afternoon the Girl and I hiked up Dead Truck Trail (there’s still a few photographs to process from that expedition). At the saddle between the adjacent crests of the range east from Carson City, I stood for a few minutes. The wind gusted, popping my hat and buffeting me about. I’m thankful for the chin strap of my Tilley Hat, that’s for sure.
I couldn’t move for a few minutes, transfixed by the sight of the afternoon sunlight moving across the city. The clouds shifted about, uncomfortable in the higher winds aloft. It was a magical few minutes, shared with the Girl, who continued doing her doggie things, snuffling about looking for critters, checking in with me now and again to make sure it was still OK to range out a bit.
For me, there will always be something about being out. I was away from the buzz of city energy and out in Nature, where my soul recharges. I gain spiritual energy from the expenditure of physical energy to get to these places and the opportunity to take in what God created… what God shows me. I can feel the city energy drain away from me in these moments of cleansing and it’s cathartic.
I stood there, taking in the magnitude of God’s creation in contrast to the city of man’s creation. I’ll take God’s creation anytime.
After a few minutes, I withdrew my iPhone from its carrier and made a few captures. Then I returned to looking for a geocache and hiking my way up to Stegosaurus Ridge (where I found one). The Girl stayed close, although she spotted something to chase while we ascended the ridge. The geocache was found and logged and we began our descent back down to the Silver Saddle Ranch, and then back to the hotel.
I’m grateful for the time outdoors, the health to move about, and the freedom to do so.
The view from our hike along Deadman’s Creek resulting in this beautiful overlook. The Girl and I spent a few minutes finding a geocache, then just enjoying the view.
While standing a couple hundred feet from the gazebo on the hill near Deadman’s Creek, the Girl and I saw this wonderful view of Slide Mountain and Washoe Lake. There is a little water in the lake now. It was just enough to provide some reflection of the mountains and the sky. The beauty of the place astounded me.
It was well worth the hike to get this view. I’m grateful for it.
On the way down from Prison Hill, the Girl and I paused to look over the Carson River Valley and the Silver Saddle Ranch. What a beautiful afternoon it was.
The Girl and I drove down to Carson City this afternoon to retrieve our mail and pick up an SSD from Best Buy. I’m going to attempt an external drive install of Winder$ for my MacBook Pro. If that works, then I will no longer need a Winder$ box and can lighten my load substantially.
After our running, we drove over to the Silver Saddle Ranch. It’s a facility jointly managed by Carson City and Bureau of Land Management. It’s still a working ranch, as far as I know.
What I know for sure is that it’s a favorite place to hike. This time we took the trail up Dead Truck Canyon (more on that in another post with another image, I think) all the way up to the crest. I hunted for one geocache (a 4.5 star) but no joy. However, the second surrendered itself readily and I logged a find for the day.
The Girl hunted, but not too far away. On the way in I saw a posting that coyote activity was observed and it was recommended to keep pets on leash. The Girl is always on a virtual leash, but I noticed that she stayed fairly close the entire hike. She doesn’t read, but I think she caught the message anyway. I carried a sidearm just in case.
On the way back, the sun gave us a treat. The overlook of the Carson River Valley east from Carson City was absolutely stunning. I made several captures on the way down and thought I should share.
On the trail near Deadman’s Creek, the Girl and I came across this marker. I’m not sure what it means, but it was worth a capture.
Last Sunday the Girl and I needed an outing. So, we simply climbed into the 4Runner and headed out. I thought about Washoe Lake State Park as we drove down old U.S. 395, electing to leave the superslab. When we turned south onto East Lake Road, I remembered Deadman’s Creek and the trail there.
That would do! So we parked the rig, readied ourselves, and started off.
The trail was in pretty good shape on the south facing portions. There was some mud, but not a lot. Plus, it was still cold enough in the shade that the surface was frozen. The hike up the canyon was not bad. The sun was nice and warm. There were a few other hikers, but not many. There was sign of wild horses, but no animals.
As we rounded the upper end of the trail, I noticed a rock pile. Someone spent some effort collecting and stacking the stones. It was worth a capture, just for the texture if nothing more.
The north facing part of the trail was something of a mess. There was a combination of snow, ice, and mud. Still, we traversed the slope without falling (the Girl rarely falls). We even managed to find a couple of geocaches along the way, which added to the fun.
At the top of the hill, near the new gazebo, we paused for a few minutes to enjoy the sun, visit with a few other hikers, and make a capture. Well, I made the capture while the Girl looked for lizards. It’s too early for lizards, but that doesn’t stop her from looking!
While walking Martha’s Beach, I came across some driftwood with just the right light and texture.
While the Girl played along the beach, searching the driftwood for critters (see it, kill it — the terrier way), I wandered about enjoying the afternoon sunlight and making a few images. This bit of driftwood was just right to catch some of the afternoon light, bringing out its texture.
