A Bit Above Sea Level

I decided the ocean air was too thick so I headed up to the Sierras Walking around a little bit. You might think that camera gear might become lighter the closer you get to outer space, but that ain't so. I am beginning to suspect that the weight of camera gear increases in direct ratio to the number of miles one carries it multiplied by altitude.

Anyhow, the first shot it takes from the Pacific Crest Trail looking down through a glacially carved channel above Round Lake.

The view of Eureka Lake as seen from the lower & more picturesque Eureka Peak

Outcropping

A large outcropping on the side of the even larger Mt Elwell.

Instant Bridge

One way to keep your feet dry when crossing a creek, is to chop down a tree and use it as a bridge.

That is Mt Washington on the left, and Eureka Peak on the right.

It was just a short while ago, (11,000 years or so) these hills were covered with glaciers. They left behind hollows in the granite, like this, to collect snowmelt for transient summer ponds and large boulders that can seem like a non-sequeter to the surrounding landscape.

This is one of the view from the top of Mt Elwell. Those are the Sierra Buttes North off in the distance. That's Mud Lake in the foreground and the blue, blue sky above.

This is another of the glacially-scooped hollows, ringed by fir trees.

This is the valley that lies between Mt Washington & Mt Elwell.

Wild Lilly

The valley between Mt Washington & Mt Elwell has lakes & streams and some lush foliage. If you visit at the right time of the year you might come across some of the wild lilies.

Mt Elwell

Another view of Mt Elwell from the Pacific Crest Trail.

Long Lake

The trail along the north side of Long Lake is interesting. It is on the side of Mt Elwell which is rather steep and mad of rocky rubble.

Long Lake Trail

The trail itself is amazing. The rocky rubble has been rearranged
in a manner to create a (at times rather narrow) shelf upon which to walk. None of these pictures capture it right, because you can't see the steep upslope and the endless collection of stones below upon which you can split your skull open.

Stony Sidewalk

In other parts the trail is two or three feet wide with large boulders placed flat-side up to make a nice walkway. And there are some pretty cool oversized staires to clamber up (which don't photograph well at all.)

Split Boulder

I looked at this 6-foot boulder and thought: "Gee, with a little super-glue and a couple of clamps you could make this rock as good as new." All of the pieces are there!

Incomplete

How to Divide a Rock: Drill a few holes, insert some "feathers," place your wedge between them and hammer away. I guess this one caused the feller some problems and he walked away with the job unfinished... I guess he had a splitting headache.

Stoney Point

This picture would be a lot more interesting if I was about 30 feet farther down the slope. But it was a steep slope of slippery, broken rubble ending in precipice of I-don't-know-how-far down. Trusting my clumsy oafishness, I settled for this picture... What I find most interesting is the smaller block just left of center. You can see the lake behind on both sides and it looks balanced... just so.

Fir Woods

Fir woods along the crest. Lots of snow up there. Sometimes the young uns don't make it.

Mt Ellwell again. this time from the south. Long Lake right at it's base.

Battling the Wind

There is something of a breeze along the ridge top. Some spots are far more blustery than others. This is one of windier ones. Yet this pine tree is giving it a go.

Wind Weathered Stones

The winds have sculpted these stones to look like stacks of giant pancakes.

Blown out Trees

It looks like Babe the Blue Ox has been by here. Wind-formed rocks and bent trees.

Firs and Clouds

Fir Trees and clouds above Gold Lake

Tenacious

Conifers can be exceedingly tenacious beings. Look at the story of this tree. Bent, broken, twisted, blown. Through decade after decade of exceedingly harsh conditions it persevered, growing into this amazing form.

Vista

Just another nice view from a mountain top.

Music
    Gerluz
        The Day We Met
        Porphero's Watch Chain
        Les Langueurs Tendres
        more...
    Gort Braggern
        Prickly Pear
        Solar Wind
        Singularity
        more...
    Sonic Landscapes
        Volcanic Sounds of the Yellowstone Caldera
        Low Tide at Soberanes Point,
        Nightbirds on the Noyo River
        more...
    Nouveau Guinea Ensemble
        Idyll
        The Tiny Jalopy
        The Bunnies Parade
        more...
Photography
      Beckwourth Complex Fire
      One Last Snow
      Let's Try a Little Winter
      more...
Travel
      Bits of VA
      Wiggling the Adirondacks
      Washington
      more...
Misc
      Mister Frank
      The Ice Follies
      House Remodel (series)
          The Remodel Begins
          Tear 'em Up
          Putting Things Back
          more..
      And Then Aug & Sep
      more...

Recent Posts
Nightbirds on the Noyo River
Oct 02, 2020
Way in the background, you can hear the distant roar of the surf. This location was about a mile and a half from the open sea and high tide was about an hour earlier.
Mimsy
Oct 01, 2020
Do you ever have projects like that? They are sitting over on a shelf and you're thinking: "Oh, I gotta finish that one day..." Then one day arrives and you go over & look at it and realize it has been finished the whole time. It just needs a little dusting and some paint touchup.
Untitled-40
Sep 17, 2020
Sometimes, when writing a song the title arrives first. Coffee Time Rag is an example. Other times you work out a musical idea and a title comes along during the process......
  A Bit Above Sea Level
A Bit by the Coast
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Jun 25, 2020
A calming and slower piece in four acts and four minutes. Something to listen to while you are supping your morning beverage watching the sun rise though the cherry blossoms.
Coffee Time Rag
Jun 11, 2020
It's time for a ragtime song! This song was scheduled to be released in the middle of May but my "Streaming Distributor" is a tad backed up. Oh well. Sorry to keep you-all waiting. There are still twomore finished peiced in their queue & I have a few other songs on the boiler.
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My cartoon vision was complete no longer would the oppressed melodies cower in fear of a jangly piano.
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The original title of this song was "in the Shade of the Ombu". ... the Ombu being a tree that grows in the pampa of Argentina & Uruguay. I was imagining a restful siesta under a tree, maybe a couple of Gauchos strumming their guitarras. But then I had another thought.
Lazy Day Waltz
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It's a lazy waltz from a lazy day. I was intending it to form a different piece but one melody flowed to the next and, before I knew it, what I had intended to be a dance piece became this melodically progressive waltz. I had fun with it, I hope you do too.
Ocean Waves at Molera Point
Apr 03, 2020
I'm not a surfer, though perhaps I would like to be. I like the ocean. Every time I drive out to the coast there is that moment of the first smell of it. Sometime, if the wind is just right, you can be fifteen miles away when you sense the first hint of salt and seaweed. And then there is the thrill when you rise over the hill or curl around the bend and are presented with the far-off horizon.
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Mar 19, 2020
So I decided to take Highway One South from Mendocino to San Francisco It turned out to be a lovely day...
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Mar 17, 2020
This is a full chorus of frogs. They start and they stop and then one starts singing again and others tentatively join in. You can identify certain individuals and different species. it's quite a fun time.
Northern California Drive Abouts
Dec 29, 2019
Not a whole lot to report. Been wandering about on the West Coast some more, resulting in a few more snapshots. These are from Northern & Central California.
A Little Here a Little There
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The first image in this random series is Five of the 42 (at current count, they hope to have 350 eventually) radio telescope dishes at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory.
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Mister Choo Choo
Sep 18, 2019
I stumbled into the Train Museum in Portola, Ca. Pictures ensued,
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