Blood Moon

We took a few pictures of last nights "blood moon".  The total lunar eclipse coincided with a super full moon.  These photos were taken from our backyard and show some of the progression of the eclipse.

Idyllwild Revisited

We had the need to get some of that cool mountain air this past week, so packed Blue and headed for Idyllwild for a two night car camp.  Idyllwild is a small community on the side of Mt. San Jacinto and is a two hour drive northeast from Carlsbad.

We camped at Idyllwild County Park, which was mostly empty, but walk-able to town.  We slept in Blue.

 Wednesday afternoon we hiked from the campground up to Suicide Rock.  We thought this was a colorful shelf fungi.

 We passed a few Spiny Granite Lizards on the way.

 This fellow had a brilliant throat patch.

 Idyllwild's iconic Lily Rock.

 Have you hugged a tree today?

 On top of  Suicide Rock.

 Looking across the canyon at Lily Rock.  You get a bit of Sierra feel on this mountain.

We practiced  Donald Trump faces, as the second debate was scheduled to begin in a couple hours.

Manzanita in the late afternoon.

We walked down the trail and into town for some great pizza and refreshments.

Thursday morning we headed up the Devil's Slide Trail, passing under Lily Rock.

 That is Suicide Rock where we hiked to the day before.  There must be a story behind that name!

 There were flocks of Western Blue Birds as we approached Saddle Junction.

 This is how the trail looks much of the time - you have to watch every step.

 We had lunch with this view at around 8,200 feet.  That's Lily Rock on the right end of that ridge.  In this area we were on the Pacific Crest Trail for a couple miles.

 We watched a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flying around as we headed up to Wellman Junction, our turn-around spot.  We had a fairly good workout, gaining about 3,300 feet up to the 9,700 foot level.

 A rare spring still running!

 We passed through a boggy area of ferns.

 A Painted Lady butterfly?

Coming down the mountain in broken shade, Gail came within a couple inches of stepping on this baby Southern Pacific Rattlesnake.  I saw her jump and the snake recoil and hiss in front of me.  A man had just walked towards and past us a minute before without seeing it.

Can you see the rattlesnake in the picture?  My camera is aimed right at it!

 The Milky Way from our campground.

The night sky from our campsite.

Friday, we drove down the mountain to McCall Memorial Park, a closed horse camp, where our Idyllwild Campground ranger said was good hiking.

 At Government Meadow we noticed these big tracks in the mud - mountain lion we think.

 Gail noticed these Indian made morteros as we crossed a dry creek.

 Different terrain, today, as we climbed that ridge on the left.  That's Lily Rock in the far distance.

 Deer were in abundance.

 A baby Granite Spiny Lizard looking oh so cute.

We had lunch in a shaded area of boulders and pines before heading back down and doing the drive home.  And so ended another quick escape out into the natural world.

Snakes in the Yard!

We've had a couple unique snakes roaming the property, lately.

Usually, they seem to get along with each other.

Occasionally, however, they threaten each other with scary displays.

Today, we found them in the house, up on the mantel!

Confession - these aren't actually real snakes!  We made them from bottle caps, wire, and a few other various scraps.  Drink up, vary your product, and you too can while away your time making recycled art!

The Surfing World Tour

Today, I biked up to Trestles to watch the annual world tour surfing event there.  I was an active surfer in the 60's and early 70's, but let it go after moving to Northern California.  It is still in my blood, however, and I enjoy watching what the best surfers are doing these days.

I have only a few photos of my surfing years - film was expensive, and we were having too much fun to bother with cameras.  Here are three pics of me back in the day.

 That's me in back in the blue helmet, Guethary, France, 1965.  They were giving away the helmets at a gas station, so we all wore them out in the surf that day.

Guethary, France, 1965

In the curl, El Capitan, Santa Barbara County, 1966.  I loved this fickle spot, and was the only one out on this December afternoon.  

Anyway, I digress.  The following are pictures of today's first heats, the first of several days of competition.

This is Trestles, one of the best breaks on the west coast and in a relatively natural setting, too.  Those orange tent structures are the judging towers, competitor areas, and merchandise stores.  They are temporary for the event.

This is what it looks like down by the water.

 Former world champ Mick Fanning

 Mick again.  He is called "White Lightning" for his ability to generate speed.

 Hiroto Ohhara from Japan.

 Mick, from Australia, was recently attacked by a Great White Shark while in the Finals on live broadcast, in South Africa.  He was unscathed, atleast physically.  His board had a huge bite, however.

 These guys can get upside down and fly through the air!

 Brazilian fans are rabid!

 The influence of skateboarding on surfing.

 A real crowd favorite is John John Florence from Hawaii.

 And from Santa Cruz, one of my favorites, Nat Young.

Nat signing a "young" admirer's shirt.

Taking to the air again.

On the bike ride back to the van through the Camp Pendleton Marine Base, I watched this VTOL plane practicing a landing.  There is a huge military presence around these parts.