Family, fishing, James and Dad, Nature, outdoors

Echo Lake Weekend

May 26, 2018 Micheal Lee Leave a comment

Last weekend James and I had a weekend of “bachin'” it while Mel was out of town so we decided on a father-son fishing weekend. Mel had the grocery-getter and I wanted low range to “walk” that last half mile of ugly road to Echo Lake so I called in the ol’ Dodge…

The spot I really wanted is currently an island since the lake is so high but this spot worked out great too…

Took less than a hour to set the ‘pod up and get the ‘yaks splashed. At that point, it took less than 15 minutes to get our first double hookup…good start…

On our lunch/beer break the first day, we met our only camp neighbor, Jim and his really cool Carolina dog (AKA American Dingo) Carmen. Jim’s an interesting fellow with lots of worldly experience he don’t mind talking about…

Jim asked us to get him some dinner and this was no issue at all…the brookie fishing was red hot…

Slayin’ all the fish on day 1 really worked up an appetite so I busted out the 10″ oven and whipped up a batch of prison food…

Our nation’s symbol, the bald-ass buzzard, cruised by looking for HIS dinner too…

Life was good relaxing by a hot fire sipping a homebrew while James did a bit of bank fishing…

Carmen decided to “help” James land one…I decided to add further “help” by grabbing some phone video….half a dozen homebrews probably helped with the amusement…..

Carmen’s NEVER sat by a fire, has she? (she spent more time in our camp than she did in her dad’s)…

The next morning was a tad brisk but beautiful. Life is good when the ‘yaks are already rigged and ready to go…

James tried to stick one while I had my coffee….

The ol’ girl walked us in and, equally importantly back OUT!

Just gettin’ out in nature is awesome. Slayin’ some fairly decent little brooks is a sweet bonus…here’s about half our fish condensed into a little over 5 minutes…It was an epic weekend for sure!!!

Carly and Dad, Family, flowers, Hiking, Nature, outdoors, Photography, River

Riverbend Trail (last day of “vacation”)

April 10, 2017 Micheal Lee Leave a comment

Well, I’ve been on “vacation” for the last week. My “vacation” has consisted of running a chainsaw, burning brush (from the aforementioned chainsaw), and getting a somewhat feeble start on building a fence. I go back to work tomorrow and figured I better get at least ONE day of R&R on my week off (don’t feel too sorry for me; I only go back to work for 3 weeks before having 2 more weeks off, some of which will be really cool R&R, but I digress). Not many better ways to spend the last day of “vacation” than with my lovely daughter on a short spring hike. She suggested Riverbend Trail near Red Bluff. It is a nice little loop of about 5 miles without too many steep hills (good for me since I’ve put on plenty of beer weight this winter).

It didn’t take long to figure out the wildflower bloom is kickin’ at that elevation. The lupines on the lower end of the trail were especially pretty…

The trail is pretty easy but it is composed of lots of lava rock so I’d advise good shoes and watching one’s step…

Pretty nice view once you reach the “top” (not like it’s some great summit you climb…the entire trail consists of a few hundred feet of elevation change tops)…

Also at the top is this cool sign that says some stuff about Jedediah Smith that I may actually read next time I head up…

We thought we’d head up on this little rock to kick back for a few minutes…

However, the aforementioned lava rock attacked me (note to self, put a small first aid kit in the camera bag)…

….nevermind…found the first aid kit….CHEERS!…

The walk back down was pretty as well (unfortunately some ugly power lines DO detract from some of the scenery)…

Not a bad little jaunt! Time for a couple more of those nice Hop Valley brews to close out this “vacation.”

CHEERS, PROST, PROOST, ZIGGY SOCKY!

Hiking, Mike and Mel, Nature, Weather, Winter

Snow Strolling

January 24, 2017 Micheal Lee Leave a comment

Just thought I’d share a few shots from some short strolls up on the grade the last few days…

This was about the end of the line for the grocery-getter on Sunday morning…

Given it was all new powder up there Sunday (still coming down some when I got up there) I figured I better put these funny lookin’ things on…

It was chilly, but pretty…

I tested the weather seals on the ol’ Canon pretty well (had I tested the damn batteries BEFORE i took off, there would have been more shots from that day)…

Mel humored me the next day after it cleared up but hadn’t exactly warmed up…

We’ve definitely been getting some of the white stuff around our neighborhood…

Some times I think my baby takes just as pretty of shots with her Galaxy as I do with my big heavy beast…

Almost back to the warmth of the old truckster…

We survived and didn’t even have to eat each other!…

The plow operators have earned their keep on the hill this year…

Desert, Weather

…Wait 15 Minutes!

January 11, 2017 Micheal Lee Leave a comment

Well, the good ol’ Pineapple Express has been making things interesting around here. The old adage about if you don’t like Lassen County weather wait 15 minutes has surely been the case lately.

I just thought I’d share a few shots (as always, click on any image to view it larger)

This is what the branches of an apple tree look like when it rains for 12 hours without exceeding 32 degrees…

The yard critters were definitely chilly Sunday Morning…

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We took a little drive on Monday. First we headed up Janesville Grade. I think the grocery-getter COULD have made it to Antelope Lake but lack of cell service made us chicken out. It was definitely pretty up on the mountain though…

We headed up 139 next. Some of the guys from 5 Dot Ranch posted on social media that they were starting a yacht club the other day. I see why…

I thought I’d grab a shot of this solitary goose near Willow Creek. After two shots I realized I’d been duped…it is a decoy. It may not be good enough to attract real geese but it was good enough to steal 5 minutes of my life…lol….

The main reason for the journey this direction was to see if Eagle Pond has a chance of turning back to Eagle Lake one day. The way Pine Creek is running this early give me some hope…

Just a few more shots from the drive back down. We’ve definitely had a bit of precipitation the last week!…

SR139 was getting spooky with trucks chaining and taking their half of the road out of the middle so we thought we’d run back to town via Rice Canyon Road. This is when our normally bleek desert looks pretty…

As I wrap this up I’m looking at a rain gauge that says 8.21 inches of rain in the first 11 days of the year. Add that to the dozen or so it recorded from October through December, and I’m going to go out on a limb and say the drought is over; at least for 15 minutes!

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Battle Creek Falls – A Few Hours in Nature

November 28, 2016 Micheal Lee 4 Comments

Mel and I decided today would be a good day to get out and get some much needed fresh air. I also wanted to start getting an idea whether the General Grabber AT2’s were a good call for a winter tire on the grocery-getter. Judging from the performance in 6 inch deep slush, I’d say they’re going to get the job done if we want to get a bit off the blacktop (in moderation) in the winter…

We took a spin into Battle Creek Falls. Just a little 16 foot drop next to an antiquated power house. I wish the snow/terrain/my bum knee would have let me get down for a better photo angle but these will have to do for now…

Naturally, you have to stop for a road-side selfie…

We liked the look of the sky when crossing the causeway at Almanor on the way home (ok, in reality it was more pastel pink but you don’t take a photo you MAKE a photo, right?)…

Nice little afternoon with my gal that we ultimately capped off at Lassen Ale Works (gotta get a few more runs there while it still exists)!

Carly and Dad, Family, Hiking, Nature, outdoors, Photography, Travel

Sierra Buttes Lookout

August 15, 2016 Micheal Lee 13 Comments

Well, Carly and I finally made this hike, which I have been meaning to do for 2 or 3 years. Unfortunately, there is smoke on the horizon in pretty much all directions right now (’tis that time of year. Thoughts and prayers to those who battle these blazes!). Therefore, the views up on top weren’t as epic as I’m sure they can be. Smoke or no smoke, it was still an amazing hike! I was only able to narrow the images down to about 45 (I shot 186 and Carly grabbed some with her GoPro) so bear with me.

We got to the area a bit early so we stopped by Packer Lake to take a gander. It is one of many pretty little lakes in the area…

Yep. That little house up there is where we’re going! What have we gotten ourselves in to?… 20160814_Sierra Buttes Lookout_Blog_012

Gaining a little ground but already huffin’ and puffin’ and still a good way to go…

Just an incredibly scenic hike, all the way up…

There are several “teaser” looks at the lookout, just to keep you wondering what you were thinking!…

The breaks certainly got more frequent, the farther we got. Carly lives at 500 foot elevation. SEVENTY five and ultimately EIGHTY five hundred weren’t her favorites!…

One of the treats of this hike is the frequent views of these three lakes. Closest to farthest in this view are Young America, Upper Sardine, and Lower Sardine Lakes…

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This sign, literally translated, means, you still have a ways to go…lol…

Finally getting close. At about this point, I told Carly, “Oh, by the way, there are 200 spooky stairs to climb at the end.” This is the first glimpse at those stairs…

Just about… 20160814_Sierra Buttes Lookout_Blog_035

Great view from near the base of the stairs…shows the smokiness in the air though… 20160814_Sierra Buttes Lookout_Blog_034

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Just a cool rusty old tank below the base of the tower… 20160814_Sierra Buttes Lookout_Blog_031

Time to head up!…

Definitely, not for those with height phobias. If the stairs aren’t enough, you get to walk on expanded metal at the top…

Judging from the fairly modern stove and fridge, I’d say it was in use not all that many years ago… 20160814_Sierra Buttes Lookout_Blog_039

Absolutely spectacular views and I got 4 bars on my phone so I could check in on Facebook while up there…

Gotta have your nourishment! (and take plenty of water!)…

Yep, Carly loved the stairs (Don’t worry. They’re only slightly more scary on the decent than the accent)…

We were treated to some wonderful “golden hour” light and a rising moon on our decent…

We made it back to the grocery-getter just in time for the end of a beautiful sunset (one advantage of all that smoke, I suppose)…

I certainly want to try this one one more time in some crisp, clean air (which may be easier said than done as the fires could start pretty much any second after the snow melts off the trail). But it was a wonderful hike and we’re only a little sore today! If you’re a hiker and haven’t done it you need to add it to your “to do” list!

If you’re interested there are pretty good directions on how to get there available from All Trails HERE.

Josh, over at California Through My Lens, has a great post related to this hike as well. It can be found HERE. His blog is worthy of a look/subscription for lots of other great recreational/travel ideas around the state as well!

Creek, Hiking, National Parks, Nature, outdoors, Photography

Sifford Lake – Lassen NP

August 6, 2016 Micheal Lee 1 Comment

Well, yesterday afternoon I decided I better get in at least one more good hike on my week off. On both of my visits to Kings Creek Falls I’ve seen a sign for Sifford Lake so I figured I’d go take a look. This is another fairly mellow hike with only some mildly rolling terrain. Like many of the hikes in the park, it has quite a diversity of scenery in a fairly short distance (this one is about 5 miles round trip)…

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This little dude decided to strike a pose for me on the way in so I figured the least I could do was snap a shot…

The lake itself sits over a little rise…

It is a fairly small body, I’d say a scant acre in size…

Like the trip to the falls, this one starts and ends along Kings Creek…

The park folks made a neat little bridge to keep your feet dry..

On the way in I noted that the compass said the mountain was due east of this spot…

So, I figured it would be as good of place as any to see if there was a sunset. The clouds really didn’t cooperate and, after several attempts in post processing, i still don’t have an image I like. This is one attempt and it came out sort of ok, if you like the “painterly” look…

All in all, it was a great way to get some exercise and see some of God’s country!

Classic Cars, Family, Mike and Mel, Photography

2016 – Hot August Nights

August 4, 2016 Micheal Lee 3 Comments

Melanie flew into Reno on the evening of August 2. I figured we’d be remiss if we didn’t walk at least one show and shine while we were in town. By the time we got to the Atlantis parking lot the light was fading so it was tough to get good photos (on-camera flash is no fun!) but I salvaged a few snapshots from our stroll. Melanie’s son-in-law Tarrick is a VW guy so I grabbed a couple of them…

Her former co-worker Jim is a Nova guy so I kept my eye out for Novas and Chevy II’s..

…and just stuff I thought was generally cool like this ’56 F-600 (more on it here)…

or this badass Willys..

Gotta appreciate the work some folks put into these vehicles, even under the hood…

One of the current photo challenges on Pixoto is themed “American Cars” (CLICK) and another is just “Chevys.” (CLICK) This very well done ’57 Bel-Aire made me think of both of them…

However, I didn’t like the background clutter so I took a bit of “artistic license,” AKA screwing around in Photoshop and came up with this composite…

Not sure how it will fare in the contest but it was fun, none-the-less!

All in all, it was a nice way to spend an evening!

Creek, flowers, Hiking, National Parks, Nature, outdoors, Photography, Waterfall

Kings Creek Falls – An Evening Stroll

August 2, 2016 Micheal Lee 3 Comments

Well, the plan yesterday WAS to go hike to the Sierra Buttes Lookout with my daughter. Unfortunately, life happens and she had to postpone. Hopefully that epic hike will happen before the summer is out. Needing a Plan B to get some “nature therapy,” and not having a great deal of time, I decided to hike into Kings Creek Falls in Lassen Park. It is one of my favorite places in the park and I wasn’t super pleased with the last photos I took there.

I’m going to employ a little “artistic license” with this post. I wanted to make sure to get there in time to set up the camera so I took no photos on the hike TO the falls. However, it would seem a bit anti-climactic if I put the falls pics ahead of the trail pics so I’m going to put the shots of the hike OUT before the main subject…

The trail-head starts right next to Kings Creek, which you cross at a pretty little meadow if you’re coming from the south (SR36) entrance…

It is definitely a pretty walk with very diverse landscapes considering it is only a couple miles…

I call this the “falls before the falls.” Just a pretty little spot on the creek…

The park folks are doing alot of work to this area. Indeed, the most direct trail to the falls is closed until 2018. One has to hike around on the “horse trail” to get to the falls. It is a bit longer but quite scenic. When I was here 2 years ago there was an ugly old metal railing. Looks like they have spruced it up a bit…

Ok, I guess it is about time to “land the plane” before this post gets too long. I think this is one of the prettiest waterfalls in northern California. Some day I hope to get truly excellent photos of it! To make that happen I think I’ll have to hike in in the early morning dark and shoot it in the golden light of the morning sun. In the evenings, the sun is low and behind the falls making it hard for me to properly expose the falls without turning the sky into an ugly white mass. However, these shots illustrate the splendor of the place fairly well…