Blog

One Hour in the Alabama Hills

It seems we can't drive along U.S. 395 through Lone Pine without stopping in the Alabama Hills. Something about this landscape just draws us in every time. We spent the Christmas holiday weekend playing cameras in the Eastern Sierras, which meant we went past the Alabama Hills twice...once on the way to Bishop, and once on the way home. 

On the way to Bishop we were trying to beat a storm, so we just stopped in the Alabama Hills for about an hour. But an hour was enough to set the tone for a great weekend of hikes and early morning shoots and snowball fights. 

I wish we could spend more time on the far side of the Sierra Crest, but I imagine that the rarity of our visits over there make each trip that much sweeter.  

Thirsty Thursday: Alabama Hills Sunrise

Rambler: Terry
Drink in Hand: Ventana Monterey Red Table Wine (last year's) 

So, it never fails. When we want to go summit a mountain (like say Mt Whitney), the weather fails us. It either snows before we get there (meaning that the trail is impassable) or it snows while we're there (meaning that the trail is impassable). Either way, we end up hiking to the base camp of the mountain and then turning around and head back down. Likewise, when we want some weather (aka, some drama) for a sunrise, it's crystal clear. Such is our lot in life these days. Oh, well I suppose. Better luck next year. Here's a few of those crystal clear mornings from the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA.

You need a really big screen for this one!

Thirsty Thursday: Thanksgiving Picnic

Rambler: Beth
Drink at Hand: Don't ask...it came in a box and claimed to be wine.

Thirsty Thursday here again...time to pour something yummy and make those weekend plans. Over the long Thanksgiving weekend we went to Lone Pine, CA to do some "wandering about with camera in hand." But just because we weren't at home didn't mean we couldn't have the Thanksgiving dinner experience. I made some last minute Stove Top stuffing, whipped up a batch of my secret recipe cranberry sauce, tore apart one of those rotisserie chickens from the local market and out the door we went!

So after a long day of hiking and exploring and scrambling over cool rock formations in the shadow of the highest mountain in the lower 48, we pulled out the cooler and enjoyed our Thanksgiving feast...complete with some pretty horrible boxed wine. At least we drank the wine in our super cool Kleen Kanteen stainless steel pints! The Alabama Hills provided what was quite possibly the best Thanksgiving dinner view I've ever enjoyed. Next time I'll try to remember silverware so we don't have to use the random chopsticks we found in my car.

I even made pumpkin muffins for dessert before we left home. Terry felt the need to photograph his muffin. Don't worry, Massey also got to enjoy quite a healthy portion of chicken for Thanksgiving too.

Get out there and find your own spot for a feast this weekend!

Thirsty Thursday: Arch Hunting

Rambler: Terry Drink in Hand: 2009 Ventana Rubystone

During the long break last week, instead of fattening up on turkey or pie or both, we spent the week/weekend wandering around the Alabama Hills near Lone Pine, CA. We were actually hoping that the weather for the trip would be quite miserable. In our heads, we have somehow translated miserable weather into quasi-cloudy skies which become fantastic sunrises or sunsets. But, alas, we had fantastic weather (good for the Massey) with no clouds in sight. This seems to be our lot in life lately. The clouds seem know when we want to shoot and just disappear (darn those high pressure systems). Although we didn't have any clouds in the sky, we had a fantastic time hiking around the hills, watching the Mas tear it up (a future Massey Monday), and just trying to find those keeper shots. The first day was all about looking for sunrise/sunset spots to shoot and, of course, hunting for arches. We'll have a future post full of the sunrise shots, but for this post, here's a few hunting for arches...and maybe a few of the gorgeous mountains.