Sierras in the snow~Our World Tuesday~110811

Sierras in the morning...one of my favorite times to view them and I awoke early Sunday morning to walk across Highway 395 and take these shots.  Yes, those are ravens in the second one down!  They flew by just as I clicked the shot!  The mountains were moody...clouds were falling down around them and about 30 minutes later, they were completely socked in with clouds and weren't visible. This is one reason why I love the Sierra.  They have different moods and seasons.  Love, love, love them!!!  Our World Tuesday for November 8, 2011. To visit OWT, please go to:  http://ourworldtuesdaymeme.blogspot.com/

The road down to Mammoth

This was the icy road that we drove down Saturday morning, about 11:00 a.m.  Actually, hubby did the driving.  I sat in the passenger's seat, biting my nails.  He slid sideways a couple of times, but we made it down to the bottom without chains.  Phew!  I really do NOT wish to do that again!  Even up in Deep Canyon, the roads aren't like this (or I haven't seen them the last few years.)  This road was completely iced over.  Fortunately, we had a forest service ranger behind us, so if we got in trouble, I'm sure he would have stopped to help us.  Hubby grew up in western Pennsylvania, not far from Erie, and he is used to driving on roads like this.  As a native Southern Californian, I'm NOT!  It's good to be home.  I really enjoyed our two full days up in Mammoth, with the wood stove going and hot soup, but the dogs and our indoor cat, Abby, really missed us!  There are two dogs asleep right now at my feet.  Our son stopped by to feed them (and his dog, too), but they don't really eat until we return from our trips!  They are very spoiled.

In the dark~Sunday Stills Challenge~110611

I ran around the hotel last night while hubby sat in the car listening to the UCLA football game.  It was COLD here in Lone Pine and I was our running around with my camera taking flash photos.  People probably thought I was nuts!  I'm sure the cows across the highway did.  I heard dogs barking off yonder.  I usually take these photos in the daytime, but I think they are kind of neat at night.  Don't you?  The darkness makes them actually stand out more!  I love all the scratches on the iron horse design!  Sunday stills Challenge for November 6, 2011.

We're heading home!!!

After snow here most of the day yesterday, a break today, and then another 18 HOURS of snow heading toward Mammoth, we're heading home today.  We'll stay overnight in Lone Pine.  Hubby can take 10,000 photos of the Alabama Hills and be a happy camper.  We mostly stayed indoors yesterday while it was snowing here and I haven't ventured out yet.  We were visited by a very noisy bluejay who landed on the cabin's porch railing and demanded food!  I had some peanuts and other nuts and he was quite happy, although he was very loud in his excitement!  I've got some nuts pounded up for him today, so he'll be a happy camper again.  I even, in my desperation, put out some fruit bits for him, which he rejected, but I see little footprints in the snow on the porch and outside the kitchen window (I'm thinking raccoon), so somebody got an extra meal!  We'll have to put on the snow chains to get down the mountain this morning as it snowed a LOT yesterday.

Kersplat!!!! I went face first....

No, I didn't fall outside the cabin.  I fell KERSPLAT inside the cabin, on the slick kitchen floor.  I was so excited after my first venture outside that I didn't realize the frozen bottom of my boots and the vinyl kitchen floor were not a good match, so I fell face first right flat on the floor.  My beloved Nikon camera went flying across the room onto the floor, too.  Hubby was livid and screamed at me, "YOU NEVER wear icy boots inside on a vinyl floor!"  Well, I'm sorry...I've never been in a snowstorm before.  This one was my first.  I lay on the floor and said, "Don't TOUCH me!" (concerned that I had done damage to my already-fragile back), but it was my right knee that took the brunt of my weight.  I just lay there thinking about my camera.  No, it isn't all right.  The viewfinder is SHOT and I can't make any adjustments on my manual settings.  ...sigh...Hubby did check around and it seems I can get it fixed for $150.00.  I've done just fine outside, but indoors is another problem.  There's slate right inside the front door and I've learned to stop and immediately take off my shoes.  I've gone outside, hobbling around on my sore knee, which now hurts like HE%%.  It's cold and windy and I'm cranky. That's our car this morning and that's our cabin.

SNOWSTORM in the Sierra

No pics yet.  It's just dawn and too dark to take decent photos.  But, last night we had our first Sierra snowstorm.  Hubby was amazed at how wet and cold the snow was.  It was very windy up here at Tamarack Lodge and the snow was swirling one way, then another, then straight down.  We kept the wood burning stove going all night and the room actually got hot!!!!  Man, those little stoves really work!  There is about 4 inches of snow all around and as soon as it gets light, I'll take photos.

Heading up to the Sierra!!!!!

Hubby and I are taking a couple days off work and driving up to the Sierra.  We're staying in Mammoth and snow is expected Thursday night.  Can't wait to get some photos!  I'll be back Sunday afternoon, so see you then!  It will be good to have a change of scenery and a couple days off school.  This group of kids is exhausting!!!!!!!!
~~Cheryl Ann~~