Autumnal Yosemite Mono Lake Bodie (YoMoBo) 2002

I snuck out of town for a weekend getaway to Yosemite, Mono Lake, and Bodie. It was a bit smokey (there was a control burn in progress on the road across Tioga Pass), but the weather was nice and the crowds were surprisingly thick. I made it to Glacier Point, but the trail to Sentinel Dome was too packed to attempt. Proceeded to Mirror Meadow before crossing Tioga Pass to Lee Vining. Unlike what had been the case in March, Lee Vining was mobbed and noisy. There wasn’t a room to be had, so I stayed in Mammoth Lake. Visited the ghost town of Bodie the next morning. Then made the South Tufa loop in the afternoon. Then it was north on US 395 and over Monitor Pass and back to Sacramento.

2002 10 Yosemite Mono Lake Bodie
Hmmm… I don't find this album online. No Flickr; no SmugMug. I hope it's somewhere to be found. I'm sure it was on ClubPhoto. Damn you, ClubPhoto!

Yellowstone and Grand Tetons 2002

After a week of settling into her new home in GR, Mom came out to join me on a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Neither of us had been there since 1982 (that’s nearly twenty years!) We spent several days there, and drove like crazy from point to point, but still missed out on a few destinations. But we made it to Geyser Hill, Upper Geyser Basin, Black Sand, Midway, Biscuit, West Thumb, and Norris Basins, Fountain Paint Pots, Firehole Lake Drive, The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone (Upper and Lower Falls), and Mammoth Hot Springs. We saw buffalo, moose, elk, and deer. And we spent a day in Jackson Hole, as well. The weather for our Grand Teton photo shoot wasn’t too agreeable, but we made a go of it. And we did get some nice shots of the antler arches in town. [Jean staring down the malingering tourons is a rare gem.]

2002 07 Yellowstone and Grand Tetons - SmugMug

Colorado-Utah Loop 2002

It began with a Baird-Ellenwood-VandeKopple hootenanny in Estes Park, Colorado.

2002 07 Colorado  - SmugMug


iMovie Bonus: Rocky Mountain Roundup


I returned via Utah, delving first into the Moab area.

2002 07 Southeast Utah - SmugMug


Then on to Bryce Canyon before motoring back to Sacramento.

2002 07 Bryce - SmugMug


B&GER Entry: 4. Colorado (June and July)

Several strands of the Baird Clan came together in Estes Park, Colorado, for a little Rocky Mountain get-together. Mom, Heather, and Tyler came from Michigan, Mary and Bryce came from New York, Carol, Dave, Bradley, and Katie came from Indiana, and I came from California. Doug, Janet, Patrick, and Alex came from, well, they were kinda already there! We did our traditional drive to the Alpine Visitors’ Center and took a few hikes within the park. And the round of minigolf at Tiny Town was the stuff of legends.

5. Southern Colorado and Utah (July)

After breaking camp in Estes Park, I headed across the state to Durango for more sightseeing. The train wasn’t running (due to fire danger), so I took a jeep tour of the area. Next, it was off to Mesa Verde. Again, fire danger closed the mesa to car traffic, so I took a bus trip to a guided tour of a cliff house. Then up to Moab and Arches National Park. I signed up for an “adventure hike” into the erosional landscape known as Fiery Furnace. Not for the faint of heart or unsure-footed. Then it was time to head over to Bryce Canyon National Park. Far too many good pictures in that park! Enjoyed a morning hike through the hoodoos and an afternoon drive to the southern end of the park.  I’ll need to get back to Arches and Bryce soon to get the many shots I missed.

Spring Break 395 - 2002

Spring Break 2002 I headed down US395. After driving several hours to get to Lee Vining, I recall a deafening silence when I emerged from the car. It was as if sound were being sucked out of my ears, it was so quiet. I visited the tuffs at Mono Lake, then headed down to Lone Pine, where I saw the Alabama Hills and Mount Whitney. I dipped into Death Valley (and got buzzed by a couple of Navy pilots) before making my final run to San Diego.

There I met up with Paul Hewitt, John Suchoki, and Leslie Abrams Hewitt. We gave a talk on the new Conceptual Physical Science Explorations textbook and lab manual. I also met Phil Wolf while at NSTA.

B&GER Entry: I hit the highway for backroad trip through the back side of California. First stop: Lee Vining and Mono Lake. In Late March, Lee Vining is a quiet, quiet town. I got some early and late morning shots of the tufas, had breakfast at Nicely’s, and headed down US 395 to Lone Pine. Woke up to a sunlit view of Mt. Whitney (highest peak in the lower 48). In a quest to get an unobstructed shot of the peak, I drove through the Alabama Hills, an evocative landscape where many of the old Hollywood westerns were shot. But I was due in Death Valley, where I was welcomed by an overhead salute from a pair of Navy pilots from a nearby base. It was a quick in-and-out in Death Valley, as I was next due in San Diego for a professional rendezvous with the authors of Conceptual Physical Science—Explorations. We co-presented a session at the National Science Teachers’ Association convention. Bedazzled by the enormity of the meeting, I stayed too long, and missed my date to see Natalie Merchant in Bakersfield. Oh well, it was an incredible spring break nonetheless.

2002 03 Spring Break 395

iMovie Bonus: Spring Break 395