New Years Eve Party at the Gallery...............

Yes, that's right, a party with a band, again, being held at the Cort Gallery tonite. Who knows what will happen or who will show. I'm sure you'll all agree that its a great place to spend the last few hours of the Old Year. Under a diamond studded sky holding billions of stars and by a river that's coming to life, we'll all be waving 2008 away. What a year huh??!! See you all at the party my friends.
And while I've got your attention, Thanks again for checking this blog out and keeping me posted with all your lives. It gives me stuff to write about. I plan to give you more of the things you like, let me know if you want photos of anything in particular and I'll get it up. Thanks my friends and Happy New Year to You All............

A stroll along the river on Wed before....

Just went down to the river with Gary, checking things out and it was fresh and clean and the river is coming up. Not so high though, but for this time of year its good. Lots of snow is up in them hills. We're looking good for 09, unless of course we get the dreaded "Pineapple Express", where a tropical storm comes through and melts the snow way up high and it all comes down as water. Right by the gallery here and on down to the lake. I remember that one flood where there was wood and lawn furniture and peoples belongings all along the shore. We walked all into it for a whole day looking. Not so bad like that here luckily. Just the edge of the river and the nice cool day. Caught up on all the latest gossip....wow! Christmas Eve was a happy getting together singing Christmas Carols at the coffee shop. Everyone was there and for me it was unexpected and next thing you know here's everyone and we're together again and its way down here in the valley on the old main street hanging out with my favorites and then eating chinese food. I'm Thankful for all that we have and Thankful for all my good friends. I get by real good with alittle help from my friends.....................

Monday before............

well, its sunny right now, but its going to be raining again soon. Real nice though, clean and fresh. We're watching the river now, its been a warm storm and so it could come up to floodish heights and that's always one to catch. Stay tuned to this station and I'll update as I see it. Thanks for checking in.....

Let's Go..............

It was an interesting group that gathered at drumming Sunday night last. The hardcore drummers, weather not a problem. These were the people who live there, the rafting brothers, Gary and Jimson and myself. Although I don't live there anymore, I'm still part of that invisible list of souls who have lived there and "made it".We drummed, even though it rained the whole time we were there. We just stood in it and enjoyed the heck out of it. It wasn't any kinda survival situation, we could go inside, but we didn't. Sometimes we all just feel like standing out in the rain.
While we were doing all our hiking the last few weeks we saw many lady bugs, I mean lots!! They were everywhere in some areas, the ground, the trees and bushes and all the rocks. So, hope your enjoying yourself...........

Into Hurricane Crawl Cave SNP

Hey! Hows it going?? Well, as promised, here's the Caving pics. I hope you like these slide show things. It makes it easier to post more pics in a row for you and its kinda show and tellish too. This was a "serious" cave trip. In that I mean it was pretty hard, physically and we went into the mountain more than a quarter of a mile, deep into middle earth. Deep into Sequoia. The Sequoia, Kings parks have over 200 caves, most gated and hidden. Almost all of the openings to get in are just barely passable and like the cave in the slide show, most of that distance was crawling through narrow passages, climbing up into another passage, doing a body crawl into a creek, getting wet was the way it had to be and then once in awhile, coming to big rooms where the real nice formations are. This cave "Hurricane Crawl" especially, has had very few people pentetrate to the deepest room known as the pumpkin palace. We made it to the pumpkin palace after about 2 hours of moving through all this in total darkness, If our headlamps failed we would be doomed till help arrived......if they could find us! The temp was a welcome 50 degrees, feeling nice after being out in the cold,crisp sunny day. The last pic shows the little opening that spells the end and back to life as we know it.

The Autumn Moon Lights My Way.......

A friend gave Gary a truck load of wood last week and he made a birds nest out of it down in the circle that was about 4'tall.There was a hole left in the middle for the kindling and after a few lighter swipes it took off. The flames were 20 feet and it was one of those classic drum circle times when you really wanted to stay and watch but you knew you should really run.
Alls well else wise, Done with the Bear project, now it off to do some Caving..........I put some pics up tom morrow...............

A Tuesday..........

We checked out the view over the valley yesterday after coming back from yet another hike looking for Bear Collars. We found another one!!!! Only 2 left. The fog over the valley makes it look like a vast ocean.................

After hearing a couple of reports of a abandoned campsite in the Twin Lakes area of Sequoia Park, a SAR was started. No backcountry permit for the camp and no vehicle at the trailhead?? I heard on the park radio a list of the stuff in the camp, which included alot of Marmot brand clothes, a high tech tent,and about 5 days of food, some already eaten. It sounds like the person was a climber?? No one has been reported missing yet either and its been around a week or so that this has been emerging.They've got the dogs out and a helicopter. The weather has been pretty warmish, but there's alittle snow on the ground at that 8000' level. Anyone know about this??

Drumming was foggy and kinda lonely.............

We actually set an all time record at last nites drumcircle, nobody came! Well, I mean nobody came down to drum. I guess it was the Thanksgiving weekend and all that. We did have a good visit with Wil and friends, but they all left at 8. Wil is leaving for Africa in alittle over a week. He's going with Keio and Wadaba to Wadaba's village. It'll be an unforgetable trip. It was just myself and Gary and Gabriel, and caught up with his adventures of which there were many. So, yea, we need you all to come and drum with us next week. Come and drum under the milky way next to the river by the road......