Into July

Living in a national park means a vast playground is always one step out your front door.  A close proximity to the rocks, roads, rivers and trails helps you to realize how much outdoor activity you can actually fit into your life outside of work.  In fact, looking back on the last couple weeks I have to think hard in order to remember the moments I spent indoors.

I’ve recently been introduced to the eastern Sierra’s little Switzerland, which is now one of my favorite after work hangouts:

I was also introduced to a surprisingly well-organized and cold-resistant group of triathletes practicing for the upcoming June Lake Triathlon which I’ll be taking part in on July 10th:

Returning home from various adventures I’m always greeted by the famed minarets, which inspire adventures all on their own:

Attention recently turned to the mid-week opening of the park.  Usually, the road leading into the valley has long since opened by this point in June but this year’s snow has persisted longer than any year in recent memory, keeping would-be visitors continuously pulling u-turns at the front gate.

Fortunately the business of opening the park doesn’t concern our work group too much and we were able to continue focusing on our research.  A heavy schedule of field work, however, doesn’t keep the crew from having a bit of fun on our backyard crag after hours:

The view of the sunset over the Ritter Range hanging from the top of the route was yet another reminder of why I moved out here:

Even though our crew is often outside in the field all day, our superb surroundings usually convince us to trade in dinner for some form of weeknight adventure before the sun sets on the Sierra. Eating becomes an afterthought and is usually a group effort, concocted in moments of great hunger around 10pm, and devoured around a campfire.

On the bike riding front, this last week saw the return to the eastern Sierra of a favorite riding buddy after the conclusion of travels elsewhere in California.   Let’s just say we haven’t wasted any time finding the good trails:

and have put the legs to good use:

Look for more updates soon. Until then, enjoy the view of my valley:

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