Out into the wild….

Out into the wild….

Hi there!
Thanks for joining us on our trip into the mountains.
We stopped off at a farm shop to pick up provisions for our trip.
Fabulous fresh produce, straight off the land around.

The first thing which shocked me was the aftermath of what had to have been an extreme fire.
Thousands of blackened, charred trees.
So I looked it up…
In September 2014, a fire thought to be a spot fire from the lightning-strike broke out. 
It spread rapidly and spread over 5,000 acres.
I didn’t like to take photographs.
It was so awful. 
Felt like taking pictures of a grave or an empty hospital bed.
So I borrowed one from Google, to show you the thousands of blackened sticks for trunks which stretched as far as the eye could see.
Not quite how I remembered it, that’s for sure!
But we kept on up the winding mountain roads,
higher and higher we climbed…

 You know what they say:
the higher you climb,
the further the drop.

Magnificent vistas.
Waterfalls, cascades, lakes –
oh yes, it was all there.
And so were the tourists.
Lots and lots of them.

But there we have it.
A prime example of how man can take a spectacular area of outstanding natural beauty,
 and turn it into a money-making venture. 
The epicentre of the park, the village, was very ugly, and commercialised. We fled actually.

Went and sought out more secluded spots.

Babbling brooks and suchlike.
The water was crystal clear.
Blimming cold too!

As we headed across the park, the terrain changed.
The mountain peaks showed snow,

and the views were stunning.
Awesome, in the real sense of the word.
The sheer scale of the place was overwhelming!
We drove for hours along winding mountains with no barriers,
and sudden death drops.

Then, as if we’d planned it, we arrived at the most beautiful
Lake Mono.

Just popped out at Lee Vining, and there it was.
As if by magic.

The end to a formidable day.
Tomorrow we move on….
But what a place.
Apart from the bits that humans managed to trash, 
it was phenomenal. 
Mind you, if the humans hadn’t built the roads and the passes,
we wouldn’t have got anywhere near the waterfalls either.
So I suppose we have to grant them that. 
much love,

41 thoughts on “Out into the wild….

  1. Barbara it's an amazingly beautiful place, would love to go there one day but in the meantime I'll settle for hols in Wales 🙂 thanks for sharing your holiday with us xx

  2. Hello Barbara

    What fantastic scenery. Shame about the fire but I am sure it will recover given time. Thank you for sharing your holiday with us all. Especially those of us who, for various reasons, get no further than 'Airgate' or 'Stopatum'. Lol.

    Love
    Roz.x

  3. Hello Barbara

    What fantastic scenery. Shame about the fire but I am sure it will recover given time. Thank you for sharing your holiday with us all. Especially those of us who, for various reasons, get no further than 'Airgate' or 'Stopatum'. Lol.

    Love
    Roz.x

  4. Hi Barbara dave& steve what beautiful pictures breathtaking for sure. The fire must have been terrible but nature will take over in time. Take care on the roads love always June horrocks xxxxxxxx

  5. Yosemite is a beautiful place, when you get past the car parks as you said. I loved walking through there when we went. I have to say though that it was only after about an hour my sister said to me "what do we do if we see a bear?". I just said run fast! That's something you don't have to think about when you take a stroll in the UK. Xx

  6. Oh wow Barbara, amazing photos, amazing landscape, can't imagine how much more amazing it must be to see and experience in real life. Wish you could transfer the pictures and feelings in your head into my head so I could experience it for real :-). And yes, if left alone by humans, that burnt out landscape will soon be full of growing vegetation and tree saplings :-). Thank you sooo much for sharing. Looking forward to tomorrow's instalment 🙂 Love Brenda xx
    p.s. is it safe for me to show my face here again, after upsetting everyone over the age of 50 yesterday!!!!! 😉

    1. Wouldn't be the same without you Brenda , I was in Lloyds the chemist today and there was a leaflet that said that they do a Home Optician Service and remembered
      you saying you thought you needed new specs maybe you could check that out or get Nicola to…..xxDot

    2. It's fine, I was just kidding, I know we were only joking around, good to have some fun banter, and I'm happy for it to be at my expense 😉 It usually is at my expense in the real world, and often it's me that's instigated it 😉 Made me laugh every time I thought about it!!! 🙂 xx
      Thanks Dot, I'll let Nicola know. Might be the same as the ones we checked out before where it's only for certain people and I don't qualify. I've never had glasses, guess it's my age, making my eyes deteriorate a bit, although I can manage no too bad when my cfs isn't so bad. 🙂 xx
      Aye, alright Donna, rub it in even more, you're only a young 40 year old!!!!! Aye, I've had plenty practise grovelling and trying to dig myself out of big holes over the years!!!! Just as well I can see the funny side and laugh at myself too, well most of the time anyway 😉 Are you up for a wee bit colouring in? Or still celebrating? xx

    3. I'm always up for colouring! I was thinking that there are some small patches on the body of the tea pot that match the parts we have already coloured in. Two at the top and two at the bottom. As we have coloured the handle and the spout we could do these next so they match their respective patterns. That way we don't need to think about colours. How does that sound? Xx

    4. Hi Brenda it's lovely we can all have a laugh and joke together and you are teasing us all, old and young alike. Good to hear you are up for colouring again. Take care
      Love Diane xxx

  7. ooh getting me in the mood for my climb up Ben Nevis next Tuesday…thank you Barbara. Wonderful photos. Shame about the forest. Enjoy the rest of your break. xx

    1. I had just been thinking it must be soon. Best of luck, hope your body holds up and it's a clear day for you. I'll be sat here willing you on. I can imagine the feelings of achievement you're going to get stood on top of Ben Nevis. Looking forward to hearing all about it and seeing your photos. Love Brenda xx

    2. Thank you very much Dorothy, Susan and Brenda. Camera, batteries and powerbank all packed. Unfortunately my poor foot has been diagnosed with arthritis so I will just have to grin and bear it….it will be worth it just for the view. Hugs xxxxxxx

  8. Magical photos! Some of the lakes and rivers reminded me of Snowdonia especially the river which looked just like the Aberglaslyn Pass. Just wonderful.

  9. Amazing scenery Barbara would be just my kind of holiday never been a sit at the pool person always love to go off tourist places and see the real country thanks for sharing….Dot

  10. What fabulous scenery! Even the burnt trees have an eerie beauty to them. One day I hope we get to see the National Parks in the US, but in the meantime thanks for sharing your holiday with us, Susan x

  11. Hi Barb,
    Fabulous pictures but shames about the trees , still Mother Nature is very clever and will have them sorted in no time at all! We humans have a lot to answer for when it comes to ruining things purely for commercialism. Enjoy the rest of your trip. Love Alison xx

  12. what breathtaking views. i can see how you get your inspiration and why it comes so easily to you. it's all packed in there. enjoy and soak some up for me please, hugs xx

  13. Stunning Barbara what a wonderful day making mindfulness memories for us all too looking forward to tomorrow's blog as always xxx

  14. Hi Barbara
    Looks amazing. Thank goodness there are parts of the wonderful natural world that man has not completely ruined-not for the want of trying. I would love to see it for myself but neither lovely hubby or me could do the long journey. I am looking forward to finding out where you are off to next.

    X Chris

  15. Hi Barbara
    What amazing scenery, what an amazing adventure you, Dave and Steve are on, thank you for sharing your journey with us. Fires are devastating to the countryside aren't they, the new forest always looks awful after a fire but Mother Nature seems to win through and new shoots and trees soon start to pick their way through. Have a fabulous journey. Love Diane xxx

  16. My! What a fantastic trip – thanks for sharing such an exciting adventure………makes our little four day break to the Isle of Wight look a bit tame but we had some fun exploring the quaint villages with their thatched cottages and little village pubs……… Lovely island and happy days. Xxx

  17. What great photos Barbara and such a shame about the fire ravaged forest. I suppose it will take time. In Australia fire damaged areas seem to green up quite quickly but perhaps temperatures are generally cooler there so regrowth is slower, and over here the growth on the ground soon regenerates but the trees would take several years to take hold. Well that's my take on it but I am probably completely wrong. Like you DH and I prefer to keep away from the inevitable tourist traps which spring up everywhere. So much nicer off the beaten track. Continue to enjoy your adventure. x

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