Straight West Coastin'

We are returning to our regularly scheduled programming as Joe's Journey takes us from the magnificence of Yosemite Valley with it's towering granite walls to the open expanse of...

...the Pacific Ocean! Traveling west from Yosemite, we had passed by numberless miles of fruit farms and mouth watering fresh fruit stands. But that was nothing compared to this first beach sighting from the famed Route 1 as Shayna takes off for the water. Who cares about lunch!?!

Fritz takes it all in...

...as Shayna tries to avoid the big one.

Amazing scenery from the road...

...and our campsite! Granted, we weren't there much during daylight hours, but you were close enough to feel the warm breeze and hear the waves lapping at the shore.

After setting up camp, we headed over to Pigeon Point Lighthouse...

...with its beautiful flowers, weather beaten white fences and blue ocean views.

I did a double-take too.

Watching the waves pound against the rocks, splashing the air with each subsequent surge was mesmerizing. Maybe that's why the historic lighthouse doubles as a hostel.

A daily view I wouldn't mind.

Views looking west.

The sun glistens off the lighthouse windows...

...as a sea lion floats in the surf.

Sepia takes away the blue sky and pretty flowers but it reminds us of the peace provided amidst the beauty around us.

Ever try and convince your parents that missing paint improved the scenery? Maybe this picture will help.

These birds were circling, hopefully looking for fish and not targets.

It was easy to continue watching this scene.

Fritz captured this well.

Looking south towards our campsite, you can see Route 1 along the coast.

The crew.

The view.

Back to camp for some dinner before walking to the beach for sunset.

Besides the setting sun, look close and you can see the lighthouse jutting into the ocean on the right.

As you'll see in the next few days, fog was frequent near San Francisco, but the lighthouse kept going.

That's no chip on his shoulder...

...it's a crabby friend.

The best part is that these pictures were taken before he realized he had picked up a friend. (There are advantages to controlling the pictures that end up on a blog because I can weed out the picture of my face when a snowball got put down my back while driving through Yosemite.)

The sun slides behind the clouds...

...leaving a few colors in the sky...

...and a lighthouse beam to guide as we slithered in our sleeping bags and prepared for another day of adventures and even prison bars! Stay tuned!

Spring Turns to Summer and Summer to Fall

"Only one life, so soon it will pass...

As the song goes, spring has already turned to summer and summer to fall. So while Joe's Journey continues from Yosemite to San Francisco, we're going to take a break from our regularly scheduled programming to provide you with some insights, or more appropriately, outsights from New York.
Views of Lake George from Black Mountain
More spectacular views on a warm summer day.
Brandon and Jamie are smiling big because they're in NY... really!
You can feel the refreshing breeze blowing off the lake combined with the fine scents of wilderness summers. Or is that the fan blowing across my feet?
Moving along to another fine weekend we started out early for Mount Marcy, New York's tallest point at 5,344 feet.
The view from Marcy Dam.

Sun rays poking through and providing a little warmth on a cool crisp morning.
There's the top! Only 45 minutes to go.
View of the Adirondacks from the top!
If you click on it and look close, you can see the town of Lake Placid. (The white roof is the rink made famous by the miracle on ice and the ski jumps are in front of the town.)
I believe that is Haystack in the foreground, a little different than the Idaho haystacks!
Either Lake Tear of the Cloud (origin of the Hudson River) or a pool of water formed by the recent rains. (This blog tour guide is losing his memory!)
But I haven't forgotten these faces... (Joe, Charity, Joy and Josh)

...or how to stand on my head. Skipping over a weekend, we headed out the same way again...
...except this time there were more leaves changing colors. Some red...
...others yellow.
With a little more color around Marcy Dam.

This time our goal was Mt. Colden via Avalanche Pass - a very unique hike for this area. Here you are looking through the debris at the bottom of a slide! A good time to think about where we would run if another section started to slide off...
...since getting stuck under there did not seem desirable.
Our first view of the very scenic Avalanche Lake.
Same view in sepia.

From top to bottom you can see that we coerced Ryan to come along with Joy, Josh and myself...
...and to look foolish.

Climbing to new heights.
Lake Colden... indicating we had yet to scramble upwards.
Another view of Lake Colden. Our rock scramble would be on the left.
Panoramic of the lake and surrounding mountains.
Some strange pictures have made it into this blog... and now bubbles.
Scenic views (aka pit stops for the weary) as we headed up...
...up...
...up. That's Lake Colden 0.4 miles as the rock rolls (similar to how the crow flies.)
Staring down the valley at the fall foliage and the town of Lake Placid in the upper left.
Speaking of how the rock rolls...
...this was the top of the slide seen previously. This rock got left behind. I've skipped over a number of adventures this summer and fall, but it is much more fun to go on the adventure then to write about it. Remember - we only have one life to live. So I hope you'll forgive me and just enjoy the pictures as they come. But if you're struggling, these last few pictures should really help as we headed up Buck Mountain on a cool autumn morning...

...as the sun rose in the sky...

...and the fog faded from the valley floor...
...surrounded by the magnificent colors of Autumn!

The beauty was surreal.
Almost enchanting as the sun broke through, lighting up the forest path.
Wow! We have a phenomenal God who is always good!
While the fog covered the lake below, colorful leaves covered the forest as the Adirondack mountains rise above the clouds.
"...so soon it will pass. Only what's done, for Christ will last. Only one chance to do His will. So give to Jesus all your days. It's the only life that pays."