Bike ride - Wells

This is a road that I have been riding. People say there are rattle snakes out here but I have not seen one yet. I have seen quite a few racers and a bull snake.
We have had some great weather 75 degrees. I was hoping to put up more pictures but the program will not let me.

Firewood

I went and got some firewood at Ruby Guard today with my 5 year old helper. Here is a picture of the Ruby Mountains. I got in a 20 mile bike ride that was awesome! When bike riding, I went to the Humboldt mountains and the then got a good view of the Ruby Mountains.

Wells - flowers along the road

I generally ride a bike and ignore the little things like flowers, etc. I went up a big hill and had to stop because rocks got in my way - I noticed flowers and took a picture of it. So now, I am stopping on occasion now to take pictures. I saw these while bike riding.

THE BP OIL SPILL - views from the Gulf

Here is a link to a man named Drew who is working to help the birds harmed in the BP OIL MESS! Please check it out!

http://birding.typepad.com/gulf/

Here is a YouTube video done by Drew Wheelan about what he has seen in the Gulf!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WG-oxq-uIk&feature=player_embedded

Wild Horses

These are wild horses in the South Ruby Mountains. We saw about 15 horses but they did not move. I got out of the car and walked up to them. There was a foal laying on the ground and the mares were surrounding the foal. When I got 20 yards away, the foal got up and they moved away. Later, we saw a single horse - the stallion. The last picture is of other wild horses who we came across. There was a beautiful mare with a baby. We also came across a third set of horses. We will be getting wood in this area in a few weeks.

Grandkids 4/2010

here are pictures of the Grandkids. Most shots are in Wells, NV but the bike riding was on the Willamette River in Portland.

Where is SPRING?

I am in Oregon and we have a day or two of great sunshine and then 3 or 4 days of rain in various degrees. What happened to our sun. I am getting in my bike riding but it sure can be cold and windy. I am amazed actually about how different weather impacts my riding. Sunny days, I can go 30 miles rather easily. Cold and blustery days I go 10 to 15 miles but it is fighting my body. I think it has to do with muscles being warmed up easily on warm days. I think too that mental outlook is better on sunny days. I see the sun and feel so much better.

Sun - too much is a good thing though. I lived in San Diego for a year and constant sun got old. Air Conditioning in Jan, Feb, Mar is crazy but it was needed. So, I like the variety of weather but I like to escape to warm weather after being in cold for a while.

Alex and I are heading to Nevada in a couple of days. He (3) gets to hang out with his cousins (2,4) for a week and I will take Tricia to her medical appt next Monday in Salt Lake City. I see there might be snow falling on the way to NV.

I am ready for spring.

Alaska

I am going back to Alaska Sept 2010. I was asked if I would consider teaching in AK and I said yes.

LAKE TAHOE

Lake Tahoe

The water of Lake Tahoe was very blue. It reminded me of Crater Lake in OR. (It was blue because the sky was blue. The water takes on the color of the sky actually. If it were gray, the water would be gray.

Tahoe kind of reminded me of Juneau. There was the 4 and 5 foot snow berms along the road. The big difference is that Lake Tahoe is sooooo crowded with houses and the roads need some work. Lake Tahoe is losing 1 foot of clarity per year. There are probably 50 ski areas around Lake Tahoe. 40 years ago you could see down 100 feet. Today, they can see down 70 feet. They have very tough environmental regulations to limit the crap that goes into Lake Tahoe. They enforce with big fines. I would like to Kayak on Lake Tahoe. I cross country skiied on a groomed trail and as I left, I found the real cross country areas on the way to Carson City. Next time, I will go through Carson and cross country in the rough, wooded areas which are Forest Service Land.

march snow - Wells, Tahoe - story

I stopped for gas on this trip. I filled up and went to buy some orange juice in the food mart. I asked about the bathroom - outside. I went outside and around the corner and the bathroom door as a male/female sign. The bathroom door is open and a big guy is sitting on the toilet. I walk by thinking there is another bathroom. That bathroom says 'out of order.' I was kind of laughing about whether to wait or leave and another guy gets out of his car and says he is going to pee. behind the building.
I told him I could hold it until the next town and walked away cracking up.

MOM BRISCO STORY: My mom, June Miller and me and someone else were traveling down the freeway. She stopped to use the bathroom. I went into the mens. She went into the womens but it was 'out of order.' Mom was late coming back to the car. When she got back I asked what took her so long. She said the womens bathroom was closed and after I came out of the mens she went in. There was a guy in there. She told him he had to leave because she was going to use the toilet and he left and she used he toilet.
Mom Brisco had a big voice and you did not mess with her.

Last snow?? Wells, Tahoe

Bye San Diego

More old town, San Diego

Old Towm = San Diego

San Diego - sunset

San Diego

I am lightly planning my next trip. I am thinking of either Southern Utah, Salt Lake City Ski areas or maybe Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It would be in two or three weeks.

Southern CA Pictures

Monarch Butterfly Cove