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High School parking lot (365:053)
This cliché Lomo and mirror shot is all I have to offer today.
I had an idea for a shot either putting the camping gear out to air, or putting it away again, but for one reason or another that idea fell through. As the a lot of my day was spent processing the pictures from the weekend’s backpacking trip, it wasn’t an appealing photo op. While waiting for the kids to come out from school I thought I’d experiment with a car mirror shot, and that’s it for the day.
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Near the end of the hike (365:052)
Our last day in Devil’s Backbone wilderness.
It had been quite cold overnight and it started to rain just as we were about to break camp. As the rain had been forecast, we had set the tent up so that we could take it down with the rain fly still up – which meant we were able to put just about everything away dry.
The trail up Collins Ridge doesn’t appear to be marked, and we encountered several trails that aren’t marked on the map, which made for some educated guesswork on the navigation, which proved correct once we could see the lay of the land and check it against the topo map. The hike started with another 300+ foot ascent, quite enough for us out of condition hikers.
Before too long we were back where the trail along the Devil’s Backbone splits off, and shortly after that we stopped by a stone pile which acted as a tripod for today’s picture. Once back at the trailhead, Ginger looked at the trailhead check-in, and the log had been changed and maps left. We saw that four people had been in on a day hike yesterday, but in the two and a half days we’d been hiking the trails we’d not met anyone. We saw and heard lots of Armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), and the tracks of a bobcat (Lynx rufus) but no people, which is pretty much how we like it.
The van was where we left it (always a worry). It was just a matter of dropping our packs in the back and heading off to Ginger’s parents, a nice dinner, pick up the girls and head back to Springfield so that they could be home in good time for school Tuesday (today was a school holiday).
Today’s alternate shots and extras
Gary and Ginger on the Collins Ridge Trail 
Back at the van 
Camping by the North Fork River – Devils Backbone Wilderness 
The North Fork River – Devils Backbone Wilderness -
Morning coffee in Crooked Hollow – Devils Backbone Wilderness (365:051)
Morning coffee in Crooked Hollow – Devils Backbone Wilderness (365:051). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. It’s our second wedding anniversary, and what better way to celebrate it than backpacking? I sure do know how to show a girl a good time! I took today’s picture while we were drinking our morning coffee and making our plans for the day. Ginger, it should be added, surprised me with an anniversary gift – a CD. We had no way to play it though.
After breakfast and breaking camp, we hiked down Mary Hollow and followed the trail north and west to the North Fork River. The trail was obstructed by fallen trees in many places, and only a couple of trails are marked, so you need a map and to read the ground to make sure you stick to the right trail. We stopped briefly to admire the bluffs on the North Fork and to be completely disgusted at the mess left behind presumably by people camping in the wilderness while floating down the North Fork River. The almost complete lack of trash on the trails of the wilderness would suggest that this is the case.
We then climbed the 360 feet to the top of McGarr Ridge, and walked along the ridge and then negotiated the very steep 360-foot descent to visit Blue Spring, where we filled up with water (we have a filter pump and chemically treat our water), and had lunch. Our plan was to camp somewhere near where we’d first seen the river, and that meant retracing our path, climbing and descending McGarr Ridge again. We surprised ourselves by getting up the ridge quite quickly. Our new (but low-cost) trekking poles, brought for this trip, proved themselves invaluable going up and down the ridge. Once back at the river we didn’t want to stop at the campsite that had been abused by all the floaters, so we followed the trail North a short while and then cut down to the river. We found a nice secluded gravel bank where we spent the night, accompanied by the sound of running water.
We had managed around 4.25 miles again, though the climbs and descents took their toll on our legs.
Today’s outtakes & extras
Morning coffee in Mary Hollow – Devils Backbone Wilderness – Drinking coffee while nice and snug in your sleeping bag. It’s a nice way to start the day. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Morning coffee in Mary Hollow – Devils Backbone Wilderness – Drinking coffee while nice and snug in your sleeping bag. It’s a nice way to start the day. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Camping in Mary Hollow – The color of the tent blends in quite well. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
At the North Fork River – Devils Backbone Wilderness. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
Bluffs on the North Fork River – We watched one Jon boat and a canoe go down the river – four people, the only people we’d seen so far. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Wedding anniversary backpacking at Devils Backbone Wilderness (365:050)
Wedding anniversary backpacking at Devils Backbone Wilderness. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Tonight we get to sleep in the woods and tomorrow it’s our second wedding anniversary.
We got away from Springfield on time, picking up Lanie from her sleepover on the way out. At the grandparents I helped Jim load a large steel house sign into his pick-up before we headed off for the last fifty miles or so to our destination; the Devils Backbone Wilderness area.
Over the past week, we’ve checked the maps and pictures of the wilderness we found online. We had a rough plan of action, starting at the Collins Ridge trailhead. There were no other vehicles in the parking lot, checking the registration log, it appeared no one had entered the wilderness from here for a while.
We had a good hike along the Devils Backbone down into Mary Hollow. Ginger particularly liked all the pine trees at the start of the hike. The Devils Backbone was quite impressive with a significant drop off on each side, which is where I took today’s picture. The point where the trail drops into Mary Hollow is incorrectly marked on the map (it comes out about an eighth of a mile to the east of where it is shown), which caused us a bit of backtracking while we looked for the trail to McGarr Spring. We found the trail but couldn’t find the spring, there was evidence of water but there was none running.
We decided to camp further down the Hollow towards the North Fork river, so that we could pick up water in the morning. The trail was very easy walking being mainly soft dirt. It would have suited my Vibram Five Fingers which I hadn’t brought along. My Mark II huaraches worked well, but as expected weren’t tough enough for the trip, so after a couple of repairs, I gave up and resorted to trainers for hiking and flip-flops around camp. In total, we hiked about 4.25 miles today.
The overnight temperatures dropped into the mid-forties, but we were nice and snug.
Today’s alternate shots & extras
2011 – Ginger at the junction of the Collins Ridge and Devils Backbone trails. We turned right, to go along to the Devils Backbone.19 February 2011 | Devils Backbone Wilderness | Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman
Ginger on the Devils Backbone – Wedding anniversary backpacking at Devils Backbone Wilderness. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved.
There was plenty of dead wood around on the ground, we gathered enough for us to have a small fire going for a couple of hours. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. -
Packing my backpack (365:049)
Packing my backpack It’s a three day weekend, and to make the most of it tomorrow morning we’re taking the girls to their grandparents and then we are heading off into a nearby wilderness for a couple of days backpacking. Getzger and Alek are being left in charge back home, so hopefully the cats will be fed while we’re gone. With luck the weather will hold good, though they are starting to predict rain and Monday is going to be fifteen to twenty degrees cooler, so packing clothes for the trip’s a bit of a challenge.
Today we bought a rain cover for Ginger’s backpack and did the last of the shopping for the trip. We also had to get stuff ready for Lanie, who’s away on a sleep-over tonight. As soon as we can pick her up tomorrow morning, we’re off.
Today’s picture shows all my stuff ready to be put into my backpack. Total weight of pack and contents including food and water around 34-35lbs. Ginger carries half the food, cooking pot, fly sheet for the tent and the tent footprint. Her pack weighed in at 33lbs.
See all the items on the table labeled on Flickr
Alternate shots
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Afternoon school run (365:048)
Afternoon school run (365:048). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. If it’s Thursday it must be class tonight.
We had a quiet day, I finished my coursework and had my class in the evening; which was excellent as usual. I remember that thirty plus years ago when I was studying in the evenings I’d have trouble staying awake. In fact, when I was teaching evening classes I would sometimes have trouble staying awake. I’m glad to report that I’m not having any trouble keeping awake for my class now.
Collecting the big kids from school this afternoon I took some safety shots, and as I didn’t take any more pictures, this is it for the day.
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Burning incense (365:047)
Burning incense (365:047). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Today was much better.
I did some more of my coursework, tended my blog garden, made up my Mark II huaraches, which are much better. I now have to adjust the sole template to leave a bit more room for foot movement and invest in some better materials for the soles. Before I do that some testing out on the trails is required just to make sure everything is okay. At around 4oz for the pair carrying them backpacking will not be an issue.
Wednesday this week is Choir, Youth Group, and KfC evening. I spent the time in conversation with some of the other dads in the parish hall. The lighting in the hall is quite poor, otherwise, I would have been tempted to take my daily shot there. Instead, I had the idea of capturing our regular evening activity of lighting incense. We have several different types, sticks, solid blocks, and even some frankincense and blends of incense resins. Those should provide a few more photo opportunities.
We enjoyed the incense while listening to Rhapsody, studying topo maps, and making plans for this coming weekend’s hike. We managed to find some pictures of the wilderness area and some fairly good maps, so we now have a reasonable idea of what to expect and some initial ideas of where we’ll go. What we actually do will depend on the weather and how many other people are on the trails.
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Last thing on a Tuesday night (365:046)
Today wasn’t such a good day.
I ended up spending a lot of the day in pain. Not good for my temper, or those around me.
On the plus side, I got most of my coursework done for this week, there’s just a small bit to finish off tomorrow. I’ve retrieved the backpacking box and backpacks from the shed. Partially because I need some para-cord but also because we plan on go backpacking this coming weekend.
We finished the day by watching an episode of Inspector Morse. It was only at bedtime I remembered I hadn’t taken a picture today.
It is surprising how insidious the traps are in the 365 days project. I have had a run of photographic luck, and suddenly I find myself in the mindset that I shouldn’t post anything that’s not at least average. I spent a lot of time and took sixty odd pictures in two locations to get today’s picture. I even juggled with a reflector in one hand and a cat in the other at one point.
So I’m duly chastised, the pictures are a nice by-product, but they’re not the ‘be all, end all’ of this project. Let’s see how long it takes me to forget that.
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Gary and Ginger being nauseating in Walmart on Saint Valentine’s day (365:045)
Gary and Ginger being nauseating in Walmart on Saint Valentine’s Day – February 2011. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. When you’re living your dream, over time your dream becomes normal life. It pays to stop and reflect on that once in a while. When you do it reminds you how special your dream is and how lucky you are.
Today we decided to treat ourselves. After the school run we treated ourselves to breakfast. Anton’s parking lot was empty, so empty we thought it might be closed. Fortunately, it was open, and the lack of customers meant we had the pick of the tables so I got one one with excellent light all the better to take some pictures of Ginger.
After breakfast, we visited a couple of flea markets and then went down to Lake Springfield to check for ice with some kayaking in mind later in the week. We took a brief walk up to the bluffs where we were lucky enough to see a bald eagle, which took a bird or squirrel for its lunch. Ginger got a very close look at as it flew by the bluff – I missed it as I had my head in the camera. Later on, thanks to the generosity of one of the several birdwatchers down by the lakeside, we had a chance to see two bald eagles up close in a spotting scope.
Next stop for the day was Walmart, where I decided that a picture of us being nauseating in front of a Valentine’s day display of soft toys would make a good picture. The only trouble was the display was at the front of the store and very busy, I can’t imagine why. Ginger was most uncomfortable about my taking a picture there and refused to take part. Luckily I found another display still in one of the main thoroughfares but at least not opposite the checkouts. Shall we just say that there was a lack of enthusiasm for partaking in this picture by my embarrassed wife, and we did get some amused looks.
The day was rounded off with an evening of wine, cheese and a suitably romantic movie – Notting Hill.
Today’s alternate shots
Gary and Ginger in Walmart on Saint Valentine’s Day 
Lake Springfield – where bald eagles fly Additional shots
Saint Valentine’s day breakfast at Anton’s 
Ginger at Anton’s Coffee Shop 
Ginger at Anton’s Coffee Shop -
Gary and Ginger at the Church Annual Meeting (365:044)
Gary and Ginger at Christ Episcopal Church’s Annual Meeting. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. We spent a lot of time at Church today
Our day can be summed up as Church, annual meeting, home, sleep, and an evening of choral music back at church. That was about four hours at church and three hours sleeping.
Lunch was provided before the annual meeting, possibly as a reward / incentive to those attending. Though as these events go, the meeting was fine. I took today’s picture at the end of the proceedings, and my camera surprised me by actually focusing at one point, so the Nikon’s focusing fault has gone from permanent to intermittent.
Back home the wonderful 64°F (18°C) temperatures made me think of getting out in the snow-covered backyard, in my shorts and taking a picture of myself reclining in a sun lounger with a nice refreshing cocktail. Which just goes to show how quickly the 365 Days ‘let’s make a clever shot’ thinking can sneak up on you. Luckily I realised my mistake before I executed this plan, so I indulged in a three-hour snooze instead.
Our evening trip back to Church to hear the Springfield Chamber Chorus and The Dury Singers was well worth the effort. I love choral music and we were treated to a variety of wonderful examples.
One good thing about recording my day and not setting up artificial pictures: I won’t be wracking my brain for a clever Valentine’s Day shot tomorrow. Though I haven’t been beyond doing so in the past.
Today’s out takes & alternate shot
Never work with children, animals or Ginger. If she’s not pulling funny faces she’s just as likely to flash me or the camera. Nice but it disrupts my creative flow (well dribble is more correct). 
Oops, camera far too close and massive lens distortion even after adding some software correction -
A brief visit to the workshop (365:043)
A brief visit to the workshop Today the sun shone and the temperatures began to rise.
Last night we stayed up late watching Dogma and enjoying a beer. Which was a bit foolish as we had to be up early for Alek, who took his ACT test today.
Once up I spent a lazy morning on the computer tending blogs. This afternoon I took advantage of the warmer weather to move the van out of the garage, clean the garage floor (again), and then start work on my Mark II huaraches. No sooner did I turn the scroll saw on than the blade broke. Fitting a new blade I discovered the spare blade I had wasn’t the right length, so I ended up cutting the soles out with scissors, which wasn’t easy. I took this picture while I was removing the broken blade from the scroll saw. There’s an extra picture of me drilling holes in the soles of my huaraches for the binding. Thus far the Mark IIs while looking better than the Mark Is are not proving as effective. More research required.
Today’s other pictures:
A brief vist to the workshop 
A brief vist to the workshop -
Morning rituals (365:042)
Morning rituals. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I think we need a bigger bed.
Weekdays, after the school run we often enjoy our morning coffee in bed. We’ll chat about plans for the day, or further ahead, discuss our projects, shopping, the kids or whatever things are going on. This morning we were discussing some of the things I learned in last night’s class. It seems that every week I come away with a nugget of inspiration in addition to the things I’ve learned. Good stuff. And sometimes, not often we’ll have our cereal in bed too.
Getzger has his morning rituals too. As soon as the cereal is ready, he positions himself in a conspicuous spot and makes his presence felt. He knows I leave a little milk in the bottom of my bowl for him to lap up when I’m finished. The poor chap has trouble with his bones and joints, and a little bit of extra calcium will do him good. Well, that’s my excuse for encouraging him.
As we had our cereal in bed this morning Getzger sat and watched my every move. Sometimes, just for the fun of it, I make a big fuss over emptying my bowl with lots of slurping and muttering. That really gets him going.
The kittehs
I’m sure they are going to appear in a lot of these pictures so here’s a little introduction to our cats, in order from the camera.
Getzger (Abyssinian), aka Mr. Cat, MC, Getzger Cat, Geggers, Geggie, PLG as in ‘Peg Leg Geg’ and as part of a family cat intelligence (contradiction in terms there I know) experiment was also briefly known as Meowkovich-Meowcovich. When not sleeping, on patrol checking for squirrels, or inspecting the kitchen faucet, Getzger will have his head stuck in the food bowl.
Sprinky (Maine Coon), aka Sprinkles. Sprinky often replaces Lanie at the dinner table and is entranced by music, whistling, and singing.
Tubby (Burmese), aka Tubmiester, Rotro, Rotters, imbecile, and Irritant. Tubby’s ambition is to own an Uzi and get his own back on his captors and torturers.
Blue Kitteh (Maine Coon), aka Madame Bleu, Mao, and Floofy pants. Madame is far too aloof to join in the fun with the other cats, but is prone to hilarious attacks of the ‘cat Crazzies’. She deeply dislikes ‘Cat Dancing’.
Today’s out takes & extras
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Thursday studies (365:041)
School run this morning. Yay! -7°F (-22°C) Brrrrr! Tank of gas $52 Grrrrrr!
Well that’s what my Facebook status read this morning. If the school district thinks it’s okay to travel in on fresh snow laying on ice and -7°F temperatures, then I don’t see the logic of calling a snow day yesterday. Oh well.
I got to the gas station with a ‘distance until empty’ of just four miles, though apparently it still had a couple of gallons to spare. -22°C is the coldest temperature I have encountered so far. I’m not sure I want to break that particular record.
I spent the day catching up on my studies, which is where today’s picture comes in.
Ginger had some trouble starting the van this afternoon, seems the starter pre-engage solenoid wasn’t working properly. As the temperature in the garage had dropped to 2°F I’m hoping it was just the cold making it stick. I’ll have to find out where it’s located as often a good hard thump will release the solenoid when it jams. I don’t like the idea of it jamming when we’re parked out in the wilderness somewhere.
I’ve got my EFM tutorial tonight, that’ll be a good test, we’ll see how the van copes with being left parked outside Church this evening.
Picture Notes
I spent a little bit more time setting up my shot today. I put a diffuser in the window to soften the harsh sunlight, and I put a reflector frame right to fill in the shadows slightly. My Nikon is still refusing to autofocus when using the remote shutter release. It suddenly stopped working shortly after January 24. I had to put a cushion where I was going to sit and set up the focus on that. Which shows that the autofocus is working, just not when I use the remote. Odd. I guess some time on the Nikon technical support site is called for. I’ve tried resetting the camera back to factory settings. It didn’t make any difference.
This morning’s alternate shot at the gas station
Alternate: Filling up with gas -
Late Night Self Portrait
Late Night Self Portrait. Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. I wasn’t sure that the beer bottle picture I took earlier had worked so I took this self-portrait shot before bed just to be sure.
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Beer and a movie (365:040)
We woke to a 6am ‘phone call. Not good.
Springfield public schools declared yet another snow day today. We had an inch or so of snow overnight and it kept lightly snowing for most of the day. Having the kids around makes doing things like studying harder than it is already. There’s always noise and distractions. So I wasted most of my day in front of the computer. I didn’t even use the time to take a picture.
Come kid curfew time (9 pm) I was ready for a movie and a beer. I wasn’t sure that the beer bottle picture had worked so I also took a quick arm’s length self portrait shot before bed just to be sure.
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Imperfect Perfectionist
There are times when I think: “to hell with it, is it worth struggling to be an imperfect perfectionist?”
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Happy Gary enjoying a blog-day (365:039)
Happy Gary enjoying a blog-day Today I got blogged down.
I have a few outstanding tasks I could have been working on but I decided to work on my blogs instead. I want to clear the outstanding work and bring them up to date if possible. I’ve been slowly going back through my photoblog uploading better versions of the pictures, I’m also putting these self-portraits into a 365 Days blog too. It all takes time as I’m careful to ensure all the details are right. The tags have to be correct, if a picture is not taken at home it is geotagged. The layouts all match, and the text, well. let’s just say I struggle a lot with the text. I know I’m an imperfect perfectionist – otherwise, I’d never get a picture taken. But then I wonder, how much time could I save if I wasn’t so particular in ensuring all the links are correct and the layout is right? I will never know, because if I did cut corners, I’d be very disappointed with the result.
I grabbed today’s picture while sitting at the keyboard adding posts to my 365 Days blog.
Note: Links updated October 2014 (and again in September 2019) as the old WordPress blogs have been superseded by a self-hosted blog.
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Sometimes one pair of glasses just isn’t enough. (365:038)
Not an easy task for the optically challenged.
I thought I’d got my 365 shot for today, this morning, when I took a picture of myself warming my feet on Getzger’s belly. This afternoon the power cord on the laptop broke (again), and I decided to photograph the repair in progress for posterity. I did this mainly because I can only do close work like this if I don another pair of glasses over my existing ones, and with my warped sense of humor I find that funny.
Shortly after I took this picture an attempt to take a shower was almost thwarted by Ginger’s parents, in town for a short visit. I held true to the task in hand, let them in, dived back into the bathroom, had a quick shower and then did the entertaining, albeit in my robe, until Ginger’s return from the school run with the kids gave me a chance to get dressed again.
Other good news. I received a package and letters from the UK. It was posted in 2010 and only arrived today, that’s a long time for a smallish parcel to be delivered. It’s probably spent a month lost in a snow drift somewhere.
I guess I ought to try and get a new pair of glasses before this project is finished. We’ll see. I’ve been saying that for at least three years.
Today’s alternate picture
Out take: Getzger foot warmer -
After the Super Bowl (365:037)
After the Super Bowl (365:037). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. Super Bowl Sunday!
Well, I tried to get excited about the Super Bowl but failed quite happily. Super Bowl Sunday might be more appropriate as I scoffed huge quantities of unhealthy things while watching the endless adverts interspersed by a load of fat blokes assisted by a couple of skinny blokes chasing a rugby ball around a field. They managed to do this seemingly without proper passing, stopping to have a scrum or a throw-in. I wasn’t that impressed by the adverts either (we’ll gloss over the halftime ‘show’).
Next time I’ll lay off the molten cheesy dip stuff though. I had the most horrendous dreams featuring flayed living animals and moving (as in still living) dissected things. And that’s not to mention the entrails that someone was throwing out of a window. No, no more runny cheese dip for me. Ginger is totally unconvinced about the hallucinogenic properties of the humble lump of cheese, but eating cheese before bed almost always provides lucid dreams for me.
I started the day thinking about what great photo opportunities stretched ahead of me. Alas, it was not to be so. After Sunday School I had a Youth Group meeting, but the room was a bit dark, and I didn’t want to slow the meeting down by stopping to take pictures. I thought the Super Bowl party at Chuck’s would provide great opportunities – I was sure my enthused face glowing in the light of Chuck’s 70″ monster TV would make a great picture, but nah. So instead when I got home I had a couple of beers, a couple of marmalade sandwiches (I like marmalade), and a late-night arm’s length photo opportunity followed by some clichéd post-processing.
The really good news: the kids go back to school tomorrow morning. The bad news: They come back in the afternoon. Just kidding! Though it looks like more snow is due later in the week.
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Gary and Ginger on a snowy Sac River Trail (365:036)
Gary and Ginger on a snowy Sac River Trail (365:036). Copyright © 2011 Gary Allman, all rights reserved. No Interwebs today.
Ginger spent an age struggling with our ISP’s customer service only to eventually be told that there was a general outage in our area that would probably last several hours.
To keep busy I cleared the drive of last night’s couple of inches of snow, and we decided to enjoy the sunshine, brave the snow cover and go for a short hike on the Sac River Trail. The hike was fine, proving our gear is up to a winter hike, getting to the trail and away again was not so good.
On our way to the trail I nearly ‘T Boned’ a pick-up and trailer as it sailed through a stop sign without stopping; the driver was too busy chatting on his cell ‘phone. The street was completely snow covered, and the ABS while working hard couldn’t do enough to stop us in time. The only thing I could do was try and minimize the blow, and turned into the curb while trying to avoid a lamppost. Fortunately the curb stopped us and I missed the post.
A couple of hours later, at the parking lot for the trail, I made the mistake of trying to turn around to get out and got us well and truly stuck in the snow. Somehow, I even managed to get one (driving) wheel off the ground! I tried my repertoire of get unstuck tricks and finally had to resort to digging down through the snow and ice to the ground using my pocketknife. Note to self: Snow shovels aren’t worth a damn for digging out a stuck van.
I took today’s picture of Ginger and I while on our hike.
Today’s out takes & extras
