Rod's visit to Snowmass

A second delightful visit from one of my Yorkshire Munro climbing buddies, Rod. A full-on program with concerts, masterclasses,  coffee and muffins at Paradise, hikes, good dinners, bridge, poetry reading with Gracie, and many a good laugh.

Off to Oz, Scotland, Ireland and Georgia the day tomorrow ( Aug 20 ) - a round the world trip - and not back here to Snowmass till mid October. Yikes.

Chewing the cud with Rod at Meadow Ranch

Delphiniums in full bloom at 270 Meadow Ranch

At start of Lost Man Loop trail near top of Independence Pass with Gracie and Rod

Independence Lake

Gracie and Mary approaching the top of the Pass

Final Sunday concert in the tent. Mahler 2 with as large an orchestra as you'll see and the full Colorado Symphony choir in the balcony

Braemar - family gathering

What an epic week this was. All the forward planning paid off. To have Drumrunie and the back part of Morrone (our old house) in Braemar needed to be booked a year ahead and bringing everyone together from Colorado, Oregon, Ireland and Inverness at the same time was no mean feat

The 5 bells, Morrone Hill

Children asleep ? Dream on.

Dennis, Cormac on summit of Morone

Hard work for someone - Duncan on this occasion

Johannes in charge

Crossing the Cluanie , downtown Braemar

The River Dee right beneath the house

Grandad with his eldest grandchild Cormac. Aim - to have all 7 playing !

a bbq lunch for family and old friends in the Drumrunie garden

A great spot facing north west and the setting sun  at this moment

Same tree looking down the Dee

Cormac , Oli and Angus

Anna ( holding Elin ), Cormac and Maggie.  Front row: Iona and Angus

With the Colemans after the swim in the Dee

Grandad , Granny Moon and the 7 grandchildren

Moses, aka Elin, in her basket in the bulrushes at the Lui

Our favourite spot of old on the River Lui

The annexe at Morrone where the two of us stayed. Like old times.

Angus and Anna waking us up in the morning and helping grandad to make porridge - with salt

Looks like more than porridge

With Reid and Mary from Snowmass Village at start of our day in the Mamores. 4 Munros to go at the stat of this day.  Two to go at the end

Looking west down Loch Leven towards Ballachullish

Top of Binnean  Beag looking back to Sgurr Elde Mor

Mary with Andrew and Angelica Salvesen at Clash

Returning on the moor from Morrone to Drumrunie. Iona and Anna

Iona making a ponytail for Granny Moon

Corvallis, OR

Another very special trip to see Duncan, Katy,  Oli and Maggie. A 4 hour drive from Crater Lake NP and with our own bikes and own car for a change, we hoped to be not quite so helpless , transport wise, as on our former visits.

Huge success and we had some happy days with the family over the Memorial Day Weekend.

Daddy back from work - big excitement

hikes.....

....laughs

...and biking

The Lumos winery we all went to for a delicious sandwich lunch and a lot of wine tasting - we were on bikes

.. and a boule lawn . Memories of GSR and Duncan ( at same age as Oli ) in front of the Howtown Hotel, Borrowdale

Yosemite & Crater Lake National ParksThe 1,00

First time in Yosemite en route to Corvallis , OR.  We weren't disappointed !

The 1,000 odd mile drive across Colorado, Utah and Nevada

Nevada State Capitol  - Carson City, Nevada

Kit himself !

Yosemite Lodge, CA ( we didn't stay here ! )

1st afternoon's hike - to top of Vernal Falls

Face of El Capitan - scene of Free Solo

Yosemite Falls - at about its most impressive with Spring snowmelt. We hiked to the top of this on day 2

Believe it or not, we're nearly half way to the top at this stage. These falls have a further 500 feet so so to fall before reaching the valley floor

Where we did  stay - Treetops Lodge on the southern entrance to the Park. Communal loos and showers, but v comfortable

The Mariposa Sequoia Grove . A cool 1000 odd years of growth and in some trees here much more.

Identity of this rhubarb looking plant still to be identified

This was our introduction to Crater Lake NP in southern Oregon. Only managed to get to this point by bike. Road closed - reminiscent of Yellowstone on our trans am trip

No inflow ( other than rain and snow ) and and no outflow ( other than seepage and condensation - I'm still waiting for an email from the Park rangers to tell me approximately in what proportion ! )