Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Driving the Tran-Mountain road by El Paso, Texas a baseball sized rock fell off of one of the cliffs and wouldn't you know it, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. You can also kiss my wiper blade good bye.


After the baseball rock to the windshield I pulled off the road into the Franklin Mountains outside of El Paso. These mountains are teeming with unique plants and beautiful scenery. I will have to come back some other time when I have more time to poke around and see what I can find.


Here are some salt flats to the west of Guadalupe Peak. That high mountain-rock-looking thing in the far back ground is in fact Guadalupe Peak.


There is El Capitan in Yosemite National Park and El Capitan in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. Both are dramatic cliffs rising straight out of the ground. I managed to capture El Capitan here in the Guadalupes just as a low cloud was passing by.


I am now botanizing the desert floor of Guadalupe Mountains National Park looking for unique and interesting plants. I have a fascination with cacti and I always keep my eyes peeled for species I have never seen before. Here is a Christmas Cholla (Cylindropuntia leptoclulis).


My camp site at Pine Springs Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains.


It took me forever to figure out what the heck this plant was. It is a Mexican Orange (Choisya dumosa). It is interestingly a member of the Citrus family and is highly aromatic.


These were easily my favorite trees around the park. They are Texas Madrones (Arbutus xalapensis) and have incredibly red-orange shiny bark and gnarly twisted shapes. Needles to say, they made great photo opportunities. I have also heard they are the hardiest of all the Madrone tree species.


The Guadalupe Mountains were a hot bed for agave. The agave I found in the park were slightly different than most of the other agave I have seen. They had an amazing ice-blue felt/matte color but had jet black spikes and spines. I think these specific agave are (Agave neomexicana).


Texas Madrone.


The live tissue looks like a tumor or alien growth growing over the dead wood in this Texas Madrone. I took so many pictures of these plants and each new tree I came came across seemed to become weirder and weirder.


Texas Madrone.


Foggy cliffs in Pine Spring Canyon.


Here is an Agarita (Mahonia trifoliolata). It produces edible red berries (not pictured) and is a member of the Barberry family I believe.


Crossing a beautiful clear stream in McKittrick Canyon in the Guadalupe Mountains. McKittrick Canyon had been described by some to be the most beautiful place in Texas.


Stream in McKittrick Canyon.


Approaching the top of Guadalupe Peak, El Capitan came into view. From up here you can really see just how massive the cliff face really is.


This is El Capitan from the top of Guadalupe Peak, the highest point in Texas. 8,749 feet.


At the top there is a metal pyramid. I wonder how many times it has been struck by lightning?


Me on the summit of the highest point in Texas. Guadalupe Peak. I forgot to mention it was ridiculously cold up there.

Insomnia with my Camera

Lightning Shots I Don't Want to Loose so I am Posting Them

I Climbed a Big Ol' Mountain

The Organ Mountains seen from around 3 to 4 miles away. They are perhaps the most dramatic mountains in New Mexico.


Getting closer the the base of the mountains. The terrain was also getting progressively steeper and steeper.


This is the end of the dirt road. It is all on foot from here on out.


Brian's Jeep was an animal on the dirt road leading up the base of the mountain. It was nice to cut off about 2 hours of the climb due to its high clearance. Going down was a little scary at times but we all made it in one piece.


The Organ Needle (the highest peak) is the second peak from the right I think. That is the peak we summited.


Getting higher and higher into the ruggedness. At this point the hike was beginning to turn into a climb. My camera is pointed at about 70 degrees so the terrain is a whole lot steeper than it looks like in this picture.


This is the view about half way up the climb.


Here we are at the half way point. You can also see the obvious route we took up that big ravine.


Approaching the big ravine and the snow.


On the summit at last!


Enjoying the view from the top.


If you look closely you can see White Sands National Monument in the far background.


Some of the group relaxing after lunch and the big climb up.


It was a sheer cliff for about 300 feet off the top of the Organ Needle. We passed some of the time up there by hurtling boulders off of it and listing to the deafening Kaboom as it smashed into a thousand pieces at the bottom. Sometimes I think I take a little too much pleasure in the small things in life.


On the way back down. It took us nearly half and hour to go about 100 feet.


One last view from near the top while descending back into reality.

Tricamp 2010

Every year the Tricats of the University of Arizona put on a triathlon camp for the college triathletes of the west. The camp was without a doubt a smashing success in more ways than one. Not only did it kick off my training for 2010 but I had a barrel-full-of-monkey fun and made many new friends in the process. The days were filled with swimming biking and running. The swimming was a little challenging since I have swam twice since September but I enjoyed every minute of it, at least every minute of the warm up. The very first bike workout of the season was one of the most amazing rides I have ever done. And in actuality, now that I think about it, it was the most fantastic ride I have ever done. For that ride we biked up one of the most famous mountain climbs in North America. Erupting out of the Sonora Desert is Mt. Lemmon climbing over 4,000 feet in 23 miles. I was actually fairly surprised at how well I did. In spite of riding the whole thing I did however, run completely out of water and then proceed to bonk in the last 5 miles. At the top (fortunately) was a dinner plate sized cookie and a free coffee waiting for me. Thank you random lady behind the counter. I think she liked me. Ugg. Even Deanna thought it was suspicious.

Some other Tricamp activities included socializing. Lots of socializing. I have never really been much of a party guy and just feel horribly awkward at such events. Every night there was a ridiculous party, and every night I either chose not to partake or volunteered to be the designated driver. That was until the last night. I will not go into details but Alan, if you are reading this, I am sorry. I will sustain from such behavior in the future. And that is all I would like to say about that.

Tucson scores a perfect fantastic on my fantastic city score card. Coming from the Pacific Northwest where the daytime winter temperatures hover in the low 30's and the sun never pokes it's shiny little happy face out from behind the ugly gray clouds, Tucson is a dream come true. Winter in Tucson was not really winter at all according to me. I mean during the winter could you ride your bike in nothing more than bike shorts and a short sleeve bike jersey? Could you go for a run at night and take your shirt off because it is still so crazy unberably warm? I think not. But that's the way Tucson winters work. Day time highs were in the high 60's to low 70's with not so much as a puff of cloud anywhere to be seen. I will also have to mention that the sunsets were unbelievable. Silhouetted palms and saguaro cacti against a boiling lava hot sky with mixes of yellows and purples will blow your mind. They definitely blew my mind.

So this is it. Winter Break is drawing to a close. School is about to start and my triathlon training is finally underway. I think 2010 will be a good year. I have much to look foreword to and I am once again incredibly excited about life and the new places, things and yes, even excited about the people. Bring it on. I want it all.


This is not my picture, none of them are, but I just wanted to say that I saw a Boojum Tree. I have always wanted to see a Boojum Tree. They are a stubby short tree 20 or so feet high that have even shorter stubbier branches. The leaves are carried in clusters along the short branches as well as the trunk. They are really very bizarre plants. In times of drought the leaves will fall off.


This is the final destination on our last run up Sabino Canyon to 7-falls. It was a beautiful perfect place to cap off a great camp experience. And yes most of us went swimming.


At 7-falls near the top of Sabino Canyon.


The Tricamp group of 2010.

New Years Eve in Downtown Spokane

Newly fallen snow on a Blue Spruce.


Foot bridge across the upper falls on the Spokane River. I liked the lights on the building. So shiny. Awww...


Upper Spokane Falls seen from the swinging foot bridge.


The swinging foot bridge across the upper falls on the Spokane River.


The Monroe Street Bridge seen over the lower falls on the Spokane River. It was at one time the largest concrete arch bridge in the world if it is not still.


It was snowing/raining at the time of this picture and there is a little water on the lens. I still think it came out pretty good.


Lower Spokane Falls on New Years Eve 2009.


Just playing around with my shutter speed and the traffic. It makes for some pretty neat shots with an excellent feeling of motion.


Spokane's old Clock Tower in River Front Park.


More Traffic heading out of down town Spokane.