Muriel Lake, over Piute Pass

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On this particular trip I made it to Muriel Lake under seriously threatening skies. They let loose and dumped freezing rain on me a couple times, but for the most part it held off. It was mid-afternoon by the time I set up camp on the barren shoreline. The elevation here is over 11,300', so you won't see a whole lot of wheat fields or pineapple plantations. This place was thickly forested until Bush's forest-thinning policy took effect. But to his credit, the fire danger is very minimal. Ha! I jest, I sorta like Bush. Okay, back to the lake. One reason I frequently camp at Muriel Lake is because it has an open shoreline with unobstructed views looking west towards the setting sun. Well, it has to be evening before the sun sets in the west to see it, but you know what I mean. This photo (as well as the following photos) was taken with a wide-angle lens, which obviously shrinks everything to fit more into the pic. ( e-burp) excuse me, that was pretty embarrassing, sorry. In reality even those distant peaks loom quite high. The clouds in this photo look pretty pissed off. There ain't much cover up here when the sky gets angry. It keeps my prayer life healthy.

BrIMAX for broadbanders”

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There had been a big wildfire in the western Sierra before I headed in on this trip, and wow, boy did it make the sunset extra sweet! It was an amazing thing to see, and my photos are desperately inadequate in capturing the brilliance of it. It almost looked like an exploding volcano, with big beams of bright red sunlight shooting up at various angles from behind the peaks. The air was dead calm, golden trout were rising all over the lake, and flames of light were shooting up from the distant mountains. Unless I get Alzheimers, I will never forget it.

BrIMAX -No Wussy Dial-Uppers Allowed!”

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Here's a zoomed up shot of the sunset. The colors are real, I carefully matched the scan with the slide. Incredible sunsets happen often in the High Sierra, it's famous for them, but this one was among the most memorable for me. I don't think Heidi and Sierra appreciated it quite as much as me, but still, it was awesome.

BrIMAX - Broadband rules the WORLD! Stay out if you're a 56ker”

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Here's a view from the same perspective but looking more southerly. I love the way sunsets paint clouds. Shoot, Buck, you love wildflowers, you love sunsets, you love big mountains and oceans and lakes and waterfalls and rivers and creeks and deserts and canyons and forests and people and animals... is there anything you DON'T like? Peas. I HATE peas. Peas suck. I hope there's a separate pea HELL where all peas can burn in fiery torment for all eternity. But other than that, I love everything.

BrIMAX - Broadband, where the big boys play”

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Here's another wide angle view of Muriel Lake and the wonderful cloudy sky as the sunset dissipated. I was the only one at the lake for the couple days I was there. I craved tacos.

BrIMAX - dial-upper HELL!”

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After the sun had set, a large cigar-shaped craft hovered above the lake and then came towards me. It was huge and didn't make a sound. With nowhere to flee, a huge beam of light sucked me up. Much of the abduction experience is hazy, but I remember lying on a cold table with little green beings poking and prodding me with instruments. The eyes... ahhh, I'll never forget those big eyes. The instruments they poked me with looked to be made from a material like nothing I've seen on Earth. They didn't have lips, but I could hear them talk. Hmmm. They freely explored every orifice I owned, but they were suprisingly gentle. No one believed my story until doctors found a strange metallic prodding device that had broken off in my... ahem... well, my backside. No wonder I couldn't sit down for days after that trip. I feel comfortable telling you guys this story. You're all wonderful, truly wonderful, thanks for being there for me. Gotta run. Bye.

BrIMAX - Last One”