q: what’s not quite as good as going to the mountains, but a hell of a lot better than staying in dallas for the weekend?
a: car camping at a state park for a few days… weekend warrior style.
Tag Archives: camping
i hate valentimes? caddo lake
elle, hunter trek, and i spent valentines day out at caddo lake on the texas-louisiana border. swamp country.
it’s a whole other world out there. we enjoyed the signs in uncertain, texas…
it was incredibly cold, but by far the best valentines day i’ve ever had. neither of us like the “holiday” and feel it’s a bit contrived.
but spending the weekend hiking, playing card games, cooking out, and drinking wine was so enjoyable, i think it might become a tradition.
not just another new year
elle and i decided to go camping for new years this year… big surprise.
we wanted to go somewhere near austin so we could have a fun night in the city, and have an excuse to see my brother and his family.
so it ws decided that we would go to pace bend park, a small but secluded city park on lake travis.
elle found a comfy spot high up in a cedar tree with her shiner.
we sat out on a bluff that overlooks lake travis for a good while…
then we played a little frisbee.
we each modeled for the camera…
then it was time to get down to business…
we made a stop at whole foods before heading out to camp. on the menu for the evening; stuffed, organic jalapeños wrapped in bacon as appetizers, all-beef organic cowboy burgers for the main course, and a decent bottle of spicy shiraz. mmm mmm MMMM!
best camp food i’ve ever had. and i must say that i was pretty proud of my fire too…
elle got a little trigger happy with my camera… i love it!
after a short afternoon shower, the temperature dropped to a brisk 37 degrees, and a beautiful rainbow appeared. we stood in awe.
our little friend, either a kit fox or a gray fox visited our camp that night and the next morning. he was a welcomed guest, and we felt lucky to get a glimpse of an increasingly uncommon creature.
i can say enthusiastically that 2010 started off right… already a lot to be thankful for…
12k ft. days
i awoke tuesday morning at alta lakes. the sun shone bright in the cloudless sky, silhouetting the mountains in front of me.
i left the lakes in late morning, and headed back to town. wilson peak and lizard head wilderness became distant memories behind me.
on wednesday, travis, bd, and i decided to hike silver lake. just above bridal veil falls, on the east end of telluride, silver lake is another high alpine pool that sits near 12,000 ft elevation. the hike is short but strenuous.
travis and i hiked the surrounding summits while bd fished the lake.
telluride and it’s surrounding wilds is one of the first places that my love of photography, and more specifically, landscape photography, grew. the shot below, looking out from bridal veil toward town, is framed the way i shot it nearly ten years ago.
journal: montana
6-18-09
my car is facing away from the mountain. i wake to the cold and rain. it’s 5:30 a.m.
behind me, the mountain is covered in a thin fog, like a bride under her fine lace veil. she thought she was hiding from me, but how could i not notice her?
cooke city, montana has always treated me well, but this morning, i feel lost.
i rolled in late last night. weary from the road and rain. the miner’s saloon, as inviting as it always is, seemed distant. they only take cash, and the big city man i am, i only had plastic. no problem, i thought. this always happens. luckily, they have the only atm in town. i slid the blue card in nice and easy, and yanked it back in a forceful, but fluid motion. “out of order.” !?!? but i had already started drinking my beer!
i apologized. the bartendress seemed annoyed at my genuine apology.
“well, i guess this one’s on me,” she said angrily.
i finished my free scapegoat pale ale and left.
my usual “free” campsite at the edge of town was closed with no explanation. i put “free” in quotes because i believe you’re supposed to pay. but i always seem to pull into cooke city after dark… so, i never have.
i decided to park at the old city dump, on the other edge of town. it only takes about two minutes to walk from one end of town to the other.
i reclined the driver seat of my chevy aveo rental, wrapped myself haphazardly in a sleeping bag, and called it a day.
now here i am; seven hours of restless sleep later.
the sun rose somewhere already, but not here. the cloud cover is thick, and there’s a light drizzle. 35 degrees. massive lodgepole pines in front of me absorb the rain like thirsty sailors imbibe on the first day of fleet week.
lately my heart’s been heavy like a sandbag.
this morning is no different. in fact, today it’s worse.
it feels like someone tied a cinder block, or a dozen, to my chest, and dropped it in the deepest ocean.
if it felt possible to cry, i would. but i wouldn’t know what for. after all, i’m in one of my favorite places in the world.
so i decided to start my day.
i made a cup of coffee and rolled a cigarette. yeah i know, i quit smoking three years ago. it was three years ago almost to the day when i started again in spain. then it continued on into lebanon…
you can smoke anywhere in lebanon. just walk into the airport in beirut with a lit cigarette, and see if i’m exaggerating.
so, unfortunately, for a time, i’m smoking again.
slowly my mind and body, cold and slightly wet from the night before, begin to wake up.
the lamar valley of yellowstone anxiously awaited my arrival. but the sun still hides it’s precious rays.
in spite of my thoughts, behind the clouds, the light is there just waiting for me to remember it still exists.
andrew slaton | blog 