Twin Lakes July 2008 (Peeler Hike)

An evening view from the "fishing hole"



Our Lattin family has a cabin located at Twin Lakes California 13 miles from Bridgeport. My great uncle was a stone mason and constructed the dam on the lower lake. Our family spent alot of time up at the "Cove Cabin" I worked at Mono Village, located on the upper lake -- a vacation resort for two summers during college. I love Twin Lakes. It is beautiful, the weather is never too hot and the stars at night seem close enough to touch.

Rich fishing at "the fishing hole"
The Hike
When we were young we would hike up to Barney Lake -- a 4 miles hike that was just right for us. There was Peeler lake that everyone talked about that was 4 miles above Barney. My father tells of the summer that he took pack horses into Peeler Lake. In the "old" days the trail to Peeler wasn't that well marked and we never made it there. I have always wanted to make the hike to Peeler lake. I talked Rich into going to Twin Lakes and trying to make the hike into Peeler in a day. We got to the cabin on Wednesday. We fished all day Thursday in our famous fishing hole and finally caught 7 fish on Thursday evening. We slept on the sundeck and I was amazed at the beauty and the majesty of the stars.

Friday morning we got up and made our lunch and set out for the Mono Village where the trail head is. We filled our camel backs with bottled water. ( Sorry dad we just couldn't drink the water straight from the stream like we used to) WE set off to Peeler Lake. To make a 9 hour day a short story -- I made it. Thanks to Rich who walked my pace -- poor boy he could have jogged up this mountain. We saw a few back packers coming down the mountain and each one said that it was well worth the trip up. We also were passed up by a group on horses. At that point I was ready to pay for a horse and more so when the guide said we were a longgggggggg way from the lake.


The reward of this beautiful mountain was worth the time and effort. It sits on the top of the sawtooth mountain ridge and the west side of Peeler is in Yosemite National Park. This was one of the first views we had of the lake.


Rich is looking pretty spry. He kept commenting how nice it was to be on an actual trail. Gutzman adventures don't always use conventional trails.


Peeler Lake is about 9400 feet. We started at about 7200 feet. There were these wonderful snow banks where we constructed our own snow cones. I felt rejuvenated after having an original snow cone.


I wouldn't actually put a picture of me on this post but this is to prove that I actually made it to Peeler Lake. A 16 mile round trip. 9 hours hiking.
These pictures do not really capture the feel of this beautiful lake.

July 4th Strawberry

This is a picture of the eagle's nest seen from Goldy's trailer. Thanks to Don for putting the trailer on our RV spot. People have now quit asking us if we want to sell that piece of property.



I was watering some trees and this lizard came and got a drink while I was squirting the hose. By the time I had grabbed my camera he was just hanging out on the railroad tie.

Our next door neighbor sponsored a holiday concert and had a fiddler and guitar player come play for us. It was a great evening in spite of all the bugs. The sunset was beautiful and I never did get a good picture of it.



We had a wonderful 4th of July. Our fireworks were burning logs in our firepit that is now actually a fire pit and not a large well casing. (It was filled with water most of the spring until the runoff slowed and the water table receded)


Reflections: I am grateful to live in a free country where I have so many opportunities. But most of all I am thankful for my great family.

Local Wildlife

Rich noticed this little guy on our way home from church. He didn't seem to frightened although I did have my zoom on. Sometimes we still can get that "country" feel here in Draper.

Mt Auburn Cemetery

Mt Auburn Cemetery, June 2008



The Boston Skyline as seen from the cemetery tower.


I love cemeteries. As a kid we used to visit the old mining town cemeteries. I probably complained about going as a kid, but I have since gained a great appreciation of the epitaphs and the loving memories.

I love the beauty that nature provides. As a kid I spent time finding shapes in clouds and at Twin Lakes I collected ( you could collect back then) wildflowers and learned to identify them.

So to have a cemetery and an arboretum together is a double pleasure. The Mt Auburn Cemetery just down the road from Daija's apartment is an established arboretum with acres of headstones. One could spend hours exploring the many paths, ponds and structures. There was a tower that must be set on a hill high enough that when you are at the top you can see the whole Boston skyline. There are so many trees that we had to follow a map to find the tower. I was in awe at the beauty of this cemetery.

There are many things to do in Boston, but I am looking forward to going back to this cemetery. I can only imagine the fall color display that will coincide with the birth of the baby.

Reflections of Boston: While the cemetery was a great experience the best was being with Daija and Jonathan. It is a pleasure to see a young couple still in love. It is comforting to know that my daughter has a wonderful young man to take care of her. They take an older man to church every Sunday. He is just getting back into full activity and has many questions and I can tell they are just right for him. I am convinced that although being "active" in the church is time consuming and sometimes difficult, being active in the "gospel" brings blessings and comfort that far outweigh any of the "busyness" that we sometimes feel. Thanks Daija and Jonathan for being such good hosts and the wonderful time together.