Cold and Frosty and Perfect

Yesterday morning we had our first frost.  This morning was a repeat.  The horses were wound up before breakfast; racing up and down the pasture.  Even Jackson joined in; losing a hoof boot in the process.  After chores and warming ourselves by the wood stove, cup of coffee in hand, we drove over to Apple Hill -- which was blissfully quiet on a Thursday morning.  I had today off (she pumps her arm enthusiastically) and Brett let me pick the itinerary.  We ate apple cider donuts, fresh from the fryer, crispy sugary crunchy with a soft melting interior - tossing the donut from hand-to-hand because it was still hot.  The we filled the back of the car with a crate of Fuji apples, bags of Braeburn, Granny Smith, Arkansas Black and Golden Delicious apples plus a big jug of apple juice for Brett, and a caramel apple for me.  Then we hit the fudge shop.  (Diet? What diet?)

On the way back home, I suggested taking Kersey somewhere for a hike.  We thought about Jenkinson Lake which is very close but the water level is so low that it looks more like a puddle than a lake.  Our favorite lake for kayaking is Wrights Lake, halfway between us and Lake Tahoe.  We decided to go there.  Brett called the ranger station to make sure the road was still open.  The ranger told him that the lake is closed to camping and boating for the season, but hiking is still allowed.  He said that there was some patchy snow but it was not enough to be a barrier to a hike.

Ten miles from the lake we hit patchy snow.  Soon the road looked like this.

We parked outside the barricaded road and Kersey immediately starting doing donuts in the snow.  We followed the road to Dark Lake, where we snapped the leash onto Kersey.  She wanted to swim.  And it was 35F.

Then we walked through a deserted campground to the boat launch at Wrights Lake.  We walked on the road because the snow was too deep to find a trail.  Patchy, my foot.

We got home just in time for evening chores.  Albondigas soup is on the menu for dinner.  It was a great day.

You can see ice on the lake, behind Brett's head.

The Heat is Back

...so we took the kayaks up to Wrights Lake which is about 25 miles this side of Lake Tahoe in the Desolation Wilderness area of the Sierra Nevada.  The lake is very quiet -- no motor boats allowed at all.  We kayaked across the lake and then paddled up a stream for awhile.  90F at home and 70F on the lake.

Me and Margarita -- I mean, what else would you name a lime green kayak?

Heading up stream; lots of practice steering to dodge submerged boulders, logs and sandbars.

There were lots of pretty cabins along the shore.  (That's Brett in his kayak, Squirrel - in honor of Rachel, his granddaughter, who is on a rowing team at school)

We paddled up this stream, starting at the trail bridge.

Our friends, George and Nancy, were behind us going up the stream and took this video.

Having lunch on the shore.

Those are the Crystal mountains behind the lake -- is it gorgeous or what.