Desert Hike

I miss the desert.  It has a beauty all its own.

I drove down to Las Vegas for Veteran's Day weekend and Gil and I went for a hike.  He drove us close to Hoover Dam, he pulled into this semi-secret parking area, and we were off.  The colors were grand, the geology exposed, the hike full of rock obstacles, and the company perfect.  The only thing I didn't like was the helicopter tours constantly flying overhead.  Ugh!  

 We hiked all the way to the Colorado River, below the dam.  We had lunch on the river.

 Looking up-river towards the dam.  You can't see it but you can see the new bridge.

 As we got closer to the river there were all sorts of hot springs and pools.  It was really pretty.

Although the west-side Sierra foothills in California are going to be our home for a while, I hope we will always be able to find a way to get back to the desert for visits.

October 29th

The days leading up to the end of October were cold and rainy.  When I started my new job at the beginning of October I had planned to visit Mariposa the last weekend of the month to see the children I worked with present their program at church.  The 28th was Nevada Day and Gil had the day off and he decided to come up for a visit.

We drove to Midpines in the rain.  We kept monitoring the weather closely and it looked like it would clear for a few hours Saturday morning.  Saturday dawned bright and clear and we decided to head into Yosemite one more time.

The sun rising over Yosemite Valley, Half Dome in the far distance, El Cap on the left, Bridalveil flowing on the right, and mist on the valley floor.  (I am homesick for this place...)

 We continued up the Glacier Point Rd which was closing later that afternoon in anticipation of the rain starting up again and this time bringing snow.  We hiked to Taft Point, a place neither of us had been before.  We had beautiful views of the valley.

Yosemite Falls in all its glory.

 El Capitan and the Merced River.  I wish I could say the reds are fall colors, but it's unfortunately dead trees from the drought.

 We spent quite a while up at the point.  I finally turned to Gil and asked if he was ready to go.  He wasn't.  He had other plans.  He took my hand, got down on one knee, and ask me to marry him.  I said, "Yes!"

We took a few more pictures.

 We headed back down to the valley and took more pictures.

Oh how I love this man.

Kate E. and Gil C.

coming Spring 2017

Who Is Gil?

I've gotten quite a few people asking me lately, "Who is Gil?"  I will attempt to answer that question.

Gil is strong.

 Gil is smart.

Gil is an excellent cook.

Gil can fix anything.

 Gil loves to surf, snorkel, SCUBA, and swim.

 Gil is kind.  (And he drives a truck.)

Gil is funny.  (He did these himself.)

Gil is many things, more than I have room for in my blog.

There is one more thing Gil is...

...my fiance.