Sunday, July 3, 2016

The Inauguration of the Hall Lot of Adventure 2016 Trip



After what some might consider a rough start, having the a/c compressor seize up and die in the 110 degree Las Vegas heat, followed by a rear tire being impaled by a shard of rhyolite from a flash flood in a thunderstorm in Death Valley forcing an unexpected stay in a small town hotel and subsequent tire shop visit, our trip has finally resumed normalcy.

Me changing a flat tire in Death Valley







Despite Brittany's insistence on universal thwarting of us ever making it to the big fluffy trees, we made it to the Redwoods in time to enjoy the last night of the 3 day reservation we had already secured.



Our time there was quite short, but magical and refreshing nonetheless. The next morning-yesterday-I awoke pre-dawn, as usual for me while on the road, and began filming some epic Ferngully-esque footage of the campsite and surrounding woods.  (Video here)





The cold air was refreshing-to me-and instilled an invigorating sense of adventure. I was equally amazed by the fact that the whole night and following day was completely clear-not the normal weather for that region. Needless to say, I was afforded the perfect opportunity for a few astro shots at night, and some incredible sunrise-through-the-trees shots in the morning (video)




After a very slow drive north, with a long detour through the Jedediah Smith State Forest, a play in the most beautiful river I've ever encountered,




The Smith River




and a completely surreal and mind-blasting drive up to Stout Grove, we meandered up to the Crater Lake Resort, where we had made reservations for the next 4 days.




This resort is one of the nicest-nay I dare say-the nicest RV/camp parks I have ever visited (the WiFi itself is worth its weight in gold). So here, on the edge of some of the most stunning and pristine examples of volcanism and geologic history in the world- and in one of the most iconic natural structures in this country, we shall celebrate our great nation's independence by visualizing the explosive fireworks of the ancient Mt. Mazama and its crater lake forming event, spewing blankets of pyroclastic flows, pumice, and ash...and the Milky Way...tonight I shall capture it over the crater lake in all of its amazing glory and awesome (in the original sense of the word) splendor. Please take a moment to allow yourself to be visually enthralled by some crudely edited images from days 4 and 5 of the Hall Lot of Adventure journey, and stay tuned for more!