The Avenues Twin Peaks - March 30, 2024

[scatman]

The weather here for the past few weekends hasn't been the best, so I have spent no time cycling like I should be to get ready for the Front Runner Century ride that I signed up for on May 11th. The weather forecast for today, Saturday the 30th of March, called for an 80% chance of rain, so instead of riding this morning I played a couple of hours of basketball (couldn't get up and down the court to save my life), fully expecting that when I finished I would walk out of the gym to rain. But alas, there was no rain. When I got home I told Sheila that we needed to do something like go for a hike, kind of pissed that we didn't go for a ride. We decide to hit the Avenues Twin Peaks again ( I know, the same old shite! ) before the storm rolled in.

I dusted off my Canon EOS 1DX for this hike. It weighs like seven pounds. I'm pretty sure @wsp_scott, @Bob or @TractorDoc said that they would carry it into the backcountry for me on our Hidden Creek adventure later this summer. I brought the Canon EF 20 - 35 mm f2.8 L lens also and I took a Canon PowerShot SX710 HS on this hike.

Here are some shots of the hike.


Sheila at the Sube. I wonder if the people who live in this house ever get tired of me parking in front of it?


The south summit can be seen just left of center


Desert Alyssum


BCP greetings to everyone - obligatory shot with the south summit above


Spring Parsley


Common Storksbill


Hillside covered in Alyssum


The hated spurge!


Checking out the city view, with Mount Wire in the distance at the upper right of the image


Doesn't get much slower than this.


Starting to hit some snow


Sheila making her way up to the ridge


On the north summit, looking over at the south summit and the Salt Lake Valley


This one is for those along the ridgeline. My hair looks like it is turning white! Is that true?


Sheila, making her way up to the south summit after coming off the north summit


Now how does this self timer work?


Steady, Focus. And . . . . . . . . . . . . . .


Perfect shot.


Breaking down the tripod.


The north summit as we make our way back down.


So, since I have not ridden in the last three weeks, I'm pretty sure I will die on my century ride, so @Rockskipper I will have you do the eulogy at my funeral. Be your usual sarcastic self, injecting your dry wit as you see fit. I am also going to put you in charge of the music list.

Here is who I want played at the end:

Elton John - "Rocket Man", "Tiny Dancer" and "Pinball Wizard". Allman Brothers - "Jessica", "Midnight Rider", "Ramblin' Man". The Beatles - "Across the Universe". The Who - "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "5:15", "My Generation", "Boris the Spider", "squeeze Box". Bob Seger - "Night Moves". Joni Mitchell - "Circle Game", "Clouds", "Free Man in Paris". Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Free Bird". The Band - "Up on Cripple Creek", Anything by Bob Dylan ,The Temptations, Bob Marley and John Lee Hooker. Muddy Waters - "Mannish Boy" The Tapestrys album by Carol King. Bobby Darrin - "Beyond the Sea". The Beach Boys - "Good Vibrations", Oh, I can't forget Van Morrison, the Irish Bard - "Into the Mystic", "Listen to the Lion", "Brown Eyed Girl", "Moondance", "Summertime in England", "In the Garden". All the soul hits from the early 70's - Billy Paul - "Mrs. Jones", The O'Jays - "Backstabbers", "Love Train", "I Love Music". Cutis Mayfield - "Freddy's Dead", "Get Down", Anything Aretha Franklin. And Funk! Don't forget the Funk! Anything from Sly and the Family Stone and George Clinton. Oh, we can't forget country music either - George Jones (The Possum) - "White Lightning", "Grand Tour", and "He Stopped Loving Her Today", and Georges duos with Tammy Wynette - "Golden Ring" and "Did You Ever". Outlaw Country - Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings- anything from their outlaw days. Anything Johnny Cash! Merle Haggard - "Kern River", "Moving On", "Silver Wings", "Mama Tried", "If We Make It Through December", "Ramblin Fever", "Today I Started Loving You Again". Anything Patsy Cline. Damn, I almost forgot the King! Elvis - "Kentucky Rain", "In the Ghetto", "Jailhouse Rock". Some John Coltrane and Miles Davis thrown in for good measure too. Anything bluegrass.

I want a wall sized picture of Don Cornelius with full afro like his early Soul Train days. And you'll be in charge of the line dance. Make sure @TractorDoc participates in this doing his version of the grizzly bear attack dance step. If he seems reluctant to head down the line, just give him a few shots of Irish whiskey to get his courage up.

And Skipper, you'll have to check all the inReaches at the door, or their equivalent.

Of course, all Mules are welcome.

Oh, and let them know that I told the Hayden Valley BMA to F#*k Off!


And to cap off the night

A medium combo pizza


Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout.

 

[The Trout Whisperer]

How was th stout?

 

[Bob]

Whrer is all the snow? I think tractordoc said he would carry your camera gear....

 

[scatman]

How was th stout?

The stout was delicious.

 

[scatman]

Whrer is all the snow? I think tractordoc said he would carry your camera gear....

I'm pretty sure @TractorDoc will volunteer to carry it at some point?

 

[TractorDoc]

Does "volunteer" mean sneak it into my pack when I'm not looking?

 

[wsp_scott]

Does "volunteer" mean sneak it into my pack when I'm not looking?

I wonder if I can get you to "volunteer" to carry anything for me

 

[Rockskipper]

You have a Canon EOS 1DX and Canon EF 20 - 35 mm f2.8 L lens? I'll do the eulogy if you'll "will them" to me.

As for the music list, it would take a couple of days to play all that, so instead, I'll shorten the ceremony up by playing "I Shot the Sheriff" a couple of times. The ceremony will be held in the Hayden Valley BMA, bears welcome. The reception and line dance will be held at the old Wasatch Grange, and the drunken aftermath in Scatman's front yard (read on).

Here's part of the eulogy:

Dear Friends,

Today, we gather to celebrate not just a legend, but a friend. Today, we remember and honor our beloved Scatty McScattmeister.

Scatty was a man of many talents, from his elegant and dashing BCP salute (often bestowed upon the unwary on the tops of mountains while hanging from a tower), to his uncanny ability to turn even the simplest kilt and bicycle-hat ensemble into a statement, making the world his fashion runway.

He was a man who did more than simply dress with panache, he also ate food—I mean, really ate food. Every meal was an epicurean adventure, even if it was just an undercooked package of Mountain House out on the trail. Cooking was his superpower, as was eating ghost peppers with a heavy spoon (which some of us still haven’t quite figured out the why of).

Scatty’s loyalty was unwavering. He came into our lives as a tiny bundle of joy, his eyes sparkling with mischief, his tail wagging with excitement. Out hiking, he would run ahead, his tail wagging, his eyes full of joy. He would chase after squirrels, jump into piles of leaves, and then look back at us, his joy contagious. [I took that previous paragraph from my dog’s eulogy cause I like it and it sort of fits.]

END OF EULOGY, but there will be more, mention of rattlesnakes and bison and Yellowstone etc. BCP FRIENDS—any help appreciated. We will then finish the ceremony with wailing bagpipes playing Amazing Grace and drinking Irish whisky while playing a round of strip poker in his front yard, revealing us all wearing ill-fitting bikinis, male and female alike. (should I post the picture????)

 

[scatman]

You have a Canon EOS 1DX and Canon EF 20 - 35 mm f2.8 L lens? I'll do the eulogy if you'll "will them" to me.

As for the music list, it would take a couple of days to play all that, so instead, I'll shorten the ceremony up by playing "I Shot the Sheriff" a couple of times. The ceremony will be held in the Hayden Valley BMA, bears welcome. The reception and line dance will be held at the old Wasatch Grange, and the drunken aftermath in Scatman's front yard (read on).

Here's part of the eulogy:

Dear Friends,

Today, we gather to celebrate not just a legend, but a friend. Today, we remember and honor our beloved Scatty McScattmeister.

Scatty was a man of many talents, from his elegant and dashing BCP salute (often bestowed upon the unwary on the tops of mountains while hanging from a tower), to his uncanny ability to turn even the simplest kilt and bicycle-hat ensemble into a statement, making the world his fashion runway.

He was a man who did more than simply dress with panache, he also ate food—I mean, really ate food. Every meal was an epicurean adventure, even if it was just an undercooked package of Mountain House out on the trail. Cooking was his superpower, as was eating ghost peppers with a heavy spoon (which some of us still haven’t quite figured out the why of).

Scatty’s loyalty was unwavering. He came into our lives as a tiny bundle of joy, his eyes sparkling with mischief, his tail wagging with excitement. Out hiking, he would run ahead, his tail wagging, his eyes full of joy. He would chase after squirrels, jump into piles of leaves, and then look back at us, his joy contagious. [I took that previous paragraph from my dog’s eulogy cause I like it and it sort of fits.]

END OF EULOGY, but there will be more, mention of rattlesnakes and bison and Yellowstone etc. BCP FRIENDS—any help appreciated. We will then finish the ceremony with wailing bagpipes playing Amazing Grace and drinking Irish whisky while playing a round of strip poker in his front yard, revealing us all wearing ill-fitting bikinis, male and female alike. (should I post the picture????)

It took my a few days to think about your camera and lens proposal. I've decided to go ahead and "will them" to you. What about the rest of the cameras and lenses? You'll need a mule train to haul them all back to whatever western state you are currently residing in. Now I will "will" the rest to you on one condition, and that is that you have to rotate through them all, whether point-and-shoot, or DSLR ones, using them with tender love, care and respect that have been bestowed upon them by the Scatman himself. If not, I shall have to come back and haunt you. Of course, for a few of them you might have to arm wrestle @TractorDoc to decide final ownership.

 

[Rockskipper]

OK, picture this: Scatman's Yellowstone Camera Redoubt - somewhere in Hayden Valley - where one can borrow a camera - will be in a yurt or some kind of safe place to download your photos, esp. those of bears (and angry rangers). Will serve nachos and Cold Smoke Ale. You can borrow a camera for the day or whatever your trip entails, courtesy of the Scatster. It will be quite the heritage, IMO.

 

[ImNotDedYet]

That camera looks heavier than my Pentax 67! And that thing's a beast!

But your music selection is fantastic!

 

[scatman]

That camera looks heavier than my Pentax 67! And that thing's a beast!

But your music selection is fantastic!

According to the Canon Website, the 1 DX weighs in at 7.15 pounds. I'm not sure if that includes the battery or not. The lens is another 1.2 pounds.

Thanks for the kudos on the music selection. I think I forgot to mention anything by The Rolling Stones would be okay too.

Are you still interested in a trip to Yellowstone in September?

 

[scatman]

OK, picture this: Scatman's Yellowstone Camera Redoubt - somewhere in Hayden Valley - where one can borrow a camera - will be in a yurt or some kind of safe place to download your photos, esp. those of bears (and angry rangers). Will serve nachos and Cold Smoke Ale. You can borrow a camera for the day or whatever your trip entails, courtesy of the Scatster. It will be quite the heritage, IMO.

Maybe I could set up at Larry's Lunch Counter like days gone by? I'd probably need you there to keep a list of who had borrowed what camera and when they were to return it.

I could use a plate of nachos and a Cold Smoke right about now.

 

[Rockskipper]

I could use a plate of nachos and a Cold Smoke right about now.

At 7:30 in the morning? I bet you eat some ghost peppers when you first wake up, just to start out the day.

I kind of have trouble with lists and writing things down.

 

[ImNotDedYet]

According to the Canon Website, the 1 DX weighs in at 7.15 pounds. I'm not sure if that includes the battery or not. The lens is another 1.2 pounds.

Thanks for the kudos on the music selection. I think I forgot to mention anything by The Rolling Stones would be okay too.

Are you still interested in a trip to Yellowstone in September?

The Stones are always well worth inclusion!

I may be interested.

My nephew recently moved to Denver and I told him I'd take him out backpacking on a short trip. If we could squeeze him in, then definitely. He's young and spry. If not, he and I may go another time and it just depends if work will allow me the two summer vacations.

 

[scatman]

The Stones are always well worth inclusion!

I may be interested.

My nephew recently moved to Denver and I told him I'd take him out backpacking on a short trip. If we could squeeze him in, then definitely. He's young and spry. If not, he and I may go another time and it just depends if work will allow me the two summer vacations.

No problem squeezing him in if he wants to come. I should know in a little over two weeks what I have as far as campsites on my two trips in September.

 

[scatman]

At 7:30 in the morning? I bet you eat some ghost peppers when you first wake up, just to start out the day.

I kind of have trouble with lists and writing things down.

Tax issues that I ended up on the losing end this morning. I probably could have used two or three Cold Smokes.

 

[Rockskipper]

Tax issues that I ended up on the losing end this morning. I probably could have used two or three Cold Smokes.

Yeah, they got me, too. We should've used what's his name's accountants (no politics, so fill in the blanks with whoever you know who doesn't pay taxes).