My summer break is on hold for one week...

Summer break is on hold, right as it was getting hot and steamy...in the figurative sense.

I have a gazillion awesome pictures from our time in Indy last weekend, but my time has been swallowed whole by a local STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) grant I've been working on with other teachers across three foothill counties.

We've been in the classroom from 8am-5pm everyday learning curriculum. Yesterday, we spent the day and night out in high country on a field trip. Yesterday consisted of stops in the Rim Fire recovery area, Donnell's Vista, and Kennedy Meadows. I just wanted to share of few pictures from the day because as much as this mountain living drives me NUTS, I'm still a bit in awe that these scenes come from my own backyard.

Rim Fire recovery/Duckwall Corridor:

"In nature nothing dies. From each sad remnant of decay, some forms of life arise..."

At first glance, driving into the Rim Fire area is heartbreaking, all of our backcountry is in an ugly state of black/brown charredness. But, then you see the life...the oaks sprouting new oaks, the ferns, the alliums. It was really refreshing and beautiful.

Donnell's Vista

 Kennedy Meadows

Today, we spent the morning at Columns of the Giants, and this was my favorite part of the trip. A handful of us climbed up through about fifty yards of fallen volcanic rock to make it to the base of the columns. It was really spectacular. I'm looking forward to taking the boys back in the next few months for more extensive exploration of the area.

We ended the trip with a lunch/collaboration stop at Pinecrest Lake. Thank you Tuolumne County, it was a long and fun few days but I'm beat and am going to hit the haaaaay.

If you've made it to the bottom of this post, thanks for indulging me and COME VISIT!