How does an entomologist/wannabe botanist-ecologist-geologist-cyclist-nature photographer spend his time on a family vacation?
- Thursday evening to Saturday late afternoon:
– Drive from St. Louis to Lake Tahoe. In between driving shifts:
– Complete manuscript on Cylindera cursitans surveys
– Complete manuscript on Dromochorus pruinina surveys.
– Arrive late afternoon, quick 1-hr bike ride before dark. - Sunday:
– Cross-country skiing with the family: Spooner Lake (~6 miles).
– Sight-seeing: Sand Harbor Overlook on the east shore.
– Hang out at the hot tub with the family and a glass of wine. - Monday:
– Drive to Sacramento with the family.
– Visit buprestid-colleagues Chuck Bellamy (CDFA) and Mark Volkovitsh (Russian Academy of Science).
– Private lesson from Mark on how to dissect buprestid larvae for taxonomic description.
– Dinner with my favorite brothers-in-law.
– Drive back to Lake Tahoe. - Tuesday:
– Snowshoe hike with the family: Emerald Bay to Eagle Lake and back (2 miles, 1,900′ of climbing).
– Bike ride: South Lake Tahoe to Bliss State Park and back (33 miles, 1,100′ of climbing). - Wednesday:
– Bike ride: all the way around Lake Tahoe (72 miles, 3,500′ of climbing).
– Hang out at the hot tub with the family and a glass of wine. - Thursday:
– Botanizing and hiking with daughter Madison at Mt. Rose (4 miles, 1,300′ feet of climbing).
– Hang out at the hot tub with the family and a glass of wine. - Friday:
– Alpine skiing with the family at Heavenly Ski Resort.
– Join a 2-hour ski tour with US Forest Service rangers discussing natural and cultural history of Lake Tahoe.
– Hang out at the hot tub with the family and a glass of wine. - Saturday morning to Sunday night:
– Drive from Lake Tahoe back to St. Louis. In between driving shifts:
– Process/file photographs from trip (~250).
– Complete reports for 2009 collecting permits.
– Complete new applications for 2010 permits.
– Begin manuscript on Cylindera celeripes conservation status. - Monday:
– Return to work mentally refreshed!
I’ve already shared a bit of the trip with a view of Mt. Rose from 7,000′ and ensuing pismire quagmire. Today I share some views of one of the most scenic of lakeside spots on the east shore – Sand Harbor Overlook. I featured this spot in this post from last year’s trip due to its stunning beauty, and this year I was no less impressed. I still had that same, annoying, afternoon sun to deal with (next year I’ve resolved to get here during the morning) but managed to get some passable photographs. The one above is my favorite, and I hope you enjoy the following as well. (p.s. if someone knows how to fix a sun-blown sky in Photoshop Elements, please let me know).
Copyright © Ted C. MacRae 2010
Beetles In The Bush 
Am I seeing a pattern? Hot tub, glass of wine? My kinda vacation, and with views like that it doesn’t get any better. Thank you for sharing your wonderful trip, I hope to get to Lake Tahoe one day.
Thanks, Shelly. It’s an incredible area – we plan to retire there (whenever the heck we get to retire!).
LOL, I saw the same pattern (a very good one, by the way). Sounds like a dream vacation. Such a gorgeous spot!
You ain’t seen nothin’ yet!
Looks like a great place to visit, glad you had a refreshing break.
Re: burnt out skies – the tool you are looking for is the gradient filter:
http://www.ephotozine.com/article/Create-a-digital-graduated-filter-effect-4868
That works. I’ll play around with it a little bit and see if I can fix these west-facing shots.
That works pretty good. It took a little bit of playing around with to get a feel for how best to use the technique, but I’ve replaced the photos that needed it with enhanced versions.
Critique welcome.
Quite an improvement and much easier on the eyes! Perhaps a bit too much blue in the mountains in the background of the final (my favorite) image.
I agree (and I also like that photo a lot). How do you adjust the new layer to enhance only the sky and not other features?
Sounds like a wonderful vacation! I’d comment more, but I’m headed out to the hot tub with a glass of wine!
😀
Incredible pictures (and itinerary!). I love your “wannabe-list”… although I imagine it’s difficult to limit yourself at times 🙂
Inability to focus remains my one great failure!
“Pismire quagmire” — You are having more fun with this word than a prepubsecent boy ever could!
I have to say, you come by your hot tub and wine sessions more honestly, or is it earnestly?, than I do.
I still chuckle when I think of the many ways we collectively managed to use the word, but I think “pisemire quagmire” has to be my favorite!
I also enjoy referring to myself as a “nonmire.”
Those hot tub sessions were well-earned.
Wow. Sounds like a fantastic time. And I started laughing with the repetitive nature of the hot tub and glass of wine. Still, what an obviously good way to wind down in the evening. The shots are gorgeous, by the way, and inviting and tantalizing all at once.
Can’t wait for the rest of the adventure to unfold!
I started chuckling myself after the 2nd or 3rd time I wrote it!
I have some fun stories to tell – a nice mix of adventure and natural history.