May 24, 2016

Miles: 0

We woke up Tuesday morning at 5:10am eager to catch the sunrise. Andy has spoken many times of the glorious view from Lone Pine of the Sierras (including Mt. Whitney) when the weather is clear in the morning.

Unfortunately this morning the mountains were nowhere to be seen, blanketed by dark grey clouds. So instead we got hot water from the lobby and went back to our room.

Andy tried to sleep some more (unsuccessfully) while Laurie worked on postcards and other tasks.

Around 10am Andy’s family arrived in the familiar blue van.

We drove a few blocks down Main Street to a park with picnic tables and a river that runs through it!

Before long, the table was set and we were enjoying another delicious feast. Rice with kale, grilled onions and cauliflower; potatoes; pasta with ground beef; chicken kabob courtesy of Mini Kabob; fresh salad; hard boiled eggs; veggie soup; and fruit. YUM!

After our first meal we drove to Alabama Hills. Andy loves the Alabama Hills and led everyone on a short walk to two arches – Eye of the Alabama Arch and Mobius Arch. The mountains were still hiding behind the clouds but it was sunny where we were.

On our descent jet fighters put on an impressive display in the sky which provided a nice distraction. It was like watching a private Blue Angels show.

Then the real work began. We sorted our gear, switched out some gear (like our rain jackets), tried on our boots and gaiters, and bought crampons (thanks dad!!).

All this work and the walking before made everyone hungry so we went back to the park for another meal. Afterwards we took what was left over for the next day or two so we minimize our spending in town while eating better food.

We chatted with other hikers on the way back to the Dow Villa, then relaxed the rest of the evening – watching Pretty Woman and checking the weather a few times hoping it would change from stormy to sunny.

We will be in town at least one more day waiting out the storm and waiting for our warmer sleeping bag. It was shipped overnight via FedEx but never arrived. The hotel staff isn’t surprised as FedEx is unreliable here.

We’re glad to not be in a major hurry or this delay would not have been pleasant. Hopefully it arrives tomorrow.

Tonight we are grateful for home cooked meals and UPS.