This past July, Molly and I traveled to Spain to walk the Camino de Santiago.  We were among an estimated 200,000+ pilgrims who will walk the Way of St. James this year.  It was an amazing experience, one that was completely different from any preconceived ideas I had.
One of the many surprises was the foggy overcast mornings that we were treated to each day.  The fog made for some interesting photographic opportunities and some compelling images.

On several occasions we saw marker posts with worn out shoes abandoned near them.  I really liked the way the pink shoe contrasted with the concrete.

And then I found this abstract scene.  Any guesses where this is.  I’ll give you a hint, it’s not in Spain.

I’ve been in a funk lately, a funk that has been hard to get out of.  I have been unable to focus on anything really and it has been bugging me.  Then, Thursday night while mindlessly surfing the web or watching TV, I can’t remember which I realized that I needed to get out of the house and see nature.  I spoke with Molly and an after school excursion was planned for Friday.  It wasn’t anything crazy, just a trip to Sunset Cliffs to let the ocean breeze blow the funk away.   The early signs point to a successful defunckification, fingers crossed.  While enjoying the ocean breeze I was able to get a few nice shots.

I was a little chilled sitting on the cliffs but then I saw several surfers enjoying a little defunkification of their own.  I warmed right up, and enjoyed the amazing sunset.

In trail speak a zero day is a day in which you don’t travel towards your destination.  In other words it is a relaxation day, a day of rest.  Molly and I did not take any zero days but had plenty of relaxing days.  I never felt like I needed a zero day and I attribute that to our relatively easy pace.  We walked approximately twelve miles each day and normally would take the full day to hike that distance.  The leisurely pace allowed us to stop frequently for pictures, watercolors or to just enjoy the scenery.  The one luxury we did partake in was a stay at the Vermillion Valley Resort.  VVR is a back-country resort, one of several located along the trail.  If we had more time on the trail I would have liked to check out these other back-country luxuries.  The real bed options that I am aware of are the following.

Sunrise High Sierra Camp
If you are traveling from north to south the Sunrise High Sierra Camp is the first opportunity for a prepared meal and a roof over your head.  Located one to two days from Yosemite Valley the Sunrise camp is ideally located to facilitate a very light trek up from the valley.  If you hiked from Happy Isles to the sunrise camp in one day and then on to Tuolumne Meadows the next day you would have to carry only lunch for the first day as all of your other meals would be provided by the camp.  You have to enter a lottery very early in the year to win a stay at the camp but if you can manage to get a spot it is well worth it.

Tuolumne Meadows Lodge
When you arrive at Tuolumne Meadows you will have nearly all of the comforts of home available to you. Located just off the trail there is; a post office, a restaurant, an outfitter, and general store.  The lodge is located approximately 5 minutes east (by shuttle) on highway 120.

Reds Meadow Resort
Located 3-4 days south from Tuolumne Meadows,  Reds meadow is ideally placed for resupply and a little bit of R&R.  The Reds Meadow store carries basic supplies but nothing too fancy.  If you need something they don’t have you can catch the shuttle to Mammoth lakes where you can find a multitude of outfitters eager to solve your problem.  The restaurant is good but don’t sit down unless you have some time to spend, they work at a back-country pace.

Vermillion Valley Resort
VVR was a pleasant surprise.  At our twelve mile a day pace we arrived at VVR at the end of day nine.  If you decide to stop at VVR make sure you arrive at the ferry landing no later than 4:45 so that you ca avoid the four mile trek around the lake.  Once you arrive at VVR you are immediately struck by the unique character of the place.  There are a mixture of trailers and hard sided buildings placed in a seemingly random fashion about the property.  There is a store at VVR but its selection leaves a lot to be desired.  The owner however will sell anything for the right price and his put it on your tab policy makes it oh so easy to rack up quite a bill. Be prepared to spend some money if you stop at VVR.  The restaurant serves excellent food and they have a wide variety of beer available.  If you are interested in a room at VVR your best bet would be to try and reserve one in advance of your hike.  If you are unable reserve a room they are available on a first come first served basis. Molly and I stayed in a trailer and were extremely happy with the accommodations.  The good meals and warm bed were enough to propel us with renewed energy to the finish.

Muir Trail Ranch
Located two days beyond VVR, Muir Trail Ranch is the last opportunity for on trail resupply and R&R.  The MTR website makes it sound difficult to stay for just one night, but Molly and I met a couple who decided to stay at MTR only after arriving and asking about an available cabin.  They have a small store with internet available to those who resupply with them.  There is no restaurant at MTR but they will let you scavenge as much as you want from the hiker barrels.

8-4-09
We woke to a swarm of mosquitoes hungry for my blood, so we broke camp quickly without eating breakfast.  We walked about a mile away from the mosquitoes before stopping for breakfast.  After eating our freeze dried eggs we set out to climb silver pass.  It turned out to be an easy climb and we were on top by 11:15.  While on top we met two guys; John and Drew who were hiking the trail in 14 days.  Drew told us that they were going to Vermillion Valley Resort that night.  According to him VVR was a pretty cool hiker hangout.  We quickly decided that it sounded fun, and the idea of a warm shower was nice.  We were off to catch the 4:45 ferry.  The descent from the pass was beautiful but punishing for the feet.  This area was essentially a solid piece of granite all the way down.  When we arrived at the ferry landing we were both exhausted, and I had gained my first blister of the trip.  The ferry was just a small pontoon boat.  The wind was howling  making our trip across Lake Edison pretty slow.
VVR is an odd resort made up of a few old buildings and ten or twelve fifth wheel type trailers.  We got the last room available which turned out to be a trailer called “Big Red.”  Big Red had a shower and a queen sized bed, both of which were GREAT!
I had a pork chop dinner which was surprisingly good.  I’m not sure if it was at home good but it was definitely back-country good.
After Dinner we met a guy named Gary who we have been leapfrogging with for the past few days.  Gary is from Denver and seems like a really nice guy.