Sunday, December 15, 2013

Sunday (Open Thread)

From an i-Phone
 
 
From a Less Phone

31 comments:

deborah said...

The top photo is mysterious. Reminds me of Revelations.

deborah said...
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Valentine Smith said...

Nice spread

Unknown said...

coooooold. Sunny and no melt. brrrr.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

The top photo is mysterious

The guy who took it sure is not.

deborah said...

Who took each pic, Lem?

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

A friend with his iPhone and me with my phone.

The sun was melting the snowfall from the night before.

bagoh20 said...
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bagoh20 said...

A very rare cosmic event will be happening soon: bagoh20 will have a date. Yes, of course it's a woman, smart ass. Anyway, it's a hiking-with-our-dogs date. So today I went into the mountains to scope out a good spot. Great mountains, with cascading mountain streams, waterfalls, beautiful woodlands and meadows. The dogs love that stuff. They start getting all crazy miles before we get there, when they can smell the woods.

The thing is that everywhere I went there was garbage, and graffiti on the rocks, and beautiful spots next to waterfalls with spectacular views...which someone decided to use as a toilet, or have a party after which they apparently picked up nothing when they left. WTF is wrong with people? I found one pretty spot that even had a port-a-potty where you park the car, and yet some asshole took a shit next to the picnic table anyway, leaving behind used toilet paper everywhere. What kind of degenerate does that? It's one thing to be a pig and ruin the environment, but when it starts affecting my love life we have a an environmental disaster on our hands. Al Gore, help me!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Family Guy sucks without Brian.

The Dude said...

I used to hike in the coastal range in Northern California and even 40 years ago it was a freakin' garbage dump.

I never got the sense that I was the first person to visit any particular spot even that day. Filth everywhere.

I don't miss that at all.

chickelit said...

What kind of degenerate does that?

White punks on dope.

bagoh20 said...

We are experiencing man-made global trashing. If you go far enough back the into the brush or a mile into a trail it gets clean, but anywhere close enough to a road to carry beer gets trashed. When I was a kid we had parties in the woods too, but we did not do this. It was the 70's and environmentalism was big, so we cleaned up. Some of us did anyway, but there were different cliques and some were not the type to give a shit. I think it's been worse before and then again after my generation. I guess it was just a fad to appreciate a pristine outdoors. Too bad.

bagoh20 said...

"Family Guy sucks without Brian."

It's not a family without a dog.

john said...

Bagowater - you need to get out of the LA area. The whole front range of the San Bernadino's and San Gabriels is a garbage pit.

Come east across the state line and find some fabulous hiking in AZ. I'll meet you, we can double date, and bring the dogs.

bagoh20 said...

Hey John, I love Arizona. I have hiked there quite a few times, and it's one of my favorite places, mostly around Sedona - Cottonwood area. It is very nice, but that's to be expected without so many people around. I'll definitely be back out there.

The San Gabriel are so close though, less than an hour from my house. I've been hiking them for 30 years, and they were a lot cleaner in the past. I think the huge wildfires we've had in the last 10 years temporarily ruined so much of the range that people are more concentrated in the small area not affected, and it's just too much use. That, and people are pigs.

I could definitely retire to Arizona, if I was gonna retire.

bagoh20 said...

When you get into the back range, and up high in the San Gabriels, it's pretty clean, and the Sierras are very clean in the back country. It's city slickers dumping their crap near town that's the problem. We need more bears and wolves running loose, and feeding on drunks with their pants around their ankles.

deborah said...

Thanks, Lem...I take it you're the non-mysterious one :)

Grats on the date, bago. That trash sounds disgusting. How many miles do you have to hike to get to the nicer area?

bagoh20 said...

Deb, once you get away from the roads (about a mile in) you don't see that stuff, but I don't know why people would even make such a mess of a beautiful place. There are 10 million people within an hour of these mountains, so I guess it's unavoidable. It only takes one asshole one time to ruin a place.

deborah said...

I guess it's a numbers game. Maybe you're lucky it's not worse, considering. The pooping by the picnic table is just being a bastard.

Palladian said...

A very rare cosmic event will be happening soon: bagoh20 will have a date. Yes, of course it's a woman, smart ass.

You bastard!

Unknown said...

Tell me... A date. I am crushed. Lucky date. You are a fantastic person, Bags. One of my favorites. A top top person in so many ways. I hope you find happiness and I hope your date realizes how great you are. We all know it.

If you want pristine hiking, you must come to CO in the summer. An open invitation to all. esp - you Bagoh.

JAL said...


Late to this thread. So many threads so little time.

In the mountains of NC we keep it pretty picked up -- if Raleigh or Charlotte was next door, that might be a problem? Our nature lovers outnumber the jerks in our immediate area. And we have enough trash nannies (a good thing, that) anyone trashing would get confronted.

So come see us sometime! (More East than John. Not to mention that Sedona burns the retinas after a while it is so otherworldly.)

You could come in to the Smokies from the Knoxville side and say hi to the Big Guy ;- )

Bringing the dogs might be a problem but you might be able to borrow one or two like youknowwho.

When the time is right bring your friend over here and introduce her. We'd like to meet whoever the lucky woman is going to be.

I'm with April and Deb and the rest of this crowd. You need a good woman. And she would be a blessed gal. (Sorry P.)

bagoh20 said...
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Paddy O said...

Bagoh, where's the spot you found?

I lived in the San Bernardinos for a while, and it's true, trash everywhere. Vacationers bring bags of the stuff, just dump it off the side of the road, or onto the side. Probably don't even get out of their cars.

For pristine hiking, I go to the Channel Islands, but that's not really dog friendly, being they don't allow dogs.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Congratulations Bags. Hope it all goes well. It is so great when you can find someone who shares the same interests and hobbies as you do. Just enjoying the moment and being in each other's company with no stress or pressure.

For hiking it doesn't get better than where we are. The Pacific Crest trail goes through our area and there are lots of nice trails and spots to hike that are not far off of the roads. The downside for urban people who want to get out into nature here, is that we are so very very far from the urban areas. That IS the upside for us. Only the dedicated outdoors people will make the effort, so we don't have the punks trashing the place. Fly fishing, hiking, bird watching, rock climbing, mountain climbing, hunting (of course), golfing and some of the best hang gliding and paragliding sites in northern California. (This message brought to you by the local Chamber of Commerce) :-)

Re the trash and garbage: El Pollo nailed it. White punks on dope.

bagoh20 said...

Paddy, I was checking out the north fork of the San Gabriel River. Just too overused. I like the East Fork, it's cleaner, but requires a lot of water crossings when you hike it, and it's getting cold now.

"White punks on dope". I'm sure, but the color is pretty diverse here. I don't mind the partying in the woods. That's what kids do, but pick up your mess, so somebody else can enjoy the place too.

Darcy said...

Congrats, bagoh!

Hiking is a great idea for a date. And, best wishes!

I wish I could write the next bit in small print, but...well, CO hiking is worth the trip, so...oh, hi there, AprilApple!! =)

/busybody off

Darcy said...

Congrats, bagoh!

Hiking is a great idea for a date. And, best wishes!

I wish I could write the next bit in small print, but...well, CO hiking is worth the trip, so...oh, hi there, AprilApple!! =)

/busybody off

Christy said...

I climbed Stone Mountain on a date. It has the largest bas-relief in the world -- Jeff Davis, Stonewall Jackson, and Robert E. Lee on horseback. Why do I feel racist just typing that?

Have a good time, Bag!

I'm Full of Soup said...

Jeez I am surprised to hear this. Wissahickon Park is in Philly and it is not at all crappy like the areas you described.