Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

Springtime in the Sierras: Hidden Gems Over 8000 Feet! "Climb the mountains, and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you like sunshine into the trees!"  Just because this might be the most over quoted, and over used bon mots from John Muir, it doesn't make it any less true.  We have climbed, paddled, cycled, soaked, and simply ambled through these Sierra Nevada Mountains and we heed their glad tidings and feel their peace.  Y'all should really try it!   No matter how much we travel, we can never really see it all -- sometimes we just have to save something for next time, and the next time, and the next time.  We've been through the Eastern Sierra region of California and Nevada at least 4 times prior to this spring.  Sometimes it was snow that shut us down from crossing into higher elevations, forcing a southerly route back through the Mojave.  Other times it was some work obligation that required us to simply boogie on through to an airport.

GLORIOUS GAZPACHO It's that time of year when the tomatoes in your garden and at the farmer's market are at their ripest.  They are dripping off the vine, begging to be picked at just the right moment.  So sweet and juicy, they become the cherry on top of your favorite salad, burger, or pasta.  But, they go fast if you don't use them immediately!  Just when they are starting to turn is the perfect time to make them into a tasty chilled soup that'll tantalize all of your senses. Shari set out to find the best gazpacho recipe in 2018, then has altered it over the years to make it even better. Each time she makes it, it's a bit different as it all depends on the quality of the fruit.  It's a possibility this is perfection in a bowl -- filled with sweet, tangy, spicy, and just enough texture to give it some toothiness. It's filling enough to make it a meal, or just serve it as an appetizer.  The best part?  Other than briefly blanching the tomatoes in boiling wa

The Scout We tie the boats to the Tamarisk trunks along the bank and follow the winding path up to the rocky ledge which offers us a better view of the river's features lying just around the corner.  We call this "scouting," where we make a plan for our run through a big rapid, get stoked about it, decide if it's over our heads, and generally ramp up the anxiety and/or fun of this adventure.   As we push the brush away from our faces, I hear the roar of the rapid increasing.  Reaching the top of the bench, the valley opens up below to reveal the maelstrom of the ancient ongoing battle carving out this magnificent place.  Current throws itself unrelentingly against rock and ever so slowly tears through the gradient, millimeter by painful millimeter.  This rapid is bigger than I thought and my heart leaps into my throat.  It 's not the first time my mind wishes for a little bit of the impossible. "I wish that I could somehow jump forward to the moment when we&#