COLPALOOZA 2014: Mammoth "Run Forest Run"
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Day One
Two of the Paloozians prepare for an epic day of biking in the condo.
Day one of Palooza
2014 was a little
uneventful beyond a
stop at In 'N Out
during the drive up to
Mammoth. Unlike
most paloozas, this
one didn't get rolling
until Wednesday night,
so we had to make the
most of it with some
greasy burgers &
gallons of Monster
energy drinks.
No trip to Mammoth is complete without a trip to the famed Schat's Bakery.
The view of the Juniper Springs Resort from outside. Not too bad.
Craig looks up at the mountain that he's about to eat.
This is the cookie side. It's solid. But the pastry side off-the-hook!
The Paloozians attempt to gather themselves and their manly courage at 14k feet. Leave it to Milo to sneak his tongue into an otherwise lovely shot.
The GoPro is already mounted on the bike--soon to capture some action.
Hi up on the mountain, it was mostly dust and rocky switchbacks.
You can always count on Milo to show up for biking dressed for the X-Games
Sean, looking quite jovial--just a few minutes before he torched his gears.
The Paloozians bikes, assembled atop Mammoth.
The wood planks are pretty sweet to ride on, as long as you stay on them.
Al bombing down the hill, trying to catch up the ultra-speedy Milo.
The end of that ramp has a drop-off and then some pretty quick turns.
Craig about to come down one of the ramps that launch him downhill.
Milo surveys the menu in a valiant effort to track down some blue drinks.
Looking at Sean through the lens of an Original Coors.
We tried to take a picture of the church but this beast got in the way.
Hey guys, look over there--I think I see a really cool church we can go to.
Cam Zink completed the longest back flip ever on a mountain bike.
All buckled in and ready to begin Palooza XVIII.
To celebrate a great first full day, we hit Roberto's for some Mexican food.
It wouldn't be a Palooza without a World's Record.
To get the day off right, we hit Breakfast Club for a little...well you get it.
Sean bungled and ordered the specialty of the house--not so special.
The marina of pontoon boats at Lake Convict just south of Mammoth.
It didn't take long for our waitress to give Sean heat.
The view from this lake on the Eastern edge of the Sierras is always cool.
We were sure that the lucky bird would lead us to awesome trout fishing.
Milo's not afraid of 250 agro linebackers, but he freaks out over worms.
Al and his ever-present Monster Drink maneuver the boat near shore.
Before heading back to Mammoth we found a small herd of deer.
The lucky bird seems to be eyeballing a huge osprey that we spotted.
One of the smaller of Craig's 12 (count em) 12 fish.
Even this bad boy swooped down and caught a fish.
Day Two
Day Three
Pre-dawn of day three was
an amazing combination of
a crescent moon, Saturn
and Jupiter that Craig just
happened to be up for. It
was 100x better live.
After a long day of scouring Lake Convict, the Paloozians head to shore.
He tried all forms of bait, fishing on the boat, on the shore--all for naught.
Milo saved our hooks from sinking to the bottom of Lake Convict.
Sean had one of those days on the lake, and it included a snapped pole.
The ones worth keeping
were taken home and
cleaned inside the condo.
I'm sure the owners of that
place were quite
appreciative.
After a 90 minute drive, we arrived in Yosemite.
Day Four
After the toughest part of the hike, we chilled for a bit near this lake.
The hike up to Nevada Falls was pretty intense for us old dudes.
Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Sean scaled the side of Half Dome.
Al and Milo take a breather in front of the falls.
We spent another hour or so getting up above to see the view to the base.
Not a lot of water this late in the year, but still cool.
Al looking a bit exhausted after downing some barbecued meats.
Milo lines things up absolutely perfectly for yet another near miss.
Our final day in Mammoth got started with a little golf.
Nothing beats golf in the mountains, complete with a runoff stream.
I wonder who put fish guts in the lobby trashcan.
That's El Capitan to the left and the awesome Half Dome above.
Sean, disguised as a salmon, bids you farewell until 2015.
Al reports back to Terri on our every Paloozian move of the trip.
Paloozians relax on the Ahwhanee patio with some malted beverages.
Before we left Yosemite, we stopped to check out the Ahwhanee Hotel.
This is one of the many campgrounds for rent in Yosemite National Park.
Day Five