idagispirit

[idagispirit]

Sly and the Family Stone with Mandolin and Vionin.. What?????

Sly and the Family Stone with Mandolin and Vionin.. What?????

I can’t take complete credit for this version of Everyday People. I heard it on an episode of Sons of Anarchy and fell in love. So cool.. However, I DID throw in some violin since I just started playing this fun little instrument.. So here it is with my twist!

[idagispirit]

FREE GUIDE on Getting Published! How about you take this "shelter in place" time to finally get that book out of your head and into the hands of readers? For the next 60 days, my guide will be FREE! Just click here for the PDF download and get writing today!

[idagispirit]

We Got a New Horse! Meet The General!

[idagispirit]

Wildflowers are Better Seen from the Ground! Last year Alex and I took a flight over Table mountain and was pretty awesome! However, it's MUCH better to see and smell the massive fields of wildflowers on the ground! Come take a walk with me as we explore this geologic wonder!

[idagispirit]

A Bald Eagle – Good Omen! Every year a group of friends gather their fuzzy horses for a ride on New Years Day in the Spenceville Wildlife area.

[idagispirit]

Learning new things - 2018 is Gone Baby!

Learning new things – 2018 is Gone Baby!

Hello friends and Happy New Year!  When I look back on this past year, I think of what I accomplished and what I wish to accomplish next year.  I think the biggest thing for me in 2018 was climbing all those Sierra Peaks!  I made 12 trips to mountains as high as 11 thousand feet!  Yep, next year I hope to make it at least 15 if not 20!  I also plan on doing a back packing trip in the High Sierra…

[idagispirit]

A Trip to Mars and it didn't take a year to get there!

A Trip to Mars and it didn’t take a year to get there!

This year, during one of our (every few years )trips to the National Finals Rodeo week in Las Vegas, we decide to get a car and take a drive out to the fantastic Valley of Fire State Park! This gem is only about an hour out of town and well worth the drive! Even if you are unable to walk through this wild patch of earth, driving through the park and and stopping at the many vistas, taking in the…

[idagispirit]

Peak Bagging- My 2018 year in Review As I was training for a big Pacific Crest Trail section hike, I decided to see how many mountains I could get to the top of!

[idagispirit]

Creeped out in the Woods. A hike to Martis Peak Lookout This week we take a hike up to Martis Peak Lookout Tower that looks out over the Tahoe and Truckee Basin. 

[idagispirit]

A "Swingin" Good Time above the Royal Gorge!

A “Swingin” Good Time above the Royal Gorge!

It’s November 1, and the snow still hasn’t arrived in the Sierra. Join the Foothill Hilers as we take a nice 8.5 mile hike on the series of trails owned by the Tahoe Donner Land Trust. These trails are spectacular and have just enough ups and downs to give you a good workout. The views are incredible! Don’t miss the swing at Point Mariah!

It’s thrilling to soar over the Royal Gorge on a little…

[idagispirit]

Fire on the Mountain Scare!

Fire on the Mountain Scare!

With the morning temperature in the low 30s, it was a beautiful day to hike to the top of Mt. Lola located just down the road from Truckee CA.

We spot a fire, see some weird structure remains at the top, and get some awesome views!

This summer I probably did about 20 Sierra hikes with eight separate peaks hikes thrown in. I hiked some of those eight peaks multiple times with a total of 12 peak…

[idagispirit]

We are Fleas on a Dog.. but WHAT A DOG!

We are Fleas on a Dog.. but WHAT A DOG!

During all of my hikes over the Sierra the past few years, I’ve had soooo many questions about how and why things are the way there are, geologically speaking.  I’d see a huge lava outcropping and I’d wonder when that got there and how?  Was it blown to it’s current resting place from a distant volcano? Did it pop out of the ground from an ancient fissure?  Just how old are the Sierra anyway?

I’m…

[idagispirit]

Fire Lookout Towers! Have you been to one?

Fire Lookout Towers! Have you been to one?

Many moon ago, I had the opportunity to be a fire lookout in Northern California. You can read all about it in my book Fire Girl.  It was awesome to wake up to a 360 degree view from the top of a mountain.  Back in the day, it was a lonely man or woman with a pair of binoculars perched high on a mountain top that spotted forest fires.   There aren’t many working fire lookout towers any longer…

[idagispirit]

The Mountain that kicked my ARSE!

[idagispirit]

What a Jacked Up Summer!!! It's been a horrible summer for a lot of people in California. Many homes lost, firefighters killed, thousands evacuated for days on end.

[idagispirit]

Come Sail Away with me! Dream come True!

Come Sail Away with me! Dream come True!

For a couple of years now,I’ve been sailing around the world…..from my couch!  I’ve been obsessed with a few YouTuber channels called Sailing LaVagabonde, SV Delos, Gone with the Wynns, among a few others have taught me all sorts of sailing jargon and terminology not to mention I get to visit places I’d probably never see in my life (in person).

I can tell you what “taking a reef” means… or What…

[idagispirit]

The... OMG I Can't Believe I Walked UP THAT Hike!

The… OMG I Can’t Believe I Walked UP THAT Hike!

The Sierra Buttes lookout tower was originally perched on top of this rock at 9000ft back in 1915! Can you believe it?

Over the years the original wooden structure was replaced by concrete and metal. In 1964 the crazy STRAIGHT UP stairs were put in place.

How the workers got up to the lookout before the stairs is beyond me as I can’t find any information or pictures of this lookout tower back in…