Oops! Hubby took a tumble...the good and the bad.

We have been waking up early and going out taking our early morning photos. We both love the way the sun strikes the mountains in the morning. So, yesterday we drove out, again, to Minaret Vista. Ansel Adams took photos of these mountains, but he was a LOT closer. This is the last vista before the road is closed up to the Devil's Postpile. Now you have to take a mandatory bus up that road, unless you have a camping permit. So, we arrived just as the sun was peeking over the horizon. As I was getting my cameras out of the car, I heard a "CRASH" and "expletive deleted". I looked over to where hubby was and he was on the ground. Unfortunately, so was his Canon A-1 film camera. He did manage to hold onto his Hasselblad! He was pretty shaken up. I know...last trip up here, I fell face first out of the passenger side of the car. My legs got tangled up in my purse and I went "SPLAT" right onto the ground. How undignified! Anyway, he got a cut on his hand and was shaken up, but proceeded to the top of the little knoll to take his photos. I went, too. Can't waste that precious daylight! The bad news was that his Canon did break its polarizing filter. The good news is that the camera is okay (we think...). It being a film camera, we won't really know until we get the film developed. BUT...like the "professionals" we are (insert eye roll)...he has another film camera, he has a Nikon (digital) and he has his Hasselblad. I'm using his old Olympus, plus my Canon. So, of course, after his little...er...mischief...we had to head back to Mammoth for breakfast and the nearest camera store. He was lucky to find a 1 hour photo operated by the daughter of a local photobrapher, Patrick Martin. She was very knowledgable and helped hubby dust off his lens, buy film, and other items that he needed. While we were there, we took in all his wonderful photographs! WOW! I feel like an idiot!

After that, we returned to our motel for our mid-afternoon nap (BAD photography shooting in mid-day!) and decided to head out to Bodie. Bodie is a ghost town, but reasonably preserved, up past Mono Lake. You travel 9 miles on a paved road and then 4 miles on a dirt/gravel road. Bodie was home to over 10,000 people in the late 1800's, early 1900's and dug out over $100 million in gold and silver! WOW! I can't even imagine what that would be in today's prices! x100? Bodie is a photographer's DREAM spot! There is so much to see and photograph! It is only open from 8:00 - 6:00 daily and the rangers start shooing people out about 5:45 p.m. But, the afternoon light on the buildings is fantastic! I think we are returning this morning, and then driving to Bridgeport for breakfast! Here are some pics from yesterday. Don't worry...hubby is okay! I know...it hurts our dignity more than our bodies when we fall out of cars or trip and fall at Minaret Vista! We met two nice families from Italy at Bodie and again at the overlook near Mono Lake. I'm taking a photo of one of them while the dad was taking a photo of one of the buildings in Bodie! By the way, the high in Bodie Tuesday was 77 degrees, and the low was 28 degrees! Bodie sits up on a very high plateau and the winds sweep through there! Brrrrrr!!!! 28 degrees in August???