California's natural beauty
Last weekend, roughly 25 friends and I piled into five cars and headed towards the very cold mountains of Mammoth, California for the Avery House ski trip. Did you think that California was nothing but sunshine? Surprise! Pasadena is a balmy 70 degrees Farenheit in the winter, but it will snow in Mammoth on Independence Day.
Just as we were leaving Mammoth, one Averyite tossed a very large rock onto a frozen lake, which created a long, winding crack in the lake’s surface. The water that rose to fill the crack froze almost immediately. This emboldened some people to walk towards the middle of the lake and/or attempt to play hockey. My two-inch heels and I stayed comfortably planted in solid ground.
The lake provided sound effects for the brave souls that ventured towards its center. Every step caused the ice to bounce up and down on the water like a drumhead, creating beautiful bell-like tones. The louder the tone, the closer the ice was to cracking, and the more the peanut gallery gasped and squealed.
I tried not to gasp or squeal too often, but I’m pretty sure I started screaming when one of the would-be hockey players shot the puck perilously close to the large ice crack that we had created earlier. To retrieve it, he needed to slide– not walk– across the ice.
We left long after my toes froze.
On the way back, between fresh beef jerky and a capella sing-along in the car, we stopped at California’s Red Rock Canyon. Geology lovers: California wants you to visit! How can you say no to this canyon, not to mention the San Andreas fault?
Climbing up the “hill” was difficult– if my two-inch heels could have talked, they would have been yelling at me.
And now, it’s time for me to learn some more mind-bending special relativity…. Till next time!
