While I get prepared for a couple of great trips for the year, which includes some amazing hikes, I decided to go out early this morning and take in some of the local nature.

The shopping area, near where I live, has some planters with a nice selection of succulents. Below is a closeup image of one of the succulents. Being in Southern California, this type of plant probably survives a lot better in this environment because of the limited amount of rain we get.

My Mammoth/Yosemite trip is coming up soon. Glacier Point road is already open, but Tioga Pass is still closed. There are still avalanche conditions around the Tenaya Lake area and the National Park Service hasn’t given an estimated opening date for the pass yet. I’m sure it will be open by the time I go up.

I’ll also make a short excursion through Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Park during the trip. I haven’t been to those two parks since I was around ten years old! It’s about time I did this!

Have a great week everyone!